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Month: November 2019

UoM and the SU commit to reviewing investment portfolio

A joint statement was released by the University of Manchester and the Students’ Union last Monday, confirming a commitment to bring forward a review of UoM’s Socially Responsible Investment Policy (SRIP).

The statement came about as a direct result of pressure from People and Planet UoM, a group of students who occupied the John Owen’s building for 7 days in protest of the University’s investments in fossil fuels.

In their statement, the University and the SU acknowledges that the urgency of the climate crisis has “increased since 2016 when the University’s SRIP was last updated.”

Alongside this, the University will allow students to sit on the Investment Sub-Committee, which will meet on December 12th this year to “explore scope for wider decarbonisation of our investment portfolio (including divestments).”

In line with this, UoM has agreed to complete a review of the SRIP before July 31st 2020 – a year sooner than previously planned. They have also committed to publishing a “timetable for implementing [the review’s] recommendations based on a science-based approach.”

Students involved in People and Planet described the central role that this agreement played in their decision to end their week-long occupation:

“Ultimately, the decision to end the occupation has not been taken lightly […] however, we have accepted this statement because of the enormous potential it offers, which could go further than simply divestment from fossil fuel companies.”

“We are putting what little trust we have left in the university to uphold these agreements and to continue to engage with students and staff on this and other concerns regarding the climate crisis.”

“The potential to transform the £200m investment portfolio into a weapon against climate change goes even further than the process of divestment.”

“We will carry on taking action every step of the way to ensure all commitments made by the university are delivered, with clear timescales being developed by students, staff and alumni.”

Review: Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes

When I write reviews, I always try and find at least one critical thing to say about a show, no matter how much I loved it. For once, I am unable to do so.

Matthew Bourne’s production of The Red Shoes is a triumph in every sense of the word. No expense was spared, and no element was overlooked, to do justice to such an iconic story. The Red Shoes is a tale by the typically eerie Hans Christian Andersen, which was elaborated into a film in 1948. The fairy-tale tells the story of a young woman whose life is destroyed by her obsession with a pair of red shoes. The movie and this production has a play-within-a-play narrative; it follows the life of Victoria Page (Ashley Shaw), who, similarly, is divided by her personal life and the dedication she has for her passion to star as the lead in The Red Shoes.

Not the easiest to explain, I’ll give you that, but, essentially, Victoria’s life becomes the story of the fairy-tale, both ending in tragedy. Life imitates art. Black Swan did something similar with Swan Lake.

Ballet is difficult for a lot of people to watch because there is no talking; it’s harder to feel sympathy for the characters. I can confidently say for anyone who chooses to go see Bourne’s production that this would not be the case. The humour comes across brilliantly, as do the tragic aspects. I actually shed a tear. Bravo, Matthew, bravo.

The lack of talking can also make it hard to concentrate, but this too was not an issue. The complex choreography and the mesmerising costumes and sets meant that, even if you were unsure about what was happening in the plot, you always had something else to be completely captivated by. If my heart wasn’t breaking for Victoria and Julian (the young pianist she falls in love with), I was gaping at the fully rotating Pros Arch that was floating above the main stage. Bourne himself has said that this set dances with the characters, and I couldn’t describe it better myself.

I couldn’t discuss how great this performance was without mentioning Shaw, who plays the lead. It was like the choreography was made for her. Though, she did originate the role when the ballet premiered in 2016. She conveyed so much emotion in her dancing, which really allowed the audience to connect with her. Not only did this boost my appreciation and awe of the dancing, but it made me so much more invested in her story. Olivier and Tony nominee Adam Cooper also starred in this production, though he is only appearing at two venues outside of London.

The best part for me was the unique style. I’ve been to classical ballet and musicals many times before, and this performance falls somewhere in the middle. I think this makes it very accessible for anyone and everyone. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking ballet isn’t for you because something like this will come along and blow you away.

Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes will run at the Lowry until the 30th of November and will continue its UK tour throughout 2020.

And just in case you needed any more evidence for how much I enjoyed this show, I’m catching it again before they leave this weekend!

“A call to arms to change”: Burnham joins student leaders in student safety talks

Representatives from across Greater Manchester universities came together as the Greater Manchester Student Assembly (GMSA) for the first time to meet with students and discuss student safety, alongside Mayor Andy Burnham and Manchester’s ‘night tzar’ Sacha Lord.

Burnham placed particular emphasis on discussing safety in student accommodation, calling the recent fire in Bolton a “scandal”, and saying it should be “a call to arms to change”. Other topics discussed included problems Manchester has seen with security and bouncers, drug culture, and sexual harassment.

Joining Burnham and Lord on the panel was Nick Pope, whose son Charlie was a University of Manchester student who drowned in a Manchester canal, Figen Murray, whose son Martyn Hett died in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, and Students’ Union officers from several Manchester universities, including University of Manchester SU’s Women’s Officer Ayla Huseyinoglu. 

Drug safety was one of the main topics of the evening, with students flagging that they often did not feel safe to tell security, police or paramedics what they had taken for fear of negative repercussions. Students also voiced support for more drug education by universities in a call that was echoed by the SU Officers, with Huseyinoglu saying it was “something really important that SUs should be doing”.

Lord, who founded The Warehouse Project and Parklife, frequently circulates information about especially potent batches of drugs on his twitter, and said he would continue to do this despite facing criticism.

“If any venue or festival says drugs aren’t a problem for them, they’re lying. I don’t condone the use of drugs, I am not a supporter of front of house testing because I think that does condone the use of drugs, but I think it’s important to educate.”

Lord works in partnership with Manchester Drug Analysis and Knowledge Exchange (MANDRAKE) to test drugs confiscated at Warehouse Project. On the night, MANDRAKE warned against the use of drug testing kits, saying that they were “very cheap and unsafe systems”. 

Burnham told students that the focus was always on who was distributing drugs, rather than the individuals taking it, but voiced concern that encouraging students to be open about their drug use with emergency services could look like the Council was condoning the use of illegal substances.

Transport and safety on the streets at night also received a lot of attention, with Burnham speaking of his ambitions to introduce a more integrated transport system that would see one ticket be valid across buses and Metrolink services within the next two years. 

“The challenge we’ve got is funding. Nighttime transport requires a big subsidy from the central government that London gets and we don’t.”

Burnham also said the Council had used council tax to recruit more police officers, who are increasingly present on public transport, and are making more use of stop and search powers, which is having a positive effect in tackling knife crime in the city. 

Concerns over the behaviour of security services and bouncers in the city were met with agreement by Lord, who acknowledged that the problem only applied to a minority of security staff, but admitted that he personally thought security aren’t regulated well enough. 

Panel members, including Murray and Huseyinoglu, called for universities to take more responsibility for student safety in residential areas, which do not see as much police or university security presence as university campuses and the city centre. 

“Be extremely demanding of your universities,” Murray told students. “You pay a lot of student fees and it shouldn’t just be about tuition. The universities have an obligation to keep you guys safe.”

Huseyinoglu said one of her priorities for Reclaim the Night this year was to focus on female safety in residential areas, saying that she felt there were different issues that needed to be addressed in the city centre and in Fallowfield, Rusholme, and Withington. 

Sylvie Pope, founder of the Misogyny is Hate campaign, also called for more to be done to address the culture of misogyny, including catcalling and sexual harassment and assault on nights out.

Safety of other marginalised groups, such as LGBT+ students was also raised, with Lord telling students: “We want to be a 24-hour party city and we can’t be unless everyone is included.” 

 

Students march in solidarity with Boycott and Divestment and UCU

Students took part in a national campaign calling on universities to pull investments from companies that sell military equipment to Israel.

Members of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign marched along Oxford Road as part of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s (PSC) #apartheidoffcampus day of action, whilst also standing in solidarity with striking UCU staff, who are striking over pay, pensions and working conditions.

The group is demanding the University divests shares in the US construction firm Caterpillar worth around £734,000. It says the company supplies the Israeli state with weaponised bulldozers that are used to demolish Palestinian homes and schools.

Israel has been involved in conflicts with Palestine since the 1940s and has been condemned by the UN for its use of force against civilians and for destroying property in the occupied territories which it says “is not compatible with its [Israel’s] obligations under international humanitarian law”.

It is understood the University holds just over £8m worth of investments in companies complicit in Israel’s human rights abuses against the Palestinians. It also has institutional links to the Israeli military through the university’s flagship graphene research partnership, with arms dealers involved in selling advanced weaponry to Israel.

This information has been published on a public database by Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which is based on the freedom of information requests to UK universities, as well as data from Bloomberg international. PSC’s research reveals UK universities as a whole invest an estimated £450m in companies complicit in Israel’s Human rights abuses.

These weaponised bulldozers are called ‘Caterpillar D9 Bulldozers’, and have been outlined as the main tool used by the military in the occupation. They are sold through the US Foreign military sales programme.

Frank Roche, chair of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign, challenged the university to re-consider its investment.

He said: “University management refuses to listen to us on its unethical investments in the same way that it refuses to listen to its workforce on matters of pay, pensions and working conditions. We are proud to stand alongside UCU in solidarity with their struggle, students and staff are united in demanding divestment from Caterpillar and an end to all institutional links with Israeli apartheid.”

UoMs BDS Campaign is part of the Manchester Student Strike Support Network and will be on the picket lines for the rest of the dispute, encouraging students not to cross and to support the strike.

A University of Manchester spokesperson said:  “We have developed a Socially Responsible Investment Policy (SRIP) which allows the University, as a charity, to pursue an ethical investment approach, whilst minimising any potential negative impact on our investment returns.

“The University’s Board Finance Committee, which determines our investment policy, will continue its considerations of ethical investments. As a university, we work closely with our investment managers to ensure our portfolio complies with our published SRIP and considers Environmental, Social and Governance issues as well as financial factors.”

“Every billionaire is a policy failure”

“I don’t think anyone in this country should be a billionaire.” These are the words of Labour MP Lloyd Russel Moyle, appearing on the Emma Barnett Show a few weeks ago.

“You are painting all billionaires as offshore, morally base individuals” was Barnett’s defence of the billionaire class.

For some context: BP successfully pressed the Trump government to overturn laws passed by the Obama administration, which will result in the equivalent of the release of another 50m tonnes of CO2. The likes of Prince Harry and Leonardo DiCaprio (self-proclaimed environmental activists) arrived to Google’s climate breakdown meeting in 114 private jets and a fleet of mega yachts. Of course, these facts are all the more anger-inducing when we consider that it is the rich who will be able to buy their way out of the climate crisis. “It’s working-class communities that suffer the worst pollution and the worst air quality… who will lose their jobs as resources run dry”, Jeremy Corbyn noted recently.

The poorest 20% of people in England lost an average of 11% of their incomes as a result of austerity, compared with zero losses for the top fifth of households. Britain has more than 150 billionaires. It also has 14 million people living in poverty – 4 million of whom are in work.

Billionaires – the most productive capitalists – often arguably make their money through exploitation. About 13 million US children are living below the poverty line, while more tax cuts are made for the rich.

The rich continue to live far beyond their means, as the poorest in society are told they must live within their means, often working at minimum wage for multi-million pound businesses while their CEOs award themselves huge annual bonuses. The staggering wealth gap even in the US, one of the richest countries in the world, is easy to see; hookworm, ‘the disease of extreme poverty’, is now rampant in Alabama for example, whilst in comparison Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos earns more every sixty seconds than a typical US household does in eighteen months.

I believe the existence of billionaires stands in the way of human flourishing and now the reality of climate change has been made clear. Particularly as there is evidence that wealth suppresses empathy and that the higher your income, the more damage your lifestyle will inflict on the planet.

A recent tweet from Bernie Sanders read, “The billionaire class are scared. They should be.” Bernie Sanders’ wealth tax , if implemented, would cut the total net worth of America’s billionaire class in half in 15 years, closing the wealth gap and raising $4.35 trillion in the process.

At the Scottish Labour Party Conference, Jeremy Corbyn announced: “We need to reduce our net emissions to zero by 2050 at the latest. It’s not just an ecological priority – it’s a socialist priority too.” The super-rich got a lucky lot in life, and the rest of the population got unlucky. Finally, we have politicians that understand this.

We should celebrate this rhetoric being at the forefront of two once-in-a-lifetime elections. Later in the interview, Russel-Moyle asked: “Are you on the side of…the billionaires or are you on the side of normal working people?” This is the question of the upcoming general election, the question of the US presidential election and ultimately, it is the question of our survival.

Cambodia: 40 years later

40 years on from the devastating Khmer Rouge, Cambodia’s road to recovery is rife with problems. The country’s government is consistently ranked among the most corrupt in the world – this year retaining its place at 20th – alongside this, the economy falters and it rarely receives Western financial support.

What’s more, the sanctions proposed by the European Union only further threaten any chance at recovery.

On paper these sanctions do make sense; the government has imprisoned an opposition leader for no good reason other than to keep hold of its own power. This is certainly antithetical to democracy, a central tenant of the EU’s philosophy and is a value it must stand in firm defence of.

However, we are not living in a unipolar world and the EU is one of many current global superpowers, meaning any idea of punishment must be levied against the idea that we risk pushing a developing country in the hands of dangerous regimes. As a result, sanctions should not be in the realm of possibility; instead, we should help funnel funds into the private sector of Cambodia’s economy, challenging the dictatorial regime.

It is entirely possible that the sanctions would be devastating for Cambodian citizens. The EU remains the largest beneficiary of Cambodian exports, making the relationship incredibly important for Cambodia, especially as a country that is nominally communist.

Cambodia still has a bitter taste of America, in particular, due to bombing of Northern Cambodia during the Vietnam war, so encouraging free-market enterprise is already enough of a challenge without the threat of sanctions.

In addition, previously mentioned high levels of corruption make the prospect of allowing free commerce, as a means of improving the economic situation, unlikely. However, Western failure in this regard can be traced back to the fallout of the Pol Pot regime and our inability to rebuild the country. Understandably, the United States had a preference to stay out of rebuilding Cambodia, due to its close ties with Vietnam, and Europe was not the cohesive unit of the EU at that time, so support mainly came from the United Nations.

This almost mirrors the current situation as the less help the country gets, the more likely it is to move towards a close relationship with China. They have consistently and aggressively shown a desire to prop up the current Cambodian government, in exchange for the ability to build businesses in places such as the coastal town of Sihanoukville. This directly undermines the ability of the Cambodian people to rebuild, instead funnelling money towards the Chinese government.

Instead, we should look at building upon the private sector in Cambodia, ensuring safe working conditions. Britain alone must look into expanding its foreign aid budget within this area and look at investing in smaller businesses within the country, in an attempt to balance power between private citizens and the government – something severely lacking in the current political situation.

Avoiding sanctions with Cambodia would, of course, be beneficial to the rest of the world as well. Creating a strong allegiance with the country and ensuring liberal values would be emblematic of what countries in that region could achieve.

Providing free speech and private property rights, in conjunction with preserving the social fabric in the country, could lead to them being a bastion of freedom in the region – reminiscent of Hong Kong and Singapore – all whilst dramatically increasing living standards.

What remains the stumbling block for this, however, is the corruption of a government who have no intention of letting go of power, still clinging to the horror of the Khmer Rouge regime.

The disregard for Black Women and their boundaries

Earlier in November R n B singer/songwriter Summer Walker announced she was cancelling some of her 2019 tour dates, after deciding it was time to put her mental health first. In a video posted to her social media, she explained: “I’m not going to be able to finish this tour, it doesn’t really co-exist with my social anxiety”.

To anyone that is a fan of her music, or that had been following her tour, this announcement would probably not have come as a shock to you. But the reaction to her announcement has exposed society’s fundamental disregard of black women and mental health.

This whole debacle calls into question our understanding of mental health and whether we have actually overcome its stigma. Society seems to understand that someone with depression can smile and laugh, but this doesn’t mean that they have recovered. But this is the limit of our understanding.

We haven’t yet accepted that someone with social anxiety can still have a social life, they still have friends, partners and family that they can be social with. And, most importantly, that this doesn’t diminish the reality or severity of their condition.

Summer was met with a flurry of sarcastic tweets, many of which used video footage of her and her boyfriend dancing and joking around, as many new young couples do, as evidence that her social anxiety was not as serious of a condition as she suggested. These tweets really exemplified how far we have to go in our understanding of mental illness.

One fan, in reaction to the news and in defence of Summer Walker, said: “this shows Black women are not allowed to be vulnerable”. And I could not agree more. Summer Walker is not a stand-alone or unique example of social anxiety within the black community, she is just the first to create boundaries in order to help herself; a radical act for any artist, let alone a black woman. The intersection between race, mental illness and gender is one not to be ignored.

Black women are often the bottom of the priorities pile in society and this factor leads to higher rates of mental illness in black people. We live in a world that robs black children of their innocence and naivety, disproportionately arrests black people, threatens deportation after years of citizenship, fails to acknowledge the vibrancy of black history, makes them feel like their skin is not beautiful, and robs them of their culture only to sell it back to them.

Then after all this we expect these people to be mentally well? It is this underlining and implicit racism that exhausts the community.

Black women are already more likely to be trolled and harassed on social media; something that is exemplified in Summer Walker’s situation. Had Summer been a young white breakout celebrity, I am so sure that she would’ve been met with support as opposed to ridicule.

Her choice to create healthy boundaries would’ve been celebrated and Summer would have become an icon for those living with social anxiety. But the reaction to her reclaiming her personal boundaries led to her being mocked in the form of memes. Alongside this led to many questioning the credibility of her condition, despite copious visual evidence that she was uncomfortable during performances on her tour.

The disregard for black women’s boundaries and wellbeing are seen throughout social media. Not only by those that use the platform but by those that are said to be regulating it.

Kelechi Okafor, a writer and actor, had her Instagram removed and reinstated (after backlash) despite being the victim of trolling. After the announcement of Kelechi’s pregnancy, an NHS midwife under a private account subjected her to abuse. Yet, instead of protecting and defending Kelechi, she was silenced by the very platform on which she had attempted to create a safe space.

For others, such as Meghan Markle, safe spaces in the public sphere are non-existent. Relentless, racially motivated abuse from tabloids led to her husband seeking a court order to reintroduce respect for her personal boundaries.

Dehumanised by this abuse at the hands of the media throughout her new marriage and motherhood, numerous publications showed a total disregard for her mental health and wellbeing. A disregard that was not present with Kate Middleton’s road to becoming royalty.

The black woman is not only not allowed safe spaces and boundaries, but they are also held to a higher standard than their white counterparts. Dianne Abbot is another example; her harassment has led to her having to take a back seat in Labour’s general election campaign. Her political career has been tarnished by the hatred and racism of others while Boris Johnson’s (who broke constitutional law) is still very much thriving.

The scrutiny of Summer Walker, Kelechi Okafor, Meghan Markle and Dianne Abbott, by both the press and the general public, needs more attention and analysis in the current political climate. All four women have been dehumanised in some way, and they are not the only, nor the last, examples of black women being put under the microscope.

In so many ways these women deserve praise for publicly outlining their boundaries and creating their own spaces for their mental wellbeing to take priority. The day black women have a space to be vulnerable that is met with compassion and empathy is a time where we can say we are truly on the way to overcoming racism in society. Until then, implicit racism will continue to dehumanise and target black women.

Students launch organisation in solidarity with striking lecturers

Students have shown support for striking lecturers by launching the Manchester Students Strike Support Network (MSSSN). The organisation aims to educate students on why they should support the University and College Union (UCU)’s industrial action, as well as encouraging students to support striking lecturers on picket lines.

MSSSN was created by several campaigning organisations at the university in an attempt to organise students who want to support their striking lectures from the 25th of November to the 4th of December.

The launch, attended by over 50 students and academics, was organised by students Lotte Boumelha, Wilf Kenning and Frank Roche. At the launch, attendees had the opportunity to share why they are supporting the strike, which has been organised by the UCU over concerns about pensions, pay and working conditions.

Speaking at the event, English Literature lecturer Mike Sander said “We are so thankful for the solidarity shown to us by students and MSSSN. Wednesday’s meeting showed that many students are aware of the challenges facing our profession and why we are reluctantly having to take industrial action.

“We hope the university recognises that the interests of students and academics are aligned, and that the way to stop further industrial action is to engage with the UCU and address our concerns.”

Student and MSSSN organiser Wilf Kenning said: “I was at the university during the last period of industrial action. It is a complete injustice that almost two years on, the university have still not engaged in good faith with the UCU over their concerns and disregarded their pensions, pay and working conditions.

“We have been inundated with students asking us what they can do to support the strike and that is what MSSSN will be doing: showing the university that we stand with our lecturers in the face of the growing marketisation of their profession and the worsening of their wages and working conditions.”

 

Greater Manchester Police blamed for delay in Arena attack inquiry

Families of the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing have voiced their frustration after it was revealed delays to the public inquiry have been caused by the police.

Nearly 30 months after the deadliest terrorist attack in UK since 2005, coroner Sir John Saunders ruled that a statuary public inquiry should be set up to keep sensitive MI5 and police evidence secret.

Twelve organisations were asked to give handwritten statements to the inquiry, and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were the only organisation to fail to do this.

The police had been asked to provide key information from offices in command on the night of the incident.

According to GMP, there were problems with missing recordings from the 550 hours of radio transmissions from the night of the attack caused by a system upgrade the force was undertaking on the same night as the bombing.

Fiona Barton QC, who was representing GMP in court, apologised to families and provided some justifications for the missed deadline.

Barton claimed that the statements had been delayed due to the lengthy process of identifying those that should testify out of the hundreds of officers on duty on the night of the attack.

She also stated that work was ongoing to locate the missing audio and that statements from officers were now in the process of being provided for the inquiry.

Sir John Saunders, who is the chairman of the inquiry, warned the force that they could face serious public criticism if it failed to deliver the necessary evidence on time.  A delay could push back the inquiry, with a current scheduled start date of April the 6th, 2020.

Paul Weatherby QC, who is representing relatives of the victims, described the delay as “frankly not good enough”.

Despite Barton’s apology to the families, there was a frosty atmosphere in the courtroom, with one widowed relative describing GMP’s response was “diabolical” while another relative was heard to say that they would not accept the apology.

Last year, a parliamentary watchdog found that there were a series of failures made by police and MI5 in the months preceding the deadly attack.  While the bomber Salman Abedi had been flagged by police as a subject of interest, slow movement within the system prevented a review of his case to take place before the attack in May 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friends of the Earth and city of trees plant 500 trees in Droylsden

As part of a series of events to mark National Tree Week, Manchester’s enthusiastic environmentalists, Manchester Friends of the Earth joined forces with City of Trees and Tameside Council to plant 500 trees in Sunnybank Park, Droylsden.

The EU has a 35% average of total forest area, while the UK has just 13% when it comes to the total land area covered by trees. The initiative in Manchester was vital to raising awareness of Friends of the Earth’s campaign to double the UK’s forest area by 2045.

Friends of the Earth are demanding that the government takes serious action. Between 2017-18, funding for planting and management of trees, woodland and forestry in England, Scotland and Wales fell to around £56 million.

However, to reach the tree planting goal, current spending needs to be increased by 10 times, to approximately £500 million per year.

Even though this total is substantial, Friends of the Earth point out that “it’s equivalent to a rounding error in the Treasury’s annual budgets.”

There would also be various benefits to the substantial expenditure. These include carbon drawdown and storage, improved wildlife habitats, flood mitigation, and urban cooling.

Manchester is acting as a leading force of nature in this fight; City of Trees Director, Jessica Thompson said, they are “thrilled to be partnering with Friends of the Earth” and to be “part of this ambitious plan to plant 50 million trees stretching to Liverpool to Hull over the next 25 years”.

Manchester Friends of the Earth are an award-winning environmental campaign group, working at all levels to combat the climate crisis. They consist entirely of dedicated volunteers with its campaigns funded by membership fees.

Their most recent endeavour of planting 500 trees in Sunnybank Park was supported by the players of People’s Postcode Lottery, which Catherine Thomson, Manchester Friends of the Earth nature campaigner noted they were very grateful for.

Check out the group’s website for all up-to-date information and how to get involved.

Manchester crime victims reveal their positive experience with restorative justice

In a meeting to commemorate International Restorative Justice Week, victims of crime in Manchester have shared how their experience with restorative justice and how it has benefitted them.

The service is commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), in collaboration with Greater Manchester Police and other agencies across the region is delivered by the charity Remedi. Remedi is a specialist charity that offers restorative justice to crime victims.

Three of those victims – Paula Robinson, Nick Ringland, and Tony Wright – were joined in a meeting with Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Hughes and representatives from Remedi and Greater Manchester Police to discuss their experience of restorative justice during International Restorative Justice Week.

Since the summer of 2019, victims of crime in Manchester have had access to the Greater Manchester Restorative Justice Service (GMRJS), and since its launch, over 100 victims of crime have benefited from the programme.

From June 2019, out of the 114 victims who have used the service, 98% said they were happy with the programme and would recommend it to others, with 80% also saying that they felt more empowered following the experience.

Paula said that Remedi reached out to her Parish church when it was broken into, asking if they would like to speak to the offender. Paula, as the representative for the church, said that the meeting “helped us all to process what happened and move on with our lives.”

Nick Ringland, a paramedic with the North West Ambulance Service, was assaulted while he was on a case. He said: “As I went on my restorative justice journey it felt rewarding to meet the offender and hear his story – this helped me understand what had happened and why.”

Nick also said that it gave him the opportunity “to explain the knock-on effect of this kind of assault.”

Tony Wright, who was assaulted by a group of young people while he was walking by the canal, was, at first, “a bit skeptical of restorative justice” because he “wasn’t sure it would work”.

After going ahead with the opportunity, Tony said that the meeting he had with his offenders and their parents allowed him to explain “how the incident made him feel”.

Following the process, Nick now believes that those involved in his incident “are all better off for the restorative justice experience”.

Restorative justice allows people to make contact with the perpetrator of their crime, whether it be through a meeting in person or through a letter, and will always be done under the guidance and supervision of a trained professional.

Victims are allowed to request the opportunity for restorative justice at any point during the criminal justice process.

Speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, Bev Hughes, said she was happy that the process was benefiting victims in the city.

She added that she “knows that when used in the right way, restorative justice can be very effective” and that it allows criminals to “face up to what they’ve done and gives victims the closure they need.”

The Deputy Mayor also highlighted that the GMRJS has “already helped 100 victims of crime while ensuring a consistent offer across the city-region.”

This has given “victims the chance to take part if they wish, while making sure restorative justice is used approriately putting the needs of victims at the heart.”

Sarah Morton, Superintendent GMP’s Criminal Justice and Custody Branch, said: “GMP are delighted to have a number of staff working in partnership with Remedi and GMCA to deliver the new GMRJS.

“This week is an opportunity to highlight to the public, but also professionals working in the criminal justice system, that this service is out there to take referrals and that it can really help.”

Chris Hickin, a representative from Remedi, added: “Having delivered restorative justice for 24 years across all forms of the criminal justice system we know the impact it can have on people’s lives and be such an empowering process to go through.”

 

Refreshed England struggle in first test

Even with a refreshed England top order, a determined display from hosts New Zealand was enough to keep the tourists at bay, beating them by an innings and 45 runs.

Despite the grimly familiar result, there was at least a change of approach from England. With debutante Dom Sibley now at 2 and Joe Denly shifted down to 3, England’s first innings had a remarkably steady start. Opening batsmen Burns and Denly both managed respectable scores, 52 and 74 respectively, and both off of sub-40 strike rates.

This county style traditionalism, coupled with faster turns from Stokes and the team’s second newcomer, Ollie Pope, had England looking generally solid at the end of the first day, with a score of 241-1.

Root’s rotten luck appeared again, however, and his single-figure score set the tone for the remainder of the England performance. With Buttler stopped just short of his half-century, England’s first innings fizzled out after Curran’s damp first ball duck.

It was at this point that the pain began for the tourists. Despite Sam Curran taking Kane Williamson with an uncharacteristic bouncer, the depth of batting skill that New Zealand showed to power through to a score of 651-9 declared left England flagging.

Keeper BJ Wattling gave a stellar performance, setting a fine example for keeper-batsmen around the world with his 205. His elegant technique gave England’s bowlers very little room for inroads. As the pitch and ball both took some wear, England’s seamers really struggled.

England resumed on a lifeless pitch and never really looked in a position to make New Zealand bat again. This was marred with further darkness as Jofra Archer experienced racist abuse at the hands of “one guy” in the crowd.

Archer was targeted as he walked off the pitch and he also received a direct message from the man who is alleged to be the culprit. Whilst the ECB investigates, both teams managed to handle the incident with the dignity you can expect from test cricket, with Kane Williamson personally apologising to Archer. A sickening end to a disappointing test for England.

It’s more than just a game: when politics and sport collide

It is often embarrassing when politicians use sport to try and win favour with the public. A perfect example of this is David Cameron’s embarrassing error as he urged people to support West Ham in 2015, despite previously claiming to be an avid fan of Aston Villa. Cameron was mocked for forgetting which claret and blue team he supported, and was criticised by people for seeming disingenuous.  

However, he has not been the only politician caught out for using sport to try and seem active and relatable, only for it to backfire.

Boris Johnson is only too familiar with sporting gaffs in front of large public audiences; from when he bulldozed over a 10-year-old child playing touch rugby, to when he put in a poorly timed challenge on a school-boy whilst having a kick-about, or his flattening of Germany football legend, Maurizio Gaudino, during a charity match in 2006.

Former UKIP leader, Paul Nuttal, is another politician who has been caught up in a sporting scandal after he claimed he had been a professional footballer in a previous career. However, he was left embarrassed after it was revealed that he had been part of Tranmere Rovers youth squad as a schoolboy. Quite a difference. 

Perhaps it would be better for Cameron, Johnson and Nuttall to leave the sporting activities to politicians with a genuine sporting past, such as Labour MP Kate Hoey, who was the 1966 Northern Ireland high jump champion. Or former Liberal Democrat MP Menzies Campbell, who held the British 100m record between 1967-1974 and represented Team GB at the 1964 Olympic Games.

But where has this habit of politicians using sport to endear themselves to the public come from?

Tony Blair was a master of the art; he would regularly be photographed with the most relevant and popular sports stars during his time as Prime Minister, including the likes of David Beckham and Kevin Pietersen. 

But it was not just his association with people in sport that he used; Blair would often be out in public playing sport. He was snapped shot-stopping with Sir Alex Ferguson, playing tennis with Pat Cash, and practising his headers with Kevin Keegan. All of these publicity stunts were used to make him seem like a “sporty statesman”.

But even Blair was made aware of how trying to seem sporty can backfire for a politician. He reportedly claimed to remember seeing Jackie Milburn play for Newcastle FC at St James’ Park as a young boy, despite the fact that Blair was four years old and lived in Australia when Milburn retired. Although it has since been branded an urban myth that Blair ever said this, it did not stop the Telegraph from labelling Cameron’s West Ham blunder a ‘Milbrun Moment’.

Some famous athletes have managed to turn their sporting fame into electoral success around the world. In Pakistan, Imran Khan won the hearts of the public as a cricketer whose exploits included captaining the 1992 World Cup-winning squad. However, cricket was only Khan’s first career and in 2018 he became Pakistan’s Prime Minister.

Similarly, Vitali Klitschko was a three-time heavyweight World Champion before hanging up his gloves in 2013. Klitschko now serves as Mayor of Kiev, a job he has held since 2014.

The upcoming UK general election could have an impact on sport – in their manifesto, the Conservative Party have pledged to “invest in sport”, “promote competitive sport” and “help schools make good use of their sports facilities”. 

The Conservatives have said they will support the upcoming Commonwealth Games, UEFA European Women’s Championships and Rugby League World Cup. They also said they would back a UK and Ireland bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party have pledged to make sure sport is “accessible and run in the interests of those who participate in it and love it”. 

Labour have outlined that they will look closely at the state of football which has become “divided between the extremes of the very rich and the very poor, with clubs in Bury and Bolton facing collapse”. They aim to do this by ensuring that supporters’ trusts are given say in the appointment of club directors and making sure that club owners are up to the job. 

It will be interesting to see the impact of this election on sport and, hopefully, we will avoid seeing too many more cringe-worthy moments from our politicians. 

Live Review: Fontaines DC at O2 Ritz

This year has seen Fontaines DC resurrect post punk guitar music and bring it into the mainstream. Subtly laced in political turmoil, their debut album Dogrel has been dubbed the best album of 2019 by the likes of Rough Trade and BBC 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne.

Manchester is arguably one of the most post-punk friendly cities in the UK, meaning their sold-out gig at O2 Ritz was wrapped in anticipation, and seemed set to act as a celebration of the end of an explosive year for the band. But Fontaines DC reciprocated little of the crowd’s excitement or buzz, instead portraying a show of tiredness and fatigue.

Kicking off the show with ‘Hurricane Laughter’ the front man Grian Chatten came on stage to fierce strobe lighting and an erupting roar from the crowd. His demeanour remained expressionless as he recited the lyrics, but this sense of calm added a great contrast to the grinding electric guitar and manic crowd.

Before the first song was over, crowd surfing had commenced. Fontaines DC seemed unimpressed by their fans’ instant enthusiasm, seemingly needing more time to warm up before interacting with them. Even whilst they performed their track ‘Too Real,’ arguably the highlight of the night, glimpses of Chatten and the band amidst the harsh strobe lighting showed nothing but sullen expressions.

Whilst the first half of the gig had the band testing out what must be assumed to be new material, the latter half was an efficient run down of their most-loved tracks. Playing unreleased music, especially from such an exhilarating new band, usually adds nothing but excitement to the gig. However, by giving no intro or explanation before or after playing the new tracks inflicted confusion on the crowd and led to the buzzing atmosphere stagnating.

Rushing through the album tracks in the latter half of the gig did not do much to improve the half-hearted atmosphere; the lack of passion and emotion in each song gave the band a surprisingly cold and disconnected frontier. The rigid setlist and complete absence of any experimental instrumentals, or even the slightest variation of how they are presented on the album, seemed to further disconnect the band and the crowd.

Having spent the whole year being credited for their amazing musicianship, the safety of the setlist was disappointing. Quality-wise, nothing could be faulted. But entertainment wise, the band offered little, with the first words that were uttered in the gig being “we don’t play encores,” before proceeding with the final song ‘Big’.

Many of Fontaines DC’s songs are short and sweet, ending abruptly just as listeners get into it. No song gives a better example of this than ‘Big’. Their set at the O2 Ritz definitely followed this same formula; the band maintaining a reserved façade throughout and abruptly ending the gig just as the crowd seemed to be at their most excited.

Whilst their show could be perceived to be complimentary of the band’s slightly mysterious and private nature, it was a shame to see a band whose success is firmly due to their fans’ devotion giving such little love back.

2.5/5

Research shows musicians are more likely to suffer from Tinnitus

A study led by researchers at the University of Manchester has found that people working in the music industry are more likely to develop tinnitus and hearing problems.

Published in Trends in Hearing, the study collected data from around 23,000 people from the UK Biobank, a major national and international health resource which holds an online database of medical and lifestyle records of Britons.

The researchers compared levels of hearing difficulties and tinnitus in noisy ‘high-risk’ industries, such as construction, agriculture and music, to quieter ‘low-risk’ industries, like finance. This was to determine whether these differences could be caused by health and lifestyle factors, rather than occupational noise exposure.

Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing ringing, buzzing, hissing or other sounds that do not come from an external source. It can be devastating, as the noise can be intermittent or continuous and can vary in loudness.

Several famous musicians suffer from tinnitus, such as Liam and Noel Gallagher, Eric Clapton, Barbra Streisand, Ozzy Osbourne and Bob Dylan. This list continues to grow, and in some cases classical music players have been brought to attention too.

Dr Sam Couth, a researcher at the University’s Centre for Audiology and Deafness, said: “Our research shows that people working in the music industry are at considerable risk of developing tinnitus, and this risk is largely due to exposure to loud noise.” In fact, health and lifestyle factors had relatively little impact on hearing difficulties and tinnitus.

“Musicians are advised to wear hearing protection when noise levels exceed 85 decibels, which is roughly equivalent to the noise produced by a passing diesel truck”

Dr Couth continues to discuss the goal to understand why so few musicians use hearing protection and to determine ways to encourage different behaviour. He states: “Musicians should wear earplugs designed specifically for listening to music so that the quality of the sound remains high, whilst the risk of hearing damage is reduced.”

This research promotes the need for hearing conservation in occupational, and especially musical, settings. In fact, Help Musicians have supported and welcomed this research.

Help Musicians have developed a Musicians Hearing Health Scheme that provides preventative support to thousands of musicians.

Live Review: Sam Fender at Manchester Academy

Before Sam Fender had even taken to the stage there was an overwhelming expectation from the crowd.

His debut album Hypersonic Missiles was released to extraordinary critical acclaim and peaked at the top of the UK Album charts. The response to his tour announcement was undeniably huge. The hype was real, but could Sam Fender put on a show to live up to expectations?

The familiar drum intro to ‘Will We Talk’ kicked off proceedings to raucous applause and the mixed crowd, ranging from teens to grandparents, were going wild. The crowd were singing their heart out from the start and Fender instantly thrived off of the noise the crowd generated.

In an unusual twist, he followed with three songs not on the album. The first was ‘Millennial’, then ‘Start Again’, followed by ‘Greasy Spoon’, where the amazing cartoon visuals on stage began. This gig perfectly demonstrated how to strongly, yet subtly, immerse a crowd. This show used the screens to great effect, which included cartoon Trump monsters (an angry looking US President with tentacles) and a whole host of psychedelic images befitting to the themes of each song. The energy in the room had now reached stratospheric heights.

Photo by James Carroll

Sam treated the crowd with a completely new song that was written for the album, yet was cut at the last minute. After hearing ‘Do You Burn’ (an assumed title of the new track) in its first ever live performance, I am extremely excited to finally hear it as a studio recording. “The song has been recorded and is likely to be released within the next couple of weeks”, Fender exclaimed as the crowd now had something else to look forward to soon.

Sam’s humility and love for his music could not be demonstrated any better than during ‘The Borders.’ “I wrote this song with my best mates and it’s the one song I’ve written that is the closest thing to making me truly happy.” He wrote the song with lifelong friends Dean ‘Deano’ Thompson (guitar) and Johnny ‘Blue Hat’ Davis (saxophone) who form one half of his touring band. The chemistry that those lads have on stage is awe inspiring.  You can tell that this boy has a passion for what he does, has an incredible love of music and is a born performer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone look so happy to be on stage performing.

‘Dead boys’ is an extremely emotional song based on themes of male suicide and encouraging men to open up about mental health. It was performed to perfection. I cannot stress how clean the whole show was. There was not a single mistake, no missed chords, no flat notes and not a single technical glitch. Flawless performances are very rare and yet on the first gig of the tour, Fender pulled this out of the bag.

A sea of people on shoulders greeted ‘Hypersonic Missiles.’ Sam clearly was struggling to contain his emotions during this song and halfway through the final chorus he had to take a step back to take everything in. You could see how much he was affected by 3000 people all singing, dancing and losing themselves in his music. I don’t think any regular human being could be immune to that. I could never in my life see themes of nuclear annihilation and war be such a perfect sing along. Somehow, it just works. I can’t explain it. It just does.

The band left the stage and Fender returned with just his guitar. “Dark grey vistas of this weathered place” began the emotional lyrics to ‘Leave Fast.’ A song about unemployment, poverty and a “community ignored for generations.” I suddenly found myself, alongside many in the crowd, with tears streaming down my face. It was a beautiful moment to reflect. With its stunning guitar solo ending, the song is an example of a certain kind of perfection that really affects an audience. It was impeccable.

I am completely astounded that the crowd and Sam had enough energy to get through ‘That Sound’. “I’m probably going to get sued for this song because it’s a massive rip off of every indie hit ever”, preceded the overdriven heavyweight of the album. The crowd weren’t going to give in yet, not in the slightest. Mosh pits were plentiful and even though the whole crowd were physically exhausted, the nonstop jumping did not cease.

Ending the night with a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’ was inspired. It was a colossal middle finger to his critics, many of whom suggest he is just a copycat of the rock icon.

If any bands are out there wanting an example of how to put on a show, look no further. This gig was special in so many ways. I cried, laughed, jumped and sang without fail, alongside 3000 other people who were carried on the same emotional roller-coaster. 10 out of 10 doesn’t do this gig the justice it deserves.

10/10

Ruthless Rafa leads Spain to victory

2019 saw the 108th edition of the Davis Cup and, with it, a change to the traditional format. While the layout was different, the result was not, as Spain cruised to their sixth title.

Coming as a surprise to many, the Madrid-based tournament was overseen by Barcelona’s Spanish centre-back, Gerard Pique. He commented bluntly on the changes which were made, claiming that “sometimes things have to change, or they have the risk to die.”

While some ATP players, such as Lleyton Hewitt, came out and criticised the choice to allow Pique’s involvement, some were more accepting. Andy Murray headed into the tournament claiming he was “open to change” and urging his fellow competitors to give the new format “a chance.”

In previous years, 16 nations have competed in the World Group’s straight knockout tournament. However, with players often facing distant away ties, this has led to a large number of top players skipping matches.

As a result, the Kosmos investment group, fronted by Pique, decided to begin a new era of international tennis.

The tournament was staged at the hard courts of Madrid’s Caja Magica, and followed a similar format to both the rugby and football World Cups. There was an initial group stage, with the top two sides from each then facing off in the quarter-finals.

But how did the tournament go?

Well, out of the traditional ‘Big Four’ players that dominated tennis for so many years, three competed. Roger Federer’s Switzerland could not make it through the qualifiers, but Andy Murray, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic all represented their nations in Madrid.

They played out some very mixed tournaments though. Murray and the British team fought their way to the semi-finals, though the Scot was not as influential as he perhaps might have hoped.

Though he defeated Dutchman and world number 179, Tallon Griekspoor, in the opening round, he spent the majority of the tournament on the sidelines. Kyle Edmunds and Dan Evans both carried Britain through a number of games, including a stellar performance against a troubling Kazakhstan. However, their efforts were ultimately in vain, as the latter was easily defeated in the semi-final by Nadal.

The Serbian side which contained 16-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic suffered the heartbreak of the tournament. They fell to Russia in the quarter-finals, despite Djokovic and Troicki having three match points overturned.

However, Rafael Nadal did not disappoint.

The world number one was as passionate and determined as he always is, really showing true professionalism throughout. He won all eight of his singles and doubles matches, and led the Spanish team to victory in front of their home crowd.

He took to the court after Roberto Bautista Agut sealed his win against Canadian teenager, Felix Auger-Aliassime. The doubles round was not necessary, as the clinical Nadal overcame Denis Shapolav’s best efforts to battle the Mallorcan.

Though the tournament was questionable, with a number of the games going into the early hours of the morning, it was certainly an exciting affair. Emotions reached incredible heights, and they were exceeded by the quality of tennis, which was nothing short of outstanding.

Cheating rises in UK universities following growth of essay mills

Cheating at a number of universities across the UK has more than doubled over the last decade, according to data obtained by The Telegraph.

The figures show that the number of students formally investigated for academic malpractice was as high as four times the number five years ago at some institutions, such as Leeds University.

Others, like Cardiff University, reported a drop in academic misconduct, but a rise in “collusion” offenses, where students pay others to do work for them.

The rise in cheating has been linked to the growth of ‘essay mills’, otherwise known as contract cheating – online services that allow students to pay somebody to write their essays for them. These websites, although against most universities’ academic conduct codes, are not currently illegal in the UK.

A University of Manchester spokesperson told The Telegraph that the university has recently added new clauses to its plagiarism procedures to tackle the use of essay mills specifically.

“Contract cheating is a difficult area to police and there are a number of external services marketing themselves to students around this area.”

Contract cheating can be difficult to identify, given that the essays are written by other human beings rather than bots. Over the last ten years, essay mills have become increasingly common, with the labour being traced back to countries like Kenya, India, and Pakistan.

Advertising of essay mills on university campuses and online has also become increasingly common, with vice president of the European Network for Academic Integrity Dr Irene Glendinning saying students are “bombarded”.

In a survey conducted by The Mancunion last year, one student said that, although they had never used an essay mill, they could “see the appeal”. Another said that their friend spent £600 on an essay mill for his dissertation, “and it was so bad quality he had to write it himself anyway”.

Divestment campaigns come together to pressure University

Divested Yet?! is bringing together ‘UoM’s hottest divestment campaigns’ with the objective of encouraging better relationships so we can build stronger campaigns together. The divestment party will feature talks from dED_UCATION, Boycott Divestment & Sanctions, Fossil Free University of Manchester, Decolonise UoM and Greater Manchester Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. 

This event is taking place on the 6th of December at Fuel in Withington, beginning with talks at 6pm, followed by music from 7:30pm. Tickets cost £2.74 online or £4 on the door. All proceeds will go towards dED_UCATION, supporting their research into university divestment from the arms trade. 

Demilitarise Education (dED_UCATION)

“Demilitarise Education has created a space for underground activism, we invite young people to join the community and use their own skills to empower peace.

“Our guiding principles are to use research, media, collaboration and technology to support peace and hype up the peace force! Our current focus is on helping untangle, expose and end UK University ties to the global arms trade. dED are building a report called The People’s Plan for Divestment (PP4D) and throughout 2020 we want our survey on divestment, sustainable innovation and public opinion to reach thousands of people across Manchester and help drive engagement while building groundbreaking research.

“This research will be turned into accessible media content for all to learn from. Universities represent a hub of innovation and leadership, and therefore we must demand more ethical practice that can help sustain a healthy planet for all.”

– Jinsella Kennaway

Boycott Divestment & Sanctions:

“The UoM Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign is part of the international Palestine solidarity movement. They are answering the call made by over 170 Palestinian civil society groups in 2005 to non-violently protest Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism through a political, economic, and cultural boycott. This is based on the successful boycott campaign against apartheid South Africa in the 1980s, which the city of Manchester played a prominent role in.

“The three core demands of BDS are the end to the occupation and colonisation of Arab lands by the state of Israel, equal rights for Palestinians living in Israel, and the right of return for all Palestinian refugees. We uphold these demands. As a student group, our main campaign is to get the university to divest its shares from Caterpillar, an American construction company which sells armoured bulldozers to the Israeli state for use in destroying Palestinian homes, schools, villages and agricultural land, and to build illegal settlements.

“A senior IDF commander described Caterpillar bulldozers as the “main tools of the occupation”. They state that UoM is complicit in war crimes against Palestinians. They plan to keep campaigning until the university severs all institutional links with Israeli apartheid.”

– Frank Roche

Fossil Free University of Manchester:

“Fossil Free University of Manchester is a campaign run by the People and Planet Society calling for the University to divest its investment portfolio of the £11,975,986 (as of March 2019) it has in fossil fuel companies. This campaign has been running for eight years and has had the support of over 1000 students and staff in petitions, protests, and occupations throughout this time.

“In recent years they have made dramatic progress. Lizzie Haughton (Activities and Development Officer) now sits on the University’s investment sub-committee, representing calls for divestment to the University administration. They also claim to have received private messages of support from a majority of the Board of Governors.

“This year Fossil Free UoM has also stepped up its grassroots activism. They have staged protests outside Board of Governors’ meetings, and staged a ‘Fossil Fools Day’ protest on 1st April 2019. As of writing 14 students and SU representatives have just finished their occupation of the boardroom of the Finance Committee in the John Owens Building. This occupation lasted over 7 days and resulted in a promise from the university to seriously examine it’s Socially Responsible Investment Policy (SRIP). This campaign is part of a global effort to end institutions and pension funds’ involvement with fossil fuel companies. 78 UK universities have now divested, and they are increasing pressure for the University of Manchester to join their ranks!”

– Kayleigh Crawford

Decolonise UoM:

“Decolonise UoM is a collective of staff and students at the University of Manchester who, through political education and building collective power, aim to reimagine and build a democratic, liberated and free education for all. We advocate for justice by dismantling the what they see to be the racist, ableist, transphobic, homophobic, sexist structures of the University.

“We also advocate for divestment from companies and institutions that are complicit in the decimation of our planet and human lives. We advocate for the reformation of university governance so that is in the hands of staff and students. We advocate for an end to the hostile, racist and xenophobic environment infringing on our campus.

“We advocate for a decolonised curriculum that not only diversifies our reading lists but is actively critical of the colonial thought processes implicit in the fabric of our education. We advocate for a free education that values education as a human right rather than a consumer good.

– Sara Khan

Greater Manchester Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

“Greater Manchester & District CND is part of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). We campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons, an end to illegal, interventionist wars, and the closure of the nuclear power industry. 

“Greater Manchester & District CND acts as a coordinating body, supporting eight local CND and peace groups. We also support individual members of CND in the region. We play an active role in Greater Manchester Stop The War Coalition and have strong links with other regional progressive and environmental organisations.”

– Yasmeen Hussein

Live Review: Lewis Capaldi at Manchester Academy

Coming at the peak of his career, Lewis Capaldi’s visit to Manchester Academy was highly anticipated.

The first support was up-and-coming indie band The Snuts, whose music made quite a contrast to Lewis Capaldi’s famously depressing style. However, once their lead singer started addressing the crowd in a Scottish accent so thick he almost needed a translator, it was clear why they were there.

They gave a very relaxed performance, yet their songs still had drive. Some of the highlights were ‘Glasgow’, which prompted a big cheer from the audience, and ‘Sing for your Supper’, a monumental tune which rounded off their set nicely. The song ended with the lead vocalist putting down his guitar and singing directly to the audience in one of the evening’s most heartfelt moments. It was a shame that their set was so short and, as support bands go, they deserve a bigger audience. Watch out for them.

Lewis’ second support was Grace Carter, a synth-pop singer, whose style was much more aligned with his. Unfortunately, the start was a little pitchy, and she didn’t seem to take control of the stage. It was only when she began to sing her earlier and more heartfelt songs, like her debut ‘Silence’, that she came into her own. The difference between her entrance and exit was a measure of the performance: she drifted on but powerfully strutted off. It was a solid set and I would recommend seeing her on the 22nd of April 2019 when she plays Academy 2.

Now it was time for the main event, and it was clear who the crowd wanted to see. The cheers were deafening among Capaldi’s overly dramatic entrance music. He opened with hit ‘Grace’, and from that point on the gig was a karaoke, the audience singing along to virtually every lyric. The trademark humour, for which Capaldi is almost as famous for than his music, was very evident in this set. At times it was almost a distraction: after two songs he paused, and for ten minutes proceeded to mime various sports for the audience. However, a light mood was preferable to what would otherwise have been an hour-long exploration into self-pity.

Despite being more processed on his studio tracks, his live voice is phenomenal, especially when he belted out some of the higher songs. It was good to see so many men in the audience engaging emotionally with the music, more so given the traditionally masculine character of the singer. In an age of increasing awareness and advocacy of mental health, Lewis Capaldi is leading the conversation.

One of the highlights was newer release ‘Before You Go’, which features on the extended version of his debut Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent. This was the song’s third live outing, and with a sincere message and heart-rending vocals, it was clear why it’s one of his fastest streaming songs to date.

Capaldi rounded off his set with ‘Someone You Loved’, a now Grammy-nominated piano ballad. It was a fitting closer, with just him and his pianist left on stage as the audience waves of choruses sailed the night to its conclusion.

8/10.