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Day: 5 March 2012

Spring clean your CV

Written by Dana Fowles on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Goodbye winter, hello spring! The season of new beginnings has arrived and its time to rectify the shameful failure we made of trying to stick to our New Year’s resolutions.

As we are constantly being reminded, graduating with a 2:1 is no longer a golden ticket into the job of our dreams. In order to stand out from the crowd, you need to be able to sell yourself as someone who has taken full advantage of the university experience. In other words, you need to devote time to work experience – sooner rather than later. And no, sadly, that paper round which we all had when we were thirteen doesn’t count.

That’s the bad news, now for the good news. Never fear, the Careers Service is here! Yes, that thing you were told about during freshers and neglected to give a second thought to.

Search ‘CareersLink’ on the Manchester homepage, click on the first link which appears, sign into your account and meet the vacancy search, which can only be described as an angel sent from heaven.

The search advertises endless volunteering opportunities, as well as internships and paid part-time jobs. There is something to suit every interest, with sectors ranging from Advertising, Marketing and PR, to Children and Young People, to Science and Pharmaceuticals.

There are placements for students at all stages in their degree, in every region of the UK. If you fancy going further afield, you can search for work in the rest of Europe, or even Africa or America.

With all the doom and gloom, who knew that the secret to boosting our employability laid only a few clicks away? There is now absolutely no excuse not to dust the cobwebs off that CV this spring. All hail the Careers Service.

EU students pay nothing at Scottish Universities

Written by Gareth Lewis on . Posted in News.

There has been an increase in EU students applying to Scottish universities this year, where it has emerged that they will not have to pay university fees.

The six percent rise in applications has highlighted an anomaly in EU law which requires students from other EU countries be treated the same as local Scottish students. But this loophole has left young people from England, Wales and Northern Ireland facing fees of £9,000 to study at the same institutions.

English students living in Scotland will face tuition fees at the likes of Glasgow and Edinburgh whilst working next to fellow EU students who have never been to Scotland before.

The law also means that students studying in the Republic of Ireland will pay nothing to study in Scotland whilst their peers across the border will leave a four year Scottish course with thousands of pounds of debt.

Whilst 17,316 EU students applied to Scottish institutions this year, application figures show that EU students applying to study in England are down 16.5 percent.

It currently costs the Scottish Government £75 million to fund EU students, a budget it draws from the UK Exchequer. The Welsh government has announced it will subsidise its students studying in Scotland.

Scottish students have had free university education since 2008 when the £2,300 graduate endowment was scrapped. Alex Salmond’s government announced last autumn that it would be raising the cap on fees for English, Welsh and Irish students up to £9,000 per year.

The government in Holyrood appears to have suffered similar problems as the coalition regarding fee increases. Universities in Scotland were allowed to set fees for other UK students as low as £1,800 but the average fee charged will now be just under £7,000.

The number of institutions charging the maximum amount took the government by surprise. The Scottish education secretary was “pleased the majority of our universities have shown restraint”, but he had previously said fees would be lower than in England.

Despite institutions such as Aberdeen and the Glasgow School of Art offering a free fourth year with their new £9,000 fees, this will make no difference in price of a degree between Scotland and England.

Robin Parker, President of NUS Scotland has said the overall fall in applications, at 1.6 percent across the country, shows universities have “made a huge mistake in overpricing themselves, missing out on the opportunity to attract talented students to Scotland”.

But the advocacy group Universities Scotland has called for Scottish students to be charged for their education as well. A report last year claimed that Scottish higher education faced a funding shortfall of £220 million.

Staff in many universities have had to be laid off and Glasgow University has been forced to close its Modern Languages department to save on costs.

Despite the nationwide fee rise for English students, the UK government has said they should not be put off applying to university, as no one will have to pay what they owe up front.

Oxford Tory society loses university recognition after failing to pay a dinner bill

Written by Ellen Conlon on . Posted in News.

An Oxford Tory society has been expelled from the University after it failed to pay a £1,200 dinner bill.

The Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA) is an 88-year-old society and is recognised as a platform for future Cabinet ministers.

Its former members include five current Cabinet ministers and it counts Margaret Thatcher as its patron.

It has now however lost all University recognition and is not allowed to use the word ‘University’ in its title.

The black tie charity dinner was held at the Cavalry and Guards Club on Pall Mall and Liam Fox, former defence secretary was the guest of honour.

The dinner for 32, held in 2009, was in support of the Army Benevolent fund.

The military club have tried to chase the £1,215.06 unpaid bill but no one has taken responsibility for who was meant to have sent the cheque.

After an examination of club accounts and minutes, the proctors – the academics in charge of enforcing Oxford’s rules – have therefore refused to allow the association to register as an official University organisation.

The Senior Proctor, Laurence Whitehead said: “the financial and administrative officers of the Association did not reach the standards required of a recognised club.”

The unpaid bill was only revealed during a five-month investigation into allegations of anti-Semitic behaviour at the Association’s weekly Port and Policy events.

A video was leaked to the press of members singing Nazi-themed drinking songs and mocking members with working-class backgrounds. These allegations however did not lead to action from the proctors.

The £35-a-head dinner was organized by then chemistry student Max Lewis, who is now an investment banker at Rothschild.

He said: “I was not an officer. This was an OUCA’s event. I did not have access to the accounts. We had agreed it would be paid by the treasurer.”

“I assumed it has all been paid. I am annoyed that officers of OUCA would act in such a careless way.”

Payments went through the hands of George Farmer, the club’s social secretary and Andrew Mason, the club treasurer.

Farmer is the son of Michael Farmer, a City financier and Conservative Party donor and is now an analyst at Jefferies & Co investment bank, and Mason is waiting to go to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

Mason said he placed the cheques in the club’s bank account and a bill for the event was sent to the society after he retired as treasurer.

“The accounts for my term as treasurer were signed by the association’s executive and the senior member, and the university proctor were provided with a copy. No concerns were raised at the time and there is no evidence of any financial impropriety.”

Miles Coates, the current president of the Association said: “We inherited significant problems this academic year from our predecessors. It all began when I was at school, and it falls to me to deal with it now.”

The full bill was finally paid earlier this year and Coates has said that the club would make a £100 donation to a soldier’s charity to compensate.

The disassociation is retrospectively active from the beginning of this academic year and is effective for at least two terms. A University spokesman has said that the proctors would advise the club on how to get itself re-registered at a later date.

 

 

 

Sleeping out with STAR and Amnesty International

Written by Emma Bean on . Posted in News.

Student Action for Refugees and Amnesty International groups at the University came together on Thursday 23rd February to protest against the destitution faced by asylum seekers.

Over 120 campaigners came together for an evening of speakers, food and music culminating in an all-night sleep out to highlight the plight of asylum seekers, who are given minimal levels of support from the government and are prohibited from working.

“It’s atrocious that some of the most vulnerable people in our society can be neglected by our government in this way. We want to highlight that these people are still here, and deserve to have their human rights upheld” says Georgia Tate, co-chair of the Amnesty International society.

The event was one of many across the country for the ‘Still Human, Still Here’ campaign in the week beginning the 20th of February, which is supported by many organisations, including faith and campaigning groups.

Presently, asylum seekers are frequently unable to meet their basic living needs under the status quo, with many living on a government benefit of £5 per day, and being entirely unable to top this up. They are not allowed to work, and the benefits do not change with inflation or in line with Income Support.

This year’s Sleep Out campaign aimed to draw attention to this problem.

The Daughter-in-Law

Written by Jessica Rothwell on . Posted in Arts.

D H Lawrence’s The Daughter-in-Law, named as his masterpiece, depicts a set of industrial unrest, elusive desires and flaming tensions erupting from a Nottinghamshire home. This portrayal of working class mining culture in 1912 is infused with the mother-in law, daughter-in-law relationship, stemming from Mrs Gascoigne’s rigid grasp of her son, Luther.

The opening scene invites us into Mrs Gascoigne’s home fully furnished with blue willow patterned dinnerware, exhibited within the Hoosier cabinet, a traditional cast iron stove and a homely pantry which radiated the period perfectly. A neighbour, Mrs Purdy, comes to the house with some unwelcome news: her daughter had fallen pregnant to Luther, a man who had been married to another woman, Minnie for a mere six weeks.

The following scenes expose two lovers helplessly hurt and deeply destroyed by the pregnancy. The cries of pain echo around the theatre, penetrate into your own skin and instil a shared sadness around the room. Both characters Luther and Minnie, perform at their finest when stripped bare to portray their vulnerabilities and ultimately, true love for one another.

The embedded problems continue to unwrap as Minnie expels her frustrations about their dictated lives, imposed by Luther’s mother, Mrs Gascoigne. Yet, the solemn nature of the play is at times lifted by instances of Joe Gascoigne, Luther’s brother. His witty and cheeky charm had the audience is howls of laughter which occasionally diverted the play to induce a more light-hearted temperament.

The Daughter-in-Law was at times slow to unfold with unnecessary drawn-out scenes; I did occasionally have to stop my eye from wondering around the room. However, truly raw emotions are at the epicentre of this play with actors that perform so beautifully and true. I was allured by their love and endured the pain alongside them.

Cofilmic’s Final Cut

Written by danielle middleton on . Posted in Arts, Theatre.

Following Cofilmic’s launch at the end of October, the evening was another successful one for Cofilmic founder Janet Harrision. The Manchester based comedy film festival is spreading its wings and taking the short film entries around the country.

On Tuesday 21st February, Cofilmic came to The Cornerhouse as part of the Exposures festival and showcased the talented Michael Jacob (script editor; Birds of a Feather, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) and Anton Short (film editor/director).

The two enlightened the audience on the processes that go into editing and their tips on making a successful film. Michael Jacob’s advice at the script end of the stick:

“Writers often feel like they want the audience to know everything, the script editor identifies what needs to be there, what’s necessary, a scene needs to be one thing at a time

“Always helpful to edit and shoot more than you need so you can shape it down to what it should be.”

From Anton Short’s nice and handy slideshow:

1. Know what the film’s about (one clear line)

Idea=logline>Shoot, script, edit

Keep exposition down to a minimum while getting from one scene to another.

2. Lead with your best card

Which part of the story best sums up the film? Get hold of your audience within the first 30 seconds.

Once you’ve got the scene that explains your film, the theme, you can get rid of the rest that says the same thing.

3. Go in as late as possible, get out as early as possible

4. Say the most with the least

5. Kill your babies

Get rid of jokes for the sake of your film.

The advice is applicable outside of film production, so take-heed of those all-knowing in the industry and see if their words of wisdom can help you in your budding career.

Chen Man

Written by Oli Rahman on . Posted in Arts.

Chinese artist Chen Man broke into the art world with her otherworldly photography for Vision, a Shanghai-based fashion and arts magazine. Since then she has continued to work with fashion giants such as Vogue, and has also been involved in advertising for international brands. Now, a selection of her work is on display in the Chinese Art Centre, tucked away in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Chen Man’s magazine covers have an ethereal feel: a model wearing a goldfish bowl set against a launching rocket, a woman with an antenna made from skyscrapers protruding from the top of her head, colours and scale subtly tweaked and distorted. The models wear crimson eye makeup and have pale skin, their hair and jawbones framed with digital embellishments that give them an alien appearance that, in combination with their confident poses, is eerily beautiful.

Her work makes playful references to China as an ancient civilization, and China as a new economic power. In one picture we can see a lotus flower, an ancient Buddhist symbol, and in another the model’s hair is styled to look like Mickey Mouse ears. In ‘Young Pioneer and CCTV’, a girl looks out over the urban sprawl of Beijing, where she can see the ancient sloped roofs of the forbidden city framed by the monolithic Central China Television studio building.

Curator Ying Kwok describes Man’s work as being “about her desire to combine the modern and the traditional.”

Does she feel that the political environment in China effects Man’s work?

“I wouldn’t say that communist censorship has a great influence on her work.”

Kwok went on to explain what makes Chen Man unusual: “China is dominated by male artists, as is the whole society. But as a female figure, and being so young, it’s quite a legendary story.”

 

Bags of Attitude Exhibition

Written by Rebecca Stevens on . Posted in Arts.

There is an eerie feel about entering the Pankhurst Centre. It is not a grand building which has been built for the purpose of holding great works of art or important historical artefacts, but a simple house, once the home of Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst.

Today it serves as a museum and is currently showing the exhibition, Bags of Attitude, based on a project led by the artist Charlotte Newson. Along with women from the Greater Manchester area, Newson invited the general public to, ‘break a taboo’, and search through women’s handbags.

Around 40 have been designed and created by women aged 19 to 80. The bags contain various items involved in their everyday lives that demonstrate the strain that the spending cuts implemented by the government have had. The exhibition creates a very strange atmosphere, between the celebration of women with the creation of the handbags and a sense of apprehension for the future.

Many included shopping bills from the past few years, highlighting the increase in the cost of living along with headphones which enable the visitor to listen to the voices of the women involved, and the stress they have experienced.

It seems fitting that the exhibition which concerns the trials modern day life holds for women should take place in the Pankhurst Centre. Bags of Attitude offers an alternative to the statistics and opinion polls dished out on the news channels and papers, with a very personal touch, and real voices to be heard.

Album: Dry The River – Shallow Bed

Written by Rachel Bolland on . Posted in Music.

Dry River
Shallow Bed
RCA Records
4 stars
Released: March 5th 2012

I’ve been a fan of London five-piece Dry The River since I saw them supporting Johnny Flynn in a horrid little bar in Dundee in June 2010.  Since then I’ve seen them live more times than I can count and have always loved them, so for me, listening to their debut album was like returning to an old friend.  Songs such as ‘Weights and Measures’ and ‘Bible Belt’ still provoke the same feelings in me that they did all those months ago.

Throughout their career they’ve been compared to Mumford & Sons an inordinate amount, perhaps the presence of a violinist, which makes them a bit folky, made people ignore the fact that the two have hardly anything in common.  Dry the River did, in fact, come together through their love of post-punk and originally started out to write that kind of music but the folk element crept in over time.  Throughout the record, the dichotomy of these two influences is plain.  The overwhelming crescendo of ‘No Rest’ moves into the whispered opening of ‘Shaker Hymns’, where the group’s talent for harmonizing is shown off to its fullest extent.

It’s on closer ‘Lion’s Den’ though where it becomes clear what really makes up the backbone of this band.  At almost 7 minutes it’s an epic piece of music, starting off very calmly before descending in to a mess of noise and distortion with vocalist Peter Liddle screaming almost inaudibly over the top of it all.  The thing that makes it so special is that the violin melody plays such a huge part until the end, it’s constantly there as a reminder of the fact that this is a band who have taken two opposite influences and brought them together into something brilliant.

Dry The River – Weights and Measures

Album: Breton – Other People’s Problems

Written by Alexandre Briand on . Posted in Music.

Breton
Other People’s Problems
FatCat Records
5 stars
Released: March 26th

Though south Londoners Breton take a lot of their sonic cues from the late 90s electronica of Mezzanine-era Massive Attack, it’s fans of the Rapture, Foals and The Maccabees that will be the most pleasantly surprised. It’s dark, pulsing electronica for established fans of indie rock, but there’s more to Breton than being the next NME poster boys.

In fact, there’s a lot more. They’ve already built up quite a name for themselves with their talent as filmmakers (based in disused-bank-turned-studio BretonLABS), which now translates itself perfectly to meandering, enigmatic music videos and a reportedly stunning live show. After starting to make and perform music to accompany short films, the band’s reputation grew from their notoriety on the south London squat party scene.

Named after the father of surrealism, Andre Breton, and with frontman Roman Rappak’s compulsive recording and mixing of anything and everything that grabs his attention, the band have set their compositional targets pretty high. That’s not to mention the recording of the album in Sigur Ros’ own studio in Rekyavik, and subsequent full orchestration by German composer Haushka.

So far, it’s all pretty impressive, and gratifyingly, Other People’s Problems pays up. It’s deceptively complex and the ubiquitous thick, cinematic strings add a rare tension and depth to what could all too easily be dismissed as plain old indie electronica. In fact, the album’s weakest points are those in which this influence is over-indulged. There’s always a danger to a band like this taking themselves too seriously but Breton get away with it through sheer talent and artistic sensibility. Overall, it’s expansive and rewarding, and whatever your initial reaction, will be well worth your while.

Download: ‘Interference’

Breton – Interference

Classic album: Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks…

Written by James Birtles on . Posted in Music.

Sex Pistols
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols
Virgin Records
Released: 1977

Thirty five years ago this year, with one specific track ‘God Save the Queen’ to coincide with the Queen’s silver jubilee, The Sex Pistols’ only album was released. It may have only been their debut but the generation it spoke for showed why it was an instant classic and helped boost the careers of John “Johnny Rotten” Lydon and the late Sid Vicious.

The album’s vile, fluorescent yellow and pink sleeve made it instantly recognisable amongst any record collection and the controversy surrounding the release of an album with “bollocks” in the title helped increase the advertising and popularity of this vinyl.

The most controversial track on the album is ‘God Save the Queen’ and is probably the most well-known Sex Pistols track. The song claims that the Queen has a “fascist regime” and that England has “no future”. Even though it reached number 1 in the charts, the BBC refused to give the number 1 spot to the Sex Pistols, instead giving it to Rod Stewart’s ‘I Don’t Want to Talk About It’, generating even more publicity and controversy.

Three other infamous tracks from Never Mind The Bollocks… include album opener ‘Holidays in the Sun’, ‘Pretty Vacant’ and ‘Anarchy in the U.K’ with the latter being the only single released before EMI famously dropped the group, with the lyrical content reflecting the issues of the time that extremely concerned the youth.

Never Mind the Bollocks… is widely recognised by critics as one of, if not,  the most influential punk album of all time which has been used as an inspiration for many that followed, including bands like Nirvana. There have been numerous reunions of the Sex Pistols, possibly hypocritical of what they originally wrote about, but the album will always remain a classic as it spoke for an entire generation.

Opinion: The Vaccines

Written by Tom Ingham on . Posted in Music.

Hypocrite! That’s what you might shout if you came across my review of The Vaccines Academy gig last year. To tell you the truth, I was reasonably impressed. The band were polished, tight, charismatic and played their hits the goddamn best they could. However, that doesn’t stop me from thinking the people who like them are fools. I review gigs based on the band and if they perform to the best of their ability, but you can do that and still be crap. I’m sure One Direction’s tour will be flawless as long as the roadie knows where the play button is.

The problem for me is, well, The Ramones. The Vaccines riffs are very ‘influenced’, to put it kindly. Their album is full of memorable melodies but who can go wrong with 4 chord rock? Listening to the platinum selling debut, What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?, I can’t help but slowly drift into unconsciousness as the album drifts through predictable riff after predictable riff. Perhaps my biggest gripe is with the monumentally terrible lyrics in ‘Post Break Up Sex’ which just leaves me empty inside. There seems to be no let up – the music has no imagination and the same can be said for the lyrics. Take ‘If You Wanna’ for example. Any bets on how long it took them to come up with that?

Yes, bands sound like other bands, you can’t get away from that. But The Vaccines are no cure to the musical stagnation in the indie scene; instead they put me on a flight straight to a Swiss clinic. Most songs can be traced back to The Ramones – ‘The KKK Took My Baby Away’ is as near as makes no difference to ‘Post Break Up Sex’ and ‘Norgaard’ is unashamedly ‘Blitzkreig Bop’ in disguise.

There is just one crucial difference: The Ramones have attitude and passion and don’t rely on shit loads of reverb to make them sound interesting.

Live: Benjamin Francis Leftwich @ Academy 2

Written by Jonathon Lewis on . Posted in Music.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich
Academy 2
23rd February
2 ½ stars

It was a busy night in The Academy as I breathed in to allow for an army of cap (complete with sticker) clad people past on their way for the MOBO tour. I, however, had a more serene task at hand, ignoring the pounding grime from above to enter the lulled setting of Academy 2.

Opening was Salford’s own Ren Harvieu who carefully made her way on stage aided by the use of a crutch having recently recovered from a near-paralysing injury. Despite the frail appearance, her smoky voice resounded strongly with a depth that matched her heavily pencilled eyes. A simple ensemble helped shine a musical spotlight on Harvieu, who in turn drew the attention of the audience, with tracks like ‘Crying’ and the Carole King-esque ‘Through The Night’ particularly standing out.

For the evening’s main billing, Leftwich had assembled himself an identikit band of sensitive types, all of whom sported Lego man hair do’s and an expression somewhere between sex face and intense bowel discomfort, conjuring up a kind of squinty eyed grimace that one would normally associate with serial masturbators.

Aesthetics aside though, the gig failed to hit second gear. The crowd was restless with chatter throughout and the songs lacked the momentum or variation to keep even those most diligent purveyors of mediocrity, Athlete, entertained for a night. By the end of the set, I was ready to go and bang on ‘Wires’ accompanied by a Pinot Grigio blush just to edge things up a bit.

As good as Leftwich may sound when his hushed tones are sound tracking your M&S meal for two, a live performer he is not. Lacking in presence and without a uniquely individual voice, he was easily upstaged by the powerful vocals of Ren Harvieu who looks set for big things.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich – Pictures
Ren Harvieu – Through The Night

Live: Grouplove @ Ruby Lounge

Written by Katie Shepherd on . Posted in Music.

GroupLove
Ruby Lounge
6th February
4 Stars

Sunday night at The Ruby Lounge opened with a low-key set from Two Wounded Birds, who profess a throwback west coast American rock sound. Two Wounded Birds got their big break when Jonathan Pierce of The Drums refused to go on the NME’s Radar Tour unless these guys were supporting. Having seen the band before, I would conclude that while their sound has since gotten stronger, their energy on stage was lacking.

GroupLove took the stage next and made up for any zeal missing previously from the night. The band is a visual bonanza, jumping and bouncing around the stage during every second of every song. An eclectic mix of personalities, their guitarist sported a cowboy hat and handlebar moustache, making him an easy substitution for a member of Crosby, Stills, and Nash while their bassist with long blonde locks looked like he just stepped off the California coast. The crowd went crazy for ‘Colours’ and ‘Tongue Tied’, and the band pushed through with an explosive version of ‘Slow’ despite difficulty with their earpieces.

Vocalist/guitarist Christian Zucconi took the time to have a quick chat afterwards about how the band, who met randomly in Greece one summer, has taken off. His explanation? Australian radio station Triple J started pushing their music on air and since that time they’ve been asked to do major festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo. As good as their album, Never Trust a Happy Song, is, live is definitely the way to see this band.

That said, GroupLove put on a great show and are the quintessential American indie rock band. If their night at Ruby Lounge was any indication of the summer ahead, it’s going to be wild one.

Grouplove – Colours (live)

Speak now, or forever hold your peace

Written by Jak Dyehouse on . Posted in Opinion.

I often pause to consider how thankful I am to live in a country where the relationship between the religious and non-religious is largely amicable. Unlike in America, where contentious issues such as birth control and school prayers flare up with alarming regularity and undying vim, in Britain we enjoy a discourse between pious killjoys and faithless heretics that is largely peaceful.

Events of recent weeks appear to have soured this happy accord, however, as the two sides have come into conflict over the role of religion in today’s society. Following a judicial ruling which outlawed the saying of prayers before the meetings of Bideford council, the issue exploded as Conservative Party co-Chair Baroness Warsi launched a blistering attack on what she saw as a rise in ‘militant secularism’, making comparisons between the efforts of secularist campaigners and the brutal rule of totalitarian regimes. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, she advocated an increased role for religion in society, arguing that faith should have “a place at the table” – although she was quick to deny that she was calling for a theocracy.

Warsi’s comments are hyperbolic and her use of totalitarian imagery is trite and unhelpful. She should be lambasted for using language that drags up what can laughably be called a ‘debate’ between two sides that differ on their very perception of reality. Attempts to truly understand each other’s viewpoint are patronising at best; argument between the religious and the faithless is entirely fruitless. Quite frankly, I’m surprised anyone can be bothered.

Instead, allow me to offer a suggestion on the contemporary role of religion in an increasingly secular society that I hope can please both sides. Particularly at a time when Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition is flakier than a communion wafer, religious leaders can play a vital role in ensuring the plurality of power in our democracy. When politicians fail to propose effective alternatives to government policy, as our system demands, we must look elsewhere for sources of inspiration. By writing challenging newspaper articles, giving considered television interviews and thoughtfully commenting on the zeitgeist, Britain’s religious leaders are perfectly placed to fulfil this role.

The fact that they retain legitimacy due to tradition, despite their unelected nature, means that they can advance alternative arguments or opinions which might, at times, fly in the face of the public mood. Certainly, sexist or homophobic diatribes should be shot down with vigour, but in the interests of holding our government to account religious leaders should be encouraged to comment on matters of government whether supportive or otherwise. To disempower influential people of faith would cause us to relinquish a unique source of authority that could not be easily replaced.

Hopefully, this is a position which can be endorsed unanimously, both by the secular and religious communities. An acceptance that religious leaders of all faiths should be given a voice would not only avoid petit squabbling over who should be saying what and when, but it might re-establish religion as a vital tool in the armoury of our democracy.

The Fallowfield Fast Food Phenomenon

Written by mo cheriet on . Posted in News.

Usually a journey back from a heavy night out involves making a stop at a takeaway before venturing back home, but why is it always from the same place?

Students around the country – and in Fallowfield in particular – show an unbreakable loyalty to the people that provide their greasy food after a night out; it’s a devotion resembling that of a football fan towards their respective clubs.  No one walks around wearing a Kebab King pizza with Paz’s name printed on the back but it is not out of the question.

This loyalty is a phenomenon that can’t easily be changed.  When McDonalds in Fallowfield made the decision to stay open it looked like the big nightly revenues of smaller establishments would fall victim to a McDonald’s monopoly, yet not even the might of a Fortune 500 company was enough to cut the chords between students and their beloved fast food joint.

Most of the student population will prefer a Big Mac over a distinctly average tasting quarter pounder from one of the other take-outs when sober but McDonalds mysteriously drops down the pecking order of places to eat when intoxicated.  Is that because food from all the other places tastes so good after a bottle of vodka or is McDonalds just not greasy enough to satisfy our drunken cravings?

Can this consumer devotion be explained from a business perspective? Most businesses gain loyalty through the use of promotions.  Some restaurants like to offer loyalty cards that reward frequent eaters but none of the fast food places have adopted such marketing schemes and yet they keep hold of their equal share of customers for the duration of their degrees.

Price competition is not common either, presumably due to the difficulty to undercut the competition when the general price level for post night out fast food is already so low.  Offering kebab on chips for ten pence less will make little difference to most people, especially students too drunk to register the price.  Pricing strategy appears to be just as fruitless as marketing strategies.

This could mean that Dixie chicken and its competitors may in fact explain an elementary economic model.  With a large number of businesses all selling near identical products at identical prices to hungry drunken students who all want cheap food , the Fallowfield late night fast food market is arguably proof that perfect competition exists after all.  Alcohol and kebabs are the answer to an economic mystery.