The Courier 1211

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Two out of three ain’t bad: The Courier speaks to Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg News, page 9

THE

C OU RI E R THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF NEWCASTLE STUDENTS

EST 1948

Issue 1211 Tuesday 4 May 2010 www.thecourieronline.co.uk

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A.SMITH

Biomedical professor confesses to child porn offences

PM: poor students will get our help Simon Murphy News Editor

Second paedophilia case rocks University Caroline Argyropulo-Palmer Newcastle University professor Michael Kehoe pleaded guilty to child pornography charges at Crown Court last week, becoming the second University professor to admit to similar allegations this academic year. Kehoe admitted to four counts of making indecent images of children at the hearing on April 27. Two further charges, one of possession of indecent images of children and one Michael Kehoe, professor in microbiology, will return to Crown Court in June for sentencing

of possession of extreme pornography, described in court as an “explicit, realistic� image of intercourse with a live animal, were denied and dropped. This follows the sentencing of former biomedical lecturer Trevor Jackson for child sex offences and possession of child pornography in February. Both were suspended by the University following the allegations, but their embarrassing abuse of trust has drawn negative attention to the faculty in stark contrast to the

usual positive press it receives for outstanding research. The counts against Kehoe which were dropped were suggested to be unlawful by the defence, Toby Hedworth QC, on the grounds that the images had been deleted. The prosecution, Jayne Hastings, agreed to this on the ground that WKHUH ZRXOG EH ´VXIĂ€ FLHQW SXQLVK ment without the need to pursue FRXQWV Ă€ YH DQG VL[Âľ DQG +LV +RQ RXU -XGJH )DXONV FRQĂ€ UPHG WKDW “not guilty was acceptable and “the counts didn’t really add anythingâ€?. The four counts pleaded guilty to were specimen counts relating to the four levels of image found. No further details were revealed, other than that all counts relate to the period of time between February 2008 and April 2009. The case is now adjourned until WKH Ă€ UVW ZHHN RI -XQH ZKHQ D SV\ chiatrists report will have been prepared and given to the probation service for these recommendations to be considered before preparing their pre-sentence report. Judge Faulks told Kehoe that: “All options are open, I am not giving you any promises in adjourning for sentencing.â€? Kehoe was also made to sign the sex offenders register before leaving the court, and the prosecution will submit proposals for a sex offender’s prevention order. Continued on page 5

Labour land: Brown was greeted by cheering crowds at Newcastle Central Station

In an exclusive interview with The Courier, the Prime Minister highlighted the future of higher education as one of his key priorities. Gordon Brown visited the city this ZHHNHQG DV SDUW RI KLV Ă€ QDO FDP paign push before the general election on Thursday. He urged Newcastle’s students not to let the Conservatives “wreckâ€? their future by enforcing devastating public sector cuts. Brown was keen to stress that helping underprivileged young people in Britain get a top university education was one of his central concerns. “You know, that’s what makes me work hard every day,â€? he said. “I want everybody who has got the potential to make the most of the opportunities that are available, so there are more grants this year than at anytime in university education. “Of course the balance is between the government’s grants, parental contributions and the tuition fees. “Graduates, on average, earn twice as much as people who are not graduates, and so as we expand university education, it has been right to say that we’ve got to get the balance right between what you pay after you graduate and what we can contribute to your education.â€? Brown refused to pre-empt the ongoing higher education funding review but said he hoped that it would be equitable. He added: “We want more people from all backgrounds to get the chance to go to university.â€? Brown warned against the dangers of a Tory government, indicating that they would slash the public services budget in the North East. “We are saying to the young people that we will not leave you in the same position as the Conservatives did in the 1980s,â€? he said. “Don’t allow the Conservatives in now to wreck the economy because we have gone a long way from savLQJ WKLV FRXQWU\ IURP D JOREDO Ă€ QDQ cial recession. “Jobs has been the key issue for this region for many, many years and we are the party that is built around providing job opportunities.â€?

2

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Q&A with Foreign Secretary David Miliband

The Union Society, King’s Walk, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QB. Tel: 0191 239 3940

David Coverdale Editor editor.union@ncl.ac.uk

This week The Courier features interviews with the leaders of both the Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party. 7KLV LQ QR ZD\ UHĂ HFWV WKH QHZV SDSHU¡V SROLWLFDO VWDQFH ,W LV VLPSO\ that we have been lucky enough to have had the unexpected chance of speaking to two of the three men Ă€ JKWLQJ WR EH WKH FRXQWU\¡V QH[W Prime Minister - quite a feat for a student newspaper. The Courier is the independent voice of Newcastle students and LW UHPDLQV H[DFWO\ WKDW ,Q RXU interviews with Newcastle East candidates, we have spoken to all three major parties, concluding this ZHHN¡V LQWHUYLHZ ZLWK &RQVHUYDWLYH candidate Dominic Llewellyn. The constituency of Newcastle East has one of the highest student populations in the country, and it is important that those who are UHJLVWHUHG DQG WKH PDMRULW\ RI Ă€ UVW year students automatically are, use their vote this Thursday. This is an exciting week for stuGHQWV PDQ\ RI ZKLFK DUH Ă€ UVW WLPH voters, and it is also an exciting time for The Courier to bow out at the end of another academic year. , ZRXOG OLNH WR WDNH WKLV RSSRU tunity to say that it has been an honour to edit such an established and well respected publication. Throughout the year we have looked to report on the issues that really affect students and bring you the news of what is really happenLQJ DW \RXU 8QLYHUVLW\ , DP SURXG of our efforts to provide readers with the stories they want to read. , ZRXOG OLNH WR WKDQN HYHU\RQH who has contributed to The Courier this academic year and end by wishing my successor every success in her role next year.

Editorial Team: ‡ (GLWRU 'DYLG &RYHUGDOH ‡ 'HSXW\ (GLWRU )UDQ ,QIDQWH ‡ 1HZV (GLWRUV -HVVLFD 7XOO\ DQG 6LPRQ Murphy ‡ &RPPHQW (GLWRUV &DUROLQH $UJ\URSXOR 3DOPHU DQG 1LFKRODV )LGOHU ‡ /LIH 6W\OH (GLWRUV /DULVD %URZQ $OH[ )HOWRQ DQG $VKOH\ )U\HU ‡ &XOWXUH (GLWRU $OLFH 9LQFHQW ‡ $UWV (GLWRU 6WHSKDQLH )HUUDR ‡ )LOP (GLWRU )UDQFHV .URRQ ‡ 0XVLF (GLWRUV 0DUN &RUFRUDQ /HWWLFH DQG &KULV 0DQGOH ‡ 79 5DGLR (GLWRU $LPHH 3KLOLSVRQ ‡ 3X]]OHV (GLWRUV 6X]L 0RRUH DQG 1HG Walker ‡ 6SRUWV (GLWRUV 3DXO &KULVWLDQ -DPLH *DYLQ DQG 7RP -DPHV ‡ 'HVLJQ (GLWRU 9LFWRULD %HOO ‡ 2QOLQH (GLWRUV *RUGRQ %UXFH DQG -HVVLFD Monson ‡ 3URRI (GLWRUV 5XWK $OVDQFDN &ODLUH &KLOGV .DWK +DUPHU /XF\ +RXOGHQ $QQD .HQROW\ &KDUORWWH /RIWXV (PPD 3HDVJRRG DQG &ODLUH 5XVVHOO

The Courier is printed by: Harmsworth Printing Limited, Northcliffe House, Meadow Road, Derby, DE1 2DW. Tel: 01332 253013. Established in 1948, The Courier is the fully independent Student Newspaper of the Union Society at the University of Newcastle-UponTyne. The Courier is published weekly during term time, and is free of charge. The design, text, photographs and graphics are copyright of The Courier and its individual contributors. No parts of this newspaper may be reproduced without the prior permission of the Editor. Any views expressed in this newspaper’s opinion pieces are those of the individual writing, and not of The Courier, the Union Society or the University of Newcastleupon-Tyne.

News Editors: Simon Murphy and Jessica Tully - courier.news@ncl.ac.uk

> Page 8

University faces up to ageism debate

Grey matters: Newcastle University’s new ‘Changing Age’ campaign calls for a change in the negative perceptions that surround ageing and our growing ageing population

Harriet King Newcastle University is at the centre of a campaign to combat ageism and prejudices against older people. 7KH 1HZFDVWOH &KDUWHU IRU DJHLVP has been signed by, amongst others, &KULV %ULQN WKH 9LFH &KDQFHOORU RI the University, Dr Miriam Stoppard DQG 'DPH -RDQ %DNHZHOO WKH *RY HUQPHQW¡V YRLFH IRU 2OGHU 3HRSOH The charter aims to bring awareness to the issue of ageism as well DV WR Ă€ JKW LW DV %ULWDLQ¡V SRSXODWLRQ grows older. A major element of the FDPSDLJQ LV WKH 1HZFDVWOH &KDUWHU IRU &KDQJLQJ $JH ZKLFK FDOOV XSRQ everyone, the public, organisations

and politicians, to support the campaign in order to create a society in which people of all ages can live their lives to their fullest potential. Professor Tom Kirkwood, DirecWRU RI WKH ,QVWLWXWH IRU $JHLQJ DQG Health at Newcastle University said: “Too often, public and political debate has focused on population ageing as a negative issue, a ‘burden’ to be managed. “The campaign we are launching seeks to change this, recognising the tremendously positive contributions that an ageing population has on society, and encouraging a profound change in attitudes to ageing, informed by facts and not by out-

dated misconceptions.â€? 7KH 1HZFDVWOH &KDUWHU DLPV WR bring to people’s attention the beneĂ€ WV WKDW FRXOG SRWHQWLDOO\ EH UHDSHG from an ageing population and to dispel myths about the potential issues that may arise. 0LFKHOOH 0LWFKHOO &KDULW\ 'LUHF WRU RI $JH &RQFHUQ DQG +HOS WKH Aged said: “We’re delighted to lend our support to a campaign which embraces and celebrates the ageing SURFHVV &KDOOHQJLQJ FRPPRQO\ held perceptions about getting older plays a vital role in the work we do, and this campaign is an important VWHS LQ RXU Ă€ JKW WR HQG DJH GLVFULPL nation.â€?

Newcastle University’s reputation as a leading centre for research into ageing was recognised with the award of a Queen’s AnniverVDU\ 3UL]H IRU +LJKHU DQG )XUWKHU Education, in November 2009. Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for %XVLQHVV ,QQRYDWLRQ DQG 6NLOOV said: “The winners represent a distinguished and sustained contribution to human progress and to the UK’s high international standing in education.’ ,W LV KRSHG WKDW WKH 1HZFDVWOH &KDUWHU IRU &KDQJLQJ $JH ZLOO HGX cate people about these issues. As WKH SXEOLFLW\ SRVWHUV VD\ Âś,W LV QRW MXVW EODFN DQG ZKLWH *UH\ PDWWHUV¡

University budget cut as Vice-Chancellor’s pay rises Jessica Tully News Editor Newcastle University’s budget is to be cut by ÂŁ1 million next year, Ă€ JXUHV IURP WKH +LJKHU (GXFDWLRQ )XQGLQJ &RXQFLO IRU (QJODQG +( )&( UHYHDO The cuts to higher education were DQQRXQFHG DV Ă€ JXUHV ZHUH UHOHDVHG UHYHDOLQJ SD\ DQG EHQHĂ€ WV SDFNDJHV IRU XQLYHUVLW\ 9LFH &KDQFHOORUV URVH by more than 10 per cent last year. )LJXUHV VKRZ WKDW LQ WKH DFDGHPLF year of 2008-9, the leaders of 152 higher education institutions in the UK, including Newcastle University, received a total of ÂŁ33,311,726 LQ VDODULHV DQG EHQHĂ€ WV H[FOXGLQJ pensions. 1HZFDVWOH 8QLYHUVLW\¡V 9LFH &KDQ FHOORU &KULV %ULQN ZDV UDQNHG WK with a salary of ÂŁ244,300, almost a ÂŁ20,000 increase from the previous academic year. 2I WKRVH WKDW PDGH WKHLU DFFRXQWV available, the highest paying instituWLRQV LQFOXGHG &LW\ ZKR SDLG WKHLU 9LFH &KDQFHOORU Â… DQG 8&/¡V 0DOFRP *UDQW UHFHLYHG Â… Newly elected NUS President,

$DURQ 3RUWHU VDLG ´,W LV REVFHQH IRU 9LFH &KDQFHOORUV WR EH OLQLQJ WKHLU pockets with such huge pay increases while calling for students to be charged even higher fees. ´:LWK WKHLU VL[ Ă€ JXUH VDODULHV PDQ\ 9LFH &KDQFHOORUV DUH REYLRXV ly divorced from the stark reality that faces most of us in this country, QRW WR PHQWLRQ WKH VLJQLĂ€ FDQW IXQG ing cuts and belt-tightening exercises that universities are currently undergoing. ´$W D WLPH ZKHQ 9LFH &KDQFHOORUV are demanding even more money for their institutions, there will jusWLĂ€ DEO\ EH FRQFHUQV WKDW WKH PRQH\ already invested in the sector since fees were trebled little more than three years ago has not been well spent.â€? ,Q WRWDO PHPEHUV RI VWDII DW Newcastle University get paid over ÂŁ100,000, ten of which get paid more than ÂŁ150,000, an increase in four from 2007/08. Two members of staff also get paid over ÂŁ200,000. Newcastle University’s Executive 'LUHFWRU RI )LQDQFH 5LFKDUG 'DOH defended the salary increases. He

said: “The very large upward drift in salaries in universities is from the 2008 national pay rise salary. ´:H KDYH D 9LFH &KDQFHOORU DW WKH top end of the scale, and we were pretty much bottom of the Russell *URXS OHDJXH WDEOH LQ WHUPV RI ZKDW ZH SD\ RXU 9LFH &KDQFHOORU ´2Q WRS RI WKLV WKH H[HFXWLYH members of the University voluntarLO\ FKRVH WR IUHH]H WKHLU SD\ IRU WKH DFDGHPLF \HDU DQG QHLWKHU WKH 9LFH &KDQFHOORU QRU H[HFXWLYH PHPEHUV of staff have received bonuses this year.â€? The 0.3 per cent cut in the University’s budget will come into effect QH[W \HDU ,W LV PDLQO\ GXH WR WKH phasing out of additional support for old and historic buildings, such as the Armstrong Building. Dale said: “We are very disapSRLQWHG E\ WKH FXW LQ +()&( IXQGV and obviously we’d rather it have been an increase. We have ÂŁ1 million less next year than we had this year, in a University whose annual income next year will be ÂŁ380 million. “You have to put it in context; ÂŁ1

million sounds a lot of money when \RX Ă€ UVW ORRN DW LW EXW RXW RI Â… million is absorbable.â€? 2XW RI WKH 5XVVHOO *URXS 8QLYHUVL ties, Newcastle was one of the worst affected by the cuts, along with Birmingham University. 'DOH VDLG ´+()&( GHFLGHG WKLV year to stop the extra grants they’d been giving to universities who have got lots of old buildings, and Newcastle have got more than its fair share of old buildings. “Places like Northumbria across the road, which is mostly new buildings, didn’t have an historic grant to lose so relatively Newcastle have not done very well out of this.â€? Dale maintains that the University have done their best to re-assure both staff and students, and was keen to stress that morale in and around the University was essential. He said: “We have spent time EULHĂ€ QJ KHDGV RI VWDII DQG IDFXOWLHV DQG , KRSH SHRSOH IHHO UH DVVXUHG that Newcastle University is in good VKDSH , DP FRQĂ€ GHQW DERXW QH[W year; it will need something very drastic to hit us.â€?

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

3

News

Architecture student’s artwork displayed in Northumberland English Heritage site Elliot Bentley A student at Newcastle University has won a place in an art exhibition, which will see his artwork among those of prestigious artists. CiarĂĄn Treanor, a 25-year-old Architecture student from Monaghan, Ireland, competed against the rest of KLV IHOORZ Ă€QDO \HDU VWXGHQWV IRU WKH Belsay Fellowship, which gives students the opportunity to have their artwork displayed in ‘Extraordinary Measures’ at Belsay Hall, Northumberland. Other artists also featured in the exhibition include Ron Mueck, a hyper realist sculptor who specialises in bizarre oversized humans; Tessa Farmer, whose fairies made out of Ă \ ERGLHV KDYH JDUQHUHG PXFK UHcent press; and Mat Collishaw, a prominent young British artist. CiarĂĄn’s work, entitled ‘Wild Horses’, was inspired by Belsay Hall’s gardens after the competition entrants were given a tour of the house and grounds. He said the lawn area near the stable block was the trigger for his work. “This site was interesting to me as I felt a sense of loss there and a sense of forgotten history,â€? he said. “I wasn’t expecting to win and it’s absolutely fantastic that I did - working from an art perspective rather than architecture has helped me look at the way I design. To show my work in the same exhibition as such prestigious artists is a fantastic opportunity.â€? Exhibition curator Judith King said: “It is exciting for us to be able to help nurture the talent of the younger generation, so they can see their work exhibited on equal terms with some of the established stars of the contemporary art scene. “All of the students put a huge effort into their fantastic ideas and it ZDV LQFUHGLEO\ GLIĂ€FXOW WR FKRRVH D winner. “CiarĂĄn’s design stood out as it showed great imagination and his thinking, post research, and the way he translated Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens, was extremely feasible. For visitors, the visualisation of this will be both inspirational and wonderful.â€? ‘Extraordinary Measures’ will be taking place at Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens from May 1 to September 26.

Wild horses: Architecture student CiarĂĄn Treanor will see his artwork displayed at Belsay Hall in Northumberland in what Treanor describes as a “fantastic opportunityâ€? for himself

Graduate launches tea company after economic downturn Laura Heads A former Newcastle University student, destined to become a city banker, has turned his hand to selling tea after the economic downturn revealed a sudden lack of jobs. 22-year-old Accounting and Finance graduate, Adam Soliman has fully embraced the British passion for tea drinking by setting up his own tea company, Global Tea and Coffee Exchange, aimed at ‘renovating the UK tea market with a range of high quality teas’. He told The Courier: “A lot of the

teas I came across in the UK were insipid and bitter; I wanted to create a high end range of teas that would bring back quality into the UK market.� With help from his parents and Blackpool’s ‘Get Started’ project, the budding entrepreneur’s aspirations to set up his company were realised. He credits his initial enthusiasm for the idea stemmed from his visits to tea plantations in Vietnam, coupled with attending numerous conferences throughout Europe. “We were in Vietnam for three-

and-a-half weeks and we visited plantations to see what went into growing tea. It was a great experience to be sat drinking tea with these Vietnamese farmers.� &KDUEUHZ WKH ÀUVW VWUDQG WR $Gam’s company, is a specialist tea brand developed with the objective of having a distinct taste, strong aroma and superior quality to any tea available to buy at the moment. +LV GHÀQLWLYH JRDO LV WR UHQRYDWH the tea market within the UK, and his ultimate aim is to get his products sold in Selfridges or Harvey Nichols.

Currently Adam sells his tea to restaurants, cafes and other outlets around the Lancaster area; 19 are currently listed on his website. All the teas are imported from Europe but the packaging and marketing are carried out by Adam in the UK. “I’m constantly on the go, it’s a seven day a week job at the moment but I am determined to make it a success. This is a growing market and lots more people are interested in different kinds of tea these days. I already have meetings set up with Lakeland who have a big portfolio

of stores across the country.� The teas available include exotic choices such as Tropical Rooibos, the popular South African tea, Strawberries and Cream, Black Tea ZLWK 6XQà RZHU %ORVVRP DORQJVLGH the traditional teas such as English Breakfast. Eventually hoping to move into coffee as well, it is clear that this is not the end for Adam; his next job is to expand his business as much as he can and begin selling to national ÀUPV DQG LQGLYLGXDOV YLD KLV ZHEsite, as well as local ones

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Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

News

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Making a noise: a Jesmond household

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THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

5

News

behaviour formal disciplinary cases. Gray said: “Bouncers in nightclubs DUH Ă€QGLQJ WKH GUXJV WKHQ FDOOLQJ the police. And once the student has spent a night in the cells and found that they’ve put themselves at risk of having a criminal record, I think that sometimes frightens them enough that they’re not going to touch drugs again. For a lot of them it’s MDMA and cannabis.â€? The Courier asked if the University was aware of any students being caught up with the recently banned drug mephedrone. Gray revealed that a number of students had found themselves in trouble with the police even before the substance became illegal. She said: “We’ve had a lot of mephedrone issues. We had six or seven cases reported before the ban where students had been arrested for possession of a class A drug, because mephedrone looks like cocaine. “When we’ve brought the students in they have told us that it was mephedrone, so the police had not taken any further action. The University did not take any further action because at the time it wasn’t

an illegal drug. “It is something that we are getting very concerned about.â€? But the rise in disciplinary cases does not solely relate to criminal prosecutions. The Night Noise Team, which monitors noise on the residential streets of Jesmond, has extended patrols to cover every night of the week, instead of just at weekends. The result is that more VWXGHQWV DUH UHFHLYLQJ Ă€QHV IURP WKH University for playing loud music and acting inappropriately. Telling The Courier that 21st birthday parties are a common cause of noise-related complaints, Gray said: “We deem noise disturbance as something that is bringing the University’s reputation into disrepute. “We feel that anybody who is living in private accommodation is still part of our University, their actions GR UHĂ HFW RQ WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ DQG XOtimately we are trying to protect the reputation of the University. “We are not trying to act as big brother within the community, we really just want to try and act as a liaison between students and local communities so that we can live amicably.â€?

noise equipment seized

had ÂŁ6,000 worth of audio equipment taken away by the council after noise complaints

in their degrees. As a consequence of their frequent anti social behaviour each member of the household are to receive formal cautions that will remain on record for three years. When asked whether their frequent anti social behaviour has dampened relations between the student and local community one member of the house said: “There are over 30,000 students living in Newcastle and so it would be wrong to generalise that the noise related incidents are fun-

GDPHQWDOO\ UHĂ HFWLYH RI WKH HQWLUH student community.â€? Fay Paterson, Student Liaison Coordinator for Northumbria Police, told The Courier: “Local authorities are here to serve all aspects of the community. “It is simply a case of common courtesy to be respectful towards your neighbours with regards to noise levels. “I hope the action taken against these students is a lesson for everyone.â€?

Students reveal they would strip for cash Larisa Brown Two in ten female students in Newcastle would strip to fund their studies. The poll of over 100 people also VKRZHG WKDW Ă€YH LQ WHQ ZRXOG SRVH in their underwear for money. The poll also showed that Newcastle students can earn more than ÂŁ1,000 a night in strip clubs across the city. A second year Newcastle student studying International Business Management said she only became a stripper at Pussy Galores because KHU Ă€QDQFLDO VLWXDWLRQ ZDV VR GLUH “It’s the easiest and fastest way to make money,â€? she said. “I was really struggling with money. I received QR Ă€QDQFLDO KHOS IURP KRPH DQG had to pay my own rent and living costs with my student loan. “For a private dance, lasting between three or four minutes I get paid ÂŁ10 to be topless or ÂŁ20 to be nude. “Alternatively clients can enjoy ‘sit-downs’, which are private dances lasting periods of half an hour, which cost ÂŁ90. “I have made ÂŁ1,200 in one night before,â€? said the student, who wished to remain anonymous. “Although I see this job as a stopgap, I do enjoy it. I like the power trip of taking a guy’s hard earned cash for not much effort. “My father doesn’t know what I get up to; he would be disappointed to say the least: to him I will always be his little princess. I don’t intend to carry on once I have found a decent graduate job.â€? Another Newcastle student studying business, said: “I learnt to pole dance for a year and met lots of girls who were strippers. I thought it seemed like a good idea. “The club I now work in is very safe, with open booths and doormen who patrol and keep a good eye on us. Depending on the night I can earn between ÂŁ100 and ÂŁ800. “I tell most people about my job. My parents know I dance but since the club has gone fully nude I haven’t mentioned it. I started when it was a topless bar and I have been there for a year and a half now.â€? Pete Mercer, Newcastle Student 6XSSRUW 2IĂ€FHU VDLG ´, ZRXOGQ¡W encourage students to undertake that type of work, not necessarily because I disagree with it but purely because I suspects girls who enter into this area of work often end up in dangerous situations that can lead to activities that are detrimen-

Stripped down: one Newcastle student earned £1,200 in a night at a gentleman’s club

tal to their health.� A national poll of more than 1,000 female university students, found that two per cent of students have worked in a gentleman’s club while at university; with almost half saying they took the job because it was “easy money�. The Students’ Union Student Advice Centre (SAC) said they had never been approached by a student who has stripped to fund their university studies but in the eventual-

ity, said they would look into the reasons behind their activity. A spokesperson for the SAC said: “We would treat every case differently as some people work in gentleman’s clubs because they enjoy it and some because they are desperate. “If the student is desperate for money then we would hope to be DEOH WR RIIHU DOWHUQDWLYH ZD\V WR Ă€nance their degree programme without having to resort to stripping.â€?

Continued from front page Kehoe, 56, who was a well respected member of staff in the Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, had his unconditional bail extended by the Judge. As well as lecturing Undergraduate students, Kehoe, of Eastshield

Hill, Morpeth, was a Biological SafeW\ 2IĂ€FHU DW WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ Originally from Ireland, Kehoe has contributed a substantial number of SXEOLFDWLRQV WR WKH Ă€HOG RI PLFURELology throughout his career. A spokesperson for Newcastle University said: “Professor Kehoe

was suspended after the allegations came to light. We are now in a position to consider the details of the offences he has admitted with a view to possible further action. “The University has fully co-operated with the police throughout this investigation.�

Retraction ‘On Monday 16 November 2009 (issue 1199) The Courier published information relating to senior residents of INTO in the article ‘University exposed for exploiting post grads’. In this article, it was quoted that ‘One of my colleagues is from

Palestine and she is effectively trapped here because the borders have been closed’ and ‘she has had no support and has been trying to sort all this out in a second language; it’s appalling’. This information is incorrect and The Courier would like to apologise to the student con-

cerned. The Palestinian senior resident would also like to add that she had worked for INTO for one and a half years and she had never been misled or disappointed in her work and INTO was one of the best and safest accommodations she lived in during her studies.

6

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

News Election 2010

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Fresh for the challenge: Dominic Llewellyn, the Conservative’s 26-year-old candidate for

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THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

7

Election 2010 News

Newcastle students will vote Tory party says survey Sophie McCoid

Newcastle East, with David Willetts, the shadow Higher Education Minister, outside Newcastle Students’ Union this month after talking with students concerned about university funding

Dominic Llewellyn on: Immigration

“Knocking on the door you realise they’re really important. I think Britain GRHV EHQHĂ€W IURP LPPLgration, but it does not EHQHĂ€W IURP XQFRQWUROOHG immigration. When Labour came into power DIWHU QHW PLJUDWLRQ was about 46,000, now LW¡V ² DQG , WKLQN that what we need to do is take immigration down IURP WKH KXQGUHGV RI WKRXVDQGV WR WKH WHQV RI thousands.â€? Hung parliament

“I think the problem with hung parliaments is people think they’re going to get more democratic accountability, but the

reality is with hung parliaments nobody knows because there are lots RI EDFNURRP GHDOV ORWV RI VKDG\ FRQYHUVDWLRQV DQG LQVWDELOLW\ LQ JRYHUQment.� MP’s expenses scandal

“What really annoys me as a constituent is that you can’t kick out your 03 IRU GRLQJ ZURQJ DW the moment and I think that you need to be able to do that. I think that we need to enable petitions to reach the House RI &RPPRQV ZH QHHG WR restore trust more generally in politics.� Tory plans for inheritance tax

´, WKLQN /DERXU KDYH

spun lies about the inheritance tax. When people KDYH SDLG WKHLU WD[HV DOO WKHLU OLYHV KDUG ZRUNLQJ SHRSOH IRU WKHP WR VHH RI WKHLU HVWDWH EHLQJ WDNHQ DZD\ IURP WKHLU children isn’t on.� The TV debates

´, WKLQN WKH\¡YH EHHQ UHDOO\ JRRG UHDOO\ OLYHO\ , think that it’s important that the electorate get the opportunity to see what their politicians are made RI Âľ Nick Clegg

´, WKLQN 1LFN &OHJJ KDV done really well in the TV debates, I think he’s UHDOO\ EHQHĂ€WHG IURP WKH public knowing who he

LV +RZHYHU DOWKRXJK &OHJJ KDV SHUIRUPHG ZHOO in the debates, I would actually urge the public to take a closer look at the Liberal Democrats and what they are doing.� Class warfare

“What really annoys me and irks me is class ZDUIDUH ZKLFK WKH /DERXU 3DUW\ KDYH XVHG LQ their campaign. Making it about people who are PRUH SULYLOHJHG DQG SHRple who are not is wrong ² WU\LQJ WR FUHDWH GLYLVLRQ in politics is wrong. What ZH QHHG WR GR LV JRYHUQ IRU SHRSOH ZKHWKHU WKH\ are rich or poor, male or IHPDOH DQG , WKLQN WKDW¡V YLWDO Âľ

1HZFDVWOH KDV DSSHDUHG LQ D OLVW RI WKH WRS WHQ XQLYHUVLWLHV ZKRVH VWXGHQWV DUH PRVW OLNHO\ WR YRWH 7RU\ 7KH VXUYH\ XQGHUWDNHQ E\ High Fliers Research placed Newcastle students as tenth most likely to want a &RQVHUYDWLYH JRYHUQPHQW DIWHU DVNLQJ VWXGHQWV IURP XQLYHUsities around the country who they ZHUH PRVW OLNHO\ WR YRWH IRU LQ WKH upcoming election. Martin Birchall, who produced the UHVHDUFK IRXQG WKDW WKH &RQVHUYDWLYH VXSSRUWHUV VWXFN FORVHO\ WR WKHLU traditional stereotype. With most KDYLQJ EHLQJ WR SULYDWH VFKRRO H[pecting to gain high earnings and expressing a wish to work in the SURIHVVLRQDO VHFWRU /DERXU VXSSRUWHUV DOVR OLYHG XS WR the stereotype with many supportHUV KDYLQJ DWWHQGHG FRPSUHKHQVLYH schools and wishing to pursue careers in education or the media. Students were also asked what ZRXOG EH WKH GHFLGLQJ IDFWRU WR YRWH IRU D SDUW\ 7ZR WKLUGV RI WKH SHRSOH TXHVWLRQHG VDLG WKH\ ZRXOG YRWH RQ SROLF\ ZRXOG FKRRVH WKH SDUW\ ZLWK WKH PRVW FKDULVPDWLF FRQYLQFLQJ OHDGHU DQG RQH LQ VHYHQ ZRXOG IROORZ WUDGLWLRQ DQG YRWH IRU WKH same party as their parents. 7KH VXUYH\ IRXQG WKDW RI SHRSOH TXHVWLRQHG ZRXOG EH YRWLQJ LQ WKH HOHFWLRQ IRU WKH Ă€UVW WLPH 2QO\ RI WKH SHRSOH VXUYH\HG KDGQ¡W GHFLGHG ZKLFK SDUW\ WR YRWH IRU \HW The Courier has conducted its own VXUYH\ 7KH PDMRULW\ RI SHRSOH TXHVWLRQHG DURXQG ZHUH LQ IDYRXU RI D &RQVHUYDWLYH JRYHUQPHQW PRVW RI WKHVH SHRSOH FRPLQJ IURP XSSHU class backgrounds. 7KH /LEHUDO 'HPRFUDWV IDUHG ZHOO WRR ZLWK ZDQWLQJ WR VHH WKHP LQ SRZHU EHFDXVH RI WKH SDUW\¡V FRQFHUQ IRU VWXGHQW LVVXHV DQG WKH UHFHQW ´&OHJJ PDQLDÂľ Labour lagged behind in third ZLWK RQO\ RI SHRSOH ZLVKLQJ WR see them continue to stay in power ZLWK VRPH FLWLQJ WKHLU GHVLUH IRU change as the main reason why they ZRXOGQ¡W YRWH IRU WKHP Wes Streeting, the outgoing PresiGHQW RI WKH 1DWLRQDO 8QLRQ RI 6WXGHQWV H[SUHVVHG FRQFHUQ RYHU WKH &RQVHUYDWLYH¡V ODFN RI VXSSRUW IRU opposing an increase in tuition top XS IHHV 2QO\ 7RU\ FDQGLGDWHV KDYH pledged not to support an increase LQ IHHV ZKHUHDV /DERXU DQG /LE 'HPV KDYH $W WKH DQQXDO 186 FRQIHUHQFH Mr Streeting said: “For a party with KRSHV RI IRUPLQJ WKH QH[W JRYHUQment, this is a real let down. “Students should rightly draw the FRQFOXVLRQ WKDW D &RQVHUYDWLYH JRYernment is ideologically disposed WR KLNLQJ XS IHHV DQG UHSUHVHQWV D VLJQLĂ€FDQW WKUHDW WR WKH PLOOLRQV RI VWXGHQWV ZKR DUH ORRNLQJ IRU UHDO FKDQJH WKURXJK D IDLUHU IXQGLQJ V\Vtem,â€? he added.

8

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

News Election 2010

‘With their head and hearts, students should be voting Labour’ Foreign Secretary David Miliband talks to News Editor Jessica Tully about the pressing issues during his time in the cabinet and the importance of the televised debates The televised debates: I think the debates have been good for democracy overall. They allow people to take a look at politicians in a setting other than the House of Commons or TV interviews. They have allowed politicians to question each other and I don’t think we should be afraid of that. I think that people are smart enough to look beneath the surface and I think that is what’s going to happen over the next ten years. I think they have also shown the substance that Gordon offers. They have allowed him to set out some of the key ideas we’ve got. I think that they’ve crystallised people’s doubts about David Cameron. Nick Clegg: I think that people know the difference between voting for the winner of a TV debate and voting for someone to run the country. Most people didn’t know Nick &OHJJ XQWLO WKH Ă€UVW GHEDWH DQG QRZ they do so he’s obviously got a boost out of that but I think that British people take a second and third look at a party before they vote for it. I think that’s what is going to happen

before now and polling day. I think a lot more people are more undecided in this election than any election I know and I think people won’t make up their minds until the last 48 hours. Multiculturalism: I think we are much stronger as a society for being a diverse, multicultural society. I think that everyone has responsibilities as well as rights. It’s important that we integrate people and respect diversity. I don’t think we should ever be a Britain which locks itself out from the outside world. Nuclear weapons: I think that the non-proliferation treaty explicitly requires countries both to disarm and to prevent nuclear proliferation as well as to promote access to civilian nuclear power. The aim of this new treaty is to achieve peace through disarmament and to make sure that disarmament contributes towards stability because nuclear weapons are such dangerous weapons. Every country which signs the treaty as we did in the 1970s com-

mits to disarmament. I think many people don’t know that all the countries that sign the treaty, like China or America, we all commit to seeking multi- lateral disarmament that works and that is why the government has reduced its nuclear warhead numbers by about two thirds to three quarters. The suggestion of China as a nuclear power: It was a gross error on Mr Cameron’s behalf. It is a gross insult to put Iran and China in the same bracket. It shows immaturity on foreign affairs; in the most delicate part of foreign affairs. It is completely old fashioned to think about China becoming a nuclear threat and it’s completely old fashioned to think that China will be more likely to become a partner of ours if we threaten them that they are going to be the object of our nuclear deterrent. I think it was a very bad mistake and I am sorry to report that he has repeated it and has tried to defend himself. He hasn’t said that it was a slip. I think that any Newcastle student of International Relations would

Man of the world: Foreign Secretary David Miliband defended Labour’s policy on Iraq

have done much better. It was a crass error and any student would not have made the same mistake. Iraq: If the world had known that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction there would be QR 81 UHVROXWLRQV QR GHĂ€DQFH RI the resolutions by Saddam Hussein and no war. I would make the point that all the intelligence services of the world agreed that he had weapons of mass destruction. The UN issued a report documenting the WMD that he did not dispose of and he himself boasted about his WMD.

The student vote: I think it is very important that students vote; out of self interest and DOVR RXW RI VSHFLĂ€F GXW\ DQG FRQFHUQ for others. I think there are big issues on the ballot paper to do with our own economy and our own public service but also at stake are massive issues of climate change and massive issues of international disarmament. We need a strong reform at home and we also need a strong Britain abroad and I think that with their head and heart students should be voting Labour.

Comedian Izzard stands up for the Labour Party Caroline Argyropulo-Palmer Tom James Revered as one of the greatest stand ups this country has produced and having received adulation and great respect from the public after completing the astonishing feat of running 42 marathons in 51 days for Sports Relief recently, Eddie Izzard has now turned his attention to the current election campaign and has once again thrown his support behind the Labour party. Appearing in Newcastle last Thursday as part of his campaign tour, Izzard met the local Labour candidates and members of the public in the Starbucks at Old Eldon Square. Describing himself as a “radical moderate�, he has been a member of the party since 1995, and also campaigned during the European election. Witty, approachable and with a healthy appetite for cross dressing, Izzard may well be the political antithesis of the current Prime Minister, but it is perhaps more his fear of a Conservative government more than a love for Gordon Brown which has provoked Izzard to become one

On the road: Eddie Izzard visited Newcastle last week in support of the Labour Party

of Labour’s most vocal campaigners. In particular, in his ‘Brilliant Britain’ Labour Party campaign video Izzard takes issue with David Cameron’s claim that we are living in a ‘broken Britain’ and after covering the four corners of the UK whilst running his marathons, Izzard is in

a better position than most to offer an accurate opinion on the welfare of the state. He told The Courier: “It’s the same old Tory Party. Behind the shop window of David Cameron who looks very nice, there’s strange people who are probably like the dementors in Harry Potter.

“So, you need to be very afraid. Watch Harry Potter and see the dementors, they’ll suck your face off, and that’s just what probably what will happen.� Having always voted himself, for the Labour Party, he stressed how important it is for students to get out and vote. Izzard said: “The only way they can make a change is by voting, and people fought and died in the Second World War to keep the Nazis out. There would have been no voting, we wouldn’t have had any of that. “And back you go to the English Civil War the Levellers, they said: ‘Why not one person one vote?’, and Cromwell said: ‘Sorry mate, you’ve got to have a big old house to have a vote’, and now it is one person one vote and eventually we’ll get it all round the world. “But it’s got to start here and you need to go in there and make your voice heard.� Fourth year Newcastle University German and Politics student James Brown went to meet Izzard. He told The Courier: “It was such a surreal experience to meet him, to

sit next to him, to talk to him about changing the voting system, the national debt, the threat from the Tories. “He is an incredibly funny, intelligent man and I think he does a good job telling students to use their vote in a down to earth way. It’s good that he wears his politics on his sleeve, celebrities with political views should speak out, but I have to say that meeting him wouldn’t sway me towards or away from Labour.â€? Izzard also commented on celebrities’ involvement with politics: “Some people say ‘I don’t want to listen to a celebrity’, and I think WKDW¡V DEVROXWHO\ Ă€QH “I think what we should do is judge celebrities on what they’ve done with their life and what they stand for, and if you’re saying ‘well that’s an interesting position and they’ve done a fairly good life’ and then listen to what they say and if you don’t then don’t listen to what they say.â€? Leaving with the remark “there will be no sunshine under the Tory partyâ€?, Izzard intends to run for election himself in ten years time.

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

9

Election 2010 News

Clegg: I want to lead the country As the general election looms, Larisa Brown talks to the man ORRNLQJ WR EH %ULWDLQ¡V QH[W 30

N

ick Clegg said his breakfast this morning had consisted of just a banana, a yogurt and a cup of coffee, surely not enough to keep him battling through yet another day of the election campaign. Perhaps he is starting to feel the strain as election day is drawing near and his recent surge in the opinion polls has meant the comSHWLWLRQ LV VWULNLQJ EDFN Ă€HUFHU WKDQ ever before. With it seeming increasingly likely that a coalition government will deĂ€QH WKH QH[W JHQHUDWLRQ RI %ULWLVK politics, speculation has mounted as to which party the Liberal Democrats will support the eventuality. Opinions as to which side Liberal Democrats will hold allegiance to will lean, and may sway votes in their decision. When asked which party the Liberal Democrats would support if a hung parliament came to fruition, Clegg told The Courier: “People know what policies we support – they’re the policies in our manifesto. Those are the policies we are determined to implement.â€? Set to make a dramatic change to WKH IXWXUH RI %ULWDLQ &OHJJ RXWOLQHG KLV IRXU NH\ SROLFLHV DV ´IDLU WD[HV so the vast majority of people pay QR LQFRPH WD[ RQ WKH Ă€UVW Â… they earn, paid for by closing the loopholes enjoyed by the wealthy; breaking up the banks to create a new, green economy; the best start at school for every child; and clean, decent politics.â€? Making the achievement of these SROLFLHV KLV Ă€UVW SULRULW\ LQ JRYHUQment, in opposition or in any other arrangement, Clegg gave little away with regards to whether his party would align themselves with CamHURQ RU %URZQ Something that Clegg was very clear about was his party’s decision to place electoral reform at the top of their agenda. Asserting that the Alternative Vote system on its own is unable to deliver fair votes, he said: “We want a system where every vote counts and where MPs don’t have jobs for life in safe seats. ´0\ DPELWLRQ LV WR OHDG WKH QH[W government, so we can have a truly fair system.â€?

The televised leaders’ debates have had unprecedented success in engendering people to vote in this general election, with a particular surge in voter registrations by young people. Recent polls have suggested that Mr Clegg’s popularity has been fuelled by young people, so why is it that this particular group is becoming increasingly attracted to the Liberal Democrats? Clegg said: “People engage when they can see it’s worth it, when they can see they have a choice. That’s what’s happening this time, and I think the Liberal Democrats are playing a big part in that. ´)RU WKH Ă€UVW WLPH LQ D JHQHUDWLRQ we’re in an election where it’s really clear that people don’t want to settle for the two old parties: they want something different.â€?

“There will always be people who want to stop change, but you can be part of something different, something betterâ€? Clegg prides himself on leading a party that will deliver to the public. He said: “I want policies that people can believe in.â€? Promoting themselves as a party for students, Clegg has promised to scrap tuition fees altogether. “We’re the only major party that isn’t determined to raise fees, let alone scrap them. We have a plan to SKDVH IHHV RXW RYHU VL[ \HDUV ² EXW starting this autumn, anyone going LQWR WKHLU Ă€QDO \HDU ZLOO QRW SD\ IHHV for that year. “My ideal would have been to abolish them immediately, but that simply is no longer possible because of the awful state the economy’s in.â€? Perhaps one policy area that isn’t quite as popular amongst the students is Clegg’s stance on binge drinking. When asked if Clegg felt raising WD[HV RQ DOFRKRO ZLOO KHOS WDFNOH %ULWDLQ¡V ELQJH GULQNLQJ FXOWXUH Clegg replied: “It’s really important WR Ă€QG D ZD\ WR WDUJHW DOFRKRO UHODW-

Looking to the future: Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg pictured by the River Tyne in Newcastle last month as part of his campaign

ed harm without penalising people who drink sensibly. “I think it’s ridiculous that supermarkets can currently sell drinks at below-cost prices; that needs to stop. “And I think work needs to be done on how minimum pricing can be used to tackle binge drinking too.â€? Standing up for justice and fairQHVV LQ %ULWDLQ LVQ¡W DOO &OHJJ¡V SDUW\ LV DERXW DV KH H[WHQGV WKHVH FRPPLW-

ments to the wider world. In a bid to bring peace and prosperity to others, Clegg looks to take direct action to prevent human rights abuse in the Middle East. When asked to comment about the ,VUDHOL 3DOHVWLQLDQ FRQĂ LFW &OHJJ told The Courier: “First of all, I want to see a full and fair settlement to WKH ,VUDHOL 3DOHVWLQLDQ FRQĂ LFW 7KDW means a two-state solution, with secure borders based on the position LQ

Q&A: Nick Clegg behind closed doors What is the most played song on your ipod?

DOO\ QRQ H[LVWDQW EXW VRPHKRZ it didn’t really matter.

I lost my ipod, so don’t go there. %XW , KDYH EHHQ OLVWHQLQJ WR Johnny Cash in the car.

What is your favourite alcoholic beverage?

What is your idea of a perfect Ă€UVW GDWH" $ ORQJ UHOD[HG PHDO LQ D JRRG restaurant, where you can take as much time as you like getting to know each other and no one interrupts. Of course that’s only good if you actually get on! Miriam and I couldn’t really speak to each other when we Ă€UVW PHW KHU (QJOLVK ZDVQ¡W great and my Spanish was virtu-

Miriam’s Spanish, so we eat a lot of Spanish food and Spanish wine goes perfectly. You can’t beat a nice Ribera del Duero wine. What is the strangest gift that you have ever been given by a supporter? Well, I was quite surprised by the yellow baby grows I was sent after my third son was born.

“It is not in anyone’s interests for Israel to build new settlements in the occupied territories, and it’s illegal under international law, as are Hamas’ actions in targeting Israel for rocket attacks. “I’m very alarmed about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel and Egypt’s blockade of Gaza is simply unacceptable, besides not being in Israel’s strategic self-interest. “One and a half million people are trapped on a piece of land about the size of the Isle of Wight, unable to get access to basic healthcare and construction materials to rebuild their homes after the bombing in Operation Cast Lead last year, and they don’t even have decent quality water. ´$FWLRQ IURP %ULWDLQ DQG WKH (8 to help end the blockade is now urgent, and long overdue.â€? 1LFN &OHJJ¡V Ă€QDO PHVVDJH WR 1HZFDVWOH 8QLYHUVLW\ VWXGHQWV ZDV ´8VH this election. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you it can’t be how you want it to be. “No one knows what will happen, we only know that all bets are off, and right now anything is possible. And don’t let anyone tell you the red team and the blue team are the only two choices you’ve got. “There will always be people who want to stop change, but you can be part of something different, something better.â€?

University in warning over hung parliament dangers Jessica Tully News Editor 1HZFDVWOH 8QLYHUVLW\¡V ([HFXWLYH Finance Director, Richard Dale, has warned that a hung parliament in the upcoming general election could EH GHWULPHQWDO WR WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ 7KH 8QLYHUVLW\ LV DOUHDG\ IDFLQJ D Â… PLOOLRQ UHGXFWLRQ LQ IXQGLQJ QH[W \HDU DIWHU WKH +LJKHU (GXFDtion Funding Council for England revealed their proposed cuts, and

Dale has said the situation will only get worse if no party receives an RYHUDOO PDMRULW\ RQ 0D\ Dale told The Courier: “I do suspect that if we have a balanced parliaPHQW LW ZRXOG FUHDWH VLJQLĂ€FDQW GHlays, and I am not sure that is necessary. If we knew what was going on we could plan to deal with it.â€? 5HFHQW RSLQLRQ SROOV LQGLFDWH %ULWain is heading for a hung parliament DIWHU WKH JHQHUDO HOHFWLRQ IRU WKH Ă€UVW

WLPH VLQFH DQG EHWWLQJ DJHQF\ Ladbrokes, have lowered the odds of a hung parliament down to as ORZ DV Dale said: “I think things should stay as they are as they work reasonably well. This is a combination RI D PL[HG HFRQRP\ D VLJQLĂ€FDQW amount of government funding and D VLJQLĂ€FDQW DPRXQW RI IHH LQFRPH “I don’t particularly want to see that being disrupted and I don’t

think that would be good for the 8QLYHUVLW\ RU VWXGHQWV DFURVV WKH country either. “In the event of a hung parliament, we will get less notice and fewer decisions. They will get to a decision eventually and we will have very little time to react to it. “If you have clear leadership, one way or the other, then we will get to the decisions quickly. “There will also be issues for the

stock market if we get to a balanced parliament. And that is not good for WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ HLWKHU Âľ However, Dale insisted that the 8QLYHUVLW\ ZDV SUHSDUHG IRU DQ\ outcome. “I don’t think anything with the general elections results will hit us dramatically until about two years WLPH :H KDYH JRW Â… PLOOLRQ LQ WKH bank, so we can protect ourselves in the short term against cuts.â€?

10

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

News

Grand designs: Union drawings revealed Fran Infante Deputy Editor Drawings for the new Students’ Union building have been unveiled, GHWDLOLQJ WR VWXGHQWV IRU WKH Ă€UVW time exactly what they can expect from the Union when it reopens in September 2011. The plans can be found on the secRQG Ă RRU RI WKH 8QLRQ RXWVLGH WKH Activities centre. Union Society Chief Executive Simon Gerry told The Courier: “Our aim is to be a 24/7 union. ´7KH WKLUG Ă RRU ZLOO EHFRPH D FXWting edge learning space divided into three sections; a coffee shop feel for the group work session, possibly featuring a Starbucks, a computer cluster and futuristic pod structures for private study. We want to offer a 24 hour alternative to the library. “The big priority of the building is WR PDNH WKH RIĂ€FHUV PRUH DFFHVVLEOH to the student population, they will now all be situated on the ground Ă RRU DORQJ ZLWK WKH VXSSRUW VWDII and union shop.â€? Plans for the building have been LQĂ XHQFHG E\ WKH QHZ VWXGHQW GHmographic, with a rise in postgraduate and international students. “We have reduced the number of bars on the premises from six to two and those have deliberately been placed below ground level to try and stop the union being tagged in students’ minds as one big bar.â€? Plans for the new basement area include a series of partition doors which can be opened or closed to RIIHU XS WR Ă€YH SULYDWH VSDFHV ZKLFK societies can book for their own activities, combining what Gerry calls ´à H[LELOLW\ DQG IXQFWLRQDOLW\Âľ +H DGGHG ´:H DUH FRQĂ€GHQW WKDW with the amount of student feedback we have had that the plans are as good as they can be at this stage. “We are on track to delivering a 21st century Union for a 21st century student.â€?

‘“A 21st century Union for a 21st century student�: Above shows what will be the back of the new Students’ Union after the project reaches completion in September 2011

Students warned Building a future for Uganda: students raise money for aid trip against banking scam Dan Robinson A group of Newcastle students are raising money in aid of a trip to Uganda for voluntary construction work. The 12 students, consisting of six boys and six girls, will be travelling on behalf of the Wider Mbarara Project and will be helping to build a community centre for vulnerable marginalised children and youths. The project is entirely studentorganised, and they must raise the ÂŁ12,000 required for construction materials and employing builders by themselves. In order to achieve this target, six of the students recently completed a 140-mile coast-to-coast cycle challenge from Whitehaven, Cumbria to Tynemouth in just three days. The marathon began on April 13 and, despite encountering a number of mishaps throughout the journey, the group managed to reach Tynemouth in one piece. Steven Ward, a second year Civil Engineering student, commented:

“Disaster struck on the third day when one bike broke. However, walking was never an option and thanks to some cycling pros we EXPSHG LQWR ZKR KHOSHG XV Ă€[ WKH problem, we were back on trackâ€?. They have already raised money through leg waxing, cake sales, and a ceilidh. However, this is the biggest single fundraising event of the project, with a target of ÂŁ500 each to be raised. A specially organised club night, Absolute Africa, at World Headquarters has also been in the mix to raise both funds and awareness of the project. It was held last Thursday under a tribal theme, with Sam Jacks and 3DFLĂ€F SURYLGLQJ GULQNV SURPRWLRQV for those involved on a successful night for the crew. All based within the Civil Engineering and Geosciences school of Newcastle University, the students plan to depart in June for six weeks’ FRQVWUXFWLRQ ZRUN ZLWK D Ă€QDO ZHHN spent travelling in Africa. They are the seventh consecutive

group to go out to Mbarara, South West Uganda as part of the project, which began in 2004. With no machinery on site, they will be working with Ugandan builders to advance on the existing work of the project. Previous groups have built hospitals and accommodation blocks for AIDS orphans, while this year’s JURXS DLP WR ÀQLVK WKH LQWHULRU RI D six-room accommodation block, before beginning a new one. :LWK QR ÀQDQFLDO VXSSRUW RIIHUHG as a part of the project, the students PXVW DOO SD\ IRU WKHLU RZQ à LJKWV and spending money. They will be afforded no luxury, living with the orphans and surviving on basic food rations. They will also work for long hours, supporting the builders through labouring, digging foundations, using simple tools and conducting basic tasks. For more information about the Wider Mbarara Project or for ticket enquiries, please contact the group at widermbarara@hotmail.co.uk, or visit their Facebook group online.

Caroline Argyropulo-Palmer Following the crisis with student loans at the start of this academic year, students’ fear of not receiving their loans have been played on in a scam email. Students at Nottingham University received the message, purporting to be from “Student Finance Englandâ€? (SFE), which asked for personal details apparently needed in order for students to receive their payments. The NUS have informed other universities in case the email is sent elsewhere to prevent any students mistakenly responding. Many students were left without their loans for prolonged periods of time earlier this year due to administration errors by the Student Loans Company. 7KH IDNH HPDLO VWDWHG ´3OHDVH Ă€OO the requested information exactly as \RX Ă€OOHG LW ZKHQ \RX ZHUH VLJQLQJ XS IRU VWXGHQW Ă€QDQFH RU \RXU SD\ment will be suspended because of IDLOHG DFFRXQW YHULĂ€FDWLRQ Âľ 6)( FRQĂ€UPHG ZKHQ FRQWDFWHG E\

Nottingham SU that the email was not from them, and warned students against responding to it, telling them to delete the email and not enter any personal details. Final year English Literature student Elizabeth Bacon said: “I think it is awful that someone has done this. People get really nervous about not receiving their loans, especially this year, and could easy reply straight away without thinking.� Jill Lincoln, the Senior Finance Adviser at the Union Society’s Student Advice Centre (SAC) stressed how important it is that students do not do that, telling The Courier: “Students should not reply to any emails from SFE until it’s been checked out by us, because as soon as they reply their bank information is no longer private and there is a potential for monies to be taken from their accounts . “Even if an email appears to be genuine, always check with us.� The SAC is open until 4pm everyday, and until 6pm on a Wednesday.

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

11

News

NCL+ awards celebrate students’ achievements outside the classroom A. WILSON

Tarren Smarr It was all glitz and glam for the annual NCL+ Achievement Awards sponsored by npower and the Alumni Association. The event, held on April 17, honoured students for their accomplishments outside of the classroom. Nominations for this prestigious event were open from late January to mid March. Students and societies could be nominated for ten different award categories ranging from Community Spirit Award to Best Society of the Year Award. 7KH WRS Ă€YH QRPLQHHV LQ HDFK FDWegory were shortlisted and invited to the event held at the Great North Museum. Nominees and their guests were entertained by speeches from the Vice-Chancellor of the University as well as the Vice-Chair of the Alumni Association. However, it was the presenters that made the night truly special. Most Improved Society of the Year presenter and former Union President, Ally Robson, used the infamous Wedding Crasher rules to demonstrate how applicable they are to real life. Robson said: “When your partner fails, you fail. No man is an island. Just like in a real society. It takes team work to make it all happen.â€? Robson proudly presented the award of Most Improved Society to Student Action for Refugees and congratulated them on their inclusion of all members to the success of the society. Runners up in each category received a prize of ÂŁ100. Winners received ÂŁ300 and a trip to the stage for a photo and brief question and answer session. Recipient of the Best Society of the Year, the Fellwalking Society, told the audience: “We will use this money to buy new tents. Ours kind of blew away during our last trip.â€? The night was full of surprises including a prize draw worth a ÂŁ100 voucher for ethicalsuperstore.com which was provided by the University Sustainability Team and presneted by Wallace and Gromit. Winner Tim Potier was called to the stage to receive his award and said with a smile: “Hi, I’m Tim. I’m an international student. I was not nominated tonight,â€? which was well received by the room. Winners of the night included Josie Vallely, Rowan Taylor, STAR (student Action for Refugees), Deborah Smith, Fellwalking Society, Gemma Bone, Chris Stokel-Walker, James Russell, Mark Crane, and Deborah Greenaway.

7RQLJKW VHHV WKH ÀUVW HYHU 1HZFDVtle Students’ Union Media Awards 2010 at As You Like It in Jesmond. The awards will celebrate a fantastic year for student media at Newcastle University and will welcome guests from all areas of the media including many past editors of The Courier. There will be two guest speakers;

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The Vice Chair of the Alumni Association, Ian Forster, and the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Chris Brink, enjoy their meal at the awards accompanied by Wallace and Gromit.

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Winner: Rowan Taylor AKA ‘The Penny Pincher’ picks up the NCL+ Media Award for his popular weekly Courier column which provides students with money-saving tips

Union launches student media awards Aimee Philipson

Vacancies

Mark Scrimshaw, the Director of BBC North East, and Simon Bird, the North East football correspondent for The Mirror, both Newcastle graduates. Guests such as former Courier editors, members of the Press Association and University staff will be presenting prizes to awards winners. The 20 awards categories include The Courier news story of the year, columnist of the year, and interview

of the year as well as best daytime show on NSR and best male and female presenters on NSR. Winners will be walking home with prizes such as bound copies of all this year’s papers, dictaphones, magazine subscriptions and HMV and Waterstones vouchers. The awards are also set to be a great chance for budding journalists to network with media professionals.

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12

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Decision time: all the views on this week’s general election Comment Editors: Caroline Argyropulo-Palmer and Nicholas Fidler - courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk

> Page 12-17 J. WHITTAKER

7KH ULVH RI WKH /LE 'HP OHDGHU LV WKHUH DQRWKHU FKDSWHU WR &OHJJPDQLD" Elliot Bentley

The phenomenon known as “Cleggmaniaâ€? is entirely David Cameron’s fault. There has never been any EHQHĂ€ W WR WKH HOHFWLRQ IURQW UXQQHU before to agree to a televised debate EXW KLV IRFXV RQ ´RSHQ SROLWLFVÂľ DQG LPSUHVVLYH SXEOLF VSHDNLQJ made it a no-brainer. Unfortunately for him, there was one thing he had IRUJRWWHQ WR FRQVLGHU 1LFN &OHJJ After the debate, the media almost

XQDQLPRXVO\ GHFODUHG &OHJJ WKH winner. Those who had never beIRUH FRQVLGHUHG WKH /LEHUDO 'HPR FUDWV ZKR DUH RIWHQ GLVPLVVHG DV D ZDVWHG YRWH RU WRR LQH[SHULHQFHG WR FRPSHWHQWO\ UXQ WKH FRXQWU\ appeared won over by his “third wayâ€?. It helped that the other party leaders repeated the line “I agree with 1LFNÂľ SUHVXPDEO\ LQ DQ DWWHPSW WR ZRR WKH &OHJJ LQ WKH FDVH WKH\ QHHGHG WR IRUP D FRDOLWLRQ ZLWK WKH /LE 'HPV LQ WKH IXWXUH $V D UHVXOW WKH /LEHUDO 'HPRFUDWV URFNHWHG XS WKH SROOV VRPH SXWWLQJ them fourteen points up. OverQLJKW WKH HOHFWLRQ KDG EHFRPH D WKUHH KRUVH UDFH 6RPH KDYH VSHFX ODWHG WKDW &OHJJ KDV VXFFHHGHG LQ

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'HVSLWH VRPH PHGLD EDFNODVK SDUWLFXODUO\ RYHU WKH /LE 'HPV¡ FRQWURYHUVLDO SROLFLHV RQ WKH 7UL GHQW QXFOHDU ZHDSRQ V\VWHP DQG DQ XQGHUZKHOPLQJ SHUIRUPDQFH LQ WKH VHFRQG GHEDWH &OHJJPDQLD KDV yet to diminish. 6R ZKR LV 1LFN &OHJJ DQ\ZD\" %RUQ LQ LQ %XFNLQJKDPVKLUH KH ZDV WKH VRQ RI D FKDLUPDQ RI United Trust Bank, and went to :HVWPLQVWHU 6FKRRO D SULYDWH VFKRRO ZLWK WKH KLJKHVW 2[EULGJH DFFHSWDQFH UDWH LQ WKH FRXQWU\ At Cambridge University, he VWXGLHG DUFKDHRORJ\ DQG DQWKUR SRORJ\ DV ZHOO DV DFWLQJ DORQJVLGH Helena Bonham Carter in the theaWUH VRFLHW\ 2QH GLUW\ OLWWOH VHFUHW dug up by the press, is that he was

a member of the Cambridge UniYHUVLW\ &RQVHUYDWLYH $VVRFLDWLRQ at some point during his time at University - although Clegg denies any memory of signing up. After working as a journalist IRU VHYHUDO \HDUV FRYHULQJ SRVW Communism Hungary among other things, he turned his hand to SROLWLFV EHFRPLQJ DQ 0(3 +DY LQJ ULVHQ WR WKH WRS RI WKH /LEHUDO 'HPRFUDWV KH ZDV PDGH OHDGHU LQ 2007. 'HVSLWH WKHLU VXFFHVV LQ WKH SROOV EDUULQJ D VHFRQG PLUDFOH WKH /LEHUDO 'HPRFUDWV DUH XQOLNHO\ WR ZLQ D PDMRULW\ LQ WKH HOHFWLRQ 6WLOO WKLV may be the beginning of a new era IRU WKH /LE 'HPV ZKR KDYH VR IDU never managed to win power.

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

13

Hype Comment

A digital revolution?

Politicians should be heard not seen - the radio debate Jamie Gavin

Politics is different without pictures. Just ask Richard Nixon. Those who listened to his debate before the 1960 US election on the radio thought he had won it; those who watched on TV gave it to Kennedy. Kennedy, of course, went on to be President. Nowadays, politicians and audience alike are all too aware of the power of image as well as policy, but I decided to leave all that behind for one night – and take the radio option for the third debate. As much of the country sat down WR ZDWFK WKH À QDO RI WKH WKUHH debate series on BBC One, I turned to Radio Four to see if all the talk of style and substance really mattered, and if it really made difference what colour tie they wore, or whether they looked straight at the camera. The debate itself was without doubt the liveliest of the three. Dimbleby made sure they answered the questions, and there were several passionate exchanges

on the economy, on immigration, and on child tax credits. Even without his good looks and charm, Clegg came across well on the radio waves. His “yes or no” questioning of Cameron on his proposed immigration cap was one of the highlights if the evening. As was Brown’s lamenting attack on the other candidates over child tax credits. The Prime Minister sounded both zelous and genuine in the exchanges, and on the radio, he also seemed a great deal less awkward. The radio suits Brown, and not just for the obvious reasons. He is more distinguishable through his voice, and he sounds like a true statesman against the young pretenders. As he had proved the day before, PR is not his thing, but policy is. He’s the only one to dare utter the word ‘manifesto’, and he went on WKH DWWDFN IURP À UVW PLQXWH WR ODVW As for Cameron, there was the usual mention of China – “We’ve got to stop borrowing from the Chinese” – after his nuclear weapons accusations a fortnight ago, as ZHOO WKH URXWLQH MXVWLÀ FDWLRQ RI WKH Marks and Spencer’s chief’s backing of his economic policy. But this all seemed a little less clear without him selling it to you in person – a bit like a car salesman

James Stubbs Columnist

Gordon Brown smiles at the end of last week’s Prime Ministerial Debate on the BBC

trying to convince you over the phone. Cameron repeated his quest to “make Britain great again”, but without his reassuring visual appeals to the public at home, his anecdotes as well of the defence of his policies failed to convince the radio-listener, and you could hear Clegg and Brown chuckling in their microphones as the Tory party leader preached “fairness” whilst failing to justify his tax credits for big business. There was no mention of ‘Rochdale-gate’ on the night – only a brief reference by the PM that he was “not perfect”. Brown went on to lambast Clegg and Cameron to

the bitter end, and his closing statement was the most heart-felt piece of listening in the debate’s entirety. Politics shouldn’t really be about image, or what you look like. It should be about what you say and do, not how you say it. Unfortunately though, whilst the TV debates are great for democracy, a smile here or a tie colour there can swing a voter, and it ought not to be like that. When the PM agreed to the debates, perhaps he should have been shrewd enough to make the suggestion that one of the three debates be broadcast solely on the radio, then perhaps his words might count for more than his awkward smile.

Cameronaphobia is a combination of jealousy and classism Nicholas Fidler Comment Editor

Searching for “David Cameron is a prick” on Google generates 1.13 million results in 0.23 seconds. Tory-bashing: given the degree to which it’s been practiced during this election, one would reasonably expect it to be included as an event at London’s 2012 Olympics. Now I can appreciate that politicians, especially Conservative ones, are easy targets, but is society not above such juvenile behaviour?

Some noteworthy amendments to the Tories’ billboards include: “Vote for me and I’ll tell you where Maddie is”, “I’ve never voted Conservative before, mainly because I’m not a c**t” or “So yah, George told me he could sort the economy, and I just chundered everywhere!” Indeed, such are the hostilities levelled at the Conservatives, a moderate centre-right party, let’s not forget, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were the bastard offspring of the Nazis and the BNP themselves. In my constituency (a rural one) almost every single Conservative Party sign, banner or advert has been vandalised; either painted bright red or bedecked with phallic images and swastikas.

But why is it viewed as acceptable, even cool, to relentlessly bash those of a right-wing or conservative disposition? Because they tend to have more money than most? Because they tend to go to Eton and then Oxford? Both of these claims are reducible to nothing more than jealously. So what if Cameron is both wealthier and more intelligent that you or I, his wealth or intelligence does not preclude other people from achieving success in life. Jealously aside, there is little one can legitimately dislike, let alone hate about the Conservative Party. So what if you don’t enjoy foxhunting, tweed clothing, pheasant shooting, vintage wine or public schooling. I couldn’t care less about

Big Brother, Heat Magazine or any other celebrity-based pop-cultured dribble. In a culturally diverse pluralist and democratic society (an idea begotten of the left wing, let’s not forget) it is unacceptable to champion diversity on the one hand and simultaneously vandalise and belittle alternative cultural and political beliefs just because they don’t align with yours. Tory-bashing is rooted in the double standard that permits one-way discrimination. Imagine if it were morally permissible for people to laugh at those who lived in council houses and tower blocks, or those living in poverty. So why is it acceptable to lambast those with money? Time to grow up perhaps?

%URZQ LV EHVW SROLFLHV DQG H[SHULHQFH QHHG WR FRPH À UVW Harriet King

The chances of Gordon Brown being Prime Minister on May 6 are very slim. The Labour Party is currently in third place behind the Liberal Democrats. Gordon Brown has been criticised by the media for weeks - especially after last Wednesday’s events in Rochdale. Cleggmania is sweeping the country. Yet is Brown really the worst thing in British politics? Brown stayed in power as the credit crunch became a recession, and as the British economy slowly begins to improve. Many say that Brown’s handling of the recession has worsened it - that it was his

actions as Chancellor that helped cause the problems, and that he should have kept tighter control over banks. The Conservatives, however, are advocating a move away from big government. A country run with small government would have even less banking regulation. The Liberal Democrats have no experience in running anything, or even being in opposition. As Britain improves do we really want someone in power who will have to learn on the job? Brown may not be the most popular, enigmatic or articulate of the leaders, but at least he will know what he is doing if he does re-enter number 10. The accusations of bullying that Brown has faced have also led to FDOOV IRU KLP WR OHDYH RIÀ FH &RO umnists have claimed that they do not want someone who is unable to treat their employees with respect in power.

No one really knows how much truth lies in these stories, although one has to ask if Brown was not MXVWLÀ HG LQ ORVLQJ KLV WHPSHU ZKHQ he heard that on top of recession, DWWHPSWLQJ WR À JKW D ZDU RQ WZR fronts and the threat of terrorism that a civil servant had left a CD containing thousands of individuals personal details that should never have been removed on a train? Under Labour this country will be able to continue as a welfare state. The NHS and state pensions will be safe, and although we will graduate with more debt than before Labour came to power, at least under Labour there was a push to get us here. Conservative elitism meant that under Major there was no drive to get people from a disadvantaged background into university. Labour has empowered us to now be the ones with the all important student vote.

If, as statistics stand, one in three of people currently at university get divorced, Labour, under Gordon Brown, will provide safety nets for if it all goes wrong and needs cannot be met. The Conservatives, with their tax breaks for marriages and promotion of the family, will not be there to help you pick yourself up, and neither will SureStart, which they plan to abolish. Yes, Labour have made mistakes. Yes, Labour have taken us into two wars. But we cannot say what the Conservatives would have done in Tony Blair’s position. After 9/11, something had to be done. They now have the easy option of criticism, but they supported the wars at the time. We need Gordon Brown. We may not like it but we need his experience, his cabinet and his resilience against the press to help us through the recession to its end.

In this new media age the possibilities for ridiculing people are endless; in the days before computers we were limited to cartoons and impressions to satirise our politicians, but now with the internet no man or woman is safe. It is good for two reasons. Firstly it brings a far wider range of potential voters into the spectrum, allowing them to make informed decisions about what they really want, from impartial information. Secondly, it allows for mash-ups, virals, games and the like to keep us entertained and ground ourselves in reality during what has become an increasingly PR-driven debate. 2QH RI P\ IDYRXULWH UHFHQW À QGV was a Facebook group devoted to showing vandalised Conservative campaign posters, mostly of David Cameron, with handy suggestions for him and his party. Some of the posters had been thoughtfully altered with addition or subtraction of certain words suggesting that Conservatives wouldn’t be any good in power, while another wild wag of a protester had simply scrawled ‘GAY’ on a local billboard. Conservatives and other parties alike should take note: don’t spend huge amounts of cash on airbrushed posters, just get pissed people on the way back from the pub to deface your opponents’ for you. Even if I were going to YRWH IRU WKHP ,·G À QG WKLV JURXS hilarious, though it does go to show how much some people hate the Tories and David Cameron, enough so that after a while of looking through the thousand or so photos you begin to change the way you think. Maybe that’s only if you’re a weak-minded person like me, but the sheer volume of dislike could really have an effect on an undecided person’s outlook. Though this isn’t all bad; take a look at the Cassetteboy video RQ <RXWXEH RI 1LFN *ULIÀ Q RQ Question Time. ‘I am thoroughly unpleasant and really creepy’, he begins, ‘I’m against black people kissing in public. Er, I believe that the holocaust was an enormous party where the Nazis just done what they really had to do, so – ZKDW·V WKH SUREOHP $QG À QDOO\ Adolf Hitler.’ Out of curiosity I’ve looked through some of their policies, and really there’s not much need: that about sums it up. My favourite so far though has to be the game where the three main party leaders are standing on podiums, and using a mouse you are able to slap each man about the face, with each satisfying smack punctuated by one of their many soundbites. Other than that it serves no real purpose, but I’ve found it far more useful than the online survey I poured over to establish for whom I should vote. Telling me I was 22% Tory, 22%, Labour, 22% Lib Dem, 22% Green and 12% UKIP was time consuming, but sadly not very helpful. Give me #nickcleggsfault on Twitter any day.

14

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Comment Voters C. PIERCE

Danny Kielty The Floating Voter

Nick Kershaw The Apathetic Voter

)RU WKH Ă€ UVW WLPH LQ P\ OLIH , DP DF tually in sympathy with the plight of the apathetic voter. What is the point of voting? In 1997, we were wooed by the rebranded, all singing, all dancing, New Labour. We were told that “things can only get betterâ€? and we believed them. Now, 13 years on, we have sent our troops into an illegal war, the NHS is in disarray, our education system continues to fail us, our politicians are still sleazy, corrupt jobsworths and we are only just WDNLQJ WKH Ă€ UVW WHQWDWLYH VWHSV RXW RI this recession. Let us compare this to the Conservative time in power: failing education system, sleaze and corruption amongst politicians, shoddily run NHS, and rather disastrous day in 1992 when David Cameron stood behind Norman Lamont as Britain was forced out of the Exchange Rate Mechanism costing us ÂŁ3.3billion. I am beginning to feel rather disenchanted with British politics. Our electoral system is such that it rarely matters who I actually vote for. What’s the point in voting for a party that I feel represents me when they are not going to win my constituency and therefore I will continue to go unrepresented in Parliament? What is it about politicians that means they feel that dressing down in an open necked shirt makes them look ‘approachable’ or ‘more human’? No, Mr. Politician, you look creepy and uncomfortable. Please, stick to your crusty old suits and ties, at least that actually makes you look like the dunce you truly are. There is one distressingly overused word at election time ‘Change.’ Really Mr. Politician? Are you actually going to change that much? Nothing is going to change, nothing ever will. Our political system and our politicians are entrenched. I would be more inclined to vote for the party that offers ‘Minute Incremental Differences’ - at least they are offering some semblance of the truth. Any political party promising ‘change’ is simply lying. If we want real change, we need a dictatorship. In fact, if someone ran for government on the premise that he would scrap democracy and run an authoritarian state, I might consider voting for him. That would spice up the political system for a few years; at least until he started random acts of ethnic cleansing. On second thoughts, maybe we scrap the whole dictator idea - can’t blame a man for trying though! Still, there is very little about British politics that inspires me. Look across the Atlantic and all the razzmatazz, the motorcades, the 80,000 people crammed into a stadium to hear just one man speak. That is more like it, a bit of drama, some emotion and a whole load of patriotism. Instead, we have Elvis impersonators, crumbling town halls and a somewhat “bigoted womanâ€?. I think I might still vote in this election - gives me something to do - but for all those that do not potter off to the polling station on May 6th ,I am beginning to understand where you’re coming from.

Tarren Smarr The Outsider

The United Kingdom is buzzing about the upcoming general election. Things such as the environment, the economy and immigration are hot topics up for voters like you to decide upon. Unfortunately, I have heard the following statement one too many times; “Oh the (insert particular group here) is going to be the top vote, they don’t need mine.� From the point of view of an outsider, I think it is pretty appalling that some of the students at this university who have a vote are not going to use it in the upcoming general election. If you are one of those people, you should be ashamed of yourself for not getting involved. There are people all over the world who would love to trade places with you because they live in

Oliver Savory The Protest Voter

In the 70s a famous piece of grafĂ€ WL DGRUQHG D ZDOO LQ /RQGRQ ,W doesn’t matter who you vote for, the government always get in. In this election, this quote could not be more true. What many people don’t realise is that spoiling your ballot paper is an acceptable form of protest. Spoiling your paper is where you go to the voting station, get your voting slip, but rather than putting an ‘x’ beside one of the names you write something else. This can be anything from an incomprehensible scribble to a small essay. Or my favourite, adding in your own box at the bottom saying “none of the aboveâ€?. Like many in this country I’m sick of politics. I’m sick of the lies and corruption and I’m sick of politicians who only seem to care what

a place where they don’t matter to WKHLU JRYHUQPHQW RIĂ€ FLDOV DQG GRQ¡W have a vote at all. Find something you are passionate about and vote for the candidate that best supports your ideas. It’s DFWXDOO\ QRW KDUG WR Ă€ QG VRPHRQH to support in the election. For example, everyone has been complaining about the economy. Graduates cannot get jobs and other citizens are loosing theirs left and right. Yeah, you are in university now, but within the next few years, you will be one of those graduates seeking a job. Why not try to make your economic future more bright and vote for the candidate that you think will help Britain recover? If you think your vote won’t matter, you are wrong. Universityaged students across Great Britain could make all the difference. Statistics show that 40% of the vote will come from the over 65s. Students like you could also make that big of an impact. Just look at the last election in the United States for reference. There was an unprecedented amount of 18-25 year olds that participated

by voting in the presidential election. States such as Virgina, which are known for a Republican vote, went Democrat. And it was largely because of the amount of university-aged students that voiced their opinion through their vote. Just think, your vote may not make the difference, it could be the difference. Don’t be one of those people who seeks to destroy the ballot because you think your vote won’t make a difference. Do you think students should be able to live in Jesmond? If so, you should take a gander at what the local parties want to do about the student “problemâ€? in Jesmond. This vote isn’t only for the big time players down in London; it is also a vote for some local areas as well. So if you don’t care what WKH\ GR LQ WKH FDSLWDO FLW\ Ă€ QH EXW you should care about your local community. The point is you can’t expect change when you are not willing to take part in the change yourself. And if you don’t partake and use the vote you have, don’t complain about the outcome.

the public want every four years. The culture of greed that ended up bringing down the banks was found in Westminster with the expenses scandal and all parties were involved. Yet there have been no trials, or even investigations, into fraud. :H KDYH DGYHUWV ZDUQLQJ EHQHĂ€ W thieves that they will be caught and SURVHFXWHG <HW WKH ELJJHVW EHQHĂ€ W thieves got off relatively scot-free, and none of the three main parties are calling for them to be held accountable. A general election is supposed to be a time to debate the important issues facing our country. A foreign war should rate high. We have a situation where 60% of British believe the Afghanistan war was a mistake and yet none of the major parties will discuss it. We are facing a crisis for young people in this country. We currently have over one million unemployed people under the age of 25. We will also be graduating with record amounts of debt, into an increasingly crowded job market. Yet the only solution the three main parties are offering us is fur-

ther cuts in education and increased tuition fees. Like it or not we are the future of this country, and yet the main parties refuse to talk about what their plans are to make sure that our future is bright. I’m not asking for handouts, just the opportunity in the election that will seal our fate to be told what to expect. But why not just vote for a smaller party, like the Greens, as a protest vote? Well here’s the beauty of a spoiled paper. Firstly it counts as a vote cast, so knocks down everyone’s percentages, helping stop parties like the BNP retaining their deposit. Second, when the votes have been counted and the decision announced, all the candidates are taken into a room and have to go through all the spoiled papers one by one. They will read your comments, making this a far more effective form of protest than voting for a minor party. If, like me, you are sick of politics as usual, vote “none of the above� on May 6.

Different people vote for very different reasons. In the 2010 General Election, most people will say that they are going to vote for the political party that they think will be best for the country, but many more will vote primarily for their own interests, or both, inducing some of us to continue patterns of voting passed down through the family. Now, having a conversation with my family about politics usually starts with a one-way barrage of party stereotypes and ends with a nostalgic pandering back to the ‘good old days’ of corporal punishment. %XW DV , GULIW FOHDU IURP WKH LQĂ X ence of my parents and consider the policies of each of the three main SDUWLHV ,¡P OHIW Ă RDWLQJ EHWZHHQ them with no clear cut decision in sight. For starters, all this talk of style amongst the party leaders has had no effect. Gordon Brown’s collapsible jaw and saggy smile do him no justice, neither does David Cameron’s discovery of the key to his wife’s make-up cabinet, whilst Nick Clegg looks like a Belgian solicitor, which is never desirable. It doesn’t help that Gordon Brown has had to have lessons to learn how to smile, Cameron’s debate speeches are being dubbed over the famous ‘Gap Yah’ video and Nick Clegg is still drunk from the fact that people actually remember who he is. So what about policy? With this I am just as confused. On the economy the Conservatives want to cut ÂŁ6bn from spending, Labour wants to raise National Insurance and the Lib Dems claim they can make ÂŁ17bn worth of savings from Government spending. As I understand it, Labour want to spend their way out of the recession, Conservatives want to cut and the Lib Dems want to re-distribute by discontinuing keystones of government expenditure such as the Trident nuclear deterrent system. Whether you think it is right to cut, spend or re-distribute, all of the above policies seem equally possible of being either a success or failure. The dilemma deepens. Whilst I was impressed by the Lib Dems educational proposals for smaller class sizes, a regional system for dealing with immigration and the discontinuance of Trident, I felt the Conservatives clearly had the most impressive stance on getting tough on law and order. Add to the mix my support for Labour’s proposals on pensions (especially the winter fuel allowance), and the confusion is heightened. Clearly this isn’t a policy pick n’ mix. So what about a hung parliament? To some, including myself, this has seemed more and more desirable but the problem is that none of the parties will admit to the prospect of compromise before they know their electoral position. Blind tactical voting sort of defeats the principle of policy. I think the only wise course of action for the Ă RDWLQJ YRWHU LQ WKLV YHU\ LPSRU tant and exciting election, is to let the ‘style and substance’ vultures, cronies and spin doctors rip chunks from each other’s manifestos and on May 6 vote for the one with the most meat left on. Politics never tasted so good.

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

15

Parties Comment Ian Pattison Trade Union and Socialist Coalition

Students should vote for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) and other socialist candidates in the general election. Young people are being offered a bleak future. Youth unemployment has hit one million, graduate unemployment is growing, university places have been slashed, tuition fees are set to rise, and education could face cuts on an unprecedented scale These cuts are to pay for the recession caused by the ineptness and greed of the bankers. Instead it is ordinary working people that are being forced to pay for an economic crisis they did not cause. We are facing attacks on jobs, pay, conditions and public services. TUSC offers workers, students, pensioners and the unemployed a clear alternative. TUSC is the biggest political party standing in the election that opposes cutting public services to pay for the bankers’ crisis. At the moment even our own National Union of Students does not support free education. TUSC would abolish tuition fees and reintroduce grants for all students. The war in Afghanistan is growing increasingly unpopular. Lives are being lost and billions of pounds are being wasted. TUSC calls for all the troops to be brought home from Afghanistan now. Global warming is also the biggest environmental crisis the world has ever seen. Climate change has been caused by capitalism, by big business seeking bigger and bigger SURÀ WV DW WKH H[SHQVH RI RUGLQDU\ people and our planet. TUSC calls for investment in publicly-owned and controlled public transport and renewable energy. Recently we have seen a rise of the racist BNP. Where the BNP have councillors they have consistently sided with the bosses and voted for cuts. TUSC welcomes diversity, opposes racism, fascism and all forms of discrimination. After the general election, abortion rights and rights for the LGBT community could be reversed. We must defend these essential freedoms. Billions are being wasted on bailouts and bonuses for the bankers, private companies are bleeding our public services GU\ DQG 03V DUH H[SORLWLQJ WKHLU H[SHQVHV IRU DOO LWV ZRUWK

I have canvassed on behalf of Elaine Brunskill for Gateshead. She has been involved in many camSDLJQV LQFOXGLQJ À JKWLQJ FXWV RS posing war and racism, and for free education. Elaine is a Unison trade union member and also a member of the Socialist Party. People are fed up with the main political parties, and angry about the cuts. TUSC offers a working class socialist alternative to the pro-cuts, pro-big business agenda of the main political parties. I therefore encourage students to vote for TUSC candidates where they can, and other genuine left-wing/socialist candidates.

Simon Childs Green Party

Having supported the Green Party for some time, this election has provided the strongest test of my faith as I’ve heard some persuasive arguments to vote for Labour in order to avert the disaster that would be a Conservative government. But Labour’s record in government has been awful; inequality, big business bums thoroughly licked, universities attacked, ditto civil liberties, climate change ignored. I could go on. Besides all of that, some of the current cabinet were in Tony Blair’s cabinet that went to an illegal war in Iraq. This makes them at best spineless career politicians and at worst war criminals. Screw voting for that. Just how cynical do you want me to be? And while Labour may (just) be the lesser of two evils, it feels counter-intuitive to vote for a party who I’ve spent most of my political life shouting at on Question Time, when I could vote for a party who have a brilliant record on so many fronts, not just the environment. That’s one of the biggest myths about the Green Party - that it’s a single issue party. Not that there’s anything wrong with a party that emphasises that climate change is the biggest challenge facing humanity and has a plan to deal with it. But if you take a look on their ZHEVLWH \RX¡OO VRRQ Ă€ QG RXW WKDW they have policies on social justice, foreign policy, crime, health, education - everything. And I urge you to do just that, because their policies make the ‘change’ offered by the other par-

ties look like what it is; an empty slogan and nothing else. The Green Party wants to stop wasting money and lives in the bloody, pointless Afghanistan war. It wants to raise the minimum ZDJH WR … SHU KRXU KRZ PLJKW that improve your summer job?). It wants to make university education free. It wants to scrap Trident. It’s also refreshing that the Green Party leader, Caroline Lucas, is not a man in a suit. In this campaign it’s nice to see a woman being judged for her policies rather than her heels like the other leaders’ wives. And what a woman she is. Articulate, passionate, principled and genuine, she’s everything Brown, Clegg and Cameron are not. Overall, “they have been able to do what the left hasn’t been able to do, which has been to put forward an alternative to the free market and sound credible,� wrote comedian Mark Steel. At a time when capitalism has crashed to its knees, I’ll be voting for a party who sees this as an opportunity to change things, rather than one which wants to return to business as normal.

Gavin Callaghan Labour Party

In 1997, schools were crumbling. Teachers were few and far between. Those that remained were still using blackboards and chalk, RXW RI GDWH WH[WERRNV WKDW KDG WR EH shared between three. In hospitals, patients languished, sometimes dying in pain whilst waiting for operations, crime had doubled, homes were repossessed, and pensioners were living in poverty. As a nation, Britain had lost the right to place the word ‘Great’ in front of it. There was chronic under-investment in public services. 7KHUH ZHUH IHZHU SROLFH RIĂ€ FHUV Ă€ UH Ă€ JKWHUV SDUDPHGLFV WHDFK ers and doctors available to treat people, because the Conservative party didn’t think it was necessary to protect the many; rather they were happy to ensure the fortunes of the few remained as lucrative as possible. The house of parliament saw only one in ten women MPs. Gay people were denied equal rights. People ZHUH OHJDOO\ H[SHFWHG WR ZRUN hour days, workers were being paid as little as ÂŁ1 a day, because yes, that’s right, and I say this to most people my age who don’t

NQRZ WKLV EXW EHIRUH WKHUH was no national minimum wage. So when students are out working, moaning about being paid £5.35 an hour, it could be worse; you could and would be earning less under a Conservative government, who opposed its introduction LQ WKH À UVW SODFH What is essential in this election is that the challenges the leaders we HOHFW IDFH LQ DUH JOREDO ,I ZH try to isolate ourselves as Cameron has so often tried to do in Europe DQG DW WKH * ZH ZLOO IDLO WR embrace new jobs in environmental technology, the creative industries DQG À QDQFLDO VHUYLFHV We will fail to embrace the jobs the internet provides and fall behind in academia and research. We will fail to embrace new ways of teaching and learning which are driven by technology. I challenge \RX EHIRUH WKH QH[W HOHFWLRQ WR WKLQN about the key things that are of importance to you. Perhaps it is knowing there are police on the streets as you stumble back from a student night out which gives you a better chance of not being attacked or your house burgled? Perhaps it is knowing that if you develop cancer, you’re more likely to survive under a Labour government that invests more into research and treatment than any government in history? Perhaps it is knowing that your little brother and sisters who are still at school will have the chance to go to university and have the same life H[SHULHQFHV \RX \RXUVHOI KDYH EHHQ OXFN\ HQRXJK WR H[SHULHQFH" Only Labour can ensure continued progress; after all is that not what Britain deserves?

Larissa Brown Liberal Democrat Party

The Liberal Democrats have seen an unprecedented rise in support after the recent televised debates, making them strong contenders for power. It can’t all be about Nick Clegg’s good looks, so why is it that SHRSOH DUH IRU WKH À UVW WLPH VWDUW ing to believe that a liberal future really is the best thing for British politics? People now feel a real change can be achieved and that there is a better option to alternating Conservative and Labour rule. The Liberal Democrats are a progressive party who will bring fairness, reducing the political power hoarded by politicians and civil servants and economic power as hoarded by big

businesses. Ridding the political system of corruption and the manipulation RI À QDQFHV WR VHUYH SHUVRQDO DLPV and corporate masters will result in trustworthy government, properly accountable to the British public. There will be electoral reform under the Lib Dems, getting rid of safe seats and the disenfranchisement of voters, making sure your vote in local and national elections really will count. Clegg will phase out tuition fees so university is more affordable for those who don’t have the money to spend thousands of pounds a year on education. This ZLOO À QDOO\ HUDGLFDWH WKH VWLJPD DW tached to university that it is for the wealthy and not the talented. The Liberal Democrats will promote good immigration and make sure where there is a dire shortage of workers, immigrants will be diverted to the relevant regions. They recognise the importance of immigrants, not just purely for economic reasons, but for contributing to the wealth of diversity that makes Britain such a unique country. One of the most prevalent issues in contemporary politics is the issue of climate change, something the Liberal Democrats have placed high on their agenda. The party will drive a massive programme of investment in renewable energy sources and will invest now in the green technologies of the future, delivering hundreds of thousands of new and better jobs in the years to come. The party will also help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change. In an increasingly globalised and interconnected political economy, it is imperative that Britain works constructively with countries within the European Union and the wider world. The Liberal Democrats don’t want to just uphold justice, liberty and fairness in Britain but they DOVR ZDQW WR H[SRUW WKHVH YDOXHV WR others. So say goodbye to broken promises and make a vote that really counts, a vote that will change British politics for the future, making Britain a country we can once again be proud of.

Rebecca Foster Conservative Party

The Conservative Party’s plans for the empowerment of the individual are based upon a desire to change and strengthen society. After a hard hitting recession and the crisis of WKH 03V¡ H[SHQVHV VFDQGDO PXFK of the nation’s faith in government has been lost, and this is something the Conservative Party seek to

rectify in their policies. Certainly, it was the Conservatives who took the lead in sorting RXW WKH H[SHQVHV VFDQGDO E\ LQVLVW LQJ WKDW GHWDLOV RI 03V¡ H[SHQVHV be published online. Such action represents the dedication of the Conservatives in restoring the public’s trust in government. The Conservatives see change in society as a necessary action on both a local and a national level. Nationally, the Conservatives aim to stop the centralisation of government that has ultimately damaged the trust of the voting public by the hoarding of power by anonymous bureaucrats in Whitehall. By working towards a collaborative democracy the Conservatives aim to grant each citizen a louder voice so that their views may be heard. )RU H[DPSOH &RQVHUYDWLYHV SODQ to give voters the power to ‘recall’ MPs guilty of serious wrongdoing EHIRUH WKH QH[W JHQHUDO HOHFWLRQ (providing their serious wrongdoing can be proven) suggesting that RQH YRWH HYHU\ IRXU RU Ă€ YH \HDUV LV DQ LQVXIĂ€ FLHQW ZD\ RI PDNLQJ VXUH everyone’s voice is heard. The Conservatives also propose to force parliament to debate a motion if one hundred thousand voters petition for it, consequently ensuring that the demands of the public are heard. Such policies must go hand in hand with establishing a government that has greater transparency, making information available to the public. The Sustainable Communities Act will give people more information and control over what is being spent by government agencies in their local area. Within the home, Conservatives place emphasis on the importance of a strong family unit by advocating quality family time, and consequently plan to LQWURGXFH PRUH Ă H[LEOH ZRUNLQJ hours for parents of children under the age of 18. Within the wider community, the Conservative Party aim to empower citizens by creating strong neighbourhood groups - re-building civic VRFLHW\ E\ SURYLGLQJ H[WUD IXQGLQJ for independent community organisers to run groups, thus energizing local community spirit. Overall, a Conservative government would mean greater empowerment for the individual, a smaller government and a bigger society, by providing individuals with more information upon which to act, and a greater number of opportunities to make one’s voice heard.

16

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Comment Electoral system

Q&A: how it looks in Newcastle What constituency am I in?

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Newcastle Central

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highest number of Newcastle students are Newcastle East (highlighted in white) and Newcastle Central (to its immediate left)

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VXUURXQGLQJ WKH 3UHVLGHQW GR QRW KDYH WR EH YRWHG LQ EHIRUH WKH\ FDQ WDNH SRZHU ,I *RUGRQ %URZQ ORVHV KLV VHDW LQ 3DUOLDPHQW KH ZLOO QRW EH DEOH WR EH 3ULPH 0LQLVWHU +LV FDELQHW FDQ RQO\ VHUYH LI HOHFWHG LQ E\ WKH SHRSOH )LQDOO\ ZLWK FXUUHQW GHEDWH DERXW WKH SRWHQWLDO LVVXHV RI D KXQJ 3DU OLDPHQW WKH FDVH IRU À UVW SDVW WKH SRVW VXGGHQO\ EHFRPHV VWURQJHU )LUVW SDVW WKH SRVW WHQGV WR SUR GXFH VWURQJ JRYHUQPHQWV ZKR DUH DEOH WR JHW WKLQJV GRQH WKH PDLQ FRQFHUQ DERXW WKH FKDQFH RI D KXQJ SDUOLDPHQW GXULQJ D UHFHVVLRQ .HHSLQJ À UVW SDVW WKH SRVW PD\ QRW EH WKH PRVW IDLU EXW LW NHHSV %ULWDLQ VWURQJHU

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

17

Electoral system Comment

Voted, drawn and quartered: what will a hung parliament really mean? Laura Heads

A hung parliament - we’ve heard that term being thrown around a lot in the past three or four weeks. 7KHUH¡V QR VHFUHW WKDW LW¡V D GHĂ€ nite possibility this time around; ZH FRXOG ZHOO KDYH WKH Ă€ UVW KXQJ parliament since 1947. The only problem is that none of us really know what that would mean for the country - it’s just a lot of political jargon to most. In layman’s terms, a hung parliament occurs when no party gains a clear enough majority in the House of Commons; that is to say that no party gains more than the number of MPs required to form a government. If it occurs in such a way as to leave Labour still the technical biggest party in Parliament then Gordon Brown is allowed to retain KLV RIĂ€ FH LI LW RFFXUV LQ D ZD\ WKDW leaves David Cameron and the Conservatives as the technical bigJHVW SDUW\ WKHQ KH ZLOO WDNH RIĂ€ FH in both possibilities Parliament will need to attempt to work it out. Nine times out of ten, a hung parliament will result in forming a coalition government, where it can be predicted that one or more of the smaller parties will side with either Labour or the Conservatives in order to give them the majority they need to run the country successfully without hindrance from their opposition. As my dad so technically put it the other week when this issue happened to come up in our household, if the above were to happen it would mean “complete social and economic melt downâ€?. I’d like to think that this isn’t the case and a vast exaggeration, but unfortunately there is some truth to the matter. I’m sure we’ve all seen the political debates on TV and have at some point pointed out to our housemates/partners/families that the three leaders are essentially acting like spoilt children in a playground, arguing over every technical matter they can and denying profusely anything their opponents say about them and their policies, true or untrue. Expecting at least two of them to work together in a coalition is going

to be a very long and arduous task, one that will involve a lot more bickering and a lot less thinking about the public. There are serious, credible fears that a hung parliament will essentially form a boxing ring within the Houses of Parliament, where each of the three main parties will À JKW WR HQVXUH WKDW WKHLU SROLFLHV DUH voiced and taken on board, that it is them who gains the credit. In essence, the public, whom this election should be about, will be relegated to a back row seat to sit

and watch whilst our political system destroys itself from the inside out. Nick Clegg, perhaps the most LQà XHQWLDO PHPEHU RI D KXQJ parliament, has already made his opinions very clear about who he LQWHQGV WR ZRUN ZLWK D GHÀ QLWH QR if the Conservatives were to gain D PLQRULW\ DQG D GHÀ QLWH QR LI Labour were to retain power with a minority and still keep Gordon Brown as the Prime Minister. It doesn’t really leave much room for negotiation, and the Tories or

Labour could end up having to form deals and coalitions with smaller parties like the Green Party in an attempt to gain a majority. All three of these parties have vastly different plans and policies about how they would go about tackling things such as crime, immigration, and of course the economy. There is nothing in the rule books which dictates that any of party JHWV À UVW VD\ RYHU DQ\ RQH RI WKHVH issues, and it can be safely assumed that no one party will easily give up their ideas in favour of another.

Hence we reach stalemate. Labour only needs to lose 24 seats, with the Conservatives gaining no more than 115 and the Lib Dems gaining no more than 263 in order to achieve a hung parliament. Many argue that this would produce change within our country and our government, and there is no way I can argue that this wouldn’t be true. However, whether the change will be the positive ‘everything’s rosey’ change we were expecting is seriously open to debate. R. YEH

Be careful what you wish for when it comes to proportional representation Charles Oliver

After the public outcry about the BNP appearing on the BBC’s Question Time programme, the public ought to know that they will be seeing a lot more of BNP politicians in the media if a Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system is introduced at Westminster. Labour and the Liberal Democrats both favour introducing such a system if they are elected on May 6. A PR system will proportionally represent all parties in the UK, not

just the Liberal Democrats. The BNP’s success at the 2009 European Parliamentary election was possible because they were elected on a PR system with only 6% of the vote. This has secured Nick GrifÀ Q DQ … VDODU\ JXDUDQWHHG entitlement to funding for his party and the right be heard on the TV, particularly the BBC. The PR system also means that the British electorate will not be able to get rid of any party including the BNP, as long as they receive a notable percentage share of the vote. Britons in EU poll data show the greatest concern about immigration among any western EU country. Therefore, a party like the BNP that is clearly anti-immigration has, and ZLOO EHQHÀ W

In addition, PR will almost inevitably require a coalition of parties to form a majority government. Small parties like the BNP could act as kingmakers in contributing the few seats that are often needed to form majorities in PR governments. In return, this would force other parties in the coalition to take heed of the BNP’s policies to secure their votes. There are current examples of far right parties in Europe that are part of coalition governments. For example, in Denmark, where they have a PR system to elect their national government, the Danish People’s Party, a far right party, is part of the current governing coalition. Equally, in the Netherlands, where again they have a PR system,

Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party, (which wants to halt immigration from all non-western countries, ban the Quaran and deport any Muslim who breaks the law) has just performed well at their recent local elections and is expected to be part of the country’s next governing coalition, when elections are held in June. The BNP already has two Members of the European Parliament DQG À IW\ FRXQFLOORUV LQ WKH 8. Labour has moved to the centre to À JKW IRU PLGGOH FODVV YRWHV As a result, it is widely acknowledged that they have alienated some of their traditional working class vote base, who have been forced to look for other sources of representation. The BNP has looked

to capitalise on this under-representation. The electorate’s revulsion at MPs’ expenses is understandable. However, a hung parliament with a strong Lib Dem vote share will most likely lead to a change in our electoral system to PR. Our current system is not perfect - many votes are wasted - but it does normally form strong governments, while excluding small parties like the BNP. Under the electoral reform proposals, the BNP will be able to cement their existence in British politics and will have the right to expect media coverage and interviews, which in turn will help to spread their message. The electorate ought to keep that in mind on May 6.

18

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

One girl, one day, three dates Life & Style Editors: Larisa Brown, Alex Felton and Ashley Fryer - courier.life@ncl.ac.uk

> Blind Date, page 23

life Economic terror and the debt burden Life & Style Editor Larisa Brown discusses why debt relief helps Third World development

N

“Zewdie Tamirat’s eyes were swollen shut through malnutrition and her delicate skin was no longer able to mask the skeleton EHQHDWK %UXVKLQJ DZD\ Ă€LHV IURP KHU IDFH ZLWK D VPDOO WZLJ WKH OLWWOH JLUO VWRRG TXLHWO\ DV LQ KHU IDWKHU H[SODLQHG KRZ WKUHH \HDUV RI FURS IDLOXUH LQ (WKLRSLD KDG OHIW KLV IDPLO\ IDFLQJ VWDUYDWLRQ 3LWLDEO\ VKH DWWHPSWHG D VPLOH IRU WKH FDPHUDPDQ´ &RXUWHV\ -LP /RULQJ 7HDUIXQG

ewcastle University has played a vital role in international development agendas. As a VLJQLÀFDQW SDUWLFLSDQW in organisations such as Make Poverty History North East and the Jubilee debt campaign, the University has, over several decades, helped improve the quality of life for people living in poverty across the globe. There are 41 heavily indebted poor countries in the world, with 33 of these in Africa. Both staff and students at Newcastle have helped remedy the debt burden faced by African countries such as Tanzania. Third world debt can be attributed to various factors, such as colonial exploitation, bad governance, lack of development, adverse terms of trade and growing dependence on assistance and loans. Poverty drives indebtedness as an initially weak state lacks the capacity to improve social and economic services in order to drive the economy, and a heavily indebted country is unable to divert much needed resources to key sectors of society. Take, for example, Zaire where 44% of the national budget is spent on debt servicing. This means that, UDWKHU WKDQ ÀQDQFLQJ GHYHORSPHQW programmes aimed at improving weak economic structures, Zaire is paying back money to countries in the Western world. By reducing the debt burden on struggling African nations, those countries are then better able to provide for their nation’s citizens, with the hope that Africa will become less poor and more developed. There is a widely held view that aid assistance, such as reducing the debt burden, has a negative impact on African nations as the countries become reliant upon assistance from the developed world, rather than developing their own economic and social structures to foster grass roots development. Aid assistance can have both positive and negative repercussions for the third world, largely dependent upon the credibility of the government in power of the country receiving aid. Most debt relief programmes make it clear that debt relief will only be given to countries meeting certain conditions. Where aid is managed properly and diverted according to need, aid contributions can make a positive contribution towards development. 7KH ÀUVW FDPSXV ZLGH FDPSDLJQ in the world to promote poor country debt relief was started at the University of Newcastle in 1998.

It is through the university’s commitment to eradicate debt in countries whose poverty is absolute, that children in countries such as Tanzania are now in full time education and living within reach of clean water. ,Q PDQ\ UHVSHFWV WKH PRVW HIĂ€cient way of helping countries give their citizens clean water and good standards of living is to write off their debts. Perhaps the most remarkable recognition of the University’s efforts to reduce poverty in developing countries was provided by President Mkapa of Tanzania who, in 2004, formally thanked the University for launching a campaign for debt relief, saying Newcastle was his “greatest partnerâ€? in helping wage a worthy struggle to obtain debt relief. Tanzania, in 2001, as a country witnessing serious deterioration of basic services and a high and unsustainable debt burden, reversed LWV WUHQGV ZLWK RXU KHOS 6LJQLĂ€FDQW debt relief resources were better directed towards priority sectors. President Mkapa said, “In 2001 7DQ]DQLD ZDV JUDQWHG VLJQLĂ€FDQW debt relief. As promised this was directed to the priority sectors of education, health, water, rural roads and HIV/AIDS, enabling us to increase resources for poverty reduction by 130 per cent.

President Mkapa of Tanzania thanked the University for launching a campaign for debt relief “We have already witnessed tremendous successes. The primary school population has increased by 66 per cent - the greater part of an extra two million children – and the shortfall of the enrolment of girls has been eliminated. “We have built 45,000 classrooms, 1,925 new primary schools and over 7,500 homes for teachers in partnership with their communities; between 2000 and 2004, we recruited 37, 261 new teachers, and retrained another 14,852.â€? Since aid assistance, the children in Tanzania have more books and the teachers are more motivated, improving teaching and learning environments. Hospitals have been rehabilitated DQG UHĂ€WWHG ZLWK GLDJQRVWLF HTXLSment and the previous shortage of basic drugs is now history. The

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

19

Life Life & Style

rate of immunisation has reached 83 per cent and the introduction of the hepatitis vaccine has saved 2025,000 lives annually. President Mkapa hoped that such initiatives as supported by Newcastle University would be picked up by more academic institutions. He said: “For, as this University’s founding statement puts it, ‘University staff who have enjoyed the privilege of higher education cannot be indifferent to the millions of children and young people deprived of even an elementary schooling - one of the greatest and most tragic effects of the burden of unsustainable debt.’â€? Of course, whilst these changes DUH VLJQLĂ€ FDQW 7DQ]DQLD LV VWLOO IDU from being anywhere near on equal footing with schools and hospitals LQ FRXQWULHV VXFK DV RXUV 7RWDO GHEW cancellation would enable the country to further develop these key sectors and subsequently improve the TXDOLW\ RI OLIH RI LWV FLWL]HQV

“We believe AIDS is the worst catastrophe ever to hit the world� Newcastle University is regularly doing more to assist countries such DV 7DQ]DQLD KLJKOLJKWHG E\ LWV UROH in the passing of the so-called VulWXUHV /DZ HDUOLHU WKLV PRQWK 7KH

University was the only university in the country to back a campaign to protect poor countries from investment companies buying up poor country debts at knock-down prices DQG PDNLQJ DVWURQRPLFDO SURĂ€ WV David Golding, Professor of MaULQH 6FLHQFH DQG 7HFKQRORJ\ VD\V that “most aid has helped the undoubted progress shown by the continent in recent years, not least in the growth of primary schooling and the provision of ARV drugs for AIDS.â€? UNICEF’s Executive Director says “We believe AIDS is the worst catastrophe ever to hit the world.â€? 7KHUH DUH PLOOLRQ SHRSOH OLY ing with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, with 18.3% adults living with HIV in South Africa in 2006. Over 18 million African children will have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Millions of children not yet LQ WKHLU WHHQV QRZ Ă€ QG WKHPVHOYHV totally responsible for younger siblings; millions of weak and impoverished elderly people are left to care for grandchildren. Whilst many people see the problem of HIV and AIDS as a never ending battle, it is important that ZH XQGHUVWDQG WKDW WKH Ă€ JKW DJDLQVW HIV and AIDS can be won. With more assistance, countries can invest even more in health care, mitigating the plight of the sick and the dying, and blocking the development of full blown AIDS by drug use.

7KH FDUHUV RI RUSKDQV FDQ EH VXS ported and the rate of new infecWLRQV VODVKHG 7KH PHGLFDO WRROV DQG Ă€ QDQFLDO UHVRXUFHV QHHG WR EH UHDG ily available in Africa. Rather than blaming ‘aid’ for sustaining the underdevelopment of naWLRQV LQ WKH 7KLUG :RUOG RQH VKRXOG rather look at the unfair internation-

al trade rules; enforced repayment of illegitimate, inherited debts; and WD[ Ă€ GGOHV E\ PXOWLQDWLRQDOV HDFK taking from third world countries far more than the amount they are receiving in aid. 7KH ÂśDLG¡ DVVLVWDQFH JLYHQ WR $IULFD just hasn’t been enough to outweigh the negative impact of rich govern-

ments, companies and investment Ă€ UPV H[SORLWLQJ WKH 7KLUG :RUOG Golding shared his own thoughts on this matter, saying, “I don’t believe Western countries deliberately set out to oppress poor nations, but the effects of our policies on the ground amount to nothing less than economic terror.â€?

&KLOGUHQ EHQHÂż WWLQJ IURP HGXFDWLRQ LQ 7DQ]DQLD LQ 7KH SKRWR ZDV WDNHQ DIWHU VLJQLÂż FDQW GHEW UHOLHI KDG KHOSHG WKH UHJLRQ

20

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Life & Style Fashion

fashion

Election trends: support your party Jack Porteous’ how-to guide for dressing the part for your party Want to dress to show your party political allegiance? Then this is the advice for you. With the excitement of the election coming up, there couldn’t possibly be a better time to start dressing like your political views! Conservative: Whoever knew that tweed was back in fashion? The key to dressing like a Tory is wearing something itchy, but resisting the urge to actually itch yourself. Anything woollen, including that

jumper your nan knitted you for Christmas. Boys, get the loafers out and for the girls, get out that petticoat you’ve been hiding for the last 50 years. Be sure to accessorise with classy jewellery for the ladies and naff hairdos for the boys. And remember, nothing screams outdated views like a strong musty smell. Don your hunting cap, go to the streets and party like it’s 1928. (Unless you’re a fox or the economy, in which case it’s advisable to stay indoors). Labour: Want to look like you’re from an industrial city in the North of England? Think grey. Grey suits, grey socks, grey tights. Just grey. What the people voting for you

don’t know is that your suit is Armani thanks to your new mates in the city and your massive expenses claims. Oh, and try and cover up the stench of sweat. I know you’ve been running for 13 years but there’s no need to smell quite so desperate and pathetic. Lib Dem: Worried by your new place in the spotlight of British politics? Well don’t be. Continue to be the collection of oddballs you were before the sudden increase in attention, just don’t let your mate with dreads and the ginger beard wear a Lib Dem badge, it’ll put the voters off. Remember to maintain the shocked

expression of disbelief at your poll UDWLQJV DQG GRQ¡W JHW RYHUFRQĂ€GHQW remember you’re just not very good in public situations. Continue wearing the same t-shirts ZLWK VFLHQWLĂ€F MRNHV RQ \RX¡YH EHHQ wearing for years, everyone will know who you are. BNP: Needless to say, the Union Jack is back in fashion. Avoid blacks, browns and yellows, they just don’t suit you. Remember that red, white and blue are the truly indigenous colours of Britain, so after you’ve deported the rest of the colours you’ll look even more of a twat than you already do. Green: Whatever you wear make sure it’s ethical. No GAP, Adidas, Nike, Tesco, Primark... wander-

ing the streets naked is better than betraying your ethics. If the natural look is a bit too far for you, you should consider wearing a nice thick hemp scarf. Not only does it keep the heat in thus conserving energy, it’s the essential accessory for any environmental activist. UKIP: Take off the straightjacket, they let you out last week. Let your multiple personalities decide what to wear, you’ll either end up looking like a Tory or a member of the BNP. Just remember to shun anything obviously European such as berets and lederhosen, and to keep up the delusion that Britain can survive on it’s own. Independent: Wear what the hell you like. Nobody cares.

Take the centre stage with your look this summer Kate McDonald takes a look at the must-wear summer fashions for festival-goers It is that time of year again. The sun is (hopefully) shining, impossible amounts of camping paraphernalia and crates of alcohol are crammed into tiny student cars as the summer pilgrimage begins‌yes kids it is festival season. It truly is the perfect combination – all of your favourite musicians and people in the same place at the same time. However, we stumble upon that

what’s hot

eternal question, just what does one wear? Yes, while it is once again time to channel the forever loved and eternally cool vibes emanating from Kate “Miss Festivalâ€? Moss, this year I urge you to think beyond. What with the rise and rise of “The Gagaâ€? it would seem that almost all fashion taboos have been broken. I put it to you festival-goers that in the wake of last year’s infamous Glastonbury geometric mirrored ERG\ VXLW \RX KDYH GHĂ€QLWLYHO\ been given your fashion license to thrill. The great thing about festivals is that they give you a carte blanche; you can get away with just about anything.

Chunky, oversized cardigans

Maxi dresses

Embrace long, Ă RDW\ Ă RUDOV and pastels with feminine maxi dresses; perfect for both beach and evening wear

So, for those of you who perhaps don’t usually have the courage to dare to wear, this is your chance to shine. One of the big festival fashion must-dos for 2010 is to channel your childhood: dungarees are an absolute essential for the truly on trend among you. How adventurous you choose to be is up to you – whether you decide to stick with classic denim or be bold with a printed pair. If dungarees are a little too retro for you, I insist upon a playsuit. 3DWWHUQV DUH YLWDO $OWKRXJK à RUDOV remain fabulous they are not the only print to be found rocking this season. Jungle, tribal and aztec are very

much necessary and are a great way to spice up your staple summer dress. In the spirit of Gaga, the bolder the better‌.be brave! Up next in your essential festival wardrobe are the three D’s: denim, denim and denim. It is everywhere in 2010. If you have chosen the dungarees, great. But you need more. Denim shorts, jackets, cute summer dresses, waistcoats and shirts are essential. Don’t be afraid to wear them together. The once cardinal sin of mixing denims is now a must. Remember, it is all about thinking fashion from head to toe. For some of you the spirit of a fesWLYDO LV RQH RXWÀW WKUHH GD\V DQG a great time which means it is all about the trimmings.

what’s not

Chunky, oversized cardigans – perfect to throw on in the evening when it starts to get a bit chilly; knitted or woolly these cardigans feel almost like wearing a hug

Tailored shorts

High-waist or long-length, these chic alternatives to generic hot pants look great with stripy t-shirts or summery blouses

Accessories really come into their own on the festival circuit and my top tip? Get involved in garish headwear. Hats are great and why not put your own stamp on them by adding a headscarf, ribbons or feathers? Or, fashion the headscarf into a statement bow. Be bold. A pair of really cool sunglasses should never leave your face and add bohemian inspired bangles and long necklaces as your splash of jewellery. Finally, do not forget your longsuffering festival best friend. Through thick and thin, rain or shine, a pair of bright, funky wellies are the only thing to be seen wearing.

Socks & sandals (for boys)

Whilst they might look quaint on girls if worn in the right way, on boys they’ll just end up looking unfortunately middle aged

Poker straight hair Cut away monokinis

They may look good on the gazelles that grace the catwalk, but with weird cut-out shapes, these swimming costumes will only leave strange shaped tan lines

Go natural with wavy, textured beach hair and let your hair recover from the temptations of obsessive ironing

By Katy Lawson

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

21

Fashion Life & Style

Skirting on the edge

Cream and red heart shorts: Topshop £30 Lace corset: Topshop £20 Studded biker jacket: New Look £36 $QNOH ERRWV 8UEDQ 2XWÀWWHUV

&URS WRS 7RSVKRS High waisted shiny leggings: H&M £29.99 %ODFN $QNOH %RRWV 8UEDQ 2XWÀWWHUV Flower Hair band: H&M £7.99

Sweatshirt: Labrat Designs £30 Shorts: Diesel £30 .QHH KLJK VRFNV 7RSVKRS 5HHERN +LJKWRSV -' 6SRUWV

Black Sweatshirt: Labrat designs £30

Bright Coral Jeans: H&M £14.99 Zebra Print Body: H&M £29.99 5HHERN +LJKWRSV -' 6SRUWV

Photography: Claire Hall Styling: Addy Pope, Millicent Simon

22

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Life & Style Sex & Relationships

sex & relationships Feeling frisky? Then get a room

View Askew

Circle of friends Kathy Jackman Columnist

I’ve noticed that university is a great opportunity to develop conĂ€GHQFH DQG VRFLDO VNLOOV HVSHFLDOO\ when you’re anything like me. I was never all that good at making friends, though I did have one or two close buddies that I stuck with throughout my school \HDUV DQG ,¡P WKH Ă€UVW WR DGPLW that if there were a queen of social awkwardness then I would be the one to bear the shining crown of embarrassment. <RX NQRZ WKH VWRU\ GLIĂ€FXOW puberty, Only Child Syndrome, same old same old, blah blah blah. Ah, but no longer! Taking a trip down memory lane back to when I was a wee fresher, I was not really having the best week. 0\ Ă DWPDWHV ZHUH QLFH SHRSOH but I wasn’t into the same stuff as them and I didn’t really relish the prospect of going out and getting drunk for seven days. I already felt alone and out of place like I had everywhere else in my life; it wasn’t exactly the best start. However, I made myself bullet of fear and sent myself off to the Rocksoc pub crawl because I was determined to make an effort with people and that seemed more my cup of tea. Seeing as I’m now the society’s Vice President, I think it’s safe to say that it was. It’s strange to think that if I hadn’t gone then I wouldn’t have met any of my now close friends, the people who were like me and actually wanted to get to know me. I eventually met my boyfriend through the Rocksoc too, how’s that for Kismet? It’s hard to believe that making yourself do something that frightens you can change your whole life for the better. )RU WKH Ă€UVW WLPH LQ P\ OLIH I’m surrounded by like-minded people who make me feel great, something that’s a pretty rare occurrence when you come from a small village like I do. Of course this will have been the case for thousands of people. You come to university to start anew, to enter a new stage in your life, DQG LW¡V QRW ORQJ EHIRUH \RX Ă€QG your niche. In the months before I started, I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to make friends and that people would be put off by my weirdness. I was used to that, after all, in fact I’d had a lifetime of it, but it turned out that I was wrong. )RU WKH Ă€UVW WLPH LQ P\ OLIH , ZDV being unconditionally accepted for who I am, and there really is no other feeling like it. I can only hope that all of you have experienced that very same feeling. It’s kind of like being ZUDSSHG XS LQ WKH FRPĂ€HVW GXYHW in the world, only way warmer.

Rosie Tallant discusses sex outside and why some activities are better kept behind closed doors

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KH Ă€UVW WKRXJKWV WKDW spring to mind when the words ‘outdoor’ and ‘sex’ appear in the same sentence may be of a frisky Ă€HOG UHQGH]YRXV FRPSOHWH ZLWK VHWting sun and soft green grass, but the reality of these daring encounters is usually not so spectacular. Of course, we’ve all heard those slightly unbelievable stories from our more adventurous mates about the time they had mind-blowing VH[ LQ WKH PLGGOH RI D Ă€HOG DQG DEsolutely nothing went wrong. No cows staring menacingly? No twigs lodged in unspeakable places? Apparently not. Let’s try to get a realistic picture here. You’re in the woods, or a Ă€HOG RU D EHDFK LI \RX¡UH OXFN\ 7KLV means grass, soil or sand. Including nettles. There is also wildlife to consider, so those with spider, beetle or livestock phobias please take note. Livestock also means cows, which often leads to huge, shameless cowpats, as those who have ever ventured across the /HD]HV Ă€HOG ZLOO NQRZ 1RZ LV LW just me, or does a muddy, creepyFUDZO\ VWLQJLQJ VWLQNLQJ Ă€HOG QRW sound like the best place to get a little bit frisky? That doesn’t mean that the coun-

J. WHITTAKER

tryside is the only place to enjoy some alfresco action, though. As the Vengaboys repeatedly and enthusiastically insisted, people do want to have sex on the beach. It is an unavoidable sexual playground, and with all those tanned, oiled and glistening bodies on display, this is hardly surprising. Doubts may begin to creep in, however, when you consider the remarkable talent sand has of getting absolutely everywhere. And if it can cause that amount of pain being in between your toes, just imagine what it could do to other places... Why then, if you type this risky little phrase into your average search engine, are there endless fan pages and ‘hidden camera videos’ deVLJQHG VSHFLĂ€FDOO\ IRU DOIUHVFR ORYers? There is no mention on these kinky pages of severe sand chaffage, which is why this fantasy may be best left unrealised. Some things work well only in our minds, like that secret affair with Alistair Darling or daring to go double denim. The reality is just too messy. But if your greatest desire just so happens to be a bit of alfresco loving, make sure you take a blanket, insect killer and plenty of baby wipes.

ask seĂąor jose

SeĂąor Jose is answering your questions for WKH Ă€QDO WLPH ,W¡V EHHQ emotional. Thank you. SeĂąor, My technique when it comes to chatting up the ladies is, shall we say, unique. I prefer the direct approach - squeezing arses, fondling girl’s breasts and chasing girls so I can get a glimpse up their skirts. When things get really dry I do often approach women on nights out and ask them - “Will you f*** me?â€? This does not seem to work. How am I going to lure women into my bed?

I think it was Michelangelo who said, whilst teaching a young boy how to sculpt marble in the foothills surrounding Rome, ‘make love to it, don’t f*** it’ and this would be my advice to you. We have all been there; objectifying women comes down to the big three - tits, arse, legs. But let me tell you about the real big three - listening, cuddling and the notebook. If you combine these three celestial elements then girls will be parting their legs faster than Moses did the Red Sea. If all else fails, offer a girl something shiny (necklace, earrings, tinfoil) as they are like magpies and they will probably take you back to their nest to get it on. Aviary style. Boom. SeĂąor, I’m a man of strength. And by that I mean physical. My muscles are enormous and my abs are to die for. With regular protein shakes and daily trips to the gym, it’s a wonder I don’t have every tom, dick and harry crawling all over me. But at the moment I’m having a bit of a mare. This bird at the gym is reDOO\ Ă€QH DQG E\ WKDW , PHDQ \RX GHĂ€QLWHO\ ZRXOG DQG \RX ZRXOG write home about it. When we go to spinning classes together I can’t help but imagine what it would be like if she were to ride my bike. I asked her out on a date and she

PDGH XS DQ H[FXVH EXW VKH Ă LUWV with me all the time. If you truly are a man of strength my advice to you, as a fellow weight lifter, would be not to s**t where you eat. Sure it would be great to show her your ‘situation’ but think about the next few weeks. What if it doesn’t live up to expectations? What if she is a terrible lay? What if it is awkward in the morning? What if, god forbid, she eats complex carbohydrates after 5pm? This is only going to affect your ability to shift some serious tin. So if you choose to persevere, tread carefully - no girl should make you compromise your weight lifting goals, especially one who is not jumping at the chance to ask you out. Think big, lift big, be big. SeĂąor, I’m Irish, I have ginger hair and with these attributes, topped off with my charming personality, I am usually very lucky with the ladies. However, recently I have fallen madly in love with someone who is quite out of my reach. She currently has a boyfriend and whilst this wouldn’t usually stop me from making my moves, she lives with him, making the VLWXDWLRQ DOO WKH PRUH GLIĂ€FXOW She continually moans about him, suggesting she might break up with him and often looks to

me for advice. I shoot myself in the foot by telling her to stay with him. 6KH RIWHQ Ă LUWV ZLWK PH DQG whilst I enjoy the attention, I can’t KHOS EXW ZLVK WKDW WKH Ă LUWLQJ could turn into something physical. What shall I do? Unrequited love is tough, especially if we are talking about a slammin’ hottie with an ass that just won’t quit! In this sort of situation you have to have a good look at yourself and say ‘do I have the stones?’ If the answer is no you better just get yourself a photo of her, draw a target on her face and retire from the game for life. However, if you peer into your pants and discover you have a pair, there is nothing stopping you. ,I VKH LV Ă LUWLQJ DQG WHOOLQJ \RX how much she hates her boyfriend that means, at the very least, she has thought about you naked. And that is the key. Let her know that you like her whilst casually slipping into the conversation how much of a tool her boyfriend is and that you saw him last night looking too friendly with his second cousin (twice removed). After that, she should be all yours. If this doesn’t work, at least you can get up in the morning, look at yourself in the mirror and see a man staring back. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

23

Blind Date Life & Style

blind date Three guys, one girl and a bottle of champagne Alexandra-Rae Ashcroft dates Harry Clapham, Sam Nutter and Henry Bower to discover what it is that really makes her tick

breakfast Alex said: In all fairness, date one got the raw end of the deal- with the absence of a champagne breakfast, it appeared there was no social lubrication to be offered. To be acquainted at my front door with a non-offensive face and a bar of chocolate I thought I was onto a winner, but the fact that Kitsch’n was closed when we got there wasn’t a great start. $V FKDW JRHV KH ÀWWHG LQWR WKH standard category, we’ll give him kudos for trying. After covering all the basics, he seemed like a good catch; telling me about his family, a good job he had lined up, and an admirable work ethic. To top it all off, he proceeded to enlighten me

lunch Alex said: After a brief interlude with my friends I was ready for round two. I had high expectations of this Sam character as his textual communication to secure arrangements prior to our date had been of the highest calibre. He didn’t disappoint. Once again, I was greeted with a pretty face and a chocolaty gift- although, I this time had some confectionary to offer myself (courtesy of Harry Clapham). Even though I had previously been told we were beach bound for Hawaii, I graciously settled for Whitley Bay. A short metro ride away, my initial concerns were the ability to make small talk with a complete stranger sitting in such close proximity for 30 minutes. However, his constant conversation

dinner Alex said: By date three the day was beginning to take its toll, however I GHFLGHG WR Ă€QLVK ZKDW , KDG DJUHHG to start. The reassurance that a close friend of mine had already put out an offer of a ‘non blind date’ to Henry was rather comforting, so at least if all went wrong she could step in. After putting the date back an hour (meaning the two hour ‘dutch courage’ session he was having in the pub was extended to three hours) we met at As You Like It RQO\ WR Ă€QG KH ZDV XQDZDUH , KDG been a serial dater for the day. So credit where credits due, he took it like a man (unlike the numerous glasses of wine that he proceeded to take like a fresher). I had three options; he was either nervous, partial to more than a few or fancying his chances as a lad -

on his claim to fame being in the form of The Weakest Link.. wow.. who wouldn’t be impressed? Refusing my offer to treat him to his bacon and egg roll (I was disappointed by the lack of sausage), he embraced the 21st century and we split the bill. Walking away I could think of worse ways to spend my morning (until of course I learned he had deleted a picture of himself off my camera - perhaps too vain?!) but let’s not give him too much of a hard time. I suppose you do worse than Harry Clapham. Harry said: Dates and I go together like Gordon Brown and smiles; occasionally I try one but immediately I regret it. However, when offered the chance to get up at 8am on Saturday, buy a mystery bird breakfast, risk unrivalled awkwardness and and my fascination in wondering as to how he achieved such a close shave seemed to make the journey pass remarkably fast. His ‘3 older sisters and a feminist politics module’ later shone through, with Sam being a complete gentleman throughout the whole outing - insisting to pay for a lovely lunch on the beach. Sam was a self confessed catch (to quote: “I’ve got a lot going for meâ€?), so to conclude- if you are looking for an (extremely) pruned, aesthetically pleasing and chatty JX\ \RX VKRXOG GHĂ€QLWHO\ DSSO\ within. Sam said: 7KLV ZDV P\ Ă€UVW HYHU EOLQG GDWH and I wasn’t sure of what to expect. Five to ten minutes of nervous waiting outside West Jesmond Metro and trying to not look as though as I was staring too hard at any would-be dates left me pleasas he was very keen to keep the glasses topped up at all times. A few glasses/bottles of wine later, it turned out I too was rather blinder than I had signed up for so in all fairness I should really just let the friends we ‘conveniently’ PHW XS ZLWK Ă€QLVK ZULWLQJ WKLV review. (QGLQJ XS DW .RR¡V , FDQ FRQĂ€UP , had fun... with my friends anyway. Henry took himself home shortly after arriving at the club which was most certainly for the best of both of us. Nice guy but not the one. Henry said: We had agreed to meet at As You Like It at 8pm. My mates were drinking at the cricket club so I thought I’d meet them for a few beers to settle my nerves. It came to 9pm and I went, a little tipsy but ok. When she came in we sat down with a bottle of wine and just started chatting. I soon found out that Alex had already been on 2 dates earlier that

be one of three dates the young lady would be having that day; I would have been a mug to turn the opportunity down. I decided to go in with my 100% success tactic – I greeted her with a bar of chocolate. This worked with my last girlfriend, granted we were EXW ZK\ Ă€[ VRPHWKLQJ WKDW DLQ¡W broke? I normally have my breakfast with Lorraine Kelly, so she had a tough act to follow. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Alex, she was borderline ginger but had good chat and was quite attractive. 7KH EDQWV FRQWLQXHG WR Ă RZ pretty well and she was lolling all over the shop. I picked up the bill and left without paying, she seemed impressed and walked with me‌the rest is private, I’m still a virgin though that’s all I’ll say. antly surprised by Alex – who was greeted by a box of Maltesers (can’t really go wrong with them). We went to the Beach and walked along the promenade, where we found a little restaurant on the EHDFK WKDW VROG Ă€VK DQG FKLSV , had steak instead. Alex had good chat and told me all about the nightlife in Hull (she actually made it sound pretty appealing) and human geography. We also exchanged stories about our amazing experiences in the Bigg Market. We headed back to Newcastle via the Beach where we had an ice FUHDP DQG Ă€QLVKHG RII DW WKH 8QLRQ where I cracked open some champagne she’d brought to celebrate RXU IDLU\ WDOH OLDLVRQ , Ă€QLVKHG RII by (correctly) guessing a number in her head – cheers Derren Brown – and she was as impressed as she was weirded out. All in all I had a good time and ZRXOG GHĂ€QLWHO\ VHH $OH[ ZKR loves human geography, again. day. Three men in one day, what can I say‌ She started telling me about her previous dates, one of them being someone I actually knew which was pretty weird. I knew I was being analysed and sized up against these other blokes so I didn’t really feel as comfortable as I usually would. She then said that a few of her mates were in Lynches, just across the road. I knew one of my housemates was keen to go out and I thought it’d be cool if we all met up and went together. So we went across, chilled out with her mates and mine and eventually decided to hit town. At this point I had been boozing VROLG IRU D JRRG Ă€YH KRXUV VR ZDV pretty lashed. But anyway, went into Madame Koos and to be honest I got a bit bored, so after a while I did the old disappearing act and just sort of left her with her mates. She’s a lovely girl, just not really my type.

Disappointed by the lack of sausage, Alex and Harry bite into their breakfast baps

A bottle of champage later and still standing, the couple go for a romantic beach stroll

Too many drinks later, the two engaged in ‘conversation’ about the night’s exploits

Her summary: All in all I don’t think I’ll be doing any more favours in the form of blind dates. Some might say you can never have too much of a good thing - I would have to disa-

gree. I climed into bed alone at 3am, with an offer of ‘spoonage’ from an one of the dates who will remain anonymous. Let’s just say I was glad my day of date duties were over.

24

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Life & Style Travel

travel

Amsterdamage Katherine Bannon goes on hockey tour to Amsterdam and gives us an insight into the debauchery that unfolded when university met poly our. Who knew such a small word could mean so much destruction? Forget combat clad guides, pre-historic architecture and foam padded head sets. This is all about what cider you’d PRVW SUHIHU RQ \RXU FRUQĂ DNHV kegging complete strangers and FRQĂ€ UPLQJ WKDW \HV WKH ,ULVK DUH DO ZD\V JRLQJ WR EH Ă€ UVW WR EH EDQQHG from the bar. Salou may have recently hit the SUHVV LQ WKHLU KRUULĂ€ HG DSSDUHQWO\ shocked realization that the thousands of students storming the small town are less likely to play sport than they are to work on their dissertations, but what they pretend not to acknowledge is that this has already been happening for years. Teams, alcohol, fancy dress and the old age adage ‘what goes on tour stays on tour’ have been the precise blend to guarantee you the time of

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your life for much longer than they care to admit. That’s why we took to Amsterdam for Easter weekend to join one of the longest established hockey tournaments, although apart from the distinct smell of something green and some gold lycra adorned Dutch men we probably could’ve been on the outskirts of Fenham. Hotel rooms and lounging around the swimming pool were out of the question. We had red and white stripped tape marking our hundred foot square of campsite, a marquee and four toilets (if you want to count the portaloos). Oh, and as much ham and cheese to keep us going ‘til Christmas. But when the round trip coach journey tallys up to longer than the actual time you spend there you know it’s got to be pretty immense to make it worth it.

Students were not necessarily taking over either. The nearly thirties were in abundance, giving a perfect opportunity for some to prove that age is just a number and that wellies are the most essential footwear for a cross campsite walk of shame. So try not to leave them behind. Not that we didn’t get out sticks out occasionally. Over all, it provided a useful curve of discovery of what hidden talents reside among the team, most notably the ability to prevent a ten on one goal attempt when you’ve only worn a goalie kit for the past ten minutes on your hockey career. ,W¡V DPD]LQJ ZKDW D IHZ *UROVFKHV can do. Yet fresher baiting was the main sport on the agenda. Learning to respect your elders is a key discipline in team politics. Being forced to wear nappies and answer to a whistle is what happens

Drinking games whilst on tour: just a sample of the chaos that occured in Amsterdam

when they choose to abuse that respect. But what goes around will always FRPH DURXQG DV WKH Ă€ UVW WR GRQ 3DP SHUV H[WUD Ă H[L ZDVQ¡W WKH \RXQJHVW among us but the president veteran of the club after an unfortunate incident involving a lot of turbulence. Over all though, its roots reside in the food chain; working your way from primary consumer to top of the triangle is as much a rite of pasVDJH DV ORVLQJ \RXU Ă€ UVW WRRWK Although it’s easy for me to say that, as it’s also a reminder of just KRZ JRRG LW LV WR EH D JLUO ,QWHU spersing cans of lager with press ups and kissing whatever pre-pubescent poly boy that happened to be pass-

ing is nothing compared to what befalls the less compassionate sex. Whereas the most unmerciful grandma of a university team would see the swamp-like, most likely eel ridden lake next to the campsite as just that; in male eyes it is the perfect RSSRUWXQLW\ WR FKDOOHQJH Ă€ UVW \HDU swimming skills. Reaction time, speed and underwater vision as they attempt to retrieve the unforgiving launched hockey stick from its depths. +RZHYHU LW¡V QRW DOO EDG ,W¡V DPD] ing how much attention you receive ZKHQ \RX KDYH Âś,¡P Ă€ IWHHQ¡ ZULWWHQ on your forehead, especially when you look young enough for it to be plausible.

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

25

Food & Drink Life & Style

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3. Tyne Bar Beer Garden

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views of the river and its expanse of EULGJHV HVSHFLDOO\ ZKHQ HQFKDQW ingly lit up on an evening.

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Lesson 18: End of Year Rowan Taylor Columnist

Where to go for the perfect tipple: Katy Lawson discusses Newcastle’s best drinking venues 1. Billabong, Osborne Road

The Penny Pincher

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Rocco Bar Trattoria, City centre

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Fran Infante

Stephen McIntyre

We’ll end with a simple one-page summary of my best tips over the year. Groceries &RPSDUH SULFHV IRU \RXU SDU WLFXODU EDVNHW DQG VKRS IURP IRXU PDMRU VXSHUPDUNHWV DW P\VXSHU PDUNHW FRP 7DVWH ZLWK \RXU PRXWK QRW your eyes - experiment with value SURGXFWV Internet cashback 6LJQ XS DW TXLGFR FRP DQG HDUQ FDVKEDFN IRU RQOLQH DFWLYLW\ House bills 6HW XS D KRXVH EDQN DFFRXQW DQG KDYH HDFK KRXVHPDWH SD\ D monthly standing order. 6ZLWFK \RXU XWLOLWLHV DW PRQH\ VXSHUPDUNHW FRP RU XVZLWFK FRP Eating out 7DNH OXQFK LQWR XQL DIWHU FRRNLQJ GRXEOH SRUWLRQV WKH QLJKW before. 5HJLVWHU IRU UHVWDXUDQW FKDLQV· email newsletters for the best offers. Studying $PD]RQ LVQ·W DOZD\V WKH FKHDSHVW IRU ERRNV ² VFDQ SULFHV DW ERRNEUDLQ FR XN Transport *HW D ELNH IRU ORFDO WUDYHO )RU WUDLQV WSH[SUHVV FR XN VWXGHQWV IRU RII FHUWDLQ URXWHV ZLWK \RXU 5DLOFDUG )RU FRDFKHV PHJDEXV FRP DQG QDWLRQDOH[SUHVV FRP 1HZFDVWOH WR London for £1 anyone? Banking 'RQ·W OHW \RXU VWXGHQW DFFRXQW IUHHELHV EX\ \RX IRU OLIH ² VZLWFK around. Accommodation 3ULYDWH ODQGORUGV GRQ·W FKDUJH DJHQF\ IHHV /RRN RQ IUHHF\FOH RUJ IRU IUHH unwanted furniture. Mobile Phones %X\ \RXU FRQWUDFW SKRQH WKURXJK TXLGFR FRP IRU XS WR FDVKEDFN &DOO IUHHSKRQH QXPEHUV ZLWK \RXU LQFOXGHG PLQXWHV ZLWK )UHHS KRQH %XVWHU RQ )LQG DOWHUQDWLYHV WR DQG QXPEHUV DW VD\QRWR FRP Going out /RRN LQ OLVWLQJV PDJD]LQHV 7KH &UDFN DQG 1DUF IRU IUHH FOXE QLJKWV Health 6WXGHQWV GRQ·W DXWRPDWLFDOO\ JHW KHOS ZLWK KHDOWK FRVWV EXW PDQ\ ZLOO EH HOLJLEOH XQGHU WKH 1+6 ORZ LQFRPH +& +& VFKHPH 7KLV ZLOO VDYH PRQH\ RQ GHQWLVWU\ RSWLFLDQV DQG SUHVFULSWLRQV Music and gigs $Q L3RG GRHVQ·W UHVWULFW \RX WR GRZQORDGLQJ ZLWK L7XQHV $PD ]RQ 3OD\ GLJLWDO +09 DQG ZH DUH DOWHUQDWLYHV DQG WKH\ FDQ EH FRPSDUHG IRU SULFH DW WXQHFKHFNHU FRP %X\ JLJ WLFNHWV IURP WKH YHQXH ER[ RIÀ FH DQG GRQ·W SD\ DQ\ ERRN LQJ IHHV JHW WLFNHWV DW IDFH YDOXH Loyalty cards 7HVFR &OXEFDUG HIIHFWLYHO\ JLYHV \RX EDFN EXW KROG RQ WR WKH YRXFKHUV DQG VZDS WKHP IRU &OXE FDUG 'HDOV DW [ WKHLU YDOXH

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

27

Exclusive interview with I TV’s agony uncle Jeremy Kyle Culture Editor: Alice Vincent - courier.culture@ncl.ac.uk

> TV & Radio, page 44

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Negative campaigning: this year’s general election has been notable for the attack ad methods used by the major parties. The above image is one of a number of spoof Cameron posters on the mydavidcameron website

Stephanie Ferrao Arts Editor This last month’s Leaders’ Election debates saw the three big parties come together to champion their ideas and get in a few tactical punches at the opposition while they’re there. :DV LW UHDOO\ WKDW Ă€ HU\" 'LG WKH JORYHV DFWXDOO\ FRPH RII" 1R EH cause when it comes to electoral PXGVOLQJLQJ LW¡V QRW WKH SROLWLFLDQV who swing the punches. For decades political advertising has been an important facet of HOHFWLRQ FDPSDLJQV EXW KDUGO\ WKH cleanest. Attack ad campaigns focus on the QHJDWLYH TXDOLWLHV RI RWKHU SDUWLHV but are often the most effective and creative ways of grabbing the attention of the masses. Global advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi came to the forefront of the 1979 general election with their iconic ‘Labour Isn’t Working’ billboard campaign. The poster’s simple and punchy message struck the ULJKW FKRUGV ZLWK WKH SXEOLF ZKR voted Margaret Thatcher into power RQ KHU Ă€ UVW HOHFWLRQ )ROORZLQJ D ERDUGURRP FRXS WKH famous Saatchi brothers left the agency to form their own rival comSDQ\ 0& 6DDWFKL WDNLQJ WKH &RQ servative account with them. 7KHLU Âś'HPRQ (\HV¡ SRVWHU featuring a sinister-looking Tony %ODLU GLGQ¡W SUHYHQW /DERXU IURP JDLQLQJ SRZHU EXW GLG FHPHQW WKH Saatchi brothers’ creative status ZLWKLQ WKHLU LQGXVWU\ DV WKH DGYHUW

was accredited the same success as the popular ‘Hello Boys’ Wonderbra campaign in 1994. ,Q D PRYH RI FRPSOHWH LURQ\ Saatchi & Saatchi took up the Labour party’s advertising in the late QLQHWLHV FDUU\LQJ WKHLU QR IULOOV DS proach into campaigns for current PM Gordon Brown with slogans VXFK DV ´1RW Ă DVK MXVW *RUGRQÂľ The rivalry between the two agencies has become as prominent as that of the parties they represent in this \HDU¡V *HQHUDO (OHFWLRQ 7KDW VDLG LW is clear that neither party has managed to effuse their advertisements with the creative clarity of previous campaigns. Though the Tories attempted to use posters declaring a positive SDUW\ PHVVDJH FULWLFLVP RI 'DYLG Cameron’s airbrushed-looking face triggered many spoof versions of the advert and became something of an obstacle for serious publicity. Labour scored something of an own goal with their Ashes to Ashes WKHPHG SRVWHU RI 'DYLG &DPHURQ pointing towards Thatcherite policies. +RZHYHU E\ VXSHULPSRVLQJ KLP on a picture of the politically incorrect but thoroughly popular characWHU '&, *HQH +XQW LW IHOW DV WKRXJK the Labour camp had got carried DZD\ ZLWK WKHLU ZLWW\ VORJDQ ´ 'RQ¡W OHW KLP WDNH %ULWDLQ EDFN WR WKH ¡VÂľ and forgot about what the public would take away from the advert. With embarrassment on both VLGHV WKH /LEHUDO 'HPRFUDWV XVHG WKHLU ´/DEVHUYDWLYHÂľ VKWLFN WR LVVXH a YouTube video highlighting the

interchangeableness of the two big parties. Though the video went viUDO LW IDLOHG WR DFFUXH SXEOLFLW\ RQ the same level as Labour and the Conservatives. On the other side of the political VSHFWUXP VWD\LQJ UHODWLYHO\ ORZ key following the scandalous QuesWLRQ 7LPH DSSHDUDQFH WKH %13¡V UHFHQW XVH RI D VKRW RI D MDU RI 0DU mite in their election broadcast is a classic example of bad political advertising. Its use is unexplained and has nothing to do with the advert’s message: ‘Get Your Own Back – Vote %13¡ ZKLFK DV *ULIĂ€ Q SDWURQLVLQJ ly explains “would really annoy the RWKHU SDUWLHVÂľ )DFLQJ OHJDO DFWLRQ *ULIĂ€ Q¡V MXVWLĂ€ cation for its use was simply a retort to Marmite’s series of spoof adverts which supposedly modelled the leader of the Hate Party on him; alWKRXJK RQFH DJDLQ WKH SDUW\ UHOLHG upon publicity generated from the media rather than through its own campaign. ,Q WUXWK SROLWLFDO DGYHUWLVLQJ KDV garnered more critical opinion than public. Whilst the successes and blunders of the parties’ attack ads KDYH UHPDLQHG WKH VXEMHFW RI GLVFXV VLRQ E\ WKH PHGLD WKH\ KDYH IDOOHQ short of the public appeal and proĂ€ OH UDLVLQJ SRWHQWLDO RI WKH /HDGHUV¡ 'HEDWHV Barack Obama’s ‘Hope’ poster PD\ KDYH EHFRPH LFRQLF LQ WKH 86 but here in Britain the parties are turning to alternative methods of engaging with the increasingly disillusioned public.

The Election: your guide to live coverage Unless you’ve been buried under a pile of essays for as long as you FDQ UHPHPEHU \RX¡OO NQRZ WKDW WKLV ZHHN LV (OHFWLRQ :HHN FXOPL QDWLQJ LQ WKH GD\ &DPHURQ &OHJJ and Brown have all been waiting for this Thursday. %HIRUH WKH ELJ GD\ WKRXJK \RX can get some last minute info on the main political parties in Channel 4’s Election Uncovered on 0RQGD\ UG 0D\ DW SP ZLWK DQ analysis of each party’s campaign DQG WKH OLYH GHEDWHV KRZ WKH OHDG HUV KDYH EHHQ VW\OHG KRZ PXFK the election is actually costing us DQG KRZ WKH SDUWLHV DUH Ă€ QDQFLQJ their campaigns. 2Q WKH QLJKW LWVHOI \RX¡OO EH DEOH WR FDWFK WKH UHVXOWV GLVFXV sions and debates on the election on most mainstream TV channels and radio stations but here’s a rundown of what you can expect. ITV1’s Election 2010 begins at 9.55pm and will be hosted by Alastair Stewart. Correspondents will report live from key seats across the country and there’ll be live analysis of the results as they come in. There will also be a high-tech VZLQJRPHWHU D ' +RXVH RI &RP PRQV DQG D XQLTXH '1$ Ă€ QJHU print of Britain which will make election updates easier to understand. The BBC are also hosting a VLPLODU SURJUDPPH LQFOXGLQJ OLYH interviews and analysis. Jeremy

Paxman will be quizzing politicians. Channel 4 are taking a different direction with their coverage by offering a satirical alternative. The four hour live programme will IHDWXUH FRPHG\ IURP 'DYLG 0LWFK HOO -LPP\ &DUU &KDUOLH %URRNHU Lauren Laverne and Robert Webb and will also feature pre-recorded election specials of some of your favourite comedy shows such as <RX +DYH %HHQ :DWFKLQJ )RQH MDFNHU DQG &RPH 'LQH :LWK 0H 2Q WKH UDGLR -DPHV 1DXJKWLH DQG Carolyn Quinn will present Radio 4’s Election Special in London on %%& 5DGLR 9LFWRULV 'HUE\VKLUH and John Pienaar present BBC Radio 5 Live’s show at 10pm as WKH SROOV EHJLQ WR FORVH DQG IURP 11pm on Absolute Radio you can MRLQ *HRII¡V (OHFWLRQ 3DUW\ ZKHUH Geoff Lloyd brings all the election news as it happens. ,Q WKLV GLJLWDO DJH \RX FDQ EHW that there are plenty of other ways to get the election news if you don’t KDYH D 79 RU D UDGLR %%& 1HZV Online will have all the results as WKH\ DUH DQQRXQFHG 6N\ 1HZV has enhanced its iPhone app for the election so that it can provide election news direct to your phone DV LW KDSSHQV DQG IXOO UHVXOWV ZLOO also be available on the Red Button and Ceefax. Aimee Philipson

the guide: 4 May - 9 May

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Starting May 29, Hatton Gallery, free

Newcastle University Fine Art Degree Show

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Starting May 22, Centre for Life, ÂŁtbc

Doctor Who Exhibition

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Until June 27, Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead, free

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize

arts

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August 27-29, Side Cinema, 19.00, ÂŁtbc

Film Four FrightFest

film

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May 30, Location tbc, 22.30, ÂŁtbc

Habit Warehouse Party: Tensake and Prosumer

clubbing

The Sage, 19.30, £32.50 )UHTXHQWO\ UHIHUUHG WR DV WKH œ*RGIDWKHU RI %ULWSRS¡ 'DYLHV KDV EHHQ D PDMRU LQà XHQFH RQ WKH IDFH RI %ULWLVK PXVLF VLQFH WKH V DQG KLV DSSHDO DV DQ DUWLVW GRHV QRW DSSHDU WR KDYH ZDYHUHG ([SHFW D FDWDORJXH RI FODVVLF KLWV IURP WRQLJKW¡V VKRZ D PXVW VHH IRU DQ\ .LQNV IDQ

A real opportunity to tell everyone you VDZ WKHP ÂśLQ D WLQ\ OLWWOH YHQXH¡ 0DOH %RQGLQJ DUH ELJ QHZV HYHQ LI \RX GRQ¡W NQRZ LW \HW %ORZLQJ WKH FULWLFV DZD\ DW 6;6: WKH\ KDYH EHHQ SUROLĂ€F RQ WKH VXSSRUW VFHQH DQG DUH ERXQG WR EH PDGH LQ WKLV VXPPHU¡V IHVWLYDO *HW LQYROYHG WR VWRFN XS RQ FRRO SRLQWV QRZ

Ray Davies

music

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Tyneside Cinema, 21.30 , free

Storm Launch

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Tyneside Cinema, 21.30 , free

Motion Graphics & Animation Showcase

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Side Cinema, 19.00, ÂŁ5

Woman Directors: The UK Cut Rough Aunties

film

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Live Theatre, Quayside, 18.00, free but ticketed

Places for Painters: Artists’ Colonies in the UK

Royal Grammar School, Jesmond, 19.15, ÂŁ6 See page 28

NUTS Drama Festival

arts

tuesday

May 25, Head Of Steam, ÂŁ5-6

Male Bonding, PENS

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Armstrong Building, Newcastle University, free - ÂŁ2.50

Topman CTRL

June 7-11, Armstrong Building, Newcastle University, free - ÂŁ2.50

University Classical Music Festival

music

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Soaking in the rays: one of the photos on show at the Shipley Art Gallery, displaying work from some of Britain’s most up-and-coming photographers

Picks of the summer

highlighted

Culture

28

The Cluny, 20:00, ÂŁ12.50

John Otway

O2 Academy 2, 19.00, ÂŁ11

Kill Hannah

music

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Tyneside Cinema, 21.00, Free

JAPANIMATION Season presents: Street Fighter II

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Star and Shadow Cinema, 19.30, free

Riot on Sunset Strip

film

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World Headquarters, 22.00, ÂŁ7 adv

Bedbug Newcastle Launch Night

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TheCut, 22.30, ÂŁ4-5

3Deep Launch PartyHouse and Techno + 3D Visuals

clubbing

Publication of a new love poetry collection from a local writing group

Gallery North, Northumbria Gallery, 19.15, ÂŁ6

Vane Woman Launch

arts

wednesday

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

The Cluny 2, 20.00, ÂŁ12.50

Duke Special

The Cluny, 20:00, ÂŁ10

Bill Kirchen Trio + Mickey Kemp

O2 Academy, 19:00, ÂŁ14.50

Limehouse Lizzy

music

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Star and Shadow Cinema, 19.30, ÂŁtbc

James Holcomlbe SuSHU ÀOPV

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Tyneside Cinema, 21.00, free

Timecop

film

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World Headquarters, 22.00, ÂŁ5

Peace, Love and Bass

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Star and Shadow Cinema, 22.00, free

Election Night Party

clubbing

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Bijoux, ÂŁ10 adv. tickets

No Likey, No Lighty

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The Cluny, 20.00, ÂŁ9

Lightspeed Champion

O2 Academy 2, 18.30, ÂŁ15

Jason and the Scorchers

music

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Tyneside Cinema, 21.00, free

Four Lions

film

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Digital, 22.30, ÂŁ5

Zap! : The Last Volume of The Year

clubbing

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Global CafĂŠ Newcastle Student Union, 18.30-22.30, ÂŁ5

Swish for humanity clothes swap

charity

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Star and Shadow Cinema, 19.30, ÂŁ4-6

A Bit Crack: The Woodcutter’s Wife

arts

friday

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Star and Shadow, 20.00, ÂŁ13.50

The Slits

The Cluny, 20.00, ÂŁ7

The Baghdaddies

Showcase for the best new music from the local area

O2 Academy 2, 18.30, ÂŁ6

HeartRock

Lightspeed Champion at The Cluny on Friday

The Cluny 2, 20.00 , ÂŁ8

Lanhorne Slim & The War Eagles

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02 Academy, 19.00 , ÂŁ16 adv

Alabama 3

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Star and Shadow Cinema, 19.30, free

The 120 days of Sodom

film

sunday

Star and Shadow Cinema, 12.00-15.00, free

Crafty DIY session

arts

saturday

Listings by Ciara Littler, Alice Vincent, Joe Skrebels and Matthew Blackwell - send your listings to courier.culture@ncl.ac.uk

thursday charity

29

Culture

30

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Culture Arts

arts art

Make mine a late one Cultural venues across the city are opening up for the evenings as Polly Randall discovers Ever dreamed about sneaking around museums and art galleries after hours? Maybe enticed by the fantastical qualities that Night at the Museum offered, with history coming alive around you. There is no need with this series of events for any special effects to make the content of these institutions come to life. Taking place over the weekend of May 14-16, the North East boasts the largest event in country; it’s spread city wide and takes in almost every cultural venue in the city. Titled The Late Shows, the range of activities is incredible and is sure to offer something for everyone. A trip to Seven Stories is must for anyone who has been taken in by the supernatural phenomena of Twilight and wishes to rediscover their inner child with vampire makeovers and fan quizzes- unfortunately no promise of Edward Cullen-esque men. Anyone who has ever visited The Hancock Museum, instead of just the pub of same name, will know there are a variety of stuffed animals on show; at night they do apparently come to life with an opportunity for animal handling including scorpions, snakes and a dragon! Not one for the squeamish. If the

pub is more your thing, then the BALTIC may be your favoured haunt for the night with An Artistic Take on the Conventional Pub. The night promises a karaoke competition, an arts and culture themed pub quiz with Yara El Sherbini, as well as all the scrabble, boggle or lexicon you can manage in the cafÊ bar, using (for one night only) plates of alphabetti spaghetti! This offers a slightly messy, but fun challenge to all those cultural intellectuals out there. The Laing and Hatton galleries are taking a more hands on approach, with interactive exhibitions, the Hatton inviting you to experiment with noise and help to create a sound collage, whilst the Laing offers the chance to create a piece of ever changing art alongside the new play from writer Michael Dean. For those with a more playful or competitive nature, the Discovery Museum is offering giant retro games, including large scale scalextric all to the sound of 80s classic tunes. The best thing about having this many things on offer is that you don’t have to pick just one; a free bus has been put on the Saturday between the venues so you can really have a whole night in the museum.

Vintage handicraft sessions at the Shipley Gallery. Part of the Late Shows events that are occurring in venues across Newcastle

stage

art

NUTS about drama

Bringing urban art to the Kitch-en

Mike Wilkinson on a simply unmissable student drama festival

One of the freshest new galleries making waves in Newcastle says Gemma Farina

7KH WLPH KDV FRPH IRU 1876¡ Ă€QDO production of the year, the Drama Festival. As usual, the festival boasts a large line-up of excellent student-written drama from Newcastle’s own, sadly this year without the inclusion of travelling shows due to other universities’ various commitments. Tuesday kicks off the week’s festivities with Cannes, written by NUTS veteran Sam Jefferson. Cannes has been selected to represent NUTS and Newcastle University at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August and expectations are high. Also featured on Tuesday is the Comedy Revue by the Newcastle Comedy Society. Completing the line up for the evening we have Bunker and Be Mine, written by this year’s NUTS debutants.

Wednesday offers up an eclectic mix of dramatics. Beginning the evening with Hacker and Muldoon’s Copywright written by, directed by and starring Andy McKeane, we’re promised a half hour that you wont forget in a hurry. Soldier On and Recursion and The Strange Occurrences of Lady Death and The Taunton Diamond round off this diverse evening of entertainment. 7KH ÀQDO QLJKW 7KXUVGD\ IHDWXUHV three exciting pieces of drama. First up is The A A Team - which tells the story of a group of middle aged yoga enthusiasts who have to break the habit. S.A.R.A, from the mind of Ben Schwarz, is the second of our productions of the evening. Finally, we close the festival with Walt Dinkey, a twisted take on Disney Princesses. The festival promises to be the perfect end to a thoroughly successful year for the society. The festival is on at the Royal Grammar School, Jesmond from 4-6 May. Tickets on the door for £6, doors at 7.00pm

Just off Northumberland Street, and a stone’s throw away from the University, lies a contemporary art gallery which is cooking up a storm. The Kitch-en Gallery is the brain child of a partnership of Mark Warner, a graphic designer, and bar manager Ged Holmes, and is the latest addition to Newcastle’s evergrowing collection of cultural happenings. What is most interesting about this gallery is its dual purpose, both for H[KLELWLQJ DUWLVWV DQG ÀQGLQJ SXUchasers for their efforts. The pair have brought together a vast number of up-and-coming artists to showcase their art in what they see, very importantly, as a collaborative manner. The Kitch-en represents what the world of contemporary urban art

has to offer, and includes artists such as Phlegm, Mr Arteest, Ben the Illustrator and Creative Ginger to name but a few. The gallery was originally established in 2005 in Middlesbrough; however it re-launched last month in Newcastle after spending some time assembling the freshest new artistic talent, from all corners of the UK. With the help of Newcastle City Council’s Empty Shop scheme (which supports the cultural regeneration of abandoned spaces), Warner and Holmes were able to set up shop in the city. The pair held a successful launch night, quickly followed by four days of a pop-up exhibition which gave visitors an insight into what the Kitch-en Gallery is really all about. The gallery itself is located in the heart of Newcastle’s city centre; but as well as the new venue there are big plans for a touring exhibition. Eventually this will go international, ensuring greater exposure for the emerging artists of the urban art scene.

The Newcastle re-launch coincided with the start-up of an all-new Kitch-en Gallery website, complete with an online shop and examples of all their artists’ work to boot. Currently, the Kitch-en is focusing on selling limited edition prints, original works and vinyl toys in its stores – all creations of the artists the duo have chosen to support. Admittedly on a student budget, a Craww original at £625 is something to observe in the gallery itself rather than on your wall. However, some limited edition prints will only set you back around £20, and Ben the Illustrator originals come in at a mere tenner. These are fantastic prices for contemporary art, and perpetuate the Kitch-en ethos that art should be non-exclusive and accessible to all. The Kitch-en Gallery aims to be QRW IRU SURÀW DQG LV GULYHQ E\ SXUH passion its creators’ love of art. This philosophy ensures the best and most current art is showcased, making a visit a real feast for the eyes.

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

31

Arts Culture Arts Editor: Stephanie Ferrao - courier.culture-arts@ncl.ac.uk

art

T. HETHERINGTON

comment

Where is the art in politics? Rosie Tallant on the position of the arts in the general election

Liberia Retold: one of the images from Tim Hetherington’s new exhibition at the Side Gallery, a show which examines the forces behind Liberia’s past and present

Hetherington cuts long story into bits An exhibition that will leave you moved says Ciara Littler For an interesting and thoughtprovoking break from the Robinson Library, take the afternoon off the books and head down to the Side Gallery for Tim Hetherington’s exhibition Long Story Told Bit By Bit: Liberia Retold. It is a great show which explores the dynamics of power, international complicity and the search for justice in recent Liberian history. We are shown a complex picture of the rough iconography of the recent war that occurred their whilst Hetherington spent eight years living in

West Africa, documenting some of the human tragedies, triumphs and destructions he witnessed. Bringing to life an extraordinary range of characters, Tim Hetherington examines the forces behind Liberia's past and present: from the raw power wielded by the young men of rebel groups to the corruption of the transitional government and on to the possibilities of a democratically elected president. His work brings names and faces to news headlines, and in doing so demonstrates that what happened in Liberia was not the product of inexplicable and random chaos. The images are excerpted from Hetherington's recently published book of the same title that entwines documentary photography, oral tes-

timony, and personal writing. Hetherington is an award-winQLQJ SKRWRJUDSKHU DQG ÀOPPDNHU Known for his long-term documentary work, he is the recipient of an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University award, a UK NESTA National Endowment Fellowship, and four World Press Photo prizes, including the 2007 World Press Photo of the Year. During Liberia’s 2003 civil war, he and his colleague James Brabazon were the only journalists who documented from behind rebel lines – a fact that got them an execution order from the now overthrown President. What a lot of these images show, however, is Hetherington’s documentation of the times after the war,

a display of a country trying, and partly succeeding, to move on. He notes himself that times went from boring to terrible to hilarious, and his collection of images go some way in displaying all of these emotions. What is really moving is how he has displayed a war torn and shattered country picking itself back up again. This is a great chance to see some moving, world class photography before it moves over the pond to the US. It’s certainly well worth making time for a visit. Long Story Told Bit By Bit: Liberia Retold is exhibiting at the Side Gallery until May 15

stage

Tale of local footballing pride takes centre stage Juliet Armstrong on the Theatre Royal’s touching new play The arrival of summer brings with it the excitement of the World Cup, as the country is transformed by football frenzy, with the hope of cheering the England boys to victory after 44 years of anticipation. Next week sees the Theatre Royal providing the perfect pre-match warm up with the play Alf Ramsey Knew My Grandfather. Created by Tyneside playwrights Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood, the play documents ‘the greatest football story ever told’. The plot follows a local ama-

teur football team in the Northern League from West Auckland, County Durham, who were invited to participate and compete in the Lipton Trophy in Italy. The unusual opportunity allowed the group of working class Durham men to play against professional teams from Germany, Switzerland and Italy and in a twist of fate, won WKH ÀUVW XQRIÀFLDO :RUOG &XS This dramatic work demonstrates a real life story of football underdogs winning their moment in the spotlight and claiming their position in sporting history. The group of men overcame the odds to achieve triumphant glory both in 1909 and 1911. A feeling of victory for ordinary men provides great inspiration

despite it being the old clichĂŠ that dreams can be made into reality. Alf Ramsey, the manager of England’s legendary 1966 World Cup team, famously declared that “We will win the World Cupâ€? when he accepted the position in 1963; the only manager to date to deliver this promise. Ramsey, like the Auckland boys may have felt some uncertainty in what awaited them, though both generations of football heroes showed true courage and bravery, determined to show the football world that anything was possible. This gritty determination that ordinariness will not create boundaries is evident throughout the play. Indeed, Trevor Wood declares that “this is a brilliant grassroots story

about the lads and their families ZKR VDFULÀFHG VR PXFK WR JHW WR Italy�. The audience are presented with an honest interpretation of what football used to be: focused upon the passion of the game, rather than the ÀQDQFLDOO\ GULYHQ VLWXDWLRQ WKDW LV WR the detriment of today’s football. It is unlikely that Fabio Capello knew Alf Ramsey but Fabio’s no nonsense approach has echoes of the way Sir Alf managed his World Cup winning team. So even if you’re not a big fan of the beautiful game itself, make sure you don’t miss out on a beautiful piece of home-grown theatre that promises to inspire as much as it entertains.

The initial answer to this is unavoidably cynical: the only element of art left in politics is in the grandiose performances of our politicians. From overstretched smiles to overblown speeches, the amount of PR injected into them is as evident as a badly administered Botox jab. $IWHU ULĂ LQJ WKURXJK HDFK RI WKHLU IUDQNO\ EDIĂ LQJ PDQLIHVWRV , GLVcovered that only one was giving any hint of a nod to the arts. We all know that money, war and crime are at the top of everyone’s priority lists at the moment, but I for one would like to see more of these reduced theatre tickets and free museums that have been thrown our way of late. That is not to say that the other parties have disregarded the arts completely. They all seem to be dropping inspiring little speeches here, there and everywhere about “community arts programmesâ€? and insisting that they are the most passionate about the arts. But in today’s society, it just isn’t a serious enough topic to actually be included in their manifestos. Perhaps this can be put down to the spontaneous nature of art, makLQJ LW GLIĂ€FXOW WR GLFWDWH H[DFWO\ KRZ much art we should be involved in. That doesn’t stop politicians from trying though, as one brave party recommends that children need ´Ă€YH KRXUV RI DUW PXVLF DQG FXOture per weekâ€?. Now maybe I’m overestimating KRZ PXFK FKLOGUHQ HQMR\ Ă€QJHU painting and eating play-dough, but that doesn’t sound like a lot to me. In truth, the political parties just don’t believe that they can win people over by promising them guitar lessons and free entry to the BALTIC. When the NHS goes under and we’re all mugging our own grannies to pay for a bottle of Frosty Jacks, how practically useful is a quiet afternoon in the Laing? So whilst it pleases me greatly that one party has devoted a whole section to arts, culture and museums, it’s clear that the arts are marginalised because of their “frivolityâ€?. All anyone cares about these days is how the next Prime Minister is going to drag us out of the economic mire. So maybe it isn’t up to the government how much art we get involved in. It’s obvious that to prioritise the arts above issues such as immigration and the economy would be something of an electoral deal breaker; but I’d like to hope that whatever the outcome of the general election, there will be the opportunities for the arts to develop, expand and play an important part in people’s lives.

32

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Culture Arts

arts The best of the best: top Arts events 2009/10 The Courier’s Arts writers have looked back on a fantastic year of culture and have brought together their favourite events Opera North: La Boheme 7KHDWUH 5R\DO

Wunderbar Festival If you did not take part, you missed out. The festival aimed to combine contemporary performances, visual art and extraordinary happenings. Personal highlights included a chance to get your hair cut by children (this I opted out of), a chance to break apart scrap metal, and the opportunity to tour people’s houses where the owners shared their interest, be it bathing or tea parties. The sheer amount of weird and wonderful happenings made this the most exciting arts event last year. Hopefully there will be a repeat this year and you had better go.

Opera North’s astonishing revival of Puccini’s heartbreaking classic, /D %RKHPH, was undoubtedly the most eye-opening theatre experience of the year for me. I had expected garish costumes and unintelligible Italian voices, but instead I was impressed by the stylish set and overwhelmed by the emotion evident in each word that was sung. From opening scene to tragic climax, the energy radiating from each character was irresistible and the sheer talent of the actors undeniable. I am sure not one audience member was left unmoved by the display of love and loss played out on that elegant stage.

Olivia Mason

Northern Lights Film Festival 7\QHVLGH &LQHPD

Rosie Tallant

Baltic Sea 6LGH *DOOHU\ Located down a narrow cobbled street close to the Quayside, the Side Gallery is a tiny attic-like exhibition space for some very good photography. I stumbled across it one day early this year when a show was on with black and white shots of communities around the %DOWLF 6HD – stark yet personal; the subtle skill of the photos was undeniable. Since then I have ventured back whenever there has been a new show on, with intrigue as to what the interesting subject will be this time. Quality instead of quantity is GHÀQLWHO\ WUXH RI WKLV OLWWOH JHP and the adjoining cinema is equally independent in the shows it chooses to screen. Polly Randall

A Woman In Black 7KHDWUH 5R\DO $ :RPDQ LQ %ODFN is a creepy yet brilliant play, which demonstrated both the power of acting and how, by setting a certain ambiance, a cast of two people can reduce an audience to a bag of nerves. This eerie tale, set in the Victorian period, surrounds a young solicitor, Arthur Kipps, and his experiences in the desolate Eel Marsh House. However, the fantastic and surprising twists that occur due to the appearance of a woman leave the audience convinced that they are now themselves haunted. The performance was fabulously scary and something I would highly recommend. Sally Priddle

Opera North’s take of La Boheme at the Theatre Royal was one of The Courier writers’ favourite arts events of the year

Beatles to Bowie: the Sixties Exposed /DLQJ *DOOHU\ As a big fan of bands such as The Who and The Kinks, when I heard about %HDWOHV WR %RZLH WKH 6L[WLHV H[SRVHG I had to pay the Laing a visit. The gallery is an exciting celebra-

&KULV 2ÀOL Tate Britain I’ve always felt that Tate Britain remains quietly underestimated. Also on the banks of the Thames, also with that famous four-letter name, it provides as many innovative and fascinating exhibitions as its little sister but rarely gets as much attention.

VVVVVV Forget Modern Warfare 2 or any other of those identikit "realistic" shooters: the best game released in the last eight months was VVVVVV, an independent game developed by Terry Cavanagh. VVVVVV is a minimalistic plat-

tion of the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the era, which provides a chronological depiction of the development of “Swinging London� using previously unseen photographs. If you're interested in fashion, what you might like about the gallery is that the images feature some of the fantastic styles prevalent in the Sixties when Carnaby Street

was the “fashion capital of the world�. The exhibition does not just boast incredible photographs – there are also displays of magazines and record sleeves from the time serving to further depict the Sixties culture.

This year, again, it won my Annual Favourite Tate prize. The clincher was the &KULV 2ÀOL retrospective. After rising to fame in the mid90s for winning the Turner Prize with, as 'DLO\ 0DLO would have you UHPHPEHU HOHSKDQW GXQJ 2ÀOL has become one of Britain’s most SUROLÀF DUWLVWV RI WKH ODVW FRXSOH RI decades. From his provocative insights into black Nineties culture to his latest

mysterious Trinidadian pieces, this exhibition was thoroughly beautiful, engaging and thoughtprovoking. The highlight? Seeing the adapted Union Jack, green, black and white, wave gently against a grey London VN\ ² DV VXEWO\ FRQĂ€GHQW DV WKH JDOlery on which it was mounted.

form game with a single button that à LSV \RXU SL[HOODWHG FKDUDFWHU RQWR the ceiling. Somehow, from this simple mechanic, Cavanagh carves out a mind-boggling range of scenarios, each cleverer than the last, like a puzzle game melded with Mario Bros. $FFRPSDQ\LQJ WKLV ÀHQGLVKO\

brilliant gameplay is a charming, retro presentation, including (surprisingly good) gameboy-style chiptunes. The paper-thin plot is irrelevant: VVVVVV is gaming in its purest, most unadulterated form.

Gemma Farina

Alice Vincent

This annual festival brings the MR\V DQG WDOHQWV RI WKH EHVW ÀOP and media right to our doorstep up here in the North East. It is an extravaganza of special events, one-off screenings, new media and conferences with the best in the business. )RU DQ\RQH LQWR ÀOP RU LQWHUested in careers in TV or media, this week of shows was not to be missed. It was a true celebration of how Newcastle is a major player in the ZRUOG RI ÀOP DQG LW ZDV JUHDW IRU us students too. It was the perfect opportunity to get involved, with many of the hundreds of volunteers spawning from our very campus. It’ll hopefully be around next year so make sure you don’t miss it. Ciara Littler

Jenny Holzer BALTIC The BALTIC’s brought some of modern art’s biggest names to the shores of Gateshead in recent times, but their Jenny Holzer exhibition has surely been one of their more remarkable imports. Consisting of both a retrospective section and a display of her recent work based around WUDQVFULSWV WDNHQ IURP RIÀFLDO records of American renditions, her trademark LED displays lit up the gallery space, and made for an unforgettable glimpse into a side of global politics and American dominance usually hidden. It was a real coup for the Baltic, and best of all, it’s still going until May 16, if you need an arts top-up during your revision.

Elliot Bentley Mark Corcoran-Lettice

34

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Culture Film

film feature

dvd

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an intense debate when movies cast DOPRVW QR DFWRUV RI FRORXU RU PD\EH DFWRUV RI WKH ÂśZURQJ¡ FRORXU LQWR lead roles. &RORXU EOLQG FDVWLQJ WKH SUDFWLFH of hiring based on talent and not on UDFH RU HWKQLFLW\ LV WKRXJKW WR EH UHOatively standard in most entertainPHQW LQFOXGLQJ Ă€OP %XW WKH LVVXH RI FRORXU EOLQG FDVWLQJ RQO\ FRPHV LQWR TXHVWLRQ ZKHQ LW IDYRXUV ZKLWH DFWRUV RYHU DFWRUV RI FRORXU No one complained, after all, when Will Smith played the protagonist in I am Legend, a character that is white LQ WKH RULJLQDO PHGLD %XW FRORXU EOLQG FDVWLQJ LV D VZRUG WKDW FXWV both ways. The problem is that prominent protagonist roles for people of colRXU DUH IHZ DQG IDU EHWZHHQ DQG casting white actors in those roles WDNHV DZD\ RSSRUWXQLWLHV IRU \RXQJ PHQ DQG ZRPHQ RI FRORXU WR KDYH positive role models who they can LGHQWLI\ DV SDUW RI WKHLU FXOWXUH 7KH TXHVWLRQ UHPDLQV KRZHYHU whether this is a racist move by WKH VWXGLRV FRQVFLRXV RU QRW +ROlywood’s bottom line has never been to promote social awareness, despite its liberal position on most topics. Hollywood’s bottom line has DOZD\V EHHQ DERXW PDNLQJ PRQH\ This is reminiscent of the controYHUV\ WKDW VXUURXQGHG Memoirs of a Geisha LQ ZKHUH D PDMRULW\ of the actresses playing Japanese ZRPHQ ZHUH &KLQHVH $FFXVHG RI EHLQJ GLVUHVSHFWIXO DQG RIIHQVLYH WR -DSDQHVH FXVWRPV DQG SHRSOH WKH Ă€OP ZHQW RQ WR GR VXFFHVVIXOO\ LQ WKH ER[ RIĂ€FH DQG ZRQ YDULRXV DZDUGV LQFOXGLQJ WKUHH 2VFDUV ,Q WHUPV RI WKH Prince of Persia, the protagonist is played by Jake GylOHQKDDO D QDPH JXDUDQWHHG WR EULQJ LQ DXGLHQFHV WKDW ZHUH RQ WKH IHQFH DERXW VHHLQJ WKH PRYLH +LV UDFH probably had little to do with that

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er, Joey, played by Joe Pesci in one RI KLV Ă€UVW ELJ VFUHHQ SHUIRUPDQFes. 7KHUH LV PRUH WR WKH Ă€OP WKDQ /D Motta’s career, however; it was to EH WKH WXUQLQJ SRLQW IRU 6FRUVHVH¡V own life. After nearly overdos-

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2OG HU SHRSOH DOZD\V FDOO XV WKH ÂśLQWHUQHW JHQHUDWLRQ¡ , DOZD\V think it’s tosh. 6XUH , RUJDQLVH P\ VRFLDO OLIH WKURXJK )DFHERRN IHHO WKH QHHG WR constantly post irrelevant titbits of my life into small boxes on Twitter DQG FDQ DFFHVV H MRXUQDOV IURP WKH FRPIRUW RI P\ EHG %XW , DP \HW WR VXFFXPE WR WKH L 3KRQH , VWLOO FDUU\ WDWW\ SDSHUEDFNV DURXQG DQG KDYH traded in my digital camera for an 6/5 VDQV Ă DVK However, when it comes to Governmental data and the fact that DPD]RQ FRP NQRZV ZKDW , OLNH EHWWHU WKDQ , GR , KDYH RQH WH[W VSHDN DEEUHYLDWLRQ %29" , NQRZ WKLV EHFDXVH ,¡YH MXVW VDW WKURXJK PLQXWHV RI ELRPHWULFV SV\FKROogists and scaremongering stats. Erasing David is a self-made GRFXPHQWDU\ E\ 'DYLG %RQG ZKR ÂśGLVDSSHDUV¡ DQG VHWV D FRXSOH RI SULYDWH LQYHVWLJDWRUV WR Ă€QG KLP to prove the internet is taking over RXU OLYHV DQG ZH¡UH DOO YLFWLPV RI GDWD JDWKHULQJ MXVW ZDLWLQJ IRU DQ apocalyptic info disaster. ,W ZDV SUHWW\ PXFK WRWDOO\ XQFRQvincing. First the ‘chats’ between Bond and his seven-months SUHJQDQW ZLIH DERXW KLV UHIXVDO WR VLJQ QXUVHU\ IRUPV ZHUH LQFUHGLEO\ staged. Then the Blair Witch-style footage of him in a wood failed miserably. %XW GRGJ\ IRRWDJH DVLGH WKH whole ‘disappearance’ had been VHW XS VR WKH LQYHVWLJDWRUV VXFFHVVIXOO\ IROORZHG KLV HYHU\ VWHS 5DWKHU WKDQ XVLQJ LQWHUQHW GDWDbase behemoths to establish Bond’s ZKHUHDERXWV WKHVH FKDSSLHV WRRN WKH ,QVSHFWRU 0RUVH URXWH RI VHDUFKLQJ WKURXJK ELQV DQG XVLQJ FRSLHV RI ELUWK FHUWLĂ€FDWHV ZKLFK are hardly an internet innovation. 1RW RQH WR VSRLO WKH HQGLQJ EXW LW ZDV KDUGO\ WKH ZRUN RI JHQLXV :KHUH WKH Ă€OP GLG VWDQG XS ZDV LQ WKH HQGHDULQJ MRXUQDOLVP of Bond himself. Having been LQVSLUHG WR FUHDWH WKH GRFXPHQWDU\ after learning the Government had ORVW GDWD RQ KLV GDXJKWHU %RQG FRQWLQXHG WR VHQG RXW UHTXHVW forms for all other forms of internet data. 7KH UHVXOWV ZHUH FHUWDLQO\ VKRFNing – reams of paper detailing his SXUFKDVHV ZKHUH KH¡G GULYHQ even his emotions. However, as we learn, this kind of information is kept for twelve months at a time on all 60 million inhabitants of the UK. $UJXDEO\ DV WKH GRFXPHQtary shows in interviews with its victims, databases can potentially UXLQ OLYHV :H¡UH DOVR WKH WKLUG ODUJHVW VXUYHLOODQFH VWDWH DIWHU &KLQD DQG 5XVVLD ² LW¡V QRW D FRPIRUWLQJ WKRXJKW %XW ZKLOVW ZH DOO FRQWLQXH WR XVH IDFHERRN FRQVSLUDF\ WKHRULHV WKLQN LW¡V IRXQGHG E\ WKH &,$ internet banking and Google, it’s QRW JRLQJ WR FKDQJH )XUWKHUPRUH \RX¡G EH EHWWHU RII VHDUFKLQJ WKURXJK VRPHRQH¡V UXEELVK DSSDUently. Erasing David was screened at Tyneside Cinema on April 29. Alice Vincent

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

35

Film Culture Film Editor: Frances Kroon - courier.culture-film@ncl.ac.uk

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36

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Culture Film

film previews Sex and the City

Toy Story 3

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38

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Culture Music

Interviews with New Young Pony Club and the Mystery Jets>>>thecourieronline.co.uk/music

music interview

Going renegade with Feeder Stuart Edwards interviews Grant Nicholas, the frontman of the legendary alt-rock band A stuttered leap to stardom, headliners of major festivals, deaths of band members and a huge commercial demand are just a few of the battles Feeder have endured throughout their successful 15 year career. It’s no wonder then, that after 2008’s ‘Silent Cry’ ended their longterm record deal, Grant Nicholas and Taka Hirose wanted to shake things up a bit. At the start of the year, the band’s temporary alter-ego Renegades was born. “We wanted to rediscover the old days,� Nicholas said. “The last tour and this one is about building ourselves up again, doing something special for ourselves and for the fans who never had the chance to see us in small venues. “Instead of the usual routine of recording then touring arenas and academies, it’s showing off our new songs in front of our most dedicated fans. � Despite being under a new name though, the Renegades’ E.Ps have been a natural musical progression for Nicholas’ song writing. “We touched on the heavier sounds on the last album (‘Silent Cry’) but this is an evolution of that, like in Who’s The Enemy. “It’s never been the case that I decide in advance if I’m writing songs for Feeder or songs for Renegades. We’ve got this album in the works and it could go under either name.� Feeder have seen a constant evolution in their sound, from the grunge sounds of Stereoworld to the Radio 2 friendly anthems like Feeling A Moment. Renegades’ self titled song

contains the line ‘we go right back WR WKH VWDUW LQ VZHHW GHĂ€DQFH¡ D OLQH which captures the pressures of being in such a band. “I think there is perhaps an element there of frustration; when you’re writing songs the words just come back to you and it’s only when you step back you realise quite what you’re saying. “It’s an honour to have your music recognised by so many people but sometimes you need to try something different. “I’ve always loved playing in little pubs and clubs because it’s music in its rawest form. Academies and arenas are nice but it’s so structured, it’s like being back at school in a way. “It’s been quite emotional playing DV D WKUHH SLHFH DJDLQ LW¡V WKH Ă€UVW time we’ve played at this level without Jon. We played Tangerine for the Ă€UVW WLPH LQ RYHU WHQ \HDUV Âľ The band, when we spoke, were set to take to the stage of Northumbria University’s Stage Two on their second Renegades tour, with the second E.P. included in the ticket price of ÂŁ18. “We always love playing in Newcastle but sometimes don’t get chance to play there. I had the Riverside in mind for this tour but I hadn’t realised it closed. “We played there in ’99 with Muse supporting and it was a great gig.â€? The straight-out old school rock sound will surely get the small crowd moving as the band preview material from the upcoming album, songs from the two Renegades E.Ps as well as throwing in a few older Feeder songs for good measure. “Last time we played Sweet 16,

Feeder/Renegades frontman Grant Nicholas said that they wanted to “rediscover the old days� in touring with their new look band

Tangerine and Descend but we’re maybe thinking of mixing that up a bit because the Swim/Polythene stuff goes really well with what we’re playing now. I think I want to play Shade and maybe Stereoworld.� With their own label set up, a hoard of new material to record and

DQ H[FLWLQJ FKDOOHQJH RI UHGHĂ€QLQJ themselves, one thing is for sure; the future of Feeder/Renegades is entirely in the hands of Nicholas and Hirose. Beneath their commercial shell of Buck Rogers and Just a Day is a band full of creativity and diversity. Ren-

egades lets the Feeder boys shed their skin. Their new single ‘Call Out’ will be released on 14 June. For more information, visit their website at www.feederweb.com .

the debate M.I.A.’s ‘Born Free’: a step too far? Benjamin Jackson MIA’s new video, Born Free, could not be more different from Paper Planes. Gone are the carefree New Yorkers and in their place are armed, belligerent and masked US police. To ‘appreciate’ the full extent of the video it must be seen, but here is a brief summation. Police raid an apartment block and disturb a couple having sex in order to capture the United States of America’s public enemy number one – ginger adolescents. The culprit is then man handled into an armoured police bus with more of his ‘kind’, driven to a desert compound, forced into two

groups and ordered to run through D PLQH ÀHOG The youngest member is shot in full camera view, starting off the stampede which they undertake with varying degrees of success – the least successful detonating a mine, again, with disturbing realism.

Is shocking for shocking’s sake what music videos have come to? Whether this is a video aimed just to shock, or to highlight the gross mistreatment of minorities by the US’s ‘boys in blue’ is unclear. If it’s the latter then M.I.A. is high-

lighting an issue that has recently attracted less media attention but is probably just as prevalent as it was when videos of police brutality DJDLQVW HWKQLF PLQRULWLHV Ă€UVW VXUfaced. But if it is merely to shock for the sake of it, it certainly achieves its goal. But is shocking for shocking’s sake what music videos have come to? Whatever the impetus behind the commissioning of it, it is bound to provoke conversation and draw criticism. Ultimately, if a video is marketing then a notorious one is almost sure to generate more hype; however, is this degree of violence really necessary for marketing? It’s not quite a Quentin Tarantino blood-fest, but LW¡V FHUWDLQO\ QR IDPLO\ Ă€OP

Thomas Richards Having been a fan of loveable 0DQFKHVWHU 8QLWHG PLGĂ€HOGHU Paul Scholes for a while, I did Ă€QG 0 , $¡V ODWHVW RIIHULQJ VRPHZKDW GLIĂ€FXOW WR GLJHVW For those of you who have yet to see the full explicit version, and are prepared to skip past the middle aged nudity at the start, the rounding up and shooting of several ginger adolescents is certainly a ‘hand on mouth’ moment. Is this the way forward for music? It certainly can do it no harm. Recent efforts have proved this, such as Beyonce and Lady Gaga’s latest effort with Telephone; another nine minute epic, with

a bit of a lesbian kiss here, some scantily clad dancing there and you have millions of views worldwide and a smash hit. Now a shocking video by no means guarantees a band to go onto success - has anyone seen Electric Six in the charts recently? No, me neither, but their efforts with Danger! High Voltage and Gay Bar still live long in the memory. So whilst M.I.A is probably not going to be getting much coverage on TMF in the next few months, she’s set achieved what she set out to do create something WKDW à LQJV KHU EDFN LQWR HYHU\one’s attention, and has certainly shook off those Slumdog Millionaire shackles.

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

39

Music Culture Music Editors: Mark Corcoran-Lettice and Chris Mandle - courier.culture-music@ncl.ac.uk

gigs PRMNT Vibes: Shift-Static

The Telegraph, April 23 A sentence I was not expecting to write during my tenure as Music (GLWRU IRU WKLV Ă€ QH SXEOLFDWLRQ ‘Bloody volcanoes, eh?’. But for the latest PRMNT Vibes extravaganza, the volcanic ash that has caused so many problems resulted in the cancellation of headliners A Grave With No Name. Bloody volcanoes, eh? But no worries. What we got instead was a cheaper but possibly even more cheerful gig, with all different strands of the Newcastle music community gathering for one of the most memorable and diverse evenings of music I’ve experienced here. Kicking the night off in appro-

Hudson Mohawke World Headquarters, April 22

With one critically acclaimed debut album, the Warp Recordsreleased “Butter�, under his belt and a reputation as one of Britain’s most forward thinking producers and DJs (he’s been associated with scenes like wonky and aquacrunk), Hudson Mohawke is something of a man of the moment. Bringing him to Newcastle to start his current UK tour, the brains behind Inertia were concerned about whether such a major booking could be pulled off. If the

priately noisy form was drone duo Totem Recall. As ever, their combination of retro keyboard melodies, ambient noise washes and other assorted chaos was mind-grabbing and as curiously relaxing as it was unsettling. While the layout of The Telegraph perhaps made it a slightly more difÀ FXOW SHUIRUPDQFH IRU WKHP WKHLU sound remained formidable. Up next were de-facto headliners Shift-Static. In the interests of honesty, I should maybe point out that I’m a friend of the band, but that doesn’t stop them being outstanding. With guitarist Will out of the game due to the afore-mentioned massive volcanic bastard, a stripped-down acoustic set was called for. But without the electronics or the dubstep beats, the beautiful songs they write were exposed more clearly than ever, as were Laura’s astonishing, Kate Bush-esque vocals. Songs like Fathers Footsteps I gripped the audience and received a rapturous, astonished response.

The full house for their set dispersed slightly for Richard Dawson, but it’s very much their loss. In good humour and great form, he performed four new songs that stood up to his already formidable catalogue. Some people are great musicians, some are great singers, and some are great lyricists: Dawson manages to be all three simultaneously. Cherish this man. Closing the night on a more upEHDW QRWH ZDV %XWFKÀ HOG D VROR artist also present in Playground and SDF, whose mixture of drummachine manipulations, old-school synth builds and triumphant yells sounded like some awesome house party down at Dan Deacon’s. Chaotic in the best possible way. A good end then to a night that highlighted just some of the many fantastic sounds that can be found right on our doorstep – so get involved, yes?

packed, raving crowd was anything to go by though, the arrival of HudMo in the toon was a gamEOH WKDW PRVW GHÀ QLWHO\ SDLG RII Before his set though, we were treated to some fantastic sounds courtesy of Inertia residents Tim Shaw and Sully. Overseeing the night’s diverse music policy, their sets run the musical gamut. There’s smashing funk, ferocious dubstep beats and, in one detour, a crazy but superb mix that goes from Pixies to TV on the Radio to Why? - whoever said you can’t mix indie has clearly never heard the skills these guys have. But at one a.m, the lights dim even further in World Headquarters’ already murky upstairs, with a lit-up DJ booth announcing the arrival of Hudson. With MC Oliver Daysoul whip-

ping the already excited crowd into a frenzy, Hudson kicked off with many of his own productions - hey, when you’re as good as him, it’d be rude not too. While the set delivered the manic hip-hop thrills that had been promised, he wasn’t afraid to keep things experimental either, with one notable beatless, acapella section towards the end marking the apotheosis of his more playful tendencies. That it worked so well within the set without sounding contrived is a testament to his skills: that the crowd went with it and kept dancing on is a testament to the broad-minded approach Inertia encourages. Next time he’s in town, don’t miss him.

and ability for music that many musicians don’t have, and many of the members rotated through different instruments, ranging from keyboards to guitars to trumpets to tambourines. Alongside this, except the drummer, every member of the band spent the entire gig jumping up and down or dancing around the stage. The lead singers Anders

SG and Stine Bramsen kept the audience truly absorbed despite them being slightly too drunk to decipher German from English. Overall, the gig was a lot of fun and Alphabeat showed a refreshing love for their music and performing.

Mark Corcoran-Lettice Music Editor

Mark Corcoran-Lettice Music Editor

Alphabeat

Northumbria University, April 20

Ash

O2 Academy Newcastle 2, April 25 It seems that Ash are a band who have become unfairly forgotten amidst the surge of new British rock bands, best recalled by those who listened to Walking Barefoot all summer, or who remembered the time they knew a Girl from Mars. Supporting act, The Parlotones, do not impress, with a set that is at best dull and at worst severely irritating. Despite this, when Ash arrive onstage, featuring guest guitarist Russell Lissack from Bloc Party, there is an air of excitement and anticipation from the surprisingly middle-aged crowd.

When the hits start rolling in, it’s easy to see why – A Life Less Ordinary, Shining Light, Walking Barefoot and Oh Yeah all make an appearance. When Kung Fu arrives, the FURZG JRHV PDG DQG LW¡V GLIĂ€ FXOW to see why the bands popularity is decreasing – these songs are as catchy, fun, and summer-appropriate as they always were. What’s more, it’s clear that frontman Tim Wheeler can still do it – his guitar solos are brilliant and as he grins to the audience and says “Thanks a million!â€?, you can tell he means it. (YHQ WKH QHZ VRQJV Ă€ W IDLUO\ ZHOO into the setlist, which culminated in a fantastic cover of Weezer’s Only In Dreams, and big hits Girl from Mars and Burn Baby Burn whose choruses can only be described as indestructible. Ben Travis

I must admit I had preconceptions of an Alphabeat gig: however, they were completely destroyed by the end. The crowd, for a start, ranged diversely in both age and dress and the support act Pearl and the Puppets were a fantastic surprise. Distinctly different to Alphabeat they played folk-like and soulful songs, with an acoustic and rustic vibe. The singer Pearl had an individual voice, melodic with a lovely twang due to her Scottish accent and the crowd were very receptive despite the band’s alternative style to Alphabeat’s. However, Alphabeat came on and totally stole the show as they had more energy and enthusiasm than any band that I have ever seen. The band demonstrated a love

Sally Priddle

40

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Culture Music

Reviews of Jonsi, Ellie Goulding and many more>>> thecourieronline.co.uk/music

music albums

singles

The National High Violet

Foals - This Orient

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:DLW $UHQ·W )RDOV VXSSRVHG WR EH DQ LQGLH PDWK URFN EDQG" :LWK FRPSOH[ UK\WKPV DQG DQJXODU JXLWDUV" 6R ZKDW RQ HDUWK LV WKLV &ROGSOD\ HVTXH DQWKHPLF URFN" 7R EH IDLU LW·V SXOOHG RII IDLUO\ ZHOO DQG WKH SURGXFWLRQ LV VXSHU VKDUS %XW IROORZLQJ WKH SKHQRPHQDO À UVW VLQJOH 6SDQLVK 6DKDUD LW·V D ELW RI D GLVDSSRLQWPHQW UHDOO\ Elliot Bentley Gorillaz (feat. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul) - Superfast -HOO\À VK $IWHU WKH PLVHUDEO\ DSRFDO\SWLF VHFRQG DOEXP ´'HPRQ 'D\Vµ LW·V QLFH WR KHDU D JHQXLQHO\ IXQ *RULOOD] VRQJ 6XSHUIDVW -HO O\À VK KDV LW DOO D ERXQF\ EHDW LUUHYHUHQW IRRG WKHPHG O\ULFV DQG DQ LQIHFWLRXV FDQG\ FRO RXUHG FKRUXV 9RFDOV E\ *UXII 5K\V RI 6XSHU )XUU\ $QLPDOV DQG VHFRQG WLPH *RULOOD] FRQWULEXWRUV 'H /D 6RXO DUH DEVROXWHO\ SKHQRPHQDO Elliot Bentley

Mark Corcoran-Lettice Music Editor

Kate Nash My Best Friend Is You

The Eighties Matchbox BLine Disaster Blood and Fire

Cypress Hill Rise Up

Songdog A Life Eroding

The Smoking Rolo Sideshow

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Olivia Mason

David McDonald

Romain Chenet

Joe Skrebels

David McDonald

Rocket Silence

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

41

Music Culture

festivals

Evolution Weekender May 30-31, £25+bf, evolutionfestival.com Sunday The opening day of the weekend’s musical spectacular sees the best of the charts at Spillers Wharf and the very best of the current dance scene taking over the Baltic Square. The beautiful, both physically and musically, mums’ and teenage girls’ favourite Paulo Nutini headlines the main stage with his acoustic anthems, surely the perfect way to round off a (hopefully) hot sunny relaxing day. There’s a distinct change of pace before then however, with disco maverick Calvin Harris likely to cause a storm with his smash hit GDQFH à RRU DQWKHPV Local acts feature a plenty on this side of the river too. The ever great The Futureheads (pictured) guaranWHH WKH ÀUVW VLQJ D ORQJV RI WKH ZHHNend, especially with their catchy

new track Heartbeat Song, as well as the hotly tipped new boys on the scene Frankie & The Heartstrings. 7KHUH¡V DOVR 6XQGHUODQG¡V Ă€QHVW smartest pop experimenters Field Music just before The Futureheads (pictured), and opening the main stage on the Sunday are Let’s Buy Happiness, a band that’s making major waves in the local scene and beyond right now. Across the Tyne in front of the Baltic, there is a collection of every great DJ to have played Digital in the last year or so, all together and for the price you would expect for one entrance to said club. Top of the bill is the incredible Fake Blood, creator of the inescapable electro classic Mars and current remix genius. Having played in the city a number of times over the last \HDU IURP Ă€UVW KDQG H[SHULHQFH this is sure to be one act not to be missed. Curated once again by local dance masters Wax:On, the Baltic’s sure to

be a non-stop, all day rave. Lower down this stage the quality of the acts does not diminish. Benga, Rusko and the Scratchperverts all feature, who have in turn sold out venues around Newcastle on previous visits, each bringing their own brand of electro, dubstep and dance mash ups. This line-up is certainly a major selling point, with its world class acts all on one stage in one day. The eclectic nature of the day’s offerings means it is a great opportunity for those who want to try the best of all musical worlds in one place. The varied line up is topped off this year by a third stage at Ballast Hills which features up and coming acts like King Creosote and The Unthanks. With all of this in one day, it’s unsurprising that the Evolution weekend is earning its name as the best city based festival. Polly Randall

Monday The Monday line-up of Newcastle’s annual Evolution festival may lack the Sunday’s bigger and more commercial names, but instead offers some of the UK’s brightest talents. Spillers Wharf headliners Enter Shikari made a name for themselves early in their career as being one of Britain’s biggest unsigned acts, and generated strong word-of-mouth with their original blend of metal DQG GDQFH LQà XHQFHV Now with two full-lengths, two compilation albums and various EPs under their belt, they’ve established themselves as one of England’s most popular metal bands, with an excellent live reputation. However, if thrash-dance-core (or

The Horrors will be performing at Spillers Wharf on the second day of Evolution

something to that effect) isn’t particularly your style, fear not. Second headliners The Horrors (pictured) were responsible for one of 2009’s

top albums, NME’s best of the year, with their sophomore effort ‘Primary Colours’. With a history of style-over-sub-

Local band The Futureheads are one of Evolution’s headliners on the opening day

stance, the album saw them move from being simply haircuts-withguitars to talented songwriters with HSLF VRXQGVFDSHV DQG QRWDEOH LQĂ Xences such as The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Cure. Also appearing are Dananananaykroyd, undoubtedly one of the very best live acts of the moment. With a tongue-twisting title and distinct style, they’re an incredibly energetic bunch of eccentric Scots whose self-professed ‘party-core’ is bound to be one of the highlights of the day. Watch out during their set to see if they include their now-traditional wall of cuddles; splitting the crowd in half, getting the two sides to run at each other and then hugging the Ă€UVW SHUVRQ WKH\ JHW WR After a huge amount of media K\SH (OOLH *RXOGLQJ Ă€QGV WLPH LQ her hectic touring schedule to play

the main stage, as do Everything Everything, who are gaining more buzz as the year progresses. On the dance stage at Baltic Square, headliners Delphic are set to bring their alternative dance sound to the city, with support from noisy grime/indie (apparently it’s ‘grindie’, but that just sounds silly) band Hadouken. Fellow dance acts include Frankmusik, Mirrors, and Ou Est Le Swimming Pool. For something truly different, check out Ballast Hills for a headlining set from folk legend Donovan, currently on his retirement tour. It’s a rare chance to catch a sixties icon before he hangs the guitar up for good. It’s an eclectic mix that should prove a highly entertaining yet affordable day of music. Ben Travis

Evolution Emerging

Evolution is no longer just limited to the main stages on the Quayside, as a number of smaller venues will also be hosting music

Evolution Festival really is the highlight of Bank Holiday weekend in Newcastle, and having showcased artists from Dizzee Rascal to FightVWDU RYHU WKH SDVW Ă€YH \HDUV KDV proved that it has something for everyone. And for those who are interested in up and coming talent, or simply like the prospect of free music on a summer evening, the festival is now urging music fans to “start the weekender in styleâ€? with its Saturday event - Evolution Emerging. Over the past few months the event’s organisers have been collecting and placing fresh talent coming out of the North East into a line-up which looks to be a perfect depiction of the diverse range of talented artists in this area. Evolution Emerging will take place across six of Newcastle’s smaller venues in the Ouseburn valley, in-

cluding The Star & Shadow Cinema and The Cumberland Arms. One of the most exciting sets promises to be that of folk/punk seven-piece Young Rebel Set, who are back in the North East to play at the Cluny after a lengthy tour promoting their new E.P. Other acts to watch out for are Mammal Club (also at The Cluny), superb balladeer Nadine Shah at the Cluny 2 and beloved local heroes Brilliant Mind at The Cumberland Arms. There are 24 acts, so there’s bound to be something to please. And if that can’t tempt you, the Evolution Emerging team are promising “one of country’s most talked about bands� as a special guest headliner at the Cluny to be announced closer to the date. Watch this space... Gemma Farina

42

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Culture TV & Radio

tv & radio BBC

tv highlights

soaps

Channel 4’s Alternative Election Night

Coronation Street

Mon, Thurs, Fri on ITV1

Thursday 9pm, C4

.HQ DQG 'HLUGUH ÀQG LW GLIÀFXOW WR cope with the loss of Blanche but Ken gets a shock when he goes in her room later in the week. Steve tries to help Becky overcome her nerves about adopting while Claire helps her to prepare with a mock interview but will everything go to plan on the big day?

If by the time election day rolls around, you’re sick to death of pie charts, pretentiousness and, er, Paxman, Channel 4’s irreverent election night coverage may well be the choice for you. Hosted by David Mitchell, Lauren Laverne and Jimmy Carr with contributions from Charlie Brooker, you’d be mad not to miss this political/comedic extravaganza. The show will be broadcast in front of an audience of comedy enthusiasts of varied political allegiance, no doubt ensuring plenty of witty debate. The presenters will interact regularly with the studio audience, as

well as reporting up to the minute election results minus the clichĂŠd political swing-o-meters. Concentration always seems to be a bit of a problem of mine when it FRPHV WR SROLWLFDO GHEDWH $W Ă€UVW ,¡P all ears, distracted only by Gordon Brown’s jowls or David Cameron’s smugness. However after an hour or so I become as twitchy as an MP whose expenses are about to be ousted, consequently switching over to Glee in a bid for light relief. This is where Channel 4’s election night coverage will come into its own, as specially recorded shows are played out in segments. Highlights look set to be Come Dine with Me Election Night Special, starring Edwina Currie. Brian Paddick, Derek Hatton and Rod Liddle. Hilarious voice-over Dave Lamb will

Blood, sweat and luxuries

European Gymnastics Luther Tuesday 9pm, BBC1 Championships

Pick of the week

Tuesday 9pm, BBC3

Eastenders

Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri on BBC1 KDYH D ÀHOG GD\ There’s also a special edition of You Have Been Watching where host and full time King of Sarcasm Charlie Brooker will be joined by Robert Webb (let the mockery ensue). And after the results are in, fear not- Channel 4 won’t leave you in the lurch - coverage continues well

after the gloves come off. Regardless of the election outcome, you can be safe in the knowledge that David Mitchell et al will be there to provide a touch of humour along the way. It gets my vote anyway. Helen Atkinson

Modern Masters

Hollyoaks

Sunday 9pm, BBC1

Weekdays at 6.30pm on C4

Tuesday 1pm, BBC2

C4

BBC

0DVRRG LV OLYLG ZKHQ KH ÀQGV out Zainab encouraged Syed to get married despite actually being a gay but he eventually decides it’s not worth ruining his marriage over. However he changes his mind when he sees Zainab’s reaction when Tamwar tells her he’s not going to university after all.

C4

Mercedes tries her best to make Calvin jealous by trying to seduce Malachy but he knows all too well that it’s not for his beneÀW DW DOO 0HUFHGHV GHFLGHV WR JR a step further in the destruction of her sister’s relationship but she hasn’t noticed that Cheryl is more than just a shoulder to cry on for Malachy – will she be even more jealous?

Emmerdale

Weekdays at 7pm on ITV1 Viv wants to know what happened to Cathy but will Nicola confess? Meanwhile, Nathan attempts to warn Declan off but by the end of the week the tables have turned. Elsewhere, John can’t ignore Eve’s charms.

Neighbours

Weekdays, 1.45pm & 5.30pm on Five In our society today, material possessions that were once considered luxuries are now a dime a dozen but our demand for the latest designer accessories and electrical gadgets has only increased. This series seeks to educate the youth of today about the processes that occur in the third world which enable us to acquire our luxury items by examining the human cost. To that end, a group of six young British consumers are sent to various parts of Africa and Asia to experience life with the very people who manufacture and recycle luxury goods. 7KH ÀUVW HSLVRGH ORRNHG DW WKH VDSphire mining industry in Madagascar and this week the group travel to the coffee plantations of Ethiopia. This incredible series provides us with a profound insight into the dark side of our consumer culture and is ultimately a wakeup call that we could all use.

This Tuesday sees the return of the Gymnastic European Championship. Matt Baker will present all the highlights from Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena. In the women’s European championship 147 gymnasts will compete from 33 countries. Britain will be hoping for a strong performance in the individual and team events, with previous medal successors Beth Tweddle and Becky Downie among the gymnasts. At the 2009 European Championships, Beth Tweddle won two gold PHGDOV RQ WKH à RRU DQG EDUV DQG %HFN\ 'RZQLH TXDOLÀHG IRU WKH YDXOW DQG EDU ÀQDOV DQG WKLV \HDU will be hoping for a medal. This prestigious event is the third largest for gymnasts and Birmingham have the privilege of hosting it. This will be a fantastic event, with the best gymnasts from around Europe competing for those all important medals.

In this new six part BBC series, Luther YLHZHUV Ă€QG WKHPVHOYHV thrown into an exciting and dramatic murder mystery every Tuesday night. Coming from the mind that brought us the last two series of Spooks, Luther promises to be a great mixture of suspense, intellect and great characters. But this dark thriller has a twist the murderer in each story is known right from the beginning of each episode so the rest of the programme focusses on the psychological duel between the hunter and the hunted. /XWKHU¡V Ă€UVW FDVH LV WR VROYH WKH murder of the parents of a child genius but whilst he comes to grips with what seems like an evidenceless crime, Luther also has to work out how to win his wife back as she’s left him for another man. 3HUVRQDO WUDXPDV RIĂ€FH SROLWLFV and disturbing murders - what more could you ask for on a Tuesday?

In a four part series the BBC looks at VRPH RI WKH PRVW LQĂ XHQWLDO DUWLVWV of our time, focussing on Warhol, Matisse, Dali and Picasso. In each of the episodes, we discover the legacy of each of these four masters and how they shaped art history. 7KH Ă€UVW IRFXVHV RQ WKH LFRQLF pioneer of the Pop Art movement, Andy Warhol, infamous for his Marilyn Monroe prints, and features interviews from celebrities such as Dennis Hopper and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Famous for saying everyone will have their “15 minutes of fame,â€? the programme asks the question if Warhol really did deserve his and FRQVLGHUV WKH LQĂ XHQFH KH KDG RQ recent artists. $OWKRXJK DW Ă€UVW YLHZLQJ LW GRHVQ¡W look like a typical “must-seeâ€? programme, it certainly does deserve a watch even if you’re not an art bofĂ€Q \RX¡OO FHUWDLQO\ IHHO WKDW PXFK more cultured at the end.

Harry and Andrew are still ÀJKWLQJ RYHU 6XPPHU EXW ZKR will win her heart? Meanwhile, Rebecca becomes jealous of Susan and Karl’s lusty relationship but will she do anything about it? Elsewhere, what the heck is Mia up to???

Imran Javed

Lynsey Fawcett

Aimee Philipson TV & Radio Editor

Ayse Djahit

Aimee Philipson TV & Radio Editor

Home and Away

Weekdays, 2.15pm & 6pm on Five Martha is suspicious after she sees Alf talking to Angelo on the EHDFK DQG $OI DGPLWV KH¡V Ă€QGing it harder and harder to keep lying to her. Elsewhere, it’s not looking good for Aden and Justin now that Larry’s body has been discovered. Meanwhile Miles is devastated after he is suspended from teaching and he decides to quit the profession altogether.

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

43

TV & Radio Culture TV & Radio Editor: Aimee Philipson - courier.culture-tv@ncl.ac.uk

Safari, so good

catch-up Dispatches: Election Uncovered

Joe Mellor Columnist

Catch-up on 4OD

It can safely be said that the general election has got everyone hooked RQ SROLWLFV HYHQ LI LW¡V MXVW D OLWWOH ELW they’re still hooked. With the three main political party leaders taking part in three televised election debates, television KDV SOD\HG DQ HYHQ PRUH VLJQLĂ€ FDQW role than usual in this year’s general election. As election day looms, Dispatches attempts to uncover what’s really happening in the parties’ campaign RIĂ€ FHV ZLWK MRXUQDOLVW %HQ /DXUDQFH scrutinising each party’s campaign to see what’s really been happening. These days, the media would have you believe that there is a weekly scandal that some MP is caught up in - often involving money. Expenses scandal ring any bells? So it’s only

À WWLQJ WKDW Dispatches investigates how much the election is costing the voters, and more importantly atWHPSWLQJ WR À QG RXW KRZ WKH SDUWLHV are funding their campaigns. In the recent US elections Barack Obama spent a huge amount more money than John McCain did on his campaign and it had a huge impact. Dispatches is helping us to see if our politicians are wasting excessive amounts of money getting us to vote. And we can see if we are slowly creeping towards American politics with televised debates, spending more and more money on the election campaign, maybe ZH PLJKW KDYH RXU À UVW EODFN 3ULPH Minister soon! The programme also follows three different teams of foreign election observers. The aim of these teams

nsr 7KH Ă€ QDO Ă LQJ After the easter break NSR has reWXUQHG RQFH PRUH IRU D Ă€ QDO IRXU weeks of top student radio to feast your ears on. Through the holidays our hard working volunteers have found time between chocolate eggs and essays to get more exclusive interviews. These include great bands such as Boy & Bear, Adam Green and Surfer Blood that will be available both on our shows and website in the coming week. In addition, we’ve had lots of lovely ‘nsr: locals’ acoustic sessions ZKLFK ZH¡YH PDQDJHG WR Ă€ OP DV RI late, the videos and audio of which will be up on our website shortly. Furthermore, in partnership with Evolution Festival’s ‘Emerging’ stage we’ll have plenty more studio sessions up until June, providing VWXGHQWV ZLWK D Ă€ UVW ORRN DW VRPH of the up and coming north-east acts playing this year’s festival. As for shows, the schedule remains largely unchanged so expect the same quality from 10am – 10pm weekdays. This includes shows which have recently been nominated for awards at the inaugural Newcastle Students’ Union Media Awards

tonight. In the Specialist shows category we’ve got programmes such as Tuesday’s diverse United World Music Radio and Wednesday’s local music round-up NSR Introduces and in the popular daytime show award category we’ve got daytime slots One Step Away and Stuck Between Stations. What’s more, with it being the business end of the University year, after scheduled broadcasting Ă€ QLVKHV LQ ZHHNV 165 ZLOO DOVR present a day specially catered for those revising with exclusive interviews, mixes and DJ sets galore for you to look forward to. Finally, both now and after we Ă€ QLVK EURDGFDVWLQJ IXOO VKRZV DUH available via Mixcloud. ,W¡V KHUH \RX¡OO Ă€ QG WKH PDMRULW\ of our recorded shows and interviews from this year. So log on to www.mixcloud. com/nsr and under the shows that ZH ÂśIROORZ¡ \RX¡OO Ă€ QG SOHQW\ RI NSR to keep you entertained into summer. You can also check out the NSR schedule on www.thecourieronline.co.uk.

is to travel around the country and check how democratic elections are. As we claim as a nation to be ‘upholding democracy’, it’s a fantastic opportunity for the nation to check up on the government and make

sure everything is as democratic as it could be. If you didn’t catch it the À UVW WLPH LW ZDV RQ PDNH VXUH \RX don’t miss it on 4oD. Clementine Manning

what I listen to when I’m... Raving or behaving around. Regular features on Annie Mac’s show include Raving or Behaving whereby listeners call or text in, pledging their allegiance to the show even if they’re ‘Behaving’ (i.e. stuck revising because the FEAR has kicked in). My favourite has got to be the Mini-Mix where top dance artists and producers (Joker, Crookers, ViWDOLF HWF FRPSLOH Ă€ YH PLQXWH PDVK ups that make you wish you could waste your student loan away in Digital every night of the week. You can even download a podcast of each mini-mix, or listen again to the whole show on iPlayer, thus getting your money’s worth from that ever-present license fee. Can’t hurt, can it? So while Radio 1’s daytime schedule continues to lose the little credibility it has left, Annie Mac’s Friday night playlist is getting bigger than Chris Moyles’ waistband with each week that passes. Proof that whether you’re raving or behaving, a bit of proper club music can work wonders.

Christian Allen Station Manager

Knackered from all the 9am starts which I have miraculously made it in to, by the end of the week I’m in need of a release. The BBC’s leading station for the young comes into its own on Friday evenings with this gem of a show presented by Irish lass Annie Mac. Kicking off at 7pm, the show strives to bring us the latest in credible dance, electro and dubstep, meaning only one thing: NOISE. Each week’s playlist is loud, in your face and full of remixes - perhaps not the most obvious musical choice for revision (or writing late night Courier articles), but it works for me. Personally, I would rather listen to a bit of oomph whilst procrastinating like a pro than Jack Johnson any day, but each to their own. Mac clearly knows how to compile a playlist and her success in clubs on the White Island is testament to her ongoing aim to play the best music ‘in the mix’. Currently, Annie is championing DJ Zinc, Caspa and I Blame Coco, so next time you’re You-Tubing ‘Gah Yah’, why not have a listen to some of the best contemporary club music

Launching the Style Decade

Election Night Coverage

Bruce Dickinson’s Friday Night Rock Show

Thursday 11.30am, BBC R4

Thursday, BBC R4 and R5 LIVE

Friday 9pm, BBC 6 MUSIC

Thirty years after it was launched, Robert Elms investigates the origins of The Face, the Eighties “style biEOHÂľ DQG KRZ LW LQĂ XHQFHG IDVKLRQ publishing and high-street shops. The programme will last half an hour and will be available on BBC iPlayer to catch up on later in the week.

On election night the BBC will deliver the most comprehensive coverage of any broadcaster, providing at every single count comprehensive results coverage for BBC TV and radio, for local programmes and for the election website. Election coverage will be on throughout the evening.

Welsh rockers Bullet For My Valentine takeover the Iron Maiden vocalist’s show, as they make their return with their eagerly anticipated new album, ‘Fever’. The album has been described by the band as “bigger and darker� than anything they have done before.

Helen Atkinson

radio highlights The Other Guantanamo Wednesday 8pm, BBC WORLD SERVICE To many people, the name GuanWDQDPR FRQMXUHV XS LPDJHV RI GH tainees in orange. But to those who live there, Guantanamo means green hills and stunning beaches, distinctive changui music and mouthwatering Jamaican and French-inà XHQFHG FXLVLQH 7KH œ:HGQHVGD\ Documentary’ investigates.

“I am Henry I live in a big house in the country, we have a moat that surrounds my house, we have a Tudor Hall, the sideboard was originally in Alfred Lord Tennyson’s house and my hero is Richard Branson.â€? Wow this guy has really made it. Well not exactly, Henry is ten. He also has a life plan, “I will go to university, get a car, get a girlfriend, get D MRE JHW PDUULHG JHW D EHWWHU MRE and take it from thereâ€?. When I was ten, I thought my local high school was Grange Hill and I wanted my classmate Keith Jones to stop eating my chalk. What poor Henry needs is a family holiday. Like all kids of his age he is concerned about the environment. He knows about his carbon footprint, he wants his holiday to be sustainable and if that wasn’t enough, the volcano in Iceland is making air Ă LJKW KD]DUGRXV 3OXV WKH 0HG FDQ be a bit samey. Well what a stroke of luck, Henry and the rest of the Russell family are going on an adventure holiday. Welcome to the Romford Safari, poverty porn for the upper classes. How the other half live (Channel 4, Thursday, 9pm) offers poverty safaris. The Russells have the chance to sponsor a working class Essex family for a week. Unlike sponsoring a herd of goats through Oxfam, they actually get to meet them and pat them on their heads. And if they want they can feed them, with money. The Russell family have everything. The Edwards family have a son with a severe form of autism, another son who is about to be excluded from school, no father, a PRWKHU ZLWK QR MRE DQG D \HDU old daughter, all living in a cramped council house. Unlike Wife Swap the families all get on. This is because it isn’t a swap, it’s a donation. At least the Secret Millionaire was a surprise, the recipient of the cheque might not take the money (they always did, but that’s not the point). The milOLRQDLUH DOVR ZHQW RQ D MRXUQH\ DQG learnt from the people he met. The Russells learnt nothing from the Edwards. In total the Russells gave the EdZDUGV Â… UHGHFRUDWHG D EHG room and sponsored the autistic son for a year. The Edwards then returned to the wild. They have predators and a day-to-day struggle to survive and will soon forget the kindness of their visitors. The Russells will also return home with fond memories. Henry will remark that “the safari was nice for a week but I wouldn’t go again.â€? The reliance on the Lord of the manor to provide for the poor and the fact the families wrote letters to each other reminded me of the traditional conservative values of the Victorians. However those who believe in these values and are planning to vote for Cameron in the forthcoming election will have to expect a lot more families like the Edwards to sponsor.

44

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Culture TV & Radio

tv & radio ITV

interview

*HW RII P\ VWDJH Aimee Philipson speaks to controversial TV chat show host Jeremy Kyle about class war and politics, his own addiction issues and his plans for a future across the pond Love him or hate him, it’s hard to believe that Jeremy Kyle was a relatively unknown name in Britain less WKDQ Ă€YH \HDUV DJR /DXQFKHG E\ 1HZFDVWOH JUDGXDWH and daytime television entrepreneur Diane Nelmes in 2007 after she heard Jezza’s Confessions on Capital FM, Jeremy Kyle has become a household name - if not a rather FRQWURYHUVLDO RQH With 1,000 shows under his belt, 500 DNA tests, over 500 lie detector WHVWV DQG JXHVWV RQ KLV VKRZ Kyle has become an icon of daytime WHOHYLVLRQ However, show titles such as My wife ran off with our lodger, If you don’t lose the weight and get pregnant I’ll leave! and I’ve been kicked out of my house three times for being ginger! KDYH VSDUNHG JUHDW GHEDWH DV WR ZKHWKHU WKH VKRZ LV H[SORLWLQJ G\Vfunctional people for entertainment, ZLWK RQH FRXUW MXGJH EUDQGLQJ LW DV ´KXPDQ EHDU EDLWLQJÂľ DIWHU D JXHVW headbutted his wife’s lover in front RI WKH VWXGLR DXGLHQFH

“The show is marmite; you either love it or you hate itâ€? Nevertheless, with over 2 million YLHZHUV HDFK GD\ DQG D ORQJ JXHVW ZDLWLQJ OLVW WKH Jeremy Kyle Show has become somewhat of a phenomHQRQ 7KH SURVSHFW RI PHHWLQJ WKH VWUDLJKW WDONLQJ VHOI FRQĂ€GHQW 79 presenter was eased somewhat as 1HOPHV GHVFULEHG KHU Ă€UVW LPSUHVVLRQV RI KLP DV ´VKDUSÂľ ´HORTXHQWÂľ DQG ´MXVW GLIIHUHQWÂľ EXW DV , ZDWFKHG the two hour Q&A session held at WKH .LQJ¡V +DOO LQ 1HZFDVWOH ODVW 0DUFK LW VHHPHG KLV 79 ÂśFKDUDFWHU¡ is not too dissimilar from the charismatic, self-assured, slick man who appeared in front of the students WKDW GD\ Kyle is often characterised by the blunt advice he dishes out on the VKRZ PDNLQJ KLP DSSHDU SDWURQLVLQJ VR ZKHUH GRHV KH IHHO KH JHWV WKH authority to make such comments? “Well, they came for the truth, so \RX JLYH WKHP WKH WUXWK Âľ KH VD\V ´,W GRHVQ¡W DOZD\V JR GRZQ ZHOO EXW WKH\ FKRVH WR FRPH RQ WKH VKRZ 3HRSOH FRPH RQ WKH VKRZ NQRZLQJ what it’s about and people appreciDWH KRQHVW\ LQ WKLV VRFLHW\ Âľ However he is concerned that it comes down to the show to help the GLVWUHVVHG JXHVWV RQ KLV VKRZ ´,VQ¡W LW GUHDGIXO WKDW VR PDQ\ SHRple need to do this in 2010? There DUH VWRULHV ZDLWLQJ WR FRPH on - what does it say about society if these people need to come on the VKRZ WR JHW KHOS" RI WKH JXHVWV

WHOO PH LW LV WKHLU ODVW UHVRUW Âľ ,W LV XQGHQLDEOH WKDW WKH YDVW PDMRULW\ RI KLV JXHVWV DUH IURP ORZHU FODVV EDFNJURXQGV ´&ODVV LQ WKLV FRXQWU\ LV VDGO\ GHĂ€QHG E\ PRQH\ Âľ KH LQterrupts) but Kyle maintains that he FRXOG JHW MXVW DV PXFK PDWHULDO IRU D VKRZ IURP DQ\ RWKHU FODVV ´, FRXOG PDNH D VKRZ DERXW DQ\RQH LQ WKLV URRP <RX FRXOG JHW loads of information from a middle class dinner party but we can only work with the people who approach WKH VKRZ ,W¡V HDV\ WR ODEHO SHRSOH EXW IRU PDQ\ JXHVWV LW LV WKHLU ODVW UHVRUW Âľ ,W¡V DOVR D IDFW WKDW PRVW JXHVWV on the show are unemployed and , ZRQGHU ZKHWKHU WKLV UDLVHV TXHVWLRQV DPRQJ WD[SD\HUV DV WR ZK\ DOO WKHLU KDUG HDUQHG FDVK LV VXSSRUWLQJ people who make such destructive DQG LPPRUDO OLIH FKRLFHV ´2QH RI WKH ELJJHVW EXJEHDUHUV RI P\ OLIH LV ZKHQ D JX\ RU ODG\ FRPHV RQ WKH VKRZ DQG , DVN WKHP ÂśDUH \RX ZRUNLQJ"¡ DQG WKH\ VD\ ÂśQR EHFDXVH ,¡P D GUXJ DGGLFW¡ :KHUH DUH WKH\ EX\LQJ WKHLU GUXJV IURP" ´, NQRZ WKHUH DUH D ORW RI SHRSOH RXW WKHUH ZKR DUH ORRNLQJ IRU ZRUN DQG FDQ¡W JHW LW EXW WKHUH DUH DOVR D lot of people who just can’t be arsed, LI ZH¡UH DEVROXWHO\ KRQHVW ´$QG , WKLQN SHRSOH DUH EHFRPLQJ less and less tolerant, because if you work and you pay a load of tax and \RX¡YH JRW NLGV EXW \RX VHH VRPHERG\ JHWWLQJ PRQH\ IRU GRLQJ QRWKLQJ WKHQ WKDW PXVW EH IUXVWUDWLQJ “We must always help people who can’t help themselves, but for me WKH JUH\ DUHD LV WKDW ZH QRZ VHHP WR EH KHOSLQJ D ORW RI SHRSOH ZKR FDQ¡W EH DUVHG “People are fed up – we wipe a lot of people’s backsides in this counWU\ GRQ¡W ZH"Âľ .\OH DQG 1HOPHV PDNH D JUHDW HIfort to defend the morality of the show and maintain that the afterFDUH WKH JXHVWV UHFHLYH LV FRPSUHKHQVLYH .\OH VD\V ´,W¡V D SDFNDJH 7KHUH DUH KXJH FKHFNV GRQH EHIRUH WKH JXHVW DSSHDUV RQ WKH VKRZ DQG DIterwards they receive aftercare and FRXQVHOOLQJ “We keep tabs on them up to two \HDUV DIWHU WKH\ DSSHDU ,W ZRUNV IRU VRPH LW PLJKW QRW ZRUN IRU RWKHUV Âľ The show has been described as the SHUIHFW H[DPSOH RI 79 SURJUDPPLQJ EHLQJ GXPEHG GRZQ LQ WKH VW FHQtury but Kyle defends the show, VD\LQJ ´,W¡V OLNH DQ\ LQGXVWU\ \RX SURYLGH ZKDW \RXU DXGLHQFH ZDQWV ,I \RX¡UH JHWWLQJ PLOOLRQV RI SHRSOH LQ WKH PRUQLQJ \RX¡UH QRW JRLQJ WR FDQFHO LW DUH \RX"Âľ But the morality of the show is also D FRQWHQWLRXV LVVXH IRU PDQ\ Should these depressed and unsta-

EOH SHRSOH EH DLULQJ WKHLU GLUW\ ODXQdry on national television? .\OH DUJXHV ´7KH SHRSOH ZKR Ă€QG LW XQFRPIRUWDEOH DUH WKRVH ZKR GRQ¡W ZDQW WR DFNQRZOHGJH WKDW WKLV FXOWXUH H[LVWV Âľ DQG , Ă€QG LW KDUG WR GLVDJUHH Many people who complain about the show have either never seen it or would rather bury their head in the sand than confront the social issues IDFLQJ SHRSOH WRGD\ %XW ZRXOG KH HYHU JR RQ KLV VKRZ" ´,I , KDG QRERG\ WR WXUQ WR \HDK , SUREDEO\ ZRXOG ,I , ZDVQ¡W JHWWLQJ DQ\ZKHUH RU , IHOW , FRXOGQ¡W JHW WKH KHOS , QHHGHG IURP DQ\ZKHUH HOVH DV D ODVW UHVRUW , SUREDEO\ ZRXOG Âľ Kyle has had his fair share of SUREOHPV WKURXJK WKH \HDUV IURP Â… GHEW GXH WR D JDPEOLQJ DGGLFWLRQ WR PDUULDJH EUHDN XSV DQG VH[ VFDQGDOV VR , DVN KLP LI DQ\ERG\ WROG KLP WR ´VRUW KLV OLIH RXW Âľ DW WKH KHLJKW RI KLV WURXEOHV OLNH KH GRHV WR VR PDQ\ RI KLV JXHVWV ´, KDG D EDQN PDQDJHU ZKR VDLG WR PH ÂśWKLV LV WKH PRQH\ \RX RZH \RX¡UH JRQQD SD\ LW EDFN DQG LI \RX GRQ¡W ,¡OO PHVV \RX DURXQG ¡ %DVLFDOO\ ,¡G QHYHU KDYH EHHQ DEOH WR JHW DQ\ FUHGLW DJDLQ VR , ZLVHG XS ´, WKLQN \RX FRQ \RXUVHOI ZLWK DQ\ DGGLFWLRQ , JDPEOHG PRUH WKDQ , KDG DQG ,¡P VXUH SHRSOH ZKR GULQN more than they can handle or take GUXJV PRUH WKDQ WKHLU ERG\ FDQ FRSH ZLWK FRQ WKHPVHOYHV WRR 7KH ELJJHVW ZRUG WKDW FRPHV RXW LQ DOO RI WKLV LV GHQLDO Âľ :LWK WKH JHQHUDO HOHFWLRQ DURXQG WKH FRUQHU LW¡V LQWHUHVWLQJ WR KHDU what Jeremy would do if he was 3ULPH 0LQLVWHU ´+RZ ORQJ KDYH \RX JRW" , KDWH WKH DSDWK\ RI WRGD\ 1RERG\ ZDQWV to start at the bottom and work their way up – nobody wants to put in the KDUG JUDIW “A priority for me would be to ORRN DIWHU WKH WURRSV 7KHUH DUH VR many soldiers who come home and have lost limbs or have returned to the UK and are now homeless and MREOHVV “Also, the family unit in this counWU\ LV QRW ZKDW LW XVHG WR EH .LGV DUH VDW LQ IURQW RI WKH 79 SOD\LQJ JDPHV EXW ZKHUH DUH WKH\ JHWWLQJ WKHLU PRUDOV DQG JXLGDQFH IURP" ´,I \RX LQYHVW LQ \RXU FKLOGUHQ WKH\ ZLOO KDYH D JUHDW IXWXUH EXW , don’t think people think about that HQRXJK ´7KH\ KDYH NLGV IRU WKH ZURQJ UHDsons – because their mate has one RU WKH\ ZDQW Â… D ZHHN LQ EHQHĂ€WV Âľ ,V SROLWLFV VRPHWKLQJ WKDW PLJKW LQWHUHVW KLP LQ WKH IXWXUH" ´0D\EH 3ROLWLFV GRHV IDVFLQDWH PH 0D\EH RQH GD\ EXW QRW QRZ Âľ For now, Kyle’s future plans are

Jeremy Kyle’s daytime hit talk show will be broadcast in America from this summer

centred around the new American version of The Jeremy Kyle Show ZKLFK KH¡V YHU\ H[FLWHG DERXW ,W ZLOO EH Ă€OPHG LQ 0DQKDWWDQ EXW broadcast nationwide and will folORZ URXJKO\ WKH VDPH IRUPDW DV WKH 8. YHUVLRQ

“People come on the show knowing what it’s about and people appreciate honesty in this societyâ€? However Jeremy will also be kept busy with his radio show on talkSPORT, his column in The Sun and ZULWLQJ IRU Pick Me Up PDJD]LQH He promises that one day he will WU\ WR UHWXUQ WR UDGLR ´5DGLR IRU PH will always be very close to my heart because of that ability to be able to just sit in a room on your own and WDON 79 LV ERULQJ DQG ORQJ DQG \RX KDYH WR UHGR WKLQJV EXW , ORYH LW LW¡V D JRRG FRPELQDWLRQ Âľ 6XUSULVLQJO\ .\OH GRHVQ¡W ZDQW WR

EH DURXQG IRUHYHU WKRXJK ´, ZDQW WR GLVDSSHDU DV TXLFNO\ DV , DUULYHG :KHQ ZLOO LW EH RYHU" ,W PLJKW EH QH[W ZHHN QH[W \HDU RU Ă€YH PRUH \HDUV EXW , WKLQN ZH¡OO NQRZ ZKHQ ZH NQRZ ´,W¡V EHHQ D ELW RI D UROOHUFRDVWHU 1,000 hours of me on television – KRZ EDG¡V WKDW" Âľ ,Q KLV RZQ ZRUGV ´7KH VKRZ LV marmite; you either love it or you KDWH LWÂľ +RZHYHU ZLWK VRDULQJ UDWLQJV DQG .\OH¡V EXOJLQJ SD\ SDFNHW LW UDLVHV TXHVWLRQV DV WR ZKHUH WHOHYLVLRQ LV KHDGLQJ IRU WKH IXWXUH DQG ZKHWKHU shows such as The Jeremy Kyle Show DUH EHQHĂ€FLDO WR RXU VRFLHW\ DV WKH\ explore contemporary social issues DQG GLVSOD\ WKHP LQ WKH SXEOLF H\H Or do the exploitative and provokLQJ QDWXUH RI VXFK VKRZV IXHO FODVV ZDUV DQG DGGV WR WKH QHJDWLYH GHSLFtion of British society in the media? (LWKHU ZD\ ,¡G UDWKHU .\OH¡V QDPH remained the title of a show than a FKRLFH RQ D EDOORW SDSHU :LWK KLV FKDUP DQG VPRRWK WDONLQJ ZKR knows what would happen?

46

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Intra Mural Hurricanes feelCup glory for Hurricanes the Loko-motion > Page 54-55page 40-41 > Intra Mural Football, Sports Editors: Paul Christian, Gavin Tom James courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk Sports Paul Christian, JamieJamie Gavin Tomand James - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk SportsEditors: Editors: Paul Christian, Jamieand Gavin and Tom James -- courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk

The voice of a nation BBC World Cup commentator Guy Mowbray VSHDNV H[FOXVLYHO\ WR Sports Editor Jamie Gavin ahead of this summer’s festival of football

W

hen Zinedine Zidane lit up the world with his performance in the 1998 :RUOG &XS Ă€QDO KH wasn’t the only one making history on that warm Paris evening. 26-year-old English commentator Guy Mowbray was behind the microphone for Eurosport at the Stade GX )UDQFH EHFRPLQJ WKH \RXQJHVW ever broadcaster to commentate on D :RUOG &XS Ă€QDO Over a decade later and Mowbray ZLOO EH WKH YRLFH RI D QDWLRQ DV KH commentates for the BBC on England’s games at this year’s World Cup in South Africa. It has been some journey for the broadcaster who began working for Clubcall and BBC Radio York covering the likes of Scarborough and <RUN &LW\ EHIRUH VSHQGLQJ WKH EHVW SDUW RI Ă€YH \HDUV ZRUNLQJ LQ WKH North East commentating on Sunderland for Metro Radio and Sun FM. Mowbray is now a Match of the Day UHJXODU DQG DIWHU WKH UHWLUHPHQW RI -RKQ 0RWVRQ KH LV VHW WR IURQW WKH BBC’s commentary team this summer. When England line up for their third group game on June 23 – the Ă€UVW OLYH RQ WKH %%& ² 0RZEUD\ ZRUGV ZLOO EH Ă€OOLQJ WKH SXEV DQG OLYLQJ URRPV RI WKH FRXQWU\ DV KH brings all the drama and the action alive from pitch-side in Port Elizabeth. )RU 0RZEUD\ WKH :RUOG &XS will be his seventh major tourna-

PHQW DQG DV KH FRYH\V KLV H[FLWHPHQW LW EHFRPHV DSSDUHQW WKDW LW¡V the England-factor that will make this one particularly special. “I’m massively looking forward to it. I’m just so lucky to be able to be there at these games – I’ve not done an England game at a major tournament since 1998. “One of the main reasons is because – and I say this at my peril – I genuinely think England have a really good chance. “A major tournament is like a ZKROH VHDVRQ FRQGHQVHG LQWR Ă€YH ZHHNV ² LW¡V VR H[FLWLQJ , JHW H[FLWHG before every game and just enjoy the whole thing. “There’s a lot of work involved but it doesn’t even feel like work. “You build up momentum with HYHU\ JDPH DQG LW¡V QRW XQWLO \RX get home that you really think back and think how much you’ve enjoyed it. “When you cover a game – and I’ve got to be honest – I just go into DXWR SLORW ,¡P DW ZRUN DQG LWV RQH team against another. I just call it how I see it. ´%XW LW¡V QRW DERXW PH LW¡V DERXW WKH JDPH DQG ,¡P MXVW VR OXFN\ WR EH able to be there at these games.â€? So as St. George crosses hang in bedroom windows and out of car GRRUV EDFN KRPH DQG D UHFRUG number of us tune in to watch EngODQG¡V SURJUHVV 0RZEUD\ ZLOO EH describing the action to millions of viewers on the BBC. Should Fabio Capello’s side SURJUHVV WKH %%& KDV WKH ULJKWV IRU

Guy Mowbray will cover the England games for the BBC at this summer’s World Cup

Three card trick: referee Graham Poll issues a second yellow card to Croatia’s Josip Simunic, but he failed to send the defender off

every England game after the group VWDJH DQG LW LV DOVR OLNHO\ 0RZEUD\ well be behind the microphone in -RKDQQHVEHUJ RQ -XO\ IRU WKH Ă€nal. +H KRSHV OLNH WKH UHVW RI XV WKDW on this occasion England can go all WKH ZD\ EXW VXFK LV WKH QDWXUH RI WKH MRE 0RZEUD\ LV PLQGIXO RI KLV UROH LQ WKH SUHVV ER[ DV ZHOO DV KLV SDVsion for England. “It would be the ultimate to commentate on England in a World Cup Ă€QDO ,W¡V WKH XOWLPDWH IRU HYHU\ (QJland football fan. ´,I ZH ZHUH WR JHW WR WKH Ă€QDO WKHQ you just hope you don’t ruin it for SHRSOH 7KH\ WXQH LQ IRU WKH JDPH you’re just a vehicle bringing them the game – people don’t really care who the commentator is if he does a good job. “My whole idea is that a commentator is like a referee. You should complement the action and be noticed if you’re not there. “Obviously I’m an England supporter and you make it clear who you would like to win and you’re REYLRXVO\ ZHLJKWHG LQ WKHLU IDYRXU but you have to give credit when it’s due to the opposition as well.â€? Mowbray picked up the Newcomer of the Year Award from the Royal Television society for his work at )UDQFH Âś DQG KH KDV IRQG PHPRULHV RI KLV Ă€UVW WDVWH RI :RUOG &XS commentary. “I think I did nearly all the France games so I was following them all WKH ZD\ WKURXJK DQG IRU WKHP WR win it was just wonderful. ´7KH Ă€QDO LWVHOI LV VWLOO WKH RQO\ game of my life I can still picture every goal.

“Most games I forget about a week ODWHU EXW WKDW RQH , VWLOO UHPHPEHU especially [Emanuel] Petit running WKURXJK WR VFRUH WKH WKLUG WKDW¡V RQH of my favourite memories.â€? Mowbray has covered every maMRU WRXUQDPHQW VLQFH DQG KH¡V KDG plenty of action and incident to describe on the way. His stand out moment on the BBC occurred in Germany at the last :RUOG &XS DQG LW LQYROYHG DQ (QJlishmen – as referee Graham Poll issued three yellow cards before dismissing Croatia’s Josip Simunic in a group game against Australia. Mowbray was on hand to point RXW WKH HUURU DQG KH FDOOHG LW ULJKW straight away. “That’s one of my favourite World &XS JDPHV HYHU LW ZDV D ZRQGHUIXO game. ´, DOZD\V SXW D FURVV QH[W WR D SOD\HU¡V QDPH ZKHQ KH¡V EHHQ ERRNHG but there’s always an element of GRXEW ,Q WKLV LQVWDQFH WKRXJK , ZDV fortunate in that I was absolutely SRVLWLYH EHFDXVH , UHPHPEHU GRLQJ a check during the game on the stats feed. “When he got booked again - I looked at my co-commentator Gavin 3HDFRFN IRU UHDVVXUDQFH DQG KH VRUW of shrugged his shoulders. “I could see John Champion lookLQJ DW PH IURP ,79 DQG , MXVW ZHQW for it and said ‘Graham Poll’s just made the most monumental error of his career. Simunic has to go.’ ´,W WXUQHG RXW ZHOO DQG , ZDV ULJKW but I wasn’t pleased for Graham 3ROO KH ZDV RQH RI RXU EHVW UHIV DQG was really unlucky about it.â€? Having seen most of the world’s top talent commentating on the

Champions League and the PrePLHUVKLS LQ UHFHQW VHDVRQV 0RZbray is well placed to make some calculated World Cup predictions. 6R ZKR GRHV KH H[SHFW WR VKLQH DW this years tournament? “Obviously Lionel Messi and hopefully Wayne Rooney. It will also be good for us to have a look at Ronaldo again – it will be interesting to see how he has progressed. “Those of us that don’t watch 6SDQLVK IRRWEDOO KDYHQ¡W VHHQ KLP EXW KH¡V KDG D WHUULĂ€F VHDVRQ ZLWK Real Madrid. “But as well as the usual suspects there’s also people we’ve forgotWHQ DERXW OLNH $UMHQ 5REEHQ ² KH¡V showed in the Champions League just what a player he can be. ´3HRSOH KDYH WDONHG DERXW %UD]LO SHRSOH KDYH WDONHG DERXW 6SDLQ DQG REYLRXVO\ (QJODQG EXW QRERG\ KDV really mentioned the Dutch. As a WHDP XQLW WKHUH¡V QRW PDQ\ EHWWHU But Mowbray is backing England WR JR DOO WKH ZD\ DQG IURP KLV H[perience covering games so far this VHDVRQ KH EHOLHYHV WKDW LW FRXOG EH the country’s supporters which proYLGH WKH H[WUD LPSHWXV EHKLQG WKHLU side in the quest to end the 44-year period without a major honour. “We have the best supporters at every tournament. There’s no other FRXQWU\ WKH KRVWV H[FHSWHG ² WKDW KDYH DV PDQ\ VXSSRUWHUV DV ZH GR and they just absolutely take over. “It’s a fabulous sight because the games are just like home games – in fact possibly better than Wembley.â€? /HW¡V KRSH WKH FRXQWU\ DV ZHOO DV WKH (QJODQG WHDP FDQ VKDUH LQ Mowbrays’ optimism and passion for the game.

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

47

World Cup Sport

Captured in motion: Gazza’s tears, Waddle’s miss and a nation’s heartbreak at Italia ‘90 Sports Editor Paul Christian looks forward to the release of One Night in Turin D Ă€OP GHSLFWLQJ (QJODQG¡V KHDUWEUHDN DW WKH :RUOG &XS In the summer of 1990 Britain fell in love with football again. A year after the Hillsborough disaster brought the decade to a devastating close, the national team led the country on an emotional journey through Italia ‘90. It was a tournament notable for countless things: Schillachi’s celebrations, the Cameroonian assault of Claudio Caniggia, and Ireland’s YHQWXUH WR WKH TXDUWHU Ă€QDO But England were centre stage on WKHVH VKRUHV $QG D QHZ Ă€OP E\ Emmy-nominated director James Erskine has unearthed fresh footage RI WKH VHPL Ă€QDO GHIHDW DJDLQVW :HVW Germany. One Night in Turin is a documentary that retells the story of the epic match - still the most watched sporting event in British TV history. It’s D Ă€OP EDVHG RQ All Played Out, the bestselling book by Pete Davies and features previously unseen images, fetched from archives in Italy and Middlesbrough. Erskine said: “It’s a story about a bunch of characters who overcome adversity. Bobby Robson is the leader with his band of brothers, WKH PLVĂ€WV WKH IRRWEDOOHUV $QG WKH\ set out against the odds to win the greatest prize of all. On their way they must overcome many trials and tribulations. They PLJKW QRW ZLQ WKH :RUOG &XS EXW they achieve something greater – the hearts and minds of the people.â€? The protagonists include some RI WKH 1RUWK (DVW¡V Ă€QHVW IRRWEDOO QDPHV *D]]D FULHV :DGGOH PLVVHV Bobby Robson consoles - a story woven into the fabric of English folklore. But it goes further, following the personal stories of each at a time

when the game was closer to everyday life. “The identity of Newcastle is a VWURQJ SDUW RI WKH Ă€OP DQG ZH Ă€OPHG a lot of the stretching elements in Gateshead. “One of the noticeable elements LQ WKH Ă€OP LV WKH GLIIHUHQFH LQ IRRWball and footballers now and then. Sir Bobby Robson took the tube to ZRUN &KULV :DGGOH ZDV ZRUNLQJ in a sausage factory before being plucked from obscurity. The sensibility of what football means and the characters were completely different than today.â€? Set against the backdrop of the poll tax riots in England, and the fall of WKH %HUOLQ :DOO WKH Ă€OP FDSWXUHV how sport unites a nation at the toughest of times, and becomes a VXEVWLWXWH IRU FRQĂ LFW And, although Erskine was eager to deny that it’s purely a nostalgia piece, there was a certain twinge of fondness in his voice when he talked about that period in his life “I really remember the tournament, that summer – the political backdrop at the time, the music, the matches. For a while things had been pretty gloomy, and then suddenly out of nowhere came this great change. If you look at how teams play, it kind of resembles the character of a nation at a given time.â€? Not much was expected of England, and it suited them well. They played with passion and style as Gazza-mania reached fever pitch and Platt netted winners in extra time. It was refreshing football following the atrocities that blighted the game throughout the 80s. But the drastic change of image in the tournament’s wake was a sign

7LQ\ WHDUV PDNH XS D ULYHU WKH LFRQLF LPDJH RI DQ LQFRQVRODEOH 3DXO *DVFRLJQH IROORZLQJ VHPL ÂżQDO KHDUWEUHDN IRU (QJODQG LQ

of things to come as money was thrown at players and clubs alike from every direction. “To me it feels like going back 50 years in time. In 1990 the whole squad was worth a million pounds in sponsorship deals. The pinnacle of their life and they probably earned ÂŁ30,000. That’s what a footballer might earn in two days today. “For better or for worse 2010 is a different kind of game. I think that people feel more for their clubs. The depth of feeling doesn’t stretch to the national side.â€? 7KH Ă€OP LV QRW D PHUH GRFXPHQWDry, but a melodramatic re-working of live footage with never before seen shots, including a poignant moment between Robson and Gascoigne afWHU WKH VKRRWRXW $ FRQVFLRXV LQĂ Xence is 2006’s superb Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait.

“It’s not like a traditional sports GRFXPHQWDU\ 7KH FDPHUDV DUH Ă€OPing the whole time from different angles. Not just the world in moWLRQ EXW VWDWLF WRR :KDW SHRSOH DUH thinking, what people are doing. =LGDQH ZDV D ELJ LQĂ XHQFH :H UHconstructed elements of the games to give that feel shown in the Zidane Ă€OP IRU H[DPSOH FORVH XSV WR ERRWV to create drama.â€? Released a month before England’s venture to South Africa for the 2010 :RUOG &XS One Night in Turin reminds viewers of the power of football on the biggest stage; how it can swell the heart of an entire nation. (UVNLQH LV FRQĂ€GHQW LW ZLOO WRXFK D nerve. “Anybody should be able to come DQG VHH WKLV Ă€OP ² HYHQ SHRSOH WKDW hate football. It’s a story that moves you, it’s about characters. I defy an-

\ERG\ ZKR JRHV WR VHH WKH Ă€OP QRW to be seriously moved by the end of it.â€? Most of us know the ending, but One Night in Turin promises to take us on a journey before our time. Tuned to the sound of New Order, James and Inspiral Carpets (amongst RWKHUV (UVNLQH¡V Ă€OP ZLOO OHDYH you reeling over football’s lost innocence, before quickening the blood in anticipation of next month’s momentous tournament. One Night in Turin is released on May 11 for one day only across selected UK screens and will be available to buy on DVD from the May 31. The Odeon Metrocentre is hosting a special screening RI WKH Ă€OP RQ 0D\ IHDWXULQJ D 4 $ with the director. Tickets are priced at ÂŁ10 and can be bought through the cinema website.

(QJODQG IDFH WRXJK RSSRVLWLRQ LQ TXHVW IRU :RUOG &XS JORU\ James Burns :LWK D PDWWHU RI ZHHNV XQWLO WKH :RUOG &XS LQ 6RXWK $IULFD excitement is growing within football fans across the globe. :LWK WKDW LQ PLQG (QJODQG IDQV should be more than optimistic about getting their hands on the most wanted sporting prize in history, after a long 44-year wait. The ‘golden era’ England team is beginning to grow into its stride under a stern reign of Capello, and our star-studded England team has a lot to prove this summer. However, over egos and injury problems are always an issue with England, and with incidents such as Terry’s loss of captaincy, Ashley &ROH PDULWDO DIIDLUV DQG :D\QH Rooney’s recent ankle injury, even Capello may struggle to handle the obstacles of the modern day footballer. It’s time to take a good look at what we’ll be up against this summer. Spain (4/1 fav) Capello has already highlighted

Spain’s strengths, and he was extremely short on the weaknesses. Spain have become boringly brilliant over the past few tournaments, and recently winning Euro 2008 only highlights their domination of the European candidates. :LWK D EXQGOH RI DWWDFNLQJ strength in Torres, qualifying top goal scorer David Villa and top form Fabregas, they are surely the ones to beat. Fabregas suffered a minor fracture WR KLV Ă€EXODU GXULQJ $UVHQDOV Champions League clash with Barcelona in late March, but although he may miss the rest of his Premier League campaign, he should still be Ă€W WR WUDYHO WR 6RXWK $IULFD Spain cruised into the tournaPHQW ZLWK HDVH 7HQ TXDOLĂ€HUV ZLWK maximum points gained, it is no Ă XNH WKDW WKH\ DUH WKH ERRNNHHSHUV¡ favourites to win their second successive major international trophy.

Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos, have long gone or lost form. But were they have lost old talents they have most certainly gained new, as the country known as the home of football, just keeps creating geniuses. High performing, Real Madrid start Kaka, is the latest young Brazilian talent that will be a threat this June. His personal form could EH D PDMRU DVVHW WR WKHLU :RUOG &XS campaign. England will still be suffering from Ronaldinhos’ 40-yard lob of David Seaman in 2002, but his form has recently deteriorated and worULHV RYHU KLV ÀWQHVV KDV TXHVWLRQHG his actual involvement in Brazil’s squad at all, this summer. Brazil face the Ivory Coast and Portugal in the group stage, so plain sailing isn’t apparently on the cards for Brazilian legend, and current coach, Dunga.

Brazil (5/1)

Argentina (9/1)

Five times winners Brazil know all DERXW VXFFHVV LQ :RUOG &XSV KRZever 2002 was a long time ago, and big name players such as Ronaldo,

“This is for those who did not believe in the national team and treated me like dirt - they will now have to accept this.� (Diego Mara-

dona, after just qualifying for South Africa 2010). The enigma, that is Argentina. This is a potential time bomb in this year’s tournament, and could EH D PDMRU ELJ QDPH ORVV DW WKH ÀUVW group stage hurdle. Under the guidance of eccentric genius Maradona, Argentina just scraped into this year’s tournament by the skin of their teeth, leaving many thinking that Maradona should have kept his skills on the pitch. Argentina were within minutes of not qualifying for the world FXS WKH ÀUVW WLPH VLQFH ZKHQ Mario Bolattis’ goal secured a 1-0 ZLQ RYHU 8UXJXD\ DQG TXDOLÀFDtion. :LWK QHDUO\ ÀUVW FDSV EHLQJ awarded by Diego, this could have been a key factor to their inconsistency. However, Argentina are blessed with a talent, which throws memories back of a time when Maradona himself graced the pitch, in Lionel Messi. Messi has yet to prove himself on the international stage and, in South Africa, the best player in the

world has many pundits to answer to. Italy (12/1) The golden oldies and current holders Italy will be hoping to keep one hand on that Cup for a second successive year. But with players such as Buffon, Zambrotta, Grosso, di Natale, Pirlo, Cannavaro and Legrottagille all 30 SOXV VXUHO\ WKLV LV RQH :RUOG &XS too far for Marcello Lippi’s men. Italy’s fairly easy group of Paraguay Slovenia and least favourLWHV WR ZLQ WKH :RUOG &XS 1HZ Zealand, doesn’t really pose much of threat. 0HPRULHV RI WKHLU ODVW :RUOG &XS win will surely still be fresh in the mind of many Italian football fans, but since 2006, they have slowly slipped away as one of the biggest threats from Europe, with teams such as Spain and England bigger favourites. Jose Mourinho recently quoted that Seria A wasn’t perhaps as good as it used to be, and in my opinion WKLV LV UHà HFWLQJ RQ WKH ,WDOLDQ LQWHUnational squad.

48

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Sport World Cup

Mixed media images of South Africa Caroline Argyropulo-Palmer Comment Editor “So which one of these huts was like, Mr. Mandela, actually born in?â€? Our bus was pulled over by the side of the road, cameras facing Nelson Mandela‘s home village; a collection of small corrugated iron huts which probably wouldn’t stand one year, let alone 90. Behind the backs of the cameras on the other side of the road is his current residence, a substantial, walled and comfortable home: rather less ‘photogenic’. It wasn’t only for this village that the zoom lenses came out. All the way along our journey from Cape Town to Johannesburg last summer, the cameras appeared more often for townships and slums than for sunsets or landscape. As the World Cup approaches it feels like this encapsulates the way South Africa 2010 is being viewed. Undoubtedly, it is not a fully ‘developed’ country. Outside of the European-esque luxury of Cape Town are acres of slum housing. When you leave the Garden Route, the area of coast from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, the change from middle class subXUEV DQG ZHOO WLOOHG Ă€HOGV WR UXUDO poverty, shacks, barren land and a sudden diminishment of white people is shocking. There is crime, there are problems with racism; things which have been particularly utilised in the negative build up to the tournament. However, there are a huge QXPEHU RI EHQHĂ€WV WR WKH FRXQWU\

Raw beauty: the image of the brand new World Cup stadium in Cape Town and the back-drop of Table Mountain will become one of the iconoc features of this year’s tournament

and to its hosting of the World Cup that are being ignored in the search for shock factor stories. This World Cup will bring a lot to South Africa. Infrastructure has been greatly improved, meaning not only new roads, public transport systems and refurbished airports but jobs. The new stadiums mean the same. The volume of tourists will also bring money; many of the hostels we stayed at were already fully booked, and charging double the price.

There’s a huge amount of excitement for the Cup in SA, and across Africa. When I was in Tanzania in 2007 people were already planning their drives down, and huge, frenzied billboards across SA proclaim ‘Bafana Bafana’ or ‘the boys, the boys’ (the nickname for the South African squad). It fosters interest in sport, and a pan race feeling of national, continental and global community and pride; importantly it includes and offers Africa a place in the latter. It is a huge deal for all of Africa,

something that hasn’t gone unQRWLFHG E\ ),)$ WKH RIĂ€FLDO SRVWHUV and emblem showing a man heading and kicking a football form the shape of the whole continent. Africa’s the second largest continent in the world with just over 20% of the world’s land, and it’s time it wasn’t seen as somewhere without merit or structure, somewhere too frightening and dangerous to visit. The continent‘s, and South Africa’s, problems cannot be ignored, but nor should they be seen as a

sideline attraction in some kind of global freak-show. We wouldn’t expect visitors to the 2012 Olympics to take a day trip to Tower Hamlets to take a few photos to show their friends how hardcore their holiday was. It is about time Africa hosted the World Cup, and South Africa is the obvious choice from the continent. It loves football just as much, has as much to do, and as many potential pitfalls, as any other host nation, and the camera needs to capture more than just the bad.

Blood over place: a World Cup of false patriotism? Dan Robinson, Alex Burnett, Salisu Mohammed The World Cup is just around the corner, and within a few short months football’s elite will compete against one another for the greatest prize in the game. It is a time of national pride, when even football hooligans can put aside their differences to represent their nation, even if it is not for the most desirable acclaim. However, as the 32 squads are announced, it brings forward the question as to just how patriotic the World Cup actually is. The notion of ‘blood over place’ attracts some strong opinions when it comes to players selecting which country to play for and showcase their skills. For, there are two tiers of footballers; those who move to another country in order to maximise their potential ability, and those who are born in another country after their parents or grandparents had earlier emigrated. The fact that these nations are often former colonialists PDNHV WKLV DUJXPHQW HYHQ Ă€HUFHU )RU WKH Ă€UVW WLHU PRYLQJ LV considered a necessity. Success in their homeland is highly unlikely, and a move to one of the European football hotspots such as England or France provides them with the VWDJH WR IXOĂ€O WKHLU SRWHQWLDO 6XFK LV WKH VLJQLĂ€FDQFH RI $IULFDQ

players in European football that the African Nations Cup, held midseason in these leagues, can make or break a season for their clubs. So if players of African descent are considered integral members of the top clubs in Europe, why is the continent not adequately represented on the greatest world stage, with no African side ever getting past the Quarter Final stage of the competition? The answer is simple. For a number of years now, the best players who have emigrated to these colonial countries have been handpicked by their adopted country to play for their national sides, thus robbing their native country of the sort of talent which would allow them to compete at the top level. Two key members of France’s 1998 World Cup winning side, Zinedine Zidane and Marcel Desailly, were not born on French land, instead hailing from Algeria and Ghana respectively. Yet knowledge of their heritage is scarce and they will always be held up as French heroes for their achievements. One argument would be to state that this is merely false patriotism as they were representing a country which was not their true motherland. The counter to this would be that both players were simply answering the innate human characteristic of any athlete, which is to ulti-

mately be successful. A footballer’s dream is to win every accolade possible, and it could be argued that nationality can sometimes be a burden to this ultimate vision. Take George Weah, voted African Player of the Century and regarded as one of the game’s all-time greats. Yet he remains the only winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, which he won in 1995, to have never featured in the World Cup due to the weakness of his Liberian national side. Despite playing international football for 14 years, he only amassed 60 caps as Liberia failed to match their greatest player’s talent. That’s just one more than Phil Neville won for England. However, whilst it would be easy to claim that Weah’s talent went to waste by never featuring in the world’s most prestigious sporting tournament after the Olympics, it would be wrong to mock his unquestionable patriotism. For years, he played, coached and even funded the national side in a bid to reach the World Cup, but could not break their obvious limitations. And for some this is the only thing which matters. Representing your country, no matter where they stand in the world rankings, is an honour of the highest regard, and any relative success with them will always outbalance any accomplish-

Success, but does it come at a price of silverware over patriotism? Zinedine Zidane and Marcel Desailly celebrate after their memorable World Cup win with France in 1998

ments with a nation you moved to on the cusp of adulthood. At the end of the day, it is all about the individual, as personal aspirations are always going to exist. Sport is built upon companionship, and if opportunity allows we should all be able to compete in the atmosphere we feel most comfortable in. However, this should not be

exploited by the big international teams, who are sometimes accused of striving to retain the status quo often seen at club level. The World Cup is the greatest football show on earth, and should always remain a showcase of 32 teams competing to win, rather than just eight teams with players brought in from all corners of the earth.

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

49

Sport

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SLF *DPHV /2&2* 7KH \HDU ROG LV WKH DWKOHWH UHSUHVHQWDWLYH RQ /2&2* D UROH WKDW VHHV KLP ORRN DIWHU WKH DWKOHWHV DQG PDNH VXUH WKDW WKH\ KDYH D JUHDW H[SHULHQFH ZKHQ LW FRPHV WR %DFN LQ (GZDUGV KLPVHOI KDG DQ LPSRUWDQW SDUW WR SOD\ LQ /RQGRQ ZLQQLQJ WKH ULJKW WR VWDJH WKH *DPHV $QG QRZ ZLWK MXVW RYHU GD\V WR JR XQWLO WKH VWDUW RI WKH 2O\PSLFV WKH 'XUKDP 8QLYHUVLW\ JUDGXDWH LV NHHQ WR VWUHVV WKH ´QDWLRQDO SULGHµ DQG ´OHJDF\ EHQHÀWVµ WKH *DPHV ZLOO EULQJ WR WKH 8. ´+DYLQJ FRPSHWHG LQ 6\GQH\ RQ WKH QLJKW WKDW &DWK\ )UHHPDQ ZRQ KHU JROG PHGDO \RX JHW D VHQVH RI KRZ WKH 2O\PSLFV EULQJV WKH FRXQWU\ WRJHWKHU DQG WKHUH LV D JUHDW VHQVH RI QDWLRQDO SULGH ² \RX FDQ SXW RQ WKH JUHDWHVW VKRZ RQ HDUWK ´:LQQLQJ WKH ELG ZDV D KXJH DFKLHYHPHQW IRU WKH 8. DQG KRVWLQJ D VXFFHVVIXO *DPHV ZKLFK UXQV ZHOO DQG DOVR KDV JUHDW %ULWLVK VXFFHVV LV UHDOO\ LPSRUWDQW IRU XV DV D QDWLRQ ´7KHUH·V D KXJH DPRXQW RI SXEOLF DQG SULYDWH PRQH\ LQYHVWHG LQ KRVWLQJ D *DPHV DQG LW·V LPSRUWDQW WKDW WKDW·V SXW WR JRRG XVH ´<RX·YH JRW WKH UHJHQHUDWLRQ RI WKH (DVW (QG RI /RQGRQ WKH LQIUDVWUXFWXUH DQG WUDQVSRUW OLQNV WR WKDW SDUW RI /RQGRQ DQG WKHQ WKH 8. ZLGH EHQHÀWV VXFK DV ORWV RI EXVLQHVV FRQWUDFWV DW D WLPH ZKHQ ZH·UH JRLQJ WKURXJK D UHFHVVLRQ ´7KHUH·V DOVR DQ HPSKDVLV RQ WU\LQJ WR JHW PRUH \RXQJ SHRSOH ÀW DQG KHDOWK\ DQG JHWWLQJ LQYROYHG LQ VSRUW VR , WKLQN LW·V JDOYDQL]LQJ WKH VSRUWLQJ FRPPXQLW\ DQG WKH ZKROH SDUWLFLSDWLRQ OHJDF\ LV UHDOO\ LPSRUWDQW DV ZHOO µ (GZDUGV PHQWLRQV WKH ´JUHDW %ULWLVK VXFFHVVµ WKDW LV VR LPSRUWDQW WR /RQGRQ +RZHYHU ZKLOH %ULWDLQ·V F\FOLVWV KDYH H[FHOOHG LQ UHFHQW \HDUV WKHLU DWKOHWHV FRQWLQXH WR GLVDSSRLQW RQ WKH ZRUOG VWDJH GHVSLWH WKH FRQWLQXRXV IXQGLQJ WKH\ UHFHLYH +H DFNQRZOHGJHV WKDW WKH PHGDO UHWXUQ RI MXVW IRXU LQ %HLMLQJ ZDV D GLVDSSRLQWPHQW EXW EHOLHYHV WKHUH DUH VLJQV RI HQFRXUDJHPHQW DQG WKDW 7HDP *% FDQ ÀQDOO\ GHOLYHU WKH ¶SURSHU PHGDOV· DW DQ 2O\PSLF *DPHV WR TXRWH ¶6PLWK\·V· 6SRUW 5HOLHI UDQW ´%HUOLQ > :RUOG &KDPSLRQVKLSV@ ZDV D KXJH LPSURYHPHQW RQ %HLMLQJ ZLWK VL[ PHGDOV EXW DOVR D KXJH QXPEHU RI SHRSOH PDNLQJ ÀQDOV DQG JHWWLQJ SHUVRQDO EHVWV We did well at the World Indoor

Record breaker: Jonathan Edwards celebrates breaking the triple jump world record at the 1995 World Athletics Championships

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“As an athlete there’s something very special about your personal best. My personal best is the world record – it’s the best jump I ever did, it’s the best jump there has ever been” SHWLWLYH VSRUW LQ WKH ZRUOG ZH FDQ KROG RXU KHDGV KLJK ´7KH (XURSHDQ &KDPSLRQVKLSV LQ %DUFHORQD LQ WKH VXPPHU DUH LPSRUWDQW EHFDXVH , WKLQN IRU PDQ\ DWKOHWHV LW JLYHV WKHP WKH FKDQFH WR VWHS XS IURP EHLQJ D ÀQDOLVW WR D PHGDOOLVW ´,I \RX ORRN EDFN DW %HUOLQ ODVW \HDU ZH DFWXDOO\ KDG WRS (XURSHDQV LQ WKHLU UHVSHFWLYH :RUOG &KDPSLRQVKLS HYHQW VR ZH FRXOG KDYH RXU PRVW VXFFHVVIXO (XURSHDQ &KDPSLRQVKLSV HYHU ZKLFK ZRXOG EH DPD]LQJ µ

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ZDUGV· P 'RHV (GZDUGV WKLQN he can do it? ´/HW PH MXVW VD\ , KRSH KH FDQ·W EHFDXVH LW·V ORYHO\ WR EH WKH ZRUOG UHFRUG KROGHU µ KH DGPLWV ´3K\VLFDOO\ KH·V D IDQWDVWLF VSHFLPHQ 0\ RQO\ TXHVWLRQ PDUN LV WKDW EHFDXVH KH·V VR ELJ NHHSLQJ KLV VSHHG WKURXJK WKH SKDVHV ZKLFK LV ZKDW \RX QHHG WR MXPS D ZRUOG UHFRUG LV PRUH GLIÀFXOW IRU KLP WKDQ LW ZDV IRU PH EHFDXVH ,·P D ORW OLJKWHU ´7KDW ZRXOG EH P\ TXHVWLRQ PDUN DJDLQVW KLV FDSDELOLW\ RU DQ DWKOHWH DV ELJ RU DV WDOO DV KLP WR EUHDN WKH UHFRUG µ $V (GZDUGV FRQFOXGHV E\ UHÁHFWLQJ RQ D JOLWWHULQJ FDUHHU ZKLFK ZLOO EH UHPHPEHUHG E\ PDQ\ IRU KLV JROG PHGDO LQ 6\GQH\ LW LV VWLOO WKDW GD\ LQ *RWKHQEXUJ LQ WKDW VWDQGV RXW WKH FOHDUHVW LQ KLV PLQG DV KH EHFDPH WKH ÀUVW PDQ WR HYHU MXPS RYHU IHHW ´, SUREDEO\ ORRN EDFN PRUH WR *RWKHQEXUJ LQ DQG WKH ZRUOG UHFRUG µ VD\V (GZDUGV ZKR LQ KHOG DOO WKH JROG PHGDOV IRU WKH ¶IRXU PDMRUV· ´,·P VWLOO WKH ZRUOG UHFRUG KROGHU ZKHUHDV ,·P QRW WKH 2O\PSLF FKDPSLRQ DQ\PRUH VR WKDW·V SUREDEO\ VWLOO D ELW FORVHU WR P\ KHDUW ´$V DQ DWKOHWH LW·V DERXW SXVKLQJ \RXUVHOI WRZDUGV \RXU EHVW SHUIRUPDQFH DQG WKHUH·V VRPHWKLQJ YHU\ VSHFLDO DERXW \RXU SHUVRQDO EHVW 0\ SHUVRQDO EHVW LV WKH ZRUOG UHFRUG ² LW·V WKH EHVW MXPS , HYHU GLG LW·V WKH EHVW MXPS WKDW WKHUH KDV HYHU EHHQ ´%HWZHHQ WKH WZR RI WKHP WKRXJK QRW D ZHHN JRHV E\ ZKHQ , GRQ·W SLQFK P\VHOI DQG WKLQN ¶P\ JRRGQHVV GLG WKDW UHDOO\ KDSSHQ"·µ

50

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Sport

Oar inspiring: Newcastle’s Boat Club President Andrew Corrigan will be hoping his team emulate the success of last year when they take on the Durham squad whose President is Corrigan’s former schoolmate Benji Dawes

Newcastle eye second Boat Race win Tom James Sports Editor The 14th Boat Race between Newcastle and Durham universities takes place along the River Tyne on Sunday 9 May with Newcastle looking to retain the title they won for WKH ÀUVW HYHU WLPH ODVW \HDU Four teams of eight take part from each University; two novice crews of male and females and two senior HLJKWV IURP HDFK RI WKH VH[HV Each race is just as important, as the title is given to the university with most wins on the day, giving HTXDO ELOOLQJ WR DOO RI WKH WLHV Newcastle Head Coach Angelo 6DYDULQR QRZ LQ KLV ÀIWK \HDU DV coach having won one, lost two and drawn one of the Boat Races he has been involved in with Newcastle University’s Boat Club, believes that

the competition will be extremely close this year and may come down to who can handle the pressure on WKH GD\ “The weather will play a big part and it may come down to nerves on the day as when a team is behind there is a chance they will break,â€? VDLG 6DYDULQR It is down to the cox to keep the eight rowers motivated throughout the race whilst steering the boat and picking the best line down the river, all whilst keeping everyone IRFXVVHG Savarino said: “They may not be directly involved physically but they play a big part in the team and WKH\ DUH XQGHU D ORW RI VWUHVV 7KH\ are like the driver in an F1 car, but WUDYHOOLQJ D ORW VORZHU Âľ Savarino believes there is a miscon-

ception about rowing at Newcastle University as he takes exception to the claim that it is a ‘posh’ sport and he argues that the novice crews are testimony to his belief that if you have the physical attributes you can FRPSHWH ZHOO DW URZLQJ “The University has a very good V\VWHP IRU EHJLQQHUVÂľ KH VDLG ´/DVW year the women’s seniors were made up of novice rowers and the talent in the senior men is made up of around 60 per cent experience DQG SHU FHQW QRYLFH Âľ Regardless of whether the comSHWLWRUV KDYH EHHQ URZLQJ IRU Ă€YH PRQWKV RU Ă€YH \HDUV 6DYDULQR VD\V that: “Everybody feels very strongly DERXW WKH %RDW 5DFH ,W LV RQH RI WKH highlights of the season, especially for the beginners as it gives them a FKDQFH WR H[SHULHQFH FRPSHWLWLRQ Âľ

One former University rower who took part in the race on three occasions before going on to row for the successful Cambridge eight in the 2010 Oxbridge Boat Race is Fred *LOO *LOO Ă€UVW WRRN SDUW LQ D ZLQQLQJ novice’s race before destroying Durham as part of the senior eight and UHPHPEHUV WKH ZLQ ZHOO He said: “Not only did we win, but we won by two lengths; we smashed them, which was an amazLQJ IHHOLQJ “The nerves were incredible because I’d never done anything like WKDW EHIRUH ,W ZDV P\ VHFRQG \HDU of rowing and I just hadn’t raced at WKDW VRUW RI LQWHQVLW\ “It’s such a brilliant course to row through with the Millennium Bridge DW WKH HQG Âľ

When the crews line-up for the start - one on the more favourable Gateshead side of the river, and the other on the Newcastle side - Durham, with all of their coaches and superior numbers, will be expected WR EHDW 1HZFDVWOH However, Savarino said: “Durham have the edge but it will be close and on the day anything can happen but HYHU\RQH ZLOO EH JLYLQJ WKHLU EHVW “It is hard to judge technically who is better but we are mentally WRXJK Âľ When the arms are tired and the legs are burning towards the end of the race as the rough waters of the Tyne take their toll, the winner may be decided by sheer guts and determination and it may be this mental toughness which sees the Newcastle ERDW Ă€UVW RYHU WKH OLQH

Mixed season for squash girls but seconds claim promotion Nicola Bowen The Newcastle University ladies squash club have had a successful year, bringing in new talent and seeing a marked improvement within WKH VTXDG The team once again put in an excellent performance in the all important Stan Calvert, winning 7-1 overall with a thrilling match between our top seed Monique Shahid and

1RUWKXPEULD¡V QXPEHU RQH 7KH Ă€UVWV KDG DQ H[FHOOHQW VHDVRQ Ă€QLVKLQJ VHFRQG LQ %8&6 1RUWKHUQ &RQIHUHQFH $ FDSWDLQHG E\ /LEE\ 0DNLQVRQ ZLQQLQJ DOO EXW RQH Ă€[WXUH The Northumbria local league, captained by Ashley Hay, saw the team pull out some superb performances winning 13 out of 19 matches UHVXOWLQJ LQ WKH WHDP Ă€QLVKLQJ VL[WK LQ 'LYLVLRQ 7ZR

The season saw a huge challenge for the seconds - captained by Rachel Broadbent - after being promoted to BUCS Northern Conference WomHQ¡V $ ,W ZDV DQ DFKLHYHPHQW LQ itself as Newcastle are the only uniYHUVLW\ VHFRQGV WHDP LQ WKLV OHDJXH The side brought in new talent in the form of Freyja Docherty and (PPD +DOO DQG Ă€QLVKHG Ă€IWK LQ WKH league, but the team has improved immensely since the start of the sea-

son due to the experience of playing in challenging and exciting matchHV The thirds battled on, captained by (PLO\ +RSFURIW ÀQLVKLQJ VL[WK LQ BUCS Northern Conference 2B but achieved some whitewash wins over Northumbria seconds and Bradford ÀUVWV The team also reached the quarterÀQDOV RI WKH %8&6 1RUWKHUQ &RQIHUence Cup after thrashing Northum-

bria seconds 4-0, before losing out to 1RUWKXPEULD VWV The team would like to thank coach Tom Forsyth, who has helped them improve throughout the seaVRQ 7KH\ ZRXOG DOVR OLNH WR WKDQN president Rachel Broadbent for her enthusiasm and commitment to WKH FOXE DV ZHOO DV VHFUHWDU\ /HRQLH Cunnington for her amazing organisational skills and efforts at develRSLQJ WKH FOXE¡V QHZ ZHEVLWH

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

51

Sport

*ROI FOXE KROG QHUYH WR VHDO %8&6 SURPRWLRQ Chris Taylor Newcastle’s golf team heroically played their way back into the BUCS Premier League after victory over two legs against southern champions Warwick University. The club will rejoin the top tier of University sport after their relegation last season. 7KH ÀUVW OHJ ZDV SOD\HG SULRU WR the Easter break at Newcastle’s home course, Matfen Hall, and the team produced a solid display on torrid putting surfaces to take a 4-2 lead into the second leg. The win meant that the Newcastle side needed 2.5 points from six in order to win the play off – no mean feat considering none of the team had played or even heard of Warwick’s home course of Kenilworth GC. Lee Fuller was still sidelined following his bizarre putting green injury incident at the home leg before the holiday, so fresher Peter Sym was drafted in to deputise. 7KH ÀUVW SDLULQJ RI 5RVV 0DFND\ and Fraser Allan opened with a solid front nine, each one up and three up respectively. In the middle pairing, Carl Downham was playing good golf at two up through nine, whilst Chris Taylor found himself unlucky to be two down. At the turn in the back pairing, Ethan Smith was taking a batterLQJ DW ÀYH GRZQ ZKLOVW 3HWHU 6\P was plucking away at one down. At

Driving forward: the golf team, captained by Carl Downham (centre), overcame a strong Birmingham side to get back in the big time

this point the game was in any one’s hands; a good run from a number of players easily having the potential to completely change the face of the

game. However, the Newcastle boys took initiative, with Carl Downham proGXFLQJ D Ă DZOHVV GLVSOD\ RI ORQJ

iron striking, dispatching his opponent 6&5. As ever, steady veteran 5RVV 0DFND\ DOVR VHDOHG RXW KLV match, winning 4&2.

Newcastle looked like they were going to be champions, however things took a turn for the worse as news of Ethan Smith’s heavy defeat reached the top pairings, shortly followed by Warwick gaining another point after Peter Sym failed to get going and was beaten 4&3. This left two active games from which Newcastle needed half a point. Chris Taylor, having been two down at the turn, found himself all square on the 16th after a great birdie on the par four 15th, but an errant tee shot on 16, followed by an unusually disappointing approach on 17 meant he too succumbed to defeat, losing 2&1. The team now needed Fraser Allan to step up and close out his game from the 18th tee. A lovely up and down from a lie described by the spectators as ‘pure Ă€OWK¡ HQVXUHG D XS YLFWRU\ DQG with it the 3-3 second leg draw and an overall 7-5 aggregate victory for Newcastle secured promotion. The result caps a simply stunning VHDVRQ IRU WKH 1HZFDVWOH JROI Ă€UVWV whose talent, guile and determination, coupled with an outstanding team spirit has meant they remain undefeated for the entire league season. With the extremely tough test of premier league golf next season, it is hoped that a good recruitment in September will enable incoming club president Fraser Allan to build a golf team to rival the big boys.

1866& WHDP WR EHDW DV ,0 QHWEDOO FRQWLQXHV WR Ă RXULVK Fran Infante Deputy Editor Every week 2,500 Newcastle students participate in recreational sport through the University Intra Mural Programme, but what most people don’t realise is that around 250 of them are netballers. This underpublicized element of the extensive University sporting programme consists of the three separate leagues, in which eight teams compete, with a total of 24 teams participating weekly. Just like the football and rugby leagues, the teams are formed from branches of existing sporting clubs or academic societies as well as groups of friends who enjoy the opportunity for social exercise with a healthy dose of competition. As the play-offs enter their second rounds, this sense of friendly competition is rapidly heating up. NUSSC have had a scorcher of a year, remaining unbeaten after 11 matches and occupying the top spot in two out of the three leagues. As a result they have been given a SDVV WKURXJK WR WKH TXDUWHU Ă€QDOV making them the team to beat. Captain Caroline Clapp however remains down to earth. “We just turn up and playâ€? she told The Courier, “I’m not really sure how it’s happened; we just have a lot of fun. ´,Q WKH Ă€QDO DOO ZH FDQ GR LV EH UHally positive, we’ve won the Tuesday league in other years but we’ve never won the whole thing before. It’s been a whole new mix of people this year; we really want to win. Looking to defend their position as last year’s champions are the Northern Monkeys; their captain Georgie Starkey spoke to The Courier and re-

Ă HFWHG RQ WKH WHDP¡V SHUIRUPDQFH this year. She said: “We started the team ourselves last year, so it was amazLQJ WR ZLQ WKH Ă€UVW WLPH ZH HQWHUHG the leagues. “NUSSC have done really well this year but I think we still have a good chance, we beat teams who beat them last year and we also beat them at an external tournament in Sunderland. I think it all just comes down to the day.â€? When asked about the role of Intra Mural netball within the University she responded, “I’d really like to see our team keep going after we graduDWH ,¡G OLNH WR UDLVH WKH SURĂ€OH RI WKH netball leagues so that more people feel like they can get involved and enjoy it. “You don’t even have to be a northerner to play for usâ€? she laughed, “we’ve let the odd southerner in and we don’t mind them really, it’s just for fun.â€? Starkey’s side are not the only ones ready to give NUSSC a run for their money, as the Toothfairies have had an impressive season winning their league. Having made it to the play-offs for the last two years and fallen at the last hurdle, captain Katy Wilson is determined to take the challenge to the opposition: “There is no point being intimidated, we just have to play our best, we have a big squad and we aim to win every match, even if we think it’s going to be easy, we all get stuck in and do our best. It’s good to shake things up.â€? Participation and Events Manager Denis Murphy who oversees Intra Mural sports echoed Starkey’s comments.

He said: “It’s important for clubs to go out and recruit new players and HVSHFLDOO\ WR WDS LQWR Ă€UVW \HDUV ZKR perhaps don’t know the opportunities around them and that there are recreational teams that they can easLO\ Ă€W LQWR HQMR\ H[HUFLVH ZLWK DQG make new friends. ´2QFH SHRSOH Ă€QG RXW DERXW WKHP they have proved to be very popular – I’ve opened the registration for next year’s Saturday teams and already 50% of the places have been taken. “This is great news but it also means that there is a limited opportunity for freshers arriving in September because all the spots are DOUHDG\ Ă€OOHG “The Sports Centre is under a lot of pressure to allocate space fairly to all the sports, and there is never enough, but you can put me on record saying that I’ll look into a Saturday afternoon outdoor league to cater to more teams. “This has problems of its own in that these games are more vulnerable to the bad winter weather conditions, but if there is the demand we will do our best to accommodate it.â€? When asked for his predictions DV WR ZKR ZLOO ZLQ WKH OHDJXH Ă€QDO which is scheduled for two SaturGD\V WLPH KH VDLG ´,W¡V GHĂ€QLWHO\ going to be a tough one, Northern Monkeys are still very much in it to defend their position as champions but NUSSC have such consistency this year it’s hard to say. ´$OVR WKH ZD\ WKH TXDOLĂ€HUV KDYH gone means that they won’t meet HDFK RWKHU XQWLO WKH Ă€QDO VR LW ZLOO GHĂ€QLWHO\ EH DQ H[FLWLQJ Ă€QLVK WR WKH season. “Our Intra Mural set-up is superior

to most other universities. Loughborough and Durham are two of the VWURQJHVW LQ WKH Ă€HOG EXW ZH DUH GHĂ€nitely up there with them. “The recreational level is inviting but there are also a lot of very

talented sportsmen and women involved who enjoy their sport but don’t want it to take over their lives, they work hard to keep their teams going but they also enjoy university life as well, participation is key.�

52

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Sport Rugby Union A. WILSON

Fenn proud of UXJE\ FOXEV after season of success Jonathon Taylor ,W KDV SURYHQ WR EH DQRWKHU HQWKUDO OLQJ VHDVRQ IRU 1HZFDVWOH·V %8&6 UXJE\ XQLRQ WHDPV WKLV \HDU DQG RQH WKDW KDV JLYHQ JUHDW SULGH DQG VDWLVIDFWLRQ WR DOO LQYROYHG :LWK WKH PHQ·V ÀUVWV ÀQLVKLQJ DERYH ERWK 'XUKDP DQG 1RUWKXP EULD LQ WKH OHDJXH DQG WKH ZRPHQ SXOOLQJ RII D PHPRUDEOH 6WDQ &DO YHUW YLFWRU\ WKLV VHDVRQ KDV OHIW HYH U\RQH EDWWHUHG EUXLVHG DQG GHVSHU DWH IRU PRUH KDV EHHQ D IDQWDVWLF VHD VRQ IRU WKH PHQ·V ÀUVWV )LQLVKLQJ WKLUG LQ WKH %8&6 3UHPLHU 'LYLVLRQ DERYH ULYDOV 'XUKDP DQG 1RUWK XPEULD WKH 5R\DOV UHFRYHUHG IURP D VKDN\ VWDUW WR WKH VHDVRQ WR ÀQG VRPH ORQJ DZDLWHG FRQVLVWHQF\ John Fenn was VDWLV¿HG ZLWK ERWK UXJE\ FOXE¶V SURJUHVV this season, and he LV DOUHDG\ PDNLQJ SODQV IRU WKH FDPSDLJQ

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Fenn of honour: Director of Rugby John Fenn praised both the men’s and the women’s clubs after a fantastic 2009/10 season

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THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

53

Sport

7\DV UHDG\ WR KDQG RYHU $8 UHLQV A. WILSON

Jamie Gavin Sports Editor It’s been another successful year for Team Newcastle, and although they might just miss out on the top ten this time around, the University continues to rival some of the best sporting institutions in the country. Vicky Tyas has overseen a period of continued development in the Athletic Union, and she presided over a record 51.5 point Stan Calvert victory that will go down in history. She is soon to hand over the reins to Charley Wright, who stood unopposed for the position in the March elections, and The Courier sat down with Wright and Tyas as they reĂ HFWHG RQ WKH VHDVRQ JRQH E\ DQG looked forward to the future of Team Newcastle. “I’ve achieved everything I set out to achieveâ€?, said Tyas. “We won Stan Calvert, we’re high up in the BUCS rankings and we’re in a good Ă€QDQFLDO SRVLWLRQ Âľ Tyas earmarked a possible 12th SODFH Ă€QLVK LQ WKH %8&6 UDQNLQJV but added that if results go Newcastle’s way between now and the end of the season, the University could push slightly higher. ´,W ZLOO EH YHU\ WLJKW WR Ă€QLVK LQ WKH top ten. The standard of university sport is getting better and better. We Ă€QG LW GLIĂ€FXOW WR NHHS XS EHFDXVH we haven’t got the resources that other universities have.â€? “It’s down to funding primarily, but also to the recruitment systems that other universities have where they offer lower grades. We, as a Russell Group university can’t do that, and as a result we don’t always attract some of the very best talent across all sports.â€? The incoming Wright was also keen to stress the importance of recruitment as he looked forward to taking over in July. “We need to be quite focused on our recruitment because we can’t just lower the grade boundaries or offer you thousands and thousands of pounds. “We’re also looking for students who have got both athletic as well as academic attributes – they’re the ones we want to come here because we can offer them a really good academic experience as well as a great sporting experience.â€? And part of the sporting experience in recent years has been the all-new Team Newcastle brand, launched over the past two seasons by the AU and the Sports Centre. 7KH $8 2IĂ€FHU HOHFW KHDSHG SUDLVH on his predecessor, and stressed the importance of the Team Newcastle brand. “Team Newcastle is Vicky’s legacy. I know it started coming in with -DPHV *UHHQH EXW VKH¡V SXW LW Ă€UPO\ in place and the whole University should be pretty grateful. I look to

Men’s Cricket

Leeds 2nds Newcastle 1sts

Jamie Gavin Sports Editor

200 229-6

Newcastle win by 29 runs Alex Roussak

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build on that and make it more successful from there. “Having a brand and a logo and a theme gives you much more of a presence of your team all around you. It just has a more professional feel to it, that you’re all one team and you can take pride in other people’s results as well as your own. “It’s makes a big difference on days like Stan Calvert, when everyone’s wearing the same stash. You have

your own team ethics within each club, but when you have a team of students from 57 sports clubs it’s pretty epic.â€? Unlike Tyas, the men’s hockey SUHVLGHQW GLG QRW KDYH WR Ă€JKW D close election campaign to gain his position in the post, but he stressed that this did not take anything away from his mandate next year. “I think that the fact that 807 people put a ‘1’ next to my name on the

voting ballot tells you just how important sport is at this University. “It would be very easy for those people not to have voted, so I don’t think it takes anything away from it at all. I hope people voted for me for the right reasons.� And as he looks forward to the hand over period in June and Tyas moves on, Wright seems determined to continue the University’s sporting success story going.

&KHHUOHDGHUV DQG QHWEDOO ÀUVWV VFRRS WRS SUL]HV DW $8 DZDUGV The cheerleading club beat off tough competition from the ski and boat clubs to scoop the prestigious club of the year award at the AU Ball on Sunday after an outstanding 2009/10 season. The club have been crowned national champions across both the dance and stunt disciplines, as well as taking part in numerous charity

1HZFDVWOH FULFNHWHUV JHW VHDVRQ RII WR ZLQQLQJ VWDUW

events in the community. $8 2IĂ€FHU 9LFN\ 7\DV KHDSHG praise on the club at Sunday’s award ceremony, held at the Marriott Hotel in Gosforth. “It might not have been the result people expected,â€? she said, “but it’s about being a well managed club as well as being successful, and the cheerleaders have been fantastic.â€? 7KH QHWEDOO Ă€UVW WHDP ZRQ WKH WHDP RI WKH \HDU DZDUG DIWHU Ă€QLVKLQJ

fourth in the BUCS Premiership. The club have excelled this season DQG FDSSHG D PDJQLĂ€FHQW OHDJXH run with a memorable Stan Calvert Cup win over Super League neighbours Northumbria. Tyas said the netballers very “well deserving winnersâ€?. Elsewhere, ice hockey were awarded most improved club, rowing coach Angelo Savarino took the coach of the year award, and hockey

club president and soon to be AU 2IĂ€FHU WRRN WKH SUL]H IRU DGPLQLVtrator of the year. Professor Stuart Evans was awarded the outstanding contribution to sport award, for his role as a passionate supporter of the rugby club. Evans has been involved with rugby at the University since 1970, helping to raise over ÂŁ120,000, as well as publishing a book on the University rugby club.

+DYLQJ JRW WKHLU VHDVRQ RII WR D Ă \HU with a hard fought win over ShefĂ€HOG +DOODP WKH SUHYLRXV 6XQGD\ Newcastle 1sts compiled a secondsuccessive victory last Wednesday, beating Leeds 2nds by 29 runs to go to the top of BUCS 2B. %DWWLQJ Ă€UVW RQ D VORZ ZLFNHW the Newcastle top order struggled to time the ball early on and soon found themselves one wicket down with Nicholas Davey caught behind with the score on 35. With the short boundaries proving tempting, Joe Austin - who registered 120 against Hallam on the opening day of the season - and Gareth Purshouse took the attack to Leeds’ medium pacers in an entertaining, yet temporary, counter attack. Top order wickets fell with regularity with only Purshouse and Alex Roussak scoring above 20. With the score on 130 for 6, the visitors were looking at the possibility of posting a poor score on a wicket that looked to be improving as the day progressed. However, a gutsy partnership between Joe Barnett and Ali Barrowman for the 7th wicket proved to be vital as both players took the attack to the Leeds spin bowlers. Barrowman’s consistent run making in the lower order has got Newcastle out of sticky situations in previous seasons and the Somerset born all-rounder was at it again, clearing the leg-side boundary on three occasions. Nonetheless, Barrowman played VHFRQG Ă€GGOH WR %DUQHWW¡V SDWLHQW and well-constructed innings which proved to be the foundation of what was to be a very competitive total of 229 for 6 from 50 overs, Barnett and %DUURZPDQ ERWK Ă€QLVKLQJ XQEHDWHQ on 64 and 40 respectively. The extra pace of the Newcastle seam bowlers seemed to aid the stroke play of Leeds’ opening batsmen as they put on a century partnership within 22 overs. Seemingly on the way to a comfortable victory, Leeds’ run-chase was halted by the experience of the Newcastle spin bowlers. It was the introduction of Alex Roussak that turned the game, with his full repertoire of leg-spinners, googlies and sliders proving too much for the Leeds top three to cope with. Roussak’s three wickets coupled with Tom Ullyott’s economic offspin meant the required run-rate began to rise. 7KH SUHVVXUH Ă€QDOO\ WROOHG RQ WKH /HHGV¡ ORZHU RUGHU DV D Ă XUU\ of wickets fell in the last ten overs with the home side eventually being bowled out for 200 in the 47th over. Newcastle’s captain Tom Ullyott Ă€QLVKLQJ ZLWK IRXU ZLFNHWV DQG 5Lchard Stanyon two. ,W FRPSOHWHG D Ă€QH VWDUW WR WKH season for Newcastle who, with a strong squad, will be hoping for promotion this season.

54

Tuesday May 4 2010 THE COURIER

Sport Intra Mural Football

+XUULFDQHV KLW WKUHH WR VWRUP

Medics held as Saturday league goes to the wire

Intra Mural Cup Final (Wed)

Intra Mural Division One (Sat)

Medics University 2nds

3 3

Henderson Hall A Hurricanes

1 3

Joe Baker at Longbenton 3G

Tom James Sports Editor at Cochrane Park

A crucial top of the table clash ended with both teams taking a share of WKH VSRLOV DIWHU D Ă€HUFHO\ FRPSHWLtive and compelling game on a mild Thursday evening. The Medics were clearly pumped as they knew a win would ensure they regained the prestigious title and have the bragging rights for the next 12 months. $ SDWLHQW DQG Ă XHQW PRYH GXULQJ WKH Ă€UVW Ă€YH PLQXWHV RI WKH JDPH seemed to take the Royals by surprise and a careful through ball dissected the Newcastle defence and %DNHU FOXPVLO\ VWXFN RXW D Ă DLOLQJ leg only for the striker to topple to the ground and was awarded a penalty. Goalkeeper Macauley guessed FRUUHFWO\ DQG FRXUDJHRXVO\ Ă XQJ his body towards the ball but only PDQDJHG WR JHW Ă€QJHUWLSV RQ LW DV LW rippled the back of the net. It was a dream start for the Medics and although this may have been a strain to the Newcastle side, there was certainly nothing broken. The Royals delivered the next blow, as the quick feet of James 6ZDLQVWRQ EDIĂ HG WKH 0HGLF FHQWUH back who had to resort to clipping his legs away and a free kick was given. Elliot Connolly stepped up to the plate. He effortlessly strode up to the ball, gliding his free kick around the wall to the goalkeeper’s dismay. This stroke of genius was what was needed to boost the Royal’s spirits. Salt was then rubbed into the medics seeping wounds as Mike Peace, aka ‘The Horse’, galloped past the Medic left back, cut back inside and struck the ball across the face of the box and former Medic, Joel English, burst in from the left and slotted the ball into the back of the net. The Medics then countered to level the game as a long ball over the left back Mark Levine’s head was chased by the sprightly Medic right winger and the aging defender struggled to keep up. 7KH ZLQJHU UHDFKHG WKH EDOO Ă€UVW DV the onrushing Macauley tried to put him off, but a delicate chip over his body had enough pace on it to reach the back of the net. Moments later the Medics struck a hammer blow as the Royals didn’t effectively deal with a corner and the centre back nodded home from a mere four yards. The game looked dead and buried but a change in tactics, by placing Arthur Okonkwo upfront to form a trio, payed dividends as in the dying seconds of the game he poked home the equaliser. Understandably, his celebration was jubilant as the former Medic – who was Intra Mural top scorer last season – ripped off his shirt and Ă RXQFHG DURXQG WKH SLWFK +RZHYer, his celebrations were short lived as he was threatened with a yellow card followed by looks of dismay from his fellow team-mates. A draw was a fair result and prevented the Medics from taking the Intra Mural crown for the second successive year. The race will now go down to the wire as the Medics face the University thirds in the title deciding game.

Hurricanes produced a commanding performance to win the WednesGD\ ,QWUD 0XUDO &XS Ă€QDO DW &Rchrane Park last Wednesday thanks to a goal from Aaron Ritchie and a brace from captain Chris Homans. On a day when clear cut chances were hard to come by it was the Hurricanes who took theirs to take a two nil lead by the hour, before Homans FRQĂ€UPHG KLV VLGH¡V YLFWRU\ ZLWK D stunning strike from thirty yards. Henderson did get on the score sheet late on, courtesy of a Scott header, but by then it was too late to entertain any hopes of a comeback and the Tangerines will be left to UHĂ HFW RQ D PDWFK ZKHUH WKH\ KDG plenty of possession but could not break down a resilient Hurricanes defence, with Selby immaculate throughout. 7KH PDWFK DV FXS Ă€QDOV WHQG WR started cagily, with both teams content to sit back rather than commit men forward. The teams cancelled HDFK RWKHU RXW IRU PRVW RI WKH Ă€UVW KDOI DQG WKH Ă€UVW VDYH WKH +XUULFDQHV ‘keeper was forced to make came as Michael Scott’s cross threatened to go in before Matt Gosnell tipped the ball over the bar. The Hurricanes looked most dangerous at set pieces and almost opened the scoring as a cross from the left was allowed to bounce free in the box. A header goalwards was smartly saved by Greenhalgh. +HQGHUVRQ WKHQ EURNH XS Ă€HOG DQG DIWHU D Ă€QH FURVV Ă€HOG SDVV RI ZKLFK Paul Scholes would be proud from Scott, a ball in from the right was well cleared by the Hurricanes defence. Henderson then crafted their best opportunity of the half as Tom Reid held up the ball before releasing the aptly named Chris Henderson down the left with a well judged pass which caught the Hurricanes defence square. With only the ‘keeper to beat, Henderson dragged his shot agonisingly wide of the far post. The diminutive Chris McCrory then went close at the other end as he sent a header wide after pulling away from his marker, before two minutes later his strike partner 5LWFKLH GLG Ă€QG WKH QHW WR SXW KLV side into the lead.

Storming performance: Selby was inspirational at the heart of Hurricanes defence as Henderson struggled to create chances on a

Hurricanes had looked a threat in the air and a corner to the back post saw Ritchie climb high above the Henderson defence to head home. Despite going behind Henderson offered little to suggest that they would level before half time as they struggled to create chances in the last third of the pitch, with a speculative shot from Henderson not coming close to troubling the largely under worked Hurricanes ‘keeper. Instead it was Hurricanes who

came closest to the second goal in exactly the same fashion from which WKH\ VFRUHG WKHLU Ă€UVW DV D KHDGHU DW the back post was cleared off the line. The Hall were then denied an equaliser by the post as they managed to put pressure on the Hurricanes ‘keeper, who, failing to clear the ball with an attempted punch, allowed a header to be directed goalwards, only for it to come back off the upright.

+XUULFDQHV WKHQ Ă€QLVKHG WKH KDOI in the ascendency and came close to scoring on two more occasions. Ritchie had another header as he found space in the box but it looped over the bar before a header from a Henderson player forced his own ‘keeper to palm the ball away and save his blushes. 7KH Ă€UVW Ă€IWHHQ PLQXWHV RI WKH VHFond half were noticeable for a distinct lack of any threat on either goal as Henderson continued to probe to

7KLUGV SXW ÀYH SDVW %DUFD WR NHHS WLWOH KRSHV Intra Mural Division One (Sat)

University 3rds Barca-Law-Na

5 3

Matt Thorpe at Longbenton The University third team stayed on track for an Intra Mural league and cup double with a stop-start display over Barca-Law-Na. The game started brightly for Barca after a hopeful long ball caused havoc between Rob McKenzie and Ed Houlton, whose startling lack of communication allowed the Barca striker to saunter in and delicately ÀQLVK LQWR WKH WRS FRUQHU The Thirds needed an immediate

response, which came in the form of Ed Savitt – making a return from First team glory. Some excellent build up play allowed Matt Gouland the opportunity to strike, which he promptly VKDQNHG )RUWXQDWHO\ WKH GHà HFWLRQ proved to be a perfect through-ball for Savitt who stroked home a cliniFDO JRDO IURP ÀYH \DUGV Savitt placed the Thirds into the lead soon after with the help of a sumptuous ball from Mitch King, who later admitted he had misplaced his pass. The Thirds striker made a darting run into the box and WKH ÀUP VKRW OHIW WKH NHHSHU ZLOO OLWtle chance to save. Barca appeared to be on the rack when Newcastle scored their third

JRDO ,Qà XHQWLDO PLGÀHOGHU *RXODQG found himself on the edge of the box DQG KDPPHUHG D ÀHUFH VKRW This was met by a brave block from a Barca defender, causing the ball to loop over the despairing keeper, which sent the University into a comfortable 3-1 lead. Matters got even worse for Barca as Jay Taylor added his name to the score sheet before half time. Barca had battled courageously WKURXJKRXW WKH ÀUVW SHULRG EXW failed to meet the standard of their competitors. This began to change when Houlton unceremoniously brought down the Barca striker when he had a chance to score, resulting in a penalty.

Despite the despairing dive of keeper Matt Thorpe, Barca managed to slot the ball into the goal in such a way that it set up the second half for an intriguing contest. The second half commenced with Taylor scoring almost immediately. Savitt’s through-ball set up the striker, who volleyed straight into the ground, making the ball bounce up into the top corner. It seemed like curtains for Barca, yet once again Houlton was keen on throwing the game away. A cute pull back put a Barca player in the clear only eight yards from goal, triggering a scene akin to the 6XSHUPDQ ÀOPV Houlton threw himself in front of the ball, not only handling it, but

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

55

Intra Mural Football Sport

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day when Hurricanes took theirs

OLWWOH HIIHFW 7KH ÀUVW FKDQFH RI WKH half fell to Hendo target man Reid whose header went over, whilst as Hall started to press higher up the pitch, they looked vulnerable against a Hurricanes counter attack. It was Hurricanes who consolidated their lead on the hour mark as an Alex Smith free kick from the centre circle found captain Homans on the edge of the six yard box and he made no mistake to head his side into a two goal lead.

DOLYH also injuring his knee in the process. Another penalty was dispatched ZLWK HTXDO SUHFLVLRQ WR WKH Ă€UVW WR make the score 5-3. Despite the introduction of veterans Tom ‘Mario’ Milnes, Ben Burt and new boy Jonny Addey, the game petered out to a disappointing Ă€QLVK WKDW ODFNHG TXDOLW\ Burt had the opportunity to score a wonder goal, following his mazy dribble through the Barca team. Unfortunately the pressure got to him and he skewed his shot high, wide and not at all handsome. But with three points in the bag, the Royals did enough and will be pleased that the chance to win the league is still in their grasp.

Now needing to score, next Henderson came forward but could not break the Hurricanes defence, and it was Homans who made all but sure that his side would win the trophy ZLWK ÀIWHHQ PLQXWHV OHIW A failed clearance from Henderson saw the ball land at Homans’ feet and from thirty yards he struck a shot which looked in from the moment it left his boot and gave Greenhalgh no chance as the ball nestled in the far corner. Three nil up and with ten minutes to play the Hurricanes had the trophy in their grasp, and despite a late consolation for Henderson as a result of a Scott header, they held on comfortably, allowing Homans WR FDS D ÀQH SHUVRQDO SHUIRUPDQFH by lifting the trophy. Presenting the trophy Intra Mural’s answer to Jose Mourinho, Denis Murphy, praised

both sides for “a great game, well done to Hurricanes who defended well and took their chances.â€? Victorious captain Chris Homans was jubilant after the game saying “The boys were class today. For periods Hendo had a lot of the ball but the lads worked really hard to make sure they didn’t have many chances. “It’s hard to single out any guys in particular because they all deserve a mention. But credit where its due, Selby saved his performance of the VHDVRQ IRU WKH Ă€QDO DQG LV QRZ VXIfering from sun burn for it and Harry Slavin was obviously inspired by watching Braveheart because he ran till he dropped. “Commiserations to Hendo, they made it a good game. Football’s all about inches and we came good on the day.â€?

*DUQHWW FORVH LQ RQ WLWOH DV ,0 VHDVRQ UHDFKHV FOLPD[ Paul Christian Sports Editor Intra Mural’s not over yet. But this being the last paper, and me being its biggest fan (and best player), I felt compelled to bid it adieu. Eight months of recreational football has taken its toll. By now you’ll have a dodgy knee, 3G burns, Jimmy Grimble boots and an animal attraction for the Longbenton groundsman. Still, no one FDQ FRQWHVW WKDW WKH\¡YH Ă€QLVKHG the season any worse a player than when they started. 7KH :HGQHVGD\ Ă€UVW GLYLVLRQ LV over bar the shouting and Garnett look set to lift the trophy for a second successive year. The Green and Black, who have lost one league game all season and proved, yet again, they’re the team to beat. How they’ll cope with the loss of key players is another matter. A great season for Real Politique was humbled when their title challenge was cut short by Dyslexic. But with the general election around the corner, they’re probably not bothered. They’ll be back next year full of empty promises and with three managers. Loko’s season was galvanised by McLovin, or Ste McLaughlin (nickname’s are hurtful) who bagged a bundle, outran Bolt, and got his name in the paper far too much. Dyslexic were poor by their usual high standards, while Leazes were solid, if unexceptional. Barca-Law-Na warranted more from their performances but we live in a results-based, late-capitalist society and they didn’t dig in. A force in the past, the Lawmen have it all to do next year if they get relegated. The Hurricanes are down, but won the cup Portsmouth stylee. Work that one out. In Division Two, Gashletico look VHW WR Ă€QLVK FKDPSLRQV XQOHVV FXS Ă€QDOLVWV +HQGHUVRQ ZLQ DOO RI WKHLU remaining games. Borussia Forsythe and Ecosoccer are still in with a chance for promotion, the latter looking for their third in a row. Down at the bottom it’s back to the drawing board for Crayola who look set for the third tier, while the most embarrassing stat of the season isn’t the relegated Sex Panthers’ -44 goal difference. It’s the fact they won a game. Whoever they beat, don’t come back next year. 'LYLVLRQ 7KUHH EDIĂ HV PH DQG epitomises the nature of Intra Mural football. AFC Hydro are a result or two shy of the title, while Inter City are relegated. The rest of the table

LV FKDRV )LYH WHDPV DUH Ă€JKWLQJ IRU promotion and, simultaneously, against relegation. There’ll be plenty of ifs and buts, so the simple solution is just win your games. Olympic Mayonnaise will be champions if this is the case. At the foot of Intra Mural lie Happy Feet whose highlight of the season was a feature in this paper. They’re a spirited side who enjoy a laugh to GHĂ HFW WKH IDFW WKDW WKH\¡UH XVHOHVV Fair play to them. Roman Villa join them in oblivion, while Molesok, Freeman and Tub %R\V Ă€JKW IRU DXWRPDWLF SURPRtion. AR U Shavin A Laugh were runaway winners and will complain about the misspelling of their name in Division Three next year. The Saturday leagues have grown in strength in recent times and deserve a mention. The Medics are on course for a second successive title, with the University thirds standing in their way. Both are set for a title decider this Thursday evening. It’s shaping up to be the game of the season. If the Medics win, Captain James Esdon will be ranked amongst the most decorated in Intra Mural history. He already has three leagues and a Saturday cup in his cabinet, and could add two more this season. With an eye for a player and astute man management, Esdon’s the best around. Intra Mural sides from Bolton to Bristol have monitored Guildford’s answer to Beckenbauer. But he’s going nowhere. At least until he wins the Wednesday cup. At the bottom Dyslexic United could join Axe Wielding Baboons in the second tier. It’s hard to believe they used to dominate. Teams are always rising and falling in Intra Mural. The Medic seconds will join their counterparts in the First Division, while Politique are on the verge of clinching Division Three. Denis Murphy’s been at the helm of Intra Mural for four years now. He’s built a mini-empire and genuinely loves the job. He couldn’t do it without the help of captains, refs, JURXQGVPHQ DQG KH¡G EH WKH Ă€UVW to admit that. But it’s his dedication that makes it tick. Doff your cap to Murphy’s law. Another season passes but another’s on the way. Characters move on, others will blossom. Intra Mural Ă€OOV WKH GXOO VSDFHV RI 8QLYHUVLW\ OLIH and will continue to do so long after jokers like you and I are gone. With that, I’m off to play a match. It never stops.

+DSS\ )HHW YLFWRU\ FDSV PHPRUDEOH VHDVRQ Dominic Pollard With the season drawing to a close the Happy Feet Football and HockH\ &RQJORPHUDWH UHà HFW RQ D œGUHDP season’. The rainbow kit wearing team may not have had much success on the pitch but you will not ÀQG D VTXDG ZKR KDYH KDG QHDUO\ as many good times off it as Happy Feet. In their penultimate game of the season the Happy Feet football team UHFRUGHG WKHLU ÀUVW HYHU SRLQW ZLWK D historic 2-1 win over the Tub Boys. Although they remain at the foot of the division four table the squad could not be happier with the success of their organisation. The Happy Feet hockey team,

however, have enjoyed a more successful year on the pitch. 7KH\ UHDFKHG WKH TXDUWHU Ă€QDOV RI the Intra Mural tournament only to fall short in a controversial match that they likened to Ireland’s loss at the hand of Thierry Henry. Their other high points from the season include almost toppling top Ă LJKW %DUFD ODZ QD LQ D JUHDW FXS upset, only to be defeated by a last minute goal. They may be rooted to the bottom of the bottom division but the team do not get bogged down by such pedantry as ‘points’ or ‘league tables’. Guy Tyrone Robert’s stated that the team “were proud to be the foundations of Intra Mural football. “I personally believe we have

had a successful season...we have achieved everything we ever wanted.� The team may not have been successful in the sporting arena but the Happy Feet organisation measure their success in other ways. The team completed a winter tour to Germany and are already planning their summer volleyball tour to Faliraki. The Happy Feet clothing line, meanwhile, has, in the words of Jack-Jack Leroy-Wilson, been “selling like hotcakes!� Clearly, to say that Happy Feet don’t take themselves too seriously would be somewhat of an understatement. The team simply prioritises their comical team ethos over results

which has meant that even though they may have only chalked up one win this season they have still enjoyed every moment of it. It seems that the team’s positivity and refreshingly unique attitude towards Intra Mural sports has proved infectious. Not only will the Happy Feet legacy live on under new management next year but a new team, Beavers Beavers, has already been entered into next year’s division four and promise to embrace the Happy Feet mentality. Their blend of African grass-roots inspired football and less than serious approach to any match has been a joy to behold, and their legacy will live on.

56

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

A hop, skip and a jump with Jonathan Edwards Sports Editors: Paul Christian, Jamie Jamie Gavin and Tomand James - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk Sports Editors: Paul Christian, Gavin Tom James - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk

> Page 49 J. WHITLAM

Wright sets sights high ahead of his new AU role Hockey president ready to lead Team Newcastle Jamie Gavin Sports Editor Charley Wright has signalled out his intent for Team Newcastle success ahead of taking over as AU OfĂ€ FHU LQ -XO\ ,Q KLV Ă€ UVW LQWHUYLHZ VLQFH WKH March election, Wright spelt out his SODQV IRU D WRS WHQ %8&6 Ă€ QLVK DV well as a fourth straight Stan Calvert FURZQ And with cuts to higher education funding imminent, the current men’s hockey president stressed the need for the University to maintain its investment in sport, as well as the need for sport at the University WR UHPDLQ VWXGHQW OHG Wright will take over from current $8 2IĂ€ FHU 9LFN\ 7\DV WKLV VXPPHU and he is excited at the prospect of another successful season for the 8QLYHUVLW\ QH[W WHUP “I’m really excited, I just can’t wait WR VWDUW ,¡YH EHHQ ZDLWLQJ IRU LW IRU two years now so I really want to get JRLQJÂľ VDLG :ULJKW “It all depends on the personnel ZH JHW LQ EXW KRSHIXOO\ ZH FDQ ORRN IRU WRS WHQ DJDLQ “If we could get a similar result to what we did last year in Stan CalYHUW LW ZRXOG EH IDQWDVWLF WRR , WKLQN we’ve got a very good chance of ZLQQLQJ LW DJDLQ EXW ZKHWKHU RU QRW , FDQ HPXODWH 9LFN\¡V SRLQW ZLQ LV D GLIIHUHQW PDWWHU Âľ $Q DPELWLRXV :ULJKW ZDV DZDUH RI the prospect of cuts to higher education, and he expressed hope that VSRUW ZRXOGQ¡W EH RQH RI WKH DIIHFW HG DUHDV ´6SHQGLQJ FXWV DUH D ELJ FRQFHUQ

EXW VSRUW LV VR LQWHJUDO WR D ORW RI WKLQJV DW 8QLYHUVLW\ “It’s a massive recruitment tool for the University, and if we can’t compete at the top level, we’re not going to get as many good sports people – who are often very clever people DV ZHOO WR ERRVW WKH 8QLYHUVLW\¡V VWDWXV ´, FDQ¡W ZRUU\ DERXW LW QRZ WKRXJK I have to deal with it if and when it happens - we’ll have to wait and VHH Âľ $QG WKH SURVSHFWLYH $8 ERVV DOVR emphasised the importance of the student led element of sport at the University ahead of taking over in KLV QHZ UROH +H YRZHG WR KHOS HYH U\ $8 FOXE LQ RUGHU WR DFKLHYH KLV DPELWLRXV JRDOV ´7KH $8 LV LQWHJUDO 6WXGHQWV should run their University, for stuGHQWV E\ VWXGHQWV “I would hate to see it go to the hierarchy of the University itself UDWKHU WKDQ EHLQJ LQ VWXGHQWV KDQGV ,WV DEVROXWHO\ LQWHJUDO ´, ZDQW WR PDLQWDLQ WKH EHVW FOXEV we have and push everyone as a ZKROH WR UHDFK D EHWWHU OHYHO ´, WKLQN D ORW RI FOXEV KDYH WKH potential to follow the example of WKH OLNHV RI WKH ERDW DQG VNL FOXEV +RSHIXOO\ , FDQ KHOS WKHP UHDFK WKDW SRWHQWLDO QH[W \HDU “The presidents and captains are a key element of University sport, as DUH DOO WKH PHPEHUV RI DOO WKH FOXEV “I want to make sure they feel they can come to me and we can sort out DQ\ SUREOHPV WRJHWKHU DQG WKLV ZD\ ZH FDQ SXVK WR JHW D PRUH HIĂ€ FLHQW DQG PRUH HQMR\DEOH $8 Âľ

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04.05.10

C OURIER

Puzzles

Your special four-page pull-out of the trickiest puzzles to help you through your revision

crossword

Puzzles Editors: Ned Walker & Suzi Moore puzzles.courier@ncl.ac.uk

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Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Puzzles

ned’s number cruncher

logistical

Keep you brain in shape by trying to complete these sums as fast as you can without using a calculator

EASY

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Holly, a Lecturer in the Business School has received enquiries asking for module marks from some of her students who are stranded abroad due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland. However, in the confusion she has mixed up which student is which. From the clues given below, can you match each of the students with their module, mark and the country they are stuck in?

CLUES 1. The Economic Analysis student John received at least a 2:1, though scored lower than Jess, who is the student stranded in Spain. 2. The lowest scoring student is stuck in Turkey, a country that Paula has never been to. 3. The student taking the Maths for Economics module scored higher than the one studying Public Policy. 4. British Economics with a mark of 53 was not taken by the student trying to work their way back from Dubai. 5. Sophie will be happy to learn she got a 60, as it keeps her on a 2:1 average. 6. The student who can’t get back from the USA may wish they’d studied American Economics as opposed to European. Record in this grid all the information obtained from the clues, by using a FURVV WR LQGLFDWH D GHÀQLWH ¶QR· DQG D WLFN WR VKRZ D GHÀQLWH ¶\HV· 7UDQVIHU these to all sections of the grid thus eliminating all but one possibility, which must be the correct one

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maze Enter the maze through the gap at the top left and trace your way through the maze to exit just below

The clues below will help but they may not correspond to the order of the steps.

Clues $ TXHXH RI SHRSOH $ SDWKZD\ %HLQJ LQ VDWLVIDFWRU\ FRQGLWLRQ

conundrums Rearrange each set of letters below to make sense of the jumble.

1. 2. 3.

THE COURIER Tuesday 4 May 2010

3

Puzzles

sudoku - medium

sudoku - easy

sudoku - hard

7KH REMHFWLYH RI WKHVH SX]]OHV LV WR ร OO HDFK RI WKH JULGV VR WKDW HDFK FROXPQ HDFK URZ DQG HDFK RI WKH QLQH รฐ ER[HV IRU HDFK JULG FRQWDLQV WKH QXPEHUV RQH WLPH HDFK

cryptogram

tile mixer

8QVFUDPEOH WKLV IDPRXV SKUDVH E\ XVLQJ \RXU NQRZOHGJH DERXW WKH VWUXFWXUH RI ZRUGV WR GHFLGH ZKLFK QXPEHU UHSUHVHQWV ZKLFK OHWWHU 1RW DOO RI WKH OHWWHUV RI WKH DOSKDEHW DUH XVHG

A_

A____

A

_A_

K____

T__

7 20

7 26 26 10 2

7

22 7 6

15 2 2 26 3

5 9 2

___T__ 22 19 24 5 19 14

A_A_. 7 21 7 6

5HDUUDQJH WKH WLOHV EHORZ WR ร QG WKH QDPHV RI VRPH 8QLYHUVLW\ %XLOGLQJV

1. 2. 3.

country outlines 8VH \RXU JHRJUDSK\ NQRZOHGJH WR ZRUN RXW WKH IROORZLQJ FRXQWULHV IURP WKHLU RXWOLQHV :ULWH WKH DQVZHUV LQ WKH VSDFH EHORZ WKH FRXQWU\

sudoku - super fiendish 7KH REMHFWLYH RI WKLV SX]]OH LV WR ร OO WKH JULG VR WKDW HDFK FROXPQ HDFK URZ DQG HDFK RI WKH QLQH รฐ ER[HV FRQWDLQV WKH QXPEHUV RQH WLPH HDFK

4

Tuesday 4 May 2010 THE COURIER

Puzzles

same letter quiz Here is a quiz with a twist. Each answer will start with the last letter of the previous answer. This may help you with answers you are unsure of. Answer number 1 will start with the last letter of answer 10.

:KR ZDV WKH ÀUVW %ULWLVK 3ULPH 0LQLVWHU" VXUQDPH

2. Lacey Turner is quitting which soap? 3. What is the UK’s third biggest airport? 4. In what did Daley Thompson win two Olympic golds? 5. Which European country uses the Krone as their currency? 6. Which search engine has recently acquired the rights to Premier League highlights? 7. What is the Japanese art of paper folding? 8. Which country declared independence from the Netherlands in August 1945? 9. What was a US tv series starring Jennifer Garner? 10. Which Wizard of Oz character is in search of a brain?

codeword Numbers are substituted for letters in the crossword grid. Below the grid is the key. Some letters are VROYHG (QWHU OHWWHUV LQ WKH NH\ JULG DQG WKH PDLQ JULG DV \RX ÀQG WKHP

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Like to get involved or think you’re smarter than Countdown Ned? Apply to be Puzzles editor 2010/11 by emailing Fran Infante at courier.deputy@ncl.ac.uk or pop into The Courier RIÀFH 7R ÀQG RXW PRUH DERXW ZKDW WKH UROH LQYROYHV HPDLO Ned and Suzi at puzzles.courier@ncl.ac.uk

answers

Picture Phrase Puzzle: Teletubbies, Fireman Sam, Captain Planet, Gummi Bears, Sharky & George, Penny Crayon. Common Theme - Kids Television Programmes. Ned’s Number Cruncher: Easy - 4, Medium - 15, Hard - 20. Wordtrail Months: April, September, December, May, January, June, February, March. Wordtrail Subjects: Geography, Science, English, French, Psychology, Maths, Latin. Logistical: Sophie Mince, European Economics, 60, USA. John Wilson, Economic Analysis, 66, Dubai. Paula CLark, British Economics, 53, Greece. Harry Saunders, Public Policy, 47, Turkey. Jess Matthews, Maths for Economics, 78, Spain. Word Steps 1: Cove, Cave, Came, Lame, Lamb. Word Steps 2: Late, Lane, Line, Fine, Find. Word Link: Trap, Bottle, Disc, Flip, Down. Weirdword: A - 3, B - 1, C - 2. Odd one out: Second row, second from left has no toes on right foot. Cryptogram: A doctor a day keeps the doctor away. Tile Mixer: 1 - Robinson Library, Students’ Union, Armstrong Building. Country Outline: Mexico, Italy, Greece, India, Brazil, Poland, Somalia, Japan. Same Letter Quiz: Walpole, Eastenders, Stansted, Decathlon, Norway, Yahoo, Origami, Indonesia, Alias, Scarecrow. Conundrums: 1 - Gymnasium, 2 - Ignorance, 3 - Safeguard.

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