I am a past student election candidate. I remember the days of long, tense paper-balloted counts. A far cry from the shower I witnessed last night at the election results.

There was always anger at the election counts. But the anger was never about what appeared to have been endless well documented breaches of the rules, and nothing done about them by the returning officer. Putin would be proud. The laddish, childish jeering of ‘easy’ from the victors was disgusting. At least back in my union days, the jeering was about politics and about student issues. Not about getting students even more drunk in a VIP area. The context of the greatest threats to higher education as a backdrop to these pathetic manifesto commitments is unspeakably depressing.

Now it seems that the union is a hive for CV builders, those who just want a cosy job for the year.

With the greatest respect to Mr Doherty, it appears that for whatever reason, he is unwilling to enforce the rules. Perhaps we can’t blame him.  I always remember him as an affable man, but at the end of the day if he makes a disqualification from the team that held the most complaints, then he has to work with them still for the end of the year. Pherhaps he is not in a position to disqualify. One recalls a recent incident in University of Ulster students union where over five candidates broke the rules. All five were disqualified – by an independent returning officer who was not a member of staff at the union.

I note that turnout was not high. Yes, higher than in my times, but lower than it has previously been. How many students out there felt turned off – indeed, DISconnected – because of the sight of huge, dominating tickets. Nobody ever used to run in teams. It could be argued that this is unhealthy for democracy. The noise from the crowd (apart from one noisy, laddish section) seems to suggest that a lot of people lost faith in their own union last night.

What will it take to restore it?

It should never be forgotten that the Students’ Council (or SRC back in the day) is the body that controls the union. It directs the work of the sabbaticals. It is not there to be controlled by the sabbatical officers, in fact it is the other way round. Those people on SRC are not requested to scrutinise. They are OBLIGATED to scrutinise. They will be failing in their duty if they do not, at the next available oppurtuinity, pass motions to:

• Bring in an independent returning officer for the 2013 sabbatical elections
• Ban tickets (They never used to be a problem, they are now. Whole cliques can win election not on merit, but on sheer overpowering force)
• Ban Ipads and mobile laptops being used by candidates (for one thing, as well as causing these well documented difficulties, its hard to argue that they don’t price out those less financially well off or well CONNECTED candidates that do not have access to high tech equipment)

Restore democracy in your union. I am embarrassed to be associated by it now.

Yours,

A disappointed former election candidate.

From 19 to 25 March a very unique event is taking place in Queen’s.  Project Futures QUB and the Students’ Union are partnering with over a dozen groups from both inside and outside Queen’s in order to have the ‘No More Traffik’ week as part of the No More Traffik On Our Streets campaign.  The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of issues relating to human trafficking and to provide long-lasting help for victims and the ‘No More Traffik’ week is one of a number of events taking place throughout the spring.

A number of organisations such as Amnesty NI, International Justice Mission, D-39, PSNI and many others will be actively participating throughout the week in the Students’ Union.  There will be stalls for the organisations involved, with information about who they are and what kind of work they are involved in.  There will also be sports and games all through the week as well as events that you can get involved with in the evenings.

The evening events are the main focus of the week.  They will include various workshops provided by different charities and film screenings relevant to human trafficking, ranging from documentaries about the issues surrounding trafficking to showings of Taken.

One event is a cross-party discussion about human trafficking and specifically the trafficking situation in Northern Ireland.  The discussion will cover how drastically high the number of trafficked individuals has become and what can be done to aid the victims and clamp down on those responsible so that trafficking can be combated.

In short, the ‘No More Traffik’ week aims to raise the awareness of the general public of the seriousness of human trafficking and how it is not a faraway issue to them but is happening in Belfast and all throughout Northern Ireland. It also serves to show the amount of organisations that contribute to stopping human trafficking so that people can get involved and help with the cause.

For more information on the events and Project Futures  see:

QUB No More Traffik Week – www.facebook.com/QUBNMT

Project Futures QUB – www.facebook.com/ProjectFuturesGlobalQUB

To find out more about the larger No More Traffik On Our Streets Campaign go to:

www.nomoretraffik.com/nmt-qub

22.32 The music’s just come on so we’re going to close up the blog now. A clean sweep for Team Connect. We’ve had a few tears, a few jeers and some cheers (Ha! that’s cheesy as!). Connor Daly seems to owe Janette Loughlin a pint. She will collect apparently.

There’s still a few issues that need to be sorted out over the coming weeks, such as election court, but I think it’s time for a pint and a dance.

22.27 Here’s Tyler McNally, are you prepared for his opinion?

He says: “I think we should start off with the fact that fee has made substantial gains in the elections, which signifies the fact that students on campus are more worried about the cuts to their courses and the wider public sector than other puny issues such as establishing a VIP area in the Mandela Hall. I sincerely hope that the Connect ticket can realise the real issues for students and act on them accordingly.”

22.26 As I read over that I wonder if he’s had a few drinks…?

22.22  And there’s Niall McShane. He says: “Yeah, we came here, we were slightly nervous when we came here.  All seven in is a success.  Throughout the campaign we fought a good campaign. The students have spoken.”

22.18 Gary Spedding says: “Whilst I voted for Jason, Nuala and Aiden based on the fact I know they can do the best job, I’m absolutely appalled at the rest of the ticket’s behaviour and the election results.  Not because I’m biased, but because as a Students’ Union Councillor I know what it is to try to represent as many students as possible whilst remaining as impartial as possible.  This is why it’s upsetting to see a clean sweep for Team Connect and why I will be opposing them politically over the coming year.”

22.14 Talking to Nigel Macauley, he said “I ran honest campaign as an independent, I tried my best and I’m happy enough. More students should put themselves forward, I’m disappointed turnout is lower despite increased polling time, but it was fun. I would do it again!”

22.11 Talking to Claire Heaney, she congratulated Nuala on winning the role, and said “thank you so much, I’m so flattered by voting numbers. The student support for our kind of policies sends a real message.”

22.06 Chris Donnelly is jubilant! He said ” the smashed pieces of glass will need picking up next year”.

22.02  Connor Daly, VP for Campaigns and Communications 2012-2013, and former editor of the Gown, said it’s “a great pleasure for everyone.  Everyone who ran deserves to be congratulated.”

21.58 Chatting to Joanne O’Neill, she says she “hopes she lives up to Adam McGibbon’s two years” and she’s “looking forward” to beginning her role as VP Welfare next year.

21.40 A great attitude from Ruth Wilson, “I’ve had a shot for everyone that beat me.”

21.30 Another quote from Paul Walsh, he said he’s more disappointed for Jessica Caldwell and Chloe Minish than he is for himself. He has promised that the campaign for next year starts tomorrow.

21.27 Finally chased down Sarah Wright, who was disqualified before polling opened. She said, “I would rather lose with dignity than win by cheating.”

21.20 We’ve had a chat with Chris Donnelly. He said: “it was a fairly respectable vote for FEE, it’s a great platform for us. It reflects that there is a left count in the university. We’re not stopping our work here. It’s disingenuous to say that it was a positive campaign.”

21.11 We’re hoping to have a chat with Sarah Wright soon. Actually, we’re hoping to have a chat with everyone soon. Everyone’s chatting with everyone else at the minute.

21.02 Paul Walsh is telling us “Niall Crozier’s attitude to people is horrible, he treats people like dicks [...] As soon as those other two got in I didn’t want it anymore, I couldn’t sit in the office with those two. The campaign for next year starts tomorrow.”

21.00 Stephen Muckle thinks he should have run for President two years ago “when I had the momentum.”

20.58 Roisin Jackman thinks Chloe “was robbed.”

20.57 Connor Daly has said: “He’s thankful for his friends that voted for me. I’m just thankful for the support.”

20.53 Jessica Kirk says she is in complete shock, she didn’t expect this at all. Obviously though, she’s delighted.

20.43 And that’s us, all seven of the Connect ticket have been elected. We’ll try and have some interviews with the candidates soon.

20.42 He thanks everybody, and says “Shuffle [Niall McKernan] has been a massive, massive help.”

20.41 Niall McShane beats RON by about 1500 votes.

20.40 Hughes says he “will go over and above what he has done.”

20.39 Hughes is elected on the first count to Community. Donnelly says to those jeering, “If you thought it was easy, we fought hard.” There’s shouts of “Taxi” from Connect, as he reiterates how the Union is not connect to students.

20.37 Kirk says thanks Connect and Treasa and everyone she’s spammed over the past few days. She says her competitors have been gracious. There’s more cheers of “Easy”.

20.35  Jessica Kirk is elected on the fourth count with 1598 votes. Geoff Thompson is jeered by Connect canvassers as he says “He’s never felt as much as much a part of Queen’s as he did today.” Paul Walsh says he loves Chloe and Jessica, it was short and sweet.

20.34 Henry Adams is eliminated with 375 votes. Muckle shouts “Aww, Fuck off.” Adams says it’s been fun and hopes the best policies from all candidates get implemented.

20.34 Amos Greig is eliminated with 157 votes. He’s not here to say a few words because his wife is sick.

20.33 Equality and Diversity – Kirk pulls 1478 on the first round, but only RON is eliminated.

20.32 McAdams thanks everyone, and says “Shuffle is amazing”, she thanks Claire Heaney for staying “nice during this whole thing.”

20.30 Education Nuala McAdams is elected with 1677 to Claire Heaney’s 797. Heaney thanks everyone who voted for her, and says that’s “800 votes for free education.”

20.29 Joanne O’Neill takes to the stage to cheers of “Easy”. She says from the minute she decided to run she knew exactly who to go to – Barry Duffy. She thanks everyone.

20.28 Joanne O’Neill is elected on the first count for Welfare with 1680 votes to Minish’s 919. Minish thanks her running mates and everyone else who came out to support her.

20.26 Ruth Wilson is eliminated, her votes redistributed, and Connor Daly is elected with 1459 votes. Calswell wishes Daly “Good luck” after thanking her team.  There’s cheers of “Dingle” as Daly takes to the stage. He says they ran a positive campaign and intends to do a great job next year.

20.24 Roisin Jackman, FEE candidate, is eliminated in the third count.  She says she’ll be involved in Campaigns next year anyway and says the Union isn’t connected to students.  There’s a loud cheer as she congratulates everyone who didn’t resort to dirty politics and asks the union to sort it out for next year.

20.22 Stepehn Muckle is eliminated on the second count. He regrets not being able to run as part of a team but thanks everyone.  He wishes whoever wins good luck and says Fiona Kidd has been an excellent representative.

20.22 Connor Daly takes the lead for Campaigns and Communications, RON is eliminated.

20.20 Collins talks about fighting the cuts and polling well before thanking his team. O’Neill says he had a brilliant team this year and is very pleased to be re-elected.

20.20 Macauley speaks about only being at Queen’s for six months and thanks all his canvassers.

20.18 Union President – Cheers as Jason O’Neill takes is elected on first preferences with 1710 votes, compared to Matt Collins 1101. Nigel Macauley’s pulled 320 and RON 234.

20.17 We’ve just missed who was elected for the RAG charity.  The most important election of the night, sorry.

1712 Ben Finch, Gown Editor, has made the following statement: “The Gown is not for or against any ticket or candidate. We are simly trying to carry out our jobs by reporting and investigating any claims made, as we have done when made by the Connect ticket. If Connect could provide evidence of wrongdoing by other candidates then we would do the same. We are currently trying to verify reports that Joanne O’Neill has been threatened by another candidate. This is not biased reporting, this is good journalism.”

17.00 Voting’s just closed! If you haven’t had your say now, you’ll have to wait another yesr I’m afraid! We’ll get back to you later with results.

16.55 In the last five minutes we see canvassers going mad.

16.47 We’ve just got another number from Dominic Doherty regarding voter turnout: it rose to 4020 at 4.30

16.40 There’s now just twenty minutes left until polls close: if you want to have your say, log onto QOL now!

16.38 Away from our own elections here at Queen’s, a number of people have submitted their names to stand for election to be delegates at National Union conferences. At a brief view this includes Gary Spedding, Tyler McNally, Sarah Wright, Chloe Minish, Justyn Mackay, and even Paul Shannon. The full list will be available on our website soon.

16.35 As of 4pm, the voter turnout was at  3935. This is still greatly down on the final number of 4267 last year. At this stage it’s highly unlikely the number will increase.

16.30 Just heard briefly from Dominic Doherty. In reference to the distance between canvassers and voters, the constitution does not make reference to a specified distance.

Also, in regards to his recent comment about being ”generally happy” with the conduct of candidates during the election, he has recognised from the audio evidence that candidate conduct may not always have been appropriate.

The issue regarding the audio recording will be taken up with the election court. He has no further comments to make at this moment.

1600 Aidan Hughes disagrees with this reporters assertion that the Gown is not against Team Connect. Does not ellaborate when invited to do so. In fact, doesn’t even turn around…

1555 Short discussion with Jason O’Neill. He assures the Gown that he is trying to run a positive campaign, and is therefore not in the habit of making allegations against other candidates. With regards to some of the allegations that have appeared on this blog, he refutes them totally and has the evidence to back them up if required.

On the audio recording, he states that the conversation was taken out of context, and how could this be elction fraud anyway when the student in question had voted already.

Mr O’Neill is happy to have run a good campaign and is confident that the results will reflect this.

1545 Jason O’Neill is in discussion with a student who appears to be making allegations regarding another teams candidate, also happening in the PFC. Gown reporter is trying to look invisible 10 feet behind them…hard when your my size…

1544 Live in the PFC: Dominic Doherty has arrived to investigate the claims relating to our audio recording, as a complaint has been received by a student.

1541 There appears to be a view that we at the Gown are against Team Connect. This is not true, we are simply relaying the complaints and concerns of those who have approached us. If allegations were to be brought forward regarding malpractice by any other canididates, we would be happy to investigate and publish.

1515 We have just spoken to Dominic Doherty again. He would like to clarify that the rule regarding the proximity of candidates to voters is “a myth.” This stems from the days when voting was by paper ballot, and ceased to be effective when online voting came in.

Mr Doherty also confirmed that he had received a petition from Sarah Wright in relation to her disqualification, and that the matter would now be in the hands of the election court. This is the secon petition he has received, the other relating to election malpractice.

Mr Doherty stated that he was “generally happy” with the conduct of candidates during the election.

Results will be announced from 8pm in Bar Sub.

14.50

Audio Upload. Please see link.

http://soundcloud.com/janetteloughlin/election-audio

14.17

Transcript from recorded device.

Speaker A is Karen Devlin, who recorded Speaker B, canvassing for Team Connect, on her phone carrying out the vote for her.

40. A: What time is it?B: It’ll take two seconds.

A: Two seconds?

B: Aye.

A: Right, how do I…?

B: Do you want me to do it? It’ll take two seconds.

A: Can you do it?

B: Aye, I’ll do it for you.

A: That’s great thanks so much. Are you one of these people then, is it Connect?

B: No, these are my good friends so they are, they’re just out canvassing.

A: How do you think they’re gonna do?

B: It looks like they’re doing alright at the moment like. You know… He’s the, Jason’s the current Student Union President at the moment, and ah… so’s Aidan, he’s still for VP Community, but it’s really just Joanne we’re trying to get in here because it’s her first time running, she’s really nervous you know.

A: Awk I’m sure she’ll do ok.

B: Hopefully anyway.

A: Yeah… Is it on Queen’s Online you vote, yeah?

B: Yeah I’ll show you here… it takes two seconds.

A: I have work to do, and I was like yeah… oh wouldn’t you know, I’ve already voted for FEE and got you recorded doing that.

B: Right enough?

A: Yeah, cause you’re not supposed to be within twenty feet of me

B: Why’s that?

A: Because it’s against the rules, I’m sure you’ve been emailed out about it

B: No

A: I’m gonna show this to Doc and we’ll have a conversation about it

B: No bother

A: And you know, I got your wee friend ..

B: No bother

A: No bother?

B: No bother.

A: That’s alright, hope your team does well then.

1400 We have been given this recording from a student, who says it reveals a Team Connect canvasser offering to carry out the voting process for her in the PFC, a clear breach of election rules.

13.50 We’ve also spoken to Jessica Caldwell and Connor Daly, both candidates for VP Campaigns and Communications. Caldwell is currently leading in the Gown poll, with Daly coming second.

Caldwell said that she’s pleased and ‘hopefully the poll will be reflected in the real poll, the one that counts.’

This was a sentiment shared by Connor Daly who said that as Gown Editor he remembered doing campaign polls and that ‘they were just a bit of fun. I know the only poll that matters is the one that closes at 5pm.’

13.47 Regarding the images of Joanne O’Neill, we had a brief word with Presidential candidate Jason O’Neill. He said that Team Connect is in possession of a statement from the girl involved in the photograph. We saw this, and it said that she was not coerced into voting for either Joanne O’Neill or Team Connect.

Jason O’Neill also said that Team Connect’s campaign this year was a clean one. He said that they have been following the rules very closely, and even called off a tea and coffee night planned in Elms last night because Dominic Doherty, Returning Officer, warned them that there could be health and safety issues surrounding it.

He also said regarding the allegations surrounding Team Connect’s use of their iPad that the iPad in question does not support QOL and that their canvassers merely wanted people to ‘like’ their page on Facebook.

13.14 We have received some photos allegedly showing Joanne O’Neill and a canvasser for Connect showing people how to vote this morning. If this is the case it is a clear breach of the guidance Doherty sent to candidates last night.

This isn’t the end of the story though. Reportedly O’Neill has been threatened with these images by another candidate. We’re trying to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.

12.48 We had a quick word with Nuala McAdams about the allegations made against Team Connect yesterday by other tickets. She said she knew nothing about it, and hadn’t really had much time to check up on anything outside her own campaigning.

As well as that, we’ve had a clarification from Dominic Doherty regarding the use of electronic devices. In an e-mail sent last night to all candidates he said that although candidates are allowed to use their own electronic devices ‘to enable ease of voting’ all candidates must ‘move well away (at least twenty feet) from the student’ and allow them to log in and vote in private. Canvassers and candidates are also not allowed to stand or sit beside the student, or otherwise indicate how and for whom to vote.

We also have a brief word from Niall McKernan in the comments section about the endorsements from Scratch and the Hatfield on Facebook. He said that

“Candidates may approach the media in relation to any publicity that may be generated by the Election campaign. However, candidates are not permitted to make or receive any financial payment in return for media coverage.”

‘Media’ could constitute any portal for information provision to the student population including other businesses. The general point made above is that the candidates must not pay for such publicity nor receive any payment for it, which Team Connect did not.”

We also have some interesting photos provided to us by a source regarding voting. More on this soon…

12.24 Some more statistics for you: Matt Collins is in the lead in our Gown poll at 37%, Jason O’Neill comes in at second with 32% and Nigel Macauley is third with 31%.

However, so far the Sarah Wright poll has been more popular with Gown readers. 69% think she shouldn’t have been disqualified and 31% think she should have been.

12.15 On the low voter turnout, Matt Collins the FEE candidate for President says that this is symbolic of the Union’s disconnectedness with their membership. At 12 the turnout was at 3455, up around 30 from 11 o’clock.

12.01 There have been some interesting claims about voting intentions this year. Apparently, a number of GAA members have pledged their support for Paul Walsh, running for VP Equality and Diversity. Jessica Caldwell, who’s running along with Walsh for VP Campaigns and Communications had this to say: “A lot of people are breaking traditional voting patterns this year. It just goes to show how exciting this year’s election has been so far.”

There might be some who would disagree with Caldwell, but things do seem to be heating up a bit today.

11.48 And already the wheels of scandal are turning. There have been concerns raised bysome candidates about Team Connect over perceived corporate sponsorship. It seems that both Scratch nightclub and the Hatfield Bar had endorsed members of Team Connect on their Facebook pages. We asked Dominic Doherty, the Returning Officer, for his views. He said that he had no control over what companies or their employees did, and that not all endorsements are welcomed by candidates. More on this later, but if you want to check out the Facebook page for the Hatfield, it’s here: https://www.facebook.com/hatfieldbelfast?sk=wall

It seems the Scratch endorsements have mysteriously disappeared over night.

11.41 We’ll start off with some statistics for you: at 11am there had been 3370 votes cast in the poll. That’s down from 4267 at 5pm on the last day of polling last year. This is the first time that voting has been spread across three days however, so we may see a last minute surge in votes before 5pm

17.35 And that’s us for today. It’s the last day of campaigning tomorrow and everyone’s burnt out already. I can’t wait to see what happens.

17.32 Connor Daly has just been into the office to refute the allegations made against him by two students this morning. He has stated that he is happy to hand in his student card in order to prove that he has not entered the library.

The information was received from two separate sources, of their own volition. The Gown therefore saw fit to report it.

17.11 Turnout at 17.00 – 2678.

17.09 We’re going to be closing up shortly.  It seems like a lot of the candidates have just decamped to the Speakeasy, so I’m assuming that’s the end of campaigning for today.

16.57 We have some photos of today’s campaigning courtesy of Tyler McNally, which explains why most of them are of FEE, sorry.

16.40 And on that, there’s only been about 90 votes between 15.00 and 16.00. We now stand at 2562 votes cast.

16.34 I’ve just had someone in saying that these elections highlight the need for an independent Returning Officer.  It seems a motion passed Council for this last year but there has been no progress.  They said: “I don’t know whether Doherty’s going to do anything, he has to work with Jason for the next few months.”

16.29 A quick call to the School of Law shows that the only reading week planned is for next week, for one module. The School of Creative Arts only has a reading day for Music and this is on March 16.

16.17 I was chatting to Doherty about turnout as well. It seems a number of schools may have a reading week, including the School of Law and School of Performing Arts. The university did not inform the Union of these when elections were being organised.  This is thought to have affected turnout.

16.02 Rumours have been swirling about the Union that three students visited Dominic Doherty to make a complaint about the conduct of canvassers. Doherty has confirmed this stating:

“Three students have made a complaint and I’ve taken a statement.  An election court will take place and the constitution will kick in.”

Doherty was not able to say who the complainants were or who the allegation was made against.

The election court will be convened by Gordon Douglas within seven working days and takes place under Section 11, Rule 2 of the constitution. This is likely to happen after the results are announced.

15.48 Seems only one of the incumbents re-running for election has set their email to reply with an “Out of office”, Jason O’Neill.

15.44 Someone just said regarding Jessica and Joanne: “They were invited in? Like vampires?”

15.42 Sources are also suggesting that Jessica Kirk’s sister has been falsely accused of electoral fraud. They are suggesting that the computer was broken and she was attempting to help them fix it.

15.38 TURNOUT UPDATE!!! Exciting stuff, I know, but at 15.00 2477 votes had been cast, compared to 3831 last year. This means 947 votes have been cast since 17.30 last night.

15.34 Sources are discussing the allegation made against FEE for taking posters down.  It seems that this was made because a number of students in Elms saw the posters being taken down and replaced with FEE’s.  The students then tore down FEE’s posters and said they were going to vote for Connect. Apparently the Connect canvassers replaced both the FEE and Connect posters.

15.25 We have a quote from Jason O’Neill regarding Joanne and Jessica entering kitchens in Elms:

“Team Connect only had one keycard signed out the whole time and I can say that we did not use that card to enter any halls and kitchens.  The only way Joanne and JJessica could have got into the halls was if they were invited in.”

We have also been forwarded an email sent to candidates by Dominic Doherty on Thursday 1 March.  This states:

“Candidates,

The management at Elms Village has issued the following advice in relation to canvassing at that site.

Please ensure that you adhere to this.

Dominic

Hi All

All candidates must follow the same procedure and sign out a key card from the main Elms Receptions which they can do so for a maximum of an hour.

All candidates must only place one poster in each hallway and will have no access to individual floors.

All candidates will be expected to return to take down promotional posters immediately after elections.

There will be no keys provided for off site housing for the purpose of elections.

Hope this clears up any confusion.

Regards”

14.41 A quick note on turnout. It hit 2408 at 14.00, 1200 down on last year. Observers are wondering whether this is down to Niall McShane running uncontested, or the weather.

14.36 We’ve just had Adam McGibbon, the outgoing VP Welfare, pop in the office.  We asked him his opinion on the elections and he said: “The vast majority of the manifestos are deeply uninspiring and hopefully the candidates can raise themselves above those.”

14.26  There has also been some undercover work carried out.  Janette Loughlin, Features Editor, was approached by two Team Connect canvassers while at Elms. Who knew playing dumb worked so well?  Asking who the canvassers were campaigning for, Team Connect of course, Loughlin then went on to ask who each of the candidates were, and how successful were their canvassing efforts so far.  Peter Gaffney and Luke McCann said that it was going well, and it much easier to talk to people in Elms “because you can actually stop people”.   When it was suggested by the “oblivious” Loughlin that surely the PFC is easier, because there are computers are there – so you can get people to log in and show them what to do, both Gaffney and McCann agreed, “yeah you can show them where to click on QOL and who to vote for.”

14.16 I’m just back from Elms where I was visiting a few students in Holly Grove 2.  Last night a group of four canvassers for the Connect Ticket came into their kitchen with a laptop and pointed out who to vote for.  Two of the girls were Joanne O’Neill and Jessica Kirk. The students didn’t wish to be named but they said:

“They came in with a laptop and told us who to vote for.  There were four girls but there was a group of guys from the same team I saw, as I was heading past the Treehouse, walking towards Beech.

“They were well planned and intentionally overly friendly.  They set up their laptop in the corner of the kitchen and pointed out who to vote for on that.”

The canvassers were not accompanied by an Residential Assistant.  I asked at reception whether visitors to Elms had to be accompanied.  They said that an email had been received from Gordon Douglas requesting permission for canvassers to enter the halls of the flats to put up posters, but that they were not to visit social spaces or kitchens.

Reportedly the Team Connect ticket have just had a meeting with Dominic Doherty.

13.31 On the Sarah Wright disqualification: An extract from the Students’ Union Constitution reads  ”If the Returning Officer is satisfied that a person‟s failure to comply with any Election regulation under this Rule is directly due to circumstances beyond that person‟s control, he/she may at his/her discretion exempt that person from that regulation. Such a decision may be challenged by reference to an Election Court upon petition.”

We understand this to mean that the final decision on Miss Wrights participation lay with Returning Officer Dominic Doherty.

When approached, Mr Doherty acknowledged that this was the case, but that decisions on academic good standing must be “taken from a position of knowledge,” and that the department of Academic and Student Affairs was best placed to be in that position. Therefore, he accepted their ruling. Mr Doherty went on to express his “deep sympathy” for Miss Wrights situation, as he understood from her statements that she had experienced health problems. However, Doherty said he he did not want to, nor should he, “forensically examine” these issues.

Mr Doherty went on to acknowledge that the election for VP Welfare could be declared null and void, and a re-run ordered, at the behest of an Election Court. He stressed that the rights of the other candidates must be taken into account.

12.55 A Malaysian fair is providing some relief from the mundanity of the elections. Pop up to the Space and sample some Malaysian cuisine, and come see us in the office if you have anything interesting.

12.37 A number of candidates from different tickets are expressing their concern at the alleged voting irregularities in Elms. One source said that they should show a united front and highlight the issue with Dominic Doherty.

12.10 As of 1100 this morning, 2108 people had voted, as opposed to 3111 at the same point last year.

12.00 Two further allegations relating to Connor Daly. 3rd Year Psychology student Rebecca Hill and a 3rd Year English student, Rory Atkinson, have claimed he was pressuring them to vote in the library. Neither followed his instruction.

11.45 Source pops their head into the office. Allegations of Team Connect taking laptops round the flats of Elms last night. Consultations with Dominic Doherty over potential grounds for disqualification. Watch this space…

11.37 A three day election provides plenty of scope for mischief, scandal and wild allegations, but dont we all want to know how the candidates are fairing where it really counts? On Thursday night all will be revealed, but for those who revel in the ebb and flow of student politics, we at the Gown have set up an online poll to keep track of who’s hot and who’s not.

At the end of day one, the race for President has thrown up some surprise statistics, at least to us here in the office. Incumbent Jason O’Neill is sitting on 27%, but he trails current leader Nigel Macauley (38%) and FEE candidate Matt Collins (36%). Of course, all statistics must be taken with a pinch of salt: Perhaps the Macauley and Collins camps are more technically savvy (or more likely to follow the Gown…) Although it would appear that the Team Connect camp are never far away when ‘online assistance’ is required…

We also posed the question of whether Sarah Wright should have been disqualified from the race for VP Welfare. This had the biggest response, and showed comfortable (though far from resounding) support for Miss Wright. 71% believe the wrong decision was made, while 29% agree with the course of action taken.

Responses in the VP Campaigns and Communications poll were lower than the others, but show Jessica Caldwell holding a 7 point lead over Connor Daly, and the other candidates struggling to hang onto their coat tails. Be sure to have your say, and we’ll keep you updated with the swings and roundabouts.

In todays world we are taught here at University that disagreements are a natural aspect of life especially if we talk about the realm of politics and history. Perhaps even more disagreements occur when one begins talking about the large defense budget that many (myself included) feel is a massive waste of public funding designed to keep arms traders rich and war constantly on the menu for todays Nation States.

This is exceptionally accurate so much so that we see billions of our tax payers money fritted away on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan where countless human rights abuses, misconduct and the torturing of civilians are just some of the things attributed to our armed forces here in the United Kingdom.

The reason I say this is because as a student I feel that more could be done and indeed should be done to pressure the government to make an overall shift in its budget so as to put more money where our citizens need it most i.e. within the education and health care system so as to promote greater welfare for everyone thus increasing opportunities for people like myself.

I have found myself during many points in my life very vocally challenging the British army and the Ministry of Defence for answers over topics such as where our troops have committed crimes and attrocities, as well as when mistakes or gross misconduct have been permitted to occur, for instance when British soldiers in Iraq humiliated Iraqi prisoners whilst taking pictures. Seeing such things made me feel physically sick as I can only imagine how those countless Iraqi’s have been tortured, even killed without any possible justification as there simply is none for what has happened there and there never will be at all.

It is very true that we will likely never hear the full extent of all the abuses some of our soldiers committed in Iraq and other parts of the world as much of it is kept quiet so as to stop public anger and outcry.

I mention all of this specifically to highlight that criticism of the armed forces is exceptionally important if not necessary so that we can avoid future instances where the army abuses innocent civilians or committs any kind of worse attrocity in the future.

However, I still find myself standing firm in the belief that blanket statements regarding militarism or the British army which for the most part does indeed fight to keep us all safe must be opposed. Not every British soldier is a war criminal and I find those who walk around saying suggesting that our brave soldiers who are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, nephews, neices, grandchildren etc must all be guilty of the minority of crimes used to wash an entire insititution in blood is just wrong.

The reason I mentioned Iraq in this letter was of course firstly to highlight my own criticism of the British Army but also so that I can state with utter contempt that until the people who are complaining about the Queen’s Officer Training Corps stand outside the city gates of Baghdad and witness a mass grave containing 15,000 people, with many graves still being dug for the dead then they have absolutely no idea what they are talking about when they discuss their opposition to so called militarism or the effects of such on our campus.

It must of course be obvious by now that I am refering to your most recent edition published on the 05/03/2012 containing a letter from the so called “troops off campus” group which has aptly shifted its name to a more edible line of “Campaign to De-Militarise Education” as if we are all being trained up by the gestapo to become ruthless militant murders in the near future.

I find myself in complete disbelief that these guys who are supposedly serious activists still don’t get the fact that the QUB UOTC is not this great colonialist military organization that they seem to actually believe it is and not only do they frighteningly believe this but they want to force this belief upon other people also which for me is going way too far as that my friends is a form of fascism in its most subtle form.

Students’ at this university are not stupid or brainwashable like this group of campaigners would like to suggest, we are fully aware of what the UOTC is and does which is why when people lie about the organisation we spot it a mile off and so I come to the criticism of the main body of this letter published on March fith 2012.

The framework is simple; point out the absence of the UOTC at the refreshers fair this february and then also point out the absence of the same kind of atmosphere and incidents which we had at the freshers fair in September 2011.

Of course this carefully placed propaganda attempts to claim that the improved atmosphere and over all success of the Re-freshers bazaar is down to the absence of the UOTC stall, which must some how be getting used as some kind of trophy style victory for those opposed to the UOTC’s very existence, all of which sounds very straightforward and believable for those not clued up about the situation.

Carefully placed propaganda is what I am calling this latest letter as it directly displays the duplicitous attitude and ideology of those involved which completely turns reality on its head as if to say the presence of the UOTC is the problem when in fact it was the presence of militant and menacing republicans who were at fault for the atmospher at the freshers fair in 2011.

Many can understand that some have issues with the British Army in Northern Ireland for very specific reasons, however it must be obvious that blanket statements regarding an entire organization while also trying to make out that the UOTC is a recruitment station for the British army which thus somehow militarizes our campus are utterly ridiculous.

In recognising that the British army did not conduct itself well at all during the troubles there must also be mutual recognition that the otherside in all of that were no angels either and I honestly thought we were beyond this childish and petter revenge style tit for tat here at Queens.

If students’ at our university wish to take part in a club which takes them away on weekend adventures, gets them fit and healthy while also allowing them down time to get drunk, run around naked and enjoy life then it should not at all be opposed and any accusations towards the UOTC must be qualified with facts rather than this fiction story that dissident republicans espouse, especially considering the signatures on the letter to the Gown tell us that at least one of them is not a student at Queens while the other is running currently for VP Education and to be frank I can’t decide which is worse a person who isn’t a student trying to tell us our campus is subjected to militarism from the British Army or a potential future VP Education displaying her clear bias and inability to perform duties that may be required of her in a fair impartial way if she gets elected.

I would like to make it clear that I am writing this letter in a personal capacity as a Student Councillor on the Student Council of this Students’ Union.

Kind Regards

Gary Spedding

This post was amended at 15.47 on March 7.  It originally read “VP Welfare” this has been changed to “VP Education”.

Yesterday, Sarah Wright was disqualified due to being in bad academic standing. A petition for an emergency meeting of Council was signed to stop counting of the votes for VP Welfare. We’ll keep you informed of any developments.

17.44 And as I write that, we receive a report that Team Connect were inside the computer room in the library telling people how to vote.

17.38 That seems to be everything for today so we’ll wrap it up for now. At 17.00 1469 votes had been cast. This is about 700 down on last year.

See you tomorrow and let’s hope the weather’s better.

16.58 Oh, and reports suggest Jessica Kirk’s wee sister may have been one of those told to stop.

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16.52 I’ve just chased Jason O’Neill down for statement on the electoral fraud earlier. He said

“From what I’ve heard it was two overenthusiastic canvassers who were pointing out who to vote for. As soon as they were told that was not allowed they stopped.”

Some other wag has commented that they should have known this before they started. We’ve heard other allegations that we are currently investigating.

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16.18 Turnout’s continuing to fall, 600 down on last year so far at 1363.

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16.14 Tyler McNally’s getting annoyed at Nigel Macauley again. It seems Tyler’s raging about Nigle breaking copyright by using photos that Tyler took, but didn’t give him permission to use.

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16.02 Nigel Macauley has asked me to clarify more from the interview printed in the paper. He would like me to point out that he cannot remember the name of a committee he sits on because it has never met, which he thinks is bad practice.

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15.57 An election official has just told me he had to stop Team Connect canvassers from pointing at who to vote for on people’s screens on the computers on the ground floor of the Union.

When asked about this Dominic Doherty said that this was not Vote Theft because students are required to log themselves in. He did call it “very bad practice” and stated he would discuss it with the Campaign Manager for Connect.

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15.35 Ben’s taking a well deserved break. Romano here, I’ll try and keep you up to date with what’s happening while he’s gone. Sadly, looks like nothing much is happening. Yet.

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15.18 I spent a little time wandering around campus there. As classes changed over in the Peter Froggatt Centre Paul Walsh handed out about 200 leaflets, while the Connect canvasser stood watching from the sidelines.

There’s very little gossip about, but this pleases Henry Adams.

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15.16 We’ve just received a statement from Claire Heaney regarding the allegations made earlier about FEE. Here it is in full.

“Today’s gown live blog states:
12.50 And so we have our first allegation of foul play. Sources from Team Connect have stated that FEE were seen taking down Connect and Caldwell/Minish/Walsh posters last night. They also managed to call Connect Law/GAA in the process, some things never change.

We would like to make it clear that the FEE ticket are running a principled, political campaign based around the issues that affect students. We categorically refute any accusation that we have been tampering with other candidates election materials; we have not done so and we would not do so. In fact, the opposite is true. Many of Matt Collins’ posters in the SU have been removed by other candidates who are clearly worried by the interest his campaign is generating among students.

Best wishes,
Claire Heaney”

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14.25 Here’s a bit more from Amos re the Hood.

“I would like to clarify that I am not aiming for the Pink ticket as they state. I actually have a transgendered family member, I was beaten because of my friendship with members of the gay community. It has taken me six years to overcome the fear and trauma of going outside. I find it offensive that he or she would attack me in this way and you can quote me on that.

“I firmly believe that anyone should be able to walk through the students Union hand in hand with their partner no matter the gender the university should be a SAFE place for everyone and to be frank. I found the article offensive.”

Amos has received an apology.

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14.15 Turnout is definitely plummeting at the minute. 1022 so far, a whole four hundred down on this time last year. After a brief chat outside it seems some canvassers are a little disappointed at the lack of scandal so far. There’s still two and a half days left though.

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14.12 Amos Greig is not out canvassing at the minute. This is because his wife was in an accident yesterday. Here is a brief statement.

“I did manage some canvassing today just not at the SU. I approached the Mature Student Center and the School of Education as both have high populations of mature students. I was careful to explain the post of Equality and Diversity and its role as well as where to check all of the candidates details for the post.”

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13.59 Courtesy of Tyley McNally we have some photos of today’s canvassing.

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13.30 We have a screen shot from Tom Elliot MLA’s face book page for you

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What do you make of that?

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13.23 Voter turnout is currently severely down on previous years. Only 815 people have voted so far, compared to 1175 last year and 1304 in 2010. This is probably down to the weather right now, and remember there is an extra day of polling.

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13.21 I would like to apologise to Nigel Macauley. It seems there has been a misunderstanding in my interview with him. When discussing working with the Department for Education Macauley was talking about working with the Education and Library Boards rather than about Universities, who are under the Department for Employment and Learning.

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13.18 We’re just chatting in the office about how the hardest vote to cast today was in the RAG election.

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13.14 Now it’s time for our highly unscientific opinion poll. Who should be Students’ Union president?

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12.50 And so we have our first allegation of foul play. Sources from Team Connect have stated that FEE were seen taking down Connect and Caldwell/Minish/Walsh posters last night. They also managed to call Connect Law/GAA in the process, some things never change.

In other news Adams/Wilson were doing lecture shout-outs this morning. Apparently their video went down fantastically in Law lectures, especially when they both got naked at the end. I wonder what that means for the Connect vote?

On my wanderings I overheard some students, who were looking at election posters. “Who’re you going to vote for?” said one. The other replied, “I don’t know if I’m going to vote this year, it just reminds me of school.” He didn’t explain any further.

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12.17 The petition for an emergency session of Council has been withdrawn. This seems to be due to the fact that it would be happening after the results have been announced.

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12.02 Radio Ulster have just contacted me about the Sarah Wright story…

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11.45 It appears some resourceful students on the Team Connect ticket have an iPad and are asking people to place their vote on this. Some other candidates have questioned whether this is within the rules. Dominic Doherty says it is within the rules as long as there is no pressure placed on the voter to go for a certain person. If this happens then he will confiscate it for the duration of the elections.

It seems all campaigners can do this with a laptop, or anything else that can connect to QOL, as well if they so fancy.

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11.21 Just took a quick wander about to deliver papers, buy some teabags and have a wee creep on the campaigning. It looks like the weather’s for turning, so the big question on everyone’s lips is how will this affect turnout?

Actually, everyone just looks very cold, Jessica Kirk in particular is freezing. At the minute everyone looks to be getting on well with each other and Paul Shannon’s gone hunting for a megaphone. He wants to build on Nathan Anderson’s performance last year. Get ready to hear that bass voice ring out across campus. I’ll try and get him to sing if possible.

On a side note, if any candidate wants my vote then they’ll have to pledge to make the Union Shop carry Punjana, all they had was Tetleys.

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10.51 That’s the best I can do for you at the minute

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10.49 watch?v=1pwFNBM-khU&feature=player_detailpage

watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=BvfY4lkkI0w

watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=k51Ud9Kt7Es

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10.37 Just so you know, turnout is down slightly this year so far. By 10.00 225 had been cast. This compares with 264 at this time last year. There is an extra day of voting this year, so the figures probably aren’t comparable in the long run.

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10.35 Here’s the wording of the petition

“The below members of Council, not numbering less than 20, call a special meeting of the Queen’s University Belfast Student Council to be held on the 8th day of March 2012 at 8pm. This special meeting of Council shall be to suspend the counting of ballots for the position of Vice President Welfare, to declare the election void, and to allow a new election, with all candidates who submitted nomination forms for the position before 5pm 27th day of February 2012. This new election should take place as soon as possible bypassing rules requiring candidates to be in “good academic standing”.

Minor change, I shall assume it will gain the same support, unless members otherwise state.”

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10.33 I’ve just been speaking to Dominic Doherty, the Returning Officer, about this emergency meeting of Council. A petition has been signed to call this meeting which was received last night at 9.20pm. Constitutionally, a petition must be received 72 hours before an emergency meeting is called, and such meetings must be held between 17.00 and 20.00.

This means that the emergency meeting of Council cannot be held until 17.00 on Friday 9 March. Therefore, any such meeting would be about removing a democratically elected officer from their post, rather than stopping the count of votes.

Doherty thinks that the situation would be better considered by Election Court than by Council, as it is in the constitution to deal specifically with elections.

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10.24 OK, if someone knows how to embed videos properly come up and see me in the office

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10.18 Here’s some videos to keep you entertained before things get going. Be careful with the Adams/Wilson video though, I’ve been unable to get the song out of my head all weekend.

The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.

The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.

The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.

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BY BEN FINCH

Wright has released this statement: “I would like to make a statement regarding my disqualification from the upcoming Students’ Union elections. I was informed today that I am not considered to be in good academic standing. This is because I deferred an exam in January. I did so due to an illness related to my pre-existing disability, which is registered with the university. The good academic standing clause makes no provision for such mitigating circumstances. As such, I regard this as discrimination.

“I have taken legal advice on the issue and have spoken to the Equality Commission, who say that this may amount to unlawful discrimination on grounds of disability, contrary to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

“I will be seeking an outcome that ensures no other students are discriminated against in this way.”

This article was amended at 16.15 on Monday 5 March 2012. Originally it stated that Wright was running for VP Equality and Diversity.

BY PAUL SHANNON

The big ‘ticket’ of note is the one headed by current Union President Jason O’Neill. They’re calling themselves “Team Connect” (with Facebook posters in a very Tory blue), no-one knows what they’re connecting with, but it makes them sound like a team from the Apprentice, which is maybe not the right message to send out. One suspects the name “Connect” is to do with feeling that it’s better to be called that than “the Law/GAA ticket” for another election. What is more important is that this is the only ticket fielding more than four candidates, in fact they have all seven positions covered. Current VP Clubs and Socs, Niall McShane, is on this ticket unopposed. It’s a sad day for democracy when none of the current crop of society bigwigs feel up to taking him on but nonetheless a victory for Mr McShane. However, he’ll have to work very hard to make sure that his core voters (GAA and aligned sports clubs) come out to vote for the rest of his ticket or they might be in trouble.

The FEE (Free Education for Everyone) group are fielding four candidates. It’s great to see a bit of socialism about the elections, they should add to the drama and if they play their cards right they could garner a substantial protest vote. They have a candidate for President, Matthew Collins, and three of the VP positions. The candidates all seem to be toeing the party line thus far and have impressive campaigning records which will hold them in good stead. Recently however, their greatest setback has been that Tyler McNally has not been allowed to run due to the Academic Standing rule, (he was rumoured to be standing for Campaigns and Communications) this will undoubtedly hurt the ticket as Mr McNally was perhaps its most recognisable figure, as one person put it “the acceptable face of socialism”.

In other tickets Chloe Minish for VP Welfare has stuck with Paul Walsh for Equality and Diversity and Jessica Caldwell for Campaigns and Commications, all three are well known Union figures, however, it is arguable as to whether this will be enough to bring them across the line against the “big ticket”. A rivalry between Ms Minish and Sarah Wright (also running for Welfare) which has grown up in recent months probably won’t help and the “Connect” (Law/GAA) party will be looking to have Joanne O’Neill sail through the middle of the pair. Ms Wright and Ms Minish may indeed cancel each other out purely because of their core voters being from largely the same pool, leaving Ms O’Neill to pick up the rest. It’s interesting to note that Ms Minish is backed by outgoing VP Welfare, Adam McGibbon which should help her, making this one of the more interesting races to watch. It’s surprising that a canny union operator like Ms Wright (current PolySoc President) did not run on a ticket. Her most natural ally, Henry Adams (Equality and Diversity) has taken to campaigning with Ruth Wilson (Campaigns and Comms). He seems to have wanted to avoid getting his hands dirty in the Welfare race at all costs. Despite both being visible, and having large support bases, their problem will probably be a split vote, so they’re going to have to do some wonder-work with second preferences if they’re to win.

Finally, for now, Nigel Macauley should be mentioned as our sole contributor to what had been rumoured as a combined Unionist ticket. Mr Macauley’s policies are sure to stretch beyond the national question but it could be difficult to get the support out without any VP candidates to back him up. His experience as a VP at the University of Ulster could act as a help to his manifesto, but a hindrance to his campaign. Unfortunately, Cathy Corbett isn’t adding her unique brand to the Welfare race, and the elections will be less fun for it.

Everyone should vote, but if you’re reading this then I’m probably preaching to the choir. Look out for the candidates’ debates on Thursday at 12pm in the Space, it promises to be a bit of a laugh and a good opportunity to see what’s what.

17.28 Oh wait, we have a final statement from Nigel Macauley:

I have decided after discussing with my friends, colleagues and family that I am putting myself forward for the position of Union President. Having received countless supportive text messages, facebook messages and phone calls, I know it is the right thing to do. I hope I can rely on all your support in the coming election.

Together we can keep Moving the SU Forward

Nigel Macauley

 

17.19 So here we have it, all 21 candidates. And that’s us for today.

UNION PRESIDENT

Matt Collins

Nigel Macauley

Jason O’Neill

VICE PRESIDENT CAMPAIGNS AND COMMUNICATIONS

Jessica Caldwell

Connor Daly

Roisin Jackman

Stephen Muckle

Ruth Wilson

VICE PRESIDENT CLUBS AND SOCIETIES

Niall McShane

VICE PRESIDENT EDUCATION

Claire Heaney

Nuala McAdams

VICE PRESIDENT WELFARE

Chloe Minish

Joanne O’Neill

Sarah Wright

VICE PRESIDENT EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

Henry Adams

Amos Greig

Jessica Kirk

Geoff Thompson

Paul Walsh

VICE PRESIDENT COMMUNITY

Christopher Donnelly

Aidan Hughes

17.04 Nominations closed five minutes ago and in the final raft we had Jason O’Neill (President), Nigel Macauley (President), Ruth Wilson (VP Campaigns and Communications), Henry Adams (VP Equality and Diversity) and Sarah Wright (VP Welfare). There’s 21 candidates in total.  I’ll have a full list up in a few minutes.

16.31 Cathy Corbett has just popped into the office to state that the letter contained below is not from her.  The address that the letter was received from is that of Alex Redpath.

16.17 Connor Daly, the former Editor of the Gown has just dropped his nomination in for Campaigns and Communications. I had a quick chat with Dominic Doherty there and all he would say is that there’s fifteen nominations so far and he’s expecting a few more.

15.47 It looks as if Equality and Diversity may be pushing Campaigns and Communications in the race for the sheer amount of candidates.  Incumbency appears to be scaring everyone off, other than those going for President.

15.45 Yet another person for Equality and Diversity, this time it’s Jessica Kirk.

15.26 While Sarah Wright is sticking with black and white.

15.23 Stephen Muckle has an election poster that may possibly make him look a wee bit squat.

15.16 The LawSoc have just come out in support of Jason O’Neill on Facebook.

15.15 And here’s another video for you, this time it’s the bloopers from the McGibbon/Kidd/Downs video

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

15.10 Here’s a statement from Nigel Macauley that was posted on Facebook last night.

STATEMENT:

AT THIS TIME I AM SUSPENDING MY ELECTION CAMPAIGN FOR UNION PRESIDENT. I WILL BE CONSULTING OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS WITH MY FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES AND FAMILY ABOUT THIS DECISION. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT SO FAR, YOU WILL BE INFORMED OF THE OUTCOME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

NIGEL MACAULEY

Macauley hasn’t yet been in contact to explain what is happening.

15.03 There’s another Facebook page to like, this one’s for Róisín Jackman, and a whole event to go to: Matt Collins is launching his manifesto.

14.56 Some more candidates have nominated themselves for positions.  We have Niall McShane (VP Clubs and Societies), Aidan Hughes (VP Community), Nuala McAdams (VP Education).  These are all incumbents, but there seems to be no sign of the rest of their ticket just yet, including Jason O’Neill.

FEE’s ticket has started to come together, with Matt Collins for President and Claire Heaney (VP Education).  Here’s Collin’s election poster for you.

13.01 And here’s some Facebook pages for you to creep on… Claire Heaney for VP Education, Ruth Wilson for VP Campaigns and Communications, Aidan Hughes for VP Community, Niall McShane for Clubs and Societies, Nuala McAdams for Education, Jessica Kirk for Equality and Diversity, Connor Daly for Campaigns and Communications, Joanne O’Neill for Welfare, Bobby Kane for President, the Caldwell, Minish and Walsh ticket, Sarah Wright for Welfare, Stephen Muckle for Campaigns and Communications, Nigel Macauley for President and finally Jason O’Neill.

12.38 Until more nominations come in, here’s something to keep you entertained… 

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

12.19 So far there’s a few industrious students who already have their nominations in. Last Monday(!!!) Jessica Caldwell (VP Campaigns and Communications), Chloe Minish (VP Welfare) and Paul Walsh (VP Equality and Diversity) had their forms in to the returning officer, Dominic Doherty.

On Friday Amos Greig (VP Equality and Diversity) and Geoff Thompson (VP Equality and Diversity) dropped theirs off and this morning we had Stephen Muckle put his in for Campaigns and Communications.

Roisin Jackman has taken Tyler McNally’s spot for VP Campaigns and Communications. McNally’s in bad academic standing and so is unable to run. And last but not least Christopher Donnelly (VP Community) has left his in.

 I’m writing in response to your article entitled ‘School of English has “failed its students utterly”.’ As your reference to an earlier version of our Stage One Handbook indicates, the inclusion of the bibliography in the essay word limit has been long-standing practice in the School. However, there has been a failure of communication on our part, and I should like to apologise on behalf of the School to any student who has been occasioned anxiety on account of this. I would point out that, when Dr McGowan became aware of the potential for confusion on this issue, he immediately emailed students to make it clear that they would not be penalised if the bibliography took them over the word limit. I happen to know that a number of students emailed him to thank him for his prompt action. 

Ed Larrissy
Head of the School of English 

The Gown would like to apologise to Professor Larrissy.  This letter had been due to be published in the issue dated Monday February 6 and we forgot to include it in the latest issue.

BY PRIYA BIRING

The album uses clean-cut intricate beats. It satisfies the Dubstep fan with its heavy bass throbbing through each track; trickled with an array of synths and teased with delicate trickles, ascending trance chords and outstanding vocals. Opening track ‘Wildfire’ features Yukimi Nagano of Swedish band Little Dragon. Her soft voice rings out beautifully over dubby throbs and siren-like sounds. Yet Sampha takes on the majority of vocals. His voice is unexpected, as you would usually associate it with R&B. However, SBTRKT complements this by using Sampha’s vocals as another instrument. The striking, and sometimes haunting, quality of his voice frequently sounds as if on the cusp of tears – especially in ‘Hold On’ where he pleads: “You’re giving me the coldest stare / Like you don’t even know I’m here.”

Being played on national radio shows, this album is flowing nicely into the mainstream. SBRTKT has created a well-balanced sound, extending heavy bass with the tools of Dubstep and intricate rhythms. SBTRKT is a burst of freshness on the electronic scene and his album is sure to be in the round ups for album of the year.

Snow Patrol returned to Belfast last week to play three headline shows in support of their new album, Fallen Empire. And with the rest of the tour spanning across the globe, there’s plenty to admire about the band. They’ve found a strong formula for writing accessible pop-rock songs, cracked into the charts and have consistently held their place for the last eight years. They’re doing astoundingly well in America too. All the more impressive when you realise some of them come from Bangor. It’s no wonder the press here think the world of them, granting them the second-stage headline spot at the MTV EMAs, as well as a place in Belfast’s 2012 advertising campaign.

BY LEE BRADY

Snow Patrol have had only one thing to worry about, and it’s clear they’re thinking it themselves: they’re afraid of turning stale. With the introduction of trance-like euro-beats to their usual slow, drudging songs, Snow Patrol predicted a “mixed reaction” from fans as they ushered in what has been described as the “next phase” for the band. Critically, however, the consensus for Fallen Empires is that while there was an attempt at change¸ ultimately the album treads the same lines from previous records. And it must be noted that this album’s singles, while still selling admirably, are underperforming in comparison to singles from Eyes Open and A Hundred Million Suns. The predictions of a mixed reaction from their audience over their startling change in direction illustrates exactly how the band perceives their fans; as delicate children who can’t embrace the slightest change.

To surpass upcoming musicians and enjoy success well into this century, Snow Patrol need to pull a U2, a Pearl Jam, a Prince. At worst, they’ll lose their established fanbase for the sake of making an album that liberates them from the monotonous game of commercial music, eventually winning everyone back a few years down the line with a ‘return-to-form’ album. At best, their new sound will surpass their former and show how deep and talented these musicians really can be. Either way, it warrants an attempt. In the immortal words of Neil Young, famously quoted by Kurt Cobain in his suicide note: “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” And in music, nothing rings more true. Snow Patrol have done a lot of good in a short time for the Northern Irish music scene. Let’s give them a chance, who knows what else they could be capable of.

Three years can be a long time in the music business, but it’s taken that long for English electro-rock duo The Big Pink to release their sophomore album Future This. The question is, was it worth the wait? The double act’s first album A
Brief History of Love was a hit with music pundits across the board, applauding their mix of soaring tunes, daring synth sets and their own brand of slick and painfully effortless cool. The Big Pink are all about big sounds with big ideas. However, Future This does not live up to their past success.

BY ROMANO MULLIN

The album starts promisingly enough with the addictively good ‘Stay Gold’. There are enough hooks here to catch a whole new audience as well as keep old fans pleased. But the problem is the boys seem to think all they need to do is continue churning out memorable hooks to hold their listeners’ interest. Unfortunately, this has the opposite effect and some of the finest tunes on the album are worn down by hooks as heavy as lead balloons.
But it isn’t all bad news. ‘1313’ is one of the best tracks on the record, a fantastically dirty, fuzzy synth saturated song with an edge that the rest of the album sadly lacks. There are tunes like ‘Jump Music’ and ‘Lose Your Mind’ that have a promising glint of wildness and a renewed surge in revitalising the electronic heart of the album, but this newfound vitality fades as quickly as it arrives.
The Big Pink have more talent than is fair, but they aren’t using the cutting edge ingenuity that made A Brief History of Love such a success. The curse of the difficult second album has struck again.

BY PRIYA BIRING

Some parts of the genre have died in recent years, whereas others have soared into the mainstream due to key DJs and producers. Good examples are the producers Skream and Skrillex, who took the grimy, east London, back garage Dubstep sound and turned it into a mainstream dance-party scene, with heavier, more aggressive bass and four to the floor beats. Skrillex has come a long way from his former front man position for emo band From First to Last. UKF Dubstep and duo Caspa and Rusko played a huge hand in this transition too. For many, Dubstep has lost its edge, to further this claim it has been rumoured that Justin Bieber is considering releasing his own Dubstep album- god help us all.

It’s disputed whether dance music will ever die. Parts of the genre regain popularity at different times. A part of the dance genre that has died in recent years is the old hardcore Ibiza classics, such as William Orbit’s ‘Barber’s Adagio for Strings.’ I’m not convinced that type of techno will ever make a comeback. However, can any of these ‘classics’ ever die? Dance music will never die really, due to its psychedelic nature and relationship with recreational drug taking. The genre will continue to progress gracefully into a form that will always be adored.
Dance music has never really been embraced fully into the mainstream. Parts of it have creeped into pop culture, for example ‘Ride on Time’ was originally by the sensational Black Box, but over the years the dance community moulded the song into a techno-head’s wet dream. Another example is the late Etta James’ classic ‘Something’s Got a Hold on Me;’ butchered to an extreme level by Avicii. The whole ‘dance music’ scene is decided by DJs, this is somewhat true for all music, but more so in the dance community. However, the lovers of dance music have never been mainstream. Although many pop acts are releasing dance albums these days, it is not to say these are accepted by the diehard dance fans. For example, Kelly Rowland’s latest disastrous album Here I Am.

Dance fans will forever be free spirits, floating on a sea of electronic synths and class A drugs (not to say all drug lovers are into dance music).

BY TARA McEVOY
At the centre of the controversy surrounding Del Rey is her perceived lack of authenticity. Lana Del Ray is the stage name for Lizzy Grant. Despite her management’s best effort, grainy YouTube clips of Lizzy Grant, have surfaced online, prompting feverish speculation on her aesthetic transformation. Not in recent memory has the rumour of lip augmentation created such a stir. She’s the living embodiment of an age in which every minor aspect of our lives are documented in the swirling vortex the internet, and has edited her own past as easily as most people edit their Facebook timelines.

So, it’s within this veritable supernova of hype that Born to Die is released. The only question remaining – will it implode?In the oft-quoted words of Jean Luc Godard: “It’s not where you take things from, it’s where you take them to.” And on Born to Die, Lana Del Rey has taken the concept of reinvention to staggering new heights. Rarely has a début album borne witness to such a well-rounded persona. Lizzy Grant may have been a diamond in the rough, but Lana Del Rey is nothing if not polished – a self-styled “gangster Nancy Sinatra” with a fully realised vision. This is immediately apparent in the opening track, ‘Video Games’, a haunting instant classic which catapulted Del Rey to stardom a few short months ago. The beauty of this track and the following ‘Born to Die’, rely on a few key factors. Del Rey’s sultry tones, offset by a sparse backing showcase her vulnerability, both songs tinged with an air of manic desperation. It’s when production values start to suffocate this raw emotion that the album begins to sound tired.

On ‘National Anthem’ and ‘Off to The Races’, a deviation from piano backing actually proves a risk worth taking – the latter in particular is a hip-hop-tastic ode to hedonism, as Del Rey croons beguilingly about a romantic interest who “loves her with every beat of his cocaine heart.” But the gangster-moll-shtick wears thin towards the end of the album, with tracks such as ‘Million Dollar Man’ exhausting the good-girl-falls-for-bad-boy motif.

So Lana Del Rey reinvented herself, and the product was Born to Die. It certainly won’t propel her to the ranks of some of the best personas in pop, from Ziggy Stardust to Lady Gaga, but it marks a solid effort. Perhaps consistency is overrated when inconsistency gives rise to songs as anthemic as the title track. In any case, one thing’s for sure – it’ll get people talking.

Debates on sovereignty are nothing new to us here in Northern Ireland. Born in contentious circumstances, it has existed in a constant state of dispute, both political and violent, ever since. So used are we to the on-going arguments that they have almost become a backing track to everyday life: we can hear them, but are we really listening anymore?

BY COLIN WILLIAMSON 

In Scotland, the opposite is true. Nationalists have long been a feature of the political landscape; but only in the past decade, and certainly the past year, have they turned their whispers of dissent into full blown shouts: Westminster can no longer ignore their noisy neighbours.

What are the ramifications for Scotland and the wider union of these separatist moves? Will Scotland be the domino that sends Wales and Northern Ireland toppling from London’s grasp?

The reality is more likely to be the retention of the status quo, or at most the devolution of further powers to Edinburgh. Polls consistently place this latter option as the preferred course of the Scottish people, with full blown independence being more popular across the border in England, perhaps a sign that the English are growing wearisome of the braveheart rhetoric drifting over Hadrian’s Wall.

What will really come out of this debate, more than any structural upheaval, will be a greater degree of introspection: Who are we? Where do we belong? With whom do we identify?

It is these uncertainties that are being seized upon by the driving force in Scottish Nationalism, the one man political whirlwind, Alex Salmond.

It could be said that this current episode would never have achieved the prominence it now enjoys without the sheer forcefulness of Salmond’s personality and fancy political footwork. A shrewd operator, even those who tire of his self-righteous preaching can’t help but admire the path he has cleared on the road to achieving his ideals. But is his personality distracting us from the substance of the debate? Are the Scottish people herding behind their chosen leader and dancing to his tune, riding the wave of oratory without considering the consequences?

As an exiled Scotsman living in Belfast, I find it hard not to look back at my homeland without a sense of pride at the progressive and busy political programme that has blossomed since devolution. Whilst I may be unionist at heart, when I compare the static, tired old administration that hibernates up on the hill at Stormont with the thriving (yet expensive) Holyrood Parliament, I do so with a sense of smugness.

But that is surely enough. The political union that we enjoy in the United Kingdom has seen us survive the financial crisis that has crippled much of Europe. We enjoy a strength and status on the world stage which belies any geographical justification. To divide our power is to diminish it. This does not mean that we must sacrifice our distinct national characteristics, we must celebrate our diversities and see them as a reason to retain our links, not sever them. Divided we will fall, and who will be there to pick us up?

Closer, Now, Reveal, More, Heat, Cosmopolitan: all popular women’s magazines that we see on the shelves of every newsagents and supermarket. From their attention-grabbing sensationalist headlines, to get fit quick, fad diet secrets and instructions on almost every issue on how to please your man, are these magazines of real sustenance with a worthwhile message, or just fodder for the masses?

BY JANETTE LOUGHLIN

With the majority, if not all, of these magazines aimed towards young heterosexual women, their content caters for what the editors assume to be valuable information women should know: how to have the best sex ever! how to stand out at the office, how to get that bikini-ready bod. But is it what readers really want? Or are they just ideals which have long been circulated again and again in the popular press?

Headlines veiled in mystery to invite curious readers in with their “read more to find out” tag lines only reveal articles which lack any real purpose or answer. We’re not really given any answers, we don’t come away with any sense of confidence in what to do next. Isn’t it a little crass even, to unrealistically simplify serious, real life issues? To reduce them to a how-to list? If only picking yourself up after a bereavement or a break up was actually doable in five simple steps. And you know, you’re really just an incompetent reader who has no control over their life. Ah, that’s why there’s so many how-to lists.

Instead of empowering women, it teaches them to be insecure about issues they may never have considered. Ok, so your boyfriend wants more sex – did you know that means he’s cheating on you? Or so says Cosmo. Why make readers even more paranoid? We’re already fussing over our cellulite we didn’t know existed up until we read how to get rid of it. Seemingly only writing for women interested in pleasing their men, spending money on expensive clothes, looking good, celebrating “beauty” one minute, and the next, cutting to pieces individual style, and creativity with their fashion policing, magazines like Closer place unrealistic lifestyle expectations on the “real women” they target.

But then look at the contradictions within these magazines. One week they’re telling us to lose weight with celebrity diet secrets, the next they’re celebrating curves – and the “average” body. So why place ads that feature only stick-thin models? What kind of expectations are readers meant to meet?

Just glimpsing through the ridiculous headlines of articles on magazine websites is enough to make you cringe. Who reads these and takes the advice seriously? In the same way age-guidance is placed on films, music and TV shows, perhaps magazines and newspapers should have a similar rating system. Should a ten year old really be reading: an article entitled “50 things you never knew about love and sex“? How about “How normal is he in bed?” What counts as normal? You tell us to be kinky minxes and then want us to have boring, “normal” sexual partners? It just seems like lazy journalism. Some poor intern struggling to fill a quota of 50 pointless, needless “facts” I already knew. Pass.

Who needs the gym when you have a boyfriend? Or girlfriend, or any willing sexual partner for that matter. Just don’t get all Freudian on us. Safe sex can be extremely enjoyable when you’re with someone you trust, and even better if they’re up for trying something new and fun. As well as increasing feelings of intimacy with your partner, sex also has been proved to decrease stress levels, and release lots of feel-good hormones. But have you ever thought about using sex as a way of exercising?

BY KITTY CUMMINGS

There are a number of sex positions that can benefit both partners, be it muscular: with slow and steady strength moves; or cardiac: with fast-paced, rhythmic sex that works up a sweat. But if you’re not a professional gymnast, you may need to warm-up with some kinky foreplay to avoid any ill-timed cramping during moments of excitement.

As well as making both partners more comfortable, foreplay increases sexual excitement and gets your body pumping all those feel-good hormones. Why not stretch out your partner’s limbs by tying them to a bed? Scarves work just as well as handcuffs, and are softer around the wrists and feet. And with your partner spread eagle at your mercy, why not get tickling? All that tension of muscles and breathlessness wakes up every tickle-tortured muscle in your body – just be kind and kiss them better afterwards.

A lot of positions are all about balance, tension, movement, rhythm and control over muscles you don’t use during typical exercises like running or cycling. So which positions are best for an all-over body work out? For guy on girl action, cowgirl can be a fantastic work-out for the woman’s inner thighs. Or for a variation on this position, why not try it in reverse? As well as stimulating different areas for both partners, this move also helps to strengthen the woman’s lower back muscles.

If you’re feeling slightly more daring and want to build some upper body strength, there’s the wheelbarrow position. Think wheelbarrow races, only for adults. Naked adults. One partner supports the other’s legs, whilst the other holds up their body weight with their arms on the ground. For a slightly easier standing-up position, try lifting your partner up, using the wall for support, and have them wrap their legs around your waist, working out leg and arm muscles for both partners.

Average calorie units burned per steamy session varies according to sources, but you can place it between 300 – 500 depending on duration. Just don’t annoy the neighbours too much with your new exercise routines, students houses have very thin walls as it turns out.

We fill our days with mindless chatter, polite conversation. We say the words ritually rather than actually thinking about what we say and hear and one of the most common responses to the polite question “how are you?” is “tired.” Students have a reputation for sleeping all day. However, working all night to start and finish that essay or cram for an exam is a habit too many of us develop.

BY MEGAN LIDDY 

Sometimes, when we want to sleep, when we’re really looking forward to it, we just can’t switch off and then lie awake fretting that we aren’t sleeping enough. Most of us will suffer the effects of sleep deprivation now and again, and self-inflicted or involuntary, the effects can be more severe than stifling a few yawns mid-afternoon and suffering a short temper.

During sleep, the brain “cements” memories in the long term cache. If deprived of sleep, the brain has to work harder to remember difficult facts; which is why cramming before an exam doesn’t work. Without proper rest, the brain has to work harder to remember normal routines. So, normal habits, like looking both ways before crossing the road, don’t operate as your body concentrates harder on putting one foot in front of the other. Put simply, when you’re tired, you’re more likely to have an accident. If you cannot sleep for days on end, you may even start to hallucinate. This is caused by your brain desperately trying to shut down while you are still awake to get some much needed rest, so you enter a semi-dreaming state.

Sleep deprivation doesn’t just play havoc with the mind, but also with the physical body. In the long term, people who regularly skimp on sleep tend to snack more as they crave sugar in their blood to keep them awake, so those who regularly cut short their sleeping time are more likely to be overweight. Blood pressure is likely to rise as your heart rate slows during sleep. Without that rest your heart works overtime and you can feel more stressed, which can prevent an easy drift into sleep, resulting in tiredness the next day and the vicious, unhealthy circle continues.

It’s difficult to prescribe what a good sleep habit is, everyone is different. It is important to find a habit that works for you. Make sure your bedroom is a comfortable temperature, and force yourself into a routine of bedtime and waking up time, even if you don’t have to be up. Avoid caffeine after 6pm; and although gentle exercise during the day can help ready your body for sleep at night, avoid exercise late in the evening, as it can have the effect of energising you. Similarly, try to avoid technological gadgetry before bed, it keeps you wired, it’s harder to relax and wind down when you’ve been playing Fruit Ninja or watching videos of cats doing funny stuff on YouTube before bed. Switch your phone off, at the very least to silent mode, and keep it away from your bed. You can read your friend’s drunken text in the morning.

Create a bedtime routine that signals a time for sleep, a warm shower followed by an iPod playlist of relaxing music works wonders. If you find that stress is coming between you and sleep, write a to do list or your worries down in a notebook, they will be there in the morning, you won’t forget anything. Finally, don’t lie in bed worrying that you can’t sleep. Get out of bed and do something else until you feel sleepy, then try again. Humans can’t function without sleep, it will come. Students are renowned for sleeping a lot, sometimes it’s not such a bad thing to live up to a reputation.

In 1970 Jackie Duddy was fifteen. There is a photograph of him from this time, taken during a boxing tournament in Derry. An older man is handing him a trophy, his eyes fixed benignly on the camera. Jackie does not meet the gaze of the lens, but looks away, towards the distance. His face is firm and proud: he is the winner.

BY ROMANO MULLIN

Two years later another, more famous photograph would be taken of Jackie Duddy. He is dying, his shirt and face covered in blood. A group of men carry him, led by Father Edward Daly desperately waving a blood-stained handkerchief past the guns of the Parachute Regiment. This is how Jackie Duddy is remembered in the eyes of the world, his last moments crystallised forever in front of television cameras. It is the defining image of that day.

It is now forty years since Jackie and thirteen others died on Bloody Sunday. During the intervening forty years thousands more have died, and others have been damaged physically and psychologically by what is euphemistically called the Troubles. But Bloody Sunday remains one of the most important events of that time. It was the day that the innocence of the Civil Rights movement died, and it was the day that countless young people decided the only way to achieve their goals was to join the Provisional IRA.

There was never any doubt in the minds of Jackie Duddy’s family that he was innocent. But for 38 years, the British government had it on record that some of the men who died that day were armed, and the Paras had been justified in their actions. The injustice of the original inquiry behind Bloody Sunday devastated the families of the victims, perpetuating a cycle of mistrust and hatred between Nationalists and the British authorities, that has only partly diminished.

Finally, in 2010 the truth was put on public record. One word defined the findings of the Saville Inquiry: innocent. It was on the lips of every person in Derry’s Guildhall Square on the day the findings were made public, and it was heard when David Cameron apologized for the actions of the army and the state. Critics lambasted the cost of the inquiry. Some £190 million had been spent on affirming something most people already knew. That money could have been better spent on peace and reconciliation projects, they mused, instead of reopening the wounds of the past. Others felt that the inquiry established a hierarchy of victims, and abandoned those who were brutally murdered at the hands of paramilitaries.

For some of the families, Saville was enough. Their journey for justice ended, and the truth was preserved. But others are determined to have the soldiers and officers present that day prosecuted. They are right to demand this. The PSNI are assessing the evidence available to determine if charges can be brought against the soldiers who killed. They are now old men, and some have most likely died, but age should not be a barrier to justice.

For most people, Bloody Sunday is an abstract event. It is a shadow on the edges of our cultural memory, something that only our parents or our grandparents have any investment in. For many, it is as distant as the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam, or the fall of the Berlin Wall. Bloody Sunday has become another symbol, another stained day in a list too long to recount.

If we do remember those who died, we should not just remember them as characters in a day that changed the course of our history. If we do remember them, we should remember them as they were before they were killed, and before they were claimed by those with a political agenda. If you remember Jackie Duddy, don’t just keep in mind the bloody figure with a bullet in his back. Remember too, the boy who won the boxing tournament, his face set with determination and pride.

BBC4 has started broadcasting the acclaimed Danish political drama Borgen. From The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Let the Right One In to The Killing, Scandinavian films and television shows have taken our screens by storm. What is it that makes our Northern cousins’ brand of drama that is so appealing?

BY ROMANO MULLIN 

Imagine the scene. A plucky young BBC staffer makes their way nervously to the glass-walled domain of their boss. They have in their possession an idea, and one that might raise a few eyebrows. ‘A political drama? About Denmark? In Danish? With no Peter Capaldi? Are you mad?!’ Wait until they found out the protagonist was female. There could only be one place for such a show: BBC4.

BBC4, with its late night culture, its finely tuned brand of latte-drinking presenters and 1960’s documentaries. BBC4 with its history, its arts and its foreign language dramas. This is the kind of place Fearne Cotton would wander into mistakenly and wither away with shame under the gazes of Stephen Fry and Alistair Sooke.

Of course, the BBC has only benefited from the sudden surge in our interest in Scandinavian dramas. Wallander and Forbrydelsen, Swedish and Danish crime dramas respectively, premiered in the UK on BBC outlets. They sparked off a craze for all things Scandinavian among a certain Guardian-reading, Starbucks-drinking crew, from Faeroese jumpers to experimental Icelandic meals from high street grocery shops. Not since Sigur Ros made their début have so many children been conceived to the lilting rhythms of beautiful Scandinavian languages in the background, matching snowflake patterned jumpers discarded on the floor.

But what is it about these dramas, almost all of them crime-related, that so captures our imagination? Superficially they have everything. They are all open sky dramas, set in the astounding landscapes of the snowy, blowy and wild North. It also helps that Norwegians, Danes, Swedes, Finns and Icelanders are usually healthier and much better looking than we are. They have achingly perfect cheekbones and seem to have no problem looking like Burberry models stepping out to collect the morning papers. And yet all of these dramas have a ring of authenticity to them: Sidse Babett Knudsen who plays PM Birgitte Nyborg Christensen in Borgen is compelling because she manages to be an entirely believable politician, and yet remain loveable; a feat that more than a few within our own elected cohorts would kill to master. Knudsen has also been praised for being sexy yet normal. She may wear frumpy sweaters and put on too much weight during elections, but more than a few men would like to form a coalition with her.

But there is, as always, a darker side to our fascination. The countries these dramas centre on are all in British and Irish eyes annoyingly perfect bastions of liberal democracy. They have fantastic healthcare, as evidenced by their teeth, and enviably high standards of living. Their education system, their infrastructure, all of it far surpasses our own. Yet there is a dark heart beating at the centre of the Scandinavian ideal. Xenophobia, violence against women and incongruously high suicide rates detract from the picture of perfect societies sheltered under the Northern Lights. This darkness came to a head last year with the appalling acts of mass murder committed in Norway by Anders Brehvik. Perhaps as we indulge in our latest Scandinavian favourite, we get a secret thrill of pleasure that there really is something rotten in the state of Denmark.

Still, Borgen is not to be missed. It is a perfect blend of The West Wing and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Clever, nice to look at and at times complicated on a Machiavellian level of intensity that makes debates about motorways running through agricultural land look interesting, it represents everything that makes us jealous of our Scandinavian brothers and sisters. It’s annoyingly perfect, and we love it for it.

BY COLIN WILLIAMSON

When Fabio Capello surveyed the football landscape at the end of 2007, he was faced with a vast array of employment opportunities, as befitting an intelligent Italian manager with an impressive CV. Unfortunately for ‘Don Fabio’, he too was to make an unwise choice and drink from the poisoned chalice of English Football. Hypnotised by the hype, the status, and certainly the pay packet, he stumbled into one of the few jobs in the world almost guaranteed to end in bitter separation.
The England football team is a bit of an enigma within the national culture. Loved and hated in equal measure, derided within its own borders for its failings and apparent treachery, it is fiercely defended if those from foreign lands dare to point out the very same misgivings.
Armies of supporters march to its cause, travelling in hope and misplaced expectation, fuelled by a fervent media who analyse the actions of the national team with almost forensic fascination.
To be at the helm of such an institution is to carry the dreams of many, with almost no chance of seeing them fulfilled. One of the facts that escapes those who bemoan the inability of successive ‘Golden Generations’ to match the feats of the fabled heroes of ’66 is that English footballers just aren’t that good. Yes, the Premiership is the most watched, and arguably the most exciting, league in the world. It is packed with drama, scandal, athleticism and some of the finest players in the world. It just so happens that not many of them are English. When international football comes calling, the technical ability of the Spanish, Germans and South Americans finds the boys in white wanting.
So how does one approach such a job, where the expectations of success far outstrip the resources available to achieve it? You don’t. You pick the humble looking cup at the back, and live to fight another day.
The English FA are now presented with an unexpected opportunity. To see what must be done, they need only gaze south from the Wembley Arch towards rugby HQ at Twickenham. The similarities between the two organisations are probably far greater than either would care to admit. Both suffered from poor World Cups, both have issues with misbehaving players and a murky public image.
Rugby has taken the bull by the horns, clearing out the old guard and adopting a zero tolerance stance on any miscreants who cross the line of legal or moral acceptability. Whilst the evidence from the opening round of the Six Nations may suggest that this policy has seen no benefits on the pitch, it is undeniable that wounds are being healed off it. Performance will surely follow.
Will the FA dare to follow such a path? Are the footballing public more accepting of their idols misgivings, as long as they are masked by on-field success? How would they react to, for example, Wayne Rooney’s absence if he were to be convicted of drink driving?
It is perhaps prophetic that on the day Fabio ‘crumbled into dust,’ his heir apparent, Harry Redknapp, should appear blinking into the sunlight form Southwark Crown Court, the aura of scandal slipping effortlessly off his back to reveal a squeaky clean, ready-made replacement.
When the choice comes, as it surely will, will Harry be drawn in by the external beauty and sparkling splendour of the biggest job in football, or will he stick with the humble simplicity, but safety, of his role at Spurs.
Let’s hope he chooses wisely.

The School of English has caused panic among students by stating that bibliographies should be included in the word-counts of essays. This guidance was given via email on January 6, just three days before a deadline.  This information is not contained in the rubric of essay questions. One second year student said: “The school has failed its students utterly.”

BY BEN FINCH AND ROMANO MULLIN

Following an outcry from students, a second email was sent on January 9 which states: “Students will NOT be penalised should their essays be over length on account of the bibliography.”

Prior to the first email, students received conflicting advice about whether bibliographies were to be included in word-counts.  The general consensus was that bibliographies were not included.  Some students’ bibliographies now took up a quarter of their essay, requiring a substantial portion to be cut in order to make their argument.

The email, dated January 6, reads: “As stated in the School’s assessment policy: ‘each assessment will have a specified word length which is intended to include all the components of the assessment: main text, notes, bibliography etc.’” It has not been possible to verify this policy.

The guidelines attached to questions say: “For further details, please refer to the document entitled ‘Guidelines for Submission and Presentation of Summative Work’ also available on Queen’s Online Website (QOL).”  It is assumed this document contains the statement quoted.  It is not available on QOL, the School of English website, the Queen’s website or Google.  There are no results for ‘QUB School of English assessment and feedback policy’.

The last document found which includes bibliographies in the word-count is the 2008/09 Stage One Handbook.  This says: “It should not exceed 2000 words in length including bibliography.”  Other than repeating students, undergraduates in the School have only been studying since 2009/10.

It also appears the School expected SSCC Representatives to provide students with this information regarding the inclusion of bibliographies.

The student said: “It seems the school wants to blame students for [the school’s] incompetence, judging by the tone of the first email. Philip [McGowan, School of English Examinations Liaison Officer] commented [on FaceBook] that reps should have told students about the changes. Firstly, it’s unclear if they were actually changed and secondly, it is not the job of the rep to communicate policy changes, but rather to voice what students want to say to staff.

“The main problem is that the school didn’t state clearly whether or not a bibliography counted as part of an essay word count. It seems to contradict the general academic encouragement to read widely.

“In my most recent essays my bibliography ran to 500 words, which could be so valuable in expanding an argument. The temptation will be to limit reading so that an argument could be expanded. However, without wide reading, surely an argument will suffer. I can’t believe the school waited until the day of the deadlines to clarify their position on this. It’s a total disgrace.”

Another said: “To be honest, I think our tutors and lecturers weren’t aware of all the rules and that’s why we’ve been told different things by different people. It seems to encourage using a smaller bibliography and, obviously, the less sources you’re citing the more limited your points are going to be, or you’ll get done for plagiarism because you haven’t put in all your articles. It’s ridiculous.

“I know people who have made themselves sick over it. If you’re going to impose a new rule, or an old one no-one knew about, tell us before one of the most stressful periods of the year.”

A third year student agreed, saying: “I first found out about this new, and quite frankly, ridiculous rule amidst a general discussion about bibliographies on FaceBook. All of us had received conflicting information from our tutors but most assured us, after we enquired, was that bibliographies did not and never have been included in the word-count.

“However, as a couple of tutors had advocated that they should be, a few of my peers decided they would email Philip McGowan and their individual subject tutors, to receive clarification. Of course, Philip replied, quoting from the school’s new assessment policy, and confirmed that this new rule had come in to effect and it was mandatory that we now include our bibliographies in the word-count. This conflicted with many of the tutors’ responses. Some even quite forcefully asserted this rule did not exist. From that, I can only speculate that this new information wasn’t disseminated across the school and tutors were just as ignorant to it all.

“Basically, I think this whole debacle reflects poorly on the School of English. There is obviously a lack of communication within the staff and they are highly disorganised. Much unnecessary stress and worry was caused and, if I speak on behalf of my peers, I think all of us are still trying to catch up from those two days which were spent re-reading essay guidelines, emailing tutors and getting distressed over an issue imposed on us by the people who are supposed to help.”

Nuala McAdams, VP Education, said: “This issue has been brought to my attention and after speaking with the School of English I can confirm that for this examination period (January 2012) students will not be penalised for not including the bibliography in the word count. The School’s policy is that bibliographies will be counted in the word limit. Due to this information not reaching all students within an appropriate timeframe, the School have made an exception for the January examination period. Following this, the bibliography will be counted in the word limit. The School have also contacted all students informing them of this.”

Dr McGowan said: “The School realises this is an issue of concern for all of its students, has emailed all students to reassure them that there will be NO penalisation on account of over length due to bibliographies in this assessment period and is grateful to The Gown for helping clarify this situation.”

Dr McGowan was unable to comment on how information regarding the inclusion of bibliographies in the word-count was not provided to students as this was discovered after office hours.

None of the students quoted in this article wished to be named because of any possible effect there may be on the quality of teaching received in the future.

BY PRIYA BIRING 

In the full to capacity Mandela hall, local legend, Screendeath warmed the crowd up and created hype for the arrival of Alex Metric. Metric is a DJ whose list of achievements is ridiculously intimidating, creating tracks with high profile artists, from La Roux to N*E*R*D. Metric played a great set starting with Afrojack’s ‘Polkadots 2010’ remixed by Dutch producer Oliver Twizt. The intense build up on this track sent the crowd into a frenzy. Metric laid down a unique selection of electronica tracks infused with some heavy bass.

The Japanese Popstars took over in the build-up for the countdown, playing the Autokratz remix of their untimely classic ‘Let Go.’ The Derry boys’ funky bass and electronic pulses built up so that the drop came just at the countdown, with the crowd chanting ‘just relax and let go.’ Meanwhile, in the Bunatee bar Anton K and Bobby Analog played decent tracks, such as ‘Keep It Coming’ (Original Mix) by Starkillers, Nadia Ali, but the highlight was Foamo. Foamo sent shivers through the spines of his crowd, playing high profile remixes and the bouncy bass-lines on house tempoed productions that he’s known for.

Shine also promotes Belfast’s own up and coming DJs; giving them a slot at Shine NYE, one of the biggest nights of the year, a great opportunity to showcase their amazing talents. Among them, were Kristian Woods – a regular DJ at Thompsons and Deep City Groove, a two piece keen on reviving the sounds of the nineties.

As one the biggest nights of the year, the mounting pressure didn’t show in any of the acts at Shine. Calm and collected, the night flowed carelessly in time with the tunes. Throbbing bass lines and hard electronica pulsed through the union, resulting in one of the best nights to bring in the year in Belfast.

2011 can be considered a good year in film, if you take a view that makes a few glaring omissions. While Hollywood stumbles on with its incessant remakes, reboots, re-imaginings, sequels, prequels, threequels and adaptations vibrant and vital filmmaking continues to come from other avenues.

BY MATTHEW MCKERNAN

While the extremely successful Harry Potter franchise ended in July and November saw the beginning of the end of The Twilight Saga, Hollywood looks like it might be losing its key tent pole films. Though a brief scan of the film’s due for a 2012 release makes it clear that the blockbuster format has not yet been exhausted.

Yet there was some indication of blockbuster fatigue in the UK box office. Palme D’Or winner The Tree of Life managed to hold a place in the Top 10 for three weeks, despite competition from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Being a rather difficult art film and certainly a hard sell, despite the presence of Brad Pitt, the film’s success at the box office was telling.

Similarly, The Guard did good business, retaining a place in the UK box office for five weeks despite only being released in Northern Ireland. A hit domestically, the film also travelled well with good reviews across the UK and the US. A good sign for a domestic Irish cinema and proof that there is an international market for homegrown cinema.

2011 saw yet another comeback for Woody Allen with Midnight in Paris. Neither the critics nor the box office takings have been kind to Woody Allen recently, despite his work being of a fairly consistent quality since the Seventies. Midnight in Paris has proven to be a success with the critics and became Woody Allen’s high-grossing film so far.

It was an interesting year in censorship. Following on from last year’s Last House on the Left remake, this year saw the release of yet another remake of a Video Nasty. This time it was I Spit On Your Grave. For those who don’t know, the Video Nasties were a collection of 60 horror and thriller films banned seemingly at random by the BBFC due to pressure from an outraged tabloid press. While the original I Spit On Your Grave was banned outright, the remake was passed with cuts made, while the similar Straw Dogs remake was passed uncut. On top of this, the notorious Cannibal Holocaust was given a wide DVD re-release with many of the cut sequences reinstated. It seemed as if censorship guidelines had slipped until the arrival of The Human Centipede II: Full Sequence, which was banned outright by the BBFC. It was eventually released cut by two and a half minutes. This banning was a controversial reminder that films still can go too far.

Sadly, 2011 also saw the deaths of many significant people from the older generations of cinema. Amongst them were Elizabeth Taylor, Edward Hardwicke, Ken Russell, Sidney Lumet, Anna Massey, Peter Falk, John Neville, Michael Gough, Jane Russell, Maria Schneider, John Barry, Susannah York, Peter Yates and Pete Postlewaith.

BY JIRHE OKUGHENI

To summarise the plot (warning: spoilers aplenty), some bloodthirsty idiot called Hyperion (played by Mickey Rourke) and his army are killing innocents across Greece, just because they can. They’re trying to search for a Bow which’ll mean Hyperion will overthrow the Gods and therefore rule the world. Okay so far so good. They continue destroying stuff, until they reach a village were a man called Theseus gets pissed because his mother was killed at the hands of Hyperion, in a rather anticlimactic fashion. This is after some soldier (who never really gets much focus) decides to betray the village army due to numerous anger management issues. Obviously after the death of his mother Theseus goes out of his way to avenge her.

Meanwhile Hyperion tries to and eventually these semi- naked women who are led by the Oracle. The Oracle can see visions because of her ‘purity’ Hyperion wants here to find the Bow. Okay, so this is when things start to get really weird and stupid and this will be quite brief.

Somehow Theseus is captured, but both, the Oracle and some random Scottish sounding guy escape at the expense of the Oracle’ female support group. Then a lot of random stuff happens, the Oracle sleeps with Thesus, because she wants to be ‘normal’ or some crap like that. Spitting in the face of the sacrifices her women helpers made. After this, the Oracle is pretty useless and is just there for show. She doesn’t even find the Bow. Theseus ‘stumbles’ across it in some cave accidently, and thus rendering the first half of the movie absolutely pointless. Unfortunately, he loses the bow to Hyperion, who then proceeds to unleash some weird monsters who the Gods (i.e. Zeus) could have killed, but decided to lock in a big box for no apparent reason. The Gods then aid Theasus in fighting these beasts, while Theasus fights Hyperion and his sidekick fights a horde of Hyperion army. One landslide later they win. The End.

If you like pointless action with no real substance or story, give Immortal a shot. Everyone else stay very much away.

Noticing the increase of leopard prints and spandex around the Ulster Hall on 4 December you’d have been forgiven for thinking that the Louie Spence fan club had rolled into town. Hair spray, eye liner and tight pants were in abundance. And then there was the girls. But no, Brit glam-rockers The Darkness were here for the final date of their UK reunion tour, the “Every Inch of UK (and Ireland) Tour.”

BY CONOR KERR

Supporting them were our very own Million $ Reload. Playing songs from critically acclaimed debut “Anthems of a Degeneration,” the band came out swinging and even threatened to cast their own shadow over the headliners following them. The sound engineer had given them a great sound which helped their cause, but it was the force of the music and their presence on stage which made it all the more exciting to watch them. Lead singer Phil’s voice filled the venue and I can only give him the greatest compliment I can, and compare him to the late, great Bon Scott. The band itself had a swagger and sound reminiscent of Mötley Crüe or Guns N’ Roses as a listen to songs like “Living In The City” or “Tattoos and Dirty Girls” will surely show. This band should be huge and we’ll hopefully see them headlining their own show at the Ulster Hall sometime in the future.

But as the dust settled from that set, it was time for the newly reformed, kings of glam-rock. Opening their set with album opener “Black Shuck,” we were in for a treat. The band seemed re-energised with the line-up back to its original form. The hits followed one after another, going straight into “Growing On Me” and “One Way Ticket, before reaching the compulsory ballads in the middle of the set, first with lead singer Justin Hawkins performing “Holding My Own” solo on acoustic guitar, and then “Love is Only A Feeling.” In the midst of this we are treated to two costume changes from Justin, as he emerges in some tight one-piece catsuits that Freddie Mercury would have been proud of. There is a bit of a sing along, and a “Who’s the loudest” competition as Hawkins tells of how loud the Dublin and Cork audiences were, the very mention of which received some well-meant boos. The more upbeat sing-along tunes followed with “Friday Night,” “Is It Just Me” and the insanely catchy “Givin’ Up” before ending the first part of the set with a pleasant surprise performance of arguably the best Christmas song EVER, “Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End).” Coupled with the fact it had begun to snow earlier in the evening, it was the perfect setting to hear that song. The encore began, initially some Olé Olé’s from the crowd, (and a new catsuit) with jam-piece “Bareback”, which then moved swiftly on to mega-hit “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” which really got the crowd moving and the ground shaking. The gig ended with seriously rocking slab of hard rock in the form of “Love On The Rocks With No Ice,” including a highlight of the show – Hawkins riding the shoulders of a bouncer/roadie through the middle of the crowd playing a guitar solo.

Overall it was a return to form for a refreshed line up. They seem to, or at least try, to give off a more serious vibe, but the catsuits, the handstands, and of course the music mean that nothing is ever taken too seriously. The band play together as tightly as ever and Hawkins has lost none of his infamous vocal range. Our ears ringing, voices strained from attempting far too many high notes, it was more than worth it. The Ulster Hall hasn’t rocked that hard for a long time, and with a promise from Hawkins of more shows in the future, we’ll do it all over again.

One Direction’s Up All Night is the best comedy album of 2011, hands down. It is full of wonderful irony, word-play and satire. For a start, the band name is clearly a pun on ‘One Dimension’, which is exactly how many dimensions there are to their music. Clever boys.

BY PETER MCLOUGHLIN

 
The album title is obviously ironically referring to how long they’ll be keeping the ladies up; even though from the look of the album cover the only thing keeping the boys up all night is re-runs of America’s Next Top Model and Justin Bieber documentaries – but that’s just another facet of the hilarious mocku-musical image these young comedians are aiming for.

 
The satire really comes to the fore once you hit play, and they, with some skill, produce songs which sound like the stolen demos of real people, like: Moby, Maroon 5, Taio Cruz, LMFAO, Adele, Lady GaGa. They subtly but hilariously name-drop Katy Perry in one song, where they imply that because Katy Perry is ‘on replay’, the “DJ got the floor to shake”! Classic lampoon – and not only that, they try to sing the words ‘to shake’ so that they rhyme with ‘replay’, which they just plainly do not, but it’s witty nonetheless. They also sound similar to Bruno Mars, LilWayne, and, of course, their idolised real-life singular counter-part, Justin Bieber; tit that he is. I’m sure there are many other artists that they shamelessly rip off on that list, but I have only listened to the album a handful of times, and what is evident already is that I have only scratched the surface of this multi-layered, deep and intelligent record.

 
And that’s the ultimate point; this is a record that benefits from repeated listening. What at first sounds like poor attempts at latching onto the most used sounds currently pervading the popular music scene is really a masterful piss take, and though within thirty seconds of the opening track you may be laughing, it is not until the fifth listen or so that the humour in the piece as a whole becomes clear. Best of all is the verse in the afore-mentioned Katy Perry referencing song, sung by a boy who gave himself the wonderfully stupid pseudonym ‘Zayn’, which goes like this: “Don’t even care about the table breaking/ We only wanna have a laugh/I’m only thinking ’bout this girl I’m seeing/ I hope she’ll wanna kiss me back”. The contradiction to this verse compared to the young boys making a ‘mess’ of a girls ‘innocence’ is striking, and this is their best attempt at replicating the often twee, normally simply stupid things that most pop stars sing about, and it works a treat; when you hear them sing that, you will cringe awfully.

 
One more point worth noting is that though there are five boys, there is only one actual vocal pitch, and whoever owns the voice has pitched it perfectly to sound like a robot going through an auto-tuning device set at ‘pre-pubescent whine’. It can only be assumed then, that the rest of the boys are there as part of the wider creative process.

 
I only hope they don’t gain too much popularity on the release of this album, to the point of them actually touring or some such thing, because if this kind of stuff is played to young school girls, it could easily corrupt them, much like Westlife did in the ’90s, and this One Dimensional band might be taken seriously.

The fifth annual OUTBURST Queer Arts Festival was hosted in Belfast this year, from November 11- 20. This is Belfast’s celebration of all the goodness in local and international lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Arts and Culture.

BY PRIYA BIRING

OUTBURST Queer Arts Festival is a Registered Charity and not-for-profit initiative, dedicated to exploring and celebrating LGBT stories and experiences through the Arts in Northern Ireland. “Our programme aims to support, encourage and inspire local LGBT creativity, in addition to bringing the best in international Queer Arts to the city of Belfast.” In a recent interview, Ruth McCarthy, director of OUTBURST Queer Arts Festival stated that the word Queer was used because they felt the word gay was an overused term fixed onto a lot of events, implying that everything is to do with sexuality.

The festival was bursting with new and exciting events and this year OUTBURST gained funding from the Northern Ireland Arts Council. The festival is getting bigger every year and now with more funding it can only become bigger and better. The ten days of the festival were filled with theatre, film, music, literature, visual art, discussion and debate from both local and international LGBT artists and performers.

Highlights included; The London Gay Men’s Chorus Little Shop of Homos, Joe Mercer’s dance–theatre piece Cruising, Shopping, F*cking, The Transgender community storytelling at the Black Box, a Retro lesbian poker tournament held on the Lagan barge and to end the festival, a comedic play called The Year of Magical Wanking, performed at the Lyric Theatre.

The Year of Magical Wanking was a one man show, written and performed by Neil Watkins. Watkins plays a 33-year-old with an age-appropriate messiah complex. He’s also Irish, gay and masturbates more than is good for him. But as any Irish male who’s survived a Catholic upbringing will testify: “once is too much, but a thousand times is never enough.”

Great strides in gay rights may have been made inNorthern Irelandof late, with civil partnerships and the Pride march, which is now only raising some convulsion of public bigotry. However, issues still remain and with Northern Ireland supposedly being set back fifty years economically and industrially, so too are many ingrained cultural and social values. Thinking optimistically, we can hope that Northern Ireland is moving forward and events like the Queer Arts Festival can begin to dispel certain stereotypes of religion versus homosexuality.

Remember back in the day when CDs were a new concept and cassette tapes were not classed as museum artefacts? Remember the general excitement surrounding the release of a new edition to the ‘Now’ series?

BY RACHAEL O’REILLY

The 80th edition of the Now That’s What I Call Music! series arrived with more of a fizzle than a bang. It seems that in the era of ‘Spotify’, ‘YouTube’ and even, to a lesser extent, ‘iTunes’, though it’s not free and therefore less appealing to impoverished students, this compilation is becoming less and less current with each release.

Admittedly, the track listing is not bad, filled with pop tunes like ‘Moves Like Jagger’ by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera and ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ by One Direction with the occasional dance number thrown into the mix (including the Freshers’ Week 2011 anthem that was ‘Loca People’ by Sak Noel!) and several R&B hits like ‘Got 2 Luv U’ by Sean Paul.

The problem is not necessarily in the CD itself but in the current fast pace of the music industry today. Most of the ‘top hits’ on Now 80 are already a fading memory after being listened to on a loop via radio, the internet or even in the Union on Monday night. It doesn’t seem like good value to buy this CD (or the MP3 download) when the artists already have new singles out.

Overall, Now That’s What I Call Music! 80 is a good attempt at compiling all the big hits from the past four months; just don’t depend on it to keep your music library up to date.

Old habits die hard here in Northern Ireland. Some of the more dangerous habits have been kicked, but deep rooted attitudes are proving a lot harder to shift.

BY COLIN WILLIAMSON
There is no doubt that we live in a far more peaceful and stable state, but it would seem that the main protagonists in our political pantomime just can’t help themselves when the opportunity arises to indulge in a bit of good old fashioned tribalism.
An examination of the actions and words of those who sit up on the hill at Stormont reveals a host of contradictions. In political terms, talk is cheap and change is expensive: Northern Ireland’s leaders seem unwilling to pay the price of true reconciliation.
The recent DUP conference was a snapshot that revealed so much. Peter Robinson took to the stage and spoke grandly of “all of us” together, a bold statement of intent for a future where the unthinkable prospect of Catholics voting for the party founded by the self-styled scourge of Rome, Ian Paisley, could become a reality. Contrast this with the performance of his right hand man, Finance Minister Sammy Wilson, who kept the party faithful happy by reverting to low brow jokes at the expense of Republican hunger strikers. Clearly money doesn’t buy taste.
Robinson himself is not averse to falling back behind party lines. The recent arguments surrounding the proposed reforms to the prison service produced his extraordinary threat to resign if royal symbols were discarded.
Sinn Fein like to play the game as well. Niall O’Donnaghaile was swept into office as the youngest ever Mayor of Belfast. The fresh faced First Citizen promised to represent all the people of the city. Clearly this didn’t extend to a young female army cadet whom he snubbed at a Duke of Edinburgh awards presentation.
Sinn Fein speak of ‘The North’ or ‘the six counties.’ Unionists have claimed the title of ‘Ulster,’ ignoring its three southern counties. The city of Derry/Londonderry looks destined to remain ever thus whilst the naming arguments continue. Debates rage about the use of the Irish Language and Ulster-Scots. The Union Flag v The Tri-colour, St Patrick’s Day v The Twelfth, Lily v Poppy: symbolism and language are the new weapons of combat and our politicians are all too keen to wield them on the front line.
All the while we are experiencing the worst economic downturn in a generation. People have taken to the streets to voice their concern about those things which really affect our lives: jobs, pensions, health and education. The paraphernalia of sectarianism may still influence the politics of those in office, but they need to realise what really matters to us.
We live in a culture of fear, perhaps no longer of guns and bombs, but of change. The retreat behind out-dated values is the safety zone for our big political parties. To talk of change is one thing, to act on it is to risk losing the loyal core.
The leap of faith needs to come from voters. We too can fear change, resorting at election time to addressing ‘the constitutional question’ rather than real world problems. It will take a leap of faith, but it’s ours to make. In one of the great paradoxes of life: where we lead, our leaders will follow.

Queen’s Hurlers Take Title

Dan Gordon wrote and starred in The Boat Factory, a moving play about workers in the shipyards in East Belfast. Michael Condron delivered a fantastic array of accents, and the chemistry between the two actors was fizzing. A play  starring only two people can get slightly dull and drag, but The Boat Factory was fast-paced, funny, and left you knowing an awful lot more about Belfast’s history.

BY EMMA GALLEN

The play was part of Belfast Festival and has been promoted by the Ulster Scots Agency.

This is perhaps why it was allowed to be performed in The Barnett Room in Belfast Harbour Office. The building itself was worth going to see; it was like a mini-museum with all the paintings and statues, and as it is usually closed to the public, it made the ticket price seem even smaller.

The play started as a way of educating Key Stage Two primary school children, but this isn’t a child’s play. With complicated relationships and the examples of corruption throughout the shipyard, the play has been reworked for an adult audience.

Gordon’s character is based on his father and this really adds to the emotional drama of the play. When he tells anecdotes of what it was like for his dad, there is genuine warmth and affection shown, and more than one tissue was needed.

A new exhibition at the Ulster Museum shows Queen Elizabeth II in a series of portraits.  This display is to mark her Diamond Jubilee as the Queen of England on the throne.  In collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery, the touring collection is an eclectic mix that ranges from rare, intimate photographs to world famous art pieces. 

BY LAURA SHEARER

What seems like a small gallery space is thronged with images, bold and minimalist, powerful and delighting. Divided into sections of her reign, starting in the 1950s and ranging to the present day, each portrait offers a stunning and often very personal interpretation of the famous lady.

In photography, the formality of her life is met with jarringly simple posed family group shots.  Shining examples of rare photos include the unseen moments caught on camera as she takes shelter from the rain, unknown to the public on the balcony above her.

Full of heart are the interpretations of her iconic image, from the set of four Warhol prints to the poster art of the Sex Pistols album cover God Save the Queen.  Modern masterpieces featured incorporate an odd 3D image that watches you walk by, a multi-media figure bust and the oil on canvas image made up of hundreds of miniature portraits of Princess Diana.  Humility is explored with delicate painting skills, and where new media art offers styles that will divide opinions, rest assured there is something to suit every palate.

These images are familiar all over the world, but are presented in a way that is original and extremely pleasurable. The young at heart meet with the old to marvel at the presence of an iconic woman.  This is not an appreciation of her achievements, nor does any political diversion arrest the vision; this is the life of a queen through images.

The Queen: Art & Image is free and on show to the public in the Ulster Museum until 15 January 2012.

If you can read the words written on these pages then there’s a good chance you could read the subtitles of a Swedish vampire film if they were displayed in English, on screen, in time with the dialogue.  If you can understand the words then you could probably understand a film’s story without needing an Americanised context, setting, or Hollywood schmaltzing.  

BY PETER MCLOUGHLIN

Does Hollywood think they are assisting our cultural development when remaking foreign films?  The effort, ability and inimitability apparent in original and fantastic films like Let the Right One In so thoroughly impresses the deep-pocketed producers that they clearly feel obliged to extend the audience further by paying decent homage. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Almost every film now seems based on a book or a remake of a foreign film but screenwriters and new ideas have hardly disappeared. The simple reason is the big, sleazy, easy buck.

Let the Right One In was changed to Let Me In – and instantly there is a problem.  Let the Right One In is not only a Morrissey lyric, but it’s a poignant title that matches the films content.  Let Me In almost changes the whole relationship between the two characters – it implies desperation instead of satisfaction, patience.  Suffice to say, the film is like the antithesis of Twilight, in almost every regard, and it too is accessible.  There was no need to schmaltz it.  But it made an easy buck.

Some of the best films you may ever see will be set in a country you’ve never been to, spoken in a language that doesn’t even share your alphabet, and probably feature actors and actresses you’ve never seen before and never will again.  You will learn things about the world and you won’t even realise it’s happening.  Pan’s Labyrinth, Sin Nombre, La Vita è Bella, Poetry all bring to life stories from other cultural climates you may never have witnessed before.

Many people only go to the cinema to be whisked away by impossible romances that leave hollow holes in hearts everywhere, and to get lost in some action film starring big strong men who snack on whey protein shakes, explosions and cleavage.  War, rom-coms, and superhero/sci-fi flicks,  along with the occasional rom-com disguised as rude-comedy does meet what most people want, so it makes sense to pander to.

Hollywood, in remaking foreign films they stifle the original by ensuring their schmaltzed, American version soaks up a share of the profit.  But try something different, and in doing so you can do the budding film industries across the globe a favour by letting the right one in.

So you love football, but you’ve decided that rather than just spend a few weeks drinking in pubs and watching Euro 2012 on big TVs, you’d rather go to Poland and/or Ukraine and drink in pubs and watch games on big TVs. Fair enough. But do you know anything about either country? Crime rates? No, neither do I, and to be honest I’m not about to scare anyone out of taking a trip that could be one of the best in their life. But if you are planning to nip over for the tournament, you might need to know a thing or two, and soon, as flights etc. will only jump drastically the closer we come to May 2012.

BY PETER MCLOUGHLIN
Think about the scale of these two countries that together span Eastern Europe, and the cultural smorgasbord on show when citizens from every rich city in Europe land in to party all night every night. Well, they’ll party at least until their country’s national team are knocked out in what will probably be a case of a bust-up/boring-game-decided-by-penalties/ Spain-passing-them-to-sleep. But anyway, you know about the football. Instead, I will give you a little run down, taken from the official UEFA website, of all the towns and cities involved; concluding by which seems the most ideal place for the greatest amount of fun.

Firstly, the city Napoleon said was ‘key to everything’; Gdansk, positioned in the north of Poland, built around the coast of the Baltic Sea. The history of the place in fascinating, but if you are planning on flying in what you’ll want to know is what you can do aside from wander around admiring the Flemish architecture and signs of old devastating struggles. Well, to be honest, there isn’t a lot else; but again, the place will be busy, sweaty, and full of young drunk people, so really there is no reason why you wouldn’t have fun. The city is on the coast, so should be a place with enough fresh air and variation from the urban sprawl to make it one of the favourite destinations; the only arguable downside being that it is literally on one side of the map; to travel to the Ukrainian cities involved will take a considerable amount of time.

Next up is Pozan, a city in the heart of Poland with ‘Eastern Energy, (but) Western Style’. The first bit of that statement sounds promising, but the latter, which is backed-up by the photographs of some of the city’s landmarks, is really a negative if you are searching for something different. Better transport services abound from here though, and the economically strong city should have plenty to see. But for me, stuck in the middle of a place thriving on industry rather than culture or artistry, it’d dull quickly.

Warsaw, the city which will host the opening match of the Euros, has a great deal to offer, but again, most of this is in the cultural and historical sense, aside from the fact that the place will be swamped with people. The bars here are apparently top quality.

Each city will have its own ‘fan zone’, consisting of a large cordoned area with massive screens and entertainment every night, but Warsaw’s sounds the most impressive of the lot: it will accommodate 100,000 people, open on the eve of the tournament and, like the fan zones in each of the other Polish cities, stay open every night to 1 a.m. until July 2nd. It is free and will broadcast every match live, and will also have live concerts and five-a-side football matches.
The final Polish town is Wroclaw, a city built in and around over 15 islands and rivers, all connected by 112 bridges. Here the biggest attraction is the Racławicka Panorama; a magnificent 114m long rotunda depicting an old battle in which Polish peasants defeated the Russian army. Aside from that, the fan zone has the exact same description as the others, so all in all not a great variation in activity from one to the next: D.J.s, five-a-side tournaments etc. But to be fair, none of that sounds at all bad.

All in all, I’d aim for Gdansk or Warsaw. Although Gdansk is probably the most culturally diverse, as it is a coastal city close to a Russian and Lithuanian border, the fact that Warsaw is the largest city in Poland, with the most going on and the better transport options to move on from, if you’re forced to choose I’d go for the capital. Otherwise, of course, hit them all. Inter-rail passes are the way to go.

Now Poland is big, but Ukraine is huge; in fact it is the largest country contained completely within the Euro-zone, and the cities used for the tournament are well spread out, so if you want to travel to more than one city then prepare to travel long and with fair expense.

Lviv is the first city on the list, and being closest to the Polish border is the most likely travel hub of the tournament. Again the vagueness of the entertainment on offer here is apparent, but then most official acts are probably yet to be confirmed. Same fan zone style as in Poland, only these close at 12.a.m, rather than 1, so they’ll probably be the slightest bit less mental. The motto of this city is ‘open to the world’, and one of historic significance, and also less populated that most of the cities, so one for the quieter times.

Kyiv, 540km from Lviv, houses roughly one million more people than Warsaw in its limits, so you can well imagine the extra atmosphere, but the lack of a larger fan zone here could cause trouble – or at the very least over-crowding, so I’d think twice about using this place as your footballing mainstay, but the city itself of course is a special place, and you could spend a good week only scratching the surface of all there is on offer. No trip to the Euro’s would be complete without exploring the wealth of this city; which includes city beaches for all those lazy or hung-over people who need a place to have their bodies lapped back to normal.

Kharkiv follows, and it has a neat monument to football already inset, so you can expect there to be plenty of die-hard fanatics trawling these streets and squares. One such square – The Freedom Square – is the world’s 9th largest, and has the majority of the university and government building all circumventing it. This is also where the fan zone will be situated, and it’ll be big enough for 50,000 people. Aside from that, it is a place of excellent and various educational institutes, so the second largest city in Ukraine could also be the best student hotspot, and therefore probably the most fun. Oh, and they have a football team called the Metalist’s. If Gdansk offers something different in Poland, Kharkiv is the equivalent in Ukraine.

Donetsk in the last city on the list, and it is incidentally 1,810km from Gdansk (how’s that for a road trip?), and yet both are built close to a boarder of Russia! (good luck for 2018…). Founded by a Welshman in the 1800’s, it has been recognised as the cleanest industrial city in the world, which is a credit to the place, and aside from looking fairly swanky in style, the Sea of Azov is only an hour away, which is the world’s most shallow sea (in that it is less deep, not, you know, concerned with material things…). The fan zone is not quite as big as Warsaw’s, but it should still be mightily impressive, and as the city is closer to the middle-east than to central Europe, the temperatures should be higher and the culture a little less familiar. Throw in a quarter and a semi-final and this city should be one of the tournament hotspots.

Overall each city has its merits. If you’re not travelling on a large budget, I’d either travel only the one country of go for the cities, Warsaw and Lviv, closest to the borders and jump between countries for a better cultural contrast, or, for my money, I’d take Ukraine, and I’d hop between Kharkiv and Donetsk, as they seem like the most modern and youth-full places to be. But wherever you are, it’s up to you to make the most of it, of course.

When you’re there for the football, it’s going to be very hard to pull yourself away from the cities fan zones; but if you do, you’ll find architecture of various cultural and religious times scattered all over each of these cities, aside from Donetsk, which should, as a newer city, be at least consistent, if not a little dull as a result. Do try and veer away from the fan zones; dive into the pokey bars (just look for a flag that resembles your own during match day), taste the corner food, dodgy meat colourations be dammed, dance in the streets until dawn, avoid binging to the point of drunken idiocy every night, and try to take in the countryside, particularly Ukraine’s, which is remarkable varied from one side to the next.

You know you can’t always rely on the football. Sometimes it’s boring. Sometimes it’s clumsy. Sometimes it’s sickeningly unfair. But it brings people together – and you can rely on people to entertain you, to excite you, if you just keep plunging into the ocean of new experience Euro 2012 will offer. And remember, for the next decade or more, all the major tournaments in the world are going to be played in places that cost a fortune to travel to or are set in unimaginably volatile climates, so this might be your last great excuse for a long time to piss off to another country and drink yourself silly for a few weeks while gorging on football. Or, alternatively, this could be your next great heart-achingly beautiful experience. I’d recommend you try straddling the two options the best you can.

It’s that time of year again; the Christmas decorations go up and the Continental market comes to Belfast. It’s one of the many examples of German-themed Christmas markets that are replicated all over the UK, but how authentic is it, and why are we are we so obsessed with the old-style version of Christmas?

BY KATHLEEN PEDERSEN

As we all know the market consists of many exotic stalls that sell everything from Native American themed dream catchers, to kangaroo burgers. With such a wide variety of items on sale, you might start to wonder if this is just another form of commercialism attached to the festive season.

Genuine “authentic” German Christmas market in places such as Cologne are actually pretty similar to the version we have right here in Belfast; the combination of a distinctive merry theme, complete with over-priced goods.

However, it is clear how the Belfast market has been adapted to suit Irish tastes. In Germany the only alcoholic beverage they traditionally sell at the markets is glühwein (mulled wine), whereas in Belfast the main attraction appears to be the huge beer tent.

With each successive year the variety of goods expand to yet another far-flung country, perhaps why this market is described as “Continental” and not German. Nevertheless the emergence of these markets all over the UK has had positive effect for the German tourist board, as after people have had a taste for a traditional Christmas they flock to cities such as Frankfurt and Aachen.

The fact that a German Christmas is supposed to be much more traditional than we experience in Britain and Ireland has perhaps been exploited in order for us to simply spend even more money during Christmas. Some families are so desperate to make their Christmas less commercialised that they are willing to fork out more money on the German ideal. Should we not just be content with our own traditions even if they have become modernised and the focus has been moved away from religion? Whether this is actually the case, it cannot be denied that the Continental market is a good Christmassy day out, even if you can’t afford to buy anything there other than an over-priced pint of beer and a crêpe.

The Red Hot Chilli Peppers scorched the O2 Arena with a fiery set-list that included a few tunes off their new album, I’m With You, as well as some old school favourites. On  4 November, Dublin was treated to a top-notch performance from Anthony Keidis, Flea, Chad Smith and new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who were opened by up-and-coming Californian collective Fool’s Gold. As an opening act they delivered a strong performance of neo-African-rhythmic-pop-rock that left the crowd grooving and ready for seduction from Flea’s funkilicious bass. 

BY MATTHEW GILLEN

The arena dimmed and then exploded into an array of coloured lights as the Chilli’s unleashed new tune ‘Monarchy of Roses’. 14,500 people jumped and cheered at such an adrenaline pumping start, which seamlessly transitioned into ‘Dani California’. To pinpoint a single definitive moment of the night wouldn’t do justice to the concert or the band. There were so many highlights ranging from the music, the audience and the venue itself. The visual displays were stunning as the light show moved in perfect sync with the tempo and tone of the songs. This was accompanied by an impressive wall of rotating screens broadcasting an entertaining montage of the band playing, the crowd, pre-recorded clips and mugshots of fans.

The Chilli’s followed a new/old formula including; ‘Look Around’/ ‘Scar Tissue’ and ‘Factory of Faith’/ ‘Under the Bridge’. Towards the end of the night the newer songs became rarer as they belted out classics such as ‘Californication’ and ‘By the Way’. During a short break for Anthony’s vocal cords, Chad began a thumping drum solo with Flea and Klinghoffer gradually joining in to do an instrumental cover of U2’s ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’.  It was pleasing to see such great chemistry between the band members, including Klinghoffer who is evidently warming up nicely to his new friends, as he comfortably stood facing Flea while they jammed with one another.

Much to everyone’s delight, the set ended with ‘Give It Away’. It’s safe to say that this gig wasn’t just a ploy to promote new material. It was a genuinely entertaining night and as the lights illuminated the arena, the band walked off stage, while Chad, wearing the Tricolour, threw his drumsticks into the audience.

It has become hackneyed to point out that MTV (which stands for ‘Music Television’, in case you weren’t aware) no longer plays music videos. And it’s a justified cliché too, one that makes up the bulk of why MTV has apparently lost its relevancy, but sadly it appears the company’s greatest crime is the inability to live up to its legacy.

BY LEE BRADY

MTV was first aired in 1981 and became an almost-instant success in the USA. The innovation of a channel devoted to music and the public introduction to the music video, brought great support from both viewers and the music industry alike. Its introduction to the world acted as a booster pack for what was a three-year decline of sales within the music industry. Music videos let people connect with their music in a far more accessible form than going to see a concert. This wide appeal brought record sales through the roof, which in turn allowed record companies to invest in more musicians and so expand the industry’s appeal. By 1984, MTV was on top of the world.

Today, MTV is a mixed bag. It still benefits the music industry. Their award ceremonies often celebrate the biggest vogue acts and encourage the masses to support music as a whole. Their removal of music in order to show more profitable reality shows is as corporate as it is embarrassing. Forgoing their old image and attitudes, reality shows such as Jersey Shore and A Day in the Life of [Insert Little Known Attractive D-List Celebrity], as well as semi-reality shows like Plain Jane, in which they take girls who are supposedly middling-attractive, tell them they’re unattractive and process them so they can impress a stereotypical American boy. MTV stands tall as it delivers the message: integrity does not a dollar make.

The sad truth seems to suggest exactly that. MTV still rake in huge sums of money every year through advertising and show-coverage, while the music industry suffers blow after blow. The internet came and stole MTV’s stick by offering more accessible music, and rather than rise to the occasion, they backed out and kept as much money as they could. It seems like a shame too because if anything was to bring music back to people and help the industry evolve out of its current rut, there’s no doubt MTV would have the best shot at it.

BY SHANE MELAUGH

Striking out on your own and managing your own expenses is a difficult task that everyone has to deal with, and at university you’re getting your first taste of life without your family to fall back on. By the end of October, you’re all patting yourselves on the back and congratulating each other on a well-made curry, finally learning how that strange white contraption in the corner people call a washing machine works. Yet, you will soon be feeling the strain on your wallet due to the oversight many of us make when we first strike out on our own: the energy bill.

We’ve all experienced that horrifying moment when we realise that tomorrow we might not have power or fuel to heat a shower because it’s our housemate’s turn to pay their share. And with this year seeing rocketing electricity costs, leaving many households spending an extra £90 on electricity alone, and the volatile pricing in oil and gas fluctuating more than Kim Kardashian’s marital status, it’s time we took charge of our energy usage and ensure we’re warm this winter.

Ensure that your radiators are bled properly, if you don’t know how to do it you can ask a friend or your landlord to help. Airlocked radiators waste energy and never heat a house properly, so why pay for heat you aren’t getting?

The timer for your heater should be your  new best friend. You know what its like to get out of bed in the morning, your room is freezing, so you run down stairs turn the heating on and prepare for class. By the time the house has warmed up you’re about to walk out the door and no-one gets the benefit of the heat. The best thing to do is use the heating timer and set it for about half an hour before you wake up. The downside is you might find it harder to get up and go to a crowded lecture hall when the other option is to stay in a nice warm bed.

Why work in your house and waste all that precious energy when you could go to the library? Make use of the free internet, array of helpful books and it’s always heated – sorted. Always charge your phone in the library.

A good way to ensure that you have your housemates involved is to have regular house meetings well in advance of the bills coming out and ensure money is paid upfront and in full. This works best if someone is placed in charge to keep on top of management.  And if all else fails, steal your neighbours’ internet and live in the library.

Given that the first official gig of Belfast Music Week fell on Halloween, the abundance of superheroes, witches and tiger onesies was assumed. The first band of the night, Colly Strings, unsuccessfully attempted to emulate the gothic cool of A Clockwork Orange’s Alex DeLarge. Instead, they resembled a quartet of immaculately turned out butlers. Dubious costume choices aside, the band won over the crowd with a splendid set, but still paled in comparison to the next twenty minutes from Rainy Boy Sleep.

BY TARA MCEVOY

The solo artist from Derry was doubtlessly the revelation of the evening, a troubadour for our times whose poignant tales of shopping centres to detentions came alive, aided by a simple loop pedal backing. Straddling the divide between Owen Pallett and Ed Sheeran, and reviving the concept of geek chic while he’s at it, Rainy Boy Sleep marks himself as a prospect to keep your eye on. Unfortunately, things from here on in took a turn for the worst, as the next band to take to the stage, Silhouette, offered a lacklustre performance. Those hoping surprise guests General Fiasco would provide a reprieve were also disappointed, as the Bellaghy four piece only had enough time to power through three (albeit rollicking) tunes, finishing up with the anthemic ‘Ever So Shy’.

Closing the night were A Plastic Rose, a group whose brand of in-your-face raucousness wasn’t to everyone’s taste.  Vocalist Ian McHugh bounced on stage  dressed as everybody’s favourite fried chicken vendor, Colonel Sanders, and their guitarist sported a mask of Marvin from JLS’ face. It was all a bit too Tenacious D to be taken seriously and a bit too uninventive to be considered funny. Suffocating under a maelstrom of guitars, A Plastic Rose left the stage, drawing to a close what had certainly been, to use an old sporting cliché, a night of two halves.

Belfast City Council and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board contributed £870,000 to bring the EMAs to Belfast on 5 November. An event like this has a lot of power behind it and with 1.2 billion viewers tuning in all over the world, all eyes were on Belfast.

BY PRIYA BIRING

Benefits to the economy and tourism were a given. The award show accounted for more than 8,000 hotel room nights at forty hotels providing accommodation for crew, artists and VIP guests – a much needed boost for the struggling sector. More than ninety local businesses got work from the awards show, more local suppliers than have worked on any other EMA event. As well as recruiting all of its show runners and backstage coordinators from Belfast, the EMAs worked with businesses, ranging from internet and ISDN providers, photocopier hire companies, taxi and chauffeur businesses, production managers, event staff, security, catering, audio visual, venue branding, food concessions, furniture, riggers, restaurant and fencing companies.

Estimates suggest that the EMAs bring in around £10 million for the host city, directly and indirectly, and there is a lot of competition to stage the annual showbiz bash.

Lord Mayor, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile, said to expect announcements of major events coming to the city in the weeks ahead. He stated: “MTV are already coming back next year for a major concert on the slipways near to the iconic new Titanic Belfast building and they said to me they want to maintain the links with Belfast and build on the success of the past few days – it was their most successful EMAs ever.”

With Belfast attracting attention from international filmmakers and our own home-grown talent getting attention from overseas, Belfast is turning into a hub of arts and culture.  Then next year, we have the opening of Titanic Belfast and the accompanying series of major events throughout 2012, including the Olympic flame coming to Belfast on the 3rd and 6th June – the only city it will visit twice outside of London.

The people of Belfast are pushing their city toward being an advancing and developing place that has a stake in Europe and the world. Belfast has used the EMAs as a stage to showcase their capabilities.  We have seized the opportunity and can now bask in the success and glory of our achievement, in our city.

The MTV EMAs were incredible. Whether you liked the music, layout or even the show itself, it’s obvious there was a lot of effort to make Belfast look as great as possible.  But what would the average tourist be met with, stumbling into some bar offering live music? Well, if it’s anything like the music  heard at Belfast Calling, there would be no doubt that they would be blown away.

BY LEE BRADY 

The night before the EMAs, The Limelight Complex opened their doors and hosted Belfast Calling, a showcase of Northern Irish talent. With over thirty bands crammed into the night over the three interlinked bars, one would expect disaster with timing. Luckily, each bar had multiple stages that allowed one band to set up while another continued playing. Once their time was up, the band on the other stage would start playing and the audience’s attention would simply be grabbed again. Not once did this seem tiring or chore-like.  So, if there was any one performer who didn’t suit your tastes, you could move along.

Each act represented the very best of what we had to offer. A big task, with the impending EMAs, but the diversity and talent of each performance made a big impression. A renewed sense of passion was felt for our own music scene, rekindled by acts such as Intermission, Colly Springs, Ram’s Pocket Radio, Katie & The Carnival and Aaron Shanley to name a few. From acoustic solo artists, to rock bands, to metal bands, to upbeat folk and pop, there was something for everyone. The talent on offer was exceptional.

Overall, it was an inspiring night for our music scene. Here’s hoping for a repeat.

BY BEN FINCH

The event was considered a “success” by the team, even after some set backs.  Derek Crosby, Raggie, said: “It was a success. We raised a couple of hundred pounds despite an annoying move at the last minute.”

According toCrosbythe party saw “all sorts of arsing about” including a number of drinking challenges, one of which included attempting to down a pint of vodka jelly.

The amount raised has not yet been counted.

When you look back on your childhood and early adolescence, there’s a big chance that many of your brightest memories will contain the hypnotic tinge of the television set. Most of us will remember those Saturday mornings, sneaking downstairs before everyone else, to sample a dose of Live and Kicking, SM:TV Live or Den TV. Even now we can’t shake off the influence of Dustin the Turkey or the Animaniacs, as someone on those nights out takes it upon themselves to be the comedian extraordinaire, playing their well-worn repertoire of impersonations and recycled jokes garnered from the shows that made them giggle all those years ago.

BY ROMANO MULLIN

But what about the assortment of television shows available for today’s hordes of youngsters? According to a recent report by Ofcom, it may be a bit redundant for anxious parents to censor their children’s viewing habits. Apparently, most young teenagers would rather lose their television than their mobile phone. Many in the group surveyed said they would prefer watching their favourite shows on iPlayer or YouTube instead of when they are broadcast – when they’re clearly busy texting on the latest smart phone anyway.

But the truth is that the quality of home-grown children’s television is improving. Most students know this because we spend a large chunk of our hangovers listlessly wasting away in front of Horrible Histories or Peppa Pig. The addictive Horrible Histories won a British Comedy Award and has now made the transition to ‘grown up’ TV, with narration by Stephen Fry: a seal of approval if ever there was one. And if you haven’t caught Young Dracula, you’ve now got the chance to see the newly commissioned third series of Vlad and his wacky breather friends.

However, for the youngest viewers, things are a tad crazier. Most of us will recall Rosie and Jim, Postman Pat and if we’re not too ashamed to admit we watched it at the ripe old age of eight or nine, the Teletubbies. It was probably the Teletubbies that spawned a generation of exasperating, mind-numbingly weird shows that are required by some arcane televisual law to be brightly coloured, and unable to speak coherent English. Or any other language, for that matter.

Those who’ve spent their time babysitting will know the seventh circle of hell that is Waybuloo or In The Night Garden. The Morbegs may have seemed wacky, but at least they didn’t look like products of a bad acid trip.

In fairness, the Waybuloos are pretty laid back creatures, spending their days singing harmless ditties and doing exercises known as “yogo”, which parents are encouraged to emulate with their children. If nothing else, a few episodes will tire the little devils out and give frazzled parents an hour or two of peace and quiet.

In this complex age of digital innovation and singing Hannah Montana lunchboxes, it’s only natural for the nineties kids among us to wish for a simpler time. Boxsets of Sooty and Sweep are readily available for those clinging to their youth in these times of pending adulthood.

Conducting a little experiment in the run-up to the MTV EMAs in Belfast, I asked five people if they were aware it was Belfast Music Week – not the greatest survey in the world, but the results may still be relevant nonetheless. Of the five, only one had actually heard of the event. The remaining four gave responses ranging from, “Well, that’s not very original,” to an enthusiastic, “Well, that’s good! Maybe some good bands will play.”

BY LEE BRADY

For the uninformed, the week starting 30 October marked the beginning of Belfast Music Week,  which coincided with the impending MTV award ceremony. There was a series of gigs, which showcased Northern Ireland’s home-grown talent.  Brochures and schedules were posted all over the city, banners were hung, posters were placed; and yet, apparently, only one in five had heard of the event – if we are to take a straw poll as fact.

This raises a question: were the gigs not publicised enough? Perhaps greater effort was required on behalf of radio and television? Cool FM, the official EMA radio station, only occasionally admitted to the existence of the event, preferring to draw more attention towards the already all-consuming EMAs. According to the press release, over 170 events occurred during the week, so more attention could have been raised. Perhaps there just isn’t any great appeal in the Belfast music scene these days except among a dedicated few.

Belfast Music Week did not receive the recognition it deserved. If Belfast is to re-establish itself as a significant musical landmark, attention to music will need to evolve beyond a single week and remain a consistent part of what makes Belfast a great place to see.