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Month: January 2020

Photo: Wikimedia Commons @Airwolfhound

England show class in South Africa Test Series win

Written by louisstrappazzon on . Posted in Sport.

England have taken a huge stride in their bid to become dominant again in test cricket by winning the test series in South Africa against the Proteas. Overall, it was an impressive performance despite suffering from injury problems for Jofra Archer, James Anderson, and Rory Burns. Burns’ injury was a saga in itself as it happened during a training session before the game playing football, which led to the England cricket players being banned from playing football.

With test cricket struggling to compete against the shorter forms of cricket (and soon the new and even shorter Hundred tournament in England) it is refreshing to see another exciting test series after the Ashes last year. Test cricket will always be the most unique form of cricket and must be protected, therefore test teams keeping up high standards is vital to the survival of this form of cricket.

In the first test at the Centurion, England were their typical selves, a few spots of joy but a mostly dogged team performance. The England openers struggled in the first innings, Bairstow and Butler failed to score many runs and wickets did not come quick enough for the bowlers. A strong batting performance of 95 in the 1st innings by Quinten De Kock, impressive bowling from Vernon Philander and young star Kagiso Rabada, plus a fantastic debut from Anrich Nortje won South Africa the opening test.

But it was the second test in Cape Town that created incredible entertainment. England won in Cape Town for the first time since 1957 in dramatic fashion. The tourists shined in their 2nd innings, Dom Sibley cemented his place in the team with a 132 not out, whilst Stokes pulled an extremely quick 72 runs to get England to 391/8. The rain shortened the amount of play considerably, creating drama that only a test match can hold. It went down to the final hour, the art of the test match entered its full form with all the fielders surrounding the batsman in close. Stokes got the final three wickets and made the ball fly on a dead wicket. This was test cricket at its best.

In the last two test matches, England dominated the Proteas. England forced the follow on due to centuries from Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes. Meanwhile, Dom Bess and Joe Root spun England to victory in Port Elizabeth. The 4th test proved rather easy for England due to a solid team performance. Mark Wood was a shining light with the ball and the bat, like the rest of the tail end. This test series showed Joe Root getting back to his best, Zack Crawley and Sibley making solid contributions as the openers, a very talented Ollie Pope, and that England have huge depth in their bowling.

England now have a solid foundation to build on with player options no longer being an issue. South Africa will have a harder task to build a winning team, however with Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis as coaches plus talented players such as Van Der Dussen and de Kock they also have a good foundation to build upon.

It was also a series with extremely high tensions, Stokes and Butler were both fined for bad language and Rabada was banned for a match for ‘aggressive’ celebrating. Still, England showed their class on the field in South Africa, whilst both teams presented why test cricket needs to live on.

Photo: hirobi @Pixabay

Scandal at Sarries

Written by anthonyhayward1 on . Posted in Sport.

This week Saracens, the Premiership Rugby heavyweight, were docked a further 70 points to the 35 they were deduced in November for salary cap breaches over the past three seasons. This has guaranteed that the club will finish bottom of the league as well as being relegated to the RFU Championship at the end of the 2019-20 season. This additional point deduction has avoided complications if Saracens were to finish in the top six.

Salary caps were introduced in Premiership Rugby in 1999 in order to create a level playing field and guarantee that top division rugby remained competitive. An investigation into business partnerships between chairman Nigel Wray and a number of the club’s players found that the club used this loophole to repeatedly break salary cap regulations. Last week a leaked report revealed that former England winger Chris Ashton was at the centre of the scandal, although it is understood that no players were complicit in any of the club’s actions.

Exeter have been particularly outspoken about the scandal having lost three Premiership titles in recent seasons.

There have also been fears that the unfolding of events at Saracens could impact England’s Six Nations chance, which kicks off this February. Manager Eddie Jones, however, has downplayed such anxieties. He has held a meeting to defuse potential exasperation from England players of rival clubs, confident that getting various issues out on the table will bring the team tighter.

Saracens will undoubtedly be forced to offload a number of their best players, with high-paid England internationals such as Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and Billy Vunipola on the books. This will be complicated, however, since clubs have already begun finalising their squads for the 2020-21 season, ensuring that if stars were to leave they would likely be on free transfers.

A significant reshuffle awaits for the giants of English rugby.

Photo: Krists Luhaers @ Commons

Opinion: women are still overlooked in the music industry

Written by Bella Fleming on . Posted in Music.

The music industry has always seemed to favour men.

Whether this be the generic all-white male guitar band or the industry shirts formulating the next number one single, women have traditionally played a background role within the industry.

Male success in music is not a bad thing. Many male musicians are incredibly talented, and although gender may ease the rise to fame, they still have to work tirelessly to achieve what they want.

However, men being dominant in the music industry becomes an issue when women’s capabilities are undermined and overlooked. Recently, for example, TRNSMT Festival’s founder Geoff Ellis stated, upon the release of their very male-heavy line up, that a 50/50 gender split of festival line ups is “a while away.” He went on to claim that “we need more females picking up guitars, forming bands, playing in bands.”

This statement arrived after Billie Eilish was crowned with the most streams of 2019, her debut being one of the most sold albums of the year, alongside fellow pop icon Ariana Grande.

But music is not all about the number ones. The indie and alternative genres have never seen women do so well. An amazing number of outstanding albums released last year came from the likes of Weyes Blood, Angel Olsen, and Marika Hackman. Whether it was the quirky chair-maker Cate Le Bon or the soft RnB tunes from Little Simz, 2019 definitely showed how diverse women in music have become in the last few years.

To prove just how well women are really doing in music, and why there is absolutely no excuse to not achieve a 50/50 gender split line up in music, I went to three gigs in Manchester across three consecutive nights in December. From unruly punk to melancholic indie music, the gigs varied broadly and the crowds attracted at each were wildly different from each other. However, this had no impact on the quality and atmosphere of the gigs.

The first gig was the Australian female-fronted punk band Amyl and The Sniffers, who had sold out Gorilla. Their self-title album released earlier this year turned heads all across the world and led to front woman Amy Taylor being declared as one of the most riotous women currently in punk.

From the opening chords of ‘Starfire 500’ the crowd were ready to mosh. But it was later track ‘I’m Not A Loser’ that truly saw both the band and the crowd come into their own. The thrashing guitars and wailing vocals resonated throughout the venue, with frontwoman Amy captivating the adorning crowd.

What was perhaps most impressive about their unruly gig was how most of the people clambering up on the stage and jumping off into the sweaty mosh pit were women. It was extremely refreshing to see women go so wild in a room still mostly filled with men, and it was even better to see the chaos in the room be orchestrated by the wild braless Amy Taylor.

Perhaps a riotous Australian punk band may not be the ideal candidate for a festival such as TRNSMT, but being able to sell out one of Manchester’s most iconic venues, some 17,000 km away from their home turf, must count for something.

The second gig came from noughties pop star Dido. After taking a 15 year hiatus to raise her son, Dido returned to Manchester’s O2 Apollo to celebrate her debut album No Angel turning 20 years old. Although the gig had not sold out, there were barely any seats left in the 3,500 capacity venue.

Kicking off the show to the husky dance music of new single ‘Hurricanes’, Dido’s extremely simple attire of black jeans and a white shirt seemed the perfect elegant backdrop for her impressive vocal talent. Originally being a 2000s pop star, her subtle shift to a more electronic dance music style has been seemingly effortless.

The response from the crowds were definitely at their peak during her old classics such as ‘White Flag’, ‘Life for Rent’ and ‘Thank You’. Although being released 15 years prior, these songs have definitely stood the test of time and kept her fanbase dedicated and loyal to her even throughout her extended absence in the public eye.

The melancholic indie singer Julia Jacklin was the final act to prove her worth in front of a sold-out crowd. Having toured the UK twice this year, on top of a large handful of dates on the European festival circuit, the transition from her relatively busy gig at YES at the start of the year couldn’t be more different from the packed gig at Gorilla at the end of the year.

Her recent album Crushing is probably one of the most sophisticated break-up albums recently released. After finally ending a disastrous relationship, the album details the process of realisation she had when she knew it was time to leave. What makes this album so unique though is how respectful she always remains of her ex. Hearing her amazingly sweet and vibrato vocals live adds a much richer emotion to songs such as ‘Comfort’. Lyrics such as “He’ll be just fine, hurt for a while, cured with time” show how her deep-rooted love for him is something she’ll never disdain.

Julia Jacklin and her subtle yet extremely emotive approach to songwriting and lyricism is what makes her such an outstanding artist. I truly believe that despite selling out Gorilla, she has not received enough attention in music.

Throughout the three nights in Manchester it was clear that away from mainstream charts women are thriving. What was even more refreshing to see was how all three women rejected the traditional overly-sexual marketing of women in music. Amy Taylor, Dido and Julia Jacklin didn’t need to use their bodies to sell their music. All they needed was their passion and drive for music, and to not be overlooked.

If these three gigs in Manchester don’t at least hint at how well women are doing in music at the moment, then I don’t know what will. I think plenty of women have “picked up guitars” and are more than proving their worth in this male-heavy industry.

Opinion: Liverpool to go undefeated?

Written by James Owen on . Posted in Sport.

At the start of the 19-20 Premier League season, it was predicted that it would be a two-horse race – Manchester City versus Liverpool. However, with 14 games left to play, Liverpool sit 19 points clear of their rivals and are on track for an undefeated season, a host of records and the small accolade of the Premier League trophy.

Liverpool are currently 41 games unbeaten in the league, last losing to Manchester City back in January 2019, they have gone over a year without defeat in astonishing fashion. One draw in 24 games this season means they are on track for a 112 point haul, smashing the record set by City last season.

This has partly been due to weakened competition; Spurs are in a transitional period, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea are rebuilding and City, their biggest competitors, have been inconsistent. Outside the top six, there just is not the quality to challenge them.

Liverpool’s undefeated run has been exceptional but there are still a number of obstacles they may face before they can stand alongside the Arsenal Invincibles and go a whole season undefeated.

The signing of Van Dijk all but eradicated Liverpool’s defensive woes and turned them around to hold the best defensive record in the league. Alongside attacking fullbacks Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson Liverpool’s defence have conceded 15 times in 24 games.

Roberto Firmino, Mo Salah, and Sadio Mane also have also formed a formidable attacking trident, becoming one of the most clinical in Europe whilst scoring 60% of Liverpool’s goals in the league this season.

A long-term injury to any one of these players could have a tide-turning impact on the intensity of Liverpool’s performance. Liverpool have a good squad of players for rotation and impact of the bench, but if one was to come in as a starter they wouldn’t possess the quality of their teammates.

City has been struggling this season with the absence of John Stones and Leroy Sane whilst Aymeric Laporte also had a spell on the sidelines and it has cost them. Liverpool are too far out the way to be caught, but if they want to remain undefeated they will need their best players to do so.

Any team that goes undefeated also needs to have luck throughout the season, this year we have had our fair share of VAR controversies with Liverpool being the focal point of a few, luck seems to be on their side.

This season will most likely come down to a defining moment, one in which we look back on and think that was the chance to beat Liverpool, one in which luck is needed. Ruud Van Nistelrooy famously missed a last-minute penalty that would have beaten Arsenal at Old Trafford in 2003 – Arsenal went on to go undefeated and win the league.

Two English top-flight teams have had longer unbeaten runs than Liverpool. Each one of these was subsequently ended by a rival. Manchester United ended Arsenal’s run, whilst Liverpool beat Forrest. Chelsea’s 40 games unbeaten run was also ended by rivals Manchester United.

On the 4th of April, Liverpool will travel to the Etihad to face rivals Manchester City. If they can avoid defeat, this will be the game they equal Arsenal’s 49 games unbeaten record. If Liverpool get through this they will also have to face an Arsenal side looking to protect their proudest achievement – The Invincibles.

The question is, can these rivals step up as they have done in the past to end Liverpool’s ambition of unbeatable and put just an ounce of disappointment on a historic season for the club that will unbearably be talked about for years to come?

Photo: Alex Chi @A13XCH1

The Whimsical World of Walt Disco

Written by Georgina Davidson on . Posted in Music.

There is a distinctively electronic sound that is emanating across the latest indie punk and rock playlists across the UK – especially in smaller music venues and none more so than in Manchester. A new age of a kind of glitter-grit punk appears to be emerging in creative and collaborative cultural environments and it feels both inspiring and surprising in equal measures.

One such band that has recently become undeniably visible is the Glaswegian five-piece band, Walt Disco – who blend harsh aesthetic choices with even harsher, heavy guitar sounds when performing. However, a glance at their discography reveals an electronic wonderland that is both as fun and fierce as their name suggests.

Their most recent gigs have included supporting slots on tour with The Ninth Wave including a sold-out show at Manchester’s Soup Kitchen – my first experience of the full, ferocious energy that this band harnesses.

Alex Chi @A13XCH1

Just under a month later they returned and performed at Manchester’s Bread Shed, supporting The Joy Formidable as they embarked on a tour across the UK. It was at this gig where I caught up with the band to chat about some of their experiences on tour, new material and their aspirations for the upcoming year. Living together in Glasgow with a mixture of fellow bandmates and punk performers and artists, it is no wonder that their glitter laden drag personification has had the space to flourish. Led by their devilishly dramatic frontman James Potter, it really seemed that they were the perfect support on the respective tours.

Their tracks have a distinctive electronic sound mapped by a force of poetic, punk-inspired rock to blasts of dreamy 80s pop instrumentals – all of which seem to build with gliding ease as their set progressed.

Speaking to synth player Dave Morgan, it became clear that their latest release reveals something of their origins. At the time, ‘Dancing Shoes’ had recently become available across all major streaming services as one of their earliest singles they created and he described this track as “the most personal moment” in James’ songwriting.

It seems that their latest performance incarnations reveal newfound confidence whilst still maintaining a level of vulnerability and evidently Scottish heritage in their portrayal. The band agreed that they were ambitious to take on bigger venues in the future, citing Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom as “one to tell the grandchildren” when they eventually perform there.

They also revealed that there would be a number of festival gigs including coveted slots at Live at Leeds, Hit The North and South by Southwest in Austin, Texas – which the band were excited to announce.

Continuing with a theme of vaudevillian glamour, however, it was interesting to find that the band still hoped to do some very distinctive events, including playing in “old theatres and historic town hall” settings – seeming to align quite stunningly with their projection of a glamourous aesthetic that is definitively male and yet not overtly masculine.

Walt Disco seem to offer a unique perspective into androgynous fashion and savage, synth-rock – neither defined or diminished by the echoes and vivid visions of the drag artists and punk performers of the past.

The band will be returning to Manchester to perform at YES, in the basement venue as part of their ‘Young, Hard and Handsome’ Tour from April through to May 2020.

Alex Chi @A13XCH1

BBC reveal that Nick Robinson could move to Manchester

Written by Sam Honey on . Posted in News.

BBC Radio 4’s flagship news and current affairs programme, Today, could be moved to Manchester as part of the organisation’s aim to limit the influence of London on their coverage.

The daily programme, which is co-hosted by Nick Robinson, runs from 6 am to 9 am on weekdays and has been on air since 1957.

It is believed that Robinson could move Northwards with Mishal Husain, Martha Kearney and Justin Webb presenting from the broadcasting house. Robinson himself has long-term connections with the North West, having grown up in Macclesfield.

Robinson has also left the door open to a possible future move, saying: “I would not at all be surprised if in the future I did some broadcasting from there or other places outside London.”

There remain concerns however over how splitting up the team would affect the programme’s quality. It would speak volumes to see one of the BBC’s flagship shows partially relocate to the North, as part of a wider plan to widen the geographic diversity of the organisation.

The move would also bolster the BBC’s presence in Manchester, with the political and news elements of the organisation’s coverage still firmly fixated in the capital, despite the relocation of other sections, such as sports, to the Salford outpost.

The decision would represent another instalment in a period of upheaval for the BBC, with the announcement that 450 jobs will be scrapped in a radical overhaul of the newsroom.

Director-General Tony Hall has also announced that he will leave his post in the summer, after a series of cost-cutting measures.

Credit: El Pollock@Wikimedia Commons

No Pain, No Train – The sorry state of British rail travel

Written by Felix Hanif-Banks on . Posted in Features.

Your train has been cancelled, the perfect vision of a peaceful coffee and sandwich while you get stuck into your book is in tatters. Replacing it is a fiery hellscape of no seats, bumping elbows with someone who sweats much more than any healthy person should, and maybe getting to where you want to go after hours of signal failures and unhelpful service announcements. And what’s more, you had to take your dog to the pawn shop to afford the tickets in the first place. The sorry state of British rail is an all too familiar problem.

Nationalisation of our railways has long been hailed as the saviour of all our problems, and with the recent announcement that Northern Rail is coming under government control, it’s a policy that has finally crossed the political aisle and is being adopted by those on the right. But how will nationalisation improve Northern Rail, if at all, and what can we learn from other parts of our country’s chaotic railways system?

Northern Rail has come under government control after a year of shocking performance. On average, trains got later and were cancelled more over the course of 2019, with more than half of all trains late, and as many as 7% cancelled towards the end of the year. But worry not, such excellent performance has only been met with a fare increase of 2.5%, so clearly accountability is as foreign a concept as punctuality.

Nationalisation in the face of such abysmal performance – with no signs of improvement – seems logical, but before one jumps on that bandwagon it’s important to assess existing examples of nationalisation, with LNER being the most prominent existing example in this country. Since coming back into public hands in 2018, punctuality has improved somewhat, but still only 43.4% of trains have been on time over the last year. Fares have only risen by 1.2% – much lower than the average – but being better than a pretty awful bunch should only be rewarded with so much praise.

Comparisons are often drawn to Europe, with many advocates of nationalisation pointing to cheaper and more efficient rail networks across the continent. However, findings by seat61.com point to quite similar fares, when booked far enough in advance, with France, Germany and Italy. It’s a common talking point but only partially grounded in reality. More pertinent issues would be overcrowding, understaffing and lateness, which considered together do make the fares seem fairly extortionate.

The influence of European states on our own railways should also be considered. Only 5 of the 32 British rail operators are owned at least in part by the UK. The rest are run outside of the country, with Germany, France, the Netherlands and even Hong Kong appearing multiple times on the list. Virgin Trains has of course recently been acquired by Italian firm Trenitalia, showing it’s a trend that has no signs of slowing.

If foreign governments are seeing the value of our railways, why has it taken so long for ours to warm to the idea? As the statistics show, it’s a policy that needs some careful application, but one can hope that a move away from large corporations controlling our travel makes them less exploitative and better for serving the public.

Chinese New Year celebrations cancelled due to coronavirus concerns

Written by Kate MacLachlan on . Posted in Societies.

The Manchester Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) have decided to cancel or postpone their Chinese New Year festival celebrations due to fears surrounding the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.

The decision was made last Tuesday despite the society having already reserved the Manchester Central Convention Complex for the event, which was planned to take place on Sunday February 2nd.

When asked why the event would not be taking place, a member of the society said that they believed it was cancelled as a precaution, to prevent any potential spread of the virus. As of Friday the 31st of January, two cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the UK.

The member also explained that “the coronavirus has put China and its people under the [micro]scope … if we go on celebrating while the virus spreads, that’s not going to do us much good.”

This is within the context of claims of increased nationwide racism due to awareness of the virus, with one MA student at the University of Manchester writing to The Guardian about their experiences of racism in London since the virus’s outbreak.

The CSSA have also been helping with efforts to treat those affected in China through fundraising for medical supplies such as N95 masks and safety glasses, which will then be shipped to Wuhan and other affected cities.

The Association have consulted with doctors at the front line of the crisis in China in order to check which medical supplies are needed due to differences in European and Chinese standards for medical products. One member said this was done through contacting family members working in healthcare settings in the region. The Association has also been directly contacted by hospitals through WeChat and Weibo.

The cancellation of the festival has also caused financial concerns for the CSSA, with one member claiming that “[The] festival is pretty much all we have for income to sustain operations for next year”.

However, other Chinese New Year celebrations have still taken place, such as the Dragon Parade in Manchester’s Chinatown last weekend, with members of the Chinese Studies Society attending the event as part of their Chinese New Year celebrations. The Chinese Studies Society will also hold some of their own events to celebrate the new year, such as lantern making and a Chinese film viewing.

“Chinese New Year is always a time to come together in the community and wish everyone happiness for the coming year, so it would be nice to meet new people and build a sense of community,” said Social Secretary Sarah Ma in regards to the events being held.

Photo: Daniel James @ Wikimedia commons

Scrapping of bus route leaves Cheshire residents isolated from Manchester

Written by jamesshepherd on . Posted in News.

The 130 bus route which formerly ran from Macclesfield to Didsbury is being significantly reduced due to a lack of commercial viability. The reduction of the service has the potential to affect commuting staff and students travelling in from the Cheshire region.

The route which was formerly run by Arriva has been taken over by D&G Bus but will now only run from Macclesfield to Handforth and stop short of Manchester.  The route was a vital link from the Cheshire town to the city of Manchester and its reduction has left many bus users concerned about the ease of travel between the two areas.  

The change in service means that those travelling from Cheshire to Manchester would have to get off the bus at Handforth and get a train for the rest of the journey into the city.  Many passengers claimed this would be a problem due to the higher cost of train tickets, accessibility issues at Handforth station and increased journey times for those travelling to South Manchester.

The Manchester Evening News (MEN) spoke to several of the bus users, many of whom had to travel from Cheshire to Manchester regularly for work, shopping, hospital appointments and to visit friends and family.  

An elderly passenger told the MEN that “The problem is, we don’t have any Manchester buses. If it stops at Handforth, we don’t have any way of getting into Manchester or Stockport.”  

Adding: “I can’t use the train, it’s the steps at Handforth (station)”.

Another added: “There’s a lot of people who rely on this service to get to and from the area. With the train prices going up as well, it means it’s hard for everyone to travel around.”

The bus network manager for D&G Bus claimed that the reduction of the service was due to a lack of demand: “We are only operating between Macclesfield and Handforth because following extensive surveys it was determined that 75% of the passengers currently using the service only use that part of the route”.

He continued: “We have discussed various options to extend the route with Cheshire East Council, but all of these were discounted due to the cost.

“The majority of the stops within the GM area are covered by other services, albeit to different places, and there are rail links into Manchester from our new 130 route at Macclesfield, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow and Handforth.”

A spokeperson for Transport for Greater Manchester has said that there are no plans to subsidise any replacement travel services due to existing commercial services along the route.

Moving with the times: Council Leader launches vlog

Written by Josh Sandiford on . Posted in News.

The Leader of Manchester City Council has launched a vlog in a bid to ‘keep up with the times’ and speak to the public directly.

Sir Richard Leese’s monthly blog will now be posted in video format, looking at “policies, changes and developments which are important to Manchester” as more and more people spend their time on phones and tablets.

In the first instalment, the Leader tours the refurbished Murrays’ Mills, one of the oldest parts of Manchester’s industrial heritage. 

He then goes on to visit Ancoats and highlight the transformation of a once “broken down” estate in New Islington. The area, described as previously derelict and polluted, is now home to modern social housing and a tight-knit community. 

“As we spend more and more of our time on our phones and tablets, transforming my blog into a vlog is a step in the right direction”

Sir Richard said: “Transforming my blog into a vlog is a step in the right direction of ensuring everyone in Manchester is connected to the work we are doing as a Council.

 “These are exciting times for Manchester as we look to grow as an international city, whilst at the same time continue to ensure our residents are able to thrive and succeed no matter what walk of life they come from. I hope this new format will give you a better look at how the Council is rising to meet that challenge in the years to come.” 

Move over PewDiePie, despite YouTube comments being turned off, The Mancunion is sure Sir Richard will be sweeping up plenty of subscribers in no time. 

Image: photographic-leigh @ Flickr

Manchester businesses pledge to ban zero-hours contracts

Written by Joe Manock on . Posted in News.

Employers within the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) are set to agree on a ban of zero-hours contracts as part of Manchester’s “Good Employment Charter”. Paying above the minimum wage will also be included in the charter.

Mayor Andy Burnham, has been the driving force behind the charter. The agreement is positioned to quell concerns over insecure work and in-work poverty.

Mr. Burnham said: “We want to support our world-leading businesses, helping them to grow and invest in our places, while at the same time making sure our residents develop the skills to succeed and find good, secure jobs that pay a real living wage.

“This Good Employment Charter is a major step towards making sure that new and existing jobs right across our city region are underpinned by a commitment to equality, fair pay, and giving employees a say in how their workplaces are run.”

Mancunian businesses have been identified as less productive than others in the UK, particularly in contrast to London and from an international perspective. The agreement aims to improve wages and the treatment of employees, amid concerns that much employment is too insecure to lift people out of poverty.

The charter is open to employers from all sectors, with Kellogg’s and Manchester Airports Group among its first signatories. Over 100 companies are in talks to sign the charter.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority has established incentives for signing the charter – only companies that sign will be eligible for investment from the GM Business Fund, which has invested more than £116m in 100-plus businesses in recent years.

Duncan Brown, head of consulting at IES, said he welcomed initiatives such as the GMCA’s charter. “City employment initiatives are a great means of encouraging employers to provide good work and invest properly in their people rather than simply pursuing a lowest-possible cost – and sometimes short-sighted – employment model,” he said.

But unanswered questions remain, Brown, insists. “These include how best to align initiatives in various cities for national employers and also how the different charters will be validated and enforced, as well as the funding of good work in sectors such as social care.”

sound cistem

Review: Sound Cistem (Push Festival)

Written by Rosemary Russett on . Posted in Theatre.

Sound Cistem is the first theatre commission from Plaster Cast, a physical theatre company made up of past and current University of Manchester students.

A celebration of being trans, it shares the stories of a collection of young trans and non-binary people in a touching and engaging way. A pulsing disco beat guides the bodies of two dancers as they invite the audience to listen to their words and the words of their community.

The original soundtrack designed for the play combines club music with trans testimonials as they weave through various relevant topics. One person talks about how freeing it is to dance without thinking, while another talks about how they always feel slightly uncomfortable in clubs. They then talk about dysphoria, the pressure to “look like a cis person”, and the struggle of bathrooms. All the while, the two dancers keep moving, raving and twisting, to further cement the words in our minds.

In a world where media representation of trans people is incredibly lacking, seeing a whole show headed by two young trans people felt incredibly freeing. The dancing was honest and inviting, breaking occasionally to act out scenes described in the interview clips. The bare stage contrasted with the colourful lights and was the perfect setting for such a raw performance. The power of this piece came not from choreographed perfection but the passion with which it was performed.

This play is exuberant and playful but also incredibly serious, addressing topics which come up time and time again in discussions around trans rights and yet there are still issues. The inability to legally register your gender as non-binary, years-long waiting lists to receive medical treatment, and the requirement of having a panel validate your transness before your gender can be legally changed.

One especially touching section commented on the forced perfection expected from those who are not cis. There is an expectation for trans people to perfectly act within their gender role when in practice this is stifling and puts unbelievable amounts of pressure on (especially young) people who feel they have to educate their peers. As one testimonial says: “real me wants to go out and be messy.”

Despite the pain expressed in much of the show, the overall message was one of hope. The interviewees finish by telling the audience that however you choose to express yourself is okay, just as however they choose to express themselves is also okay. The message to other trans people: “There’s a million ways that you are brave just for being here.”

The whole show has a very personal feel to it. The combination of the friendly club feeling alongside real people’s voices telling you their struggles felt like a talk with a friend. All in all, I left feeling quite emotional and wanted to tell others about this piece. If you get the chance to see it, Sound Cistem is definitely worth a watch.

013 RET GYPSY -Melissa James (Louise), Ria Jones (Rose) and Ensemble - Image Johan Persson

Review: Gypsy

Written by elliscoopey on . Posted in Theatre.

While in New York about 10 years ago, I was at the South Street Seaport ticket booth perusing the bills to get some last-minute tickets to a Broadway show. The usual suspects passed under my eyes, Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, The Lion King, etc., when a thickset Brooklyn man spoke from behind me. “No!”, he ordered, like a judge’s voice cutting through the courtroom: “You gotta see Gypsy!”. Wow, I thought; recommended by a New Yorker, it must be good. 

It was, and so of course I immediately jumped at the opportunity to see Gypsy again, 10 years later, here in Manchester and at the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Mama Rose was played by West End veteran Ria Jones, whilst Broadway legend Patti Lupone played her when I last saw her. Jones famously understudied Glenn Close in the role of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard in the West End, so it was inevitable she would be Mama Rose one day.

At once, the show pops like an uncorked bottle of bubbly, welcoming in a celebration. In this case, as we’re seated in-the-round, we’re enveloped in a celebration of the Broadway musical. Under the thrifty regime of Mama Rose, we see the young cast grow into the adult cast, during repeated and up-cycled versions of the musical number Let Me Entertain You. Exploding onto the stage from all angles, the ensemble-work is slick and the young cast, in particular, with their vim and versatility completely immerse us in a Broadway nostalgia trip.

Rose is a show business mama of two, June and Louise, three times divorcee who never wants to marry again and is tormented by a lifelong ambition to be a Broadway star. Instead, she lives vicariously through her children: ‘I would have been something’, she says ‘if only…’, if only she’d had a mother who pushed her.

Gypsy is a musical continually renewed under the light of contemporary reinterpretation; many of the issues dealt with are still relevant in the entertainment business today. When Rose meets Herbie, a retired agent, I cringed as they sang the number “Small World”, where Herbie uses his position of power to persuade Rose into marriage. “Small world, isn’t it?”, they sing. Rose wants to see her daughters’ names in lights, and Herbie has connections on the Broadway circuit. How convenient, but how can we not see this differently, post-Weinstein? Rose is not innocent either, collaring five boys into joining her entourage, saying “the experience will be their payment”. 

June, the golden child, eventually buckles under her mother’s pressure and skips town. Until this moment, Rose’s vulnerability is veiled with Broadway pizzaz. It’s in the subtlety of Jones’ performance that we see she is still a child and that her dreams lay scattered at her feet. 

This scene was a particular highlight. By the end of this scene, whether we like it or not, Louise, the prior-to “no-talent” black sheep of the family, has become the focus of her mother’s obsession. The set was an empty train station, Herbie and Louise sitting on their luggage. In this desolate space, I saw every ounce of horror on Herbie and Louise’s face, and every ounce of madness on Rose’s. These harrowing moments when we look behind the curtain are vital.

The second stand-out moment happens when the entourage end up at a burlesque house, since no-one will take their act. In their desperation to find work, Rose volunteers Louise to stand-in for a burlesque performer last minute. Alone in the dressing room, Rose prepares Louise to go out on stage. Piece by piece, she dresses her daughter, and with each addition, the satin white gloves for example, there’s a moment of regret in her eyes. There’s no music during this, just the tender, uncertainty of a mother selling-out. “Are you sure, Mama?” asks Louise, to which Rose indirectly replies: “You only need to drop a shoulder strap”. What thrift. Melissa James says few words in this scene, but her expressions say everything. Questions hang over the scene, but Rose never asks her daughter: ‘Do you want to do this?’

I was worried how Louise was ever going to become the glamorous Gypsy Rose Lee. It’s testament to Melissa’s performance that when she dons the satin, baby-pink and mink, there’s a polar transformation. With Melissa James, it’s easy to see how Gypsy became one of the highest grossing burlesque performers. Once she’d found her calling, the confidence followed. 

The show is optimistic in its conclusion, which hit all the right notes for the liberating theme of this rendition. Louise no longer resembles her former self and has even been stripped of her name. Previous renditions played on this theme of exploitation, but this rendition has other ideas. Louise, now Gypsy Rose Lee, has ultimately found her passion and embraces the life that comes with it. This is about a woman getting out from under her mother. By the end, they have reconciled their differences and walk off stage, Rose wearing her daughter’s fur shawl. ‘It looks better on me’, she says. 

If I saw that Brooklyn man again now, I would turn and say “Take it from me”, pushing the Royal Exchange bill into his chest: “See Ria Jones!”. 

Kobe Bryant: How should we remember the dead?

Written by nimoomer on . Posted in Opinion.

Death is perhaps the biggest question that we as humans have tried to tackle. For millennia, we have asked and pondered: does anything come next? If so, what? And why? Who put it there? Can we delay it? Can avoid it entirely?

Books have been filled, dissertations written, lives dedicated to death and everything that does (or doesn’t) surround it. But we are yet to agree upon a single thing. And perhaps this is the reason that we so closely adhere to the rigid cultural rituals that we have developed for when someone passes away.

Unless a person was particularly heinous and evil, there is an unspoken expectation to posthumously celebrate and praise every single achievement and personal characteristic of the person who has died. You’ll often hear that ‘you mustn’t speak ill of the dead’; it is taboo and often seen to be in poor taste.

As a result, due to our complete collective and individual inability to have a measured response to anything, we feel the need to valorise the dead and see them as one-dimensional versions of themselves, particularly those who were in the public eye. And this is understandable, especially immediately after a tragic death.

But that leaves the questions: What about everything else? What about the people they hurt? The poor choices they made? The destruction they potentially left in their wake? And we saw this tension play out after the shocking announcement of basketball star Kobe Bryant’s death.

There was something about his death that made me recoil into myself. I’ve never watched basketball, sports generally bore me, and, before a few days ago, if you would’ve asked me to tell you one thing about Kobe Bryant beyond that he was a very famous athlete, I would’ve struggled.

Yet when I heard, or rather read, of his death I felt a wave of great sadness. And I think this is fairly normal, especially considering the suddenness of his death and the tragedy of his 13-year-old daughter – and budding basketball star – dying alongside him. Not to mention the deaths of two of her teammates, as well as their parents, the basketball coach, and the pilot.

Their deaths prompted an outpouring of grief from fans, teammates, celebrities, friends of Kobe’s, and sports commentators alike. There is something about the unexpectedness of the helicopter crash, of the lost potential of those girls, the youthful defiance and light in Kobe Bryant’s eyes that was abruptly put out. The tragedy is clear. It is palpable and impossible to avoid.

Obituaries and tributes focused on Kobe’s rare gift, his talent, his tenacity, his overwhelming achievements in sports and otherwise, his philanthropy and his family, the things that roll off the tongue easily. But when a few people pointed out, in various ways, the deliberate and careful omission of Bryant at his worst – a very compelling 2003 rape accusation that at the time was followed very closely.

During the criminal trial Kobe changed his story, at the start denying any contact at all with the victim, then claiming that he had indeed had sexual contact with her, but that it was consensual.

The girl, 19 years old at the time, had sustained multiple injuries with a bruise on her neck and tears and bruises on her genitals, with further evidence finding traces of his semen inside her and her blood on his clothing.

Like most women who come forward about a beloved celebrity, she faced the full force of the media and, at just 19 years old, had to deal with threats and a complete character assassination in front of the whole country. It was textbook, a real display of the unrepentant and unrelenting rape culture that seeps through every facet of our society. The case was settled in 2005 for a confidential payout.

Reading up on this case I felt so deeply for the girl in question, but my knee jerk reaction when I saw people bringing this up, was not of sympathy. It has to be said that I did not know about the case when I found out that he had died, I was 4 years old when it all happened and, as an adult, I have not had reason to find out.

But even so, my first thought was “now’s not the time”. A few days later, I have really sat with my thoughts and asked myself why my empathy immediately went to Kobe Bryant – all-star athlete, before it went to a young girl who faced something that was incredibly traumatic.

What is it about death that compels us to pretend that people are so much better than they may have really been?

It’s hard to accept that one body can host both the unsuspecting soft eyes and fatherly demeanour of Kobe Bryant, basketball star, and the alledgedly violent grasp of Kobe Bryant, a man accused of rape.

That is what we see here – the (for want of a better word) mundanity of sexual violence. It is not relegated to the world of the monstrous, the atrocious and the evil. It is not just back alleys and maladjusted lone wolves with stories that Netflix is probably buying the rights to at this moment. Yet whilst we think of Kobe Bryant, and the 8 others who died, we should think of that girl too.

Whilst we try to flatten the stories of the deceased, some stories refuse to be flattened. As much as we want it to be, the world is not a simple place and we cannot tell people how to grieve or who to think of as important. But we should be moving to a place where we can have honest discussions about the lives they lived, without callously mocking the dead and with a deeper consideration and regard for those who are still alive and affected by the alleged actions of those who have passed on.

Coronavirus: Manchester students speak out on life in “spooky” Wuhan

Written by Zofia Gryf-Lowczowska on . Posted in News.

Manchester students residing in the Hubei province have expressed concerns that resources including food and medical supplies are “unbelievably limited” as fears over the ‘coronavirus’ outbreak grip their city and the wider world.

Two cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed in the UK as of January 30th, but this is a drop in the ocean compared to the visible effects of the virus on the city of Wuhan in China, in which the outbreak started.

The new strain of flu, which affects the respiratory system, comes from a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

In an effort to contain the virus, Chinese authorities have put three cities in Hubei province, with a combined population of more than 25 million people, in lockdown in the midst of Chinese New Year celebrations that usually see millions of people travel across the country.

The recent increase in cases of the virus, means transport in Wuhan has been halted and people are requested to wear masks in public places.

A former MA student of the University of Manchester, who chose to remain anonymous, told The Mancunion, “I’m in Wuhan and I haven’t gone outside of my parents’ flat since 23rd January, the day that Wuhan got put under quarantine.”

It is reported that there are close to 5,000 Chinese students studying at The University of Manchester, some of whom were expected to travel to China to celebrate the New Year.

Mingwei Zhang, who is currently studying for a Masters in Manchester and who is originally from Wuhan, described the city’s situation as “spooky” and said the typically bustling streets of Wuhan were empty.

Zhang told The Mancunion: “People are more nervous about the situation than before. The city’s restrain on traffic has limited the supply of daily necessities like food, which make the Chinese New Year less of a celebration.”

However, he praised how well Wuhan had handled the situation as the Chinese government continue a procedure of preventative measures  – these include building work which is underway on a 1,000-bed hospital that will be used for treating patients with coronavirus.

One Manchester student who is resident in Wuhan expressed “deepest fear” that “resources of all kinds are unbelievably limited at the moment […] especially the nucleic acid reagent that is used in diagnosing pneumonia caused by 2019ncov”, adding that doctors in the city are “overloaded” with work.

Despite widespread unease, the student highlighted some of the ways in which the community in Wuhan is coming together to combat the wider effects of the outbreak: “Many kind people are now extra active on the internet gathering, sharing information and organizing volunteers to help with the situation such as donating and distributing medical protections and food, and picking up medical staff to go to work because all public transportation has stopped.”

The University of Manchester has advised students and staff alike to keep up to date with the relevant information published on the Public Health England website as a means to prevent further escalation as the facts and figures become more widely available.”

It is strongly advised that those due to travel to China should consult the Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) travel advice page.

Anyone who has returned from Wuhan is encouraged to stay indoors and inform the NHS of their recent travel to the city, even if they do not have symptoms of the virus.

Northern Rail to be nationalised in March

Written by Megan Oyinka on . Posted in News.

The government has moved to take Northern Rail back into public ownership after months of overcrowding, delays and cancellations. The move which will mean the company franchise will be changed from the original operator Arriva Rail North on the 1st of March of this year following a history of unreliable service.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the BBC said passengers had “lost trust in the north’s rail network.”

Arriva said it “understood the government’s decision”, but problems had been largely due to “external factors” such as rail infrastructure.

Passengers of Arriva Rail North have faced problems with the service since new timetables were introduced in May 2018 and many customers have complained about the punctuality and overcrowding of the service.

The change in management means that the train services will now be operated by “an arm’s-length government-owned company”, as reported by the BBC.

The German Company was set to manage Northern Rail lines until March of 2025, but it had been revealed in October by Grant Sharps that he had requested a proposal from Arriva Northern Rail to outline its solutions to improve it’s “unacceptable” delays and cancellations.

The Department for Transport was then given the choice between a short term contract to Arriva or agree to nationalise and put the government-controlled Operator of Last Resort (OLR) in charge.

Arriva, however, also faced issues from infrastructure projects, strike action and most of its trains being very old makes. These issues led to the poor performance which earned it the nickname ‘Northern Fail’ from it’s unsatisfied passengers.

Recent figures from the Office of Rail and Road revealed how just 56% of Northern trains arrived at stations within a minute of the stated time on the timetable in the 12 months to the 7th of December. That compares to an average across Britain of 65%.

Arriva also claimed that a number of external factors, made some of the company’s targets “undeliverable”; industrial action by RMT and delayed and cancelled infrastructure projects caused the service to decrease in quality.

Statistics suggest over half of delays on the entire UK rail network were down to problems with the infrastructure, like signalling.

Services will be transferred from Arriva Rail North to Northern Trains Limited to a newly formed Department for Transport’s OLR.

OLR, a public company, is staffed by experienced train managers and has to report directly to the government about its service. Since May 2018, when rail services on the East Coast Main Line were taken over, the company has managed the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) but this was only planned to last for two years.

In response to the decision to strip Northern Rail of the franchise, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham and Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, said:

“Today’s news is a victory for passengers who have had to endure almost two years of misery and mayhem on Northern Rail.

“We are pleased the government has finally answered our call and returned the Northern franchise to public ownership. But today’s welcome move by ministers is only the start of fixing the North’s railways.

“The Government must now commit to investing in much-needed rail infrastructure and work with leaders across the North to deliver the vision and funding needed to build the modern transport network that the people of our region deserve.”

The University of Manchester Photo: Johsua Poh@Flickr

Minister: Lack of senior black academics ‘unacceptable’

Written by Josh Sandiford on . Posted in News.

The lack of senior black academics in UK universities has been slammed as “unacceptable” by a government minister.

The Universities Minister, Chris Skidmore, blasted the higher education sector for failing to recruit and promote black and minority ethnic professors after figures show no black staff held senior positions.

The new data, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), showed that out of 535 staff employed as “managers, directors or senior officials” across British universities, none were black.

In 2018-19 there were 535 staff employed as “managers, directors or senior officials” across British universities, of which 475 identified as white, 25 as Asian, or mixed. The ethnicity of the remaining 35 was unknown.

HESA’s workforce figures showed that 16% of the total UK academic staff identified as black but the figures appear to show that none were making inroads into management.

The agency rounds its statistic to the nearest five, this means that one or two black senior staff would be rounded down to nil.

Skidmore said: “It is unacceptable that the number of black academic staff in senior positions has fallen, as this does not represent our British society.

“Universities need to make more progress and I urge all vice-chancellors to address the barriers that are holding back black and ethnic minority staff from senior positions.”

He added: “A true representation of Britain at the top levels of our universities will support the progression of [black and minority ethnic] staff, as well as improving students’ experience.”

In total, around 440,000 staff were employed at British universities, a rise of 2% compared with 2017-18.

Review: Oreo (Push Festival)

Written by Anna Jin on . Posted in Theatre.

HOME Theatre have hosted many amazing shows about the relationship between racism and mental health, but none have portrayed this important issue like the avant-garde performance Oreo. Created and performed by the interdisciplinary artist Tania Camara, this event is part of HOME’s PUSH Festival 2020.

In this multimedia performance, Camara conjures up a feeling of mortification related to the discrimination successful black women receive in western society under the pressure to “whiten” themselves, and the feeling of liberation when one chooses to embrace their own identity.

This experimental performance is not acting-heavy. In the space of 60 minutes, Camara performs a few actions over a prolonged period of time, like attempting to speak into a microphone, but fails, laughing hysterically, and smearing white pasta all over her face and body. In addition, she does not utter a single word. However, she successively delivers her powerful message, as her actions and vocal qualities are exaggerated and overwhelming. Her goal is not to represent realistic events, but to express emotions that are inherently difficult to portray, and to evoke them in the audience.

This is a play full of tensions and ambiguities, where everything is left unsaid. Camara is skilful in holding the audience’s attention until the very end. When she literally and figuratively dropped her camouflage, her body language became natural, and she straightforwardly engaged the audience in a beautiful moment of audience participation.

The set design is the most important element of this performance, with every single item on stage having a purpose. Most of the props on stage were coloured black and white. Camara changed on stage from a formal office suit with a black blazer and white blouse into a beautiful, colourful creole costume.

Beautiful creole music and video are used in this performance to symbolise the protagonist’s journey to embrace her identity. The lighting helped to deliver the correct mood for this performance; a sharp blue spotlight illuminated Camara in the beginning and natural light filled the theatre in the end.

Camara delivers her message with the help of meaningful audio and video recordings. In one, she plays with an Oreo biscuit, separating the white and black parts and eventually smashing the biscuits with a metal baton. In another, the titular biscuit is continuously dunked in milk until it dissolves completely. In conduction with the latter video plays an audio recording of a black British MP’s monologue, overlaid with a recording of someone repeating racial slurs. The seemingly unrelated design elements were all connected through Camara’s visual storytelling.

This powerful, thought-provoking performance ran at HOME Theatre from the 23rd of January to the 25th of January.

The Lion King – Launch Event

Written by Camila Florencia Rusailh on . Posted in Theatre.

“The Lion King was interpreted as many things: an allegory for our times, a spiritual journey, a broad comedy, a Hamlet knock-off, another story forwarding the patriarchal structure, a cash cow, a timeless myth […] Not surprisingly, no one said it looked like a Broadway show in the making.  Thomas Schumacher, President & Producer, Disney Theatrical Productions

We would be rather impressed to meet someone who hasn’t come across The Lion King’s iconic luminous yellow posters scattered across the country during its expansive 2012 UK tour. Luckily for us, October 2020 marks the show’s opening at the Palace Theatre in Manchester.

For those unfamiliar with the premise of the family musical, The Lion King is a theatrical adaptation of the 1994 box office success, following the story of a lion cub, Simba, whose beloved father, Mufasa, the King of the Jungle, is killed by his wicked, jealous brother, Scar. The film is inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth, only it is a child-friendly, animated, musical film that features animals instead of incest.

Earlier in the day, it was announced that Nick Afoa will be playing Simba when the show comes to Manchester. A rugby player turned stage actor, Afoa has played the role of Simba for three years in the West End, after first playing it in Australia. (Jay is particularly excited about this; he had been hoping Afoa would do the tour).

The preview night at the Palace Theatre consisted of the musical numbers ‘Circle of Life’, the Academy Award-Winning ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’, ‘Shadowland’ (a number written especially for the theatrical adaption) and ‘He Lives in You’. These performances were interspersed between Damian Hunt (a former actor and son of Jan Hunt) and a lady called Olga presenting and explaining the process behind Disney Theatrical Productions, transforming the film into an equally successful theatre show, attracting over 100 million people worldwide.

Julie Taymor was heralded as the “genius” behind the show’s success, transcending capabilities of storytelling with her vision to combine innovative costume designs with the performers’ movements. Taymor’s vision as Director and Costume Designer led to Broadway history being made: she became the first woman in theatrical history to win the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical. We found this part of the presentation especially interesting as we had previously not considered just how challenging it must have been to tell a story about animal characters through human performers without it looking gimmicky. There had to be so much detail in the dance training and costume designs for it to be a convincing show.

A close up of Julie Taymor’s costume design. Photo: Camila Florencia Rusailh.

We were particularly impressed by how the preview night actually answered the main burning question we had before arriving: what makes this any different to any of the past 20 years worth of The Lion King onstage?

The Disney representatives explained the production’s commitment to creating an inclusive audience experience. This includes having Access Performances for those with hearing or visual impairments, alongside Relaxed Performances for people with autism, sensory and communication needs or learning difficulties via lighting and sound tweaks to create a more friendly environment.

We were told that two-thirds of audience members during the first UK tour were first-time theatregoers. This was especially heartening to hear. We were encouraged to email the team any further suggestions on how to make the show even more inclusive and accessible. Even though 100 million people have seen The Lion King worldwide since its theatrical debut in 1997, the company is evidently committed to continuing the search to improve its accessibility for all, as opposed to being complacent with its commercial success.

The evening also brought our attention to the award-winning outreach Education Programme and its new addition, the ‘Circle of Life’ award, with free resources, lesson plans and workshops for teachers to use alongside watching the show. It was quite moving to consider all the children within Greater Manchester who will have the opportunity in October to see such an epic show within their own city and be able to take ownership of the play through the programme. For many children, The Lion King and the ‘Circle of Life’ award will be the first time they are taken to the theatre, and the company’s investment in creating a spectacular show to watch and an equally comprehensive study pack to engage with will undoubtedly spark the start of many of their interests in theatre. It was great to see that Disney Theatrical Productions are actually committed to investing in their target audience as opposed to creating content they can cash in on.

The Lion King will play at Manchester’s Palace Theatre from 21st October 2020 until 31st January 2021.

You can sign up for ticket alerts for The Lion King at ATG.

Derek Bennett@Flickr

“Got Brexit Done”: resisting Johnson’s culture war

Written by George Walker on . Posted in Opinion.

This week Boris Johnson’s government laid their emphatic electoral victory on thick with the unveiling of a commemorative Brexit 50p coin, Brexit mugs, teatowels and magnets emblazoned with a reworking of their victorious slogan “Get Brexit Done” to “Got Brexit Done”. It’s safe to say that these acts have provoked waves of hell and fury from professional Remainer celebrities such as Alastair Campbell, who has claimed that upon being given a Brexit 50p he would demand it be changed by the cashier into two twenty pences and a ten. Campbell truly embodying that age old means of political resistance: haranguing minimum wage shop workers over the engraving of a coin.

In a similarly sneering move, writer Philip Pullman has suggested that somehow the coin be ‘boycotted’ by all ‘literate people’ as it misses a comma. As if those who dare not be so resoundly offended as he, are simply illiterate, or to paraphrase another transatlantic political failure are part of a ‘basket of deplorables’. This was met with condemnation and mockery from right wing culture war harpies such as Darren Grimes, and Julia Hartley-Brewer, who claimed that fury over the coin meant she is living in ‘Remoaner Central’.

Before this starts to sound like a Spiked-online thinkpiece, I will stake my claims to the significance and cynical ploys of the Brexit merch war. Alastair Campbell et al. are predictably walking right into the culture war trappings laid out by national expert on dividing a country into ruin, Dominic Cummings, the architect of 2016’s Leave EU campaign and Boris Johnson’s electoral victory. Like a depressing but all too real episode of Tom and Jerry, Cummings and Johnson have enticed people into rage over the jingoistic imagery of the pride and triumph of the ‘Got Brexit Done’ iconography. When Campbell and Pullman react with such fury and condescension, they serve to prove and fulfil Cummings’s narrative of an anti-democratic London-Centric sneering liberal elite; a sociopolitical invention so powerful it helped turn the red wall of Labour seats in the North and the Midlands blue last December, right.

Also, remember that this is a culture war long in the making by Cummings and the Leave cabal, take for example the outrage over the British passport turning from red to blue to commemorate Britain’s departure from the European Union. At the time Nigel Farage was triumphantly doing the rounds on big national media platforms, claiming the colour change to be a ‘Brexmas present’ in spite of the ‘remoaners’. 

So long as these orchestrated stunts generate this traction, the efficacy of Johnson’s narrative ‘for the people’ will continue unstirred by the hot-takes of the Twitter timeline. After all, some things are much more important, so long as Johnson and the Conservatives occupy the political, social, and even psychological guts of the country, the lives of people and the sanctity of Britain as we know it is at risk. Ranting into the abyss about the misgivings of a tea towel is the political equivalent of taking a sword to a gunfight. And Boris Johnson know it.