I write in relation to the planned Public Sector strikes on Wednesday 30^th November. I am the son of a hard-working and diligent public servant who also happens to be a shop steward.

During this time of economic torpor, it is repugnant that unions would consider striking whilst the economy is in such a delicate and fragile state. This strike will not only hinder economic growth but also disrupt many in the private sector who rely on public services in order to keep their businesses afloat. Their argument omits a most pertinent consideration; the whole world faces economic challenges, it is deeply irresponsible of unions to strike at this time, especially when the government has been consistently proactive in seeking a deal that is good for both public sector workers and tax payers.  Changes must be made in all areas of public finances and it is quite distasteful that they would call a strike on this scale, mid-negotiation, when the government is trying to finalise future policy. The Union bosses must wake up to the simple fact that the current arrangements are unsustainable, unrealistic and unless we want to end up like Italy, Spain or Greece they must agree a financially viable package. 

Put simply and plainly, many, but not all, in the public sector have had it too good for far too long. Public Sector workers must bare their fair share of the burden, as the private sector has been doing for some time. Defined benefit pensions are a rare luxury in the private sector and as they dissipate out, so should follow in the public sector. Change is both necessary and highly likely in these tough economic times. People are living longer and as a result it is not unfair to ask us all to furnish our own pension pots accordingly, bearing in mind many in the private sector don’t receive any employer contributions at all.  Many public sector employees have the option to retire at or before 60, UK life expectancy has risen to 78 for males and 82 for females, whilst this is to be welcomed, we must also be prepared to subsidise our ever extending latter years. Combined with a grossly inflated rise in the standard of living, people in all areas of life have become too comfortable and such meteoric rises simply cannot be sustained and at some time or another, it had to come to an end. Society must take the rough with the smooth.

Whilst I commend much of the progress the unions have made with regard to worker-rights, I condemn them for striking when it is incumbent upon the entire nation to work to aid recovery; it makes no sense to bring the country to a standstill when much still needs to be done in order to bring about long-overdue reform.  Thirteen sorry years of a Labour government saw a gross inflation of the public sector, a cavalier attitude towards creating pointless jobs in order to reduce unemployment and an attempt to bring many up to the ‘middle-class’ mark, as Tony Blair once said ‘we are all now middle-class.’ The public sector faired exceptionally well under Labour, this was one of their many mistakes. Labour did try to reform teaching pensions in 2004, but were scared away by the unions. Maybe if they had adopted a stronger position then, such vast changes would not be required now and the unions would be less militant in their attitude to change. Similarly, if the unions had acquiesced to engagement previously, dialogue at this stage may have been more constructive. As a result of this inaction, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat government is once again left to tidy up the mess of the Blair-Brown-Balls era.

There is no logic in classroom teachers going on strike. Over the last 11 years, teachers have seen a massive 50% increase in their salary. A qualified classroom teacher of ten years experience can now receive an annual salary of up to £39,000. I would be the first to say, and rightly so. Education is the pinnacle of a successful, prosperous and dynamic workforce, many of our teachers are a credit to us all and do a fantastic job, I would not be where I am today if it were not for the first rate grammar school education I received. However, teachers cannot see such a rise in pay and not be expected to contribute more to their pensions. Although teachers deny it, even if you take marking, planning, training days and after-school activities into account, teachers still accumulate at least 2 months of holiday per annum, just about all of them enjoy job security and many enjoy flexible working conditions, great pensions and career prospects. I am yet to meet a teacher who is not a Head of Department, Head of Year, Music Coordinator, Timetable Coordinator, Head of Pastoral Care or member of the Senior or Middle Management Team. Teachers need to realise that they cannot have it all their own way.

Many in the private sector and indeed those against the strike in the public sector, would have a different opinion, if the taxpayer actually received a high standard of service for the taxes they pay. Although a high standard can be found in some areas such as HMRC, the Police, music tuition, certain schools and certain areas of the healthcare system, unfortunately this is not universal. If services received in the private sector were to as low a standard, as is often found in many agencies within the public sector, customers would simply not return and the business would fold. There is no such threat on many of the agencies in the public sector. Despite the outrageous number of managers present within the sector, standards are not universally high.

Ronald Regan had the right idea in the 1980s, when the air traffic control unions began making unreasonable demands and went on strike, he fired 11,000 of those workers and used the military to replace them until new workers could be found, hired and retrained. There are many people, recently unemployed, who would cut off their right arm for some of the terms, conditions and benefits of employment enjoyed by many in public sector agencies.  

I would make two final points in relation to the unions.

1. When do officials conduct their organisational activity in relation to these strikes? A recent freedom of information request revealed that, in 152 of the councils that responded (there are 468 councils in the UK), more than 800 people were carrying out union work during working hours. Ministers are now rightly calling for a change in the law. They allude to that fact that taxpayers’ money is bankrolling the union officials orchestrating these strikes. Mrs. Thatcher rightly strengthened the legislation in relation in unions and ballots in the workplace, it is now time for the government to examine the extent to which government time is being used aid the organisation of these strikes.

2.  I have to question the democratic nature of this strike given the low formal ballot support it has received. To take an example Unison, the biggest of the public sector unions saw less than 1 in 3 vote in favour of this strike. Over all only 30% of government workers actually voted in the ballot and less than 25% of health workers voted. The government should legislate to ensure that strike action can only go ahead if over 50% of the entire work force supports the strike, democracy should not be abandoned to advance a point of principle.

The Unions and many in the public sector have a grievance, I accept that, but wouldn’t it be more palatable, more widely supported and respected, if all those against the changes got together on a Saturday outside Westminster and protested on their own time? Three or four million people using their free time to protest against the changes proposed to their pensions would be quite a sight and although I support the changes being made, those striking might just grow somewhat in my estimation.  

Joel James Lowry

Post-Graduate Student IPLS

Today marks the end of an era with the closing of the Bookshop at Queen’s . This independent bookshop has nurtured the needs of students for over 53 years. This closure brings to an end the first-class advice and guidance given to students and the public. The Bookshop at Queen’s serviced all the needs of students and staff from every department in the University and it is a travesty that we have allowed this centre of learning to close as a result of ignorance by Sir Peter Gregson.

The bookshop added to the prestige of Queen’s University and only ever added to the quality of degrees that students worked for. The friendly and helpful staff were always willing to help and advise all customers to the best of their experienced knowledge. Queen’s University has now lost a piece of its history and uniqueness.

What is most hurtful is the way this closure is being carried out. The Bookshop at Queen’s has been replaced by a deal with WH Smith in the centre of town. Claims that the Bookshop at Queen’s was making a loss in profit are incorrect however Sir Peter doesn’t seem to want to be bothered either consulting with students or staff or looking at the numbers.

This is a sad day for Queen’s University as we lose yet another piece to our prestige and excellence.

Cathy Corbett
Chemical engineering student at QUB

Having been born and bred in the area the Queen’s Quarter formed a major part of my life, for which the loss of the Bookshop will leave a major gap. This just wasn’t a Bookshop, it was an arena where people met and gained acquaintances; a place where I have made some very good friendships in this house of excellence and knowledge.

I never imagined life without the Bookshop, along with many others. The shop attracted people from all over the world drawn to it by the wisdom and social interaction gained from the shopping experience.

As the shop closes this coming Saturday it marks a major blow, not only to people’s lives, but to the cultural heritage of our city. Last week when the looters roared through London they famously left one shop standing full of stock. This wasn’t an electric store, an off license or sports shop. It was instead a Bookshop. Maybe this says more about our society than we care to imagine.

The Bookshop survived through some of the darkest days of the troubles; was witness to the civil rights movement, the end of Stormont, the beginning of the troubles, and various peace agreements throughout the years. This history has been bought and sold in the Bookshop through its rich catalogue of books on display, despite having lived through the darkest days of our past. It has provided a means of understanding our history and the various complexities of the situation.

As an undergraduate it provided me with the resources to not only complete my degree and advance in my studies from a Masters in Research to a PhD. I am saddened that it will not be there for me to complete my studies. Unfortunately many future students will not be able to share the experience of browsing, queuing and finding books they never thought existed, or going into the shop at the start of term to pile their arms sky high with books which they struggle to bring home.

The closure marks a loss to the local community, which extends beyond Queen’s and Belfast. It will be missed as the doors close this coming Saturday. Thank you for all the fond memories.

Kindest regards

Andrew Charles

We note that we are constitutionally and legally obligated to support LGBT students and we are very happy to do so. We firmly believe that LGBT students and Christian students are not mutually exclusive groups. Both can be supported and indeed we support both. The Union has hosted numerous evangelical Christian events in the past. The idea of the Union being anti-Christian is frankly hysterical and inaccurate when one of our largest societies is the Christian Union.

The Students’ Union rejects those self-appointed people who claim to speak for all Christians. We further note the extensive participation of Christian groups in the Belfast Pride parade and the friendly and constructive relations between QUB’s LGBT and Christian Union societies. We also believe that isolating the actions of one person to define a parade of 30,000 attendees is disingenuous.

The Executive Committee of the Students’ Union have met, as we did last year, and have decided that the rainbow flag will fly on Pride Week to support our LGBT members. Whether the flag flies or not, we support our LGBT membership all year round.

We are confident that this is in tune with the vast majority of our membership’s wishes. If not, we expect our membership to use the democratic structures of the Union to let us know otherwise.

Adam McGibbon

Vice President Welfare (su.vpwelfare@qub.ac.uk)

Treasa Harkin

Vice President Equality  (su.vpequality@qub.ac.uk)

There is nothing quite like a prejudice to blind one to the facts. That thought occurred to me when I read the post on the Gown entitled “Homophobic assault at Pride”. Even the information as reported by Ben Finch would have alerted an impartial reader to the fact that there was more to Mr Kerr’s story than first met the eye. For example, Mr Kerr is reported to have said that the police wouldn’t allow him to make a formal complaint about the alleged assault. He also says that he had been removed from the march by its organisers.

BY SAMUEL MORRISON

But, due to the prejudice of Mr Finch, the reason for these facts was not explored. Rather he shot off to write a post about nasty fundamentalist Christians attacking a peaceful participant in Saturday’s parade.

Unsurprisingly, Conal McDevitt was quick to feed the anti-Christian prejudice, branding those who protested “Neanderthal”.

But just why wasn’t Mr Kerr permitted to make a formal complaint and why was he removed from the parade?

Throughout the time in which Mr Kerr was in the vicinity of the Christian witness, in excess of 20 minutes as he chose to stand beside the Christian demonstration for almost the entirety of the parade, he attempted to obscure the Biblical texts displayed by the Christians with his placard and screamed abuse. During that time I stood within a few feet of Mr Kerr and never once did I see anyone punch him or do anything remotely like that.

That is not to say that Mr Kerr did not do everything in his power to provoke the Christian protestors. His behaviour was such that he was spoken to by police and actually had to be manhandled by an officer away from the protest. By his own admission he was removed from the parade by its organisers. Why? Because his conduct was such that it embarrassed “Belfast Pride” – not that facts such as that would concern The Gown or indeed Mr McDevitt.

Having dealt with the issue of the phantom assault permit me to introduce something which has been sorely lacking from The Gown when it comes to the whole issue of “gay rights” – a bit of balance.

Your post about the complaints flowing from the display of a rainbow flag on the Union was an offensive caricature of why a Christian would find this objectionable. Rather than allow a spokesperson for an alternative view point to articulate in a reasoned way why there would be those who find the flag offensive, The Gown chose to selectively quote sections from objections from unnamed individuals who, I can only assume, didn’t know that their objections were likely to be published on a website. Additionally, we have no means of independently verifying these quotes. We are purely at the mercy of Mr Finch – whose post on 31st July on the supposed assault calls his ability to be impartial when it comes to these matters into serious question.

Permit me, therefore, to explain why someone would find the flying of the “Gay Pride” flag offensive.

It is important to remember that core beliefs of Christianity have come under attack during Belfast Pride. A few years ago there was controversy surrounding the displaying of a placard which attacked Jesus Christ. Another offensive poster was displayed this year.

Treasa Harkin says that the flag on the Union is a symbol of support. Indeed it is. It is a symbol of support for a parade which goes out of its way to be highly offensive to Christians and to falsely accuse them of assault.
Its display brands the Union building and makes it a very uninviting place for Evangelical Christians. For the VP of Welfare to declare that the flag will double in size for every complaint received only reveals his anti-Christian bigotry and indeed his desire to make the Union an uninviting place to one section of the student body at Queen’s. We often hear a lot of talk about the need for a shared society in Northern Ireland. What about some toleration for Christians?

If a Union flag or Irish tricolor were to have been displayed on the Union building and there was a similar response to the complains there would be an outcry. But not here. Why? Is it because the only acceptable form of prejudice at Queen’s is anti-Evangelical Christian prejudice?

It’s always been this way, hasn’t it Stephen?  You’ve always tried to do a good job, making sure everything was done right so it came out just perfect.  Unfortunately being a minister is just like playing sports at school, and this time you were the last one picked for the team.

BY BEN FINCH

So finally your chance came.  You worked towards this for years.  You became a councillor at 22, a doctor in international relations at 29, MLA and Mayor (double-jobbing, naughty naughty) at 26 and then your chance to shine arrived.  You became Minister for Employment and Learning.  You had been giving your opinion on university funding for such a long time.  You had the expertise.  You were going to do this right.

But you were the last one picked, no-one else wanted because it’s like the wrong grail in Indiana Jones that turns everyone into skeletons.  They’d all committed themselves to a freeze in tuition fees.  You hadn’t, you were open to suggestions, reasonable, and pragmatic politics.  Just as we’d expect.

But now it’s like those first few weeks at school when you’re forced out onto the pitch on a freezing cold, wet Saturday morning.  You’ve trained with the rest of them, you’re feeling fairly confident.  But now they’re kicking the ball around you and you can’t respond.  Suddenly papers you’ve tabled on fees, but decided not to discuss are leaked with a different spin; £3,290’s the favourite, not your recommended £4,500.  And to make things worse, sources claim it’s only to cover for some debacle with the DUP and Red Sky.

The ball’s been passed around you.  But it’s all right, you can track back.  Keep a cool head, chase it up and you’ll make the tackle.  But their best players are working in partnership and before you know it they’ve played a through ball that leaves you for dead.  The Cloyne inquiry’s been announced, there’s been violence on the streets.  Suddenly, the first minister and his deputy announce, without informing you, their commitment to capping fees.  You panic, you don’t answer your phone, a spokesperson for DEL utters a wry laugh when they hear no-one’s answering.

So go to the BBC, they’ll help. Just don’t appear flustered.  Get your message across clearly and calmly and you’ll stop them scoring.

“This is good news for students isn’t it?” asked the Beeb.

“Well discussions are still ongoing and no decision’s been taken yet.” Well said Stephen. Well said.

“Oh, so OFMDFM have jumped the gun?”

“Erm… No… Just… No decision’s been taken yet.”

Hard lines, you’ve been outplayed.  Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness didn’t say freezing fees was official Stormont policy, but they may as well have.  Any increase will now be seen as a major U-turn and on your head be it.  It’s the sort of thing that affects every family in the land, and they’re all struggling enough as it is.   You may as well call it full time, announce that the cap on fees is staying and figure out the details later.

I was surfing the Gown website again today and noticed something rather odd. Cast your minds back my fellow students to last week. A long time ago by student standards, especially around exam time, I will admit. Does anyone remember a specific issue that was being promoted by QUB Union? Perhaps not, or more likely, definitely not, seen as the Gown too is severely lacking in any mention of the Unions LGBT Awareness and Inclusivity Week.

This was a week designed to promote discussion and education about LGBT issues. Not the most popular event I will acknowledge and some would even argue it is a little niche.  Yet as the Union ordained it an issue which students should be aware and educated about I assumed that the Gown as the voice and herald of QUB students would review some of its events, perhaps condense some of the educational points it raised or at least…mention it….even in passing! Surely this official union event would warrant some coverage alongside the CU performance of Luke’s Gospel, articles on Glasvegas and the karate clubs fundraising?

Some of you may be asking what exactly the LGBT week was and I can only tell you from the events I attended.

Firstly the LGBT held an extremely thought provoking meeting on transgender issues with two transgender speakers who both educated and entertaining. As someone who has no experience or knowledge outside the media’s hyped hysteria around such issues I found the evening something of a revelation. The discussion was frank and the issues both serious and touching, as a male to female transgender individual discussed his experiences and life. This event humanised the transgendered community and brought home some of the real life issues surrounding such people in a way I had never begun to imagine. To call it thought provoking is an understatement. Sadly this event was poorly attended and I believe could have been better publicised. If nothing else it was an interesting and intellectually stimulating evening which I believe any student would have enjoyed.

The second event I attended was a showing of an LGBT film called, ‘If These Walls Could Talk 2′. A film that, although a poor sequel, was still extremely good. The showing was well attended and discussion and craic was aplenty.

Finally, I attended the LGBT debate about whether being a gay Christian was acceptable. I attended in the hopes of seeing the Christian Union and the LGBT kill each other, yet alas, it was not to be. The debate was largely secular in nature with the opposition admitting they were not religious and taking the argument in the unforeseen direction of why they believed a gay person should choose not to be a Christian or part of the structural Christian community. Despite the inequality caused by the opposition losing a speaker to stage fright and the obvious difficulty of arguing such a difficult topic, the debate passed off with energetic discussion, more laughs than I expected and a healthy question and answer display. Although the event leaned more towards the LGBT bias due largely to the secular standpoints taken and a noticeable lack of any hard line Christians or any CU members, beyond the token 3 that I could pick out, the event was incredibly interesting. The event drew a large crowd and was conducted with respect. Afterwards the crowd hung around and talked with the debaters, with each other, the LGBT representatives, the church representatives and healthy discussion flowed, before everyone retired to the Speakeasy for several drinks and a bit of craic.

I believe the LGBT Week, as a Union pushed event, had poor publicity and, whether this was the Unions fault or the LGBT’s, I believe that its lack of publicity meant that a great number of students missed out on some very entertaining and thought provoking events. Events which I was very sad to see the Gown had not reported upon at all. The Gown which is meant to inform students of what is happening at QUB and in their union, or at the very least, inform them of what they have missed. Was the Gown or the Students Union afraid to get its hands dirty with LGBT issues? Issues that many students still need educating about.

Kind regards,

Megan Laverty

Some people took the opportunity to punch but the majority just donated the money. We would like to thank everyone who donated – all proceeds are going to Japanese Red Cross the club isalso running the the Team Relay of the Belfast Marathon on May 2nd. There will be forms available at the PEC reception for anyone who wants to sponsor us.

Once again – thank you very much.

Michael Cole

Club Instructor

I write in relation to the protest march scheduled for April 6th in opposition to higher student fees and education cuts. I feel it is only fair that both sides of the argument are represented. I feel the argument of the protesters is devoid of reason and deficient of understanding. There is a veil of ignorance surrounding the need for the current changes and the impact they are likely to have.

I like many others agree that in an ideal world higher education should be free, however, due to the incompetency of the previous Labour government we are left in a position where significant changes must be made in all areas of public finance in order to reduce the deficit and pay off the debt. I believe the Vice Chancellor is being fair, prudent and pragmatic in suggesting fees of £6,000 (or so) for Queen’s students in the future. Students must remember that education does cost. The average annual cost to the State to educate a child at secondary school is £5,000, so it is not surprising that it costs nearly double that to educate a student at university. Our education will still be heavily subsidised by the State under the current proposals, and I don’t believe it is unfair to ask us to pay our way as going to University is not a human right or a prerequisite; it’s a personal preference which will benefit the individual. In which case, why shouldn’t the individual pay for a significant part of their university education? Asking us to pay more can only help encourage our participation in the educational process and enable us to demand more for our money, thus making our degree a sought after commodity in a free market economy.

Universities and the Government are keen to uphold the high standards of research and teaching within the UK and this should be supported. We cannot expect to get something for nothing, the government wants to maintain the level of funding for higher education and to do that, we must help by paying our way. The fact is, the current scheme proposed by the government is fair, no one will be discouraged from attending university as no fees will need to be paid upfront and repayment will only kick in at 9% once you reach the £21,000 threshold. Unlike the current system in which most people pay the same amount, the proposed system is exceptionally progressive – something I don’t think many of the protesters understand. Graduates earning over £21,000 will pay back £45 less per month than they do at the moment. Those from disadvantaged families are afforded exactly the same opportunities as those from more affluent backgrounds, indeed the poorest quarter of graduates will pay back less in total and they will receive more help in the form of an increase in the number of bursaries and grants available. The playing field will remain level and although undoubtedly many will incur increased debt, remember that graduates on average earn vastly more than non-graduates. It is also worth remembering that all outstanding debt will be written off after 30 years.

I wonder how the opponents of the cuts would pay for university tuition. Would they cut defence and leave our nation vulnerable to attack? Would they further cut the health budget, crippling our already stretched NHS? Or perhaps they would cut even further the benefits of those less economically mobile families whom they claim to be campaigning for. Or would they raise taxes on normal working people in order to pay for our education? It is very easy to sling mud in opposition, but the protesters offer no solution, no viable alternative and no answer to how we deal with the economic crisis in which we now live. I only hope they take time to consider the facts and consider what they are marching for. I do not object to democratic protest and indeed I encourage participation in the democratic process, but not if their argument is disinclined to consider the facts and rationale behind the progressive changes being proposed. Let us hope the protest passes peacefully.

“Ignorance and inconsideration are the two great causes of the ruin of mankind” – John Tillotson

Joel J Lowry

Third Year Law and Politics Student

What was done in the Holocaust was a brutal crime against the Jewish people in particular and also against the millions of others who suffered. It was a crime against Humanity in the worst possible way, a crime that has left a deep scar wound in our history. We believe that respecting and remembering those who died, those who survived and those who still suffer as a result of the Holocaust is vital in helping the world to understand that never again should such a thing be done to any peoples anywhere in the world.

It is important to note here that throughout Palestine today there are memorials held for the Holocaust and its victims. It is human suffering that usually brings out the humanity in others when they witness injustice, oppression and death, which is why it is usually human suffering that brings people together and unites us against such abhorrent and inexcusable tragedies.

Today we commemorate those who died, the many millions of untold stories, the millions of lives lost. The mothers, the daughters, the fathers, the sons, the aunts, the uncles and all the families that perished due to the Nazi regime and other regimes which have mirrored it. Today we rededicate ourselves to the continuing struggle against such atrocities wherever, and against whomever, they occur.

Justice and Human rights is at the very depths of our core principles which is why we feel remembering the Holocaust is vitally important.

Our regards and Greatest Empathy.

Gary Spedding – President Palestine Solidarity Society

On behalf of the QUB Palestine Solidarity Society

Despite claiming the unpolitical nature of the poppy, Alex Redpath discusses the Easter lily. One of his main arguments points out the differences between communities and their symbols of remembrance, which makes his argument fall as fast as a ton of bricks. Also, he claims this to be “the symbol of a terrorist organisation”. I always assumed it was to remember those who died during the Easter Rising.

This was a legitimate action, in the same way that many in the UK see the Falklands as legitimate action, but maybe not the Argentinians, or that the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine may have been legitimate in the eyes of Germans in 1914, but not the French. At the time the Easter Rising may not have been recognised as such by the British Government, but subsequent events ratified it, even in their eyes, and those that died have just as much right to be remembered for their actions as a British soldier.

The poppy is not just politicised in Ireland, it is throughout the UK – we see this every year in the right-wing press when presenters on BBC begin to wear them. They are always showing disrespect to the armed forces by pinning their poppies on too late/early. We see this in the battle between papers to attach a bigger poppy to their masthead, or John Snow refusing to wear one until the eleventh of November and Remembrance Sunday itself. If there is public debate, it is in the political realm.

As government and philanthropic support for veterans increases (it was recently claimed on Radio 4 that there are more than nine hundred charities devoted to veterans in the UK) the need for the poppy has decreased. Following the First World War many soldiers didn’t come back, leaving those they supported without an income, and those that did were horrendously scarred by what they had seen and done, there was a need, with the government providing little. This is not the case now, only 2% of soldiers are unable to reintegrate into society on their return and there are military pensions, hospitals and a wide range of psychological assistance provided. To combat this decreased need the RBL has taken a political stand in support of the current conflicts the UK is involved in. The RBL has politicised itself.

This past few weeks have seen a trade delegation travel to China from the UK. Members of this trip caused some consternation when they arrived. They were wearing poppies and it was seen as a declaration of superiority because of the Opium Wars (opium is made from poppies). Symbols contain meaning and because of the varied nature of the human race the same symbol can signify many different meanings to many different people. It is either naive, idiotic or making a political statement in itself to deny that because a poppy symbolises one thing to one person, it doesn’t signify something else to another.

And finally, it must be remembered that a show of support for veterans is a political position. It is frankly impossible and incorrect to claim the poppy is not politicised.

Ben Finch

Firstly I think any letters from people who feel strongly enough to post them should contain their names, after all, if they’re really interested in an inclusive society then they should be willing to debate their point, and not post letters that contain offensive opinions from behind a veil of anonymity.

From the content of the letter this person has obviously spent a lot of time trying to build a letter that hides their true opinion, which is undoubtedly anti-unionist. They set out a number of Strawmen opinions and then defeat them in what is a poorly concealed attempt to hide their own prejudices. The letter is well thought out and tries to claim a position of being progressive and working towards a fairer and inclusive society, but it is simply a polished version of the usual republican disapproval of anything attached to the opposite side of this inclusive community they claim to be aspiring to. Indeed, if they were so concerned about inclusivity and equality then they would have clearly known that this letter would be seen as offensive to their equal partners in this progressive society.

The inclusion of the Strawman of the Easter lily argument is a farcical attempt to join the poppy to the lily, and, by defeating the reason for selling the lily they thereby explain the reasoning behind them wanting the poppy to be sold. This argument again simply expressed their prejudice towards the unionist community and is another example of the lie that these people live when they say they want an inclusive society. The simple truth is that these opinions are prejudiced against anything which contains a hint of unionism, and the society of equals they claim to aspire to is really a society that they control and dominate and from where they can set out what qualifies as being equal and inclusive.

On the general point of poppies, I think it’s very important to remember that poppies are not simply about being unionist, nor are they about supporting a political opinion. The poppy represents the sacrifice of millions of young men and women from every section of our community in the defeat of tyranny and oppression. In WWI we fought against the aggressive expansionism of the Kaiser; in WWII we fought for freedom against the xenophobic hatred and fascism of National Socialism. We won these wars at great cost to every section of the community and a bullet never cared whether you were unionist, nationalist, loyalist, republican, or of any kind of religious persuasion. Indeed, a bullet was equal and worked in a very equal manner. It didn’t care what you were, or what you believed; it treated you the same as everyone else in a very inclusive manner.

In terms of the Troubles, it’s important to remember that British troops came onto the streets of Belfast to protect the nationalist community from loyalist attack and the first soldier killed was killed by a loyalist. Through the Troubles everybody suffered and young soldiers were placed into an environment where they died without really understanding why. Bloody mistakes were made such as Bloody Sunday and Darkley where soldiers carried out orders which were certainly not working towards an inclusive society, and at the cost of the lives of thousands of innocent people. However, the poppy is not about taking sides, it’s about remembering the sacrifice of young men and women who were ordered to fight, it’s not about the people, or governments who gave the orders.

This is why people from every section of the community chose to express their sympathy with the men, woman and children who died for the freedom for me to write this letter, and indeed the freedom for this original poster to express their prejudice in writing. It’s just a pity that these blinkered and prejudiced people can’t see it.

If we really want an inclusive and progressive society that this person claims to aspire to then that society should be respectful of the wishes of the people within it to buy, or not buy, a poppy as they see fit and certainly not discriminate against others because of the prejudice within it.

Freedom is about the freedom to chose. When there’s no choice, then where is the freedom?

Yours,
Jeffrey Kerr

Oh how I would rejoice but to have the smallest sliver of an opportunity to stand in front of the supposed 1,200 protesting students with nothing but my soothing voice and a speakerphone. “Why?” I hear you scream, “would you like to rally the troops, create a ruckus and let our cause be heard?” Why yes Mr. Gown, yes I would like to create that ruckus, but not for the aforementioned reason.You see, I don’t care about the raising of fees. In fact, I probably care about the raising of fees about as much as I care about that cheeky kebab at 3.00am while stumbling home from a heavy session in Rain. I’m a final year student, and I’ll be long gone before the fees should be raised. “What about the kids, you selfish man?” What about the kids indeed, Mr. Gown. As romantic as the idea is that students will be heard and fees will stay put, the cynic in me can’t help but use my wonderful crystal ball to predict the inevitability of higher fees, making the whole state of affairs rather pointless.

From Mark Robinson

Issue 10

Your student newspaper is available for free at various points across the campus. Click here to find the pick-up point most convenient to you. Each issue is also available in PDF format through our downloads section.

We are always on the lookout for people to get involved, especially in the areas of photography, web and design.  If you are interested in being a part of Queen’s independent student newspaper, then send us an email.

For all advertising and promotional opportunities, please email advertising@thegown.org.uk for more information.

Issue 7 of The Gown is now available for free across the Queen’s campus. Let us know what you think about the issue, or share your views on any of the articles by leaving a comment.

Your student newspaper is now be available for free every Monday fortnight at various points across the campus. Find the pick-up point most convenient to you by checking our ‘about’ page. Each issue is also available in PDF format through our downloads section (now with much smaller file sizes!).

We are always on the lookout for people to get involved, especially in the areas of photography, web and design.  If you are interested in being a part of Queen’s independent student newspaper, then send us an email.

Your student newspaper is now be available for free every Monday fortnight at various points across the campus. Find the pick-up point most convenient to you by checking our ‘about’ page. Each issue is also available in PDF format through our downloads section.

We are always on the lookout for people to get involved, especially in the areas of photography, web and design.  If you are interested in being a part of Queen’s independent student newspaper, then send us an email.

Issue 5 of The Gown is now available for free across the Queen’s campus. Let us know what you think about the issue, or share your views on any of the articles by leaving a comment.

Your student newspaper is now be available for free every Monday fortnight at various points across the campus. Find the pick-up point most convenient to you by checking our ‘about’ page. Each issue is also available in PDF format through our downloads section (now with much smaller file sizes!).

We are always on the lookout for people to get involved, especially in the areas of photography, web and design.  If you are interested in being a part of Queen’s independent student newspaper, then send us an email.

Issue 4 of The Gown is now available for free across the Queen’s campus. Let us know what you think about the issue, or share your views on any of the articles by leaving a comment.

Your student newspaper is now be available for free every Monday fortnight at various points across the campus. Find the pick-up point most convenient to you by checking our ‘about’ page. Each issue is also available in PDF format through our downloads section (now with much smaller file sizes!).

We are always on the lookout for people to get involved, especially in the areas of photography, web and design.  If you are interested in being a part of Queen’s independent student newspaper, then send us an email.

Issue 3 of The Gown is now available for free across the Queen’s campus. Let us know what you think about the issue, or share your views on any of the articles by leaving a comment.

Your student newspaper is now be available for free every Monday fortnight at various points across the campus. Click here to find the pick-up point most convenient to you. Each issue is also available in PDF format through our downloads section (now with much smaller file sizes!).

We are always on the lookout for people to get involved, especially in the areas of photography, web and design.  If you are interested in being a part of Queen’s independent student newspaper, then send us an email.

Your student newspaper is now be available for free every Monday fortnight at various points across the campus. Click here to find the pick-up point most convenient to you. Each issue is also available in PDF format through our downloads section (now with much smaller file sizes!).

We are always on the lookout for people to get involved, especially in the areas of photography, web and design.  If you are interested in being a part of Queen’s independent student newspaper, then send us an email.

The Gown is back for another year at Queen’s, with more regular issues and a fresh new look.

Your student newspaper will now be available for free every Monday fortnight at various points across the campus. Click here to find the pick-up point most convenient to you. Each issue is also available in PDF format through our downloads section.

Let us know what you think about the issue, or share your views on any of the articles by leaving a comment.

We are always on the lookout for people to get involved, especially in the areas of photography, web and design. If you are interested in being a part of Queen’s independent student newspaper, then send us an email.

Welcome to a new year at Queen’s, and welcome also  to your brand new Gown website.

Through this website, The Gown will bring you regular student news and gossip, as well as all the latest from the Belfast entertainment scene, engaging features, and QUB sport analysis.

Building on our previous blog, you are again able share your views on stories by posting comments, but you now have the chance rate other people’s comments using our ‘thumbs up/down’ system. You can also take part in our topical student polls to instantly get your view heard on an issue.

More than ever before, The Gown helps you to keep in touch with student news and events: You can sign up for free news updates via RSS or email, and our fortnightly newspapers are available in PDF format through our ‘downloads’ page. You can also join the growing Gown community by following us through our new Facebook, Bebo and Twitter networks.

As for the newspaper, it is now available for free every Monday fortnight across the Queen’s campus. Click here to find the pick-up point most convenient to you.

The Gown is written by and for students, so we’d love you to get involved. Over the next year, tell about your student experiences: What do you like/loathe about student life? What issues are important to you? What achievements are you proud of?

Better yet, why don’t you contribute to the paper? Our office is on the top floor of The Union, so feel free to call in to have a chat. You can also contact us via email.

If you eventually manage to stumble through the Qsis registation system, good luck with the new term, and know that the colourful hurdles of University life will always be covered in The Gown- your student newspaper.

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