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Month: November 2016

Live: KT Tunstall

Written by Jeni Lambert on . Posted in Music.

27th October at Albert Hall

7/10

As audience members took a pew upon the balcony of the Albert Hall on 27th October, I gazed around in awe. An Albert Hall virgin, I was stunned by the omnipotent aura that hummed from the walls of this resurrected Wesleyan chapel adorned with elegant stained glass windows. It was like looking out from inside a Christmas bauble nestled between dimly lit fairy lights. Following the atmospheric force of Braids, whose music is best suited for a stroll through Elven Rivendell, the ritualistic murmur of the crowd buzzed through the venue in eager anticipation of KT Tunstall.

Tunstall took to the stage with a Joan Jett-esque swagger, depicting an effortless confidence that shrouded her in an armour of seeming immortality. Tunstall could have commanded any arena — although she slightly erred towards pantomime interaction at times — yet she blurred the boundary between performer and audience and could just as easily have been our best pal performing at an open mic. Gems such as ‘Other Side Of The World’ and ‘Suddenly I See’ were little pieces of home for Tunstall fans, eliciting an implicit desire to put our arms round each other as we sang in unison.

Songs such as ‘It Took Me So Long To Get Here (But Here I Am)’  fell flat, a wash of beige watercolour that lacked the spark of songs like ‘Evil Eye’ and ‘Madame Trudeaux’. Firm fan favourite ‘Black Horse And The Cherry Tree’ was a highlight, exhibiting her gravelly, soulful vocals to their finest.

Watching Tunstall perform was like immersing oneself into a sea of shattered kaleidoscope pieces, a new world to be explored with fascination as it twists, turns, and morphs into every conceivable colour. Tunstall is certainly no shrinking violet and we shall await further revelations of the versatility of her raw talent.

The Chronarium

Written by Tom Patterson on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

In the middle of the Arndale Centre, amongst the hustle and bustle of busy city life, sat the Chronarium. Designed by Loop.pH, it was one of the highlights of the Manchester Science Festival and explored our relationship between relaxation and modern life. From the outside it looked like a large black circus tent, beckoning passers-by to come and investigate. Its location was no coincidence as Antonio Benitez, director of the Manchester Science Festival, explained: “We feel very strongly that science is not just part of what the University does, not just part of what the Science Festival does; there is science in everything that we do, every day.”

He believes that it’s important to take the festival to unexpected venues and reach members of the public who may not feel comfortable visiting the museum or feel as if the festival isn’t for them. Engaging with the public in this way is “a good opportunity to really build that curiosity in science” and gives people a chance to find out more about it.

Antonio has been working for the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) for the past ten years, and whilst having previously been involved in the Science Festival, this is his first year as Director. One of the main goals of the festival is to make science both physically and intellectually accessible. Something as fundamental as sleep is, as Antonio says, “relevant to every human being.” Taking an installation like this into a public place will undoubtedly draw people in — not least because of the booming bass reverberating around the Arndale.

Before entering the Chronarium, you have to take off your shoes. You step into a white floored circular space with hammocks hanging from a large silver ring. It looks like the set of a sci-fi film and a gravelly voice directs you to choose a hammock and instructs you on how to get in. As soon as you lie back you lose sight of the other participants and the experience becomes more introspective.

For around 20 minutes you experience an interesting blend of instrumental music and projected colours. The music is an Enoesque soundscape, slowly changing between deep bass sounds and higher pitched synthesised notes with occasional birdsong. As you gently rock in the hammock enjoying the wash of pinks and purples, the outside world fades into the background and even the noise of the Arndale Centre recedes to a dull background hum. The same voice brings you back out of the experience, then, blinking and hopefully a little more relaxed, you leave the bubble and head out into the shopping centre once more.

Art and science working hand-in-hand is the prevailing attitude of the Science Festival. At the Chronarium launch, two Ph.D. students from the University of Manchester were there to provide some insights into current sleep-based research.

Jack Barton is studying the potential link between sleep loss and mental health, relating to things such as schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder. He says that research in this area is still in the early stages and the main question is: “What is it about poor sleep that potentially puts us at risk?”

This isn’t just related to how we get to sleep and how we wake up but also the quantity and quality of that time. We may have the best alarm clock in the world but if it wakes us up after five-six hours sleep and we need eight, then we are not getting enough. Perhaps more surprising than this is the fact that even when we are getting the right amount of sleep, if we fail to go to bed at our normal times the quality of that sleep is also diminished. We all have a natural rhythm to our sleeping patterns and when that is broken we feel less rested, although over a longer period of time we may eventually adjust to a new pattern.

Alasdair Henry is studying the potential link between psoriasis (a chronic skin condition) and disrupted sleep, specifically what kind of factors might predict poor sleep as a result of psoriasis. These are things such as the fact that the condition can be very itchy and painful, which could cause people to wake up more frequently than normal. Alistair said in the modern 24-hour society “we often don’t take the time to think about the importance of sleep, we’ll sacrifice it to go to work commitments or social commitments.” An awareness of the importance of sleep is particularly highlighted by the effects of failing to sleep well.

Rachael Wingfield, one of the artists from Loop.pH, says that the Chronarium “isn’t a design solution … it’s about the dialogue, asking people: why do you sleep? what are your attitudes to napping? how much do you sleep? and also just asking questions about the future of the city.” So whilst we shouldn’t expect Chronariums to be popping up all over the country, it might help open up the debate about sleep. Loop.pH previously ran this installation in Singapore and the attitude to napping is, if you’ll excuse the pun, much more laid-back over there. “They’re really used to this idea of napping to optimise their work output … It’s really different here, people are quite ashamed to say they nap or they’ve been sleeping a lot.”

Having met some researchers during the project, Rachael added: “I would love to be able dig a bit deeper with the work and actually start to conduct some proper experiments to see the benefits of these different sort of environmental controls on the body.” So there may be some long-term installations on the horizon.

Review: University of Manchester Comedy Society stand-up night

Written by Roma Havers on . Posted in Theatre.

The University of Manchester Comedy Society’s held their first event of the year, an open mic night showcasing new performers as well as some of their more long-term members, with a headlining set from FoxDog Studios. The event was small and intimate in the now consummate space of Koh Tao in Fallowfield.

With Ben Sutton as MC to a small audience of performers, it was clear it would be night of trying out new material to an understanding crowd. The night was recorded by Fuse TV, which proved to be a distraction for most of the performers who struggled to play to an audio-based audience and the physical one in front of them. Despite this, the night had an air of comfortableness and fresh honesty that was sweet.

The first performer was Frank Foucault — no relation to the philosopher — was straight from his show in Edinburgh. Having seen said show in Edinburgh, it was nice to see the process behind it as he fumbled through some new work. A favourite moment of mine was when thunderous laughter came down the stairs midway through his set and we were all brought back into the present. It became a pattern that the audience created some of the most comedic moments of the night.

After that was Ola Youssef, who she describes herself as: “If Charlie Sheen were a small Egyptian woman”, a natural, well prepared performer with a nice angle to mental health with some honest advice. Poppy Singleton-Hoare followed, with a set that played off her own name and perhaps relied too much on predictable humour and an off-centre OCD joke. Concluding the society’s performers was Robert Keen, unclear throughout whether he was simply unprepared or if it was the work of a meta genius, Keen toed the line of the neurotic and repetitive. It sold me, despite the timing problems that meant he failed to finish one of his narrative, it was genuinely enjoyable set with a lot of heart.

The final set was the headliner Foxdog Studios. They opened the set by asking us to go onto their wifi and website which set the tone for the set; technologically innovative and the freshest comedy set I’ve seen this year. I paid for tickets for some big names in Edinburgh, and they started off with a song about working in IT. All acts showed potential management material, including audience interaction, playing electric guitar through an app  and a little game that involved dodging zeroes in order to being the sole remaining one. Playing on the mundanity of their work in a well-paced, truly funny and natural set, I was impressed by how much they achieved within a small space.

The Comedy Society will be holding many events in the upcoming year, including regular open mics and biannual sketch shows. All of their details can be found on their Facebook page.

The Mancunion’s TEF survey

Written by Elise Gallagher on . Posted in News.

The Mancunion are conducting a survey on the University of Manchester students’ responses to the proposed Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

The Higher Education (HE) white paper and the Higher Education and Research Bill announced the TEF which intends to measure each university’s standards by looking at three different factors: drop out rates, the National Student Survey (NSS), and employment rates of graduates after 6 months.

The Mancunion want to know what you think, simply fill out this survey to share your thoughts:

Manchester students win award for alcohol patch design

Written by Kevin Gunan Shang on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Manchester students have won a gold medal at the recent International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) championship. The team competed against 300 other teams from all over the world with their cutting-edge invention, the ‘AlcoPatch’. They were also awarded ‘Best Computational Model’, as well as shortlisted for the ‘Best Education and Public Engagement’ award.

The group was comprised of ten undergraduate students from The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University and have said that they hope their invention can act as an “affordable, personal intoxication awareness tool”, perhaps to avoid the negative consequences of drinking, in the future.

The team’s project, ‘AlcoPatch’, aimed to design a product that could detect alcohol in sweat. The product contains a colour patch, and presents various colours to indicate different levels of alcohol in user’s blood. The interdisciplinary team was made of six biologists, two engineers, a mathematics student and a linguistics student. They are based in the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology under the supervision of Professor Rainer Breitling and Professor Eriko Takano.

Having first presented the idea in January of this year, they spent the summer improving their design. Professor of Systems Biology, Rainer Breitling, who advised on the computational modelling and helped the students with their experimental designs, said: “The team was very interdisciplinary this year, with students from all three Faculties at the University coming together to do some very advanced genetic engineering. Their diverse background allowed the team to apply some really sophisticated technologies to their project, building a unique computational model to predict how to best design their biological system, so that they could optimise the experiments”.

As well as the project itself, the team has been trying to introduce their design to a larger community and help increase self-awareness of alcohol consumption. “It could be really useful for people for things like knowing if it’s safe to drive after drinking,” says Sathya Darmalinggam, a member of the successful team.

Professor Eriko Takano, who supervised the students when they developed the ‘AlcoPatch’, added: “One of the great achievements of the iGEM team this year was that they talked extensively to the Manchester community to find out how their project could make a real difference, and they brought this information back to the laboratory to decide which experiments to do. They didn’t just care about genes and microbes, but also were thinking hard about the impact of their science on the wider world”.

Are FIFA right to ban the Home Nations from wearing the Poppy?

Written by Harry Newton on . Posted in Sport.

The English national football side will play Scotland on Armistice Day this year in a World Cup Qualifier, but FIFA have banned both teams from wearing the poppy symbol on their armbands when playing. The Football Association of Wales have also asked permission to wear a poppy when they play Serbia on the 12th of November but the same response is expected of FIFA. Despite this, both the Scottish and the English FA have said that they will ignore this and risk punishment by wearing the poppy.

FIFA have always persisted that no political, religious or commercial symbol should be displayed on a football shirt, and the poppy falls under this category, under ‘political.’

West Bromwich Albion football player James McClean refuses to wear a poppy and is often bombarded by fans because of this, however he has fair reasoning for this. McClean stated in 2014 that he does not wear the poppy because it is used to remember victims after 1945, and therefore victims that are not from the two World Wars. McClean said, “for people from the North of Ireland such as myself, and specifically those in Derry, scene of the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre, the poppy has come to means something very different … every person still lives in the shadow of one of the darkest days in Ireland’s history … for me to wear a poppy would be as much a gesture of disrespect for the innocent people who lost their lives … as I have in the past been accused of disrespecting the victims of World War one, and World War two.”

Veteran of the second World War, Harry Leslie Smith, has also refused to wear a poppy because of recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. He refused to wear the poppy since 2013, and stated that “the spirit of my generation has been hijacked” by politicians to “sell dubious wars.” With both of these men in mind, it is obvious that the poppy is a political symbol and that technically, if we were to follow the rules by the letter of the law, should be banned from use in a football match by FIFA.

Another problem with the home nations wearing the poppy is epitomised by the view of ITV News Presenter Charlene White. White does not wear the poppy either. In 2013 she stated: “I support and am patron of a number of charities and I am uncomfortable with giving one of those charities more on-screen time than others … Off-screen in my private life — it’s different. I wear a red ribbon at the start of December for World Aids Day, a pink ribbon in October during breast cancer awareness month, a badge in April during Bowel Cancer Awareness month, and yes — a poppy on Armistice Day.” Despite this fair reason for not wearing a poppy on air, White has received ridiculous backlash online by the way of racist and sexist abuse.

If we consider this viewpoint of Charlene White, England do not wear a badge in April on their kit for Bowel Cancer Awareness month, and Scotland do not wear a red ribbon at the start of December for World Aids Day — so why should the poppy be given more prominence?

With all this in mind though is the poppy different? It may be a political symbol but should FIFA see past this and also acknowledge that it is a charity that is so close to the hearts of many in Britain? Just because England and Scotland do not give attention to other appeals on their shirts or armbands, does that mean that they should totally ignore the poppy and not fight for this charity? The British FA’s seem to think that the poppy is worth fighting for.

Scottish Football Association Chief Stewart Regan told BBC Radio 5 Live that: “I can understand why they are doing this, but it is nothing more than a mark of respect. It is a personal choice. This is not about making some political point.” He is right — the two national sides will not be aiming for any political advantage from this move, and it would purely be for a sign of respect.

Furthermore, there is a slight sense of double standards from FIFA. Earlier this year the Republic of Ireland wore a clear political symbol on their shirts marking 100 years since the Easter Rising: an Irish rebellion against British rule which resulted in 485 deaths in 1916.

It is possible that a points deduction could come England and Scotland’s way when they do defy the ban, as they plan to, but Martin Glenn, the FA head, said that: “We don’t think we are breaking their law — we think they are misinterpreting it. I’m confident it won’t come to anything draconian.”

Whatever your opinion on whether FIFA were right or wrong, the home nations look to be going ahead with wearing the poppy anyway. Something that they may have to be careful with the poppy however, is normalising it.

Premier League clubs have a habit of churning out 18 shirts with poppies on for Premier League matches, and players running out in the shirts without a second thought. Surely James McClean is not the only one who does not like the poppy, and you get the feel that there is a certain pressure for players to wear the poppy — especially those players from different countries who are almost forced to wear these shirts.

Pressuring people to wear the poppy, and shunning those who choose not to wear it like Charlene White, only takes away from the true meaning of the poppy.

It is to celebrate our freedom, it is a choice, and it is something you must be actively passionate about or there is no point in wearing one. As soon as it becomes second nature without any thought whatsoever as to why you are wearing the poppy … then there is really no point at all.

The Living Wage: Taking Action on Poverty Pay

Written by Sorcha Floyd on . Posted in Opinion.

Last Monday, the University of Manchester’s Students’ Union was fortunate enough to host the announcement of the new Living Wage (outside London). Entitled “The Living Wage: Taking Action on Poverty Pay,” the morning included a range of speakers, the announcement of the new Living Wage and variety of workshops.

Whilst the Living Wage has increased this year by 20 pence to £8.45, the case for Greater Manchester to pay the living wage remains especially clear. Wages have fallen faster than the UK average since 2009 and A New Economy report revealed that the number of people paid less than the Living Wage rose from 21.7 per cent of employees in 2013, to 24 per cent by the end of 2015. The need for such a campaign is ever more pertinent.

The University of Manchester Living Wage campaign is working to lobby the University to become LivingWage Accredited. Accreditation will ensure an ongoing commitment to keeping UoM staff above the poverty line. This move will solidify the University of Manchester’s position as a force for good in Greater Manchester.

With social responsibility embedded as one of the Universities three core values (alongside teaching and research) one would expect our University to be Living Wage accredited. With the £1 billion masterplan in place it could seem surprising that the University have not considered lifting the wages of its lowest paid staff to a fair wage.

If our university is investing more in its buildings than its people, we have serious cause for concern. One of the successes of last year’s campaign was getting UMC ltd., the university’s wholly owned subsidiary, to bring its wages in line with the Living Wage rate at the time. However the University is yet to examine the pay of all its workers (including Student Ambassadors) or commit to accreditation.

The University of Manchester Living Wage Campaign has just opened applications for a new committee (and new members as always). We will be holding an info meeting in Activities Space of the SU on Thursday 10th November followed by elections on Thursday 17th November.

You do not need to have been involved in this campaign before, just keen to secure a fair wage for those working at the University. Monday morning’s event kick started #LivingWageWeek with great excitement; attendees left feeling empowered to continue the fight for fair pay. However there is still a way to go. The living wage really does change people’s lives, and we are excited to have you involved!

Manchester Media Group presents: Check Your Exec

Written by Yasmin Mannan on . Posted in News.

The first Manchester Media Group (MMG) event of this academic year will be hosted in Academy 2 on the 7th November at 6pm. Students are being given a rare face-to-face opportunity to grill all members of Students’ Union’s Executive Team on a variety of issues.

The Executive Team consist of the General Secretary (Naa Acquah), Diversity Officer (Ilyas Nagdee), Womens’ Officer (Jenni Smyth), Community Officer (Saffa Mir), Education Officer (Emma Atkins), Wellbeing Officer (Izzy Gurbuz), Campaigns and Citizenship Officer (Sorcha Floyd), and Activities and Development Officer (Tamara O’Neill).

The evening will play out as a Question-Time style event, which will undoubtedly lead to healthy debate and answer all the burning questions that students have for the executive team.

Following the success of last year’s Mancunion Live event, MMG are looking forward to giving the student body a clear way to direct their concerns and criticisms or, put their praise and questions towards the Executive Team.

Last year’s Mancunion Live was a political event, with representatives from several political societies taking questions, whereas Check Your Exec promises to address a wider range of issues.

The floor will be open to questions from students on topics ranging from free speech, mental health and academic success to direct questions regarding the actions of the Student Union.

The whole event will be live-blogged and filmed by FuseTV, with footage becoming available on their YouTube Channel following the evening. Everyone is also encouraged to live-tweet the event using the hashtag #CheckYourExec, as the best Tweets may be featured in an article after the event.

In order to secure your place at the Check Your Exec, please email a question for the Executive Team to [email protected] before the event this Monday.

United Player Ratings: Manchester United vs Manchester City

Written by Magnus Henderson on . Posted in Sport.

While Manchester United hosting Manchester City in the EFL Cup has not been as hyped up as the Premiere League encounter, this fixture will always carry a heavy load.

The two clashes could not be more different. Before the Derby last month, United and City had both won all of their previous games. This time, the Manchester sides have been labelled as going through “crisis” periods.

United have been inconsistent, the latest dip being torn to bits by Chelsea at the weekend. City had not won a game in five matches and Pep Guardiola’s famous philosophy has been poked holes in by the English press.

Mourinho needed to get a result on Wednesday, having not picked up three points against any of the big Premiere League sides, and you could see that in his team selection. An almost completely first choice starting eleven was fielded against the Sky Blues’ rotated side. The two seemed evenly matched throughout the first half, but after the break, United came out of the blocks with purpose and intensity and were rewarded with a well taken goal by Mata.

United could have got more, but chances were missed, Ibrahimovic completely fluffing an opportunity to double United’s lead from five yards out. As City looked for an equaliser by throwing on Sterling and Aguero, Mourinho shifted Herrera back alongside Carrick and United absorbed every threat posed to them.

 

Player Ratings

De Gea: 6

Did not have to make any sort of meaningful contribution. Came out to collect some of City’s over-hit through balls but that was the most stressful his night got.

Valencia: 8

@Wikimedia Commons

Another brilliant performance from the Ecuadorian. Stifled Nolito (who is incredibly entertaining to watch when frustrated) and Sterling when the Spaniard was replaced. Linked up really well with Mata, Herrera and Rashford offensively too. Valencia’s highlight was when he fooled Clichy, the Old Trafford crowd and everyone who has ever watched him play by cutting inside and producing a peach of a cross with his left foot. Mourinho really does know how to work miracles if he can get Valencia to produce anything decent with his left foot.

Blind: 6

Played as the right sided central defender for the first time in his career and did look a bit lost when in possession, having to look to play the ball out to the right rather than the left. Gave away the ball dangerously towards the end of the first half and was lucky not to be punished. Read the game well enough but was not seriously troubled by City’s misfiring forwards, who looked short of confidence and out of ideas.

Rojo: 7

One of the Argentine’s best performances in a United shirt in recent memory. At left back, Rojo needs to be creative and comfortable in possession, two things that he is not. At centre half, where the Argentine played against City, Rojo is a classic “no nonsense” defender; winning headers and making clearances like he has been doing it since his mother’s womb. Not a perfect performance, but with Bailly’s two month lay-off, this was a good basis on which Rojo can grow.
Shaw: 6

Struggled, surprisingly, against Jesus Navas. You would have thought that the youngster knew that the City left winger is almost exclusively a right footed player. Strangely, then, Shaw was beaten time and time again by the Spaniard when he dropped his shoulder and went outside the youngster. Two of City’s best chances in the first half came from Navas crosses, which is Shaw’s fault for not stopping them. Got forward well and linked play with Rashford. Is likely to see much more first team football now that he is match fit and that Blind has moved to centre back to cover for Bailly’s injury.

 

Carrick: 7

Played a statesman-like performance, shielding the back four admirably and made United so much calmer when in possession. Flanked by the buzzing Herrera and Pogba, Carrick ran the game with very little fuss. Was a little bit fortunate to not give away a penalty for a foul on Aleix Garcia in the first half, but apart from that, a very smooth night for the experienced Geordie.

 

Herrera: 9

Like a terrier, Herrera hustled and bustled City’s defence all evening and completely destroyed any sense of rhythm the Sky Blues could muster. Played in a box-to-box role instead of a holding midfielder and was the best player on the pitch. Interception, tackles, through balls, dribbles; the Spaniard had the lot. His one-twos with Mata were the footballing highlights of the evening as he and his compatriot lent the ball to each other whilst dancing up the pitch. His blocking off of Fernando for Mata’s goal was especially clever and just goes to show how underused Herrera was under Van Gaal.

 

Pogba: 7

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A better game than against Chelsea, but still below what you would expect from a man of his quality. Played some very insightful passes to dissect City’s defence but was dispossessed easily consistently. Had a much better second half, hitting the bar after a good counter-attack and threw out some of his showboating when the result was all but certain. His touch seems to let him down too often which is strange for a player who is renowned for his technical ability and dribbling.

 

Mata: 8

Took up the “false-winger” role which Van Gaal coined for Mata last season, and played really well. Drifted inside and had good passing combinations with Herrera, Pogba and Valencia. Helped out defensively too, doubling up with Valencia to stop Sterling/Nolito/Sane from penetrating United’s right flank. Took his goal very coolly, tucking his finish near post with a significant amount of power. Subbed off in the 73rd minute for Schneiderlin and was given a standing ovation by the Old Trafford faithful.

 

Rashford: 7

Had another very solid performance against a good side. Did not have as much success as he normally does in his one-v-ones but worked hard at breaking down City’s right flank all evening. Put in a peach of a cross only for Ibrahimović to completely miss the ball when 5 yards away from the goal. Hobbled off in the final ten minutes but hopefully has not done any serious damage to those golden legs of his.

 

Ibrahimović: 6

An evening of brilliant flicks and nightmare touches. Like the other standout United star, Pogba, Zlatan had a hit-and-miss game… literally. Hit a very tame free kick into the wall from a good position in the first half and missed a clear cut opportunity to double United’s lead in the second half. However, the big Swede’s build up play was very good; he played a beautiful through ball for Rashford in the first half which the youngster did not capitalise on, he teed up Pogba to hit the post and grabbed the assist for Mata’s goal. While his shooting boots seem to be missing, Ibra is still a (currently) a useful member to the first team squad.

 

Subs

Schneiderlin: N/A

Brought on for Juan Mata to sure up United defensively and did exactly that. Broke up City’s attacks and played smart passes to keep the ball rather than just lumping it up field. With rotation, the Frenchman is likely to get into the team more often if Mourinho continues to play a 4-3-3/4-1-4-1 formation like he did on Wednesday night.

 

Lingard: N/A

Replaced Rashford in the final ten minutes and his running helped reduce City’s chances of grabbing an equaliser. Is likely to start at the weekend against Burnley.

United Players Ratings: Chelsea vs Manchester United

Written by Magnus Henderson on . Posted in Sport.

The pre-match build up for Chelsea vs Manchester United revolved around Jose Mourinho and his affiliation with both sides. Unfortunately for United, the match itself hinged on Mourinho as well, but it was his poor preparation which drew the limelight. While the men in red had more possession, shots, tackles, corners, a higher pass accuracy and a higher aerial win percentage than Chelsea they still managed to come away with a humiliating 4-0 loss. How did this happen?

Mourinho’s line-up is partly to blame. Sticking Ander Herrera in the holding midfield role (alone) allowed the Spaniard to be completely overrun by Chelsea’s fluid attacking movement. Marouane Fellaini, who was paired with Paul Pogba in a more advance midfield role, was ineffectual at building attacks and his partner struggled to impose himself on the game. With all of Mourinho’s talk of not celebrating if his current team scored against his former, he clearly gambled on a more attacking United side than against Liverpool, with a swap from two holding midfielders to one. The gamble did not pay off.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Conte, at the end of the day, had done his homework and stifled any attacking menace that Untied posed. Marcus Rashford and Jessie Lingard were pinned back too deep to be threatening by Chelsea’s wing-back system, which, in turn, left Zlatan Ibrahimović isolated up front. When the Reds did manage to get numbers up the pitch, the former Italian international coach pulled a ‘Mourinho’ on Mourinho: deep, organised defending with numbers behind the ball forced United to take pot-shots from range, which Courtois dealt with comfortably.

In this kind of form against the top teams (one point from fixtures against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea in the league) United are looking at a real tough battle for Champions League qualification, let alone the title which seemed a hopeful, yet realistic, aim at the beginning of the campaign. With the visit of Manchester City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, things are not going to get any simpler for Mourinho’s men.

Player Ratings

De Gea: 5

If De Gea was a standard top-division goalkeeper, he could have avoided blame for almost all of the goals. Unfortunately for the Spaniard on this occasion, De Gea is up there with the best goalkeepers in the world and so has to take a meagre portion of the blame pie when he lets four goals drift into his net. Rushed out erratically in the first thirty seconds to allow Pedro the opportunity dance around him and pass the ball into the empty net. Could not have done anything for Cahill’s goal, but he has pulled off saves from similar chances to the ones which Hazard and Kanté scored from before.

Valencia: 6

One of the only players in Red to leave the pitch with a sliver of dignity. United’s most threatening player in attack, consistently beating his man and putting good crosses into the box which Ibrahimović and Rashford did not capitalise on. Did well to deal with Hazard for the majority of the game and minimalised Marcos Alonso’s attacking threat too.

Bailly: 6

Had a reasonably solid game and was tasked with man-marking Costa out of the game, which the Ivorian achieved successfully. Picked up a yellow card for a silly challenge on Costa and, with his manic style of defending, looked in danger of picking up a red. Unfortunately, the best performing summer acquisition hobbled off in the second half and is thought to have damaged his knee ligaments, meaning Bailly is likely to be out for approximately two months. With the recent performances from Chris Smalling, this could be a serious blow in Mourinho’s chances of turning results around.

Smalling: 2

With Halloween coming up, I might revisit this performance for creative influence on ‘horror’ costumes. An absolute nightmare does not even do it justice. Can legitimately be blamed for all four goals: 1 =could have intercepted Alonso’s route-one lump but shirked responsibility and left De Gea exposed; 2 = lost Cahill at a corner to give him eight lightyears of space to blast the ball home; 3 = bamboozled by Hazard before the Belgian finished nicely; 4 = bamboozled by Kanté (yes, Kanté) to rub salt into the wounds.

Blind: 3

Another one who had a shocker. Was caught the wrong side of Pedro in the opening thirty seconds for the first goal and almost gifted him a second when he was dispossessed by the Spaniard, only for De Gea to save. Won zero tackles and was torn to bits by Pedro and Moses. There was a distinct lack of forward passes from the Dutchman who is normally so important at restarting United’s attacks from deep. Although Luke Shaw did not look like he had done enough against Fenerbahçe to warrant himself a place in the starting XI, Blind seems to have done him a favour with this performance.

Herrera: 6

The only player who really tried to get United’s heart beating again. Tireless running and some good forward passes but was completely overwhelmed as United’s sole holding midfielder. Tried to do too many things at once and was given very little protection from Pogba and Fellaini. Needs to sit alongside an accomplished defensive-minded midfielder if the Spaniard is going to excel. Still managed to make more tackles than anyone else on the pitch but it was not enough as the Reds’ back four was still horribly exposed.

Fellaini: 4

@Wikimedia Commons

A truly awful game from the Belgian and a big fall back to reality after a few commendable performances this season. The Belgian’s lack of pace left Herrera to deal with Chelsea’s counter-attacks by himself and his creativity going forward was almost non-existent. Fellaini is normally included in the team to ruff up the defence and add aerial presence; to sum up his game, Fellaini won zero headers. Hauled off at half time for the less technically-inept Mata.

Lingard: 6

Only came away with an above 5 rating for not doing anything wrong rather than doing anything spectacular, as is often the case with Lingard. Did well to cover the hapless Blind with his defensive work rate and tried his best to link attacks in the final third, but to no avail. Forced Courtois into good saves in either half. Taken off for Martial’s directness in the 65th minute.

Pogba: 5

Another poor performance which will be remembered by the cynical English press for much longer than his brilliant display against Fenerbahçe. Lost possession too easily and too often and failed to add the creative flair to United which they so desperately lacked. For his price tag, the Frenchman was poor. That being said, he did make himself known physically, putting in four tackles and winning aerials against an aggressive Chelsea midfield. Did not provide adequate cover for Herrera when paired with him in the second half.

Rashford: 5

The poorest performance from the young star to date, but not entirely his fault. Was pushed to an almost right wing-back position to deal with the attacking threat of Alonso and Hazard which meant that his qualities were supressed. Moved to partner Zlatan up front in the second half but failed to add any spark to United’s lethargic play. A few bright moments showed that it was not an entirely fraudulent performance.

Ibrahimović: 4

The worst of the bunch of recent rubbish performances from the big Swede. Missed a very good opportunity to equalise in the opening ten minutes and grab a consolation at the end, apart from that, failed to have any sort of presence at all. Dropped deep too often which congested the area outside the opposition’s box with Pogba, Lingard and Mata (when he was on) all contesting for space.

 

Subs

@Wikimedia Commons

Mata: 5

Came on for Fellaini at half time and improved United offensively but offered little to United defensively on the right flank. Was caught in no-man’s-land for the third goal but did redeem himself slightly for setting up Ibrahimović on a plate in the 80th minute only for the Swede to fluff the chance.

Rojo: 5

Replaced the injured Bailly to the dismay of United fans. With almost his first touch he gifted Chelsea a golden opportunity from a counter. Struck a solid long-range effort which drew a good save from Courtois. It is not very heart-warming for United fans now that the Argentinian error-a-game player is first choice backup at centre half with Bailly’s injury.

Martial: 5

Replaced Lingard for the final 25 minutes but had very little impact on the game. He, like the majority of talent in the red half of Manchester, is not pulling his weight so far this campaign.

An Ozzy’s view of Manchester

Written by Barney Weston on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Having met the Ozzy Ryan whilst on a semester abroad in Zürich, and having learnt that he was quite the football fan, I concluded it would be criminal if I did not have him over to Manchester to see his team play.

Either way, I was intrigued to observe my friend and get his outsider’s view of Manchester. Firstly, he had not expected it to be such a student town. He didn’t like that and he didn’t know why, but he didn’t like it.

The Northern Quarter, or rather “the hipster part with all those shops we went to”, was his favourite part. As a man who wears Carhaart, is incredibly active on social media, and loves photographing the weird and wonderful, he fit in much better than I did, wearing my dad’s hand-me-down pink and black striped GANT long-sleeved top, as well as jeans with holes in them.

Anyway, perhaps the most surprising revelation was how he thought the Curry Mile to be “overhyped” — although the Ozzy was right in the sense that I had made it sound like a city centre of sorts. Living round the corner from the Curry Mile, I was relatively embarrassed to introduce my friend to the city by looking down it. “Where does that lead?”, he asked me. “Mordor — sorry — university”, I replied. He looked terrified. “Don’t worry, it’s safer down where we live”, I told him.

When we walked down Oxford Road the next day, it felt like I was on an open day. We got photos of the Ali G (“Who’s Ali G?” the Ozzy asked) as well as an obligatory selfie in front of Whitworth Hall. Later on, I found myself sneaking through the Town Hall, up and down staircases, searching for a good photo.

Could you compare Manchester to Sydney, his university city? Surprisingly enough, the comparison was entertained: “Sydney is completely different, as it’s not a student town like Manchester is.” The fact that he described Manchester as “a town” sums up his feelings, and the difference between the two cities.

“Make coppin’ a feel a habit of a lifetime”

Written by Hannah Casey on . Posted in News.

‘CoppaFeel!’ is a breast cancer awareness charity on a mission to get you to check your boobs regularly.  They campaign to increase cases of early detection, as this means better treatment options and higher survival rates. It exists to challenge the perception that Breast Cancer is an older persons disease, as their founder, Kris Hallenga, discovered the hard way.

Photo: CoppaFeel!

At age 23 Kris was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer, which is what it’s called when cancerous cells spread around your body. In Kris’ case the cancer had found a home in her spine, meaning that it was — and is — incurable.

The campaign explains that “as a carefree twenty-something, a bombshell like cancer was not something she’d bargained for, in fact breast cancer was firmly not on Kris’ radar. Or most young people’s. So she decided to do something about it. Three months later she founded CoppaFeel!”

Since 2009 ‘CoppaFeel!’ Have been taking their message out to schools, universities and festivals across the country.

In Manchester, there is a dedicated Uni Boob Team (UBT) who are on a mission to get students coppin’ a feel and getting to know what their ‘normal’ feels like.

They stress that “getting to know your boobs is fundamental in identifying the early symptoms of breast cancer”.

Photo: CoppaFeel!

To help remind you the Coppafeel team will send you a free monthly text which tells you when it is is time to check your boobs. All you need to do is text “UBTMCR” to 70 500 to start receiving your free monthly boob texts*.

October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so the Manchester UBT were busy raising funds and awareness for ‘CoppaFeel!’. The UBT want to get students in Manchester thinking and talking about their boobs. To kick off campaigning for last month students across the University donated clothes for our CarBoob Sale at Koh Tao. If you missed it then they still have a whole host of other events for you to get involved in throughout the rest of the year.

The campaign stress that while “breast cancer may be a serious subject” their “approach to raising awareness is not.”

You can keep up to date with all the events that the UBT are running throughout the year on their Facebook page or get in touch via [email protected]

*Text the above code to 70500 to receive a free* monthly SMS reminder to check your boobs.

*Standard network rates apply for the sign up text. Everything we send you is free after that. Promise. By providing your number your agree to us texting you once a month reminding you to check your boobs. Receiving our texts is free. You can stop the service at any time by texting STOP to 70500 (Standard network rates apply) or by emailing us on [email protected] with your name and mobile telephone number. Full terms

Photo: CoppaFeel!

Top 5: Halloween dance tracks

Written by Charlotte Ridout on . Posted in Music.

Halloween is over and although it may be time to pack away your ketchup-stained t-shirts and white contact lenses, that doesn’t mean you have to start listening to Christmas music straight away. If, like me, you still feel like getting your spook on, then you may be interested in these ghoulish tunes .

1. ‘Ghost’  – Mystery Skulls (Fred Falke remix)

The original track by Mystery Skulls is a solid addition to any playlist, but this remix gives the cheery tune a darker tone with minor chords and an 80s-style backing.

2. ‘After Life’ – Tchami feat. Stacy Barthe

This ethereal future house number asks the question “Where do I go in the afterlife?”. I don’t know the answer but if they have music there, I hope the basslines are as bouncy as this one.

3. ‘The Other Side’ – Pendulum

Drum and bass fans will be familiar with this classic from Pendulum. ‘The Other Side’ doesn’t go as hard as Pendulum’s later stuff so works well as a playlist filler if you don’t mind having horrifying flashbacks to whatever you looked like in 2008.

4. ‘Stranger Things’ – Main Theme (C418 Remix)

‘Stranger Things’ became the knockout hit of the summer, paying homage to 80s horror fiction and sci-fi like never before. If you’re looking for a more relaxed vibe, this is the track for you.

5. ‘Spooky Scary Skeletons’ (Remix) – The Living Tombstone

Even though it was released three years ago, ‘Spooky Scary Skeletons’ lives on through meme-fuelled infamy. If this isn’t on your Halloween playlist then really, what are you doing?

Manchester City 3-1 Barcelona

Written by Harry Newton on . Posted in Sport.

If this game was a song…

Anything you can do, I can do better.

Manchester City out-Barca’d Barca tonight. When Sheikh Mansour brought in Pep Guardiola, this must have been exactly what he was expecting. Both teams had the same set up from the back, as the goalkeepers played it out to their wide centre-backs and passed their way slowly into the midfield: the one difference being that Manchester City were better at it. The pressing style from City’s front line is what made this especially difficult for Barcelona, as they were forced into a number of errors and never really felt comfortable. The first half was much more even with Barca having more of the ball, but the second half was a masterclass in how to play like Barcelona… by Manchester City.

Pab Zab’s Rehab

Pablo Zabaleta somehow managed to get fit enough for this game, despite how Pep Guardiola pretty much said that he would be injured in his pre-match press conference. Zabaleta has gathered quite a bit of stick this season after a struggling start to the year, as it seems he has been a little off the pace, but nothing could have been further from the truth in this game. The Argentine rolled back the years and pulled out a fantastic performance both defensively and offensively. He was quite visibly pumped for the game, as he turned to the fans a couple of times and spurred them on to sing for the team.

MSN or KDB?

MSN is what the press have dubbed Messi, Suarez, and Neymar, because it’s obviously so necessary to try and do this with every successful front line. But who needs these three, when Kevin de Bruyne is around to run the show. The Belgian pulled out a superb performance against the Spanish giants, as he dictated everything. Silva dropped deeper and had a fantastic defensive game, which allowed de Bruyne and Gündoğan to run free in the middle: with Gündoğan being that little bit more defensive-minded it really allowed de Bruyne to have so much attacking freedom which paid dividends. KdB also scored yet another beautiful free kick to give City a 2-1 lead early in the second half.

Man of the Match

Silkay İlkay Gündoğan

İlkay Gündoğan cost a ridiculous £20million in the summer when the Blues bought the German from Borüssia Dortmund, and it looks to be one of the bargains of the summer! With two goals against West Brom at the weekend, the German proved right the old saying: “Anything you can do against West Brom, can be done better against Barcelona.” He was in the right place at the right time for both of his goals as he tapped home from five-ish yards each time. Silkay İlkay would have been man of the match despite these goals though, as his positioning play and balance in both attack and defence is really what pieced together the midfield of Silva, Fernandinho, de Bruyne and himself. The four are beginning to really look like one of Europe’s most feared midfield. They tore apart one of the greatest football teams ever today.

Reffing Hell

Pep Guardiola once said that he does not talk about the referees, as they have such a difficult job, and this is exactly the kind of attitude that a good football manager should have. But I’m a reporter and not a football manager, so I can say that the fella in the middle today was pretty bobbins. He missed two pretty clear penalties, one for either side, and even booked Raheem Sterling for ‘diving’ in the penalty area during a quite obvious foul. It wasn’t a bias display despite what many City fans may tell you, as it’s possible that he missed a handball by Sergio Agüero in the lead-up to Silkay Ilkay’s second goal. Ball to hand for me, but I do have a ridiculous man-crush on Sergio. Whose beard is that intimidating and yet so inviting?

Quote of the Presser

“Look at Zabaleta tonight, he’s had two or three weeks out. He only trained yesterday, and look at him tonight against Neymar… Neymar!” – Pep Guardiola.

One of the Classics

Every City player had to be at their best to get past Barcelona, and I simply don’t have the time/get paid enough to go through each and every one of them, but some notable stand out performances must be mentioned. John Stones looked entirely at home on the big stage as he managed MSN with ease. David Silva changed his usual game and acted more defensively, as the little Spaniard came out on top in many crunching challenges. Raheem Sterling should have scored two, and should have had a penalty instead of a booking, after he had a great game finding little pockets of space in the final third of the pitch. And finaly Sergio Agüero is certainly back in form, after scoring twice at the weekend against West Brom, as he was up to his usual mischievous self, pulling defenders out of position with his runs.

This may be a big game in City’s history — on the 1341358151015th time of asking in the Champions League, they finally got past Barcelona, and they did it in incredible style. City have been seen as a big European club in the last five years, but this is the only time where they’ve genuinely outclassed one of the big guns. With a performance like this so early on in the season, we must consider City serious contenders for the Champions League trophy itself.

 

The drugs don’t work – the true cost of drug-taking

Written by Rebecca Carr on . Posted in Lifestyle.

The Priory Group have developed an interactive infographic to educate students on the long term effects that drugs can have on both the body and mind.

The infographic launch has been timed to coincide with the return of students to university, as well as freshers living away from home for the first time. This is a time when young people are likely to be curious about experimenting with drugs, as they enter into new friendship groups and experience new freedoms.

It is commonly thought that the main danger in taking drugs is around the purity of the drug and the short-term physical effects. There is a believed lack of awareness that drug use can lead to mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and paranoia.  The infographic developed by Priory specialists details the long-term damage caused by taking drugs.

Priory Roehampton’s Lead Addictions Consultant, Dr Niall Campbell, states: “I see an increasing number of patients, often only 18, who are not only addicted to street drugs but have developed significant depressive and anxiety disorders. Distressing panic attacks from stimulants and hallucinogens — synthetic or mushroom-based — are on the increase.

I have also noticed an alarming number of cocaine-induced, severe paranoid states requiring admission to hospital. Unfortunately, as I say to patients, this paranoia may not be controlled by antipsychotic medication and may become a permanent state. Research from the Maudsley Hospital suggests that over 25% of chronic paranoid psychoses, i.e. those which don’t go away when drug use stops, are marijuana-induced.  Marijuana is continually being redeveloped to be stronger, and hence more dangerous.  So the problem is worsening.”

Given the increased freedom and feeling of invincibility most young people experience during their time at University, and the added peer pressure, it is no surprise more young people are giving in to temptation. The Priory feels young people require further information about what it is they are putting in their bodies and the repercussions.

Armed with the hard facts about drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, ketamine and ecstasy, young people will be equipped to make an informed choice and the ability to say ‘no’.

Students attacked with fireworks in Fallowfield

Written by Kirstie O'Mahony on . Posted in News.

There have been multiple reports of fireworks being used to frighten and injure University of Manchester students around Fallowfield on the evening of Halloween, at the height of the festivities.

Roma Havers, a third year English and Drama student, told The Mancunion that at around 10.30pm on the 31st of October 2016, on Moseley Road, she “heard the sound of firecrackers and looked round and could see the smoke from across the road very close to the ground”, and that a firecracker had been thrown from a car. Almost immediately after this, another one came “flying past”, and it was “really loud, smoky and bright”.

Many reports described three men dressed in white masks as the perpetrators of the attacks. Fuse FM’s Head of Drama, third year student Will Vincent, said that these men came to his home in the Ladybarn area and proceeded to throw a firework into his hallway, which scorched the stairs.

Writing on Facebook, Will said that himself and his housemates were “shaken… up a bit” by the incident, and encouraged all those staying in for Halloween to “stay safe”.

Will told The Mancunion that initially, the three men told him that they were trick or treaters. His housemate wanted to give them the sweets, but  when she went back to the front door, she said that they refused them, and at that point, “one of them produced a lighter and started pointing a firework inside”. They all ran for cover, and Will said all he could see was “white light and smoke”. They were all very disturbed by the ordeal, especially as one housemate had thought that one of the men had had a gun.

Ethan Davies, a second year PPE student, told The Mancunion that what appeared to be the same three men attacked him and his friends on their way to a club. “They stared us down,” said Ethan, after which “out of nowhere literally this firework came toward” them. It hit his friend Sam, who said it stung but left no permanent damage.

Marina Jenkins and her friend were also approached by the same three men on the street. They were walking down Egerton Road at about 9pm yesterday evening. She described four men rather than three, all still in white masks, who were cycling up and down the road and shouting at her and her friend, and to each other.

Marina said she “saw one of the boys holding something in his hand, to begin with I thought it was a knife from the way he was holding it”. The boys apparently then started throwing the fireworks, unperturbed by the fact the road was busy, according to Marina, and that lots of people had seen them do it. Marina did try to phone Greater Manchester Police on 101 three times, but received no answer. She said that the events of last night had left her feeling “unsafe”.

Greater Manchester Police have said this morning: “We received a call yesterday at 9.20pm to report that a firework had been set off in doorway of a home on Edgeworth Drive. We are now investigating and we’re asking anyone with information to call us on 101.”

Enter the student philanthropy survey

Written by Jennifer Sterne on . Posted in News.

The University of Manchester is looking to get your views on giving to charity — all you have to do is fill in this five minute survey. All students who complete the survey are entered into a prize draw.

The Student Philanthropy Survey is being conducted by The University of Manchester’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations department.

The survey seeks to assess students’ views on charitable giving, and awareness and attitude towards the University’s charitable priorities.

Everyone who completes the survey is entered into a prize draw. Winners could receive  a £10 voucher to spend on food or drinks in the Union Bar at the Students’ Union, five ‘I love UoM’ canvas bags for carrying your library books or shopping, or the top prize of a summer term Stagecoach UniRider bus pass (RRP £55).

The survey will close on Sunday 13th November 2016, and winners of the prizes will be notified before Friday 18th November 2016.

Squid Ink

Written by Felix Sanders on . Posted in Food & Drink.

Northern Quarter. Two words I have written a thousand times. At its end is Great Ancoats Street. Across this gaping chasm of a road lies Ancoats. Accept, it is not such a huge divide. Why does Ancoats then not share the NQ’s footfall? Why this fear of crossing the road? It was an illuminating conversation with a man named Anthony Barnes, the chef owner of Squid Ink that gave me some understanding as to the why. He went on to explain what Ancoats used to be, and ultimately what it could become.

He actually grew up in Ancoats. He remembers it as a place that, if you weren’t local, you just didn’t go. Kids would hurl abuse and sling stones at outsiders. I had to ask was he one of those kids? He laughed, and said he was probably off reading a book somewhere. Now Anthony is a David, hurling stones at the Goliath of American comfort food that currently rules the Northern Quarter, consuming all food outlets with a banal wave of similarity.

He is part of an unofficial collective of restaurants, Japanese tea shops and boutique corner stores that are breathing unprecedented cultural life into not just Ancoats, but Manchester as a whole. The thing that struck me the most about Anthony was that he had never worked as a chef in a restaurant kitchen before, he has always been front of house. But after he described it as one part of the journey that lead him to create Squid Ink, it completely made sense. Much has been made of fusion or hybrid cuisines, but what of hybridised roles within restaurant? Anthony is first and foremost a host. He knows how to create an atmosphere, one of sterilisation intermingled with the work of local artists showing on his walls. The attention to detail on the custom carved cutlery boxes that adorn the naked wooden tables does not go unnoticed and creates a clean, clear platform upon which he presents his food. And the presentation is something in itself, there is no menu, just him and his description of the plate of food in front of you.

There are probably restaurants that operate like this in the London’s of the world, but not in Manchester, and especially not at £25 for four courses of proper cooking.

It is a menu that changes every month with accordance to the whimsy and availability of produce for the chef. You get the impression he wakes up in the middle of the night with the unexplainable impulse to put elderberries somewhere on his menu. It is also influenced by his travels, that Wednesday evening Mr Billy Baldwin and I were eating Scandinavian. Copenhagen evidently holds a special place in the heart of Anthony. He served a smorgasbord of rye bread and cultured butter, topped with apples, walnut, and blue cheese. Then came gravlax, a gently cooked salmon accompanied by beetroot and dill. If Copenhagen has a place in Anthony’s heart, Anthony’s pork belly has a place in mine, the product of five days labour, a generous portion enhanced by the presence of a deeply rich caramelised apple sauce.

The pudding was called Kladkaka, something I’d never heard of and the waiter couldn’t pronounce. None of that particularly matters, but I didn’t fall in love with the brownie-esque traditional Swedish dessert.
I thought his starter simple but clean, the fish course increasing the drive of the menu before arriving at its zenith the pork, before being let down by the dessert.

What I write about this menu may be entirely superfluous, for what I ate there may not be on the menu when you eat there. I implore you to try Squid Ink, because what he does in cooking by himself and employing no other chefs, is drive the price down of a kind of food that a student would not normally be able to buy.

It has a pretty serious wine list as well, try the rosé.

Remain voters need to scrutinise Brexiteers like me

Written by Sam Glover on . Posted in Opinion.

If, unlike me, you voted Remain on June the 23rd, you might have encountered some hostility since the referendum. The Brexiteers have come up with a new line: anyone who voted to remain and stands by their opinion is an effete, moaning, unpatriotic, metropolitan liberal, to whom we should pay no notice. This is ridiculous. Many prominent Leave voters, including Nigel Farage, said that they would not be content in accepting the result if Britain voted to remain. You can be sure that if we had voted to remain, there would be cries of an establishment stitch-up and calls for a second referendum (as was the case after the Scottish Referendum).

One of the main arguments that convinced me to vote to Leave was the lack of democracy in the European Union. Jean-Claude Juncker (President of the European Commission) and his cronies, it seemed to me, were and are completely unaccountable to the British (or indeed European) electorate. There is no vote in which we can remove him, and he gives little thought to what the people he governs think of him.

The reason why the Westminster system is so much better than the EU system is that its politicians are scared of the people they represent. If your Local MP is an expenses cheat or does not turn up to parliament, they will likely be removed by their constituents in a General Election. When newspapers such as The Daily Mail make jibes at anyone who is still angry about the vote to Leave, they undermine a key reason for why so many people voted to leave — it is important that decisions taken by politicians can be criticised by the British people.

Democracy does not work if the opposition are expected to not oppose the government. As Ken Clarke (a Conservative MP for Rushcliffe, who supported Remain) said on Question Time: “When a party loses an election, they do not go to parliament and accept that the winning party was right about everything. I don’t think many Labour voters would be happy if, after having lost the election in 2015, Ed Miliband had gone into parliament and accepted that the Tories were right about austerity, tuition fees, and zero-hour contracts”.

Those making the foolish argument that Remainers should keep their traps shut about the dangers of leaving the European Union set a dangerous precedent. They think it would be better if those who hold the majority view remain immune from criticism. Think the weakening of the pound is a bad thing? Be quiet. Think that Brexit will lead to workers’ rights being eroded? Shut up.

I voted Leave with the understanding that if Brexit was a complete disaster — though I do not think it will be — I would have to shoulder a portion of the blame. Likewise, if we had voted to remain in the European Union I would have been first to criticise Remainers if, as I suspect it will, the EU continues in its ways, such as the forcing of austerity upon the poorest people on the block, or retaining protectionist barriers that are detrimental to farmers and workers in Africa.

The people who voted Remain, who are still firm in their belief that Britain should stay inside the European Union, or the single-market, or whatever it is, must not shut up. Liam Fox, Boris Johnson, and David Davis might well make a mess of Brexit. If they do, you ought to be the first to say so, because a functioning and healthy democracy is reliant on the fact that the electorate will be able to sniff out a dodgy deal, or a promise that has not been delivered on.

The public voted to Leave and now that the referendum is over that is what we must do. But, as Remain-voting MPs have become fond of saying, we did not vote on what kind of Brexit we wanted. Contrary to what some people think, we did not vote for the official Vote Leave campaign. We did not vote for Boris Johnson or Michael Gove. We simply voted to leave. And many of those who voted to leave, me included, certainly do not have much sympathy with some of the plans of the current government.

I rely on Remain voters to keep the Conservative government in check and to ensure that Brexit is not a disaster. If it is, ordinary British people will suffer. More importantly, I will have egg on my face.

Pro-EU intellectuals must speak out

Written by Edie Walwyn on . Posted in Opinion.

I am sure that Theresa May was far too busy creating “a country that works for everyone” to have a Halloween party this year. However, on the off chance that May decided to throw a Halloween bash, I hope that one of the guests attended dressed as an embodiment of the pro-European faction of the British Intelligentsia. After all, it would have truly terrified the knickers off our dear Prime Minister, and they would certainly be in with a shot of winning the prize for the most creative costume.

Theresa May and many of those in support of hard Brexit have tried everything to shut out the voice of those opposed to it, many of whom are students or a part of the Intelligentsia, calling them “unpatriotic”, “bad losers” or “anti-democratic.”

They even started a petition declaring that criticism of Brexit should be considered treason after Article 50 is triggered. Surely if these individuals are as in favour of democracy as they claim to be, they should recognise the importance of democratic freedom of expression that allows the political system to be questioned and, therefore, would not try so incessantly to squash those questioning the conduct and outcome of the referendum.

A likely explanation is that pro-European intellectuals are a terrifyingly rational opposition to a chaotic Brexit and, for that reason, pose a significant threat to Theresa May and the Brexit politicians and supporters (if one can even say that Theresa May “supports” Brexit).

Taking Brexit out of the equation entirely, more generally speaking, society and the establishment’s distrust of intellectuals, thinkers and questioners, is a tale as old as time. According to the creation story from one of the world’s major religions, Christianity, the fall of human beings stems from the fact that God caught Adam and Eve eating an apple from the Tree of Knowledge. In other words, according to Genesis, mankind is condemned with mortality. Us ladies are cursed with feeling that our bodies are ripped in half during childbirth, all because they were tempted into wanting to possess knowledge. Perhaps this is a misinterpretation on my part, but that does not a seem like a particularly endearing representation of intellectual curiosity.

So why would the writer of Genesis want to portray this dismissive representation of knowledge? Genesis is not the only piece of literature to present this argument — often the pursuit of knowledge is shown as something threatening, something that is associated with sly behaviour or wickedness.

One of the main characteristics that Euripides gives Medea in order to establish her as an evil character is her unique intelligence and gift for alchemy (forget the fact that she murders her own children). So why does Western literature treat intelligence, and a desire to question the world around us, with such an inherit distain? Is not thinking, and questioning the world around us, a distinct sign of freedom and democracy? Is it not a good thing?

Aside from propaganda, the arts and sciences have always been a threat to the establishment, in any country, under any leader, at any given time period. It is no coincidence that artists and intellectuals that are not openly in favour of a certain regime are usually amongst the first to be shoved in the Gulags, concentration camps or prisons.

Often, when a scientist has discovered something that goes against whichever political system they are living under, they might magically disappear or be found having tragically accidentally fallen on a knife. Luckily we live in twenty-first century Britain, where the worst that can happen to someone who speaks out against a system of any kind is a bit of innocent threatening, perhaps an online death threat or two.

Back to Brexit. The lashing out against, and threatening of, those of us who are speaking out against the United Kingdom’s leaving the European Union has increased in the aftermath of the referendum — as has the racism that has exploded in our society.

Unfortunately, this distrust of thinking, and questioning, has been in the bubbling core of our society long before June 23rd 2016. It does feel as though any attempt to criticise Brexit, or rationally discuss the various options that the United Kingdom should be exploring, is simply shot down by hate, anger and reverse snobbery.

Students who speak out are accused of being “lazy” because their age group had the lowest turnout. But chances are, if they feel strongly enough about the subject to actually write an article about it, they probably voted on June 23rd.

However, this threat, and suspicion, has not discouraged the intellectuals and students throughout history, and should not discourage them now. So, if anyone did turn up at Theresa May’s door this Halloween dressed as any 21st century intellectual, she may have slammed the door in your face but take it as a compliment, her malice is out of fear of what you can do.