The Gown Student Newspaper at Queen's University Belfast

It. Was. Just. Good. Craic. People need to chill.

Just generally....confused by all of this.

your silence, Mr Moore, is ominous

diciplined?? ha ha

in the words of the joker: "why so serious?" lol

and under what conditions would he be diciplined?

I agree and hope you are disciplined!

@ why?

"This is a sincere misrepresentation of the PSNI and I hope they are disciplined"

I refer you to the BBC NI "comedy" Give My Head Peace, I do not recall seeing any of the actors involved in this show making any court appearances in regard in mis-representing the PSNI or the RUC. Catch a grip of yourself.

I didn’t want to have to do this but you have forced my hand.
Primarily I had problems doing a genuine critique on Thomas’ piece because it was so poorly written, both in terms of spelling, punctuation and grammar and his off-the-wall sense of continuity.
I have already rubbished his first two paragraphs by showing that the most recent story was Clarissa Long’s article on St. George’s Market. His third paragraph is as follows:
“The story open with “Police and University officials looked on helplessly as young people sang and danced along with music blaring from one of the houses” and then goes on to say “Police officers then took the decision to run at the crowd, and this was successful in moving the revellers from the concentrated area” And then “police officers put an amplifier and guitar into the back of a police van”.”
Notwithstanding the obvious omission of the letter “s” at the end of the third word, Thomas’ paragraph doesn’t actually say anything other than giving examples of lines from the original report.
Without developing on whatever point he was about to make here his next paragraph launches into a tirade about the issue of broken glass and punctured car tyres. Having very little to do with whatever he’d written before I decided that after I’d finished roping him about his obviously very poor command of the English language that this would be the perfect place to begin dismantling his... argument. I use the word “argument”, I suppose it’s applicable but it doesn’t really do justice to what Thomas wrote.
Punctured, by the way does not necessarily imply that the tyres deflated, it merely means that glass perforated the rubber.
Having then countered his stance that glass was unable to puncture car tyres I moved on to the notion that had the Gown team assisted the Students’ Union officials that perhaps the situation may not have been as bad as it were, although I admit at this juncture that I purely dismissed it out of hand and I will repeat that right now as the idea is simply ludicrous.
Thomas then goes on to say “An attempt to make a mole hill out of what was – yes a disturbance – but more more of a disturbance that the Gown journalists would have witnessed had they taken the time to take a walk any where else in the city (or anywhere else in NI)”.
Firstly the phrase is “to make a mountain out of a mole hill”, which implies that something small, such as a mole hill, has been exaggerated to something that is large, such as a mountain. Essentially what Thomas has said, I think, is that the Gown team tried to exaggerate that something as small as a disturbance was as small a mole hill.
Secondly on St. Patrick’s Day I was on the Lisburn Road and I was in Stranmillis. There were no disturbances, thus this rubbishes Thomas’ claim.
Thomas then says that the Gown’s reporting of the FACT that Student Officers and University Officials observed the chaos until late was not true. He bases this around the idea that the sentence implies that, and these are Thomas’ words, “they were simply to try and keep some calm.”
Here is a picture of chaos
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=3972935&a...
And here is a picture of student officers passively observing the chaos
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=3971806&a...
Thomas, Student Officers and University Officials did observe the chaos until late. Just because they were not as you say “passive observers rather than people who gave up their St [Patrick’s day”, does not mean that they did not observe the chaos until late.
Thomas goes on to say “The readers aren’t stupid and can see through this. The Gown have an added difficulty in that it seems their dispute with the Union has coloured what they will (or will not report).” Does Thomas have any other suggestions as to what should have been reported by a student publication on St. Patrick’s Day?
Thomas then goes on to admit that the student officers were relatively successful in maintaining order for large portions of the day. Indeed the Holylands were reasonably calm for most of the day, as referenced in the Gown article “NEWS: Holylands remains reasonably calm as St. Patrick’s Day progresses”.
Thomas then finishes with a summation of the question I had originally posed by being yet again critical of the Gown team. He goes on to say “It’s not professional and its not right. It’s a shame two because each and every time the Gown make decisions to be selective in their reporting based on anything but an attempt to report the truth – the let down those who came before and present problems for those who will follow after.” Again notwithstanding spelling and grammatical errors, which feature in abundance, I would like to refer you to the BBC’s coverage of the day at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/857458...
Would you consider the BBC to be a professional news organisation? Did they report the rock-the-boat incident? This is a crime as the perpetrators are obstructing a public highway. Did they report the mooning incident? This is a crime because it breaches the basic tenants of public decency. The BBC as per usual reported stats and figures and the opinionated ramblings of people in high office, in this case the head of the University of Ulster.
Me fail English? That’s unpossible.
Brian, if you think last year was a fully fledged riot you have lived a sheltered life my friend. Were there any petrol bombs? No. Did anyone burn a bus out across Carmel Street? No. Did police fire baton rounds into the crowd? No. Was Water Canon used to disperse the crowd? No.
There was also heavy police presence on the ground and the sabbatical officer to whom I spoke last year seemed to be there, unless I was having some kind of hallucination.

Unknowablemale...

Notwithstanding the bad spelling and grammar of Thomas above you didn't really address all of his points. Actually, apart from the issue of broken glass and a bit of a kicking about spelling, grammar and punctuation you didn't really respond at all.

Whilst good grammar, punctuation and spelling are of course admirable skills, being rude, superior and self righteous are sometime viewed as a little less admirable.

It seems that the main thrust of what Thomas was saying is that the Gown seem to have reported the events of the day without any real reference to the actions of the Students' Union/Union Officers, University staff and police expect in a fairly disparaging dismissive way.

Now, if there were 70 volunteers on the streets,as has been reported, and that they were cleaning up and talking to people throughout they day, then this would be 70 more people than last year wouldn't it not? And surely they must have had some impact.

Last year there was a fully fledged riot with no presence on the ground. This year there was a disturbance yes, but a night and day difference from last year - and what is the variation? 70 volunteers and what seems like a lot of work and planning.

Clearly it wasn't great...but neither was it a complete disaster. A report which made an attempt to demonstrate this balance probably would have been more appropriate.

P.S. (that's "Post Script" Thomas)

"unknownmale, lets take at look at the most recent story by way of example" is a delightful piece about St. George's Market by Clarissa Long, and has been for some time, certainly since before you wrote your post.

Thomas, I had difficulty reading your reply, it's full of little mistakes such as having an "m" where there should be an "n", leaving the "s" missing at the end of the word "opens", using brackets incorrectly, the inability to use the word "incorrect" in place of "not correct" (Primary 2 antonyms) and use of the word "two" where you should have used "too".
Your continuity was so poor that I found myself having to go back over what you’d written in the previous paragraph on several occasions.
Your closing sentence “the let down those who came before and present problems for those who will follow after” makes no sense to me whatsoever. And before you look it up “whatsoever” is in fact a word.
Now when you’re ready I would like you to imagine if you will a Buckfast bottle, broken so as only the bottom remains intact, with sharp spires of glass rising from the round base. If you would kindly explain how it would be impossible for a piece of glass such as this to puncture a poorly inflated car tyre I will write to Peter Gregson and demand that he issues you with a 2:2 degree in physics immediately.
I’m sure he’ll happily award it in your absence considering that you’re on another planet with comments such as “Perhaps had they offered a hand, or did anything other that get in the way – things might have improved that little bit more.”
I would love to know why you included the quotation “police officers put an amplifier and guitar into the back of a police van”. This is in fact the truth; I went to school with the guy to whom the musical equipment belonged.
I’ll leave you with this; learn to spell, learn to articulate sentences correctly and learn how to use punctuation correctly. Then come back to me.
Ralph Wiggum – “Me fail English? That’s unpossible.”

unknownmale, lets take at look at the most recent story by way of example:

NEWS: Night brings more disorder to Holylands

The story open with "Police and University officials looked on helplessly as young people sang and danced along with music blaring from one of the houses" and then goes on to say "Police officers then took the decision to run at the crowd, and this was successful in moving the revellers from the concentrated area" And then "police officers put an amplifier and guitar into the back of a police van"

The notion that somehow the glass strewn across the road caused punctured tyres "Motorists attempted to dodge broken glass on the road, but many onlookers watched as tyres were punctured' is just nonsense - unless the motorist in question had replaced their tyres for bicycle tyres this is just rubbish. An attempt to make a mole hill out of what was - yes a disturbance - but more more of a disturbance that the Gown journalists would have witnessed had they taken the time to take a walk any where else in the city (or anywhere else in NI)

Then the stuff about "Student officers and University officials observed the chaos until late" - 2 points - its not correct, it implies that they were simply passive observers rather than people who gave up their St [Patrick's day to try and keep some calm. they were in and out of people house and cleaning up the area throughout the day and evening. If they hadn't been there we can all see what the headline would have been on this website.

Look - the Gown can be reporters of fact, or peddlers or opinion, but when they blend the two and present it as objective journalisn they do they paper and its reputation a disservice.

The readers aren't stupid and can see through this. The Gown have an added difficulty in that it seems their dispute with the Union has coloured what they will (or will not report).

During the day there were scores (if not more) student volunteers organised by the union which maintained relative calm for a large portion of the day - this was (with the local churches help and support) the one action which helped avoid a repeat of last year. Rather than acknowledge this and the time ordinary students gave up to help the Gown chose not too - even though they were well aware. Instead they spent the day running around like field mice taking photos. Perhaps had they offered a hand, or did anything other that get in the way - things might have improved that little bit more.

So - you say i implied that what the Gown reported wasn't the truth - in part yes this is what I am saying. Through omissions and embellishments (seemingly because they don't seem to like the union and union officers) I think that the Gown presented an incomplete picture of St Patrick's. It's not professional and its not right. It's a shame two because each and every time the Gown make decisions to be selective in their reporting based on anything but an attempt to report the truth - the let down those who came before and present problems for those who will follow after.

I

Maybe someone paid the media so they would downplay all the disturbances and arrests in the Holylands this St Patrick's Day... to make it look as if Belfast City Council and the PSNI did a fantastic job.

Just a theory...

Check these out, all you doubters...

http://aldousduke.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/holylan...

http://enemyofthestatusquo.blogspot.com/

actually Thomas your use of the word sensationalism invokes notions that what the Gown reported about St Paddy's Day in the Holylands was nothing like the truth. Tell me, were there any points in either of the articles with which you do not agree? Keeeping in mind that there's photographic evidence to support most of what was written.

i agree, not funny and when you compare it with the stupid sensationalism of some of the stories published on the gown about St. Patrick's day in the Holylands it really doesn't fit with the overall narrative.

I have to say I'm with Alan, it's not funny, you could have done so much better.

WAOW! Where did you learn how to use photoshop? That's really really good. You're clever. =)

This is a sincere misrepresentation of the PSNI and I hope they are disciplined

@Alan

Oh please. Who said it has to be funny? It's clearly a light hearted comment on the fact that police had no substantial complaints in carrying out their duties this year in the Holylands. No riot gear etc was required. I suspect it is also making a little jibe at the fact that the police were so keen to talk about what a good job they done and pat themselves on the back etc. Calm down and lighten up.

Yeah it is an ok pic but lets be honest... it's not funny.

another top pic!