Glasgow University

10th February 2009 Scottish Student Newspaper of the Year

Folk Maestros Vintage classics

Oisin Kealy and Lewis Porteous on Eleanor Mitchell promotes individual
the highlights of Celtic Connections style over copycat chic

Police fail
Music Lifestyle

Glasgow Uni
occupied by

to advise
activists

of attack
George Binning

Sarah Smith
Exclusive
THE RESIDENTS OF MURANO
Street Student Village were shocked
to learn this week that they had
not been informed of an attack
which took place close to one of its
main entrances.
A 29-year old woman was inde-
cently assaulted whilst walking over
the canal footbridge in the early
hours of Saturday January 31. The
assailant has not yet been caught
and the police have issued an appeal
for witnesses.
Despite this, the students living
at Murano Street were not contacted
about the incident, nor were they
warned about the fact that a poten-
tially dangerous man was known to
be in the area.
Guardian spoke to a number of
students who expressed concern
about the lack of information given
A SERIES OF STUDENT-DRIVEN
protests and occupations in aid of
Gaza have prompted drastic action
by universities across Scotland.
On Wednesday February 4
students of Strathclyde University
First-year English Literature staged an occupation of Strathclyde’s
student, Becky Sharp, told Guardian registry and on Sunday January 25
why she feels it is important for the the Stop the War Coalition (SWC)
police and the University to notify and Scottish Palestinian Solidarity
students when attacks like this occur. Campaign (SPSC) also staged an
She said: “I think it was irrespon- occupation of the BBC headquarters
sible for them to not alert the Murano in Glasgow.
Street residents of the attack as it is Today 10 February around 30
important that we know of the threats students of Glasgow University
that surround the area. were continuing their occupa-
“I have, so far, been quite casual tion of the Computing Department
about being alone and in the area of the University. The occupation
late at night, and hearing about the was a response to the events of
attack makes me feel more suscep- last Thursday when students associ-
tible to the danger and more likely to ated with the SWC marched on the
be cautious. Principal’s office with their demands
“It is important to give the attached to two petitions.
students that awareness so that they The first set of demands, supported
can make a more informed choice by 560 signatures, requested that
about wandering around the area at the University publicly condemn the
all times.” BBC’s actions concerning the DEC
Another Murano resident, Rachel appeal, that the appeal be publicised
Mitchell, explained that what was around campus and the University’s
especially concerning was that the website, also that a collection day
attack took place right next to one of for Gaza be organized. Their second
Murano Street’s main entrances. petition, with 350 signatories,

Scottish principals receive 10% pay rise

to them. (Continued on page 4) Protesters take to the roof of the Computing Department in solidarity with Palestine (Continued on page 5)

GLASGOW UNIVERSITY’S PRINCIPAL,
Sir Muir Russell, received a pay increase
almost four times the rate of inflation last
year, making him the highest paid university
principal in Scotland.
Sir Muir, who is due to step down from
his position in October, received a pay rise of
12.1%, increasing his salary from £205,000 in
2007 to £230,000 in 2008. When pensions are
included, the figure rises to £262,000.
University principals across Scotland saw
their salaries rise by an average of 10%, while
Craig MacLellan
lecturers have seen their pay rise by only 5%
during the same period.
Guardian recently discovered that graduate
teaching assistants at the University of Glasgow
have not recieved a salary increase since 2002
and, in some cases, may be earning less than
the national minimum wage.
There are meetings planned to address this
situation, but it is unlikely that any increase in
pay will be as high as 12.1%.
The increases will see an additional
£255,000 taken from Scotland’s higher educa-
tion budget, with the total paid out to principals
now topping £3m for the first time.
This comes at a time when the higher
education sector is dealing with the tightest
settlement since devolution.
In the budget settlement of November 2007,
Universities Scotland, the body responsible for
representing and promoting Scotland’s higher
education sector, had asked for an increase of
£168 million over three years.
However, the Scottish Government has
announced that the figure would rise by only
£30 million.
Recent research has also shown that English
universities, who already have the advantage
of top-up fees, are increasing their share of
research funding.
Glasgow University defended the decision
to increase the principle’s salary, stating that the
pay rise is related to performance and reflects
the University’s recent success.
(Continued on page 3)
2 NEWS
Number of student
enrolments down
Ross Mathers
THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLING
in Scottish higher education institutions has
fallen, according to new figures.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency
recently published a report showing that the
number of students enrolling in Scottish univer-
sities, and some colleges, had fallen by 2 per
cent in 2007-08.
The number of enrolments in Scotland
stood at 210,180 last year with a 2 per cent
decrease in full-time enrolments and a 3 per
cent decrease for part-time enrolments.
While the figures for Northern Ireland and
Wales show similar declines, the number of
enrolments in English higher education institu-
tions has increased.
The government has been quick to
blame the trend on the previous Labour
government, which held power in Scotland
from 1999-2007.
Speaking to Guardian, a spokesperson for
the Scottish Government said: “The bulk of
students covered by these figures applied to go
to university under the previous administration,
before the improved student support introduced
by this administration and before the abolition
of the graduate endowment fee.”
Claire Baker, Labour’s education spokes-
person, has been criticised for “scoring an
own-goal” after referring to the new figures as
“a very worrying development indeed.”
A spokesperson for Claire Baker,
speaking to Guardian, claimed the decrease in
2007-08 was the result of the first year of an
SNP government.
He said: “The HESA stats show that for
the first time in years the numbers of students
at Scottish universities actually dropped. This
is for 2007/08, the first year of the SNP
Government and the first year of the abolition
of the graduate endowment.”
The Scottish Government, however, have
argued that although the figures are from
the first year of its administration, Labour’s
funding policies still existed, putting off
potential students.
In addition, a spokesperson has rejected
the claims that numbers have not decreased in
recent years.
He said: “It is incorrect to suggest that this
is the first time that student participation rates
have fallen.
“The age participation index, which esti-
mates the proportion of Scots who will have
experienced full-time HE by their 21st birthday,
fell under the last administration from 47.1% in
2005-06 to 46.9% in 2006-07.”
Gavin Lee, president of the SRC, has
expressed concerns as to the cause of the
decline in enrolments.
He said: “The SRC would encourage the
government to look into the reasons behind this
trend. It's important in difficult financial times
that no potential students are dissuaded from
attending university for financial reasons."
Despite this, the number of full-time under-
graduates at Glasgow University has in fact
increased from 14,980 in 2006 to 15,025 in
2007, and with the figures for 2008 still to be
finalised, numbers are expected to rise further.
guardiannews@src.gla.ac.uk
Jim Wilson
Landmark stem cell trial at Glasgow
Sarah Smith
RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
Glasgow have been granted approval to begin a
trial involving stem cell therapy to treat victims
of stroke.
The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products
Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have given their
permission for Glasgow University, together
with the ReNeuron Group plc, to begin a
clinical trial to investigate the use of stem cells
in the treatment of ishaemic stroke, the most
common form of the condition.
The trial, which is the first of its kind in the
world, will establish the safety and feasibility
of injecting stem cells directly into the brain. If
the trial is successful, further research will take
place into how effectively this method could be
used to treat victims of stroke.
Student survives wall
collapse at Kelvin Hall
News Staff
A MEMBER OF GLASGOW UNIVERSITY’S
basketball team made a ‘miracle’ escape after
being crushed by a falling wall in the Kelvin
Hall International Sports Arena last week.
On February 4, Glasgow student Vytautuas
Astromkas was trapped by the falling rubble
after the entire backboard came loose bringing
the wall with it. The accident took place while
the University’s team was warming up for a
match against Caledonian University, during
the inter-university Glasgow Cup.
Douglas MacLaren, captain of the Glasgow
University Men’s Basketball Club, witnessed
the accident from on-court.
He told Guardian: “As he dunked the
basketball, the inner wall started to peel away,
then the backboard and a lot of masonry came
down. Luckily the backboard took the brunt
of it.”
Paramedics swiftly arrived at the scene and
were able to free Astromkas from the wreckage.
He was taken to the Western Infirmary and kept
Dr. Keith Muir, the Principal Investigator
for the trial, explained to Guardian how impor-
tant this preliminary research is to the develop-
ment of improved care for stroke patients.
He said: “It will be the first time that stem
cells are used as a potential treatment for stroke
by delivering them directly into the brain.
“If the trial establishes that the treatment is
safe then there can be further trials to establish
the effectiveness of the treatment.”
Although the trial has been approved by the
MHRA, it must also receive ethical approval
from the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee
before any work can begin. It is, however,
unlikely that the trial will not be granted
permission to go ahead.
Stem cell therapy has been the source of
much debate in recent years, with many reli-
gious groups decrying the use of embryonic
Courtesy of ReNeuron
10th February 2009
in hospital overnight. He was discharged the
following day with minor injuries to his arm
and stitches in his knee.
MacLaren recalled the team’s reaction and
expressed amazement at Astromkas’ escape.
He said: “The way the debris fell it was
a miracle no bones were broken. The whole
team went up to the hospital, to give him a bit
of support. He’s a good player who regularly
features in our 1st team.”
MacLaren also confirmed that Astromkas
was up and walking again, and anxious to get
back to training.
The collapse took place on the internal
wall of court three and has raised serious
concerns as to the safety of the Kelvin Hall. An
investigation into the incident by Health and
Safety is underway.
A spokesperson for the Kelvin Hall
International Sports Arena said: “Due to the
accident and ongoing investigation the use of
the court has been suspended.”
On Sunday the hall was opened again to
host the Scottish Rocks match.
research in particular.
Father John Keenan, Glasgow University’s
Catholic chaplain, told Guardian that although
Catholicism opposes embryonic research they
were in support of adult stem cell research.
He said: “We draw a fundamental distinc-
tion between embryonic stem cell research
and adult stem cell research. We are always
asking the media to make that distinction. We
are against is embryonic research, that is to say,
you creating human embryo and the purpose of
creating that embryo is to harvest stem cells,
then you use the stem cells at the destruction of
the human embryo.”
When asked about the ethical implications
of using foetal-derived stem cells in a medical
trial, Dr. Muir replied that, whilst he under-
stood that some opposed the use of stem cells,
the therapy has the potential to become vitally
important in treating diseases which, at present,
have very few treatment options available.
He told Guardian: “I think that the other
side of the ethics debate is that there are a lot of
people who understand the importance of stem
cell therapy in medicine.
“It is important in repairing the damage to
tissue that does not normally repair itself, for
example, the brain and spinal cord.
“Medical treatments in that area to date
haven’t been terribly successful and future
stem cell therapy will be important in
changing that.”
Dr. Muir was keen to stress that if the trial
goes ahead it will still be only the first of many
steps before any possible treatment would be
available to the general public.
He explained: “I would never have expected
to be running this sort of trial if you had told me
two years ago. It’s a good starting point but it is
important to remember that there is still a long
way to go.”
Future’s bright for Tommy
10th February 2009 guardiannews@src.gla.ac.uk NEWS 3

Amy MacGregor

A GLASGOW UNIVERSITY STUDENT HAS

been awarded a £60,000 recording contract after
being named 2009’s Orange Unsigned Act.
The 19 year old singer-song writer was
announced winner on the Channel 4 television
programme which documented the competition
on Sunday 25th January having won a landslide
public vote.
Reilly, who was described by Lauren
Laverne, one of the show’s four judges, as
having an “utterly unique voice”, fought off
competition from 7,000 original applicants
to win the award which searches for the best
unsigned British music act.
The other three judges on the panel were
Radio One D.J. Jo Whiley, Blur’s Alex James
and Simon Gavin from Universal Music.
25 finalists were seen battling for the record
contract with Universal Music on the Sunday
television show over the past three months.
Tommy was not the only Glasgow act to
reach the final: also in the competition were
electro band Fangs, and eventual runners-up,
Hip Parade.
Tommy described his shock at winning the
contest and the impact it has had on his life.
He said: “I can’t believe that I have won
– it’s mental! Being part of the competi-
tion has been awesome – the tour, all that
I have learned, chatting to the other Courtesy of iris London
bands, everything!”
Speaking to Guardian, Tommy explained While Tommy is planning to focus on his at Tesco, I have all day to work on songs and at work next year so I’m going to have fun
that his success comes after years of fitting his music in the short-term, he told Guardian that think about the album. while it lasts!”
music career around his degree. he was aware of the fact that his current success “I am really excited about that. I cannot It seems that, for the moment, Tommy’s
He said: “I was trying to get my electronics may be short-lived. wait to get into it properly. I also plan to play success is assured - his debut single, ‘Gimme a
with music degree from Glasgow University “I had been gigging for about a year and a as many shows as is physically possible. I just Call’ entered the UK singles chart at number 14
and was also working in Tesco and so I would half before the competition took off. As I have really want to use up every little bit of this and his upcoming tour has already sold out on
be gigging whenever I was free.” left university for the meantime and quit my job opportunity while it’s there. I may well be back a number of dates.

Principal pay rise four times rate of inflation

(Continued from front page)
A spokesperson explained: “The
salary of the University’s principal
is performance-related and reflects
the responsibilities of running a large
and complex organisation.
“The increase reflects the
considerable success which the
University has enjoyed in the
past year.
“These included a significant rise
in the Times Higher University World
Ranking, and the continued consoli-
dation of our financial position.”
Universities Scotland also
defended the rises, claiming that they
are comparable to salaries received in
the private sector.
A spokesperson for the organisa-
tion said: “The governing bodies of
all universities have remuneration
committees that decide the appro-
priate level of increase.
“The level of remunera-
James Porteous tion is modest in comparison to
a company of similar size in the
private sector.”
However, Terry Brotherstone,
President of the University and
College Union Scotland, which
represents lecturers and other univer-
sity employees, has called for a wide-
ranging review of higher education
and the way in which principals’
salaries are awarded.
He told Guardian: “Should
universities be looked on as busi-
ness or rather as collegial institu-
tions devoted to critical thought
and research serving the educa-
tional and public policy needs of the
Scottish people?
“If the latter – and this is the
question I believe should be subject
to a well-researched inquiry and
evidence-led debate in Scotland –
then principals’ pay should be meas-
ured in relation to that of their junior
colleagues, not that of bosses in the
private sector whose reward system
is part of a culture that is now widely
discredited.”
He also argued that other
members of academic staff have seen
their pay decline when compared to
the salaries of those working in the
private sector.
He said: “It needs to be stressed
that the bulk of professionals
who actually do the teaching and
research have seen their pay relative
to other professional workers drop
since the early 1980s by a third or
even more.”
Professor Anton Muscatelli, who
is due to take over from Sir Muir
as principal and vice-chancellor of
Glasgow University on October 1
2009, has also received a similar
pay rise.
In his current role as principal
of Herriot-Watt University, Professor
Muscatelli saw his salary increase
by 12.6%, from £142,000 in 2007 to
£160,000 in 2008.
4 NEWS
IN BRIEF Scientists discover kidneys’ true age
Uni announces
honorary degrees
THE LIST DETAILING THOSE WHO
have accepted honorary degrees from the
University of Glasgow in 2009 has been
released to Guardian.
Honorary degrees are awarded to those
deemed to have demonstrated excellence in
their particular field.
Those being given an honorary degree
this year include: Sir Kenneth Collins,
retired Chair of the Scottish Environmental
Protection Agency; Wendy Hall, Senior
Vice President of the Royal Academy
of Engineering; David Hirsh, Executive
Vice President for Research at Columbia
University; and Jane Soons, the first woman
to graduate from Glasgow University with a
PhD in Geography.
It is also rumoured that Glasgow band,
Franz Ferdinand, have been put forward
for the accolade, although this has not been
confirmed by the group.
Glasgow Uni in
international study
GLASGOW UNIVERSITY IS TO BE AT
the forefront of a major study into the role
universities play in regional development.
The PURE project will partner fourteen
different regions from all over the world,
allowing them to share knowledge and
ideas about how universities can accom-
plish their ‘third mission’ of generating
wealth and social capital.
The two-year project aims to create a
benchmark system to compare the activi-
ties of the universities in each region in
promoting wealth creation, social capital
and lifelong learning opportunities.
It is being carried out by Pascal
International Observatory, which brings
together practitioners and scholars concerned
with the relationship between social capital,
the management of place, and the concepts
of learning regions and lifelong learning.
Pascal is a joint initiative, administered by
both the University of Glasgow and RMIT
University in Melbourne, Australia.
Mike Osborne, Chair of Adult and
Lifelong Learning, believes that universi-
ties currently have a major impact on their
local communities and additional research
into this area will help the institutions better
fulfil this role.
He explained: “Universities today have
been tasked with not only teaching and
research activities, but also with contrib-
uting to the socio-economic development of
the communities.
“The PURE project will look at the
current activities of universities to deter-
mine how they can better engage and
succeed in their drive to play a central role
in the development of their regions and
meet government objectives.”
guardiannews@src.gla.ac.uk
Ross Mathers
SCIENTISTS AT GLASGOW UNIVERSITY
have made significant discoveries that could
help patients awaiting kidney transplants.
The research, carried out at the Western
Infirmary, has shown that the ‘bio-age’ of
a kidney is more important than its actual
chronological age when judging its suitability
for transplant.
This information will allow doctors to
calculate the performance and health of a
transplanted kidney and make more informed
decisions as to suitability for transplant.
It was also found that a simple blood test of
an older person can determine the ‘bio-age’ of
their kidney.
With over 3,000 organ transplants taking
place last year in the UK and thousands more
on the waiting lists, it is hoped that the informa-
tion can be applied to other organs.
Dr. Paul Shiels, Senior Lecturer in the
Department of Surgery at Glasgow University
confirmed the significance of the discovery.
Attack sparks safety fears
(Continued from front page)
She said: “We should have been warned
about this, especially because it happened so
close to where we live.
“It’s worrying because I have often walked
over the canal bridge when coming home from
a night out, but knowing that a woman was
attacked there would definitely have made me
call a taxi or use the other entrance.”
A spokesperson for Strathclyde police
admitted to Guardian that there are no formal
measures in place with regards to liaising
with students
She explained: “There is no formal policy
about informing students of incidents like this.
It is normally done on a regular basis but not
on this occasion.
“Police have liaised with security personnel
at the campus and are reviewing all available
CCTV footage. Police would urge any students
10th February 2009
He said: “This latest research offers prom-
ising prospects for doctors when it comes
to assessing which organs are suitable for
transplantation and how they might perform
post-transplant.
“It could mean that complications in some
patients could be avoided through the selection
of more suitable organs.”
It was the levels of the gene cyclin-de-
pendent kinase 2a (CDKN2a) in kidneys that
the researchers found determined the biological
age of the kidneys.
The research was funded jointly by the
Cunninghame Trust and Darlinda’s Charity for
Renal Research.
Dr. Shiels also emphasised the importance
of the recent research for Glasgow University.
He explained: “The project demonstrates
the quality of research being conducted at the
University of Glasgow which is working at the
forefront of medical science
“The benefits our students derive from
being part of a research-led university are
incalculable.”
Jim Wilson
who may have any information regarding the did not ask Residential Services to alert students
incident to contact Maryhill Police Office.” at Murano Street.”
Police officers contacted site security at President of the SRC, Gavin Lee, empha-
Murano Street the morning after the assault sised how important it is that students keep
took place in order to obtain access to CCTV themselves safe, especially late at night.
footage, although the University’s Residential He said: “While the woman who was
Serivces were not informed of this until the attacked was not a student, the proximity of the
afternoon of Tuesday, February 3. attack to Murano Street Student Village makes
A University spokesperson explained that it of concern to all students living there.
the reason students weren’t warned was because “The SRC provides minibuses to halls
the police did not ask for them to be told about of residence each evening, so students don’t
the incident. need to put themselves at risk by walking
He told Guardian: “We enjoy good working home alone.”
relationships with local police and they inform The attack is the second recorded incident
us immediately should they consider that in the vicinity of Murano Street during the
additional measures or precautions should be current academic year. In September, a first
taken by the University of Glasgow, including year was the victim of an attempted robbery
specific briefings to students. on the steps leading to the canal bridge, but the
“Police investigating this particular inci- attack was foiled when a friend chased down
dent, which involved a member of the public, the assailant and recovered the stolen bag.
Jim Wilson
10th February 2009
Glasgow students unite in protest
(Continued from front page)
demanded that Glasgow University
break its links with BAE Systems
and Eden Springs, as well as
awarding scholarships to at least
three Palestinian students.
David Newell, Secretary of
Court, and Susan Stuart, Director
of Corporate Communications
received the petitions, and a reply
was issued on Friday. The university
agreed to hold a fundraising day, and
proposed a program for the provision
of old books and computers to the
University of Gaza.
After receiving the reply, the
group organized a rally for Monday
and took occupation of the building
at around 2:30. Inside the group drew
up a fresh set of demands which read
as follows:
“We demand: The severing of
links between the university and
arms manufacturers, such as BAE
Systems. An official university
statement condemning the Israeli
army’s atrocities in Gaza; boycott
of all Israeli produce on campus,
such as Eden Springs water; dona-
tions of academic resources to help
rebuild Gaza’s battered schools and
universities; a day of fundraising
across campus in support of the DEC
appeal; a commitment to fund schol-
arships for Palestinian students. We,
the students, will remain in occupa-
tion indefinitely until our demands
are met.”
The university responded with
a statement expressing “disappoint-
ment” with the group, and offered
SWC delegates a meeting with Sir
Muir Russell.
The letter read: “The University is
disappointed that students have occu-
pied a floor in the computing science
building, despite the Principal’s offer
to meet with a representative group.
Sir Muir remains willing to meet
with students.
“The University respects the right
to freedom of speech, but the rights
of students and staff to engage in
their normal business is paramount.
The University will take appropriate
action if the occupation causes serious
disruption to staff or students.”
At the time of going to press
the Computing Department was still
under occupation.
Earlier last week 100 students
at Strathclyde University targeted
Strathclyde’s registry, 30 of which
occupied the building overnight until
the University gave in to their list of
demands for solidarity.
At the start of the protest there
were claims of violence between the
occupiers and the University’s secu-
rity team, however these issues were
quickly resolved.
Fiona MacPhail, a member of
SWC and the Socialist Workers
Alliance who was present at the
protest, explained: “There were
issues with the security when we first
went in, they were not expecting the
occupation, they were out of order
and definitely using excessive force.
Once we had established that we
were there as a peaceful demonstra-
tion they were fantastic after that.”
The University agreed to termi-
nate their contract with Eden Springs,
an Israeli company that draws its
water from the Golan Heights area
of Syria occupied by Israel. They
also agreed to strengthen its ties with
the University of Gaza including a
promise to provide at least one to
three scholarships for Palestinian
students. The DEC appeal will also
be publicised on campus and on the
University’s website.
MacPhail was delighted with the
outcome of the occupation.
guardiannews@src.gla.ac.uk
She told Guardian: “We were very
happy with the result, not only were
so many of our demands met, which
was amazing in itself, but we got
incredible publicity. We got messages
of solidarity from all around the
world, from India, Israel, Lebanon,
and from Gaza itself. We’ve had
fantastic support from students and
lecturers on campus. We’ve started
building a movement, we left the
occupation feeling victorious, though
this is the start of a much, much
bigger campaign.”
In response to the occupation, Dr.
Peter West, Secretary to the University
of Strathclyde, said: “The University
expresses its deep concern about the
plight of the people of Gaza. We are
particularly aware that the infrastruc-
ture of Higher Education has been
damaged, making it particularly diffi-
cult for Palestinian students to pursue
their studies.”
The activists’ demand to have the
University cut its ties with British
Aerospace Engineering Systems was
not fully met, however MacPhail
explained that they had reached a
satisfactory compromise:
“We didn’t get all our demands
accepted, but we were prepared for
that. One of our main demands was to
have BAE Systems off campus. BAE
is a massive sponsor of Strathclyde
University so we knew that would
be a difficult one to push. But we’ve
arranged a public debate on campus
and the University have said they
will be in touch with a spokesperson
for BAE systems who will come onto
campus to justify the use of military
investment at universities.”
The five hour occupation of the
BBC came about as the result of
an impromptu decision by activists
protesting outside the headquarters
against the BBC’s refusal to broadcast
the Disaster Emergency Committee
(DEC) appeal for aid to Gaza.
The group demanded that the
BBC show the DEC appeal for
Gaza and for the resignation of the
director responsible for the original
decision not to air the appeal. They
also demanded that the occupation
was given coverage by the BBC
and that no charges were brought
against those involved. Because of
the unplanned nature of the occu-
NEWS 5
Jim Wilson
pation they also demanded refresh-
ments and access to facilities. Aamer
Anwar, the infamous human rights
lawyer, was in attendance in order to
give legal advice to the activists.
Ian Small, Head of Public Policy
& Corporate Affairs, met with the
group to receive their demands.
Keith Boyd, representative for
SWC, was present at the occupa-
tion. He told Guardian that they
were disappointed with the BBC’s
response to the situation.
He said: “None of our major
demands were met but after a while
the police told us to leave otherwise
they would arrest us. They haven’t
shown the DEC appeal and they are
continuing their bias towards Israel.
We achieved our objective in that we
got massive coverage from all over
the world.”
A spokesperson for the BBC said:
“We are in the process of replying
formally to the points made by the
protesters and we will be responding
to them directly. The DEC appeal has
not been broadcast because the BBC
believes that to do so could question
our impartiality.”
Jim Wilson
6 FEATURES
At Rest and Remembered
J
James Maxwell reflects on the life and work of one of America's finest writers, John Updike
ohn Updike, who died last month from lung cancer at
the age of 76, was a uniquely talented literary polymath
who excelled as an essayist, poet, critic, commentator
and fiction-writer. Over five decades as a professional
author, he rigorously documented and explored the constantly
shifting social, sexual and cultural mores of Middle America,
with frequently controversial results. British novelist Martin
Amis, a friend and admirer of Updike’s, recently remarked
that “John Updike has that single inestimable virtue: having
read him once you admit to yourself, almost with a sigh, that
you will have to read everything he writes.”
Updike was born in rural Pennsylvania in 1932, in the
midst of Depression-era austerity. As a child he developed
a fascination with the artefacts of his future craft — fresh
white paper, 0.45 pencils, roller-ball pens, type-writers,
print-presses etc. — that fuelled his first creative efforts.
He quickly became captivated by the processes and mecha-
nisms involved in the physical act of writing. At school,
Updike proved an exceptionally conscientious and indus-
trious student. He left in 1952 as class valedictorian, and in
1953 earned a place at Harvard College, before swapping
the States for Oxford the following year, where he studied
drawing and fine art courtesy of a Knox Fellowship. While
Updike was in England he discovered that The New Yorker
had agreed to publish a number of his short stories and was
prepared to offer him permanent employment. He promptly
returned to Harvard, graduated summa cum laude, and
moved to Manhattan, were he spent the next two years as
writer-in-residence at offices of The New Yorker on 155th
Street. By the time he was twenty-three, Updike already
had a wife and a baby, and the arrival of a second son was
enough to persuade him that the city was not the right place
to raise children. In 1957 he took his young family to the
Massachusetts sticks, where he stayed until his death.
Despite his reputation for genuine warmth and generosity,
Updike was often accused of being an irritant and antagonist,
particularly by those on the liberal fringes of American poli-
tics. Much of the tension and discomfort Updike provoked
stemmed from his refusal to capitulate to the dictates of
popular or intellectual fashion. In the midst of the sixties’ sex
revolution he wrote Couples, which ridiculed the conceits of
the age and anticipated the darkened mood of the post-Nixon
Republic. He also foolishly offered some qualified support to
guardianfeats@src.gla.ac.uk
the invasion and occupation of Vietnam, more, one suspects,
out of exasperation with what he viewed as an infantile and
petulant anti-war movement, as opposed to the integrity of
his ideological convictions. However, Updike’s opponents
were not exclusively of the left. Many conservative readers
found his thematic preoccupation with sex crass and inde-
cent, but the more reactionary among them also recognised
how subtly subversive and radical he could be.
In his famous tetralogy, Rabbit, Run (1960), Rabbit
Redux (1971), Rabbit is Rich (1981), Rabbit at Rest (1990)
and Rabbit Remembered (2001), Updike ruthlessly stripped
the gloss off America’s treasured image of suburban domes-
ticity and exposed the dirt below. Harry ‘Rabbit’ Angstrom
is a lousy, intermittently thuggish husband, a struggling
father, and an inveterate mediocrity. He relentlessly subjects
his slow wife and errant son to the worst consequences of
his own failures, which are many and ever-present. Flooded
with guilt, he nonetheless lacks the requisite intelligence to
articulate or nullify it. Redemption and absolution are, for
Harry Angstrom, congenitally elusive, and remain so until
the end. The ‘Rabbit Books’ chart the passage of a peripheral
and unsatisfactory life — the life of an American everyman
— and to that extent should be read as a critique of the spir-
itual state of the Union. Yet, Updike manages to tease out
those rare moments of purpose and profundity sparsely scat-
tered throughout, and, in turn, imbue his protagonist with a
rough elegance. Angstrom is unquestionably Updike’s most
fascinating creation; perhaps single-handedly securing the
author’s status as one of American literature’s most signifi-
cant and influential figures.
In many ways, Harry Angstrom is a vulgarized, fictional
reflection of Updike. Updike belonged to a generation of
American writers (largely deceased) that included Saul
Bellow, Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer and, give or take a
few years, Philip Roth. All were concerned with measuring
the distance between the promise of the Republic and the
reality; all were staunch and uncompromising modernists;
all were distinctive and original stylists. Where Updike stood
apart from his contemporaries, though, was in his refusal
to embrace the ludicrous privileges that come with being
a ‘famous writer’. He was, by all accounts, an extremely
modest man; essentially free of the excessive intellectual
vanity of his colleagues.
10th February 2009
Benzo Harris
Although he collected a plethora of accolades and
honours — including two Pulitzers and a Howells Medal —
and enjoyed consistent and substantial success with both the
high and low-brow public, Updike was never made a Nobel
Laureate. In 2008, Horace Engdahl, the Swedish academy’s
permanent secretary, accused modern American literature of
being excessively self-referencing and parochial: “The U.S.
is too isolated, too insular. They don’t translate enough and
don’t really participate in the big dialogue of literature. That
ignorance is restraining.” Many interpreted these remarks as
an official, pre-emptive, explanation for why Updike would
not, in his lifetime, be awarded the grand prize.
There is, however, some validity to Engdahl’s criticisms.
Too many of Updike’s novels are located in the northern
corner of East-coast America, and hardly any stray outside
U.S. territory; his occasional cosmopolitan excursions tend to
start and end in Manhattan. Indeed, in Terrorist — Updike’s
most limp and insipid work — the protagonist, an adoles-
cent Islamist, doesn’t even make it to through the Jersey
tunnel. Unfortunately, Terrorist — published in 2006 — was
indicative of a once great mind in decline. His final hardback
fiction, The Widows of Eastwick (a sequel to the massively
popular Witches of Eastwick) suggests that toward the end of
his life, the writer’s interest, as well as his talent, had begun
to diminish.
On reflection, Updike’s vast back-catalogue is littered
with failures. Perhaps the most notable embarrassment is
Memories of the Ford Administration; a laborious and sham-
bolic attempt to blend an unfinished biography of former
president James Buchanan into a satire of post-modernity
and bad sex. He would be lucky, and perhaps posthumously
grateful, if it was quietly forgotten.
Updike himself, of course, will not be quietly, or, for that
matter, quickly forgotten. His best novels encourage you to
review your understanding of literature in a profound and
permanent way. His prose possesses a remarkable and seem-
ingly effortless fluidity. Updike was a humane and empa-
thetic writer, who used his considerable gifts to elucidate the
experiences of those not considered worthy by other lesser
talents. As Martin Amis writes, “What Updike is saying -
or conclusively demonstrating - is something very simple.
That the unexamined life is worth examining, that indeed it
swarms with instruction and delight.”
The Devil’s Advocate
10th February 2009
George Binning weighs up the scales of criminal justice with Scottish legal heavyweight Donald Findlay Q.C.
I
f you believed everything you read in the tabloids, Donald
Findlay QC would be a name to steer clear of. This is a
man who only ever seems to appear in connection with the
most horrible crimes, who has forged a career no doubt in
gleefully hypnotising juries into acquitting the hardest criminals
and murderers. Although there are two sides to the story, it is
rare for Mr Findlay to defend himself in public. He claims he has
no inclination to speak to the press, or have anything to do with
them, made clear by his refusal to let us photograph him.
“Given the way I regard the media as having misrepresented
and mistreated me in the past, I don’t frankly see why I should
waste my time talking to them. I haven’t read, bought, looked
at a newspaper for ten years. Principally I wouldn’t waste my
money on a paper, I don’t read them and if that upsets them I
don’t care.”
The highest earner in the Scottish legal trade for three years
running, Findlay has lead the defense in a number of infamous
murder cases including Peter Tobin, Luke Mitchell and ex-sol-
dier Michael Ross, who was convicted last year for the murder
of Shamsudden Mahmood in Orkney in 1994. He has most
recently been recruited to defend Tommy Sheridan against his
perjury charge. Although he would not discuss any of his cases
past or present, I was keen to hear, straight from the source,
why those accused of the worst crimes needed and deserved the
strongest legal representation available.
Findlay explained, as he continued his denunciation of the
popular press, that the image of court proceedings portrayed by
the media was far from accurate.
“Generally the media are not interested in justice, they’re
only interested in sensationalizing certain aspects of the trial.
And that, I came to the conclusion, has been evidenced over the
years because when in a major trial someone is acquitted, you
never see that as being heralded as a triumph of the Scottish
legal system. Its always presented along the lines of: another
guilty man walks free.”
One of the most admirable, yet difficult to grasp, aspects of
criminal law is the dispassionate approach which a lawyer must
take with their clients. This became quite evident in speaking to
Findlay, who never seemed to let his professional guard down,
and his opinions, though often controversially phrased, seemed
well grounded.
“If your professional role is to represent someone charged
with a crime then the nature of the crime is almost irrelevant,
any more than would a consultant cardio thoracic surgeon,
confronted with a patient who had a lengthy criminal record
guardianfeats@src.gla.ac.uk
for child killing or child abuse, say, ‘Well I’m not going to try
very hard for him’, of course he would, it’s his duty. He does
not make a value judgment on the person in front of him, that
is not his job.”
To illustrate his point further, he recalled a time in 2002,
when journalist James Doherty had written a condemning story
about him for the Scotsman. Although it was very difficult to get
past his unwavering professionalism in the field of law, Findlay
certainly was not holding back his distaste for the media.
“Some years ago I was asked casually if I would defend
Osama bin Laden, and my answer was ‘yes of course’. Some
journalist somewhere wanted to run this great story that I was
prepared to defend Osama bin Laden, until somebody else
pointed out to him that if I wasn’t prepared to defend Osama bin
Laden, that would be a story. The fact that I was wasn’t a story at
all. The reality is that if I had been around in 1946, I could have
found myself representing the Nazis at the Nuremberg trials and
“If I had been around in 1946, I could have
found myself representing the Nazis at the
Nuremberg trials”
of course I would have done that because it was my professional
responsibility.” Whilst his point served its purpose in the wider
context of our discussion, I could easily understand how his
outspoken manner was easily picked up upon in the press.
It follows, then, that accepting a client’s instruction is also
a question of professionalism, but I wanted to know how far a
criminal lawyer would put their trust in an accused suspect’s
statement. Again Findlay was a model of good practice, adamant
that he had no personal opinion on the subject.
“You will test it to some extent obviously, for example if
a person says I have never been in that bank which they say
I robbed, but his fingerprints are found inside the bank vault,
then you would have to point out to him that that would tend to
indicate that he is either a safe maker or a safe breaker and that
his position that ‘I have never been in that bank in my life’ does
not appear to hold good.
“If somebody comes to me and says I committed this crime,
I’d like you to get me off, then we would part company there and
then. We don’t sit around with various defenses on the shelf and
pull one down and say ‘that’s the one for you my boy’.”
Findlay’s career frequently puts him in the unenviable posi-
tion of devil’s advocate, but his description of his role in the
FEATURES 7
Jim Wilson
perspective of the Scottish legal system as a whole was based
much more on principle than pragmatism.
“You really have to go back to the fundamentals of what
the legal system is all about, which is very seldom, if ever,
portrayed. In a free society, if you take the view, which we do
in this country, that if the state makes an allegation against one
of its citizens of a criminal act, and it doesn’t make any differ-
ence if it’s a minor criminal act or a serious criminal act, our law
says it is the duty of the state to prove it…. An accused person
is entitled in an open court, to have the allegations against them
tested and that quite simply is what defense lawyers do. Very
often the claims the prosecution makes are, to say the least of
it, optimistic.
“It is the job of the court to decide the guilt of the accused,
and it’s our job to make sure the evidence is tested, and if it
stands up to that scrutiny and the accused is convicted, that
seems to me that justice has been done. If you test that evidence
and it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny and the accused is acquitted,
that also seems to me that justice has been done. If you don’t like
it, don’t bitch about it.”
In 2008, the Scottish Parliament began to discuss a proposal
to revise the double jeopardy law — a law which prevents
a citizen being tried for the same crime twice. Findlay was
extremely critical of the idea, highlighting a number of the
issues it raised for an accused suspect and their lawyers.
“The double jeopardy is a huge issue; there are so many
ramifications to it. For example, where do you draw the line? If
somebody is acquitted can you come back five, 10, 20, 25 years
later and reopen it? What if an essential witness for the defense
has died in the meantime? What if evidence has been lost?
“The basic principle of the law is if you are tried for the
defense, you are tried once. Now if an appeal is successful you
can be retried, the crown can have another go, but I believe the
state should be given one opportunity to prove guilt, and if it
fails to prove guilt then that should be the end of it. Otherwise
you just leave the thing open ended and it brings a level of
uncertainty to the whole legal system that is not in the interests
of anybody.”
While I certainly would not like Donald Findlay’s job
myself, and perhaps because of this, I do admire his dedication.
It can’t be easy to suffer the accusations leveled by the media,
and when the importance of one’s role in a free society is under-
stood by relatively few, it must take a steadfast constitution as
well as a fantastic legal mind to take on such notorious and
challenging cases.
Occupy and resist: the retu
8 FEATURES guardianfeats@src.gla.ac.uk 10th Febru

As universities around the UK and the world are occupied by their students
In the last two weeks, more than twenty universities in the UK have seen in South Africa, distanced themselves from direct action politics. “The issues. However, the evidence is quite cl
campus occupations by students angered at Israel’s invasion of Gaza. The protesters need to find new ways to campaign vocally without causing disrup- ‘campaign’ unless they can exert politic
format of the occupations was established by the School of Oriental and African tion to students on campus,” said Wes Streeting, NUS President. The Gaza — they are happy to have a coffee and
Studies (SOAS) in London: occupy a small but strategic centre of the university, issue has brought out underlying differences on the direction of the student lead a student movement against the La
present the university authorities with a list of demands, and prepare for a long movement. At last month’s NUS extraordinary General Meeting, around 30 to their opponents, this is partly because
stay until they relent. students stormed the stage to protest the NUS’ failure to take a stance on the racy is seen by many as the mainline fr
Most of the occupations have been remarkably successful. BAE Systems, Israel-Palestine conflict. the Labour Party.
which has extensive research links to university engineering departments, has In many ways, the context of these occupations is more interesting than the The fledgling movement of student
been made a pariah for providing Israel with technology and parts for its F-16 phenomenon itself. Gaza provides a second force to conside
fighters; various student unions and universities have agreed to boycott Eden If you trust the forecasts, three million people will be unemployed by the of the occupations were large, most wer
Springs mineral water, after it was discovered that its parent company Meya end of the year. Nearly half of these will be under 25, many of them holding However, the movement scored rem
Eden sources its water from illegally occupied territory in the Golan Heights. degrees that, in these lean times, do not amount to very much. The graduate despite opposition from the existing
In Scotland, Strathclyde and Dundee Universities have scored a series of unemployed will have the particular misfortune of being saddled with a massive limited forces, because they were auda
concrete victories. At Dundee, students marched on the Principal’s office with authorities directly. If the tactics of dir
a list of demands, including divestment in BAE, boycott of Eden Springs, and “We have proved that protesting does work, and students they could be implemented on a large
scholarships for Palestinian students. The university body has agreed to disin- have the power to make a difference.” issues like debt, fees, and grants.
vest its BAE shares, while members of the student union voted overwhelmingly In the midst of a recession, with the
to condemn investments in the defence sector in general and to support, in debt burden from fees, loans, overdrafts, and credit cards. graduates and current students, we will b
future, “ethical investments”. The existing student bodies have proved incapable of responding to the This will require national, coordinated
Strathclyde students occupied their Registry overnight. Their actions forced shocks and convulsions that have left the economic system on the brink of just those in the elite, Russell Group univ
the university governors to cancel their contract with Eden Springs and organise global recession. NUS, long the bastion of student democracy in the UK, has and demonstrations succeed?
a debate with a representative from BAE; additionally, the authorities have recently voted to bypass most of its democratic channels in favour of a rigid, A series of student movements aro
offered scholarships for three Palestinian students. top-down bureaucracy run by non-student political appointees. Perhaps the most obvious example is Gr
Louise Whiteside, who started the Stop the War Coalition student group The “modernisation” of NUS has had two major policy implications thus ously inspired the overthrow of the US-b
in Dundee, said, “We’ve had a remarkable victory in Dundee, the movement far. Firstly, despite strong evidence that debt is reinforcing class inequalities months ago, student protests and occup
around Gaza has brought a real vibrancy onto campus. Our Stop the War group within the higher education system, NUS has abandoned all pretence of a education had led the government to ca
has grown significantly in the last few weeks. Everybody has pulled their campaign for free education in England. “Sadly,” laments NUS President Wes narrow majority.
weight, done their research and made a big change at the university. We have Streeting, “for students in England it isn’t realistic, or credible, and it doesn’t However, by December, when the ec
proved that protesting does work, and students have the power to make a differ- have any chance of being endorsed by any British government under Gordon ment was in even more trouble. Studen
ence. I’m really proud to be a part of what’s happening in Dundee, and I’m Brown or David Cameron”. On December 6th, police shot a 15-year
certain we will keep this momentum going.” Secondly, whereas previously the student movement was known for its of demonstrations, strikes, and studen
While the wave of occupations and protests was backed by 17 members of controversial international solidarity measures (such as the anti-Apartheid students in hundreds of schools organise
the University and College Union (UCU) National Executive, others — univer- campaign), the current NUS leadership defines itself as “pragmatic”, i.e. stations to protest. The following day, t
sity authorities, conservative academics, the National Union of Students (NUS), unwilling to court controversy unless it results in direct economic benefits for By Wednesday, the trade unions were on
and some student groups — condemned the sit-ins. Nottingham University the organisation. neoliberal austerity measures.
forcibly removed students on the grounds that they were “disrupting lectures”. There are now two forces that might constitute a “student movement” in There were similar events in Italy. S
Academics from the political right also condemned the actions. the future. The first is a “modernised”, apolitical NUS bureaucracy. NUS repre- train stations around the country in resp
Most significantly, the NUS, which had led the campaign against Apartheid sents seven million students, and has considerable power to campaign on key teaching jobs and trim £6.4 billion fro

Jim Wilson
urn of student radicalism?
uary 2009
s, James Foley examines whether students are reclaiming their radical past
lear: the existing student bodies will not
cal influence of the most narrow variety
chat with Labour politicians, but not to
abour government’s policies. According
e holding a position in the NUS bureauc-
rom student politics, to influence inside
t occupations and demonstrations over
er. It is currently very small. While a few
re the actions of about 50 students.
markable successes around the country,
student bureaucracy and despite their
acious and they took on the university
rect action continue to score successes,
er scale to force concessions on wider
e threat of unemployment looming over
be forced to fight to defend our interests.
action by millions of students (and not
versities). Can the tactics of occupations
ound the world point the way forward.
reece, where a student revolt had previ-
backed dictatorship in 1973-4. Eighteen
pations over the privatisation of higher
all a snap election, which it won with a
conomic crisis started to hit, the govern-
nts once again occupied their campuses.
r old boy in Athens. This led to a series
nt walkouts. On the Monday morning,
ed strikes and descended on local police
teachers walked out against the killing.
n general strike against the government’s
Students occupied campuses, roads, and
ponse to Silvio Berlusconi’s plan to cut
om the education budget. When police
guardianfeats@src.gla.ac.uk
tried to break up a student sit-in protest in Milan, 100,000 took to the streets in
protest at the government’s actions.
In Ireland last week, 15,000 students protested the introduction of tuition
fees in universities. The demonstrators directed their anger at the ruling party
Fianna Fáil, chanting “no cutbacks, no fees, no Fianna Fáil TDs”. Taoiseach
Brian Cowan has told the Irish people that their living standards will have
to drop by 10% in the next decade due to the economic crisis. The Union of
Students in Ireland (USI) President Shane Kelly told the Irish Times, “We’re
not going to stand by and allow the Government to use us as scapegoats to
fund massive deficits that have been allowed to develop by the presidents of
the universities.”
Student protests have even spread to the United States of America. 100
students occupied the New School University, New York, in December,
releasing the following statement:
“We have just occupied New School University.
“We liberate this space for ourselves, and all those who want to join us, for
our general autonomous use. We take the university in explicit solidarity with
those occupying the universities and streets in Greece, Italy, France and Spain.
“This occupation begins as a response to specific conditions at the New
School, the corporatization of the university and the impoverishment of educa-
tion in general. However, it is not just this university but also New York City
that is in crisis: in the next several months, thousands of us will be losing our
jobs, while housing remains unaffordable and unavailable to many and the cost
of living skyrockets.”
Although these protests evolved in separate national contexts, their essential
features are similar. They have all involved radical direct action; they have all
involved large numbers of students; and they have all been directed at the cuts
students are facing due to the economic crisis. Students around the world are
making links between living standards and the policies of their government.
After strikes involving millions of workers, President Nicolas Sarkozy of
France was forced to delay cuts to high school education for fears of further
protests. Mass student movements are willing to set their agenda against that of
the existing political parties, whereas our political bodies are unwilling to break
with establishment politics.
Students in Britain who want to defend their living standards in the context
of a failing economic system now face a stark choice. Either we accept the
boundaries established by the present student leadership, or we organise around
them and hope, by our actions, to shake their complacency.
Duncan Brown
FEATURES 9
The movement around Gaza has brought a number of valuable lessons. For
instance, individualistic forms of action — such as deciding to boycott Israeli
oranges at Tesco — do not inspire people. However, boycotts that are adopted
by collective bodies — such as the BAE divestment at Dundee University —
can engage thousands of students in progressive political action.
It took the actions of only a few dedicated students — combined with the
sympathy of hundreds who signed petitions to bring about an Extraordinary
General Meeting — to force the vote in the first place. We should ask ourselves:
what if these campaigns were led by the student unions? How many could we
mobilise against cuts? What changes could we force on the university and the
government if our student leaders were willing to learn from their colleagues in
Greece, France, Italy, and Ireland?
“In the midst of a recession, with the threat of unemploy-
ment looming over graduates and current students, we will
be forced to fight to defend our interests.”
Relying on student unions or the NUS to solve problems does not work.
These institutions have their own established methods, and they have proved
time and again to be ineffective next to the potential influence they could wield.
NUS represents millions of students, but the leadership acts more like a timid
and ineffective pressure group than a genuine union, and fails to inspire action
among its membership, who it dismisses as apathetic.
Politically-motivated students needs to look beyond our campuses. We can
act as a detonator to wider movements, like trade unions, because we have
the ability to organise on a day-to-day basis on campus. We must recognise,
though, that the agenda of the existing political parties is not the same as ours,
and look to forces that might support us.
Many student representatives ask me: why would a nurse or a teacher want
to back our campaigns? By protesting about our living standards, are we not
just draining money from an already limited public purse?
People who make this argument forget that nurses and teachers once
benefited from a university education, and will one day look to send their own
children there. Thus, they have as much interest in defending free education and
grants as we do. If we are willing to search out support with groups of workers
who share our interests, they will gladly give it.
In the meantime, let us remember that Glasgow University is our university,
our space. Let’s not be too timid to use it.
Jim Wilson
The word on the street
10 FEATURES guardianfeat@src.gla.ac.uk 10th February 2009

As Glasgow’s arts scene gets all poetic, Nafees Mahmud reveals the charm and purpose of the spoken word

I
have a dark and dreadful confession to once also suggested that a sane mind will certain — poetry in Glaswegian poetry is in a Many of those reading may have horrible
make. I write poetry.” The opening words never be able to attain poetic excellence. Does healthy state. memories of being forced into dissecting boring
of Stephen Fry’s guide to writing poetry the rise in poetry events suggest a Back in 2005 a new poetry group, Seeds of poems, word for word, at school and wonder why
showcase the stereotypical view many decline in the mental health Thought, was set up and began hosting events anyone would want to use poetry as a means of
take of this artform. Many perceive of this city’s inhabit- expressing themselves. A number of those at the
poetic musings as being akin to ants? One would “Many perceive poetic musings events say it is the immediacy that attracts; it is
PIN numbers: they are to be certainly hope as being akin to PIN numbers: quicker and cheaper to express yourself through
kept to oneself, and not uttered not. However, a poem than other forms of writing and art. For
to another soul. However, one thing is
they are to be kept to oneself” many it also feels more natural; an extension
this isn’t necessarily so in of the easily accessed skills, used in everyday
Scotland’s friendliest city. around the city, prior to establishing itself at the writing, combined with the emotions arising out
Over the past four Centre for Contemporary Arts on Sauchiehall of everyday occurrences.
years, there has been a Street. At the first few evenings, turnout peaked at So what is causing the rise in writers sharing
welcome upsurge in around thirty people, with attendees comprising their work publicly? Tom Coles of DEtM points
the number of spoken mostly family members and friends without to the creative writing courses at Glasgow and
word events. But an interest in poetry, supporting the ambitious Strathclyde University as an impetus for the
why has this been the readers and performers. increase in confidence of new writers. It is also
case? Founding member Tawona Sithole observed the inspiration and encouragement that can be
The 17th century how crowd numbers increased at each subse- gained by hearing others' work when in attend-
academic Richard quent event, as initial attendees who came as ance at events around the city.
Burton bluntly stated support were pleasantly surprised by what they Perhaps some people are determined to reach
“all poets are mad." heard at the CCA. out to others in an intimate atmosphere, as a
Socrates Word spread beyond family and friends, and way of stepping back from the world of virtual
the crowd numbers started increasing. Seeds of communication which can disconnect us from
Thought now attracts a crowd of approximately communicating effectively with those in our
one hundred at each event it hosts. In the same locality, despite increasing the ease of interac-
year as Seeds of Thought was launched, St tion on a global scale.
Mungo’s Mirrorball was set up at Glasgow
School of Art, and still runs strong today,
“It is quicker and cheaper to ex-
presenting international poets that range from press yourself through a poem
Somalia’s Garriye to local legends such as Liz than other forms of writing and
Lochhead.
2006 saw the birth of two more events in
art”
the West end; Don’t Eat the Microphone, But is Glasgow unique amongst the nation’s
now at Tchai Ovna, and Last Monday at cities in the outburst of spoken word enthusi-
Rio. Robin Cairns, founder of the latter, asts? The Edinburgh scene has withered, largely
suggests the growth is down to the do-it- due to key players on the scene moving away,
yourself attitude that permeates certain or onto other projects. One of the major happen-
folds of society, as seen prominently, for ings was Big Word, a slam-orientated event
example, within music. which ran for ten years, ending last April. Many
The scene is not tied down by the Edinburgh poets, such as Anita Govan, now
bureaucracy of dependence on funding travel to participate in the vibrant Glasgow
bodies, council initiatives or educa- platform. However, Newcastle and Manchester
tion committees, but is instead run have growing circuits, with the former having
by enthusiastic groups of people, recently benefitted from investments into arts
hustling to create a platform projects, spawning a fertile foundation from
for voices to be heard from. which new writers can emerge.
The technical simplicity Boundary crossing arts nights are also on the
of presenting spoken word rise in Glasgow, with nights such as Monosyllabic
pushes aside the barrier of and Cryptic Rain combining music, visual art
cost, and has allowed those and spoken word. Those there for the other art
with passion — but little money forms are being won over, increasing their urge
— to propagate the art, with to indulge themselves more in similies, meta-
established arts becoming a phors, rhyme and reason.
networking ground for poets The danger of all the current activity in
and promoters. In 2007 for Glasgow is the possibility of over-saturation,
example, Expression was resulting in a decline of quality and and subse-
launched at the ICafe, as a quently quantity, in terms of the number of
result of like-minded people opportunities to hear and take part in poetry
meeting at the events listed readings; just as the launch of one night led
above. The emergence of to others following suit in the past, one night
vast talent also means that closing could have a domino effect on others in
new events are needed the future.
to accommodate all the Of course, the potential for a possible down-
poets who are willing to turn in the ease with which amateur poetry can
set aside their inhibitions, be experienced around Glasgow, if anything, is
and pick up a microphone yet another reason to get involved in the spoken
David McReadie in front of their peers. word as soon as possible.
10th February 2009
Stem cell research: Murder or medicine?
Autodidakt
>>James Foley
Paperback science fiction, religious hysteria, and Stalin’s
botched attempt to crossbreed a human-ape Red Army in the
1930s have combined to make people suspicious of genetic
research. Some students proclaim themselves mortified that
lank-haired boffins are investigating stem cell technology
right under our noses at Glasgow University.
Now and again, the hysteria boils over and some frothing
at the mouth Christian will be rolled out to proclaim the evils
of modern science. One poster at the GUU warned of the
dangers of a human-bovine hybrid. Udder infections? No,
nothing that specific. Just the “dangers” of “abominations”.
The denizens of the Beer Bar are not alone in their
scepticism. It seems that hardly anyone likes the biological
sciences these days. Only 25% of Britons believe that
Darwin’s theory of evolution is “definitely true”. Around
10% believe that the “Young Earth” theory (i.e. the notion
that the Earth was created by God less than 10,000 years
ago) is superior to Evolution. That presumably means that 1
in 10 people you meet believes that the inhabitants of Ancient
Egypt built pyramids to defend themselves against roving
T-Rex attacks.
I find all this scepticism rather odd. Biological science
has vastly improved the quality of human life and has been
responsible for few fatalities. War, by contrast, destroys
millions of lives every year in the name of profit.
Until June last year, Glasgow University was home to
a grouping called Aerodynamics, Defence, and Security
Markets who “intended to support companies interested in
participating in collaborative research [and] development
projects that will help realise opportunities in aerospace,
defence, security and related markets“. In other words, those
Glasgow University
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companies who wished to make a profit out of the military,
the biggest cash-bovine hybrid in the UK research industry.
Glasgow University still has extensive corporate links
to BAE Systems. BAE sold weapons to Suharto’s regime in
Indonesia as he was organising a genocide against the people
of East Timor, in which a third of the population was killed.
BAE bribed the murderous dictatorship of General Pinochet
to secure arms contracts. BAE have previously sold weapons
to Mugabe, and they now sell - via an American subsidiary
- components for the F-16s that Israel used to massacre civil-
ians in Gaza.
I would say there is a strong ethical case not to participate
in military research with BAE. The arguments against stem
cell research, by contrast, are moralistic, outdated, and based
on a limited grasp of current scientific developments.
As research progresses, the notion of embryo gulags
running out of Glasgow University biology departments
is increasingly redundant. Induced Pluripotent Cell tech-
nology allows non-Pluripotent cells (such as skin cells) to be
reprogrammed into stem cells. The technology is in its early
stages, but if we directed funding away from “Homeland
Security” into research that actually improves our grasp of
our own biology its benefits could be fully explored.
Most scientific developments are, in themselves, ethically
neutral. The real issue is: who funds them, and who bene-
fits? Genetically modified foods have the potential to feed
millions of starving people in Africa, if the technology was
subject to democratic scrutiny and scientists were rewarded
for enhancing human welfare.
Unfortunately, the best paid scientists are those who
enhance corporate profits. “Terminator technology”, which
causes the second generation of GM seeds to be infertile, has
the potential to destroy the social fabric of third world coun-
tries and make farmers dependent on corporations.
We should push to make sure the potential of stem cell
research is exploited for human need, not corporate profit.
Whereas weapons technology is inherently destructive —
and “Homeland Security” inherently a euphemism for state
repression — new technologies in biology can make the
world a more equitable place, as long as we push for their
correct implementation.
Scottish Student Newspaper of the Year
DEBATE 11
Orthodoxy
>>Aidan Cook
I am not a scientist. And I’m certainly no expert in stem
cell research. What is important here, however, is more the
general morality than the biological details. So I will try and
avoid anything too precise and stick to guiding principles
and broad pros and cons. There are certainly some aspects
of stem cell research which immediately call for caution. I
think I can fairly safely draw the distinction between research
on adult stem cells and research on embryonic stem cells.
The former involves the use of stem cells collected from
developed human tissue, while the latter uses cells sourced
through the destruction of an embryo.
When the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke at the univer-
sity last year, he warned against “that aspect of stem cell
research and the whole biogenetics world which encourages
us to think of human tissue and human organs in a more
functionalist way.” There is quite evidently a large dose of
this functionalism in embryonic stem cell research. To see an
embryo only in terms of what it can provide to fully-devel-
oped humans entirely misses the point of what an embryo is.
It is not a source of raw materials, but is a human life in itself,
albeit an underdeveloped one. The cells can be made into
different types of tissue but will always be the same human
being, or at the very least the same potentiality.
“To see an embryo only in terms of what it
can provide to fully-developed humans en-
tirely misses the point of what an embryo is.”
A relatively useful analogy can be drawn with organ
donation and transplants. In effect, destructive embryonic
research has many similarities with the killing of a man to
harvest his organs: even if the transplants were to save many
lives, this would not justify the killing itself. But it is not just
embryonic stem cell research that is in danger of suffering an
overdose of functionalism. The proposal last year to allow
tissue to be removed from incapacitated adults, and indeed
children, for the purposes of stem cell research turned the
human being into a harvestable source of goods.
Life is a mystery that goes beyond our current under-
standing, and so we must be particularly cautious when
treading in the far reaches of this understanding. It is not a
choice between science and ethics but a matter of guiding
science down an ethical route. We must be careful to draw a
distinction between research with human tissue and experi-
ments on human beings. And we must remember that the
emphasis is on the human and not the tissue; that the human
always comes first. The ethical route also seems to be
producing the most promising results, which makes the right
decision even easier to make.
None of these is a decisive argument against all stem
cell research or treatment, nor are they meant to be. They
do, however, suggest that we should be cautious over how
stem cells are collected and used. We must remember that
the ends do not necessarily justify the means. At a time
when President Obama is being praised for realising that the
gathering of intelligence does not justify torture, it would
be contradictory to suggest that the potential benefits of
unethical research outweigh the loss of respect for human
life. Even in this world, some things are absolute.
12 EDITORIAL guardian@src.gla.ac.uk 10th February 2009
Glasgow University John McIntyre Building
University Avenue
Glasgow G12 8QQ

T: 0141 341 6215

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Our self preservation society Keeping yourself occupied

The actions of wildcat strikers, in reaction to
the employment of foreign workers at Lindsey
Refinery, are at best absurd, and at worst a
shameful indication that flagrant xenophobia is
acceptable in Britain today.
Although at first glance it is hard to see
why a French-owned refinery in the UK would
choose to import Italian labour, rather than
employing from the area local to the refinery,
the reality of the situation is extremely simple.
The creation of the positions was done so by an
Italian company, working for the refinery as a
sub-contractor; why should they be forced to
take on staff from another country, if those in
the UK are so vehemently against the idea? For
such a vocally determined group of protesters,
those on strike are remarkably hypocritical.
To put it another way, it’s very easy to pull
up an example of an entire UK industry that
makes the most of the Common Market in the
very way that strikers are objecting to. British
tour operators export UK staff to foreign coun-
tries every year; entire resorts are filled with
staff who are alien to the region (I should
know, I was one before university). It creates
fantastic job opportunities abroad, and thanks
to the EC, there’s no need to worry about visas
or work permits. Narrow-minded nationals here
are complaining about similar business prac-
tices occurring in Britain – a good way to start
picking at the threads of an established method
of doing business that works, and has done so
for a number of years.
Worryingly, the figurehead of the cry ‘British
jobs for British workers’ is the man leading our
country. His bizarre pledge in 2007 has adorned
placards all across the UK, with sympathy
strikes sharing the same bizarre notion that a
Brit has more right to a job than anyone else.
Quite what possessed Brown to utter these
words is anyone’s guess – they readmore like
a BNP pamphlet than the speech notes of the
Prime Minister – but the result has been the
encouragement of a truly backwards frame of
mind, in relation to those who are legitimately
allowed to work and live in the UK.
Essentially, the actions of those involved
are selfish, childish, and embarrassing; jobs
should be for the best workers, not those who
happen to be nearby. It should bring out the
best in people, by trying to better others, not
the worst, by trying to exclude them from
competing. In the current financial climate,
Britain needs to be less of an island off the
coast of the EU proper; with attitudes like
those of the Lindsey Refinery strikers making
headlines, we are in danger of being branded an
economic leper colony.
Interest groups such as the Stop the War
Coalition (SWC) and the Scottish Palestine
Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) seem to split
students into two camps. While there are plenty
of sympathisers and supporters, a surprisingly
large number of students find ‘that bunch’ very
annoying. Perhaps its all the aggressive rhetoric
and blocking the steps of the Queen Margaret
Union, perhaps it’s the volatile persecution
complex, or maybe its just the hats and scarves.
The most common complaint seems to be;
“Well they’re never going to stop the war from
here so why don’t they just give it a rest?”
Such complainers should be made to eat
their words since, in the past few weeks, these
groups have brought radical changes not just
to the institutions we inhabit, but hopefully
changes that will be noticed on a more global
scale. This sudden wave of political activity in
universities across Britain has provided long
awaited evidence that protest can make a differ-
ence. Though the nature of the occupations has
generally been peaceful, the tactic of targeting
the central nervous system of a university,
i.e. the registry, seems faintly inspired by the
Bolshevik revolution, and has proved almost as
effective in achieving its goals.
The very idea that Dundee University should
completely disinvest from BAE Systems would
have seemed too fantastic if it hadn’t already
happened, and that Strathclyde should so will-
ingly agree to almost all of their occupiers’
demands is equally surprising. Strathclyde were
faced with some very taxing demands, and their
offer to hold a public debate on the future of
BAE Systems’ relationship with the University
must have been the most diplomatic solu-
tion, especially given the considerable sums
of money that are no doubt involved in any
dealing with the company.
At the time of going to press our own
occupation continues. Surely the principal will
be feeling the pressure not just from them, but
also from the example set by Strathclyde and
Dundee. As our university would not match the
gestures made by its sister universities the irate
reaction from those pushing for solidarity with
Gaza is unsurprising.
Whether in favour of, or in disagreement
with their agenda, one has to appreciate the
product of their efforts. It is an admirable feat
that a small group of passionate activists can
lean on an institution as massive as a university,
armed with nothing but an argument and a peti-
tion. Perhaps this achievement will raise their
profile in the eyes of otherwise disinterested
students, though judging by some reactions it
might just serve to increase the divide.

Photo of the week — Sean Anderson

Winter arrives at last, as snow falls on the Kibble Palace in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens
10th February 2009
To the Editors…
Dear Editors,
It was difficult not to have a wry smile at the
conclusion of your editorial article on the
Scottish Government’s consultation on student
funding (21st Jan 2009). Surely the “criti-
cising and nit-picking from their position of
relative political impotence” statement is more
applicable to your good selves and your stance
than the Scottish government.
You mention the commitments the
Government has had to make to other projects:
your readers will be aware that the SNP, as a
minority government, has had to have a broader
set of priorities which are more reflective of
parliament and therefore less reflective of the
initial manifesto.
You have criticised the SNP over the council
tax issue, saying that the freeze was a “compro-
mised election pledge.” However the manifesto
with which you claim to be familiar stated this
was the route to be taken- an initial freeze then
replacement with Local Income Tax.
Again your statement about the SNP
waiting for an unpredicted recession as the
“right moment” is ludicrous. The SNP made
clear during the comprehensive spending
review in November 2007, that due to no other
parties in parliament supporting their student
finance proposals; being forced to commit to
the Edinburgh Trams project (at a cost of over
£500 million!) and the tightest financial settle-
ment from Westminster since 1999 that the
current £30 million pound proposal would be
made available to aid the transition from grants
to loans.
The SNP continue to have the best proven
track record in supporting Scotland’s students,
leaving the debt-loving Lib-Lab pact far behind.
They have abolished the Graduate Endowment
fee, introduced grants for part-time students
and are consulting widely on the best way to
take the issue forward. Your editorial stance and
your front page headline were both misleading
and inaccurate.
David Baird
President,
GU Scottish Nationalist Association
Dear Editors,
The conflict that precipitated the recent growth
in the number of protests against Israel’s
conduct has ended, yet the protests, if anything,
have increased in frequency and hostility as of
late. It is in relation to this matter that I write
to yourselves, and to my fellow students as a
whole, in order to express my annoyance at this.
We hear from the organisers of such events
of the “war-crimes” committed by the IDF; the
continuing iniquities committed against the
Palestinian people that, if the number of said
protests is anything to go by, are unmatched by
any other state on this earth. Against such asser-
tions, I must take umbrage.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is by no
means a solitary fly in the ointment of world
guardian@src.gla.ac.uk LETTERS 13
Glasgow University
21st January 2009 Scottish Student Newspaper of the Year
On the road again Friday, bloody Friday
Kate Winslet goes for gold in the
latest offering from Sam Mendes
Ninety years on, is the Clyde still a
hotbed of communism?
Graduate
Film Features
Zoe Grams
Rob Miller
SNP “betray”
students over There’s nothing glamorous about elec-
staff fight
grants pledge tions. They’re full of cold-looking people
Ross Mathers standing on a hill, handing out flyers; dozens
of manifestos to be read and deciphered; and
for fair pay
THE HIGHER EDUCATION
reminders all over campus that you should do
funding system in Scotland looks set
to face considerable changes in the
coming years.
The Scottish Government have your duty and vote.
announced various plans to update
overdue, given that the last pay
the student support structure in line
with the idea that people should have
I asked a room full of people how to make
elections sound interesting and was greeted
Sarah Smith
Exclusive rise was made in October 2002 and access to learning on the basis of
consisted of an extra fifty-five pence their academic merits, not on their
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
employees are campaigning for better
per hour.
Guardian spoke to one of the
ability to pay.
A 41-page consultation, launched
with the blankest bunch of faces I’ve seen
working conditions, having received
no rise in pay for seven years.
campaign’s original activists about
the situation many teaching assistants
in December by the Secretary for
Education and Lifelong Learning,
since a pub-quiz host asked the room to name
Graduate teaching assistants
(GTAs), many of whom are still
currently find themselves in.
The spokesperson for the
Fiona Hyslop, will examine the
different options available to tackle
a 19th Century French chemist.
studying as post-graduate students,
have not received a pay increase
campaign, who asked not to be named,
explained: “Graduate teaching assist-
the financial problems currently
faced by students. And, you know, elections really don’t seem
since 2002 and, in some instances,
are effectively earning less than the
ants are casual workers, meaning that
they are hired without a contract.
The consultation has been set
up in order to consider the possible all that exciting. But, like going to the gym, or
baking a pack of Tom and Jerry cupcakes, the
national minimum wage. “This is unusual because many replacement of student loans with
A letter and petition with 76 other UK universities do provide a grants - as was pledged by the SNP in
results are worth it.
signatures, including those of senior contract for teaching assistants, along its 2007 Election Manifesto.
members of staff, was submitted with holiday and sick pay. However, despite this manifesto
Elections are the foundation of the
on December 17 to the Principal, “Glasgow University claims that pledge, two further options have been
the Secretary of Court, the Head it is one of the top universities in the laid out in the paper: to increase the
of Human Resources, and to each country for its outstanding teaching minimum level of overall income
Faculty Dean.
The letter claims that an
quality, however, a large proportion
of its teaching staff are given only
available; or a combination that
would see increasing income and a
Students’ Representative Council, and the
increase in the hourly rates for
graduate teaching assistants is long
£17.85 per contact hour.”
(Continued on page 6)
Tony Benn outlines his latest political vision >> page 7
reduction in debt.
(Continued on page 4)
people who are elected choose what Council
will focus their energies on over the coming
Uni rugby club suspended for rest of year months.
Do you think too many points are deducted
THE FUTURE OF ONE OF GLASGOW
University’s oldest sports clubs is in jeopardy
Colin Daniels Representative Council (SRC), felt the punish-
ment was justified because it protects the inter-
continued misconduct within the Union, with
the Principal, Sir Muir Russell, received a letter when you hand an essay in late? Do you value
following a decision by the University Court
last month.
On two occasions, club members were
found to be consuming alcohol on a GUSA
ests of the wider student body.
He said: “The reputation of GURFC and the
of complaint over members’ actions accompa-
nied by photographic evidence. student media? Do you resent having to pay
council tax as a part-time student?
Glasgow University Rugby Football Club minibus, following which all travelling privi- behaviour of some of its members were detri- GUU President Chris Birrell explained: "At
(GURFC), founded in 1869, has been prohib- leges were suspended. In a separate incident, mental to the University and its students. the beginning of last semester, we sat down
The SRC has a positive working rela-
ited from using the University’s name and the club returned an external hire vehicle “The SRC supported GUSA in its decision with the rugby club and highlighted the trouble
facilities as of January 1. containing vomit. as they were in the best position to decide on there had been in recent years.
tionship with the University and its depart-
The drastic action, advocated by Glasgow More recently, the club’s annual dinner the appropriate action to be taken.” “We set out a clear path of disciplinary
University Sports Association (GUSA) and was shut down after details of inappropriate The final straw for GURFC appears to measures that would be taken if these circum-
unanimously approved at the last meeting of behaviour were published in the Scotsman in have been the club's banning from the Glasgow stances continued; unfortunately, they did, so
the Court, comes after an array of controversial March last year. University Union (GUU) last October. we had to take the last resort of banning all resi- ments. We work closely with members of staff
incidents over the last three years. Gavin Lee, President of the Students’ This step was taken following reports of dent members of the club.” (Cont. on page 2)
Contributors: Harry Akehurst,
to ensure that students are getting the best
Editors: George Binning & Film Editors: Emily McQueen-
James Porteous Govan & Lewis Porteous Laura Cernis, Catriona Reilly, possible teaching and overall experience from
Deputy Editor: Tom Bonnick Lifestyle Editors: Michelle Eleanor Mitchell, Jessica their time at Glasgow. If you have a problem, or
News Editor: Sarah Smith Williams & David Kirkpatrick McBride, James Maxwell, an opinion on how things could be improved,
Features Editors: Tara Picture Editor: Jim Wilson Nafees Mahmud, Colin Daniels, the SRC can work with the University to make
Hepburn & Pete Ramand Reporters: Craig MacLellan, Laura Doherty
Photographers: Luke Winter,
this happen. If there’s a bigger, national issue
Sports Editor: Harry Tattersall Ross Mathers, Amy McGregor
Smith Columnists: Aidan Cook, Sean Anderson, Benzo Harris, that affects students, we lobby Parliament.
Music Editor: Oisín Kealy James Foley, Jamie Ross Scott McGinlay Remember the graduate endowment? Thanks
The Glasgow University Guardian is editorially independent of the SRC and University. All to the work of the SRC, you no longer have
complaints should be adressed to the editors, who can be reached via the above contact details. to pay an extra £2000 when you graduate. Not
glamorous, just essential.
This newspaper is funded through and supported by the Nominations close on the 13th February at
Glasgow University Students' Representitive Council.
4pm so when you read this there’s still time to
think about standing for a position on Council.
peace; indeed, I could list at least half-a-dozen However, one must question the inconsistency You don’t need any previous experience or
conflicts that are still ongoing long after the of the students who vociferously express their knowledge, just 2 things: a desire to create
bombs of Israeli F16s have ceased to fall. anger over Palestinian deaths and yet, to my positive change at University, and passion for
Most such conflicts have seen death tolls far in eyes, completely ignore a conflict responsible what you do. Well, 3 if you include the online
excess of the toll incurred within this small part for significantly more casualties. nomination form you can find at:
of the Middle East, such deaths taking place I can’t help but feel that many people, on www.glasgowstudent.net.
over a similarly long period. account of the many posters and protest organ- If you don’t want to get involved to such
The most pertinent example, given its isers scattered across campus, have allowed an extent, use your right to vote on 4th and
current newspaper coverage, is the conflict themselves to succumb to the increasingly 5th March. Between the 16th February and
between the Sri Lankan government and the distasteful herd mentality of only focusing on then you’ll be able to read all candidates’
Tamil Tigers. Since the late 1980s, it is believed Israel. manifestos online so there’s plenty of time to
that roughly 70,000 people have been killed in find out what people are wanting to do when
Sri Lanka. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has Edward Wallace elected.
seen the deaths of approximately one-tenth this
number of people over a similar period of time. Glasgow University Guardian welcomes letters Correction
Now, I don’t doubt for a second that the to the editors; a selection are printed each
students that partake in protests against Israeli issue. Please mark them ‘To the Editors — for In the last issue of the paper, Gerry McKeever
policy are strongly supportive of world peace. printing’, and send them to the above address. should have been credited as Music Editor.
14 SPORT guardiansport@src.gla.ac.uk 10th February 2009

Kelvin Hall hosts 2014 warm-up GU denied by

Harry Tattersall Smith
Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall played host to the Aviva
International Athletics championships. It was
a heartening performance from the British
contingent following a wholly disappointing
display on the track in Beijing.
The weekend belonged to Mo Farah, the
perennial underachiever who finally lived up
to his potential by shattering the long standing
UK indoor 3000m by 0.10 seconds, coming
home in a time of 7 minutes 40.99 seconds.
Farah, who has spent the winter training in
Kenya, looked sensational as he strolled to
victory, in a performance that he will hope can
propel him to a successful season, as he at last
seems to be offering the form that can see him
compete for the major championships. The
weekend also saw young British hopeful Craig
Pickering pick up victory in the 60m, against
the ever-controversial Dwain Chambers in a
much hyped clash.
There was a moment of redemption for
American Lolo Ferrari in the 60m hurdles. The
US runner looked set to claim Olympic gold,
yet a stumble at the final hurdle in the Birds
Nest, saw glory cruelly snatched away. This
season she is very much out to prove herself,
and at Kelvinhall she destroyed her opposition,
with a time of 7.95 seconds.
Success from Scottish perspective was
limited to Susan Scott, whose comfortable
victory in the women's 1500m strengthed her
position as team GB's premier distance runner.
There were more positives for Scottish
Culture and Sport Glasgow
Athletics, as local sprint favourite Nick Smith
secured qualification for the European Indoor
Championships, with a superb lifetime best
equalling, of 6.63 seconds, in the mens 60m.
As Glasgow gears up to hosting the 2014
Commonwealth Games, the championships
at Kelvinhall have again reiterated the city's
ability to successfully host showcase events.
late strike
(continued from back page)
From the resulting set-piece, Smith charged in
and cannoned a thundering shot off the post.
In the end, Strathclyde managed to complete
a remarkable comeback. With just four minutes
remaining, Clennel was unable to hold onto
Mhairi Quinan’s dangerous cross, and Emma
Richardson was on hand to bundle home a
dramatic leveller.
Afterwards, Glasgow coach Niall Marshall
reflected on a disappointing finale to an enthral-
ling contest: “Strathclyde played well, but I
felt we deserved to win. Their third goal was
simply a freak goal and gave them the impetus
and confidence to go forward in search of an
equaliser. I think that, overall, we had the bulk
of the play and the better chances.
“However, we still have important games
still to play. It’s disappointing not to win today,
but it’s another point towards winning the
league, and we’re still in a very strong position
to do that.”
Glasgow will continue their title challange
on the 18th of February, when they face St
Andrews at home.

Double polo victory for GUCC

Sport Staff
The annual canoe polo competition kicked off at Glasgow’s
Stevenson Building, with the nation’s finest descending on the
West End to compete for the sport’s most coveted prize.
In stark contrast to numerous university sports fixtures,
where spectators frequently number in single figures, the event
saw the Stevenson Building in full carnival swing, with vocif-
erous fans lining the poolside, whilst at times the whole building
seemed to rock as an endless array of 80s hits thundered out over
the heads of the crowd.
Organiser and women’s captain, Lorna Denny admitted
nerves in the build up to the spectacle, “What with the snow this
week, it was really touch and go about whether Aberdeen were
going to make it. Thankfully they have and I think it’s going to
be a really fantastic weekend”
The two day extravaganza began in front of a raucous crowd,
with a city derby match which saw the Glasgow women’s second
team clinically dismantled by a superior Strathclyde outfit, who
sent out an early message of intent with a crushing 10-0 victory
over the home side. This scoreline could have been a much more
bitter pill for the GU team to swallow, had it not been for the
heroics of Ali Macleod in goal, stopping the visitors’ tally from
climbing further.
The Glasgow ladies’ first team restored university pride,
with a performance that highlighted the reasons why they have
yet to be defeated this season. Led by captain Lorna Denny, they
comprehensively outclassed the Napier outfit, and attacked with
such flair and flamboyance that for large spells of the match,
the Edinburgh side could do nothing more than simply chase
shadows. Glasgow eventually ran out convincing 5-0 winners
in the match.
After a couple of fairly one-sided matches, the tournament
really sprang into life with Glasgow’s men’s team taking on
Heriot Watt, in a high-octane match with such a degree of physi-
cality that it was no surprise to learn that there was ‘history’
between the sides. Glasgow’s Teng Wei Keong orchestrated
proceedings with a display that reflected why he is so highly
Sean Anderson
regarded in canoe polo circles. The Singaporean has recently
battled his way into the national set up, and whilst other players
blustered around the pool, he seemed to be able to effortlessly
dictate passages of play.
At times you could be mistaken for thinking him disinter-
ested, but time after time, he exploded through the Edinburgh
side’s defensive ranks. Eventually, he discovered his range with
devastating effect, and within a couple of quick breaks had
ensured the game was put to bed.
The second day of competition saw both of Glasgow's first
teams cruise through their respective group stages and into the
finals, with such an ominous amount of ease that both looked
destined to retain the most highly regarded trophy in Scottish
canoe polo.
The women’s final saw Glasgow take on their old foes St
Andrews, perhaps the only side currently able to challenge
Glasgow University’s monopoly on the sport.
That said, anyone hoping for a major shock was to be disap-
pointed as Glasgow exploded from the start, and despite playing
the majority of the match without captain Denny, the game was
all but over by half time.
After losing their captain, it was left to the duo of Amy
Cowell and Cath Johnstone to terrorise St Andrews and lead
GUCC ladies to a resounding 5-1 triumph, completing a perfect
season for the team. Such have been the ladies high stand-
ards this year, there seemed to be a visible disappointment in
conceding a late consolation goal to the Fifers, yet the final
whistle still sparked mass celebration amongst the Glaswegian
team and their support.
The men’s final saw Glasgow take on this year’s surprise
outfit, Strathclyde. Glasgow spent the majority of the first period
camped in their own half as their city rivals piled on the pres-
sure in the pool. Regardless of this, one pirouette from Teng Wei
Keong turned defence into attack, and his through ball found
Colin McMorrin in acres of space, leaving him free to slot home
the goal from close range.
At times in the tournament Teng Wei was simply untouch-
able, and it seemed fitting that it was he who rounded off the
competition in style. Picking up the ball in his own half, he
unleashed an unstoppable rocket, with fans and opposition alike
stopping to applaud this prodigious talent.
Both teams now progress to the BUCS Cup to compete
against the top teams from the UK’s universities, where they
will be looking to add to the season’s already extensive collec-
tion of silverware. Given the blistering performances on home
turf in this competition, they will certainly advance as one of the
favourites to take victory in the competition.
10th February 2009 guardiansport@src.gla.ac.uk SPORT 15

Volleyball aims to smash records

Harry Tattersall Smith fine tunes his skills for the summer with the volleyball club
I guess when I think of volleyball the first things that inevitably
come to mind is bronzed Adonis’s and bikini babes frolicking on
the beaches of Rio and Miami … but Glasgow?
I’ve come along to train with one of the fastest growing
clubs at the university and meet with men’s captain, the highly
charismatic Vihar Georgiev.
From having played volleyball a couple of times, I perhaps
had a slightly ill-conceived notion that I was a fairly proficient
volleyballer/ist, yet within five minutes I’ve had my ‘technique’
torn to shreds and my arms are bruised. I’m put right by a
diminutive middle-aged women, who assures me I’m doing it all
wrong and if I do this, that and the other, I’ll be on my way.
I have no plans to take heed of her advice — I mean really,
what can she know that I don’t? — but then out of nowhere, this
charming little lady almost leaps her own body height before
unleashing a farcically powerful (and ultimately emasculating)
smash, and it is then I concede defeat and abandon my unor-
thodox style.
One thing I never realised about volleyball was the degree
of artistry dedicated to each move. Each play is meticulously
thought out and repeatedly drilled until it's seemingly second
nature. A whole array of decoys and dummies, blocks and coun-
ter-blocks. So much so, that watching it can easily see someone
mesmerised by the sight of several colossal six-feet-plus giants
leaping and diving in strictly choreographed routines.
The men’s season if effectively over, and although no silver-
ware has been won, Vihar is delighted with the squads perform-
ance. “Last season we lost a lot of our big players, and with a
squad consisting of many players new to the game, maintaining
our position in the premier division is a huge achievement
and one next season we can definitely build on.” Yet it’s not
completely over and Vihar insists he will not allow his squad
to get complacent in the aftermath of survival from a tough
relegation dogfight. “We still have the BUCS trophy down in
Liverpool, and we really want to go down there, play our best
stuff and who knows what can happen.”
He is also buoyed by the growing enthusiasm in the club,
talking of a time when the club was really struggling for
numbers, but after another absolutely packed training session,
everything appears to be very much on the up for the Glasgow
University Volleyball Club.
Whilst then men’s squad have been fighting for survival the
women’s team seem to be romping towards the women’s title
and promotion to the National Division One. They currently sit
unbeaten at the summit of Division Two, and barring any major
hiccups, seem destined next season to once again be competing
against the nation’s finest.
Vihar enforces on me a very positive message, and talks to
me about the club’s mantra. “Of course when we play we want
to win, but for us that is not all, for me it is about having fun
first. If you are having fun with your sport the winning will
come naturally.” Vihar hopes that in time the squads can rebuild
and regain the success of past teams. “In 2005 we came runners
up in both the Scottish and British University cups. We don’t
want to equal those records. We want to go on and beat them!”
The club is a great social hub and has a real international
vibe; I play in a team of five with only two of us boasting
English as our first language, and this really seems to be no
anomaly. I ask a friend who has been converted to volleyball
since arriving at Glasgow about how many nationalities he
thinks are involved: “Countless, I think that’s what makes it so
great, even if there is sometimes a language barrier, everyone is
always laughing and joking around, there really seems a sense
of community about it.”
The club has its social drop in sessions on Thursday nights
from 7.30pm at the Stevenson Building, and is definitely worth
checking out if you want to stay fit, but cannot stomach the
lonely hours on the treadmill. Jim Wilson

Tennis club rally for play-off push

Harry Tattersalll Smith
Glasgow University Tennis Club once again
reiterated its strength in depth with a crushing
10-0 defeat of Strathclyde.
The result cemented their place in the
nation’s top division for next season, whilst
leaving them in prime position to begin to
generate momentum for a play-off push, as the
league enters its penultimate round of fixtures.
The team’s white-washing marked an
incredible dominance over their city rivals, as
they repeated their early season heroics with
another faultless display.
Captain James Lush spoke optimisti-
cally about the future of tennis at Glasgow
University: “Last season we lost a lot of our
squad, but this year we’ve been inundated with
a really talented bunch of freshers.”
The club has been led by the talismanic
performances of Andrew Smilie. He boasts
some fairly impressive statistics, having lost
only once in several years of service for the
GUTC. Lush feels that but for injuries to
several star players, the season could have
been far more successful. Fresher star David
Birrell, who boasts Judy Murray as his former
Jim Wilson coach, has seen his season hampered by injury,
yet when available his emphatic performances
have given plenty of encouragement for the
club members.
Birrell has been partnered by fellow fresher
Tim Campbell in the first squad. Campbell
has forced his way into the team with a series
of pivotal victories that have been vital in
ensuring Glasgow’s first division status.
The men’s focus now turns to the BUCS
trophy with the squad facing a trip to face
Warwick University. Lush speaks confidently
about the team’s chances: “This season has
been frustrating for everyone. We’ve been
fairly erratic and injuries have cost us in impor-
tant matches . Yet we’ll go down with a strong
side and if we play our best tennis we have a
really good chance of progressing”
The second side,which is centred around
a strong contingent of Freshers, currently top
their BUCS Conference Cup pool and also have
a very real chance of advancing.
Whilst the men’s team has lacked consist-
ency, the women have been embroiled in a
fierce relegation battle.
In a highly competitive league, dominated
by the university teams of St Andrews and
Edinburgh, a shock draw with the Fife outfit
seems to have all but guaranteed safety for the
ladies first team.
 sport
Inside: Glasgow University Canoe
Club host polo extravaganza
guardian
also: Guardian goes along to train
with the Volleyball Club 10th February 2008

City derby ends in stalemate

Glasgow 4-4 Strathclyde
Colin Daniels

WITH EIGHT GOALS, A GLUT OF STRAMASHES AND

the woodwork taking a battering, the latest womens’ derby
at Glasgow proved anything but predictable, for both specta-
tors and coaching staff alike.
The early action gave some indication of the extraordi-
nary events that were to unfold in the all-Glasgow derby;
the deadlock was broken with only six minutes on the clock,
as Katy Emslie stretched to meet Mhairi Robertson’s cross,
before a ricochet off visiting goalkeeper Megan Holden fell
kindly for the Glasgow striker to tap in from close range.
Having established an early lead, the hosts sought to
put the game to bed. Emma Smith’s weak back header put
her defensive colleagues under pressure, but Holden ran out
to clear just before Claire Henderson could latch onto the
ball. Katy Hawkins came close with a looping effort from
25 yards as Glasgow looked to assert their dominance on
proceedings.
Disappointingly, the home side’s early advantage was
wiped out by lax defending after 15 minutes. Strathclyde’s
Charlene McCreath swung in a corner from the right, and
Smith was afforded the freedom of the penalty box to send a
simple volley past Siobhan Clennel from just six yards.
The whirlwind pace of events continued with two
goals inside the next eight minutes. Dana Wilson restored
Glasgow’s advantage with a shrewd 20-yard volley, only
for Strathclyde to draw level again, as Ciara Barnes latched
onto Michelle Keating’s through ball to sidestep Clennel and
fire home.
The second half kicked off in the same vein as the
dramatic opening period. Just thirty seconds had elapsed
when Phoebe Broomfield flicked a corner onto the underside
of the crossbar; the ball bounced down onto or around the
goal line but the referee waved play on despite the vocif-
erous protestations of the home players. Shortly afterwards,
Henderson turned Julie Farquhar on the edge of the box and
crashed a shot off the near post.
However, It wasn’t long before Glasgow restored their
lead once again. This time Paula Salmi was the provider,
sending in a cross from the right, and Emslie stretched to
turn the ball in. The hosts appeared home and dry 10 minutes
later when Stacy Hughes blocked another effort from Emslie
and Henderson pounced to score the rebound.
However, the visitors were not to be beaten. The
performance of Barnes, who was excellent throughout, argu-
ably merited a second goal; however, the manner in which it
arrived took everyone by surprise.
Her inswinging corner from the left was missed by
attackers and defenders alike and the ball simply dropped
into the far corner of the net. Buoyed by the lifeline,
Strathclyde came at their hosts. Keating surged past two
Glasgow defenders before seeing her 15-yard drive turned
Jim Wilson
behind for a corner. (continued on page 14)
 The Cribs | Doubt | Celtic Connections | Recoat Gallery

Local Produce
Eleanor Mitchell on Glasgow’s
vintage hotspots

10/02/09

inSIGHT
Glasgow University
 inSIGHT arts
+
10/02/09

An urban dystopia
Cancerous Capers

Jessica McBride is impressed by modern uses of a traditional medium at Recoat Gallery

>> Jamie Ross

I
awoke with a jolt of excitement today. I heard
my door open, and through bleary eyes I saw
my mother coming into the room with an en-
velope in her outstretched arm. What could
this be? A wistful letter of love from an old flame?
A massive order for Jamie Ross charity wristbands?
Of course not, it was a letter from my old mates at
the sperm bank.
I don’t know how you like to start your day,
fellow students, but I’d venture that very few of
you would choose to wake up by receiving a letter
straight from the desk of a sperm nurse which, in
its very first sentence, informs you that you have a
“slightly low sperm count“.
About a month ago, I had to give a sperm
sample due to the small chance that my treatment
could make me infertile. I don’t know who invented
chemotherapy, but his efforts to iron out the flaws
in his creation can only really be described as lack-
lustre. If he went on Dragon’s Den he’d no doubt
present something revolutionary and fantastic,
much like Reggae Reggae sauce, but it would prob-
ably cause eight of your toes to fall off and make
the earth explode. From left: Jacob Smith; Fraser Grey. Photos: Jim Wilson

Apparently having a slightly below average
count is of little consequence to me, but they
thought I’d get a kick out of this emasculating
piece of trivia anyway. They claim that it’s “most
likely” down to my illness, which reads to me as a
thinly-veiled suggestion that I have rubbish testi-
cles. However, I am reassuringly told that they
have “great motility” which means that, although
perhaps low in number, they are a force to be reck-
oned with. Much like the Spartan army.
They go on to instruct me that I have to contact
them as soon as I enter a serious relationship so
that they can sort out the relevant consent forms
for it. This begs the question, how in shitting crikey
am I supposed to bring this up to the lucky lady? At
what stage in a relationship is it acceptable for me
to suggest that her name should be written onto
my bottle of sperm?
This also means that somewhere in Ninewells
Hospital there will be an inevitably long and
depressing record of each successive failed rela-
tionship that I have had to cancel consent for.
Perhaps the sperm receptionist will moonlight as
a handy relationship councillor for me. ’Oh dear,
what happened this time Jamie?’ ’Same as last time
Doreen, I told her I needed her date of birth and
address to fill out the form for her to mother my
test tube spawn‘.
In the final paragraph they inform me that I
don’t have AIDS, which was a relief. I think that
finding out that I had both cancer and AIDS in the
same year would have been somewhat of a bitter
pill to swallow. Anyway, it was on that bombshell
that the letter ended and I was left to pick over the
prospect of living my life knowing I make slightly
less sperm than a normal man, but it’s okay, because
they could have AIDS.
T
hose who lament that painting is of little
importance in art today will be satisfied to
see what is on offer at Recoat Gallery this
month. Paint, once the medium of high
art, has been stuck in a quagmire of doubt for the
last forty years. Aware of this, the artists exhibiting
in Mixed Palette have continued the tradition of
painting whilst engaging in contemporary culture
and the urban environment. The result is an em-
“Paint, once the medium of high
art, has been stuck in a quagmire
of doubt for the last forty years”
brace and commitment to the forgotten medium,
instead of a reaction to the latest ‘ism’ or material.
This is what makes the exhibition so refreshing.
Paint appears as a footnote to the subject matter
rather than its use being so much the issue. Through
this approach, there is something thoroughly old-
school about the engagement with the medium,
despite its modern urban look.
The leader of the pack is Dave White, who,
prior to exhibiting at Recoat, has shared wall space
with the likes of Andy Warhol, David Hockney and
Damian Hirst. However, lest any association with
Hirst ruin your regard for White, I can testify to the
fact that substance and skill are central to his work.
What links White with these formidable pop artists
is that his work has a distinct, ‘cool’ mien about it.
The one painting exhibited at Recoat is from
his latest series ‘Superheroes and Villains’. Batman is
animated with swift, thick oil stokes; the reference
is pop, though unlike the smooth, clean and flat
application used by Warhol and Lichtenstein, his
protagonist’s surface is expressive and cropped to
frame just his face. Batman seems to be struggling
with his energy, or a force exerted from beyond the
frame. This is one frame separated from the narra-
tive strip usual to a comic book; he stands alone on
the canvas on the gallery wall. What comes to mind
is the sense of frisson in contemporary culture —
the fear of repressed inaction, and sudden thrill of
heroic action.
Continuing in a similar vein are the works
by Chinamike and Jacob Smith. Smith, who has
been described as an ‘urban realist’, fills his large
canvases with an overlapping pastiche of manga
figures, superheroes, and often a fetishist depiction
of women in a slick, stylised manner. There is an
irreverence in his work too, often using one pop-
cultural icon to mock another cultural, historical or
political figure — such as with the inclusion of Care
Bears with the swastika painted on their bellies, or
George Bush as Zorro.
However, this continual appropriation of
pop-culture iconography has less to do with the
shock of contradicting images, and more to do
with its use as a visual abbreviation which can
understood by everyone. Comic-book and manga
animation were traditionally the reserve interest of
male youth. Now with the inclusion of a certainly
pornographic, almost sadomasochist rendering of
women, a melding of pre-adolescent fetishism and
adult fetish comes to the fore.
Talking to Guardian, Smith mentioned that for
his next project he planned a series of paintings of
nude ladies in wrestling masks, which will undoubt-
edly provoke mixed emotional responses. Perhaps
this is a critique of the predominance of sexualised
imagery and escapism continually on offer in the
common culture, although I fear it’s more to do
with the artist’s own amusement and desire.
The youngest of the artists on show is Fraser
Gray, and it is he who examines the medium of
paint and the painted surface most profoundly
in his work. Rather than confine his painting to
the canvas, Gray extends the image to the wall
beyond its edge. The painting is no longer framed
in the traditional format; instead the image now
reaches out and engages with the space of the
viewer. In doing so, Gray makes the work on one
level site-specific, and on another, keeping within
the context of the medium of painting and canvas-
as-object. This lessens the impact of the work as
a commodity object, and instead emphasises the
relationship people have with their environment in
contemporary culture.
Fraser described his pictures to Guardian as a
jarring combination of graphics based ‘consum-
erist’ imagery and traditional Scottish landscape.
It seems appropriate that the Dundee based artist
has chosen neon tartan as one of his main motifs
for consumerist design.
These artists and others represented in Mixed
Palette use different kinds of paint and use them
in diverging ways, often combining several types in
one work. Arching across this collection are refer-
ences to what was once anticipated as a future
visualised in hyper-heroic vividness, and is now
regarded as a future that doesn’t quite function as
was expected. By showing the unreality of popular
and contemporary culture, one gets the sense of a
dystopian vision of the future amid the reality of
the urban environment.
Mixed Palette at Recoat Gallery is exhibiting
until 1st March 2009. For more information, visit
www.recoatdesign.com
 inSIGHT

3
film

PA G E
An interminably long story
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist surprise! — Tris and Tal (see? The exes have the same alliterative initials as well!) await. Not quite content
Dir: Peter Sollett with beating his audience around the head with the obvious stick, Sollett has both his lead actors face the
On general release now same, terrible conundrum, in obvious homage to Sophie’s Choice — stick around at the gig with all these
douchebags, or be totally original and split? The laziness with which their relationship is structured would
>> Tom Bonnick

A
be more irritating if it were not for the fact that it is literally the only semblance of story holding the whole
s its title suggests, there is very little more to Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist than one long, ex- rambling, boring tale together.
tended boast about how cool a load of underground bands are. Perhaps its lack of conventional In Juno, the film whose aesthetic Infinite Playlist most transparently attempts to replicate, the self-
narrative and motifs of perpetual searching and deferred potential are reminiscent of Joyce’s consciously weird characters and obscure music references are silly but excusable, thanks to an ultra-smart
Ulysses; but strictly speaking this, would only be true if Ulysses sucked. script and some great casting. In stark comparison, I remain unconvinced that there ever was a script for
Michael Cera — whose portrayals of highschoolers are ever more unconvincing — plays Nick to Kat such a turgid farce of independent cinema, and now marks the point that I have fallen out of guy-love for
Denning’s Norah, two totally original indie-hipsters who just don’t fit in with their crowds; Queercore punk Cera; a feat I thought would be impossible after Arrested Development.
bands and harems of drunken bitches, respectively. Across a single night of po-faced indifference, the
unhappy couple emote in a faux-charming manner so nauseatingly contrived that it does not merely beg
the question ‘Who the hell cares?’, but indeed, the larger issue, ‘Who the hell thought anyone would care,
and would then go ahead and gamble large sums of money on such a surely misguided premise?’ Our
Montague and Capulet both spend the night trying to extricate their lives from those of their troublesome
exes, rescue Norah’s inebriated friend Caroline from the ignominy of having to face the consequences of
her actions, and uncover the location of a gig by their favourite band, the super-cool Where’s Fluffy?
As if to underscore how awesome his two leads are — and, by the transitive properties of awesome-
eness, how privileged we should consider ourselves to be witnessing their lives — director Peter Sollett
constantly draws attention to the fact that Dumb and Dumber are the only ones who really understand
Where’s Fluffy, whereas everyone else are just a bunch of shallow, phoney scenesters. Except Caroline, who
maybe would be all right, if she weren’t throwing up all the time. Phoney.
Catharsis finally comes when Nick awesomely abandons his detritus — sorry, ex — Tris, as she patheti-
cally dances for him on the riverbank in the most sluttish fashion imaginable, by driving away announced
to leave her stranded. I know; could he more gallant and alternative, right? Meanwhile, Norah hilariously
has a couple of zeroes added to her boyfriend’s bar tab in retaliation to his — equally pathetic — pleas
for her uber-producer dad to check out his band’s demo. Jeez, Norah, nepotism exists, and is the only way
anyone ever gets ahead; stop being such a playa hater.
The tedium not quite over, Sense and Sensibility finally head over to the Where’s Fluffy gig, where —

Notorious Voletta (Angela Bassett) in 1970s Brooklyn. Dropping out of school at

17 he starts selling drugs on the streets, in order to support his preg-
Dir: George Tillman Jr. nant girlfriend. After a brief stint in prison he is noticed by Sean ‘P.
Released 13th February Diddy’ Coombs, who helps him realise his potential as one of the most
innovative and significant artists in the history of hip hop, falling just
>> Emily McQueen-Govan
songs which drive the narrative and reveal the cultural significance of
Biggie’s career and his feud with fellow dead legend Tupac Shakur. The
film rests on Rapper Jamal ‘Gravy' Woolard’s excellent performance as
Biggie. His congested delivery comes frighteningly close to matching
Biggie’s voice, and he does a terrific job in assuming and inhabiting

P
ast biopics concerning the rap industry have been a largely
hit and miss affair, which is to say that 50 Cent's ‘Get Rich or
Die Tryin’’ wasn’t all that great. Eminem’s ‘8 Mile’ fared bet-
ter, though admittedly it was semi-fictionalised. 'Notorious’,
which some are already touting as an urbanised ‘Walk the Line’, chron-
icles the life of the famous East Coast rapper Notorious B.I.G., aka Big-
gie Smalls. The film charts his rise in fame and the events surrounding
his mysterious death at the age of 24.
Born Christopher Wallace, Biggie is brought up by his mother
short of R. Kelly.
Whilst Biggie is generally portrayed as a gentle soul, Notorious
doesn’t shy away from his infidelities and the other less savoury acts
he committed; neglecting the daughter he and his first wife spawned
and selling drugs to a pregnant woman. Whilst the film does focus
on the famous East Coast/West Coast feud it never fully explains the
events surrounding the death of Biggie, and fails to explore the many
myths surrounding the conflict.
The musical score is well woven into the film, largely due to the
concert sequences and the tracks that marked his rise and fall. It is the
the rapper’s larger-than-life persona, and undeniable charm. Naturi
Naughton nails the role of Biggie’s lover and sluttish protégée Lil’ Kim,
while Derek Luke’s performance as Puff Daddy successfully conveys
the shrewd and opportunistic business man. If the picture fails, it is in
its portrayal of Tupac Shakur (Anthony Mackie) which somehow fails
to capture the explosive and volatile charm underlying the rapper’s
conflicted personality.
For anyone interested in the history of hip-hop in the 1990s, old
and new fan alike, Notorious is a must see, and looks set to introduce
the work of Biggie Smalls to a new generation of fans.

Doubt doesn’t succumb to every temptation facing those

converting material meant for the stage onto
Dir: John Patrick Shanley screen, there is still a feel of occasionally unneces-
On general release now sary expansion and clumsily repeated visual motifs
that are inserted for no reason other than that
>> Tom Bonnick
have her adversary removed from his post, buoyed
by little more than an unshakeable internal convic-
tion. For the scenes the two share, both Streep and
Hoffman are masterful: playing off one another
like a pair of seasoned boxers, neither conceding
applauded in the past. Adams manages to combine
endearing charm with her position as the uncom-
promised moral centre of the play: unwilling to go
along with her colleague’s vendetta, and unsullied
by accusations.

A
t first glance, Doubt seems like little more
than a consummate exercise in box tick-
ing — it’s got everything. Period setting?
Check! Nuns? Meryl Streep? The vague
threat of incipient paedophilia? Thrice check! Upon
closer inspection, this may seem unfairly cynical;
after all, the story is adapted from John Patrick
Shanley’s Pulitzer-winning play — by the play-
wright himself, no less, who also directs — and has
a pedigree cast whose players are not known for
mistakes, Streep aside.
Still, Shanley’s theatrical reputation and acco-
lades do beg the question of what he’s doing slum-
ming it in cinema at all — and unfortunately, this
seems to be a thought that occurred to the director
at some point during production. Although he
they could be. ground, throwing jabs, and all the while
Philip Seymour Hoffman is maintaining a fragile equilibrium of
Father Flynn, the young priest power and evenly proportioned
attempting to broaden the senses of righteousness. Individu-
appeal of Catholicism with ally, or when faced with one of
an affable and pragmatic the remaining members of the
approachability, whilst all ensemble, however, and both
the time struggling against the of these performances feel curi-
prevailing dogmatic creeds of Sister ously empty — as if they belong in
Aloysius (Streep), whose authoritarian a theatre and have been awkwardly
rule keeps the local church school displaced. As Sister Aloysius’ lieutenant,
in line. After getting wind of Amy Adams effortlessly upstages
a possible case of Flynn her superior, playing a vari-
abusing a young pupil, ation of the wide-eyed
Donald Miller, Sister ingénue character
Aloysius embarks for which she has
upon a crusade to been rightly
Better still is Viola Davis, playing the mother of
Miller, who with a single scene manages to steal the
entire film from under Streep’s nose. She is simply
magnificent — flawed, emotionally broken, and
willing to sacrifice almost every motherly instinct
so that her son can have an education; and the real
wonder behind Davis’ performance is its compas-
sionately rendered, eminent believability.
Although Streep has been tipped as a likely
contender for a third Oscar, it is Adams and Davis
who truly elevate Doubt from the rank of well
crafted if slightly self-worthy piece, and into the
upper realm of excellent, performance-driven
pictures, redeeming it from association with a
host of recent films (The Reader, The Curious Case
of Benjamin Button) which seem to have been
adapted by people who hate cinema.
 inSIGHT life
10/02/09
Glasgow’s style
Eleanor Mitchell abandons the High Street and explores the best of the West End’s vintage fashio
R
ecently, every fashion journalist worth their salt has been quick to tell us that, in these economic
climes, fast fashion is out. Instead, we must start buying in beautifully-made, long-lasting staple
pieces that transcend the seasons and will be passed down to our children and grandchildren.
Such staples tend to include the classic Burberry trench coat, retailing at £734 and the Hepburn-
chic little black dress as seen on the catwalks at Balenciaga, Chanel, and Givenchy et al. The master of the
female form, Roland Mouret, has an eternally sophisticated LBD that will set you back a mere £1023. You
cannot forget accessories: those black patent Louboutins are £323 but will last a lifetime.
“Clever accessorising and combining your vintage gems with more
contemporary pieces can create looks straight from the catwalks for
a fraction of the price”
For the average citizen, rising food, mortgage and energy prices don’t leave much money at the end of
the month to buy that everlasting white shirt for the same price as ten from the high street. However, even in
these desperate times we urge you to step away from the harsh fluorescent lighting, acrylic knits and cheap
plastic shoes which are the mainstay of the British high street. Instead, stray off the beaten track and discover
the treasure troves of your local retailers.
For this photoshoot we headed to Ruthven Lane, in Glasgow’s West End, to style catwalk looks solely
from what local vintage shops and boutiques had to offer. A veritable Aladdin’s cave awaited us down those
cobbled streets. Circa Vintage and Starry Starry Night sell quality vintage clothing at slightly-less-than-Top-
shop-prices. You can pick up an on-trend black lace dress for under £50 and enough tartan to satisfy even
Dame Westwood’s lust for the traditional heritage look. There is also a glittering array of both vintage and
contemporary jewels at very reasonable prices. Along with vintage clothing, several independent boutiques
have recently opened in the West End. Here you can buy lines from fashion graduates at much cheaper prices
than normal designer lines, many of them one-off pieces, so you’ll never spot anyone else in your outfit.
There’s also the opportunity to find the next hot designer before the glossy magazines sniff them out.
Now obviously we are preaching to the converted. Fashionable Glaswegians have long frequented the
arcade, aware of the prizes to be had. However, in these harsh times, our local retailers need us more than
ever. The abandoned shops littering the West End are a reminder of how rising rents and thrifty shoppers
are affecting the business of smaller retailers. So before you give your hard-earned money to Stuart Rose or
Philip Green, think long and hard. You may well have been saving for weeks for that sequinned dress worn by
Cheryl Cole on the X Factor, but so has everyone else. You can pick up a second-hand sequinned party dress
in Glorious for a third of the price, safe in the knowledge that most people will have discarded it for fear of
appearing “so last season”.
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5
life

PA G E
heroes
on offerings. Photos by Scott McGinlay
Some people complain that sifting through the 80’s monstrosities and polyester takes far too much time
and often yields little. However, styling the looks for the photoshoot was very easy, as these local style heroes
have their finger very firmly on the trends and often organise their rails to reflect this. People will also often
bemoan the fact that vintage shopping goes hand in hand with expensive alterations but all the clothing for
the shoot came straight off the rail and onto the models, without going anywhere near a needle and thread.
However, do not fret if your vintage dress has a less than modern hemline — most purveyors of vintage
clothing have a favourite contact for alterations and will be very willing to pass the name onto you and in
return for continued business; most tailors can do you a discount.

“You may well have been saving for weeks for that sequinned dress
worn by Cheryl Cole on the X Factor, but so has everyone else”
Clever accessorising and combining your vintage gems with more contemporary pieces can create looks
straight from the catwalks, for a fraction of the price. Not only will you be getting credit crunch-friendly
prices, but also a warm glow at having helped to support your local community.
A version of this article also appears in the first of issue of thepageturner, which is available on their
website at www.thepageturner.co.uk
 inSIGHT music
10/02/09
Connect the Scots
Oisín Kealy and Lewis Porteous reflect on the highlights of Celtic Connections 2009
T
he careers of both Teddy Thompson and
Martha Wainwright were always going to
be haunted by their inherited dynasties.
Over a decade since their musical debuts,
both on the backs of their parents, Martha’s voice is
arguably foremost within her family. Teddy's, how-
ever, does not have the substance to convincingly
escape the shadow of his family tree.
Thompson’s band are as competent as they
are dapper, but their sound is too tight to breathe.
There is also a distracting sense of affectation in his
stage persona, with his Johnny Cash impersona-
tion reaching parodic proportions during ‘Can’t
Sing Straight’. His voice, though decidedly Amer-
ican in texture, is pleasantly euphonious. Used to
its strength with Leonard Cohen’s ‘Tonight Will Be
Fine’, it precipitates mass swaying and some local-
ised swooning throughout the venue.
Wainwright's guitar playing with opener ‘This
Life’ is blend of delicate finger picking and deci-
sive strumming, but nothing can distract from the
authority of her voice. When unleashed, the sheer
power of it is breathtaking, commanding abso-
lute attention, with the transition from whispered
to penetrating occurring seamlessly. It is hardly
surprising, then, when she tells us of her recent
foray into Opera, a revelation which earns a panto-
mimic display of reverence from the crowd.
This woman has performance in her blood; at
ease with the stage at all times, she narrates her
whims to us whether it be her sudden thirst for a
beer or her decision to steal Thompson’s guitar. She
soon invites Thompson onto the stage where they
venture a rendition of The Beatles’ ‘We Can Work It
Out’ with all the endearing preamble of a primary
school talent review. The overall effect of the
duet is winning and provides a brief respite from
the largely heart-wrenching material – just brief
enough for the audience to crave it once more.
Towards the end of the night she pulls out
‘Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole’ with a wink, trans-
forming a formidable string of expletives into a
thing of raw beauty. The evening seems to close
all too soon, though I see it is fast approaching
midnight. Without a doubt, she could have kept us
there until dawn.
I
t may seem odd that of all the artists capa-
ble of channelling and preserving Britain's
musical and cultural history, a beret-wearing
Muslim expatriate would be the most willing.
Then again, traditional songs have always played
an integral part in Richard Thompson’s repertoire
throughout his forty year career in the music indus-
try, especially as one of the founding members of
Fairport Convention.
If performing compositions from most eras
of known musical history in chronological order,
accompanied by just a percussionist (Judith Owen)
and backing singer (Debra Dobkin — appropriately
the wife of Spinal Tap’s Harry Shearer) sounds like a
ballsy, over-ambitious venture, that’s because it is.
At least it was when the show was conceived, as by
this stage, any doubts as to whether Thompson
can recreate Gilbert and Sullivan’s orchestral
majesty alone, on an acoustic guitar, have
been entirely dispelled.
Arriving onstage brandishing a hurdy-gurdy
and launching into a spirited Medieval-era ‘Edi
Beo Thu Hevene Quene’, the folk-rocker displays
his versatility from the off. Two numbers later, he
performs ‘So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo’ a cuckolding
song, sung in colloquial Renaissance Italian.
Though the lyrics are indecipherable to unilingual
audience members, the song’s purported subject
matter is certainly familiar Thompson territory, as is
that of ‘The Fause Knight Upon the Road’, in which
a wide-eyed schoolboy randomly encounters the
very embodiment of irrational evil.
The first half of the evening gels incredibly well,
and Thompson is to be commended for forging his
own distinctive imprint on tracks already recorded
by his folky peers Bert Jansch and Steeleye Span.
Though the second set, encompassing the twen-
tieth century, proves less consistent, it is still
intermittently thrilling, and even illuminating in
places. As he ends on a rendition of Nelly Furtado's
‘Maneater’, complete with a choral Latin interlude,
it is clear that no other artist could pull this type of
show off. ‘1000 Years...’ succeeds greatly as a stop
gap, but one gets the impression that it is slightly
more satisfying for Thompson as a break
from his day job, than it is a show
for paying converts.
Van Gill Media/ The Arian Crow
Luke Winter
N
ow in its tenth year, Showcase Scotland
remains instrumental in getting Scot-
tish talent publicity, as the city becomes
inundated with promoters. Despite the
pageant-like aspect, the four acts manage to retain
a sense of informailty and intimacy this evening.
First up is Bodega, a young folk quintet with a
host of instruments, ranging from fiddle through
accordion to bagpipes. The talent of this group as
instrumentalists is striking, and their own compo-
sition, ‘The Midnight Tramp’ proves that they can
write just as well. It is a swirling storm of a piece,
with a fusion sound not too far divorced from the
likes of Kíla, complete with some exceptionally
impressive harp shredding.
Corrina Hewat appears on stage next, heavily
pregnant, yet (she reminds us) eminently book-
able, for a much more intimate set. Initially she is
alone with just her harp, but is later accompanied
by acoustic guitar. She plays her instrument in a
curious manner, dancing ever-so-slightly with it
and cycling through a host of facial expressions,
as if engaging it in a secret dialogue, occasionally
throwing the audience a complicit glance. She is
a pleasure to watch perform and the music itself
is entrancing, as is her sonorous voice combining
with it to create a sleepy celtic pop.
Brendan Campbell has had a
strange day, he tells us, having just
dashed from the SECC supporting
Keane — we won’t hold that against
him. The only native Glaswegian of
the night, Campbell plays your average
folky-singy-songwritey material. His
rapid finger-picking is quite good, but
somewhat dampened by the output’s
narrow scope.
Completing the bill is Fiddler’s Bid, with
enough violins to feed an army. As their parts
have little independence, the abundance of
fiddles seems a little redundant, though displays
their sheer volume of talent. They play a few feet-
tapping reels and a couple of airs that make my
eyelids close of their own accord, rounding off the
proceedings nicely, though hardly with a bang.
Gigs
Broken Records
11/02/09
Òran Mór
Seven piece chamber-pop outfit Broken Records
arrange strings, mandolin, accordian and a host
of other instruments to great effect. A free gig as
part of The Mill, they have recently signed to 4AD
so see them before they start charging.
Emmy the Great
14/02/09
King Tut's
Emma-Lee Moss returns to Glasgow Promoting
her debut album First Love, appropriately enough
on Valentines day. Bound to be a charming
performance, swooning indie couples aside
Asobi Seksu
14/02/09
ABC2
What better way to spend Valentines day but
with some fun sex? Of course, I am talking about
the messy translation of Asobi Seksu’s name
here, and not anything else they charge you at
the door for. First-rate, dreamy shoegaze sung
bilingually.
Black Lips
17/02/09
ABC2
Recently being forced to flee India after exposing
themselves on stage, you know you should at
least be in for an interesting night. Messy, bluesy
punk with a sixties influence, hopefully it won’t
be obscured by puerile antics. Unless that is what
you’re into.
Das Pop
17/02/09
King Tut's
Hailing from Ghent in Belgium, Das Pop play
some very maturely arranged Indie-pop,
gently influenced by electro to give it a bit of
momentum. Have hooks coming out of their ears
and a respectable diversity in their material.
The Dykeenies
18/02/08
King Tut's
In between albums at the moment, The Dykeenies
are apparently experimenting with bongos and
gospel choirs for their prospective release. I
wouldn’t hold my breath for the latter fitting on
the stage. Fun indie from Cumbernauld.
Tricky
19/02/09
The Arches
Along with Portishead and Massive Attack (of
which he was a founding member), Tricky was
one of the pioneers of the nineties trip-hop
scene– fantastic genre, terrible name. Expect a
decade spanning set.
 inSIGHT

7
music

PA G E
Rocking the cradle There’s bin a murrdurr

The Cribs
ABC
04/02/2009
>> Laura Cernis

S
waggering onto the stage amidst cat
calls and cheers, the Wakefield trio (plus
one faintly ridiculed ex-Smiths member) >> Oisín Kealy
launch straight into new track, ‘We Were For me, Kylie Minogue has made no greater
Aborted’, quickly proving their worth to the punt- contribution to music than with her death. This is not
ers. A song later and the ever-catchy intro to ‘Hey proposed derisively; for the hit machine she proved
Scenesters’ starts up – cue ABC erupting into a cha- herself to be through much of this decade, I cannot
os of vowels and excitement. Luckily for those who deny her a certain deserved acclaim. My argument
are not Cribs fans (few out of the sold out crowd, is that no artistic endeavour she has made up until
it would appear), the hang of The Cribs live is fairly this point, including her nuanced performances in
simple — your hair is not supposed to resemble a both Neighbours and Street Fighter: The Movie, will
‘cut’ nor your shoes be attached to your feet by the ever resonate as deeply as her dulcet death rattle at
end of the final song. the hands of Nick Cave.
They carry on in much the same form as they From the fragrant production to his choice of
always have, the new songs they play dotted Luke Winter victim, ‘Where the Wild Roses Grow’ is an exem-
among old favourites, showing perhaps a slightly Sonic Youth fame) voicing his spoken-word part of Wrong Way To Be’, probably high on the sugar- plary addition to one of my favourite canons, the
heavier edge than seen previously. Their five new the Cribs/Ranaldo collaboration. happy, sweat-drenched crowd — Ryan kicks his murder ballad. Whether killer or victim, Cave knew
offerings all go down well, however, ‘Cheat On Me’ Speaking of rich, famous people, I am still shoes into the crowd as a final act of devotion, and how to execute the tradition faultlessly. His Murder
receiving as warm a reception as any of the singles pretty nonplussed as to the point of Johnny Marr's it’s a mark of respect that the crowd try to throw Ballads album is, for me, his most enduring work;
from their third album. Always a favourite, ‘Another addition to the band — aside from playing the them back. The Cribs’ raw pop sensibilities shine not because of its production values, its diversity of
Number’ brings the crowd to riot, yet also high- occasional C chord, his job seems mainly to be that through and are enlivened by the fact that they styles, or the intimidating roster of guest artists, but
lights the sad lack of first and second album mate- of whipping the crowd into a frenzy and not being forget words, fall over occasionally and can’t quite because of its sheer body count. This is the sonic
rial in the setlist. biologically related to the other members. True, escape technical problems at any of their gigs. equivalent of a slasher flick, but crafted with infi-
The advantages of becoming an older, richer he succeeds in this effort, but the thought of him Anything unprofessional in another band becomes nitely more care.
band, however, become apparent when ‘Be Safe’ singing about the price of bus fares and teenage endearing with them, teenage, and is made up for
is played, a projected video across the back of the love makes me a little queasy. with pure, bloodthirsty enthusiasm. They are live “The only act of passion that
stage showing a mammoth-sized Lee Ranaldo (of The band end on an ecstatic, extended ‘The music at its best, exciting, sweaty, and fun. gave me a thrill was frenzied
Franz Ferdinand Empire of the Sun murder”
Tonight Walking on a Dream My dad first introduced me to the genre by
pointing to The Doors’ ‘Riders on the Storm, that
Domino - 26/01/09 Domino - 23/02/09 cautionary yet funky tale warning against picking
With the characteristic brashness that carried From a glance at the nauseatingly 80s, Sieg- up hitchhikers — a practice he routinely engaged
them to fame, Franz Ferdinand’s third album, fried and Roy-esque album cover of Empire in with me in the car after the telling, to my distress.
‘Tonight’ arrives with enthusiastic art in the of The Sun’s forthcoming release of ‘Walking This was a revelation. Until then I had found it hard
heart of an especially bleak winter. Their 2004 on a Dream’, you get a fair idea of what might to accept the fact that all anybody ever seemed to
debut found success through its immediacy follow sonically. This album is another offering sing about was love; As a seven-year-old boy this
and assertiveness, and against our current from Australia’s small but so far innovative was, understandably, of little interest to me. Perhaps
backdrop of economic and cultural horror, electro scene, hailing bands such as Cut/Copy, as a sign of the desensitising times, the only act of
this record charting the highs, lows and petty The Presets and The Midnight Juggernauts. passion that gave me a thrill was frenzied murder.
distresses of Alex Kapranos’ nights out seems Neither of the band’s frontmen are strangers This song combined two of my favourite emerging
aimed at setting a similarly lucrative contrast. to the business, Luke Steel being from the interests at that age, the macabre and the musical.
From the bottom up, Franz Ferdinand have nurtured a blaring sense little known band Sleepy Jackson, while Nick Littlemore was one half of dance As much as I love a good slaughter through
of modernity, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it imperative, which is carried on duo Pnau. However, this album fails to win any points for being edgy or innova- song, a problem for me in more recent times has
throughout Tonight and is easily observed in their lyrics. About half the songs tive as they bear a little too much similarity to a certain four-letter band who been the perceived indivisibility between the artist
here are abstract, second-person demands, with repeated commands such as are particularly popular at the moment (sounds like schmem-gmt). and their art. Eminem’s ‘97 Bonnie and Clyde’ is
“Turn it on” or “Bite hard” as choruses. Franz Ferdinand are pushing us to act, The album’s first single, ‘Walking on a dream’, is a synth-infused pop track inventive, engaging and horrifying, but just a little
embrace something unfamiliar — like this staggeringly original record. with airy strings and a catchy chorus, but despite its merits, the pseudo 80s too grounded in truth for comfort. Rather than
The other half are rambling, tongue-in-cheek personal reflections. These sound comes across as a little contrived and more than a little unimaginative. slasher flick, this almost veers into snuff. Sitting
now feature the introduction of some Morrisey-lite uncertainties, such as “I This is slightly amended by Steel’s vocals, which switch to soaring falsettos easier with me is Tori Amos’ completely inverted
love you, I mean, I mean I need to love,” which, although uncomfortably deriv- at will, giving the album a unique touch. Stylistic similarity could be drawn cover, claiming the voice of victim rather than villain
ative, have aged considerably better. After two albums of these clumsy lyrical with David Bowie, musical blasphemy though that comparison may be. They and, crucially, acting instead of ranting.
tricks, Franz Ferdinand are at risk of exposing their loud and exciting projec- continue in this way through the tracks ‘Half Mast’ and ‘Tiger by My Side’, which The murder ballad should be an exercise in
tion of the future as a merely lukewarm rehash of their own previous ideas. are not altogether bad, but fail to dazzle or excite. theatricality. Lovers, siblings, children; no-one
This has been evaded thus far through the incorporation of ‘retro’ musical A track with a little more to show, ‘Delta Ray’, would probably raise the is safe in these accounts of jealousy and jilting,
ideas: “sure, it's been done before, but we’re consciously reusing it, so it’s ok”. standard but the horrible vocal effects which poison the song. The same can be revenge and repression. As studies of deeply flawed
This time we have more synthesiser, yet the same garage-band guitar loops said for ‘Country’, an ethereal instrumental spoiled by unconvincing Country & humans, they let you confront the tragic without
and white-boy dance beats, giving ‘No You Girls’ a delightful tinge of Girls Western guitar parts. Not all the tracks are lifeless or obnoxious though; second experiencing it, in the way horror films allow us the
Aloud, but lead single ‘Ulysses’ a frightening similarity to the new U2 song. single contestant ‘Swordfish Hotkiss Night’ is slightly better, employing an same. The fun of murder ballads is in the sense of
Although at times enjoyable, Tonight is an empty bet, an emperor with upbeat disco tempo and vocals reminiscent of Prince. In general, this album is costume. Everybody knows the bad guys have the
no clothes. The difficulty is in realising that it is much worse than it thinks it is. not terrible, yet lacks something significant: possibly originality, possibly soul. best lines; it only becomes too disturbing when you
(Harry Akehurst) Whatever it is, it certainly makes for mediocre music. (Catriona Reilly) think they might actually mean them.
 &%+#+;B

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