Glasgow University

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11th November 2008

Student loses deposit on bogus flat leaseA STUDENT AT GLASGOW UNIVERSITY has signed a tenancy agreement to a flat that is already inhabited, and is now unable to reclaim his deposit and first month's rent, totalling £850, from the landlord.

Waqar Sadaat, an international student who is completing his masters in research in Electronics and Electrical Engineering, was in desperate need of accommodation when he

arrived in Glasgow. Having found Douglas Swan, a Glasgow landlord, on Gumtree.com he arranged for a look around his prospective flat.

He told Guardian: “I didn’t have any accom-modation in Glasgow, I was in London but I talked to the landlord on the phone.

“I told him that I was coming on Saturday,

so would it be fine to take the flat at the same time? He told me ‘that’s fine.’ So then I went to the flat on Saturday and I met him, it was very good so I decided I would stay there. He told me: ‘OK, it’s your flat now.’”

At this stage the Swan produced a Short Assured Tenancy Agreement, complete with an inventory list, and asked Sadaat to pay a £425 deposit and £425 for the first months

rent. Having completed the transaction, Swan promised the student that he could move in after two days.

Sadaat explained: “So I’m signing the tenants agreement, and he told me he has to do some work for the flat, some decoration. If I sign it I can live anywhere else in Glasgow for two days, and on Monday I can have the flat.”

(Continued on page 5)

Suddenly this Autumn

News Staff

STUDENTS AND AFFILIATES of Glasgow University were given a rare glimpse into one of the most respected minds in Britain when the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, visited the campus.

The Archbishop appeared in conversation with Professor Mona Siddiqui, Director of Glasgow’s Centre for the Study of Islam, in front of a packed Bute hall on Wednesday 29th October. Prof. Siddiqui introduced the Archbishop and described how the ‘Building Bridges’ project upon which they had been working since 2003 had brought their paths together.

She said: “It is a huge honour for me to welcome Archbishop Rowan Williams to Glasgow, and an even greater privilege for me to be able to have this public conver-sation with him on home ground.

“How did this come about? The simple answer is, at least for my part, through friendship and through learning. The seminar brings together every year a group of international scholars, Muslim

(continued on p3)

Glasgow welcomes Dr. Rowan Williams

George Binning

Falling debris in Crichton library

CRICHTON CAMPUS' NEWLY opened £37 million super campus was evacuated, after pieces of wooden cladding fell from heights of up to 30 feet, whilst students worked at the check in desk just yards away.

Crichton University Campus Students Association (CUCSA) officially reported health and safety concerns after wooden cladding attached to the window fittings were blown down on several occasions. In a letter sent to David Deakins and Ted Cowan, the campus directors, CUCSA’s Student Welfare Officer,

Laura Hill, states that debris had fallen from the library ceiling in the extreme weather conditions.

She said: “One piece of lining was eventually blown so strongly that it forced a louver from its posi-tion in the window frame just below the ceiling of the library, smashing onto the floor just in front of the library check-in desk. We immedi-ately evacuated the students from the library as a safety precaution.”

She goes on to say that in the following two weeks pieces of the building continued to fall, whilst students were still in the building, raising serious safety issues.

George Binning & Ishbel Begg

Louver tumbles from wall mounting

Staff insist situation has been resolved

guardiannews@src.gla.ac.uk 3rd December 20082 NEWS

IN BRIEF

HUB to become The Fraser BuildingThe HUB building is to be known formally as The Fraser Building, despite the fact that the majority of the development’s adver-tising has been under its original name.

A University spokesperson said: “The HUB project management group is pleased to announce that an official name has been selected for the building. The HUB devel-opment will be formally known as The Fraser Building.”

The name is to recognise Sir William Fraser’s contribution to Glasgow University over the past fifty years.

A spokesperson for the University explained: “Sir William Kerr Fraser was Principal of the University from 1988 until 1995, and then a very active Chancellor until his retirement in 2006.

“The naming of this building recognises his massive contribution, not only to the university’s development, but also to the welfare and success of the many students who studied here during his stewardship.

“Sir William was President of the SRC during his own studies here in the 1950s and has retained a keen interest in student affairs.”

Sir William and Lady Marion Fraser will officially open the Fraser Building on January 13.

An article by a Glasgow University philos-ophy lecturer was the one of the most popular on the BBC website last month.

Over 592,000 people read Dr. David Bain’s analysis of four major philosophical questions, which was written to coincide with World Philosophy Day.

The article was the most emailed and the second-most popular in the world on the BBC’s website on November 20.

A spokesman for the University explained the significance of the article’s popularity.

He said: “To be the BBC News website's most e-mailed story around the world is a great achievement and demonstrates the real interest there is in philosophy.”

The article invites readers to consider four philosophical puzzles, each challenging the morals, ethics and rationale underlying our decision-making.

Dr. Bain told Guardian that he was pleased with the feedback he had received.

He said: “The reaction impressed on me not only the extensive reach of the Internet, but the widespread thirst for deep and diffi-cult questions.

“I received nearly 100 replies, some wanting to apply to Glasgow. The only article that was more read on the BBC that day was about a Czech underwear model who lacks a belly button. Not even philos-ophy can compete with that.”

Commission says, but it has to be remembered that one of the referendum questions which the Labour party put, honouring our commitment that there shall be a Scottish Parliament was, were the Scottish people in favour of tax raising to a limit of 3p?

“Now that’s a power that no legislation in Hollyrood has chosen to use, but its there. And given the problems that have emerged from the Scottish Government freezing the council tax, for example, its not unreasonable for us to return to the issue and say, ‘Wait a minute, you do have tax raising powers,’ and also to reflect on whether those go far enough or go too far.”

Sophie Hall, President of Glasgow University’s Liberal Democrats, claimed that the majority of people in Scotland would support the aims of the Calman Commission.

She explained: “We welcome the Calman report because it would lead towards giving us a fiscal home rule which is what people are actually looking for. Most of the Scottish people don't want a status quo or indepen-dence, however moving towards greater fiscal autonomy is widely welcomed by the people of Scotland.”

Paul O’Kane, Vice Chair of Glasgow University’s Labour Club, told Guardian he felt that, thus far, devolution had been a very successful process.

He said: “The Calman Commission has assessed devolution after ten years and has found a wholly positive and forward moving process, although there is room for debate and discussion on progress on a number of key issues.”

The commission, first proposed by Wendy Alexander, former leader of the Scottish Labour Party, won support from the Tories and Liberal Democrats to review constitutional arrange-ments. The SNP have chosen not to back the project, instead launching their rival National Conversation project.

SNP MSP for Glasgow, Sandra White told Guardian that the National Conversation project will offer a wider focus and be open to everyone in Scotland.

She said: “The National Conversation, unlike the Calman Report which only engaged with invited audiences, is open to everyone to comment on what they wish to see for the future of Scotland, independence, status quo, more powers or indeed any suggestions that they feel will benefit Scotland.

“The Calman Commission offers no such choice and is very narrow in its focus. As a party who wish to see Scotland flourish and take responsibility for its own affairs we could not support such a narrow agenda.”

The Commission will release the first part of their report before the end of this year, with the final report expected by the end of 2009.

A RECENTLY PUBLISHED REPORT FROM an expert economic panel established by the Calman Commission has been met with mixed reactions in Scotland.

The interim report, which was to examine alternatives for allocating funds to Scotland, comes in the wake of the Westminster depart-ment’s submission to the Calman Commission, which did not recommend any further transfer of powers from Westminster to Holyrood. The chairman leading the commission, Sir Kenneth Calman, was elected Chancellor of Glasgow University in 2006.

The publication of the report coincided the tenth anniversary of The Scotland Act, which created devolution. The report was to offer updated recommendations on issues such as greater financial powers for the Scottish Parliament, and the Barnett formula, which is designed to automatically apply a proportionate share of any increase (or decrease) in compa-rable English spending programmes.

However, the expert economic group, chaired by Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal of Heriot-Watt University, has decided not to make specific recommendations on Holyrood's powers over taxation and spending, in contrast to the pro-Union parties’ expectations of enhanced financial powers.

Days before the report’s release Tom Clarke, Labour MP and architect of the 1998 Scotland Act, commented: “We shall see what the

PRIOR TO THE JOHN SMITH MEMORIAL Debate, Hazel Blears enjoyed a drink with the Glasgow University Labour Club and took time to speak with Guardian.

Have you always been politically active?

Yes, I first got involved through my trade union; I joined my union before I joined the

Labour party. I was a shop steward, a safety rep, and then I got involved with lots of community groups and campaigned to get a law centre in my community.

In those days we had a Tory government so I was organising the march for jobs, protesting, doing all the things young people do.

Then I joined the Labour party and some-body said to me: ‘Have you ever thought about being a councillor?’ So I was a councillor for eight years in Salford, my own city, and had a fantastic time getting things done.

And then somebody said: ‘Have you ever thought about standing for parliament?’ and this is what happens to you in life: you end up in the Cabinet!

Speaking to the Labour Club you referred to the House of Commons as predominantly old, white, middle class and male. How long do you think it will take to achieve a more representative parliament?

Well, it’s just about a hundred years since women started getting the vote and I hope it doesn’t take another hundred years to get some kind of equality. I think it is getting better.

“We have got a number of MPs from different ethnic backgrounds; we‘ve got five Muslim MPs, but we haven’t yet got a Muslim woman MP, and I’m hoping that Rushnara Ali, who’s our candidate up in East London, will actually be the first, which is fantastic.

But I think we have a way to go, and I really want to see more young people in parliament because the world is changing so fast now

Guardian Q&A with Hazel Blears

Ishbel Begg

Report reviews Holyrood tax powers

which means having people with contemporary experience is really important.

Gordon Brown today dismissed speculation of a summer election, will he call the election as late as possible?

I wouldn’t dream of speculating on when we will have an election. The task in hand now is helping people through what is a very difficult financial situation and I can genuinely tell you this: the whole of the Government is completely focussed on keeping a roof over people’s heads, keeping them in their jobs and making sure they get through. It’s not the time for election talk.

But Northern Rock’s rate of repossessions has doubled since its nationalisation in February, and is 50% ahead of any of its market competitors on this front. How is this conducive to “keeping a roof over people’s heads”?

It’s not good at all, and people are very worried. But it is a lot less than in the recession in the early ‘90s. That’s why I have brought forward a program of £1 billion both to build more social housing for rent, but also to make sure we can help people with their mortgages over this next year or so, so we don’t see people getting repossessed and out on the streets.

In June 2007, Hazel Blears was appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

George Binning

Jim Wilson

Web success for lecturer’s article

guardiannews@src.gla.ac.uk3rd December 2008 NEWS 3

Jim Wilson

James Porteous

WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED THAT THE John Smith Memorial Debate would be the scene of such bawdy rollicking and tabloid-worthy shenanigans?

Admittedly one of the most prestigious debating events in the country, promising such a star-studded line up of speakers, was bound to draw a crowd. But I did not expect to see the Secretary of State for Local Government, amongst others, being harangued so loudly from the balcony by teams of inebriated students. All this was taken in good cheer and helped to create an atmosphere not too dissimilar to the House of Commons itself.

The reasons for Charles Kennedy’s last-minute cancellation were left to general specu-lation, though his absence was swiftly over-shadowed by a far more interesting pres-ence: the eternal, the ageless, Nancy Dell’Olio. Once associated with Sven Goran Eriksson, Miss Dell’Olio now seems to be romantically attached to Andrew Neil. It seemed fitting that the chairman of the debate should have the most glamorous date, with Hazel Blears’ husband, Michael Halsall, coming in at a with-ered second.

As the chairman’s ‘date’ it was necessary for her to arrive at least half an hour late with an entourage of beautiful ladies, a requirement she fulfilled with ease. Although her lateness did mean that she was denied entry to the main debating chamber and had to brave the vulgari-ties of the balcony.

It was not until the votes were cast that the real scandal began. Having been instructed to walk through either the left door or the right in order to cast one’s vote, Miss Dell’Olio made for the left door, voting in favour of re-electing the Labour Government. Eager to catch her for a brief word I introduced myself, swallowed my pride, discarded my principles and walked through the left hand door with her.

With a result of 97 votes to 94, in favour of the motion, it occurred to me that, had I followed my better judgment instead of Miss Dell’Olio, the result would have been 96 to 95. I then considered the possibility that, if just one other indifferent student had decided to follow Nancy, the outcome of the debate might have been completely different. This possibility soon became a likelihood, and then very quickly a certainty in my mind.

Therefore, I put it to you Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen of the house, that the result of this celebrated debate was swung singlehandedly by Miss Dell’Olio, a lady who was not only not a student, nor a member of the GUU, but who was also over half an hour late, and who had a vested interest in the Chairman. “Shame!” I hear you cry.

Nancy That!

Narrow Labour win at GUUGeorge Binning

Jim Wilson

“THIS HOUSE WOULD RE-ELECT THE Labour Government” was the title of the bi-annual John Smith Memorial Debate, held in the historic Debates Chamber of the Glasgow University Union on November 30.

Hazel Blears MP, the Secretary of State for Comunities and Local Government, led a bench of Labour MPs and MSPs, against Lembit Opik MP, Liberal Democrat, and his coalition of SNP and Conservative Party MSPs. Andrew Neil, the eminent journalist and broadcaster, chaired the debate.

Opik took a jovial approach to the debate but remained competitive. He was evidently excited at the prospect of leading a “rainbow coalition”.

He joked: “We’ve got to remember of course, whatever the outcome it’s just a bit fun. May the best team win, so long as it’s us.

“What Glasgow University debating society has achieved is something that even the Scottish Parliament couldn’t achieve and that’s a rainbow coalition, a triumph of negotiation. Poor old Labour must feel outnumbered three to one tonight. I’m very fond of Hazel Blears and I’m here as a critical friend rather than a nasty enemy.”

There was some discrepancy on the Labour

bench as to Gordon Brown’s actual election plans. Tom Clarke MP, Labour claimed Gordon Brown had postponed the election due to the global economic crisis.

He told Guardian: “Had there been an elec-tion when Gordon planned to call it originally, and I think it’s publicly known that that was quite early when he became prime minister, we would have won. Yes, we would win an elec-tion now because I think people do appreciate the extent of the global crisis and trust Gordon to deal with it.”

Baron Foulkes MSP, Labour, was adamant that Gordon Brown had always intended to hold a late election saying: “It’s always been his plan to go the full term and he stuck to it. I have always been of the view that he was going to weather all the storms he was going to face.”

During the debate the Labour Party’s argu-ments played heavily on the unpopularity of the Conservative Government of the early ‘90s. Hazel Blears warned the house: “The Tories will let the recession take its toll.”

Bill Kid MSP, SNP, rebuffed saying that Labour’s hidden conservative policies were not to be trusted.

He exclaimed: “Like the snake, Kaa, in the Jungle Book, Labour stares us in the eye saying ‘trust in me’ as thousands of jobs vanish.”

The opposition also brought the house’s attention to the Afghan and Iraq wars and the expensive replacement of Trident.

After 90 minutes of heated debate Labour won a marginal victory with 97 votes to 94. Andrew Neil, an ex-editor of Guardian, had difficulty maintaining order in the Debates Chamber, but was in high spirits.

He told Guardian: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself because, well just look at this, look at the numbers, it shows debating is alive and well. And it was a good, feisty, traditional, robust Glasgow debate.

But even after the votes had been cast Neil was reluctant to cast his own vote explaining: “My BBC contract doesn’t let me say whom I would vote for, the chairman must remain neutral.”

Another notable presence that evening was Andrew Neil’s guest, Nancy Dell’Olio. Voting in favour of the motion she explained to Guardian: “I hope Labour is going to be re-elected but I find it very difficult to ally completely with Labour or Tories. It is impor-tant to be pragmatic.

“I’ve enjoyed myself, I love Scotland though its not my first time here, I’ve been here a few times for football reasons.”

Would this paper re-elect labour? Debates, page 11.

>> George Binning

guardiannews@src.gla.ac.uk4 NEWS 11th November 2008

IN BRIEF

Glasgow Vet Wins Top Award

Pro-active campaigning by the SRC has led to the re-opening of disabled access to the library.The construction works around the Hub temporarily cut off the disabled access from the hill up from University Avenue. VP Student Support, Laura Laws, emailed Jim McConnell, Head of Estates and Buildings, to express the SRC’s concerns. Following this Peter Dunne, Estates Development Officer for the Hub Redevelopment, arranged to have the ramp re-opened.Laura Laws explained: “We are satisfied with the measures that have been put in place to ensure that all students have access to the library. It is essential, however, that the University continues to be vigilant of the needs of students with disabilities to ensure that similar situations are not over-looked.”Renovations are expected to reach comple-tion by the end of 2008. Student services are expected to be fully operational in the Hub from January 2009.

Disabled access to library re-opened

Dr Sarah Cleaveland, a veterinary epidemi-ologist at Glasgow University, has had her work recognised after winning the prestig-ious Trevor Blackburn Award.Awarded by the British Veterinary Association, Dr Cleaveland received the honour as a result of her work on zoonotic, livestock and wildlife diseases in the Serengeti area of Tanzania. Dr Cleaveland said she felt “fantastic” when she heard she had won the award, but was quick to recognize the work of others and the significance which the award has for the area of research.She explained: “It’s [the award] a reflec-tion of the work of a lot of people. It’s also recognition of the work going on in this new field of work, where numerous areas of expertise are converging.”The award, which was created in 2006, recognises contributions made to animal health and welfare in the developing world.

Sarah Smith

BNP targets university studentsTHE BRITISH NATIONAL PARTY (BNP) is set to bring its most recent campaign to Glasgow University amid protests from the SRC, the University and Glasgow Anti-Racist Alliance (GARA).

White History Month, the BNP and Young BNP’s latest publicity stunt, is aimed specifi-cally at university cities. A mass e-mail was sent last week to union presidents and student bodies across Britain in advance of the project. The group will be touring Britain in the ‘Truth Truck’ distributing flyers and CDs to promote White History Month.

Jatin Haria, Director of GARA, was highly critical of the BNP’s agenda in promoting White History Month, arguing that White History Month was unnecessary and would ultimately be dominated by racist sentiment.

He said: “In effect, every month is White History Month. As it’s the BNP organising this, it’s likely to be a month featuring white hoods, and 'celebrating' Adolf Hitler, Enoch Powell and Oswald Mosley.”

Gavin Lee, President of the SRC, joined Mr Haria in condemning the BNP’s plan.

He explained: “The views encouraged by White History Month are incongruous not only with a modern society that prides itself on equality of races, but also within a University environment that prides itself on fairness, logic, and tolerance.”

Concordantly Paul Golding, the director of the BNP’s dedicated white British history web site British Pride, described the unilaterally negative response he had received from other student representatives throughout Britain.

He said: “I generally didn't receive much response but the ones we did were very hostile because these student unions are run by fanat-ical left-wingers.

“You've got some very warped and brain-washed left-wingers in charge of the student unions. They've been brainwashed with the

George Binning

second world war, with slavery, with apartheid, with all sorts of various left-wing instigated guilt trips.”

The SRC have passed a motion banning the promotion of White History Month in the John McIntyre building and pledging to dissuade students from becoming involved with the British National Party.

Gavin Lee said: “We are delighted – yet ultimately unsurprised – that students have chosen to boycott this month. The organisers of White History Month will not be able to further their ill-conceived agenda at Glasgow.”

Having supported Black History Month, a university spokesperson announced that the University would be officially opposing White History Month, adding that the BNP’s inten-tions were certainly malicious.

“Black History Month is a grassroots devel-opment which recognises the contributions and achievements of ethnic minority people in the UK. This is a perspective that is often overlooked or missed in everyday evaluation of history and achievements.

“Whilst on the surface it would appear White History Month is only fair and equal, the University recognises that the political organi-sation that are behind this suggestion have a particular motive, which is the promotion of a non-inclusive society.”

Simon Darby, the BNP’s press officer, was unwilling to give away specific details of the tour’s itinerary saying: “If we forewarn people, rent-a-mob would be out in force.”

Golding did, however, confirm that they intended to come to Glasgow.

Mr. Haria explained that Black History week was necessary to raise awareness of past black accomplishments and was, in this respect, positive about the BNP’s reaction.

“The fact that the BNP are doing this shows

the success that Black History Month is finally having. The reason we celebrate Black History Month is because without this focus, the histor-ical contributions of black people over all time would continue to remain hidden.”

The BNP have argued that White History Month has become as necessary as Black History Month, as white history has allegedly been ‘suppressed’ by ‘the liberals and left wingers’ that rule Britain.

Paul Golding explained this view: “Native British history and general white history is generally suppressed in the education system. Most young British people leave school these days and hardly know anything about their country's history. It’s ridiculous and it’s all intentional because the liberals and the left wingers in charge of this country, and that includes all the main parties and all the journal-ists in this country, are doing it deliberately to try and rob us of any sort of group identity.

“There was a poll the other day in one of the papers which said Churchill was the insurance dog. That is the kind of thing we are dealing with, it’s almost like cultural genocide. That’s the only way I can explain it.”

Gavin Lee stressed that the SRC was in favour of free speech, but would not support the BNP exploiting its right to free speech to racist ends.

He said: “The SRC continues to welcome the freedom of speech and debate that is a foundation stone of our culture. We believe each culture should have the right to celebrate their heritage and traditions. However, we will not tolerate these rights being misused for an ultimately racist and divisive purpose.”

Mr Haria warned that racism was still prevalent in Glasgow, saying: “Racism is still a major problem in Glasgow. This can be easily evidenced through the GARA State of the Nation - Race and Racism in Scotland 2008 report, available from the GARA website.”

THE PRINCIPAL AND VICE-CHANCELLOR OF Glasgow University, Sir Muir Russell, is to step down from his post in September.

Sir Muir has held the position since 2003 when he succeeded Sir Graeme Davies. Before becoming Principal, Sir Muir served as Permanent Secretary in the Scottish Executive.

Sir Muir’s retirement from the University follows his appointment as the new Chair of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland.

Joy Travers, Vice-Chair of the University’s Court, explained the impact Sir Muir has had during his time as Principal.

She said: “Sir Muir Russell has been an outstanding Principal and the University has benefited greatly from his leadership. Over the past six years, he has taken the University forward strongly on all levels and he will leave a sound academic and financial foundation for his successor.”

A spokesman for the University explained that the process to find his replacement is currently underway.He said: “Sir Muir Russell’s appointment runs until September 2009. He has confirmed that he wishes to retire then, and the University is making appropriate arrangements to appoint his successor. As Principal, Sir Muir will press ahead fully with the University’s ambitious plans during the next ten months.”

Sir Muir Russell to step down in September

James Porteous

GUU John Smith Memorial DebateLater this month, the bi-annual John Smith Memorial Debate is being held in the GUU Debating Chamber.Guest speakers at the event on Friday, 21st November include Rt. Hon. Hazel Blears MP and Rt. Hon. Charles Kennedy MP.This year’s debating theme is ‘This house would re-elect the Labour government’. Free gallery tickets are available from the GUU Porters Box and each ticket will allow access to a free bar and ceilidh after the debate.

guardiannews@src.gla.ac.uk NEWS 511th November 2008

SRC elections blighted by poor turnoutPOOR PUBLICITY, BAD TIMING AND THE Glasgow weather were blamed for poor voter turnout at the Student Representative Council election last month, in which just over 2200 votes were cast.

James Harrison, a second-year student who was successful in his bid for the position of General Representative, claimed that the low turn-out will have a negative impact on student representation.

He said: “I think the SRC elections must be far better publicised. The vast majority of students had no idea there was an election today. It’s an issue which needs to be sorted out because these elections are really important. They decide how the university is run.”

Mr. Harrison claimed that although he did not have any immediate policy plans, he was the right man for the job.

He said, “I plan to do my best - I’m not afraid of having my voice heard.”

The timing of the election was also ques-tioned by Tuula Eriksson, who was elected as an undergraduate General Representative, said: “We had the election on a Monday which didn’t help at all. Holding the election on a Monday is just weird.”

The wisdom of holding elections on the first day of the week was perceived as a major contributing factor to the low turn-out by a number of other candidates.

Some candidates claimed that there was one factor which could have adversely affected turn-out and which nobody could be held

responsible for: the bitter Scottish climate on the day of the poll.

Mr. Harrison said, “It was certainly very cold, as I found out after being outside for thirteen hours.”

SRC President Gavin Lee responded to the criticism, and was keen to point out that compared to past elections, the number of votes cast was relatively high:

“While the turnout was less than last year, it still tops every year since 1995. As always, though, we will be looking to improve on our plans and approach in the coming months to provide the best representation possible for students.”

The next SRC elections will be held in March, when the major council positions for the next academic year will be contested.

Jim WilsonChris Hall Ana Cohen Tommy GoreTuula Eriksson

Scott Lavery General Reps (Undergraduate)Tuula ErrikssonTommy GoreJames HarrisonAlice MunroStuart RichieStuart Duncan

General Reps (Postgraduate)Filiippo TrevisanLaurence Durnan

Faculty ConvenersSabrina Rossi (Medicine)Ana Cohen (Science)Alex Thomson (Engineering)

Charities OfficerChris Hall

Accommodation woes for GU postgrad(Continued from front page)

“He told me that I should pay £425 for a deposit and £425 rent. So I paid £850 and signed the agreement and he gave me a receipt for the money. I called him on Sunday night, and he told me I should meet him at the flat on Monday morning.”

When Swan failed to turn up on Monday morning, Sadaat waited in good faith for four hours. It was only when he met the tenant who was already living in the flat that he began to suspect he had been conned.

“I went to the flat on Monday at 11am, and I waited there for four hours, and then I thought that maybe there’s been a misunderstanding – maybe he’s in a hospital or something. So I went to eat, and then I came back, and again I waited for an hour. Then I went to the flat and I saw another tenant leaving.”

It transpired that the tenant already living there had signed a similar agreement with Douglas Swan and had moved in that very day.

“I knocked at the door, and the tenant showed me his agree-ment, then he told me he also paid £850 and he got the keys today – he paid the same person. I was shocked. I'm becoming angry now, but I was just shocked at the time"

After that point Sadaat was unable to contact Swan, so he eventually went to the police. However the police were unable to help.

“He wasn't picking up the phone, so I sent him a voicemail to say that I know there's another person living there, so please phone me back, otherwise I'll go the police. He didn't call me back and I went to the police – they told me that it's not a criminal offense, so they couldn't do anything."

Soon after Sadaat briefly got back in touch with the landlord, but without successfully recovering his deposit.

He said “The next day Mr Swan picked up the phone, and he told me that he will transfer the money to me through internet banking.

“After this, I waited for two days; I didn't get any money. I then called him again, and he told me that he is going to meet me and give me cash, but he didn't. He then told me he would forward a cheque, but I didn't receive anything, and now he's not picking up again.”

Sadaat said his next port of call would be the SRC Advice Centre, however they have forewarned him that they cannot guarantee they can recover his deposit.

Helen Speirs, Senior Advice Policy and Training Officer of the Advice Centre, helped explain the pitfalls of short tenancy agreements in Scotland.

She said: “Because there is no tenancy deposit protection scheme in Scotland, tenants here are all the more vulnerable to landlords making off with their deposits for no good reason.” Jim Wilson

Glasgow University has witnessed many of the most pivotal moments in Scottish history. Indeed, it has participated in a considerable number of them. From the Reformation to the Enlightenment, the

Act of Union to the Industrial Revolution, this institution’s huge practical and intellectual contribution has proved integral to the development of a dynamic civil and social life in Scotland.

Arguably, though, the significance of Glasgow University in relation to the political and creative culture of this country has never been greater than it is today.

It is a cliché, but true nonetheless, that during the past ten or fifteen years Scotland has become increasingly assertive and self-assured about its identity; an identity that has for decades been eclipsed by the powerful appeal of British perceptions of class, decency and service. Scotland’s new-found confidence is associated with two recent historical occurrences; the emergence of political nationalism as an authentic and potent ideological force (expressed, mainly, in the form of the Scottish National Party), and a re-energised literary scene that celebrates, explores and utilises the commonplace experiences of ordinary Scottish people. Both trends were born and grew up on our campus.

In 1928, a leading member of the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association, John McCormick, called on all those who favoured either greater political autonomy or total self-governance for Scotland to coalesce into a single, unified organisation. The response was underwhelming, but an organi-sation- the National Party of Scotland- was formed. The NPS was too small and too marginal to be successful. A broader and more purposeful movement was needed if independence was ever to become a credible or realisable objective. So, in 1934, at the behest of McCormick, it merged with the Scottish Party and the SNP as we recognise it today was created.

For the next thirty years, the SNP would experience little electoral success. The immense destructive force of Spanish, Italian and German fascism robbed even the most inclusive and progressive nationalist parties of there social respectability for a generation. In the face of mainstream political isolation, those Scots who believed in and fought for national independence had no choice but to fall back on symbolic gestures of resistance and opposition. Once again, it was students from Glasgow University who led the way. On Christmas Day 1950, four Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association (GUSNA) members- Ian Hamilton, Gavin Vernon, Kay Matheson and Alan Stuart- conspired to brake into Westminster Abbey, one of the most heavily guarded buildings in London, to ‘retrieve and

repatriate’ the Stone of Destiny, a shapeless block of dull rock rumoured to have been used as a seat of coronation for Scottish monarchs since the 12th century. Astonishingly, the plot worked, and for a while the students managed to store the Stone secretly in Arbroath Abbey before the authorities finally located it on 11 April 1951 and sent it back to Westminster.

This was more than just a stunt. The 1950s was a particu-larly barren period for the SNP, and the successful recovery of the Stone of Destiny served to remind Scots of the imbal-ances embedded in the British political system and of the extra-ordinary hubris and arrogance of the British monarchy. The actions taken by Hamilton and his friends ensured that the idea of Scottish self-determination remained in the nation’s popular consciousness throughout the years in which the United

Kingdom was thought to be at its most politically stable and the constitutional status quo at its most unshakeable.

The first major electoral triumph of the Scottish National Party occurred in the autumn of 1967 and was delivered cour-tesy of a former senior member of GUSNA: Winnie Ewing. During the four years Ewing spent studying law at Glasgow she was known as an intelligent and intense nationalist activist. The highly charged and increasingly radical atmosphere on campus during the 1950s and 60s imbued Ewing with a sense of reserved urgency and determination which would prove crucial to her victory over Labour’s Alex Wilson in Hamilton South, hitherto the governing party’s safest Scottish seat. Ewing’s win was as significant an event as any the SNP had experienced. It suggested that the monopoly the Labour party held over the loyalties of Scottish voters was not absolute and heralded the start of the painfully gradual disintegration of the Unionist parties’ dominance over Scotland’s political landscape; a process which would culminate with the election of a nation-alist government in May 2007.

Evidently, the role the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association has played in the growth of nationalism in Scotland over the past five or six decades has been massive. Many of its former members sit in the Scottish Parliament today, most notably Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Glasgow University and the return of ScotlandIn the third and final part of our series on a history of Glasgow University, Jamie Maxwell investigates how the institution has influenced politics, the Nationalist movement and culture in conteporary Scotland.

"The significance of Glasgow University in relation to the political and creative culture of this country has never been greater than it is today"

Caroline Henderson, current GUSNA secretary and fourth year politics student, explains the functional and sentimental value of GUSNA to the SNP: “GUSNA helped establish the Scottish National Party in the 1930s; the two organisations are insepa-rable. Glasgow University students have participated in all the defining events of modern nationalism in this country.” Further, GUSNA has been fundamental to the development of the SNP as a left-of-centre party. In 2007, Henderson and GUSNA trea-surer Angus Macleod drafted and tabled a resolution to the SNP conference that sought to condemn Scottish universities that charge asylum seekers tuition fees. Henderson says, “I joined the SNP because I’m a social-democrat. GUSNA provides a strong student voice in the SNP, which in turn help to entrench progressive values in the party”.

The 1970s has come to be regarded as the most critical decade for nationalism in Scotland. The discovery of vast reserves of oil in the North Sea, Margo Macdonald’s impressive by-election victory in Govan, and the first (though ultimately unsuccessful) general referendum on the issue of devolution all contributed to a growing sense of national self-awareness and worked to compound the heightened unease of Unionists north and south of the border.

In the midst these political shifts, students at Glasgow University were quietly rearranging the contours of Scottish literary culture. The informal creative writing group run by the poet, critic and senior lecturer Philip Hobsbaum in the early 1970s included figures such as Alasdair Gray, James Kelman, Liz Lochhead, and Tom Leonard, all of whom would go on to become hugely influential and respected professional authors. Crucially, Hobsbaum encouraged his pupils to draw on the immediate environment. For Kelman and Leonard this meant attempting to reflect the colloquial peculiarities of everyday Scots in their poems and in the dialogue of their characters. Both viewed the use of the ‘Queens English’ in Scottish litera-ture as a betrayal of a society that was every bit as nuanced and complex and cosmopolitan as the one depicted in the novels of London-based writers. The approach adopted by Hobsbaum’s apprentices constituted a sort of literary nationalism and facili-tated the revival of Scottish fiction as a viable and independent artistic genre.

Without the essential and formative influence of Glasgow University, modern Scotland would almost certainly lack the two qualities that, arguably, constitute its most interesting char-acteristics; a unique national literature and a radical, pluralist nationalist movement.

guardianfeats@src.gla.ac.uk6 FEATURES 11th November 2008

Photo: Jim Wilson

As George W. Bush's second term in office draws to an end, James Foley examines the legacy of arguably the most hated man on earth.

Bush confined to the dustbin of historyguardianfeats@src.gla.ac.uk11th November 2008

As equities tumbled and millions of Americans faced repossession in late September, George Bush, in his eighth year as de facto world leader, had these words of comfort: “there's also a lot of sensible

homeowners who can make men's ends meet with a little bit of help.” For the moment, Bush may be remembered as much for his incomprehensible utterances (“working hard to put food on your family”, “too many gynaecologists aren't able to practice their love with women”, etc) as for his policies.

Nevertheless, in eight years Bush has presided over a remarkable series of world events: two wars, a global economic crisis, and, quite possibly, the irreparable erosion of American hegemony in international affairs. He leaves his successor, Barack Obama, with an “accumulation of seismic challenges”, in the words of a recent New York Times editorial. Bush’s legacy to Obama’s America is an unprecedented debt burden and at least two open and unwinnable military fronts.

While Bush liked to portray himself as an affable and straight-talking frontiersman, he was in fact anointed for political office as a member of one of America’s leading families. His paternal grandfather, Prescott Bush, was a Wall Street executive and a US Senator with alleged industrial and propaganda links to the Nazis. George H.W. Bush, his father, served as US Ambassador to the United Nations, Director of Central Intelligence, and Vice-President under Ronald Reagan before becoming the 41st President. All three Bushes attended the elite Yale University and were members of the Skull and Bones secret society.

After a brief sojourn in the military – where, by most accounts, he led an unusually pampered lifestyle – Bush used family connections to make an abortive bid for Congress. A political failure and something of an outcast due to his alco-holism, Bush turned to industry, again using his social capital to draw Saudi money into his oil concerns. Subsequently, Arbusto (Spanish for “bush”) Energy was forced into a merger and Bush was sidelined. He re-emerged in 1988 as “campaign advisor” to his father, a position that furnished him with the media-savvy to make a second attempt at politics.

In 1994, Bush was elected Governor of Texas. He gained immediate notoriety for replacing social services with “faith-based” (Christian fundamentalist) organisations and adopting a trigger-happy approach to the electric chair. While happy to appeal to a peculiarly American brand of Christian fundamen-talism, the major intellectual influences on Bush and his brother, Florida Governor Jeb, came from a small cadre of far-right intel-lectuals known as the “neoconservatives”, who formed a network of political influence around The Weekly Standard journal and The Project for a New American Century think tank.

The neocons explicitly concerned themselves with declining American power (hence the name, Project for a New American

Century). Crudely, they argued that consumerism and individu-alism had eroded America’s moral fibre, spawning a decadent and nihilistic culture; the entrance of “identity politics” (black, feminist, gay) into the political mainstream was a particularly corrosive influence, they argued. The solution was a mythology of American power and leadership, an extreme nationalism to shore up America’s moral fibre. In practical terms, this meant reaffirming commitment to maintaining an overseas Empire, and willingness to take “strong” leadership decisions against America’s enemies.

By 2000, Bush had defeated competition from John McCain to announce himself Republican candidate for the White House. Facing a weak Democrat opponent – Bill Clinton’s centre-right Vice President Al Gore – Bush managed to scrape a narrow victory after one of the most controversial counts in history. Thousands of Black voters were mysteriously wiped off the

electoral roll in Florida to give Bush the slenderest of margins in the decisive battleground.

The Clinton administration had left a peculiar economic legacy to Bush. In the 1990s, America experienced an extraor-dinary boom in telecommunications and the stock market that spurred the first significant spike in manufacturing profits since the mid-70s. Employment was high in the Clinton years and interest rates were historically low. However, real economic conditions for workers did not improve; real wages stagnated or fell for most of the Clinton years, while social spending declined

in many areas as he announced “the era of big government is over”. Clinton presided over a massive distribution of wealth to the rich.

Bush, who presented himself as a “compassionate conserva-tive”, went further. His first significant act in office was a $1.35 trillion tax cut which overwhelmingly benefitted the rich at the expense of the poor and, subsequently, contributed to America’s economic instability by increasing deficits and throwing more money into the stock market bubble.

Bush might have been remembered as an affable if incom-petent right-winger along the lines of Gerald Ford, rather than a latter day Caligula, were it not for the attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11th 2001. This unprecedented blow to America’s pride and prestige, coming right at the heart of America’s capitalist world empire, gave the neocons the oppor-tunity they had been looking for to exert control over American foreign policy.

Although the perpetrators of 9/11 were Egyptian and Saudi, America chose to attack Afghanistan, where radical madrassas were supposedly indoctrinating young Muslims in anti-Amer-icanism under the protection of the Taliban government. The Taliban were created by Pakistani military intelligence, with the covert assistance of the American government, in the early 90s to fill the gap left by the Soviet withdrawal. America had major interests in a gas pipeline set to run through the North of Afghanistan. However, the Taliban, whose social basis lay in the Pashtun South-East of the country, proved unable to restore order in this area and American intelligence quietly dropped them as a reliable ally.

In the early Bush years the Afghanistan invasion seemed to be a mere prelude to the real affair: a full scale invasion of Iraq, a neoconservative fantasy since 1992. In 1998, leading neocons – many with strong oil-industry connections – wrote a letter to Bill Clinton urging him to “undertake military action as diplo-macy is clearly failing”. Despite opposition from most world governments and the vast majority of the world population, the neocons were able by 2003 to use the amenable post-9/11 envi-ronment to push for “regime change” in Iraq.

America’s unpreparedness for the war is legen-dary. Bush was already halfway to launching the Iraq invasion before anyone told him that there were Sunnis and Shias in Iraq. Ahmad Chalabi, a convicted fraudster who played a key role in orchestrating support for the invasion among Iraqi exiles, managed to convince the American estab-lishment that they would be greeted with flowers and sweets by a grateful population. And it does seem that the world’s intelligence services were seriously duped into thinking that Iraq had a workable program to produce weapons of mass destruction, even though the best evidence of this turned out to be an out of date PhD thesis tracked down with a Google search.

The Iraq War will be remembered as one of the most dismal events in America’s history. As of last week, 4,191 American

soldiers are reported dead. Estimates of Iraqi casualties are noto-riously unreliable; however, the Lancet Medical Journal, whose methodologies are generally accepted for calculating the human cost of war, put the figure at over a million. The economic cost of war has been astronomical: ex-World Bank economist Joseph Stiglitz recently put the figure at a potential $2 trillion.

If two unwinnable occupations were not ruinous enough to America’s reputation, the recent financial crisis could spell the end of the greatest power in world history. Bush is perhaps not directly accountable for the crisis. The erosion of manufacturing at the expense of finance reflects the long-run degeneration of America’s economic base; without this erosion, regulation would not occupy the same social significance.

Nevertheless, Bush has been a particularly disastrous steward of American capitalism. His tax cuts and lax regulation regimes have been contributory factors to the timing and severity of the crisis. His administration is renowned for its associations with corrupt accounting firms, investment banks, and corporations. Under Bush, as under Clinton, real wages stagnated in America. The orgy of household borrowing since the turn of the century stems from the contradiction of trying to sustain a low wage with a high consumption economy, a hallmark of Bush’s own approach to “voodoo economics”.

Millions dead, renewed imperial rivalries, and an economic crisis. This is Bush’s legacy to the world. In policy terms, Obama promises very little. However, as thousands of ordinary Americans – black and white, male and female, gay and straight – streamed onto the streets to celebrate his victory last week, it felt less like a parliamentary election and more like the people reclaiming their public spaces from a vicious tyrant. And, in a way, it was.

FEATURES 7

"Millions dead, renewed imperial rival-ries, and an economic crisis. This is Bush’s legacy to the world."

"If two unwinnable occupations were not ruinous enough to America’s reputation, the recent financial crisis could spell the end of the greatest power in world history."

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11th November 2008

There is an institution that cultivates the growing inequality across our society. Its existence is almost entirely devoted to serving the affluent and privileged, and its product is a hugely advantaged upper class with its grip firmly on the mechanisms of political and economic

power. The institution in question is the private school, one of the most socially divisive establishments in our society. Anthony Seldon, himself a headmaster of an English fee-paying school, has gone as far as saying that the independent educational establishment fuels ‘a social apartheid.’

At the end of last month, four Scottish private schools were told that they faced losing a lucrative package of tax-breaks because they were failing to fulfil their ‘charitable’ obligations. This challenge could potentially represent the beginning of an objection to the system of private education, which until now has gone largely uncontested. In a society where the top 1% own 23% of the wealth, it could even represent a significant move against those who occupy the top-end of the social hierarchy.

Prominent figures from across the voluntary sector have denied that inde-pendent schools have any legitimate claim to charity tax-breaks. Stephen Maxwell, Associate Director of the Scottish Council of Voluntary Organizations, said that private schools give “their own students - in Scotland only about 4% of the total - a competitive advantage in competing for top universities and jobs to the disadvantage of the majority. By so doing they create inequality and social division.”

For a portrait of the upper-echelons of this social division, one need look no further than a photograph recently released of Conservative shadow-chancellor George Osborne and multi-millionaire banker Nat Rothschild. It was circulated following the latest Conservative party-funding debacle aboard a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean. The photograph features the two erstwhile companions in their student days at the Oxford University “Bullingdon Club”. This old-boys network – of which David Cameron was also a member – is renowned as much for its exclusivity as it is for its drink-fuelled rampages. Membership remains strictly invite-only and entirely limited to the aristocracy and the ineffably wealthy.

Those affected gentleman in the Bullingdon Club picture were - just years before their inauguration into the Oxford elite - enjoying the privilege of a private education. Their parents’ wealth and background had bought them a place in the beating heart of the British ruling establishment, in which they would later serve with their equally privileged and privately-educated peers. Their riches acted as a means to social advantage.

Private schools across the country – whether they admit to it or not –

continue to trade on this philosophy. By paying for what is perceived as a better education, parents benefit their children over others in their search for a univer-sity place and career. With an average termly fee for sixth formers standing at £4871, the favourable financial situation of private schools enables them to build and maintain superior facilities, take their pick from a pool of willing prospective staff, and continually cut class sizes. These propitious elements of private education exist only because there are people rich enough to afford them: the continuation of the private school is conditional upon the existence of

a wealthy class willing to pay-up. And pay-up they do. Seventeen major private schools in Scotland generate more than £160 million in fees between them. This sum of money goes towards the continued entrenchment of social and economic inequality and the consolidation of privilege that has become the preserve of our ‘progressive’ society.

Private schools are currently deemed to have “charitable status”. This exempts them from paying corporation tax, business rates, VAT on their utility bills, and from paying a tariff on financial donations. Independent educational establishments enjoy over £100 million in savings each year across the UK and £4.5 million in Scotland because of these tax-breaks. For this reason private schools have zealously defended their claim to charitable status.

Their claim is without justification. That the institutions which educated the inordinately wealthy Rothschild, Cameron and Osborne – Eton and St. Pauls - are considered suitable candidates for charity tax-breaks is utterly absurd. However, the funding farce extends beyond the confines of these traditionalist establishments. The ‘charitable status’ anomaly permeates beyond the institu-tions that were set up to satisfy the didactic requirements of the nobility and super-rich, into all levels of private education.

Some progress is being made in addressing this situation. In 2005, the Scottish government introduced legislation to ensure that charitable organiza-tions were properly regulated. The “Charities and Trustee Investment Act” established The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), a body which oversees the operation and conduct of charities and which has the power to grant charitable status. Under the act, institutions which apply for charitable

status must demonstrate that they provide a service which is of public benefit. Crucially, they must show that access to this public benefit is not unduly restric-tive. Essentially, this means charitable organizations must not be exclusively open to a small portion of society, namely those wealthy enough to afford high fees.

On Tuesday 28th October four Scottish private schools had their charitable status challenged by the OSCR on these grounds. Hutcheson’s Grammar in Glasgow was one of the institutions which was told that access to its services were unduly restrictive, and therefore in violation of the Charity Act’s require-ments. The £9000-a-year school offered only 49 bursaries out of a school roll of 1750. St Leonard’s in Fife fared even worse – only 3 pupils benefited from means-tested financial assistance, amounting to a grand total of 0.5% of the schools income.

The OSCR was right to challenge the charitable credentials of these insti-tutions. It is utterly ludicrous that a school which offers less than 1% of its income towards assisting the needy could be subject to charity-tax breaks covering 100% of its expenditure. In practice, schools such as St. Leonards and Hutcheson’s operate highly restrictive admission procedures, whereby the poor are effectively barred from partaking in any of the benefits a private education can offer.

Stephen Maxwell has claimed that these exclusionary practices can provide grounds for rejecting the private schools’ case. He said, “historically, charitable endowments were entirely devoted to a recognised charitable purpose - relief of sickness, education of poor scholars and so on… the public rightly gets irritated by news of charity staff earning high salaries, or charities spending too much of their income on administration or even fund-raising campaigns. [This is] why most people are puzzled if not outraged to learn that Eton and Fettes and other fee-paying schools have charitable status.”

Charlie McKinnon, an activist for EIS (Scotland’s teaching union), has expressed his distaste at the tax-breaks private schools currently enjoy. Speaking in a personal capacity, he said, “At a time when state schools in Glasgow are facing deep cuts in budgets, it is morally repugnant that private schools have charitable status. It is a grotesque irony that Hutcheson’s Grammar School was originally founded to help orphaned children.”

The independent educational establishment has responded to such senti-ments with an aggressive assertion of its own philanthropic mission. However, at best the arguments it presents are indicative of the private sectors’ misunder-standing of itself and of the law. At worse the claims of the fee-paying schools’ are no more than a cynical attempt to create an illusion; a chimera behind which

Four Scottish private schools were recently told that they faced losing their charitable status. Scott Lavery argues that because of their exclusivity all fee-paying schools should have their charity tax-breaks revoked.

“It is utterly ludicrous that a school which offers less than 1% of its income towards assisting the needy could be subject to charity-tax breaks cov-ering 100% of its expenditure.”

guardianfeats@src.gla.ac.uk8 FEATURES

Privilege, private schools & educational apartheid: The case against charitable statusPhoto: Jim Wilson

Courtesy of St Leonards School

guardianfeats@src.gla.ac.uk11th November 2008

status must demonstrate that they provide a service which is of public benefit. Crucially, they must show that access to this public benefit is not unduly restric-tive. Essentially, this means charitable organizations must not be exclusively open to a small portion of society, namely those wealthy enough to afford high fees.

On Tuesday 28th October four Scottish private schools had their charitable status challenged by the OSCR on these grounds. Hutcheson’s Grammar in Glasgow was one of the institutions which was told that access to its services were unduly restrictive, and therefore in violation of the Charity Act’s require-ments. The £9000-a-year school offered only 49 bursaries out of a school roll of 1750. St Leonard’s in Fife fared even worse – only 3 pupils benefited from means-tested financial assistance, amounting to a grand total of 0.5% of the schools income.

The OSCR was right to challenge the charitable credentials of these insti-tutions. It is utterly ludicrous that a school which offers less than 1% of its income towards assisting the needy could be subject to charity-tax breaks covering 100% of its expenditure. In practice, schools such as St. Leonards and Hutcheson’s operate highly restrictive admission procedures, whereby the poor are effectively barred from partaking in any of the benefits a private education can offer.

Stephen Maxwell has claimed that these exclusionary practices can provide grounds for rejecting the private schools’ case. He said, “historically, charitable endowments were entirely devoted to a recognised charitable purpose - relief of sickness, education of poor scholars and so on… the public rightly gets irritated by news of charity staff earning high salaries, or charities spending too much of their income on administration or even fund-raising campaigns. [This is] why most people are puzzled if not outraged to learn that Eton and Fettes and other fee-paying schools have charitable status.”

Charlie McKinnon, an activist for EIS (Scotland’s teaching union), has expressed his distaste at the tax-breaks private schools currently enjoy. Speaking in a personal capacity, he said, “At a time when state schools in Glasgow are facing deep cuts in budgets, it is morally repugnant that private schools have charitable status. It is a grotesque irony that Hutcheson’s Grammar School was originally founded to help orphaned children.”

The independent educational establishment has responded to such senti-ments with an aggressive assertion of its own philanthropic mission. However, at best the arguments it presents are indicative of the private sectors’ misunder-standing of itself and of the law. At worse the claims of the fee-paying schools’ are no more than a cynical attempt to create an illusion; a chimera behind which

the private sector can pick the pocket of the tax-payer. One argument commonly advanced by private schools is that they save

the taxpayer large sums of cash by taking children out of the state system. Judith Sischy, director of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, said, “The independent sector educates almost 32,000 pupils, which saves the public purse an estimated £165 million a year.” They argue that because of this private schools create public benefit and therefore should retain their charitable status. This argument is a red herring: the savings the state makes because of private schooling are not grounds upon which charitable status can be granted. Stephen Maxwell explains, “Charities can only spend money on purposes recognised in law as charitable. Saving the Treasury money is not a recognised charitable purpose.” The various groups that do defend the interests of private schools on these grounds should be well aware of this fact. That they continue to peddle this as a defence demonstrates their willingness to acquiesce in half-truths and rhetorical gambits in order to secure the valuable tax-breaks that charitable status entails.

Dr Michael Carslaw, the headmaster of St. Leonards School, has claimed, “It is disappointing that providing a high quality of education is, in itself, not judged to have sufficient public benefit.” One of the provisions of the Charity Act does indeed define the pursuit of education as a charitable enterprise but, as mentioned above, access to this service must not be unduly restrictive. If charging fees of £23,346 for senior boarding places and £9,807 for day places

does not constitute unduly restrictive practice (when the average national household income stands at below £30,000) then it is not clear what does.

It would seem that St. Leonards in fact esteems the virtues of militarism and martial authority over expanding its admissions base to the socially disadvan-taged. The school handed-out £54,471 last year to eleven sets of parents who were employed by the Armed Forces. The allocations of these bursaries were not means-tested and were therefore allotted irrespective of financial need. The headmaster claims that his school has “taken great strides in increasing access to a top quality education. We have a successful assisted places scheme for boys and girls who would benefit from a St Leonards education and whose parents are unable to afford the fees. It is disappointing that this was not recognised as adequate by OSCR.” As established by the OSCR report, however, this means-

tested scheme benefited a sum total of three pupils. To claim that this level of means-tested help represents a ‘great stride’ in St Leonard’s commitment to social mobility is as ridiculous as it is disingenuous.

The four Scottish schools that have had their charitable status challenged have fallen spectacularly short of the requirements set by OSCR. They have failed to mitigate the effects of their restrictively high fees. They have failed to demonstrate public benefit. They have failed to secure places for those at the bottom of the society. In addition to these shortcomings, there is a broader truth about the system of private education which should not be overlooked. It is a truth that can be witnessed across society: throughout business organiza-tions, within financial elites, inside the civil service, the government, across the epicentres of political power, throughout the judiciary and indeed within our very own university. All traditional sources of influence and power within our society are disproportionately populated by, and represent the interests of, a moneyed-class. It is no coincidence that nearly half of those holding govern-ment or shadow ministerial roles were educated privately; or that over 70% of Scotland’s judges were educated in the independent sector; or that within the leading 100 media outlets, 52% of the top jobs were occupied by ex-public school boys.

OSCR has set a precedent for passing the ‘charity test’ by recognizing certain other private schools’ charitable status. George Heriot’s in Edinburgh and Gordonstoun – the former abode of our honourable head-of-state-in-waiting Prince Charles – both passed whilst offering approximately 10% of their incomes in means-tested benefit. This level is far too low. As Stephen Maxwell argues, it is implausible to claim that an organization that offers 90% of its services to the affluent shows due concern for those who need help the most. Rather, he urges that institutions should be dedicating approximately 90% towards the needy in order to receive charitable tax breaks. He said, “Today the public understanding of charity remains that a charity should be dedicated to a general public benefit – i.e. a benefit to which everyone has access - or to meeting the needs of people who are disadvantaged - by illness, poverty, poor housing, etc.” Mr. Maxwell continued, “If The Charities Act were properly applied, this would result in most fee-paying schools losing their charitable status.”

The current system of private education segregates society along the lines of ‘ability-to-pay’. Consequently, it perpetuates inequality and consolidates political power in the hands of a moneyed-elite. In Scotland, the first step we can take towards addressing this injustice is to revoke the charitable status of all fee-paying schools.

Four Scottish private schools were recently told that they faced losing their charitable status. Scott Lavery argues that because of their exclusivity all fee-paying schools should have their charity tax-breaks revoked.

FEATURES 9

"At a time when state schools in Glasgow are fac-ing deep cuts in budgets, it is morally repugnant that private schools have charitable status."

Privilege, private schools & educational apartheid: The case against charitable statusCourtesy of St Leonards SchoolJim Wilson

guardianfeats@src.gla.ac.uk

As a self-confessed dairy addict and staunch carni-vore, I have always harboured a niggling fear that my meat-eating lifestyle might not stand up to my own scrutiny, and have always chosen not

to look too closely, lest I scupper my taste buds with pesky morals. With this in mind, it was with some trepidation that I cast my habits aside to embark upon a soul searching week of veganism, discovering along the way how such a diet fits in with a student’s life of limited funds, bad habits and lack of routine. For the benefit of the unenlightened, a good vegan will not eat, wear, or consume any products that take advan-tage of the death of an animal in any way at all.

Day 1 — The week begins at my parents’ house, and with a resounding lack of support. My mum – unfamiliar with vegan practices – asks if I can eat fish, whilst my brother responds to my offer of a soya milk taster by telling me that he’d rather dehydrate to death thank you very much. To my dismay, I realise that I only have a pair of leather shoes with me, and am concerned that I’m going to have to wear wellies on the train until I dig out an ancient pair of sequinned pumps. The train back to Glasgow offers a dismal culinary choice given my new requirements, so I rely on my homemade vegetable and hummus sandwich.

Day 2 — I set out to find something tasty for lunch, and spend some time perusing Jordan Valley products in Roots and Fruits. I almost give up after rejecting a “sea cake” made from “vegetables of the sea”, and find myself craving foods I would never ordinarily consider, purely because they’re off limits. Then I must endure a torturous walk past Greggs on my way home. So far, inexperience means that hunger is dominating my day, and I find my concentration and memory noticeably affected in class. Later that night, in a fit of hypochondria, I’m positive that I’m suffering dairy with-drawal headaches and quite possibly the onset of a vitamin B12 deficiency – my flatmates tell me to pipe down and stop being so melodramatic.

Day 3 — We spend a long afternoon in local supermarkets searching for available substitutes to our normal shopping list, the majority of which is now out of bounds. Half an hour in Somerfield yields a packet of biscuits, a pot noodle and

cereal bars that we later discover contain honey. Mainstream shopping is clearly not to be relied upon, and we settle upon Linda McCartney sausages with soya mash for dinner. The lack of choice available to vegans in an area as diverse as the West End surprises me, and I begin to appreciate the expense involved in stocking a vegan cupboard from delica-tessens. Today is world vegetarian day, offering a wealth of eye opening material on the Internet. I’m shocked to learn the world’s livestock population generate 18% of the earth’s greenhouse gas emissions, with world transport contributing a relative 13%; a fact not reflected in the respective media attention paid to each issue. According to The Vegan Society, animal product based diets also contribute to the over-exploitation of limited fresh water resources, with animal farming diverting grain, cereals and water away from the most undernourished populations of the world toward meat exports for Western nations. These facts are tough for any carnivore to digest.

Day 4 — Midweek, and sick of the sight of my solitary pair of vegan friendly shoes, I crack under the pressure and dash to Primark for something that probably violates a multitude of human rights issues. Joining friends for lunch in a sushi restaurant, I find far more options than I would be faced with in most regular restaurants. Even so, I find myself longing for the fish on my companions’ plates – although my actions have altered for the week, my tastes are still as I left them. As someone who enjoys most foods, I assumed that I would be happy indulging in the vegan and vegetarian dishes that I already love, but come to realise that what I enjoy above all else is free choice and variation, and I’m struggling to adjust in the face of restrictions.

Day 5 — A trip to vegan café The 78 comes as pleasant respite from having to pick over menus and send enquiries to the kitchen. We enjoy a delicious lunch from a varied menu without getting any obtrusive feeling of being in a vegan establishment. As the university Vegan Society point out, venues like The 78 and Mono are popular locations for everyone, not just vegans, and their menus sit incon-spicuously behind the character of the place. The univer-sity’s society have been notably active in promoting vegan provisions across campus, and have helped the Hospitality

Services to be the first university catering service to achieve accreditation from the UK Vegan Society. Tonight I opt for a liquid dinner rather than attempting food, only to learn that many wines are not only not vegan, but not even vegetarian. Egg whites, gelatin and even fish bladders can be used as ‘fining agents’ in the production of wine, I turn a blind eye for now.

Day 6 — My regular enthusiasm for cooking has waned, and I feel drastically low on ideas. I speak to a vegan friend to investigate whether she genuinely prefers non-animal products, or whether her tastes are inextricably linked with principles. Having grown up in a farming family, she tells me that the reality that not all farms were like the ones she had known as a child left her disillusioned with modern large scale agriculture, and she gradually phased animal products out of her diet. She believes this to be more nutritionally sound, citing biological reasons why our bodies seem not to be adapted for regular meat consumption. Touching upon an issue that has plagued me throughout the week, she explained that she finds consuming dairy hypocritical after excluding meat from your diet, as the industries are so linked. Given the apparently endemic exploitation of animals present in dairy farming, I had begun to wonder whether vegetarians draw the line before dairy products due to matters of convenience, or lack of information?

Day 7 — As the week draws to a close, I reflect on how my experience will alter my behaviour beyond this experi-ment. Certainly, I have uncovered information that I cannot ignore, and wonder whether I might be morally bankrupt for not feeling obliged to convert to veganism given what I now know. Most of the obstacles I have encountered as a vegan would disappear with time and experience, and despite the dreams I had last night about huge steaks, my craving for carving would no doubt fade. Although I don’t currently feel compelled to make a total switch, I am inclined to follow UN recommendations to live at least one meat free day each week in an effort to tackle climate change. I have learned that in choosing to continue eating meat, I must be honest about my choices, as it is no longer seems acceptable to plead necessity in the consumption of animal products. I must now admit that I eat meat because I want to, not because I need to.

Diary of a dairy queenOur resident carnivore, Michelle Williams, goes herbivore for a week to investigate veganism

10 FEATURES 11th November 2008

Courtesy of Vegetarian Society

The BNP bill it as “the month where you can be proud to be White”. I see it more as a month of light enter-tainment at the BNP’s expense. They are forcefully

trying to create a specifically white culture which does not exist. No one is going to see their posters, realise that Nelson was white (Vice Admiral of the White to be precise, but that’s another story), and suddenly feel so proud to be white too. After all, what about Napoleon? Wasn't he white as well? Are we meant to feel proud about white men fighting each other? There is little to be proud of in history that happened specifi-cally because someone was white.

So while White History Month is not offensive, it is laughable. The BNP are most dangerous when taken too seri-ously. If the average student accepts White History Month unquestioningly then there is more wrong with the education system than anyone realised. The BNP’s stated aim is to

gain support and recognition. In that they will fail. The best they can hope for will be the grudging acknowledgement of students who think that Black History Month is also a ridicu-lous concept—in other words, not from people who think that White History Month is a good thing but from people who think that Black History Month is not.

The greatest danger comes not from the BNP’s promo-tion of the idea but from others who would make the idea seem reasonable. As the BNP’s initiative is in response to Black History Month, then it would appear that part of the responsibility could lie in that direction. This is not a reflec-tion on the value of Black History Month per se but on the need to weigh up both the negative as well as the positive outcomes. If it ferments a division between black and white then it would seem appropriate to question its overall value.

If such propaganda as that put out by the BNP is enough to sway the minds of the vulnerable, then it is not down to its own merits but because we are not strong enough in standing up to it. While they should not be taken seriously, they must be dealt with seriously. We do not need to ban what is wrong, merely to proclaim what is right. When a society sees all views as equally valid, then the danger of misinformation thrives. The only way for a view not to be valid would be for it not to be expressed, and for it therefore to be banned. Indeed, to misquote a misquote, all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for there to be no good.

So should the BNP be allowed to air their views on campus? Only in so much as any other group is. There should be no official recognition or support. They should not be given any official platform by the university because that is an honour to be bestowed only on those who deserve it. There should be a countering of their views, and we should let them, and others, know what we think.

White History Month leaves the BNP looking like a spoilt brat who has seen another child with a fancy toy and wants one too. So let them whinge and wail as much as they like. It will be good for them. We just need to make sure that other people realise just how childish they are being. By even trying to be taken seriously on this, they have come out looking even more foolish. And I can see little harm in that.

Everyone needs to understand four things about the British National Party (BNP).

Firstly, the BNP is a Nazi organisation. It was formed from the rump of the National Front (NF), the main fascist organisation of the late ‘70s, after the NF was splin-tered by concerted action by anti-fascist organisations like the Anti-Nazi League (ANL). John Tyndal, the founder of the BNP, admitted that “Mein Kampf is my bible”. He acknowl-edged that the BNP would have to disguise its Nazi affilia-tions until conditions for the far-right improved: “Many who feel that Hitler was right do not believe it is safe yet to state such views openly – but times will change.”

Nick Griffin, who replaced Tyndal as BNP leader, has been convicted for incitement to racial hatred and denying the Holocaust. During his trial, he said of the Holocaust, “I have reached the conclusion that the ‘extermination’ tale is a mixture of Allied wartime propaganda, extremely profitable lie, and latter day witch-hysteria.”

Secondly, fascism is different from other forms of racism: it gains strength from the ability to organise on the street and recruit a mass base among the hopeless and disenchanted. Ordinary people had to fight our rulers for years to be allowed to publically criticise the powerful, vote in elections, and organise trade unions. This is the meaning of working class democracy; the real historical content of “free speech” is not the empty, abstract idea that you can say what you want to who you want, but the concrete ability to criticise our rulers without fear of physical intimidation.

Wherever fascists have been allowed to organise, they always physically attack democratic institutions. Fascists battle for the right to control the streets. That is what makes

them different: they want to physically liquidate our demo-cratic spaces.

Thirdly, an “enlightened citizenry” will not stop the spread of fascism. The most enlightened working class of the 1930s could not stop Hitler coming to power in Germany. Divisions between Social Democrats and Communists (who, under the influence of Stalin, ineptly branded reformists as “social fascists”) together with the weakness of Germany’s rulers allowed Hitler to walk into power by invitation. Fascism uses physical intimidation to stake its right to a monopoly of “on the street” organisation and quickly mushrooms during a crisis if it is not resisted.

Italy is a recent example of what happens when fascists gain momentum. The far-right Northern League, part of Silvio Berlusconi’s coalition government, has launched a campaign against “illegal immigration” directed at the Roma gypsy population. Berlusconi’s government declared a national state of emergency and are introducing a finger-printing and racial profiling policy against the Roma popula-tion. Roma camps have been torched by Northern League fanatics with no legal reprisals.

Lastly, the only worthwhile “rights” are the rights you can defend. The ruling class did not hand ordinary people the right to publically express their political opinions because they thought it was a nice thing to do. Ordinary people fought for their rights, and more often than not we have to fight to defend them.

If we value the right to free expression, we need to smash fascist organisation. Fascists use political violence to monopolise political speech.

Don’t be confused by the common notion that fascists will “make themselves look ridiculous” if they are allowed to address a crowd. Even if only one in a hundred people are captured by the fascist message, extending that minority the right to organise lets them spread their message. The more they do so, the more they will make it difficult for anti-racist political strands to have a say.

We need political unity to combat the Nazi menace. Most people agree that anti-racism is desirable. However, that is not enough. Liberals, socialists, anarchists, and everyone else must unite to smash fascists off the street.

>>Aidan Cook

Autodidakt

>>James Foley

guardianfeats@src.gla.ac.uk

OrthodoxyThe BNP: Whether to laugh or cry? 11th November 2008 DEBATE 11

"White History Month leaves the BNP looking like a spoilt brat who has seen another child with a fancy toy and wants one too."

Glasgow University

Scottish Student Newspaper of the Year

Vacancy — Head of Advertising

Glasgow University Guardian, Scotland’s top student newspaper, is currently looking for a Head of Advertising.

If you have aspirations of getting into marketing or PR after university, then Guardian wants you - the position involves sourcing advertising for each issue of

the paper, which is a vital role at the publication.

To apply, please contact the editors directly:Tel: 0141 341 6215

Email: guardian@src.gla.ac.uk

guardian@src.gla.ac.uk12 EDITORIAL 11th November 2008

John McIntyre BuildingUniversity Avenue

Glasgow G12 8QQ

T: 0141 341 6215E: guardian@src.gla.ac.uk

www.glasgowguardian.co.uk

Glasgow University

While it may seem slightly self-indulgent to be writing an editorial based on the election process of another country, in a student news-paper, the momentous events in the United States that have taken place over the last week certainly merit mention within the pages of Guardian.

The US has spent the last eight years blundering along under the embarrassment of having George W. Bush as their representative to the world – a man whose two terms have seen a $236 billion Federal budget surplus wither into a $454.8 billion deficit, a man who has led a country into arguably the most unpop-ular war since Vietnam, a man who continually, bafflingly, makes an absolute ass of himself on the international stage.

In the early hours of last Thursday morning, the world watched Barack Obama tell thou-sands of supporters in person, and millions more around the world, about his vision for change; his response to whether he and the American people could accomplish it echoed

around Chicago’s Grant Park – “Yes we can.” The question now seems to be how he

can accomplish this – speaking figuratively, Obama has arrived at the end of an eight year house party, and will have to spend a great deal of time clearing up the mess left by his pred-ecessor and company, before he can even begin to make truly sweeping changes.

Indeed, with the US and the UK currently sitting on interest rates of 1% and 3% respec-tively, governments bailing out various finan-cial institutions, and companies like General Motors struggling wildly with the current finan-cial climate, who knows what further develop-ments lie in store for the banking system before he takes office on January 20th next year.

While Barack Obama may well prove to be the best thing that has happened to the United States of America in the last decade, he now has to prove that his charisma and rhetoric can be converted into a term of improvement and, as he has so frequently promised, real change for the US.

United States of whateverwww.glasgowguardian.co.uk

Losing the landlord lotteryIt is so often the case that International

Students lose out in complications with their accommodation; for one thing they are not familiar with British law, and can be easily misled; secondly, any savvy landlord will know that these students will have to return to their home countries in a matter of months, and often will be unable to pursue any sort of legal action.

Students in general are vulnerable to being ripped off by a whole selection of businesses. Most do not have the time or means to take action and many lack confidence in their own legal standings; if told they haven't a legitimate leg to stand on then many will believe it. The situation is worsened by ill-informed advice being issued by quasi-knowledgeable friends, such as witholding final rent payments as a casual method of forcing action from a landlord (something that should not be considered in all but the most dire situations).

This is where the Advice Centre comes into play; it should be the first port of call for

students encountering legal difficulties.What you can read in these pages is only the

tip of the iceberg - the deposit story is the fourth accommodation issue we have chased this week alone. The problem of bent landlords and letting agents is widespread, and worryingly common in Glasgow. However, it is usually very difficult to prove that any actual crime has been committed, therefore very difficult to legitimately expose these crimes in print.

A number of these scams exploit loopholes in the law: as there is no protection scheme for tenancy deposits, the law is on the agents' side.

A letting agent can, for example, change its name, therefore becoming a different company, but remain registered to the same address and offering the same flats. In this instance any deposits they have decided to hold on to can be kept, because they are a different business to the one that first took the deposit.

Guardian believes accommodation to be an important issue to students, and as such, expect to see it feature again within these pages.

Glasgow Remembers - The Officer Training Corps take part in the Remembrance Sunday parade

Glasgow University

Scottish Student Newspaper of the Year

Lewis Porteous reviews the latest offering from the Coen Brothers

Film

Declan McKay speaks to Foals' frontman, Yannis Pilippakis

Horses for courses

Music

22nd October 2008

Energy costs GUU jobsTHE GLASGOW UNIVERSITY UNION (GUU) has been forced to lay off a number of employees as a result of the rising cost of fuel.

Chris Birrell, president of the GUU, told Guardian that the union was losing a lot of money on utility bills and facing another year of financial hardship as a result:

He said: “The major problem facing the

GUU this year is managing our rising utilities costs. The cost of oil and electricity has sky rocketed, and with such a large building and inefficient old oil boiler, we are losing a lot of money. We are currently working with the University in addressing these problems.”

Birrell confirmed that there had been cutbacks in staff, but was unwilling to expand upon the particulars of the matter.

(continued on page 4)

Burn, baby, burn

News Staff

Look before you leap: abseilers raise record funds for charityPage 3 >>i

NHS block on new Hub pharmacy

PLANS TO INTRODUCE A pharmacy in the refurbished Hub have been blocked by the NHS Pharmacy Practice Committee (PPC) in the inter-ests of local competition.

Neeraj Salwan, co-owner of Apple Pharmacy, submitted the application for a pharmacy to a panel consisting of the PPC and the representatives of the pharmacies in the local vicinity, referred to as the ‘interested parties’.

The objective of the meeting was to “determine whether the granting of the application was necessary or desirable to secure the adequate provision of phar-maceutical services in the neighbourhood”. The panel concluded that the application was neither and voted unani-mously against it.

It was decided that the Boots on Byers Road and the Andrew Hand Pharmacy on Dumbarton road were the two pharmacies situated inside the boundaries of the local neighbourhood. Both Mr Salwan, ‘the Applicant’, and Mr Charles Tait, representing

Boots pharmaceutical chain, admitted that the subject of the boundaries had been the topic of some debate.

Mr Salwan said: “I’m going to go back for another look, in past cases the local ‘neighbourhood’ has often been hard to define.

“The issue is compli-cated by the fact that there are students coming onto campus everyday from many different neighbourhoods.”

Mr Tait also said: “There is always a dispute over the boundaries of the local neigh-bourhood, but it is the prerog-ative of the Pharmaceutical Practice Committee to decide on this matter.”

Prior to the meeting, the committee visited Stirling University’s on-campus phar-macy, a site which which Mr Salwan advocated as a perfect test case for the Hub proposals.

“It is impossible to deny the good service that the Stirling Campus pharmacy provides to students. We spoke to the

George Binning

guardian

pharmacist and saw how valu-able a pharmacy was, espe-cially in its capacity to devote extra time and resources to the needs of students.

“I believe the proposal will improve existing pharma-ceutical services rather than detract from their business. In Glasgow there seems to be a gap in the market for this specialised sort of service.”

Charles Tait, representing the Boots pharmacy chain, disagreed, saying that the location of Stirling campus differed significantly from that of Glasgow, arguing:

“The site of the Hub’s pharmacy is in a distinct cate-gory to Stirling’s on-campus pharmacy. The difference being that the Hub is in the middle of a major city, and its impact on the neighbourhood would be greater.”

A range of student specific services was suggested in the application. Mr Salwan put forward suggestions including a travel clinic boasting a wide range of vaccines and a sexual health clinic with Chlamydia (continued on page 2)

Photo: Jim Wilson

Unanimous rejection for health centre proposal

SRC expresses disappointment at panel ruling

11th November 2008 guardian@src.gla.ac.uk LETTERS 13

To the Editors…

You have 3 days to finish writing, editing and designing a 24-page paper, and 5 out of 6 computers in your office aren’t working. You’re going to need someone who under-stands cables, computers, servers and talk that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Star Trek episode to solve the problem.

Or, you’re about to run one of the most successful club nights at the Art School in months which will sell out hours before it starts. You’re relying on DJs, designers, PR teams and event organisers to make the night a success.

Since you’re reading this paper, Guardian clearly managed to solve their IT problems with the help of some knowledgeable people. You may have gone to Subcity Radio’s recent Halloween clubnight. These examples don’t just show the resilience and skill of the student media, though. To a great extent they help to explain what the SRC is all about.

A lot of students don’t know what the SRC is. It can seem like an organisation that exists in a different sphere to your own experiences, and involves people with different interests, priorities and skills to you. But regardless of the often political nature of the SRC – that is, the way it works for change that benefits students within the University and the nation – it is, in fact, simply a group of people – students and staff – with a huge range of skills between them, all working to improve students’ experiences at Glasgow.

We’ve just trained over 400 people to be student representatives: the students can go to if there’s something in your course, department or faculty that you’d like to see changed. They have regular meetings with University staff to ensure that your degree represents what you want it to, to the best of their abilities. We have over 80 clubs and societies affiliated to the SRC, each with their own meetings, quizzes, parties and ideas. And let’s not forget Council, made up of 37 people meeting a couple of times each term to address the big issues that you tell us about.

In total, that’s over 1000 people in total helping to give you the best 4 years at Glasgow you can have. With student reps, designers, IT guys, PR teams, writers, and campaigners, the SRC really is the sum of its parts. Take advantage of what the SRC can offer you, or better still, get involved. The only agenda you need is to want to make some positive change at University. You can do this by running for council, or becoming a student rep, or simply by joining a club or society you’re interested in, listening to Subcity, or voicing your opinions.

Zoe Grams

The Glasgow University Guardian is editorially independent of the SRC and University. All complaints should be adressed to the editors, who can be reached via the above contact details.

Editors: George Binning & James PorteousFeatures Editors: Tara Hepburn & Pete RamandSports Editor: Suzi HigtonInSight & Arts Editor: Tom Bonnick Picture Editor: Jim WilsonMusic Editor: Gerry McKeever

Film Editors: Emily McQueen-Govan, Lewis Porteous Lifestyle Editors: Michelle Williams & David KirkpatrickPhotographers: Stefan Sealey, Al Taylor Columnists: Aidan Cook, James Foley, Laura Doherty, Harry Akehurst

Contributors: Sarah Smith, Ishbell Begg, Scott Lavery, Laura Humphreys, Jamie Maxwell, Frank Lazarski, Louise Ogden, Isabella Poppius, Benzo Harris, Ellie Gallagher, Catriona Reilly, Harry Tattersall Smith, Nicole Wilson, Marc Jennings, Rudi Zygadlo, Sanne Stienstra

Glasgow University Guardian is funded through and supported by the Glasgow University Students' Representitive Council

Dear Editors,

I disagree with Aidan [See 'Debate,' Guardian Issue 1, 2008]. It is disgraceful that for years students have been told by the government that their isn’t enough money to pay for their grants and fees, but when bankers are owed and owe gargantuan amounts of money through embez-zled investments and reckless behaviour, as well as the current wars around the globe, the government has a bottomless pit of taxpayers money to flash in our faces.

This in mind, the offer to students that they will get £35 for a day under the OTC, then I can see why some people join. In fact I don’t blame them for it, and I certainly don’t hate them for trying to get some money to pay their way. I am from a military family. My father was in the TA, my sister is currently in Iraq. The view “that we are proud of our troops, that the mili-tary is honourable” is horse crap.

My Dad joined because he had a newborn child and wouldn’t mind the cash provided by the part time service. My sister a similar deci-sion based on economic difficulty and more unsettling, boredom.. In fact I was in the army cadets and the scouts when I young, an attempt made by my mum to keep me from trouble, and everything was geared around being aggressive and militaristic against anything challenging Royal Britannia.

Following this I went to a TA induction weekend when I was 16. I never thought I would end up at Glasgow university with the GCSE‘S I got, which to my pleasure, must annoy the many private schooled kids who sit in my lectures doing the same degree as this working class Neanderthal. Saying all this, I can't deny I had fun in the bullet free adventure environment.

My point is that, I agree with James Foley. .It is easy for Aidan to say he is proud of the troops,. but he is in no way expressing the same proud feeling I am. Proud of a genera-tion of people including my father and sister, who needed work and did what they could to provide for their families across the sea.

Do you really think there are droves of people queuing up to a “Kitchener like call“ these days? When certain Tory and Labour advocates say they are proud, I agree they are. However they are proud of the fact they will never have to make the same sacrifice because daddy is paying their jobs and futures are secure. They are proud that they don’t have to get their hands unwashed and that someone is doing the dirty work for them.

FromStacey McMullenStudent, Glasgow University

The Glasgow University Guardian welcomes all comments, thoughts and criticisms — please feel free to contact us with your letters to the editor, a selection are published every issue.

Dear Sirs,

I am writing to complain about your front page article 'Energy Costs GUU Jobs', a terrific head-line but followed through like a wet fart.

There was not a shred of specific detail throughout the entire article, not even a vague idea of the number of jobs that had been cut. While it is clear from the article that the GUU are hardly forthcoming with information, it seemed pointless to write the article at all. I came away absolutely none the wiser, except with the fresh bit of trivia that the GUU's

energy costs have risen in line with the rest of the world, and that their boiler is old. Hardly surprising, hardly even news. Had you got hold of the relevant information you could have written an interesting and positive piece on the streamlining of Union expenditure, as it was, boring. Why must Guardian be permanently nit picking at the GUU? What is wrong with them? What is wrong with you? What is so great about the QMU?

Yours, Grant Wishart

guardiansport@src.gla.ac.uk 11th November 200814 SPORT

Glasgow University Women's Basketball team outfought and out-thought an aerially superior Queen Margaret University side (QMU) in a crushing display, as they ruthlessly dismantled their Edinburgh rivals 72-25 in a performance that sent out a message of clear intent to their league opposition.

Noe ‘the pocket rocket’ Llamas, one of Glasgow’s most prolific players, orchestrated proceedings with a display of such vivid creativity and energy that it gave the sparse crowd something to cheer about on a brutally cold night at the Kelvin Hall.

Anyone fooled by the Spaniard’s diminu-tive stature were soon overawed by her tactical astuteness, as time after time she tore through the QMU’s disjointed and disheartened defence. In a virtuoso performance, she top-scored with 20 points, twice hitting from 3 point range, In a victory she described as a “cheering up match,” following the gruelling loss to major rivals Stirling in the league opener.

For all of the QMU’s advantage in the air, they seemed unable to handle the Glasgow defensive hustle, and unable to match the intensity of the home squad's aggressive pres-sure, as time after time the sheer physicality of Glasgow’s rear guard saw the visitors squander promising possession.

The match precedent was set early on as captain Carlyn Wallis smashed a block in against the towering figure of QMU’s 6ft plus point guard. It was an all-round performance from Wallis, who chipped in with 10 valu-

able points, whilst the fierce nature of her defence saw the QMU reduced to optimisti-cally shooting from long range in a bid to stem the black and gold tide.

Whilst the QMU lacked any cutting edge, Glasgow began with such speed and dynamic pace that they raced into an early ten point lead. Sinead McCarthy caused the early damage with a dizzying array of skills around the hoop.

By the end of the first quarter, illusions of escaping Kelvin hall with a famous victory were all but over. Glasgow saw twenty points go unanswered, whilst it was left for the QMU to chase the shadows of the far more inventive outfit.

Any chances of QMU revival were dashed by the clinical nature of the University perfor-mance; attacking with confidence and purpose, whilst in defence, they restricted an intimi-dating opposition front line to a meagre nine points in the first half, as they opened up a thirty-one point lead by the interval.

One cause for concern was the sloppy nature of Glasgow’s third quarter, as they very much took the foot of the gas. By this stage they were coasting and comfortable, yet the worry must be that against sterner opposition Glasgow’s big players cannot afford to go missing. After a short break and a focus talk from the co-coach, the effects seemed instantaneous; a team reju-venated. GU returned with the same vigour and purpose that had been intrinsic to their first half dominance. The team quickly stepped through the gears, producing breath-taking basketball that blew away their dejected opponents.

With the match sewn up, Llamas took it upon herself to inject some vibrancy into the game. It was in this vein that she started to unveil her catalogue of outlandish trickery, perhaps most audaciously with a bewildering pass around the back that saw Morna Hill repay the compliments with an acrobatic dunk into the unguarded net.

After the match, Howtoun talked of her pride in the team's stellar performance, “it was a brilliant team performance out there tonight,” she then went on to talk optimistically about the upcoming league season. “The team we’ve played tonight won last week against Strathclyde so really we can’t be in better shape.”

Harry Tattersall Smith

GUSA host 50/50 fundraiser STUDENTS recently participated in GUSA's now annual 50/50 fundraiser over the course of three days for charity, resulting in a weekend exhibition of perseverance, pain and personal achievement.

The GUSA event saw over 20 students completing 50 miles in just 50 hours across Glasgow’s west end. Participants had to run, walk (or crawl) one mile every hour between 6pm on October 24th and 7pm on the 26th in aid of their selected good cause, Children 1st - one of Scotland's leading charities.

Using the Glasgow University Union (GUU) as base camp, students came furnished with supplies and enthusiasm ahead of a chal-lenge which tested their strength, endurance and their emotions.

The initial support for the programme, led by GUSA Charities and Outreach Convenor, Kate Mackie, was good: “At first people were curious about what the event entailed and were eager to get involved.

“The prospect of running 50 miles is however slightly daunting and can prove to be uncomfortable if people are not familiar with it. We had to encourage a few people to try it and

sometimes make people do it. But overall the support was great.”

There were five routes that participants could adopt, each equating to an exact mile. These were spread across the West End, two of which trailed through Kelvingrove Park.

The weekend saw a profusion of bad weather, with rain and wind making the exer-cise even more arduous than originally antici-pated. The routes through the park had to be abandoned due to flooding, and runners had to

find inner strength and support from their peers to continue during the night-time hours:

“Sometimes I felt like I was sleep walking around the routes. Getting up and putting on wet clothes was really not enjoyable. The streets were like a ghost town, reminding me that everyone else was in bed, apart from us,” Mackie explained.

Participant Christopher Wilson further stressed the difficulty of running through the early hours: “It was torture being woken up in

Nicole Wilson the middle of the night. I was soaked and cold and was in desperate need of a shower. It was definitely the hardest part for me, and the time where many people wanted to give up. But they did not.”

The money raised from the event will be announced on November 10th, but Mackie estimates that the final amount will be well over £1000.

In terms of personal achievement however, the money raised plays an important albeit rela-tively minor role. The weekend epitomised the collaboration of people’s personal ambitions within themselves and it was this inner chal-lenge that kept most contestants going.

Mackie added: “People found enthusiasm from very different places. One participant came straight from work at 4am on Sunday and ran 26 miles in 15 hours." She added:

“My personal achievement is that I feel have established the event. Hopefully people will now recognise the name, 50/50, and know what it is about so that we can make it an annual event.

Looking back Mackie added:“I would like to give my thanks to the GUU for letting us use their services all weekend . “I’m really glad it’s over, but here’s to next year!”

You had to feel for Felipe Massa a couple of weekends ago. The Ferrari pit crew were leaping up and down in excitement for the fve seconds they thought their man had sealed the world championship, only for the Brazilian's arch rival to snatch it from under his nose.

Judging from the high pitched squealings of euphoria and consequent reeling off of all the previous British champions, in the post race commentary by ITV's Martin Brundle and James Allen, it is apparant that nationality is a huge bandwagon on which the media readily jump. We backed David Coulthard and practi-cally had a street party whenever he won a grand prix. To his credit, he was one of few competitive British drivers of recent times, aside from Damon Hill, who after winning the championship once in 1996, practically faded into obscurity, racing for teams boasting the previous year's clapped out Ferrari engine.

With the conspiracy theorists and the racists who have all made their voices heard after Hamilton being crowned champion in Brazil, it all overshadows his sublime talent; the rookie showing spectacular driving ability, most notably at the British and Monaco GPs..

All we need to do now is see if Hamilton can keep up the form against Massa, who will no doubt be hungry for revenge in 2009.

Shooting hoops for victory

Stefan Sealey

Al Taylor

>> Suzi Higton

Hamilton Hysteria

guardiansport@src.gla.ac.uk11th November 2008

Wildcats left licking woundsScotland's top flight women's netball team caught napping in Kelvin Hall clash, Marc Jennings reports

SPORT 15

Rugby club tackles national final Glasgow University Rugby Football Club got their season campaign off to a strong start, claiming the runners-up spot after reaching the finals of the St. Hellier Pear Cider National 10’s competition, held recently in Newcastle.

Despite a shaky start in the group stages against sides from Newcastle Falcons Academy and Northumbria University, the home squad began to settle and found early pace against a competitive Durham side. Glasgow managed to take the initia-tive, getting points on the board within a minute of kick off, with first team captain Matthew Horner setting up fresher Robbie Shedden to score his first try for the club, after a spectacular forty metre run past the opposing defence. Subsequent tries from Archibald Millar and Craig Batchelor saw Glasgow impose their

authority on their rivals and put them in good stead for the latter stages of the competition.

The final group game saw GURFC face Newcastle Intra-Mural, a highly prolific squad who put Glasgow through their paces on the pitch.

In a closely fought contest, which saw both teams tied on fourteen points each going into the dying minutes of the game, the deadlock was broken by Ian Watkinson, who despite being intercepted by the opposition prop, managed to quickly recycle the ball to give Andrew Brown a try under the posts for the win.

Finishing third in a group of five saw Glasgow qualify for the plate competition and set up a tie with Newcastle Agrics in the semi-finals. Despite their opposition’s apparent weight advantage, and their high profile in the competition, Glasgow

ran riot, the second half seeing the GU side score five successive tries, with a hat-trick from Kyle Matheson.

The finals saw Glasgow compete against last year’s cup winners, Cheeky Ladies RFC. A tough first half saw the univer-sity squad trailing by five points, eventually losing narrowly 12 – 10 at the final whistle. Despite an outrageous schoolboy dummy from Robbie Shedden, which succeeded in deceiving the opposition defence, and Alastair Fison’s resulting try, the fightback proved to be a case of too little, too late.

Following the competition, club captain Ian Watkinson was pleased with his team’s performance, and was keen to give praise to the club's newest players: ‘After a troubling start we came to show our class, we were unfortunate not to win in the finals. This year we have some real talent coming through including fresher Robbie Shedden, just to name a few.’

Suzi Higton

The Glasgow Wildcats’ first ever game at the Kelvin Hall Arena against Northumbria in the Netball Superleague, turned into disappointment for the escatically vocal crowd after the resulting 22 – 46 scoreline.

Despite an impressive start for the home side, who count University of Glasgow as one of their key investors, visitors Northumbria began to dominate as Glasgow struggled to cope with their opponents’ advantage, aided by clinical finishing and concise teamwork. In contrast, Glasgow’s initially stylish play was counteracted by inaccuracy around the hoop, especially at the match's most crucial moment.

Northumbria immediately stamped their authority on the game by scoring twice in the opening minute. By putting the hosts on edge in front of a full house, the Wildcats were spurred into action. Intitally blocked by an alert defence, but aided by gaps in the left wing, the Glasgow squad managed to capitalise on their steady composure to keep the scores level heading towards the end of the first quarter.

The home side's strong teamwork, which was apparant throughout, continued to pay off as any oppositional attack was quickly broken down. However, this proved to be short-lived, as the visitors began to settle into their stride, putting Glasgow out of rhythm. The result was inaccuracy around the hoop and saw the opportunity to bring themselves back into the game slipping through their fingers, as the now superior Northumbria began to score with ease against an increasingly fragile defence.

The second quarter started with the visitors ahead by a comfortable margin; Glasgow increasingly losing momentum by committing careless fouls which allowed Northumbria to show off their long distance shooting ability, and run circles round their opponents.

Forced onto the back foot constantly, Glasgow’s attack had to eventually resort to a combination of frantic passing and fruit-less long balls in a bid to keep possession. Any successful breach of the Northumbria defence was in vain as the Wildcats were outplayed in every loose ball that was avaliable.

By the third quarter, Glasgow only had fleeting glimpses of the ball despite being spurred on by their tireless home support. The Wildcat’s lead playmaker, captain Fiona Moore, produced some of Glasgow's most promising goal scoring opportunities, linking up with Gillian Douglas down the left wing to create sporadic chances, but these proved not to be enough to claw back the gap that had slowly widened over the course of the match.

The visitors’ physical presence began to become increasingly apparant as Glasgow struggled to cope with their two towering attackers, who were relentless in their distribution of the ball.

Frustration began to grow in the home squad as their likeli-

hood of attaining something from the game decreased with every missed opportunity. Northumbria continually managed to create space and produce spectacularly fluid passing, capitalising on Glasgow’s now crumbling defence that could do nothing to halt the onslaught of goals in the final quarter.

The Wildcats valiantly battled on into the final minutes, denying their opponents of the possession they had enjoyed in previous quarters. Some eleventh hour excellent play from the Glasgow side closed the gap slightly, much to the delight of the home crowd, but the fight-back came too far into the match, with Northumbria running out comfortable winners.

After the match, club captain Fiona Moore was proud of her team’s efforts. She told Guardian:

"I don’t think the score reflected how much we tried. We

got so many turnovers we just didn’t convert them and I think we need to have a little more patience with each other and also protect each other a little more when we’re passing and things like that. Everybody played really well and worked really hard.”

Moore was also keen to praise the avid support from the crowd and hopes the team can improve in their next match at Bellahouston in a couple of weeks time: "Next game we’re going to play really well in all four quarters, definitely, and I think as well we need to put on a show for our home crowd. It was a great atmosphere today, couldn’t ask for better, they go with you for every pass and everything, it’s great.”

The Wildcats' next game sees them face the Brunel Hurricanes, at Bellahouston Sports Centre.

Culture & Sport Glasgow

Inside: Women's basketball team run riot in BUSC League

11th November 2008

guardian

also: Glasgow Wildcats play first home game at Kelvin Hall

sport

Despite a deserved optimism from GUHC Men’s 2nds, following their recent resounding 8-1 victory away against Livingston, the squad failed to equal a highly charged Strathclyde side who dominated against their league rivals in their BUSC League fixture.

The hosts kept play level into the first half with effort-less connectivity down the left wing, making the most of dummy balls to outwit Strathclyde’s defence. This advantage however proved to be short lived, with play quickly shifting to their opponents who began to settle into their stride.

A momentary lapse of concentration in the Glasgow defence at the twenty-three minute mark allowed their rivals to slam a shot just wide, with numerous rebound shots going begging. Glasgow keeper Iain Oliphant played a prolific role for the hosts, with numerous spectacular saves to keep the score line within touching distance throughout the first half. Despite being able frustrate Strathclyde’s attacking formation during the first twenty minutes, their rivals began to hammer in bullet shots past an increasingly precarious defence.

Glasgow’s only scoring opportunity of the match came minutes from the half time whistle with a free hit ten yards out from goal; the attacker’s shot scuttling inches past the keeper and being immediately pounced on by the home side’s frantic defence, crowding round the ball to force it out of play and away from their opponents.

Inevitably, the deadlock was eventually broken by Strathclyde, who capitalised on a poor clearance, giving the visitors the chance to smash a ferocious shot past the the helpless keeper, putting the visitors in front at half time.

In the second half Strathclyde continued their dominance from the outset, with some clumsy defending from Glasgow resulting in multiple short corners. Despite a couple of inspired breaks, most notably Andy Nicoll and Rob Johnson making space for creative passing in the midfield, Strathclyde relentlessly closed down their rivals and continued to domi-nate possession as full time approached.

Glasgow’s increasing desperation became apparent in conceding a careless penalty, after an illegal block saw the visitors coolly place another past the keeper to render the game out of reach for the tiring Glasgow squad.

The hosts' inability to recycle free balls in midfield proved to be their undoing and two further goals sealed the game for their notably stronger opponents. Despite last minute pressure for a consolation goal, Glasgow were forced to admit defeat at the final whistle. Team captain Leo Howes was optimistic after the match telling Guardian: “It was a very strong side we were against, so I was pretty pleased. We could have a marked a little closer and tighter and passed a bit quicker but apart from that I was quite happy.”

Hockey club outclassed Glasgow 0-4 Strathclyde

Suzi Higton

James Porteous

"W" | Black Kids | Hunger | Suddenly Last Summer | Mystery Jets

inSIGHT11/11/08

Pinter Cleans UpThe Caretaker triumphs at the Citizens Theatre

Glasgow University

artsSIGHTin11

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The Citizen Theatre’s new production of Ha-rold Pinter’s The Caretaker greets the au-dience with a single room, a solitary man and a resounding lack of dialogue. Pinter

belongs to that unique class of writer who exploits the expectations of the audience through deafen-ing silence, and ‘The Caretaker’ is no exception, stripping onlookers of every security one might ex-pect as a theatre-goer. I became so acutely aware of this that every breath was suddenly thunderous, every shuffle truly shattering and every cough be-

came an earthquake. I was a spectator, and Pinter would not let me forget it.

The play itself is a three-act exploration of the relationship between three men in 1960’s London. Two brothers, Mick and Aston, fall into a dysfunc-tional relationship with the desperate, deceptive vagrant Davies, rescued by the younger sibling Aston. Davies proceeds to flirt with the brothers in turn — in an attempt to gain a bed — whilst simultaneously picking apart every stitch of his fabrication with intricate demands. With a range of

comedy and tragedy, the men ultimately reveal an abundance of their absurd yet depressingly realistic characters. Through such a finely realised depic-tion, Pinter has the mesmerising ability to capture the ugliness in these men to such a degree that it becomes beautiful.

Credit must be given to Tam Dean Burn, playing Davies, and Eugene O’Hare as Mick, and both performers capture the eccentricity of the characters that makes Pinter so essential to be watched, rather than read. The whole play could easily turn into a farce — and perhaps therein lies its brilliance — but the actors, including Robert Hastie, who completes the triumvirate as Aston, and director Phillip Breen create a harmonious balance to provoke each emotion only as is required. The humour derived from the obscure nature of the relationship ranges from the ridicule-, pity- and insecurity-inspired, emphasising the disconcerting nature of both the characters and the play as a whole.

Then the interval came — somehow, unbe-knownst to me, ninety minutes had slipped by. Even at two and half hours, time feels elusive, thanks to the intensity of each outburst and every echoing drop from the leaking roof. The play is minimal but the effect is devastating: the cold of that London room sent shivers through my spine, and the stench of the homeless Davies practically hovered under my nose. This new production showcases not only Pinter’s outstanding writing, but also some masterful, unbeatable performances.

At the Citizens Theatre until November 15

Taking Care of Affairs

The near-magical list of ingredients that have come together to form the Tron Theatre's new production of Suddenly Last Summer — writing by the 20th Century's greatest drama-tist, Tennessee Williams; direction by Glasgow's finest, Andy

Arnolds; and some association with Glasgay!, who, as their exclama-tion mark denote, are always fun — meant that reality would almost certainly not meet my unreasonably inflated expectations.

In fairness, the results came respectably close, but only as evening became sweet Lady Nighttime and the main event gave way for a second Williams Play, Like The Rain, did things really kick off.

Suddenly Last Summer is, in many respects, a work that anticipates the themes of Williams' most lauded and well-known plays, namely A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Whilst the story, of the terrifying, elderly matriarch Mrs Venable and her hell-bent inten-tion of keeping the details surrounding the death of her son secret, does not particularly resemble those of any of the playwright's other works, it is the motifs of female insanity (a subject close to Williams' heart after his sister underwent a lobotomy) and squabbling, money-grabbing family members that resonate.

The former of these ideas is depicted outstandingly by Claire Yuille who, as Catharine Holly, faces the same igno-minious 'treatment' as Williams' sibling after confronting Mrs Venable — her aunt — with the details of her cousin's grisly death. Yuille is moving and sympathetic in her portrayal of Catharine, resisting the temptation to reduce the role to a Blanche DuBois parody, a fate that might have befallen lesser performers, and she endows the character with tenderness, intellect and confusion.

However, along with Morag Stark (Mrs Venable) — who channels the spirit of Vivien Leigh-cum-Nurse Ratched to great effect — the two players

may as well be in a wholly separate play to that of the remaining cast. Jonny Austin and Jill Riddiford are somewhat less convincing as the

gold-digging family members, and at times may as well have been reading from an autocue for all the commitment they imbue their parts with — as well as evidently possessing fewer qualms vis-à-vis

resorting to the "Aahm a suuth'nah" drawling trope of Williams' drama so adroitly avoided by Yuille. By the time the play

reached its gruesome denouement, I found it hard to relate to the incipient poetry of Williams’ stagecraft, so disconnecting was the gulf between performances.

Incredibly, one short break later and things became exponentially — almost unbelievably — better, in Like The Rain, a collection of three short tableaux. I don’t know whether it was the glass of wine I had sunk in the interval, the dark, intimate space of the Tron’s Changing House, or the insidious power of witchcraft, but the erst-

while unremarkable ensemble returned to deliver a series of commanding, brilliant vignettes. Any trace of medioc-rity on Riddiford's part was completely dispelled by her delicate rendering of a cathouse proprietor in Hello From Bertha, and Austin's reading of a hillbilly school-dropout in This Property is Condemned is similarly redemptive.

I came to indulge in an evening of high-camp melo-drama and stayed to pray. Arnolds has cemented his reputation as Scotland’s foremost theatrical director, and whilst Suddenly Last Summer is never less than enter-taining, in Like The Rain he has produced a sustained and beautiful drama that entirely does justice to Williams’ work.

Lucy Humphreys is astounded by a new rendition of a Pinter classic

Tron offers a startling vision of N'Yahlins in Suddenly Last Summer and Like The Rain, writes Tom Bonnick

Richard Campbell

There is a house in New Orleans

Pantomime

Conversation

The Wizard of Oz

Featuring all the original songs from the celebrated film, this faithful stage production promises to be one of the season's better pantos.

Citizens TheatreSat. 29th November - Sat. 3rd January£9 - £16

Mother Bruce

A typically Tron-like twist on Mother Goose, about a spider that spins the golden threads, rather than the goose who lays the golden eggs. From the creative team that produced Wullie Whittington and Eeting Beauty

Tron TheatreSat. 29th November – Sun. 4th January

£7 – £17

Kate Adie

The former chief news correspondent for the BBC gives a talk about her latest book, Into Danger, a look at why people voluntarily choose jobs that could cause them harm.

Glasgow Concert HallMon. 24th November£4

Winner of the Critics’ Circle Award for Outstanding Repertoire, Scottish Ballet presents Artistic Director Ashley Page’s acclaimed take on the classic fairytale. Beginning in 1830, this unique version of Sleeping Beauty unfolds over one hundred years and features Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score.

Theatre RoyalSat. 6th – Sat. 27th December£9 – £27

BalletSleeping Beauty

life PAG

E 3

SIGHTinLife is Peachy

The season to be healthy

Winter investment

“Think about what will give you the best cost-per-wear”

The arguments in favour of buy-ing organic are, at present, still not wholly convincing to some, myself included. Organic

produce does not necessarily contain a higher nutrient content than non-organic, and some critics even suggest that given the increased farming land required to compensate for lower or-ganic yields, such methods could actual-ly be harmful to ecosystems. The current trendy status of virtuous organic prod-ucts allows retailers to demand inflated prices from bourgeois consumers and eco-friendly yummy mummies at will.

Alternatively, the benefits of simply sticking to local, seasonal produce are unequivocal. Modern farming and trans-portation methods have made us accus-tomed to eating any food we please at any time of year, when in reality, to maximise the nutritional benefits of fruit and vegetables, we ought to be consuming according to season wher-ever possible. Many vegetables are now grown year round within the UK, and no one would be realistically expected to curb the use of staples such as onions

and potatoes according to the time of year. However, it pays to know what’s in season and to tailor recipes accordingly.

Seasonal produce will be more nutritious and flavoursome than forced hothouse grown alternatives, as crops are allowed to absorb sunlight and ripen naturally. Out of season fruit and veg flown in from abroad will suffer in the chilling and transportation process and will have been harvested long before ripeness, stripping its vitamin content. Many supermarkets now indicate on their packaging that a product has been flown in from far flung locations. Produce sourced locally doesn’t need to be prepared for long journeys to market, and so will rely less heavily on irradiation and use of preservatives. Also, by buying according to what is currently harvested, we ought to benefit financially as crops in a natural seasonal glut will sell more cheaply.

By taking the following starter guide on board and employing a bit of imagi-nation, we can all boost our immune systems and wallets, easing a little bit of carbon footprint guilt into the bargain.

AutumnButternut SquashParsnipBlackberries

WinterSproutsKalePomegranate

SpringRadishRhubarbJersey Royal Potatoes

Summer CourgetteSpinach Tomatoes

BroccoliApplesBeetroot

Savoy CabbageSwedePears

CauliflowerAsparagusRhubarb

RaspberriesStrawberriesFrench beans

>> Laura Doherty

Jim Wilson

Isabella Poppius argues the case for splashing out on classics this season.

Michelle Williams turns her back on organic to reap the benefits of seasonal produce.

Harsh economic conditions of late have forced most people to think twice before open-ing their wallets and for an ever increasing number of savvy fashionistas this ´think be-

fore spending’ attitude is becoming an everyday matter. Since mid- summer, fashion magazines from American Elle to British Harper’s Bazaar have been carrying the torch for new ways of investing a bit more money on a few key pieces that will last you forever and update your existing wardrobe rather than spending a bullion on re-newing your closet with items from the high street.

Instead of buying fad trends from Primark and New Look, think about what investment piece is going to give you the best cost-per-wear this season. Safe bets are muted tones, quality fabrics and classic tailoring. Fine knits are easy to pair up with anything and John Smedley has some exquisite fine wool polo necks and sweaters that will add preppy sophistication to any ensemble. They will set you back about a £100, but will last you forever as these styles will not go out of fashion.

A winter jacket is an essential purchase to keep you warm throughout harsh Scottish winters, and going vintage is not a bad option. It can be a unique and indi-vidual way of expressing yourself and it’s ecological at the same time. If the garment is intact to this day, it’ll surely last another few decades! Mr. Ben’s is great for furs (faux and the real thing) and there are a few vintage shops on Great Western Road that do fabulous leather jackets. If vintage is not your thing, try investing in a Barbour jacket. It’ll keep you warm and dry and add to your fashion credentials as many a celebrity of late has

been caught sporting one. If you are worried about comparisons to your Gran, then just remember to balance the look with a skirt and tights or skinny jeans

tucked into boots. Cheapest ones start at an invest-ment friendly £69.

A great tailored shirt never goes out of style and Liberty of London has given the good ol’ shirt a fash-ionable spin in an array of gorgeous retro print styles. There are 23 sumptuous prints to choose from and these Italian made shirts will brighten up any outfit whether you want a hint of art deco or 70’s paisley in your wardrobe. They come at £75 a pop, which is not bad considering how much wear you get out of them. The same £100 you’d spend on three tops from H&M and a pair of jeans from Topshop that would look dated the next season could result in a shirt that you could wear forever, or a fashionable Barbour jacket that will see through countless winters. Investment buying minimizes the chances that someone else will be caught wearing the same thing you are and it rewards the people who actually put the hard work into designing their garments rather than high street labels that essentially steal, copy and recycle the ideas from them. Acting like a greedy banker who’s searching for quantity instead of quality isn’t the way to go as demonstrated by recent events, so get with the best of us and invest long-term!Barbour

‘Nepotism.’ That, in short, is Jon Snow’s top tip for breaking into the media world. It’s briefly succeeded by hard work and perseverance, but they are but pawns in the game of bloodline dominance. This month’s frontrunner for Snow’s Top Tip to Fast-Track Fame is Mrs Peaches Honeyblossom Angel Vanessa Bildungsroman Kerouac Drummey (Nee Geldof ) who has somehow wheezed her way through GCSE English, lisped her way across the Atlantic, and, some-where in-between getting hitched in Vegas and staying away from drugs, has decided she’s like totally into writing and stuff, y’know, like yeah? Peaches has landed herself a gig writing columns for über stylish Nylon magazine, her position as ‘British Girl in Brooklyn’ corre-spondent has been met with scathing reviews by, well, everybody - even I can’t help but feel sorry for her. Obviously, until recently, she has been the picture of demureness and humility; now thrust into the public sphere she crumbles under the weight of the societal pres-sure, and, in the confusion, can only produce a tangled ball of clichéd images. It is the literary equivalent of chewing up volumes of Dickens and ‘On the Road’ with pink bubblegum and proceeding to vomit the sugary nonsense all over your birth certificate, (famous father’s name an obvious advantage.) Some might conclude she is simply a ‘bad’ writer, I’m not buying it. Bob’s put far too much of the ‘Rat’s royalties towards her top-notch education for that to be the end of it. After much study of Peaches’ character and a pained dissec-tion of her writing I’m convinced she has followed her father’s selfless example and is offering herself up as a sacrifice to the British and American nations: she is going to unite the modern world in a hatred of Peaches Drummey Geldof. Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand tried it, but found the suggestion of actual talent present in both career’s was a hinderance to the cause. They needed fresh blood, someone in the sidelines of public awareness who still had to justify the point of their existence. Luckily the Nations intervened before Peaches could offer her editors any tangible evidence that would justify her privileged posi-tion in the world. Peaches Geldof, a woman of contradictions, a figure to be both applauded and reviled in the very same breath: Peaches Honeyblossom Mandela Charlotte Angel Nobel Peace Prize Drummey Geldof - we salute you.

film11

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SIGHTin

>> Tom Bonnick

Here in the always-glamorous world of film reviewing, the effects of the American writ-er’s strike are still being felt. Productions were put on hold, cancelled, or consigned

to Hollywood-purgatory, and the upshot of all these shenanigans is that there are now fewer films to criticise. In some cases, however, I can only be thank-ful. Most perplexing is the prospect of Valkyrie, the new Tom Cruise epic whose release date has been mercifully postponed. Presumably made as part of Cruise's mission to show that he's a really great guy, not just some crazy Scientologist who thinks he has mind powers, Valkyrie tells the story of Claus von Stauffenberg, a name revered in Germany as that of a national hero, but met with near-unanimous blank indifference most other places.

Stauffenberg was the man who bravely tried doing away with troublesome dictator Adolph Hitler in 1944. I say tried because, as well all know, Hitler irritatingly survived the attempt on his life and fled to South America with Emperor Palpatine after the war. The failure of the plot — problematic in both a moral and film-narrative sense — will certainly prove tricky to spin in cinemas: nobody likes to see the Nazis win, after all. Icebergs, perhaps, and photo-genic blonde children, certainly, but never fanatic bigots. However, to my mind the real problem will not be the destination, but the journey.

For those of you who haven't yet retreated to Wikipedia, dismayed by the resounding lack of histor-ical authority that has so far been demonstrated, allow me to drop a couple of truth bombs. Stauffen-berg wasn't defeated by the Storm troopers, or even by the more important looking Imperial Guards who wore the floor-length red robes, but by — seriously — an unfortunately well constructed piece of furni-ture. His carefully planted explosion was deflected by a table, and thusly did the Fuhrer survive.

So, how will this play out on film? Tradition-ally — and here comes a message from Captain Obvious — anybody who holds so integral a role in a story is endowed with personality, however little, of some kind. Even when the subject is not truly alive or human, this can be quite powerfully achieved — think of Space Odyssey's HAL, or half-man, half-pure evil Peter Cushing. But a table? At the very least, I expect it to be draped in swastikas, to make clear that this is Nazi furniture. Ideally, it should also have a sinister-looking dark grain veneer, perhaps filmed from camera angles deep with foreboding, and with an accompanying ominous soundtrack plagiarised from a David Lynch film. Or maybe, just maybe, as this is a Cruise film, and though I hate to generalise, these do not often err on the side of subtlety, sublim-inal messages could be inserted at suitable points, simply reading, “This table is bad!!!”

Whatever happens, the moral of this tale is clear: we should all exercise our patriotic duty by going to IKEA en masse, and purchasing poorly designed office desks, lest this ever happen again.

This year's Cannes Film Festival saw an un-precedented display of new British cin-ema. Along with Terrence Davies' 'Of Time and The City' and Duane Hopkins' 'Better

Things', 'Hunger' — Steve McQueen's portrayal of the end days of Irish Republican activist Bobby Sands — represented a healthy British industry, rich in ideas and authenticity.

'Hunger' offers little back-story. Other than an introduction detailing the date and the ongoing demands of Republican prisoners to be granted special category status, the audience is afforded but a sparse and subtle context. It opens with the morning routine of a prison guard: he soaks his bloodied knuckles, eats and checks his car. From the outset, we are presented with a still, exacting realism. Crumbs bounce on a napkin, snow falls on the knuckles we just saw soaked. Within these scenes the narrative progresses gradually, the events occurring in the vacuum of the prison observed as if through a microscope. With the entrance of a new prisoner Davey, played curiously by the rakish Brian Milligan, the attention turns on the inmates in the midst of the 'Dirty Protest' wherein prisoners famously refused to slop out and smeared their cell walls with excrement. There is a fine scene where the camera tracks the hallways — the piss and bile freshly mopped — as Margaret Thatcher denies the Prisoners their desired Political status in the Commons, her voice imbued with an exacting, lofty prudence.

The audience is first introduced to Bobby Sands before he is brutally 'washed' by the prison guards. The violence in these scenes is visceral. When his hair and beard is cut by a large pair of fabric scissors and his head is mashed up against the edge of a bathtub, his pathetic writhing is infectious. The resulting shot, where Sands' face is cut apart and captured against

the jet black of the prison floor, is the most beautiful of the film.

Half-way through the picture there is a long stretch of dialogue between Sands and a Priest from his old neighbourhood. It represents the ideo-logical and moral centre of the film, with the Priest attempting to persuade Sands of the ineffectiveness of hunger striking and Sands offering a detailed, moving monologue in return. McQueen doesn't favour redundant cuts and this scene has been much examined for its reliance on an almost static vantage for twenty minutes. Michael Fassbender, as

Sands, is eloquent and barbaric, his fable offering considerable insight into his motivations. The final stretch of the film deals solely with Sands' strike and his resulting death. It is utterly silent, allowing the viewer to conclude what he will as to the heroism or moral integrity of the central figure.

The film deserves praise for a number of reasons. It is rooted in a deeply controversial period in recent political history yet refuses to promote a movement. Sands could easily have been portrayed as a martyr-demigod, railing against a Westminster that could reasonably have met his demands — or as callous

>> Frank Lazarski

Dir: Steve McQueenOn general release now

>> Emily McQueen-Govan

Easy VirtueDir: Stephan ElliotOn general release now

Easy Virtue is an adaptation of an early Noel Coward play; a comedy of manners providing a droll and witty look into the life of a staid, snob-bish and typically English upper class family. We are introduced to the central couple; the complex Larita Huntingdon (Jessica Biel), America’s

first female racing driver and her young, boyish husband John Whittaker (Ben Barnes). Their arrival at John’s family home amongst his decidedly odd family in-stantly puts the cat among the pigeons and the stage is set for the ensuing battle of wills between Larita and John’s mother Veronica.

The largely dialogue-based material and the grand stately homes on display lend the film a definite air of ‘Britishness,’ placing it within an instantly recognis-able genre that allows for the impeccably constructed comedies of an era gone by to flex their sardonic muscles. The film avoids the trap of becoming a stolid vehicle for grand locations and pretty costumes — unlike the recent Brideshead Revisited adaptation — through its use of lovingly crafted characterisation.

The entire cast fulfil their roles with convincing, joyous sincerity. Kristin Scott

Thomas is caustically witty and at ease in a role staggeringly different from that of her previous outing in ‘I’ve Loved You So Long’. Meanwhile Jessica Biel and Colin Firth reveal themselves possessing hidden talents, unveiling a previously neglected aptitude for comic timing and earnestness. The slow awakening of the bitterly cynical and war-scarred Colin Firth and the revelation of Larita’s past is sympathetically handled and touching.

The film really comes into its own half-way through its run time, as the show-down between Mrs Whittaker and Larita commences, one of the comedic high-lights being the unintended death of the family pet, a creature any discerning audience member is sure to be willing to die from the beginning. This goofy, irreverent humour complements the more quintessentially dry British brand exhibited from the beginning of the film, as one of John’s sisters remarks "I don't feel like smiling," to which the acidic Veronica retorts "You're English dear, fake it." The characters are, to some extent, mere stereotypes, of a very black-and-white moral nature, the two younger unmarried sisters being delightfully infuriating. However, this adds to the films winning comedic premise and makes no pretence as to who audiences are to cheer.

The soundtrack is one of the few things that fails to please. When a director feels the need to include a 1920s Jazz style rendition of Tom Jones’ Sex Bomb, one gets suspicious. Still, mustn’t grumble. Audiences should look forward to more adaptations of Noel Coward’s excellent work, as fine an alchemist of beauty and comedy as there ever was. As it stands, Easy Virtue has the potential to fully reinstate audiences’ faith in costume dramas. This film, set in the roaring twen-ties, is a roaring success.

Everybody's Got A Hungry Heart

“Kristin Scott Thomas is caustically witty and at ease”

Struck off

Thomas is caustically witty and at ease in a role staggeringly different from that of her previous outing in ‘I’ve Loved You So Long’. Meanwhile Jessica Biel and Colin Firth reveal themselves possessing hidden talents, unveiling a previously neglected aptitude for comic timing and earnestness. The slow awakening of the bitterly cynical and war-scarred Colin Firth and the revelation of Larita’s past is sympathetically handled and touching.

The film really comes into its own half-way through its run time, as the show-down between Mrs Whittaker and Larita commences, one of the comedic high-lights being the unintended death of the family pet, a creature any discerning audience member is sure to be willing to die from the beginning. This goofy, irreverent humour complements the more quintessentially dry British brand exhibited from the beginning of the film, as one of John’s sisters remarks "I don't feel like smiling," to which the acidic Veronica retorts "You're English dear, fake it." The characters are, to some extent, mere stereotypes, of a very black-and-white moral nature, the two younger unmarried sisters being delightfully infuriating. However, this adds to the films winning comedic premise and makes no pretence as to who audiences are to cheer.

The soundtrack is one of the few things that fails to please. When a director feels the need to include a 1920s Jazz style rendition of Tom Jones’ Sex Bomb, one gets suspicious. Still, mustn’t grumble. Audiences should look forward to more adaptations of Noel Coward’s excellent work, as fine an alchemist of beauty and comedy as there ever was. As it stands, Easy Virtue has the potential to fully reinstate audiences’ faith in costume dramas. This film, set in the roaring twen-ties, is a roaring success.

SIGHTfilm in PAG

E 5

>> Louise Ogden

Quantum of SolaceDir: Marc ForsterOn general release now

Hating George W. Bush is so cool. In fact, it's so cool, that the only thing cooler is to unashamedly support him. I mean, he's no Reagan but he's still pretty cool. Or maybe

he isn't, I don't know.Happily, Oliver Stone doesn't seem to know

either, or if he does, refrains from rubbing his opinion in his audience's face. While one would expect the director, who has built a career on finger-pointing and conspiracy-theories, to depict America's forty-third president in a typically sensationalist fashion, Stone applies a delicacy and lightness of touch to 'W' that is curiously missing from much of his output.

A non-linear biopic, the work attempts to trace and ultimately comprehend Bush's trajectory from careless, beer-guzzling Harvard Frat-boy to most powerful man in the world, rather than simply launch a tired attack on an unpopular, little understood man. However much he is criticised, it will take time before fair assessment can be afforded to Dubya's legacy. Stone is keenly aware of this, and chooses to focus instead on the improbable, 'simple country boy does good' narrative arc of his subject's life, a story that, as the director himself recognises, could be drawn from the world of Frank Capra. 'Mr Deeds Goes to Iraq,' if you will

Josh Brolin ably handles the role of an unable president and, crucially, succeeds in humanising him before the audience. Playing the part as a handsome, charismatic good ol' boy, the 'No Country for Old Men' star's warts and all portrayal paints Bush as the ultimate 'every man.' Whether seen spraying a mouth full of chewed hamburger mush onto his future wife or choking on a pretzel, the character rarely comes

Everybody's Got A Hungry Heart

and proud, unrepentant for the loss of life at the hands of Republicanism.

McQueen's clarity of vision is to be commended. He has managed to frame great visual beauty within the historical severity of the 'plot'. The work is remi-niscent of Terrence Malick's 'The Thin Red Line' — a sensitive study in the thoughts of soldiers at Guad-alcanal.

'Hunger' is a film of measured stillness, a beatific and singularly humane picture. Steve McQueen has made an important film concerning a critical saga in British-Irish history.

Following the success of 2006’s Casino Royale, expectations for Quantum of Solace, the 22nd instalment in the James Bond saga, could not have been higher. Topping the previous effort

was always destined to be a daunting task and, sadly, Quantum falls short of the mark. Though the movie’s narrative follows on directly from its predecessor’s, with only an hour separating the two, its production is mark-edly different. The movie is of a dangerously fast pace, its highly charged action sequences comprising the majority of its content. Consequently, the dialogue and quick wit at the centre of so many Bond films is lacking altogether.

Audiences are thrown into the deep-end from the off, and are left struggling to keep their heads above water as the spurious action unfolds. Following Bond’s loss of Vesper, his lover from the last film, he is out for revenge, and appears to have gone off the rails. In spite of his apparent mentalism, Bond remains loyal to Her Majesty’s Secret Service, though M (Judi Dench) is not convinced. No longer the rookie agent, but rather a tired institution fuelled by grief alone, 2008’s Bond is

replete with a newfound dimension of brutality and ruthlessness, exemplified rather gruesomely by our hero waiting for the pulse of an unfortunate adversary to cease, before moving on. Quantum of

Solace is not just about good guys defeating bad guy commies, it’s about Bond fighting his demons and finding peace of mind.

This is just as well, as it could be argued that the film features no conventional wrongdoers. The main villain, Dominic Green (Mathieu Amalric) is -oh the horror- a corrupt diplomat. If you’re looking for crazy terrorists with dreams of world domination, I’m afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere. Try the vintage Bond years.

The introduction of Marc Forster (Finding Neverland) as director is not a natural first-choice for a Bond movie, and he interprets action sequences in a manner more befitting a Jason Bourne outing, or rather a blatant copy of one.

Of course, Bond girls are a prerequisite for any addition to the franchise and, in this instance, prove far from memo-rable. Olga Kurylenko plays the tortured soul, Camille, desper-ately trying to find solace after a terrifying childhood experi-ence. Independent and vulnerable, she is determined to fight her demons with or without Bond’s help. Still, the character’s back-story is underdeveloped and her chemistry with Daniel Craig is non-existent. This failure could have been avoided, had Foster plumbed for the most able candidate for the role, rather than that which he found the most boner-inspiring.

Craig’s physicality has put a new spin on Bond, who now seems more inclined to value brute force over charm and wit, detracting from its appealing humanity. The notion of trans-forming the character into a darker and more physical char-acter is of no harm in itself, yet it seems that in the writers’ excitement to reinvent the franchise they’ve lost sight of what a Bond film really means to most people.

>> Lewis Porteous

WDir: Oliver StoneOn general release now

across as anything other than honest and thoroughly unpretentious.

Basing the majority of the film on factual accounts and audio transcriptions, Stone never goes for cheap laughs, presenting his subject as realistically and true to life as possible. If these meticulous concessions to reality happen to elicit laughs, then this is proof of nothing other than the inherent absurdity of Bush's storied life and career. Crucially, he never cared much for politics and was never the most eloquent or learned man. He was a rich kid with a drink problem and a chip on his shoulder.

At the beginning of 'W,' our hero is seen vowing to fellow students that he has no intention of following in his father's footsteps, seemingly favouring a prospective career in baseball over politics. Eventu-ally, the film can be scene to suggest that George junior is, in part, driven to involvement in affairs of state as a means of impressing his father, in whose shadow he always seemed likely to live, and to whom he has been a perennial disappointment. If Stone falters in 'W,' it is in putting too much emphasis on their father-and-son relationship and this relatively

unsatisfying notion.Though the film succeeds in portraying Bush as a

human, it fails in providing accurate representations of surrounding characters who, in a bid to accen-tuate the protagonist’s strengths and weaknesses, appear as either demonic or angelic, to the hilt. It’s debatable, for example, whether or not Bush senior really was bastion of old-school ethics that we see on screen, or whether everything in the world would be alright provided George junior chose to heed Colin Powell’s sage advice.

For all its timeliness, ‘W’ could never be regarded as a responsible document of its era. Providing audi-ences with an eerie sense of escapism, unusual for a biopic, it serves purely as a fascinating document of one man’s extraordinary life, all the while urging audiences to draw their own conclusions. There is undoubtedly some good in Bush’s character, whether liberal viewers are comfortable accepting this or not. He may have waged a highly unpopular, illegal war and helped disrupt his country’s economy, but at least he didn't leave rude messages on Andrew Sachs' answer phone.

“If you're looking for crazy terrorists with dreams of world domination, I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere”

Jim Wilson

music11

/11

/08

SIGHTinGigsGZA12/11/08ABCHaving his musical roots firmly planted as the founding member of the WuTang Clan, The Genius has gone on to create five solo albums in the last two decades. A hip-hop institution, and a sure bet for a night of lyrical class.

The Whip14/11/08The ArchesOf-the-moment electronica act The Whip bring their rock-tinged, throbbing sound to Glasgow. The choice of venue seems a good bet, so head along if you're after something with a bit of pump to it.

Airbourne 15/11/08BarrowlandWith a sound from the 80s, haircuts to match, and more than a passing resemblance to The Darkness (albeit without the bizarre costumes and falsetto vocals), the Aussie four piece are bringing classic rock to Glasgow.

TV on the Radio16/11/08ABCContinuing the 80s vibe, TV on the Radio offer up warping, synth-tinged tracks that make them a nightmare to pigeon hole — the lasting impres-sion seeming somewhat similar to being very drunk at a party with a good DJ.

Mr Scruff21/11/08The ArchesWith his latest output, Ninja Tuna, being reviewed last issue in this very paper, it would seem rude to ignore our own Oisin Kealy's recommenda-tion of Scruff's “marathon DJ sets of outstanding quality.“

Digitalism (Death Disco)22/11/08The ArchesWith the monthly electro night celebrating their sixth birthday, electrnonica legends Digitalism are taking control of the anniversary proceed-ings, alongside a host of other DJs in the tunnels under Central Station.

James Yorkston29/11/08StereoBlindingly mellow, Yorkston sounds like the type of act whose gigs should be enjoyed with mugs of cocoa, rather than pints of beer. Melodic, chilled out and folkey, it's seems that he's next in a long line of musical goodness to come out of Fife.

Who are you kidding?Benzo Harris receives a lesson in indie from Black Kids' lead, Reggie Youngblood.

>> Ellie Gallagher

Mystery Jets25/10/2008QMU

a little, sometimes on the cusp of getting into the groove. Aside from that, nobody else up there even came close; Dawn Watley (vox and keys) was trying to do the whole Tina Weymouth kinda-cute-but-rockin’-awkward-bassist thing, but she ended up looking like an uncoordinated poseur who couldn’t hit the right notes most of the time. As the set went on, song after song, people still weren’t going wild - Youngblood kept imploring the masses “can we please have a party here? It’s Sunday night!” I caught more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice when he muttered “I think we’ve been here five times this year. It gets better every time.”

Who cares if the press say they’re a band to watch? How much of a big deal is it that we have another 80s indie-pop wannabe on our hands, who’s getting a little radio play from the internet – an outlet that the front man of the band deems overrated? Fittingly, as I stand watching, I notice the largely unresponsive crowd, taking more photos of the ABC's vast disco ball than of the band they've paid to see.

It has been a little over a year since Black Kids played the Athens pop festival, their first gig outside of their hometown in Jacksonville, Flor-ida. Since then things have been skyrocketing

ever upwards for the band, and already it’s a case of business as usual.

After the Pop Festival, Black Kids have been all the rage. Pretty much every music mag in the business was singing the praises of their EP, Wizard of Ahhhs, which they released for free on MySpace. Reggie Youngblood, lead vox and guitar, doesn’t chalk it all up to the Internet though:

“Yeah, I think the Internet’s overrated,” Young-blood sighs, as if he’s been swatting away ques-tions like this all day. “We had songs on the Internet before Athens [pop festival], so we had to physically go places. The Internet is a tool, but people are still the most important thing.”

But enough of this, I’m curious about the music. All these indie bands sound the same today, as if they were trying to be Talking Heads — that is, if Talking Heads were a low quality, generic pop

band. With overdone synths, and airy, warped vocals, I ask Youngblood for his take on this:

“It could be because most of us grew up in the 80s, and we were cognizant of the music,” he says. But he’s not sure: “That might be it, that kind of feel. Most of us never thought that indie equates to ‘good,’ and mainstream equates to ‘bad’ - we’re not really averse to most pop music.”

The show itself is disappointing. I asked Young-blood why he thought Black Kids were getting to be so popular — was it just luck that their generic 80s-style indie-pop was in vogue at the moment and people were catching on, or did they bring something special to the show?

Youngblood mumbled something about how “we do a fun show,” but I’m not buying it. He sang the praises of good indie to me, extolling the virtues of that raw sound making people get up and dance — how “people love watching four to five dudes on stage making it happen.”

Well, Black Kids didn’t make it happen. Young-blood, to his credit, at least seemed to jump around

The grins on the faces of mid-pubescent crowd widened as the sirens of Hideaway signalled the Mystery Jets’ entrance, roll-ing out the opening of their set with fin-

gers flying, but bodies still and faces straight. (A little more vigour would be needed to

impress, especially after less than enthusiastic support act, Golden Silvers, whose success can only

be attributed to ambitious and vicarious mothers.)By their second track, their most recent release,

‘Half in Love with Elizabeth,’ the Jets brought out their London charm and subtle cockiness that allows them to get away with their cheeky image and clumsy lyrics with such grace.

Better-known tracks of the current album, ’Twenty One,’ were interspersed with several tracks from their previous album, ‘Making Dens,’ with ‘The Boy who Ran Away’ engulfing the band, whipping them into frenzies, and blurring the boundaries between instrument and musician.

‘Behind the Bun House‘, an unlikely choice for their final song, took the album version and tore it to shreds. With Harrison asking, “Are you ready

to dance?” — a slightly baffling question in the context of the melancholic, rattling track — it somehow proved more than fitting as the crowd answered with raucous movement to the tune’s boastful command.

In an unexpected act of kindness, or perhaps self-indulgence, the band lingered after the show, loitering in the foyer with large crowds of goofy faced girls circling each of them. Alarmingly, I found myself wishing the dinner proposal Will was entertaining from one baby-faced girl had, in fact, come from my mouth. Like the rest of the enthused crowd, it looked like the intrigue of the appropri-ately named Mystery Jets had got the better of my own sensibilities

James Porteous

SIGHTmusic in PAG

E 7

During the Smashing Pumpkins SECC show last year, notoriously onerous front-man Billy Corgan responded characteristically bluntly to the crowd’s light-hearted boos. Glasgow’s finest had ‘feigned’ offence at the mere mention of England, through a reference to Manchester’s legendary Joy Division. Corgan responded by questioning the proliferation of worthy musical talent hailing from Glasgow, with the exception of The Jesus and Mary Chain.

In the barrage of suggestions that followed, one particular offering from a booming lager-soaked voice to my right struck me as unusual, prompting a quick check on t’interweb the next day. Yes, it was revealed, AC/DC are from Glasgow!

Well, at least a little bit. Brother’s Angus and Malcolm Young were born and lived in Glasgow until they emigrated to Australia at ages eight and ten respectively. So we can lay claim to at least a bit of the band’s sizeable musical heritage, now stretched to 15 studio albums, with the release of the chart-topping ‘Black Ice’.

This does, however, yet again raise the now-familiar question of ‘should old men play rock n roll music?’

Back out on tour to promote this new album, apparently AC/DC still put on a pretty bloody good show — Rolling Stone’s Andy Greene described their live performance as “so amazing”. Doubtless they do still obliterate ass, and given they are still producing new material, having always refused to release a Greatest Hits cash-in, perhaps AC/DC should be excused from the ‘give it up’ treatment.

Can the same really be said for all the bus-ticket headbangers still grinding out the tours? If Keith Richard’s jowls get any less gravity-resistant he’s surely going to need to train a Shet-land pony to carry them around stage. Some of these ‘zimmer-frame’ performances incite a form of quiet pity in the audience, probably not the intended reaction.

The absolutely shameless Rock n roll sexual self-aggrandisement that does, and should go with the territory, usually comes across as virile, heroic and comic with a twenty-something tattooed guitar-god. But when the tattoos begin to creep further and further into the haggard flaps of wrinkly flab, this attitude begins to seem a little inappropriate, if not desperate.

Whether they are still genuinely fresh, exiting and cool, or just capable of decent self-karaoke, maybe older bands have just as much right to be part of the rock image as anyone. Given ‘Black Ice’ is flying off the record store shelves, having debuted at number one in twenty nine countries and having sold 1,762,000 copies in its first week of sales, it would appear that a pretty enormous portion of the music loving community certainly think so.

>> Gerry McKeever

Timeless Quality

SquarepusherJust a SouvenirWarp Records - 28/10/08

DeerhunterMicrocastleKranky Records / 4AD - 27/10/08

It was no surprise when Deerhunter’s third full-length release Microcastle leaked onto the internet nearly five months before it was due to come out. What was unexpected, however, was the

mass of confusion following this regarding the date of release for the physical album, as well as the constant changes of cover art (four times?), the question of whether it

would be accompanied by a bonus disc (entitled Weird Era Cont.) and frontman Bradford Cox’s subsequent outraged response when readers of the band’s blog hacked into his public files to sneak a listen to the bonus disc’s unfinished tracks (“You ruined Christmas,” he said in a now deleted blog post).

Despite all the mess — or perhaps precisely because of the titillating hype and drama — the 12-track oeuvre these Atlanta, Georgia natives have composed is a cohesive testament to intelligent and interesting ambient pop (or post-punk, which perhaps the band would prefer). Taking cues from peers like Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear, Deerhunter has added a strong collection of sounds and lyrics to the ever-growing repertoire of good music of today.

Microcastle is more accessible than the band’s previous work, Cryptograms (2006), and it contains elements also more tried and true — yet not tired or cliché. This multi-layered record is appealingly simple but not shallow, ambient but not vacant and subtly reminiscent of ’80s post-punk stalwarts, including Echo and the Bunnymen and the Jesus and Mary Chain, but by no means a carbon copy. The band has not necessarily done anything entirely new with Microcastle in terms of modern musical history; however, this album feels completely natural both in terms of the band’s creative timeline and their ever-growing popularity. (Sanne Stienstra)

Squarepusher’s music is often tagged with genres like drill ‘n’ bass - Warp Records’ own online store categorizes him as breakcore.

However, it is apparent from his latest installment, ‘Just a souvenir’ that the amen break is irrevocably dead and along with it many of the electronic innovations that Tom Jenkinson has brought to our attention

since ‘Feed me Weird Things’ in 1996. So breakcore fans and those expecting ‘Red Hot Cars’ may be dissapointed. And though I too am nostalgic for those days, I have to say I like the new Squarepusher. He uses a vocoder now.

‘A Real Woman’ is Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ interspersed with pernickety jazz-fusion passages, perhaps to avoid accusations of plagiarism. ‘Delta V’ is a barrage of bass, assaulting us with a riff doused in so much distortion you have trouble identifying the notes. ‘The Coathanger’ may raise questions concerning his lyrical abilities (‘Here comes the coat hanger, observe the coat hanger’) but reminds us that he still plays bass like Jaco Pastorious, and sticking it through a noise gate produces some very funky staccato results. The highlight for me is perhaps the most modest piece on the album, ‘Potential Govaner’, which features a gentle crescendo of delicate acoustic guitar melodies and frag-mented drums, reminiscent of ‘Theme from Sprite’ from ‘Hello Everything’, culminating in a satisfying slap solo.

The title of the album refers to Tom’s urgent sense of responsibility to soni-cally document an intense daydream of emerald green coat hangers, a Homo Erectus playing Monopoly and a ‘crazy, beautiful band, playing an ultra-gig’ to name but a few episodes. (To see the album manifesto, visit squarepusher.net) The album certainly sounds somewhat more colourful than its predecessors. Only Tom knows if he did the dream justice. (Rudi Zygadlo)

>> Catriona Reilly

Hot Chip02/11/2008Carling Academy

we…’ and the usual pleas for a return, which were quickly answered by a re-emergence with one of their older, more sombre numbers ‘Playboy’ which had the audience swaying with its elephant-walk melody and hip hop inspired, droning chorus.

To finish the night, with most of the balloons burst, they pulsed through ‘No Fit State’ making the audience frenetic in unison and desperate for more. Hot chip are definitely not a band to disappoint – their Glasgow show offering up an exciting, quirky and novel performance, with everything needed to make sure old fans felt fulfilled, and giving new fans the impetus to come back for more.

Never has the clichéd phrase ‘the crowd was buzzing with excitement’ meant so much; by the time Hot Chip ascended to the stage of the cavernous Carling acad-

emy the crowd was ready to explode. Initiating the frenzy, the band launched into

new single ‘One Pure Thought’, setting the pace with samba driven rhythm and clanging guitar. Using their impressive technique of impromptu DJ-styled live mixing they continued into ‘Bendable Poseable.’

This technique also ensures that every live Hot Chip experience is unique, demonstrated by an extended, up-tempo ‘Boy from School’ and a percussion heavy ‘Shake a Fist,’ matching only the strobe lights in violent intensity and making the song much more dance compatible. An oddly placed rendition of ‘Touch too Much’ calmed the crowd, possibly even instilling a little boredom before again reigniting the fury with ‘Hold On,’ ‘Wrestlers’ and ‘Out at the Pictures’ running seam-lessly into each other like a club mix, whilst simul-taneously releasing a set of huge white balloons much to the crowd’s amusement.

This, however, was nothing compared to the effect of ‘Over and Over’ which started off ambigu-ously until the trademark electronic sound identi-fied it as the 2006 hit, with the crowd chanting over and over and B-O-K-E along with Alexis, who was charmingly attired with a dad-like cream suit

jacket and jeans combo. An interesting new song was also thrown in, with a combination of both soulful, melancholy and fast-paced dance styled beats promising exciting things from Hot Chip in the future.

Following this, the equally successful 2007 hit ‘Ready for the Floor,’ inspired much movement amongst the crowd and a tuneless but enthusiastic sing-along. Is it not just the songs that make the impact but the quality; every flawless live modifica-tion left you with a sense that these guys are much more than technically skilled musicians. A brief departure left the crowd chanting ‘Here we, here

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