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 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.

BY BEN FINCH

This is a fallacy; if the government and UK Universities try to pull their deals from the table they will only get themselves in hotter water.  Workers will be made even angrier and more likely to take more action. By doing so our elected representatives and employers will only be showing how distant they are from public opinion.

Even if the strikes do cost the economy £500 million this could quite easily be recouped by taxing the highest earners a little, teeny, tiny bit more. Barclay’s profits were more than £5 billion for the first nine months of this year, it paid £113 million in tax last year. And in terms of the economy, £500 million’s a drop in the ocean – UK GDP was £1.45 trillion in 2010; a loss like that is like dropping a penny, it won’t affect the economy.

Taking the decision to strike is not an easy one; the loss of a day’s pay is significant, especially with the current “economic climate” and with Christmas so close, there are presents to buy, a turkey to put on the table.  The millions that have the guts to take a stand for what they believe in, to tell the government and their employers that they are not acting in our interests should be supported, and at the very least respected.

The Students’ Union has called for students not to break the pickets and why should we? The University and Colleges Union supported our fight to freeze fees, we should support theirs to maintain decent pensions.  Who would want to live a retirement with no money?  But this is about more than pensions; this is about proclaiming that our values are being eroded, that an esteemed few are able to make as much money as they want while the rest of us scrimp and save.  If we are all in this together, we need to show that on Wednesday.

Queen’s University is set to be rocked by strikes over changes to the staff pension plan that have been described as “high-handed” and could see members of staff losing £400,000 for their retirement. 

BY BEN FINCH

The proposals are also thought to make it easier for universities to sack staff.

This will be part of the largest day of industrial action in theUKin 85 years as millions of workers withhold their labour from employers.

It is expected that over 400 staff will join the picket lines on 30 November, with many others not turning up for work.  It will be the first time many staff will have taken direct action. More than two hundred students are planning to join the pickets in solidarity with staff.

Staff have been asked by the University and Colleges Union (UCU) to inform students if they are taking action but are under no obligation to inform their line managers.  The Students’ Union is working with staff to ensure there is as little disruption to students as possible.

The direct action is being supported by the Students’ Union following a motion passed at council on 21 November.  This called for students not to break picket lines by attending classes run by UCU members.  TheUnionis also supporting the wider action happening across the country.

UCU are hoping to protest outside every building that is part of the university.  Following the pickets there will be a rally for staff and students in the Mandela Hall at eleven o’clock.  This will be attended by members of the National Union of Students and Union of Students inIreland(NUS-USI), UCU and the Northern Ireland Public Services Alliance (NIPSA).  Members of Unite, the largest union inBritainandIreland, had still to confirm if they were attending.

Following the rally there will be a march toCityHospitalto join the feeder march on City Hall.

The day before, 29 November, will see a teach-in to explain how the changes to pension plans will affect staff and students. This will be held in clubrooms three and four on the top floor of the Students’ Union at one o’clock.

The action is being taken over changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), the staff pension plan.  Unlike public sector pension plans this is a private scheme.  It currently considered to be one of the most stable final salary schemes in theUKas contributions are higher than payments.  More than eighty per cent of those eligible to join the scheme are members.

The changes that UK Universities (UKU), the representative body for universities in theUK, is implementing could see new members of staff lose almost £400,000 from their pension.  A lecturer who is already a member of the USS would lose £130,000.

Current members of staff will have to increase their payments by one per cent to 7.5 per cent, a move seen as a pay cut.  New members of staff will be required to join a career average revalued earnings (CARE) scheme.  This is based on the average earnings throughout a career, rather than on the final salary paid.

UCU has attempted to avoid strike action through negotiations with UKU. The union asked the arbitration service, ACAS, to help settle the dispute.  This move has not been recognised by UKU.

Dr Renee Prendergast, the UCU representative at Queen’s, said: “The changes are even more draconian than those seen in the public sector.  This action has been going for some time, the negotiations with the employers have seen nothing to indicate that they will back down.

“The university are playing it softer than usual, I think there’s a lot of public support for the action.  There’ll be a lot of people out who’ve never been on strike before.  After this work to rule will continue.”

Dr Mark Gardiner, a member of Queen’s UCU committee, said: “The USS isn’t in any difficulties, this is part of a wider assault on pensions.

“Pensions are part of the whole employment package, it’s deferred salary.  It’s going to make a very significant difference, not just to me but to the new staff who’ll bear the brunt.

“It’s important to students, it’ll go on to affect them.  Universities must stay competitive in terms of salary and benefits so they attract the best teachers and lecturers.  If students don’t want to be taught by the best then why are they paying fees?  We’ve got to make sure universities stay as good as they can be.  We see this as part of a wider struggle for education.”

Adam McGibbon, VP Welfare, said: “[The Union support] is about standing with our hard-working lecturers and staff, who deliver our education, in their time of need.

“Changes to the University Superannuation Scheme propose an increase in employee contributions. It also proposes creating a two-tier system where newer staff will receive much less over the course of their careers than older staff.

“This is despite the fact that the University Superannuation Scheme is in good health, according to the scheme’s own managers. Last year it grew by £4bn. It is an ‘immature’ scheme, meaning that it takes in more than it gives out. Quite simply, this is a political move to make it easier to remove staff. This is about education cuts, which we oppose as a union, and it’s about the quality of teaching at the University. Both are central to the student experience, and if the changes to the pension scheme go ahead, students will suffer.

“But obviously recent events have meant that this just isn’t about the University, millions of public sector workers will be striking on November 30th; we should be supporting doctors, nurses, teachers and other public sector workers who will be out on strike that day.

“The staff stood by us against increased tuition fees when we needed them, now they need us to stand by them.”

A group of protestors who disrupted a lecture at Queen’s have been described by a disciplinary report as “probably Catholic”.

BY BEN FINCH

The report details the investigation into the protest and was used at the disciplinary hearings of three protestors.  It was received from a whistleblower who had concerns about the disciplinary process.

The source said: “The report was so biased and inaccurate.  They tried to paint the students as liars and the claims made are so outrageous that people needed to be made aware of it.

“It’s completely discriminatory and it shows that Northern Ireland Friends of Israel tried to involve themselves in the disciplinary process.”

The report highlights the pressure that was put on Queen’s by Northern Ireland Friends of Israel following the lecture as well as a number of breaches of confidentiality.

In February this year the Palestine Solidarity Society (PSS) and Ogra Shinn Fein disrupted a lecture delivered by Solon Solomon, a former legal advisor to the Israeli Parliament (Knesset).  This was due to his position on the legal standing of building Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

The lecture was stopped after seven minutes before the acting head of the School of Law entered into an argument with Gary Spedding, president of the PSS.  Solomon was escorted from the room by security, who stopped the society from following.  As Solomon left the taxi he was travelling in was slapped by a protestor.

Included in the report are the minutes of an interview with Dr. Onder Bakiricioglu of the School of Law.  In this he is recorded as saying: “The students are young passionate people, they all seemed to be from Northern Ireland, probably Catholics, and there were no international students that he could see. The students were protesting.”

When questioned as why the comment was made Dr. Bakiricioglu said: “I made an observation that they looked like Catholics, I mean I’m not from here.  I just gave my lay opinion, I just know that the Catholic community tend to support Palestine and the Protestant community tend to support Israel.

“I didn’t think it was going to be included in the report, it was just an observation.  This was stupid of them to include it.” Dr. Bakiricioglu is a Turkish national.

The report was compiled by Michael Uprichard of Accomodation and Hospitality Services.  It is assumed that he interviewed Dr. Bakiricioglu and decided to include the statement in the official report.

Spedding is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.  When contacted he estimated that there were ten Catholics and six Protestants at the protest.

The university declined to comment on the comments inclusion, instead releasing a statement that said simply: “The University does not comment on student disciplinary cases.”

Also included in the report is: “[Sally Wheeler] stated she had heard that [Gary Spedding] has Asperger’s Syndrome.”  This was then followed up by Uprichard, who confirmed it with Queen’s Disability Services.

Spedding’s Asperger’s was not public knowledge. Professor Wheeler’s knowledge of this is now under investigation as it may show that confidentiality within the university may not be watertight.  Again the university declined to comment.

“This was something I had tried to keep quiet for some time because people with Asperger’s tend to get treated differently,” said Spedding. “It’s not something I’m ashamed of but I’ve no idea how Sally Wheeler managed to hear this.

“I feel outraged that such comments [regarding religion] were included. I don’t believe sectarianism or external politics should be involved in human rights.  I’m shocked that a university report would include something that implies this was sectarian.”

There were a number of members of Northern Ireland Friends of Israel (NIFI) at the lecture.  Prior to this they sent Queen’s an email to warn of a possible “mass protest” as Solomon was speaking. The email was written by Steven Jaffe and Terry McCorran , co-Chairs of NIFI.

Following the protest Jaffe and another member of NIFI, Sandra Bailie, were awarded a meeting with Helen Hart, Head of the Vice-Chancellors Office and Peter Irwin.  This was “so that [Jaffe] could communicate his concerns face to face.” These were “concerns regarding the School of Law seminar on Wednesday 23rd February.”

At this Jaffe and Bailie expressed: “Shock and disappointment that the University had not issued a statement following the event. He said that such an infringement of academic freedom must contravene the University’s principles and should therefore be a priority for the University”

This was not met with a response from the staff present. NIFI also asked whether an apology had been made to Solomon and what the process was for disciplining students.  The report also contains correspondence between members of the NIFI and Queen’s.

The university declined to comment on whether such meetings and correspondence were appropriate and whether they constituted allowing an outside organisation exert pressure on internal disciplinary action. Steven Jaffe also declined to comment.

Jason O’Neill, Adam McGibbon and Treasa Harkin, President, VP Welfare and VP Equality and Diversity of the Students’ Union respectively, were also contacted for statements. They declined to comment. As did Ogra Shinn Fein, QUB SDLP, QUB DUP and QUB Alliance.

Tyler McNally of the Socialist Society, said: “That is unbelievable.  It’s completely out of the question, it shouldn’t be in there.  That’s disgraceful for a lecturer to be saying that, he should apologise.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say its institutional sectarianism but I would go as far as to attack Queen’s for letting something like that be allowed.”

Queen’s has climbed four places in the QS World Ranking’s, one of 29 UK establishments to place in the top 200.

BY BEN FINCH

QUB moved up from 197 to 193, following surveys of over 33,000 academics and 16,000 graduate employers.

Cambridge University topped the list, followed by Harvard and MIT.

A spokesperson for the university said: “Queen’s welcomes the news that it has continued to rise in the QS World University Rankings. As an international centre of academic excellence rooted at the heart of Northern Ireland, the University is continually striving to enhance its standing on the world stage.”

This year has seen controversy over how tuition fees in the UK are funded, with unversities in England being allowed to charge up to £9,000 per year. The study shows that the UK is no longer value for money, with many cheaper options outperforming British institutions.

The press release for the rankings states: “While UK universities still represent a cheaper option compared to most of their US peers, the rankings uncover international universities that offer arguably better value relative to their ranking position.”

John O’Leary, Editor of the Times Good University Guide, said: “With so many well-qualified UK candidates missing out on university places, this year’s QS rankings may encourage many to consider applying to universities abroad.

“While studying abroad has traditionally been seen as the preserve of a wealthy minority, fee increases alongside greater provision of English-language degrees in Europe mean that it could now actually be a money-saving alternative – this is an entirely new situation”

Students climbed railings to pitch thirty tents in Dublin last night for a Sleep Out protest over rogue landlords.  There may be plans for a similar protest at Queen’s.

BY BEN FINCH

The protest was part of a campaign by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) to secure a Deposit Protection Scheme for tenants. The students pitched their tents outside the Department of the Environment and slept there overnight.

A spokesperson for the Department stated that they would look into the possibility of increasing fines for landlords who break the law.  The USI has indicated that this would be an uneffective measure as it would still leave students out of pocket.

The campaign will continue with a petition beginning next week.

Justyn Mackay, Vice President of NUS-USI, travelled down to the protest.  He said: “We all went down and they had locked the gates.  People started jumping the gates and about ten security guards came down and started questioning them but about ten minutes later they were allowed to stay.

“Increasing fines will just cause more red tape and beauraucracy. We want them to take the deposits away from landlords and put them in a central pot.

“This will make £65 million a year in interest from the money sitting in an account, the same amount of money they’re trying to find from increasing the registration fees.”

Fiona Kidd, VP Campaigns and Communications, said: “We had fully planned to go to support the protest but unfortunately we could not afford, time wise, to as it was only decided at the USI council on Saturday.

“We would like to do something similar in Queen’s but we have not yet lobbied the government about Rent Books so are unable to move to direct action yet.”

The USI Rent Books contain details of every payment that has been made to a landlord.  It also hold details of the landlord, the agreed amount of rent to be paid each month and an inventory.  There is a section that details tenants rights.

Gary Redmond, USI president, said: “Each year, students’ unions across the country and USI are contacted by distraught students about their rogue landlords, who refuse to return deposits without any legitimate reason.

“USI is calling on the Government to establish a Deposit Protection Scheme, where the deposit is held by an independent agency such as the PRTB protecting students from unlawful actions of some landlords.

“The DPS offers a cost effective way of supporting tenants and will eradicate the exploitation of students by unscrupulous landlords, who are deliberately targeting students and retaining their deposits illegally.

“With students & their families struggling to afford the basic costs of attending college this situation cannot be allowed to continue. On average, students will pay at least €3,500 on rent over the academic year and will also have to hand over a large deposit.

“Across the country many landlords and students have excellent relationships where students rent from the same landlord year after year however unfortunately some landlords see young students as an easy target for exploitation.

“I am calling on the Minister to implement the Deposit Protection Scheme promised in the programme for Government without delay to protect vulnerable students from rogue landlords.”

USI has conducted research in Ireland that found that forty per cent of students have had their deposit unfairly withheld. And over sixty per cent have had €200 unfairly taken off their deposit.

Over three quarters of cases reported to the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) are in relation to deposit retention. The PRTB operates a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants in the south.

BY BEN FINCH

Jason O’Neill, president of Queen’s Students’ Union, said, “The phone network at Queen’s was inundated with thousands of calls from people looking for a last minute place through clearing.  But the problem isn’t the number of calls, the problem is the number of university places in Northern Ireland.”

A spokesperson for Queen’s said, “The phones haven’t crashed at any stage. There is a high volume of calls coming through and people are asked to be patient or alternatively email admissions@qub.ac.uk or go to the Student Plus reception in Lanyon North, Queen’s – where assistance is available.

“The general admissions office account had received 980 emails. Individual members of staff are also receiving heavy volumes of inquiries and in addition there are faxes and inquiries being dropped off in person.  The call centre has answered 1253 telephone calls. Places in clearing are expected to be about 100, similar to last year.”

Figures released yesterday by CCEA showed that 34.5% of the pupils in Northern Ireland achieved and A* or A while the overall pass rate was 98.1%.  This compares to nationwide figures of 27% and 97.8% respectively. 32,582 students in Northern Ireland entered for an A-level this summer, an increase of almost 1000 on 2010.

As is usual girls outperformed boys in all areas with 9.1% of the females achieving an A*, 36.9% gaining an A* or A and 98.4 passing their exams.  7.9% of boys got an A*, 31.5% an A* or A and 97.7% passed.

Adrienne Peltz, president of the National Union of Students and Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI), said, “Today’s a really happy day for the NUS-USI. We wish the students going to university the very best.

“However, that comes with a warning that funding for Higher Education next year has still not been decided and we are very concerned about the education maintenance allowance.

“Also there are 23,000 people studying for their A-Levels. Last year we saw dwindling places in Higher Education and students going into Further Education instead. This is squeezing out other students who wish to stay in education.

“We want to know what the Executive are going to do about it.”

Students hoping to attend Queen’s through clearing have been directed to http://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/NewStudents/Undergraduate-UKandEU/ClearingandAdjustmentVacancies/ for further information.

There are no vacancies remaining within the Law School, School of Management, Theology or Medicine and Health Services.

Ben Finch and Emma Gallen

Gown Editors

10000 marched their way around for 2011 Belfast Pride. The 21st annual march was watched by 20000 in the city centre.

BY BEN FINCH AND LORCAN MULLEN 

The march left Custom House Square at two o’clock and headed to City Hall. Open-sided lorries carried pole dancing men, while red sightseeing buses were full to the brim with cheering crowds.

Mobile advertising hoardings stated: “Gay, lesbian, straight, we are all people.”  The bystanders watched approvingly as transvestites walked past in towering heels, walking with greater assurance than most girls would be able to in the same shoes.

As the parade passed City Hall there was heckling from an organised group of fundamentalist Christians. There was reports of an assault, but nothing confirmed by the PSNI.

The parade returned to Custom House Square for the Party in the Square, where Lisa Scott Lee and Cubstars performed.

Drag queen Dusty Drawers, dressed in a pink leotard with a rainbow tail and a red feather headdress, said: “It’s fabulous this year. It’s been really well organised.”

Pete Woolfe, a representative from the shopworkers’ union USDAW, was visiting from Manchester said Belfast was “just as lively, but smaller.” He also had some advice for dealing with protests which aren’t limited to Belfast. “In Manchester you get people waving the bible at you but there’s people in the parade waving the bible right back. We get people to line in front of the protests with curtains on their arms to block them out.”

Pride photographer David Hall said that while Northern Ireland is “still behind the rest of the UK”, the day allowed people the space to be themselves, to “get out, be who you are…just being alive.”

Padraig Lawlor said: “there’s still an element of watching your Ps and Qs, about not ‘rubbing it in someone’s face’.” Alanna McCormack felt that Pride has become less political. She said: “most of the political aims have been achieved, it’s much better than it was.” Steven Donnan, chair of the Northern Ireland Green Party’s LGBT group said:“the stigma is changing slowly but surely.”

The SDLP’s Conall McDevitt,  MLA for South Belfast said: “I thought this year was particularly good. One of the nicest things was the number of teenagers walking around and embracing the occasion and the diversity.”

The parade doesn’t meet the approval of all in the city. Some people who were approached for a comment during the parade simply shook their heads and said nothing. However, one ‘born again’ Christian who didn’t wish to be named said, “A man’s supposed to go with a woman. If your parents had been gay then you wouldn’t be here. When god made Adam he didn’t make another man.” He also stated that equality of any sort is impossible: “There isn’t equality. Christ is the head of the man and the man is the head of the woman.” He thought gay people should “just stay single. I mean I’m single and I’m fine.”

McDevitt described people like this as being “such a tiny minority in the city these days.”

Jason O’Neill’s first week as president was a busy one.  It was graduation, Jason had to appear in the academic procession and write and deliver a speech for presenting an award to the Queen’s Student of the Year, Therese White.

BY BEN FINCH

On top of this he had to graduate himself, appear on UTV, hob-nob with business people at the Graduation Dinner and travel to Oxford to meet the Aldwich Group, the collection of Russell Group Student Unions.“The most rewarding thing I did last week,” he says, “was to speak at graduation to present Therese White with the Student of the Year Award.  It was a bit nerve racking but it was an honour to present it to her because she’s such a worthy recipient.”

There’s a lot needs done in the running of a Student Union and to make sure Jason and his team meet the commitments made in their manifestos a plan of work will be completed for August 1. Jason says: “We need to make sure that each and every one [of the team] know what their role is and what their plans are for the year.”  But plans change so “it’s obviously a flexible document but at the same time it should have everything in that we plan to do at this stage and we’ll add new things in as we go along.”

The election campaign in February saw accusations of smearing and dishonest practice bandied about, until it all ended up in election court.  While O’Neill’s ticket – sometimes referred to as the Law/GAA ticket, but he’s always keen to refute this – took most of the positions they have to work with Nuala McAdams andAdam McGibbon who ran to gether as well as Fiona Kidd.  But it seems everyone’s getting on fine: “The student officers are all getting on very well as you can see, the likes of Niall McShane getting on very well with Adam McGibbon.  So it’s very positive, a very positive start.

“And although I many ways we’re under-resourced in the Union in terms of staffing, my experience so far has been that every staff member I’ve been in contact with is an expert in their field and has been more than helpful, proving themselves a great asset to the officers and to the building.”

The main priority for this year’s team is still to keep tuition fees at the current level.  Since the interview this has almost been confirmed by Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, but not by Stephen Farry, the Minister for Employment and Learning.  Jason does say “we’re in the end game at the moment but we need to make sure we keep on the ball and with the funding of education.  There’s a £40million shortfall that needs considered too.”

His personal priority is to run the Queen’s Ball; a large, outdoor music concert, although as this is in the early stages of planning he’s not prepared to speculate too much on the details, but it will within walking distance of Queen’s and pull in “big name acts.”  O’Neill wants this to be distinct from the May Ball hosted by the Union. “The main, in fact possibly the only, problem with this was the timing of it,” he says.  He plans that the Queen’s Ball will make a profit and go some way to paying off the Union’s debts to the University.

Dressed in a LawSoc hoodie rather than the shirts he usually appears in publicly, O’Neill is still very careful about how he comes across.  He refers to sabbs as ‘Student Officers’ because “‘Sabbatical Officer’ sounds quiet alien.”  He also makes sure every officer and what they plan to focus on over the next year is mentioned and complimented throughout.  I joke about whether he’s had media training yet due to his tendency to keep repeating his main points, but not quite like Ed Milliband and Enda Kenny.  He hasn’t yet, but it’s on the cards and at times he is painfully slow to choose his words.

O’Neill has no plans to dock any of the VP’s wages with Performance Related Pay (PRP), a motion yet to be passed: “It’s a very dangerous area to go into.  As I said before I think there’s a potential to open Pandora’s Box which could lead to your opinion on certain aspects of the job or your decisions of certain aspects of the job being linked to pay, and I don’t think that’s ever proper.  Although I think that there will be no problems this year in terms of sabbatical officers doing their work so I don’t envisage it being an issue.”

Discussing PRP leads our conversation onto the level of scrutiny O’Neill and his team will be under.  O’Neill’s clear that “ultimately the officers are accountable to the electorate and to council, and it’s the electorate and council that they should be working for and scrutinised by.”  He also seems happy to chat to the Gown at any stage, although the Hood comes in for a bit of flack.  Indeed, the idea of a rival to the Hood in the SU Magazine is floated.

Finishing off the conversation, O’Neill drove home his enthusiasm for the Queen’s Ball. He said: “I really am going for it, and if it doesn’t happen it won’t be through a lack of trying or energy.  I’m very passionate about it but it’s very delicate at the moment and I want to make sure I have everything planned out before.  I mean other universities that run outdoor entertainment concerts have full time entertainment officers.  So for me to be organising the concert, I will be organising it as well as my actual duties.”

The QUB University Challenge team tonight succumbed to a particularly nerdy team from the University of Newcastle.

BY BEN FINCH

The team that faced Jeremy Paxman’s forthright style of questioning consisted of captain Thomas Haverty, Niall McDonald, Joshua Greenwood and Ronan Kernan. Haverty did us all proud, announcing that he “studies maths” instead of the usual “reading mathmatics.”

Kernan answered the first starter for ten leading to a series of questions on Latin that had the team harried by Paxman.  A mistake by Kernan in a starting question allowed the red polo necked, brown jumper clad Dunbar to buzz in and Newcastle never looked back, while QUB wore forlorn faces as question after question puzzled them.

Haverty answered a question which no reasonable person could possibly understand, but being a maths student was able to pull the Hubble Equation out of the bag to drag the team to 30 points.  However, Newcastle were almost immediately on 60 as Pang’s “Magical Realism…?” drew a yes from Paxman.

Greenwood began to look slightly embarrassed being chastised by Paxman for what seemed to be a wild guess of The Rape of The Lock.  At this point the team seemed to become unstuck, but hope was raised as Dunbar appeared to collapse into a very quiet Dent.  Unfortunately he nearly leapt with excitement across the rest of the very un-Geordie team to answer correctly.

A knowledge of Greek mythology had a relieved looking Greenwood  answer a starter for ten and Queen’s began a comeback.  Kernan followed it up but they were unable to take the bonus points.  By this stage Newcastle were nearly 100 points ahead.

As Newcastle pulled past the 200 point mark it began to look well beyond Queen’s reach and they couldn’t seem to reach their buzzers before Newcastle’s Turner, who was unstoppable.  Kernan’s correct answer saved Queen’s some face but it was too little too late as they were stuffed 235 to 85.

It has emerged that a man injured in the Holylands at around 9.00pm on Sunday night did not suffer a gunshot wound as first thought.

BY BEN FINCH

A statement from the PSNI said: “After a further thorough medical examination, we no longer believe this male to have sustained a gunshot wound.

“At this stage we are still trying to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident and how his leg injury was caused but are no longer treating this as a shooting incident.”

Police are appealing for witnesses that may have seen anything suspicious in the area.

The General Dental Council has carried out an inspection of Queen’s School of Dentistry following a complaint about the amount of resources directed at teaching.

BY BEN FINCH

A draft report of the inspection has been provided to the school, to which they have 28 days to respond.  This is then passed to to the GDC Education Committee for discussion.

The Education Committee will then make recommendations to the school for improvement.  This could include the removal of the school’s teaching status. However, a spokesperson for the GDC said, “There is nothing to suggest that this could could happen. There’s no reason to speculate about it.”

Dentistry at Queen’s was rated number one in the UK by the Times Good University Guide in 2008.

The Dental School and University have declined to comment.

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

BY BEN FINCH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Oh, so OFMDFM have jumped the gun?”

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

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

Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness today restated the pledges in their election manifestos to keep tuition fees at the current level.

BY BEN FINCH

Speaking at a press conference they confirmed fees would be maintained at £3290 for students beginning courses in 2012. They stated that the only rises would be in line with inflation.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster Stephen Farry, Minister for Employment and Learning and Alliance MLA, said: “We haven’t come to any firm decisions.

“We need to be clear what the funding regime is going to be.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) said: “Discussions are still ongoing at DEL, there’s lots of detail still to be worked out.” It appears today’s statement was made without the knowledge of the department. DEL is the department responsible for universities.

Farry denied that Robinson and McGuinness had “jumped the gun.”

Jason O’Neill, president of QUB Students’ Union, said: “It’s fantastic to hear an official announcement from the First Minister and Deputy First Minister that fees will be kept at the current rate.

“This will ensure that Northern Ireland can maintain it’s place as a region in the UK which has the highest proportion of students from low income backgrounds.

“Now the onus is on the executive to ensure that £40m shortfall in the DEL budget is filled so that the provision of higher education is kept to a high standard.”

Queen’s were not prepared to make a statement. The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister were unavailable to comment.

Students from Northern Ireland falling farther and farther into debt, while MLAs are still struggling to come up with a plan on tuition fees for 2012.

BY BEN FINCH

The amount of money owed to the Student Loans Company by students and graduates from Northern Ireland was today reported as being £1,539,973,000 in the Belfast Telegraph.

This means the average student is in £9,618 debt. This includes students from before the incresased top up fees and today students are graduating with around £19,000 debt.

57,600 former students were unable to make any repayments, while the average amount repaid last year was only £407.39.  Any debt incurred through the use of credit cards or bank loans is not included in these figures.

Adrienne Peltz, President of NUS-USI, said that a lack of jobs could be attributed to the inability to pay back loans.  She said: “I would like to see an inquiry launched into students’ personal debt and would urge the executive into creating more jobs.

“There’s a brain drain, we have our best and most talented graduates leaving to go to London, but most graduates from other universities stay within twenty miles.  They’re not doing enough to attract students to stay.

“During the last recession it was young people that spurred everything on.  This time we’ve got the most debt, we don’t have the spending power.”

On top of this there has been no decision on tuition fees.  Stephen Farry MLA had planned to discuss a paper at Thursday’s executive meeting, but it was removed from the agenda.

Farry has said that there needs to be a decision taken before the end of July. However, the Assembly is now in recess until September.  He told the BBC: “There are mechanisms by which decisions can be taken outside the context of formal executive meetings.  Discussions will happen over the next few days and we will see where those lead to.”

Peltz said: “I want to put as much pressure on them as possible.  We’re really, really disappointed.  We’d been given assurances that the paper would be tabled.

“What is it they’re afraid of? They need to stand up and make a decision.  I’m concerned about the length of time it’s taking and how much it’s costing.”

There have been two independent reviews in the past five years.  In this time, Westminster has had one review and come to a firm decision based on this, regardless of how students felt about it.

She continued: “Currently we have potential students in limbo, there’ll be a knock on effect of students being unable to get places or being put off going to universities.”

Stephen Farry and Jason O’Neill, SU President, were unable to be contacted.

After years providing fiction, drama, prose and textbooks to students and the wider community Queen’s Bookshop is set to close its doors on 31 August.  Tim Smyth, manager of the bookshop simply said, “It’s the end.”

BY BEN FINCH
He continued, ‘I have to concede that this model, in terms of a bricks and mortar bookshop and concentrating on academic books, is no longer economically viable.  In my judgement the greatest difficulty has been, in addition to internet providers making books available, but more than that there’s an assumption now amongst younger people that the internet is a very appropriate and relevant resource and therefore why should you buy a book.”  Despite this, Smyth claims that the content of the books is accurate 99 times out of 100.

Recent years have seen a dramatic turnaround in how people access information with more and more knowledge now gleaned from the internet.  Smyth commented, “I think there are wider consequences here because obviously a lot of the stuff you can get on the internet cannot be verified on its content and its accuracy and so you can make the point that these books still have value to learning and are fundamental to the undergraduate experience.”

Queen’s Bookshop is wholly owned by the University and the decision to close has been taken by the Board of Directors.  Smyth stated that he was very happy to say that he wouldn’t challenge this because “they problems that are manifest at the minute are going to become even more prevalent.

“It was either a choice of ending it with our reputation held high rather than staggering on having our stock selection diminished because we haven’t got the money to buy more books.”  Queen’s Bookshop is considered one of the best on the island for its selection of books on Irish History.

Smyth said he “would like to thank all our customers, and generations of students and staff that have supported us.  They have made it what it is; quite a unique institution.  But equally the world has changed and, unfortunately with regard to our undergraduate customers, they’re just not coming in.”

Queen’s is one of the few Russell Group Universities to still have an independent bookshop.  Other members of the group have franchises of Blackwells, Waterstones and John Smith’s on campus.

There is currently a sale advertised in the windows of the bookshop.

The philosopher AC Grayling has decided that the British system of universities is so bad that the only option is to set up his own in Bloomsbury, London.  He’s even asked a few of his academic mates to come along.  The students lucky enough to study under Richard Dawkins, Sir David Cannadine and Ronald Dworkin QC will be very lucky indeed, for they’ll be able to afford £18,000 per year for the privilege, with no student support.

BY BEN FICNH
This is double the price of any state funded place at a British university and Grayling appears to think that it’ll free staff from any of the associated nuisance bureaucracy.  The assumption must be that of the mythical “efficient” private sector; less regulation equals a better product and more profit.  But such regulation also allows for more equality rather than will happen at New College, as Grayling said, “it’s, er, not unlikely that, er, a substantial proportion of pupils will come from [public schools].”  In other words, this is an elitist institution that will be based on an ability to pay, rather than learn.

The entrance criteria are to be set around the AAA mark, but those who attend public school are likely to attain these anyway.  That’s why parents pay to send their kids there.  However, results like this are not necessarily through teaching a broad knowledge curriculum but rather a narrow preparation for examination.  Rich kids are in no way smarter than poor kids, just much, much better prepared.  Assumedly a throwaway number of bursaries will be offered, but only to those kids from a low socio-economic background who have fought tooth and nail to get where they want.  This is not progress in any way, rather a return to the Victorian idea of the deserving and undeserving poor, while the rich are always deserving because they can pay through the nose.  Virginia Woolf would be spinning in her grave to have such a thing in Bloomsbury.

Never mind all that about the class of the clientele though, what about the profiteering staff?  Grayling described most of them as “pink around the gills.”  In other words good old liberal socialists; freedom for all, with the state providing essential services.  An excellent example of an essential service is higher education.  Another philosopher, Slavoj Žižek, describes such people as claiming “that we can have the global capitalist cake, i.e. thrive as profitable entrepeneurs, and eat it too, i.e. endorse the anti-capitalist causes of social responsibility.”  The problem being that a private company’s first responsibility is to its shareholders, those who make cash off it, rather than those who use its service, or provide its service.  A good case in point is FairTrade.

While we’re on the point of ethics let’s stray towards the name ‘New College’ as Grayling has received an email from the warden of New College, Oxford, querying the use.  The bursar of this college also appears to be very jealous of the fact that the new New College gets to use the University of London’s facilities, from lecture theatres to the library.  In fact, it seems the whole thing has been cribbed from UL, they’re even using the same courses, just charging double the price.  If I tried that I’d be chucked out of Queen’s for plagiarism.  Indeed, it appears UL knows nothing about it, having issued a statement saying, “To avoid any confusion, it should be made clear that NCH is not, and will not be, a part of the University of London.”  The government hasn’t even approved the use of the ‘University College’.  Grayling and co. really do seem to be blagging it all, its that efficiency of the private sector again.

AC Grayling thought he’d spotted a gap in the market that he could make a quick buck from.  Instead all he’s done is ruined his and others good names through a serious misjudgement.  Today the Dons of Oxford University passed a vote of no confidence in the Tory Universities Minister, David Willets.  One is being prepared at Cambridge and staff at various other universities are petitioning for the same.  The public and academic mood is not for education becoming a commodity.  As Robert Gildea, who proposed today’s motion against Willets, said, “1. Higher education is a public good.  2. Academic scholarship is pursued with a spirit of enquiry rather than a view to commercial gain.  3. Access to teaching and learning at university is based on intellectual potential.”  University is and must be for those who can learn, not those who can pay.

Something interesting is happening in North Down; people are saying they would vote Sinn Féin, but feel they can’t. This is because of the role that its members may (or may not) have played during the Troubles. Nevertheless, in a constituency that in its history has always returned Unionists to Westminster (at one point a single candidate got 98% of the vote), this is a fascinating turn of events.

BY BEN FINCH

At the beginning of this election campaign Peter Robinson said this would be the first election fought on policy and economics in Northern Ireland, and for once he’s close to being right. It is Sinn Féin’s policies that are attracting voters here, but it is their past that’s turning people off. People are starting to move away from the old sectarian headcount into an almost normal way of thinking about politics. Some are even asking what difference it would make to become a part of the Republic.

I have no doubt the normal candidates will be returned for the DUP. The UUP may be wiped out since Sylvia Hermon and Alan McFarland became Independent, and there is the increasing possibility of Steven Agnew taking a seat for the Greens. Even this result would show there has been a sea-change and people are beginning to think progressively about Northern Ireland; about the possibilities there are for the country. They’re caring more about what politics means for their families, their work, when their bins are emptied, than about divisive, tribal loyalties.

Whether or not this translates across all the constituencies in the North is a moot point. Catherine Wylie’s piece for the Independent a few weeks ago shows that on the opposite side of the country there may be a slight return to the old ways. But then those I’ve met from the West don’t hold these views, in fact they’re almost always strongly opposed to them. One of the best ways that the dissidents can be shown there is no support for their activities is for a high turnout and a show of confidence in normalised politics, no matter who gets voted in or out.

North Down is not representative of Northern Ireland, it is regarded as being wealthier (although not in all places) and well-educated. This may explain why people are willing to closer examine what parties are saying. Maybe sometime soon we’ll be divided along left and right rather than by religion.

Eddie Izzard began a whistlestop tour of the UK in Belfast today in an attempt to garner support for the Yes to AV campaign. The comedian met local campaigners and explained to the gathered press why he believes that the people should vote yes to the alternative vote system on Thursday, May 5.

BY BEN FINCH

Izzard left the Black Box to canvass punters at the Duke of York and had a swift mouthful of beer, much to the consternation of his PR, before walking to the big fish by the Lagan for a photocall with marathon runners and local ‘Yes’ campaigners.

Izzard said: “I think we should vote yes to AV because it is fairer and I think fairness is a central part of what we human beings are about… I think it’s fairer, I think it’s as simple as 1,2,3 , it’s better, it gives more power to individual voters.

“It makes MPs work harder for us because they not only need to talk to their core vote, and sometimes they don’t even do that, but they’ll also have to talk to other people as well as other parties because they could put them down as second choice. I just think it makes it wider for us, more power in our hands, makes the MPs think about everyone in their constituency.”

A poll on the referendum, carried out by ICD and the New Statesman, left the Yes campaign lagging behind the rival No campaign by 14 percent on Friday. Izzard was confident that this wasn’t an issue saying: “Well they all change, it’s very difficult to poll. There was one where we were two points behind so the polling is all over the place.”

He added that he wouldn’t like to see a move to full proportional representation stating that: “I don’t think we should go all the way to PR, this keeps the direct link with the MP and I like that,” he said.

Izzard appealed to those voters who would see themselves as liberal-thinking, saying: “I think [AV is] a good thing for us, the real people who care. The people who change the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, the progressive people you know. It’s what we’re about I think.”

BY EMMA GALLEN AND BEN FINCH

It is as follows:

Editors – Emma Gallen and Ben Finch 

News – Sean Ashford

Arts and Entertainment – Priya Biring

Features – Janette Loughlin

Sport – Colin Williamson

Lifestyle – Claire Williamson and Megan Liddy

Opinions – Alex Redpath

Business Manager – Sarah Arnold

Promotions Manager – Niall Crozier

Design – Andrew Mulholland

Congratulations to all who got positions, we’re confident we have a strong team.  Commiserations to those who didn’t, everyone interviewed did very well and left us with some hard decisions.  We hope you will still contribute.

“Behind every great man stands a great woman,” goes the saying.  Certainly in Evita’s case this is false, simply because Eva Perón is shown to be greater than her husband, Juan. Queen’s Music Society Theatre Group’s  production of the musical is one that rises far above their amateur status.

BY BEN FINCH

All those on stage, from the chorus line to the lead actors, perform excellently. Those who have the opportunity to show off their voices do so brilliantly. It’s no mean feat to belt out ‘Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina’ and Lucy Williams, playing Eva, carries it off with confidence and ease. The musical is narrated by Che, played by Grant Cartwright, whose voice is as strong as any, and he’s a natural on stage; always there to comment and explain events in a funny and precocious way, or criticise when needed.

This is one of the strengths of Evita: it’s not sycophantic, and Eva’s complex relationship with politics is kept to the fore, but it never stops entertaining. Is she a revolutionary, masses against the classes politician, or a decadent, former actress who has caught herself a president? While Che critiques her actions and Perón’s ability to govern, the people love her and chant her name. Eva’s confidence in herself can only be knocked by illness. At one point those who disagree with the way the country is run are silenced, but those who support her are singing an almost hymnal song, calling her “Santa Evita”.

Juan Perón (Richard Burns), a fascist if you’re interested, appears weak and unable to rule without the people’s adoration of Eva. Chants of his name turn into hers as he is elected president. Where he shows no weakness is his love for Eva. He comforts and supports her as she lies on her deathbed, and it is only here she realises that he truly does love her.

The sparse set allows for striking staging, directed by Claire Mason. As Eva enters the debauched city of Buenos Aires for the first time, she wanders through statuesque revellers and military officers both being slowly assassinated one by one at the front of the stage by Che, pulled off stage as dissenters are silenced with black hoods before collapsing. At the same time, when the leads are performing there is nothing that can pull your eyes from them; they control the stage with ease.

The music, by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, directed by Ryan Quinn and Sinead McErlane, moves between rock and classical, always with a Latin influence. It swells when times are good and crumbles when they’re not.  However, even during Eva’s rise to fame there is always an underlying suggestion that something isn’t quite right, as articulated by Che.

Evita is the complex story of a fascist’s wife, but at no point does politics intrude upon any enjoyment of the story or music, and there’s no need to understand them. QMSTG pull it off with aplomb and deserve to be congratulated. If there were any first night nerves they were barely noticeable and the cast and crew deserve to be congratulated. A fantastic performance and show, and I don’t even like musicals.

Ron Prosor, Israeli Ambassador to the UN, visited Queen’s University today. The visit was not advertised by the University. Prosor made a low-key entrance, shaking Pro-Vice Chancellor Tony Gallagher’s hand before entering the Lanyon Building. There was a noticeable presence of police and security guards following the disturbances during Solon Solomon’s visit in February.

BY BEN FINCH

Prosor has recently been very critical of universities in the UK . He spoke at a conference in Chatham House, London, saying, there had “never been so much hatred and hypocrisy towards the state of Israel in British universities.” Queen’s University has not yet commented on the reason for the hour and a half long meeting.

Walking into the rehearsals for the Queen’s Music Society Theatre Group’s production of Evita, it’s good to find out they know I’m here to carry out an interview with Richard Burns, who plays Juan Perón. Actually they don’t, and he has no idea but is able to squeeze me in to his hectic schedule. And so we take a seat in the mahogany lined corridor, with strains of classical music filtering up from downstairs, and have a wee chat about Evita and dissertations.

BY BEN FINCH

Evita is Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s interpretation of the life of Eva Perón, wife of the Argentinian president, Perón, following the Second World War. It’s the first time the Society has moved off campus to perform. “We’re in the Waterfront Studio. It seats about three hundred people, which is smaller than the one we did Superstar in. The Waterfront’s a great venue and it’ll be a different audience to what we normally get.”

It’s also the first time that that the QMSTG qualify for an AIMS (Association of Irish Musical Societies) Award. Burns isn’t feeling any extra pressure because of this though, saying, “I don’t know enough about it to make me nervous. To me it’s just a four letter acronym, to others that know more about it it’s a big deal.”

The quality of the production has “pleasantly shocked” Burns. He says, “We’ve got a very strong cast. There’s pretty much no group with the kind of orchestra we have. We can pull in great performers. Ryan’s [Quinn, Musical Director] a fantastic guy and he’s got people flying in from England to play in the band purely ’cause they’ve worked with him before,” he trails off, “when you hear the music floating through the building…”

Performing’s not the only thing Burns is doing these days. He also has to work and study. His dissertation on the success and failure of the Clinton administration in mediating between Israel and Palestine is due on the Friday of the show. “I think I’ve stopped sleeping.  I don’t think there’s a day yet I’ve not done anything.  But I don’t think something like [Evita] becomes a chore.”

So there’ll be a pint afterwards? “I think it’ll be a few by that stage.”

Evita is running at the Waterfront from 13-16 April.  Tickets cost £14.50, concessions £12

BY BEN FINCH AND EMMA GALLEN

When the organiser of the events, Erin Jones, started to speak, passers-by stopped to listen in and to join in the minute’s silence.

When asked why the demonstration was organised, Jones said, “What provoked me was outrage at what happened to Ronan Kerr. After hearing what was happening in Omagh I wanted something to mirror it in Belfast, and other places have followed suit.”

“I’m not a politician, I’m just a parent who doesn’t want their children to grow up in fear of bombs and violence and intimidation”, she added.

Among those showing support for today’s events were Alliance MP, Naomi Long, her husband, Councillor Michael Long, Alliance MLA, Chris Little, Independent MLA, Dawn Purvis, Minister for Social Development, Alex Attwood and South Belfast MLA, Conall McDevitt.

BY BEN FINCH AND PRIYA BIRING

Following the march Ciarnan Helferty, President of the NUS-USI, said, “It couldn’t have gone better, we achieved everything we wanted to achieve. We expected 1500 and got maybe double, triple that. Students are often blamed for things going wrong, maybe now they’ll be blamed for things going right.”

The march left Botanic Gardens at 1.30pm moving slowly along University Street and Great Victoria Street before arriving at City Hall. Support was shown by drivers beeping horns despite the disruption caused. Chants of “No ifs, no buts, no education cuts” and the “Keep the Cut” rap rang out and spread throughout the crowd.

The police estimate 5-600 protesters took part in the march. More joined as they moved towards town and met with those already at City Hall. At one point the procession stretched from Belfast Metropolitan College to the City Hall.

While marching Helferty said, “It’s incredible.” Gareth McGreevy, President of QUB Student’s Union, said the march was “jubilant” in between leading chants and blowing his whistle. Speakers at the rally included Dolorous Kelly of the SDLP, Sinn Féin’s Sue Ramsey, Jonathan Bell of the DUP and the Green Party’s candidate for South Belfast, Claire Bailey.

The PSNI have contacted the organisers of the march to thank them for maintaining order.

Prior to the march Jim McKeown (UCU) read out a a statement in support of the Peace March following the murder of Ronan Kerr last week. He said, “We will not permit the clock to be turned back… On behalf of the Trade Union Movement I extend our deepest condolences to his mother Nuala and to the entire Kerr family.”

It appears everyone in the world is talking about Rebecca Black’s song ‘Friday’. It’s received thirty million hits so far on YouTube, has reached number twenty-five in the iTunes chart and everyone’s united in derision of any merits it could possess. Despite this, Rolling Stone Magazine is praising it saying, “You immediately notice everything that it does “wrong,” but it actually gets a lot of things about pop music right, if just by accident.” It’s a fantastic parody of pop music today.

BY BEN FINCH

Black has beaten Janette Loughlin to being a “YouTube sensation” but the thing is, does anybody really want to be one considering the flack taken?  It’s come out that someone’s written a comment saying, ”I hope you cut yourself and I hope you get an eating disorder so you’ll look pretty. I hope you cut and die.” Lovely.  At what point exactly does a thirteen year old deserve to be told that?

On Facebook you would never see a comment like that, unless in jest, simply because peoples’ names are attached to what’s written.  You’re not going to write something blatantly offensive if it can come right back around and bite you on the arse.

Here at The Gown we receive complaints fairly regularly about abusive posts in the comments section. I haven’t read any quite as extreme as the one above but sometimes they are pretty close to the bone. The anonymity we provide allows people to say what they want and start debate on what (we hope) are important issues.

Would such debate stop if anonymity was removed or other safeguards were introduced to curb offending comments, or instead would it be enriched by those who dare to put their name to what they’re saying? Indeed, would it be anywhere near as much fun?

Mogwai are like a warm blanket, the heaviest, cosiest blanket there is. They wrap you up so completely in their sound that there is no escape from the waves of feedback and distortion that wash over your body. Unless of course they decide to let you escape, because they’re like that, a cat playing with a mouse.

BY BEN FINCH

The morbidly obese RM Hubbert was on stage first, all alone with his classical guitar looking tiny in his hands. He plays a sort of wistful flamenco that sounds beautiful and, when linked to his stories, can have a truly heart-wrenching effect. This is because playing on a big stage in front of people almost becomes a therapy session for Hubbert. In between songs he talked about skating and the self-reliance this has taught him, depression and his failed relationships. He’s clearly very uncomfortable talking about it but there seems to be a deep seated need to share.

However, everything’s different when he’s playing, Hubbert’s so relaxed it’s almost as if he’s not trying. He’s immensely talented, fingerpicking and drumming on the body of his guitar, while the music appears to flow from him and not his instrument. As he plays there’s nearly complete silence as everyone in the crowd can only watch and admire.

Mogwai’s tour’s in support of their new album, Hardcore will Never Die but You Will and so there’s new songs to hear. And what’s this? Singing? As it turns out a singer has been recruited but only for the second track of the performance ‘Mexican Grand Prix’. This opens with a drum machine before driving bass and drums kick in, while guitars and keyboards are layered over the top, but it somehow doesn’t feel comfortable, it’s not Mogwai, where’s my warm, heavy blanket?

Admittedly, watching Mogwai is always a game of two halves. The first half is quiet, restrained, all about the delicate intricacies of comforting six minute epics like ‘Death Rays’ or ‘I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead’. There’s little or no fuzz at these times, just prettiness wafting out of the speakers. Not that when it does get heavy in the second half it’s not pretty.

Like when ‘Mogwai Fear Satan’ plays, one of their best loved and greatest tracks, from first album Young Team. It starts quiet just riffing away as new layers are built on top, distortion and noise slowly building and fading gradually into almost nothing, with only the drums keeping things going. Then comes one of music’s great cathartic moments, the point where the cat grabs the mouse and begins to tear it limb from limb. All of a sudden noise, distortion and feedback scream from the speakers, and a massive wave of relief and happiness spreads, just like that blanket.

There’s other standards like ‘Hunted by a Freak’ and ‘I Know You are but What am I’ all mixed through with new songs like ‘Rano Piano’ and ‘How to be a Werewolf’. It’s a testament to the quality of these songs that they sit on a par with Mogwai’s older material. They are a band of exceptional quality, and while they do have a shite song on every album, these are weeded out for their live shows.

The Palestinian Solidarity Society today disrupted a lecture by Solon Solomon, former member of the Israeli Parliament’s legal department, on Israel’s right to self-defence.  Entering the lecture, members of the society heckled the lecturer forcing it to be brought to a close after seven minutes.  Members of the panel had to be removed from the room by security in the interests of their own safety to calls of “Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio.”  The PSS was apparently videoing the lecture without permission.

BY BEN FINCH

There followed a heated discussion between members of the society and Sally Wheeler, head of the School of Law, who invited Solomon to speak.  Much of this discussion centred around the legality of the Gaza Wall, but Wheeler pointed out that there was an opportunity for discussion with Solomon after the lecture when a civilised debate could take place. Wheeler left the room visibly upset.

As the PSS left the seminar room, members congregated around the security presence blocking entrance to the room where delegates were staying. They were asked to leave and told that “bullying” wouldn’t work. Security then threatened to call the police. The PSS accused the security team of “intimidation” and supporting fascism in Israel.  There followed a debate on international law and freedom of information, carried out entirely by the PSS with security taking no part.

We have been told that disciplinary proceedings are a matter for the University authorities. Offences of misconduct include criminal damage, nuisance behaviour and disorderly behaviour. If an individual is found to have carried out an offence it could result in a £150 fine or expulsion from the University.  There is no information yet on whether this matter has been passed to the University

Attempting to continue the protest the PSS tried to find a back way around security, but were unable to so and gathered outside. There was a rush to block Solomon’s taxi, which involved students punching the car and trying to stop it, before security managed to force the protesters back far enough to clear a route. One protester had their foot run over.

Following the protest, Gary Spedding, President of the PSS, said “I didn’t sanction anyone to hit the taxi, I didn’t sanction anyone to stop the taxi, my society doesn’t condone violence.”  He also said that he didn’t necessarily disagree with it at the same time. “I wanted to take the society along to listen to what he had to say. What he’s saying is not that complicated, he uses the legal standpoint that self-defence supersedes the Geneva Convention.”

Wheeler commented that the PSS may have misunderstood the purpose of Solomon’s visit. He was speaking at a weekly lunchtime academic seminar on the topic of international law. She stated that international law is “steadfastly apolitical” and was “surprised [the visit] caused so much excitement.” Wheeler went on to say, “It’s very sad really, I suppose in twenty-five years as an academic I’ve never seen anyone shouted down after five minutes speaking.” She also pointed out that Solomon openly criticised Israel in the time he was allowed to speak.

Megan Fearon of Ógra Sinn Féin, who was attending the event, pointed out the notable Sinn Féin presence at the protest and said, “It’s a disgrace we invited a war criminal, there was meant to be a debate but they only invited one side.”

BY BEN FINCH

The Stuart Report was commissioned to investigate any need for tuition fees in Northern Ireland.  Originally it recommended for there to be no increase in the fees students in Northern Ireland pay.  This was then reviewed following the release of the Browne review on Tuesday 12 October. This recommended that tuition fees in England should rise to £9,000 per year. This has since been voted through the Westminster parliament.

More to follow.

Over 300 students travelled to Stormont this afternoon to pressurise local politicians into keeping the cap on tuition fees. Despite pouring rain, students from Queen’s, University of Ulster, St. Mary’s and Stranmillis College turned out to make their voice heard. A petition with 10,000 signatures was presented to the local Assembly this afternoon by SDLP MLA Pat Ramsey and motion calling for the rejection of the Browne report is to be debated at 4.30pm.

BY BEN FINCH

Speaking to the crowd, SU President Gareth McGreevy dismissed claims of a poor turnout. He pointed out that 1,600 students had protested at Queen’s on Tuesday 19 October, the biggest student protest in over 15 years. He went on to say that “They (politicians) are not going to increase fees in our name” which was met with a resounding cheer.

Ciaran Helferty, NUS-USI President, led most of the chants before making a short speech denouncing the proposal of higher fees. He said that the petition presented this afternoon demonstrates a clear rejection of “What Browne stands for and what Browne is.”

Adrian Kelly, Student President of the University of Ulster, echoed McGreevy, saying that students were united together in opposing Browne. The University and College Union (UCU) also showed their support for the student protest. Julie Williams-Nash of the UCU called on students not only to take to the streets but to also use social networking to raise the protest’s profile.

The DUP has added an amendment to the SDLP’s motion where a cap will be put in place, but will not be limited to £3,290.

This morning, student leaders met with the recently appointed Minister for Employment and Learning, Danny Kennedy. McGreevy said this meeting was quite encouraging, saying Kennedy has an appreciation of the wider issues involved, including the high rate of graduate unemployment.

Hours later, however, a majority of the local Assembly voted in favour of an amended motion on the Browne review. The initial SDLP motion was rejected by 44 votes to 29 while the DUP’s amended motion was carried by the same numbers.

Proposing the initial motion to reject the recent Browne review, SDLP’s Pat Ramsey stressed the deep concern among parents and students caused by the recommendations. An increase to tuition fees would leave students “Coming out of college with no assets, and debts of £40,000 and above.”

Ramsey said universities are seeking to compete in an international market but continued that this market is for research and not for teaching. “Students only benefit marginally from research,” adding that the quality of teaching is more important than research for those paying fees at undergraduate level. Ramsey congratulated the hundreds of students who had protested outside Stormont earlier in the afternoon despite horrendous weather conditions.

The DUP’s Jonathan Bell began the debate by stating that the Assembly “Would have to look at the options” concerning higher education funding,  claiming that if fees were not increased “We will break Northern Ireland’s position as leader in the world” of education. He said that NI is second only to the United States; this is despite Queen’s University currently languishing in at 56th position in the Guardian’s most recent University Guide published in June of this year. In voting on the motion, he said, the Assembly faced the choice between “world class universities or dumbing down.”

Sue Ramsey of Sinn Féin commended the student protest, citing the effect such protests have had in the history of Northern Ireland. She outlined Sinn Féin’s total opposition to fees of any sort, a position which the final vote discredits, while the UUP’s David McClarty questioned whether the current fees in place benefit students.

SDLP’s Conall McDevitt said that today’s petition with 10,000 signatures sent “a very clear message” and made clear politicians should not turn the clock back to a time when thousands missed out on the chance to third level education. He pointed out the difference between funding for teaching and funding for research, saying “Undergraduates are not there to fund research.” McDevitt also discussed how the funding of universities gives the Assembly a chance to unite against the cuts from Westminster.

New Minister for Employment and Learning, Danny Kennedy outlined his support for raising tuition fees, managing to draw an audible reaction from SU President Gareth McGreevy when he claimed on record that today’s meeting with student representatives had been on Kennedy’s request.

After an hour of debate, two votes took place among MLAs present: one on the initial SDLP motion and the other on the DUP’s amended version. Student representatives watched from the gallery as the latter passed by 44 votes to 29.

BY BEN FINCH

There’s a small problem though and that is the Waterfront itself, it’s really not the best venue for a band to play. There’s too many seats and, even if there’s a perfect view, it’s from too far away, leaving the atmosphere a bit cold. It does sound great though.

The Business Intl. were the only band playing on the night, and opened with ‘Circuit Breaker’ from Record Collection, perplexing many of the crowd who didn’t seem to be expecting such a change from the soulful horns Ronson is famous for. The change in sound is marked by the set design of white squares outlined in red, the sober suits worn and Ronson’s blond hair. Electric drums were struck by almost stock-still members of the band, reminiscent of the Man/Machine performances of Krafwerk.

‘Just’, Ronson’s Radiohead cover, layered with Stevie Wonder-esque keyboards, and a storming performance of ‘Ooh Wee’ sandwiched ‘Lose It’, during which Spank Rock appeared from the back of the stage. As smooth as a freshly polished table, but with the energy of a playful kitten, he bounced around the stage while rhymes flowed effortlessly from his mouth. Rose Elinor Dougall from The Pipettes led ‘Oh My God’ rather than Lily Allen, while Ronson pounded on the drums.

Then, just to remind everyone of his day job, Ronson stood behind the decks and mixed an ADHD set. Throwing in Major Lazer and Duran Duran (“His name is Ronson and he mixes with both hands” to the tune of Rio) while unwilling to play one song for more than a minute, before out hopped Spank Rock then MNDR, whose alternative dance music may have been a bit much for the crowd. The curtain at the back of the stage dropped to reveal the same pattern of squares, lit up blood red and the DJ set marked a sea change as The Business Intl. began playing the work off Record Collection.

‘Bang, Bang, Bang’ kicked part two off, with the full band appearing on stage as if they could disapparate, while Spank Rock and MNDR led the dancing. ‘Hey Boy’, ‘You Gave Me Nothing’ and ‘Record Collection’ bookended the instrumental ‘God Put a Smile On Your Face’ and ‘Stop Me’ before the biggest cheer of the night for Boy George. Clearly incredibly happy to be performing his performance of ‘Somebody to Love Me’ was like listening to the excellent fragile disco of Hercules and Love Affair.

Then, more guest performances. Kyle Falconer, with a Scottish flagged Gibson, appeared for an amazing performance of ‘The Bike Song’ before taking Amy Winehouse’s position for ‘Valerie’, which had everyone singing along. The Business Intl. can put on a show and the strength of his old material is enough to get the crowd used to Ronson’s new electronics. They played a good set but a darker, smaller, more intimate venue would have suited much better.

BY BEN FINCH

Nathaniel Rateliff kicked things off – well, ambled maybe. His quiet folk slowly picks its way into your soul, while his distinctive Missouri-accented voice carries so much emotion it’s hard not to be pulled into the depths the stories he spins. Just him and his guitar for most of the introspective set, Rateliff’s song’s have the power to grab and hold large numbers of people’s attention, not through noise or speed, but words and delicate melodies.

Following the success of last year’s Oh my God, Charlie Darwin, The Low Anthem were maybe preaching to the converted. Their blend of perdy bluesy country picked the pace up and got heads nodding. At times they were perfectly ramshackle and other times too tight, particularly as the band gathered round the mic, without instruments, to harmonise beautifully. Unfortunately they are a band with one song that stands head and shoulders above others, ‘Charlie Darwin’. This shames the rest of the great set, through its sheer ethereal brilliance. If they had a few more of those, then they could well be headlining sometime soon.

Iron & Wine is a man with confidence in his voice. Walking on stage and singing ‘Flightless Bird, American Mouth’ for a good two minutes before even strumming his guitar takes a pair of cojones, and he didn’t miss a note. When he does play it’s a masterclass in fingerpicking, bass notes walk up and down while the higher strings create chords, harmonies and melodies while Beam almost whispers his songs barely looking like he’s doing anything complicated.

Beam knows that his music is never going to be massively successful, that’s not why he writes, but he ironically acknowledges this when he says, “I’m playing the hits tonight” – which, in his own way, he was. A few new songs appeared in the set, but a lot appeared off ‘Shepherd’s dog’ and ‘Our endless numbered days’, while the closing songs were ‘Carousel’, ‘Sodom, South Georgia’ (song of the night) and ‘Jezebel’. As can be seen from some of these titles, Beam uses a lot of profane religious imagery. This could be drawn from his life in the deep south of the States, but one thing’s for certain, following the gig, the only profanities used were to emphasise just how good Iron & Wine were.

Send your name, your answer and telephone number to arts@thegown.org.uk by 15th September.

The event will take place on 19th September at the Waterfront, Belfast.

BY BEN FINCH

The fantastic Wolf Parade will be playing Spring and Airbrake on 6th September, touring their electro tinged indie pop and new album ‘Expo 86’. Signed to legendary label Sub Pop (Nirvana, The Shins, Fleet Foxes), their first ever gig was opening for Arcade Fire; if they happened to be a dog, it would be a pedigree Newfoundland (being from Canada and all). While it’s been five years since their last album, members have since gone on to form the acclaimed Handsome Furs and Sunset Rubdown, and ‘Expo 86’ shows they still know what to do with a tune.

Johnny Flynn, troubadour extrordinaire, folks things up on 17th September in Auntie Annie’s. ‘A larum’ and the ‘Sweet William’ EP are two of the best, and most beautiful, records released over the past few years. His new album, ‘Been listening’ contains a duet with Laura Marling, who he was on the road with earlier this year, and he’ll be supporting Mumford and Son on their UK tour later this year.

If hardcore punk’s more your thing, then Cancer Bats is for you. With songs titled ‘Lucifer’s rocking chair’ and ‘Darkness lives’, they’re playing the Limelight on the 4th November. As riffs and solos pound their way straight through your skull, you’ll be wondering how it’s possible to have so much fun watching people so angry and disaffected.

Holy Fuck is a name that raises a few eyebrows, but listening to their music, it’s exactly what’s running through your mind. Most people seem to think they’ll sound like Cancer Bats when they hear their name, but if that’s what you want, you’ll be disappointed. Playing dance music live on stage with none of the rabbit out of hat tricks of the likes of Calvin Harris, last time they played Radar it was awesome, and it will be again. They’re playing the Speakeasy on November 18th.

Send your name and your answer to arts@thegown.org.uk by 8th September.

The event will take place on 12th September in the Black Box.  Support is from Matthew and the Atlas, Marcus Foster and Pete Roe with the Open House Festival.

BY BEN FINCH

In other news, Tim Robbins, star of The Shawshank Redemption, will be performing in the Limelight with his Rogues Gallery Band on the 27th September, the date his debut album is released. Described as “raggle taggle and rousing gypsy Americana”, it’ll be interesting to see what they sound like, as many actor’s musical side projects tend to fall awry.

BY BEN FINCH

With the sound of samba drums and melodicas spilling out onto the street, passers-by were stopped in their tracks and sucked towards the door to see what was happening. Children, teenagers and grown adults were shown how to play ‘Single Thought’, the first track from the album, before starting a carnival through the centre of Belfast. As the sound of drums reverberated off the close walls of Pottinger Entry, confusing people eating their McDonalds and vaguely worrying police outside City Hall, the band snaked through the city centre, losing formation, joining up and bringing the carnival atmosphere to everyone in town.

Then, an (almost) family friendly gig with Out of Place. With the fuzz turned down slightly, Escape Act rattled through what must have been their most surreal performance to date, as people walked past and craned their necks for a look. Rather than restricting the band, the choice of venue and a young audience allowed for a low key performance and enabled the intricacies of Balance to be heard in full.

The next day, the warmth of McHugh’s Basement provided an altogether different atmosphere to the heat of the carnival. Tom McShane began the night with the incredibly simple and beautiful ‘Flowers’. The room appeared to shrink as all attention in the room turned to McShane and silence fell as he began to pluck his guitar. Shy and slightly awkward, McShane’s songs belie this appearance. They are full of depth and at times pain, as heard on ‘The Ballad of Morton Candell’, which is the story of an architect whose only success in life is a station on the Northern Line.

McShane was joined onstage by Chris Heaney, singer and guitarist of Escape Act, on keyboard to play two of the quieter songs from Balance, ‘K’ and ‘Flat Ocean’. Slower and sadder than the rest of the album, these songs suited McShane’s style of playing. However, he was unable to remember ‘Flat Ocean’ in full, losing some of the song’s power in the process.

You Kiss By The Book take their name from Juliet’s famous line to Romeo, but none of the implied criticism. Their superior Alt-Country is unlikely to sell many records even though their mid-tempo songs evoke the sound of a rainy day with a rainbow in the distance. The singer’s voice is reminiscent of Colin Meloy after a night out but this is often counterpointed by an almost cheerful keyboard. You Kiss By The Book also showed they have a sense of humour with their untitled ‘Feel good hit of the summer’ taking many of the tropes of dance music while the lyrics tell of a broken up relationship.

Following much of the introspection of the night, Escape Act where full of energy as they celebrated the release of Balance. Playing faster, harder and fuzzier than in Out of Place, some of the delicacy in the songs was lost, but no matter for it was an excellent performance. Taking the interaction from Saturday’s performance further, various members of the audience were invited up to play and sing with the band. During the excellent ‘Pressure’, Escape Act were enjoying themselves so much they forgot to call up their volunteers, only remembering during ‘Salt In Your Eye’.
Escape Act Balance tried to cause a stir in Belfast and succeeded. An excellent album, with an excellent release, the tracks are versatile enough to be played both quietly, in places as strange as an empty shop, and loudly, in the dark basement of a pub.

BY BEN FINCH
In the Ardoyne area, a policewoman was injured when a block of masonry was thrown from the roof of a shop onto her head. Three officers were shot in the area and petrol and blast bombs were thrown at police. Over eighty officers were injured in the riots and millions of pounds worth of damage done to buildings in the community.

Father Gary Donegan of Holy Cross Church on the Crumlin Road has described the violence as “recreational rioting” and likened it to a theme park due to the age of many involved. It has been claimed that there were some rioters as young as eight years old involved in the disturbances.

So far, most attention has focused on the violence and consequences of the trouble. Very little has been paid to the underlying cause. If at all, it has been decried as dissident republicans hoping to scupper the peace process. Without making excuses for any of those taking part in the riots, if the Orange Order had been told they were not to pass through such areas as the Ardoyne by the Parades Commission, chances are that the high level of violence witnessed would not have happened. For years Orange parades have caused widespread rioting by both sides of the community, often in areas not directly affected by the marching. In any other part of the UK marches such as this would be treated as incitement to religious violence.

Plenty of comments made by students, over Facebook or otherwise, have been made along the lines of “If rioters want to throw petrol bombs and fire a few rounds of a shotgun at the police then the police should be allowed to fire a few rounds or a few petrol bombs back. See if they like it…Get off the streets, stop sponging off the government you don’t even recognise and get a job”. Again, this simply focuses on the effects, ignoring the current difficulty of finding and maintaining work, especially for those brought up in under-privileged areas, where young people are less likely to engage in education, thus seriously reducing their chances of gaining qualifications. A lack of engagement with education does not reflect a lack of desire to work. Also, similar comments do not take into consideration the fact that similar acts of violence and the blatant entrenchment of views were among the major reasons why Northern Ireland needed a peace process in the first place.

Comments such as these may represent a large part of the unionist community in Northern Ireland, but not everyone feels the same way. I have been speaking to students who have said that if the protests were peaceful then they’d join them, and others who have called for the outright banning of the Orange Order. These people did not want to be named. This is the crux of the matter. While the violence may be organised by dissident republicans taking advantage of ill-informed youths, the opportunity was handed to them by the Orange Order marching through areas where, as they very well know, they are not at all welcome.

Trouble also occurred in other areas during the twelfth; cars were set alight in Armagh, in Lurgan the Dublin-bound Enterprise suffered an attempted hijack and police officers were attacked in the Bogside area of Derry. All such incidents occurred in specific areas where parades did not take place. Such acts of violence can only be tenuously linked to the marches and should be condemned as Orange Lodges in these areas respectfully diverted their parades away from hostile areas. This approach needs to be followed in the few places where twelfth celebrations are still contentious.

It is constantly hammered into those studying medicine to treat the underlying cause of an illness rather than the symptoms, otherwise the treatment has no effect. Civil disobedience and uncivil disruption happens for a reason, not for the sake of it. Now that the disturbances have ended and a relatively stable situation has at last developed in the Ardoyne area, rather than concentrating solely on the violence, the cause of the riots needs to be examined and dealt with by both sides.

Seamus Heaney officially opened the McClay Library on Tuesday 6^th July during a black tie ceremony attended by various dignitaries associated with Queen’s University. The new library has been named after late benefactor Sir Allen McClay, and has been described by Lady McClay as an appropriate way to remember Sir Allen. In December 2009, The Gown reported on QUB’s failure to notify Heaney that the library in his name was no longer open.

BY BEN FINCH

“This is a beautiful place which is bound to give people a sense of self-worth that will enhance them,” Heaney said before the ceremony. In a speech full of his usual pastoral metaphors, he also described it as a “star-ship for our scholars” when discussing the IT facilities.
Peter Gregson said it was a historic night for Queen’s and for the students, current and future, who shall benefit. In his speech he said that it had been fifty years since Seamus Heaney had graduated from Queen’s University. However, Heaney contradicted this, subtly pointing out that he graduated in 1961.

The ceremony was purposely set to coincide with the graduations. The McClay Library has already been open for a year, and John Gormley of the Information Services Directorate Office said that they “had been keen to open the library as soon as possible so students can use it and I would like to think it has played a part in some of these graduations”.

He added, “We have been very lucky indeed. If we had started any later then it may not have been possible due to economic conditions. We are indebted to Allen McClay who has been very generous.”

A new wall has been constructed beside the Short Loan Section of the library which names the benefactors who contributed to the building. Gormley also said that there is always a danger of overlooking people such as Anthony O’Reilly, whose name is prominently placed on the wall. The library was originally to be named ‘The Sir Anthony O’Reilly Library’ .

Speaking to The Gown earlier this year, Norma Sinte, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, said that there is now a protocol in place regarding the naming of buildings, and all universities adhere to this. Under this protocol, a building can only be named after a benefactor. A building cannot be named after a VIP, academic, vice chancellor or alumnus who hasn’t donated money.

Edna and Michael Longley were in attendance at the ceremony. Edna Longley is a member of staff in the Seamus Heaney Centre and is currently working on a book on Yeats, so often uses special collections. “It is a pleasant and excellent centre to work in,” she said. While Michael Longley, Ireland Professor of Poetry, described libraries as “the most wonderful places in the world”.

Few students were at the black tie event. Among those enjoying a glass of wine were the new sabbatical officers of the Students’ Union. “The library is a remarkable opportunity for students but if students have any problems with Information Services they should contact the Union,” said new SU President Gareth McGreevy. He also commented on the poignancy of having an alumnus in Seamus Heaney opening the McClay Library.

BY BEN FINCH

Following the announcement, Tim Cooke, Director of National Museums NI, commented, “We are delighted on Northern Ireland’s behalf. This is the first time in Northern Ireland’s history that a prestigious cultural prize of this nature has been awarded to an institution in the region. This prize will encourage us as we endeavour to play a meaningful role at the heart of our changing society.”

The Art Fund Prize Bowl, created by Vladimir Bohm, will be on display in the museum for the next year and Les McLean, Head of Operations at the museum, has already stated that the £100,000 prize will be spent on “something lasting.”

BY BEN FINCH

Les McLean, Head of Operations at the Ulster Museum, believes the museum has done so well due to the “focus on the visitor and their experience”. Over 370,000 people have visited the museum since the £17.2 million refurbishment was completed in 2009 and their reaction has been an “overwhelmingly positive one”.
The Art Fund Prize focuses on the transformation of museums and the impact this has on visitors. All the museums entered have been recently renovated; the Ashmolean’s upgrade cost £61 million. However the Prize does not focus on the biggest or most expensive change but rather “the visitor’s chance to notice change for the better”.

The renovation of the Ulster Museum has led to criticism from some quarters. Many architects were opposed to the new design and Nelson McCausland MLA, Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure recently called for Creationism and Ulster Scots to have further recognition within the Museum.
McLean is confident that these comments will not affect the museum’s chances of winning the Prize and is pleased with the “interesting debate that has engaged the public more with the museum”.
If the Ulster Museum wins the prize then the £100,000 will be spent on “something lasting”, such as a celebratory piece of art or an education programme that will have “a life beyond the closing date of the competition”.

BY BEN FINCH

All four museums have been significantly redeveloped over the past few years. Development of the Ulster Museum cost £17.8 million and since re-opening in October 2009 has become Northern Ireland’s busiest tourist attraction.

Tim Cooke, Director of National Museums NI, said, “We are delighted to be selected for this final stage and are committed to extending engagement with our museum and its collections.” Kirsty Young, chair of the judging panel commented on how the “exceptional quality” of the longlist made the selection a “challenging task”.

A public poll is being used for the first time to inform the judges on their final decision. This closes on June 18th. The Ulster Museum is currently placed first with 35.6% of the vote.

BY BEN FINCH

Plant Drawings! is an unusual exhibition that requires participation. It is inspired by Lee White’s stall of perennial flowers at St. George’s Market, springtime and a long history of horticultural drawing by the artists such as Monet and Van Gogh. You pick a flower pot, pick up some paper, attempt to represent them and in return you keep the flowers. A simpler and more fun idea is impossible to find.

It is an exhibition of interaction and exchange and that changes the rules of what an exhibition is. There is no standing around, trying to discern what ideas so-and-so artist is trying to represent or even what the art is. Instead there is the reward of a feeling of pride, a large smile and a pretty potted plant that can be put in your garden and will grow year on year. The artist/spectator boundary is well and truly smashed.

Plant Drawings! takes place at PS2 on Donegall Street and runs until the 3rd July. Drawing workshops for all ages and talents will be taking place at PS2 and St. Georges Market. A normal exhibition of the artwork created will happen in early July at St. Georges Market and PS2. For further details visit www.pssquared.org.

BY BEN FINCH

Despite failing to achieve either, the flotilla has been more successful at achieving its political goals. Israel’s reaction has been condemned by all of their allies. It has massively increased tension with Turkey, their only Muslim ally. The Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, raged, “It is no longer possible to cover up or ignore Israel’s lawlessness. This bloody massacre by Israel on ships that were taking humanitarian aid to Gaza deserves every kind of curse.” Israel’s closest friend in Europe, Italy, “deplored” the violence and the only nation not to call for the blockade to stop was the US.

Israel’s silent partner in the blockade of Gaza, Egypt, immediately opened the border crossing, with Gaza and Israeli newspapers, while showing support for the IDF’s intentions, called the assault a “fiasco”. The IDF’s tactics have been criticised and they were either naive not to expect resistance or trying to use the operation for their own political ends. Following the events, the incredibly efficient Israeli PR machine leaped into action, and footage was released that showed activists attacking the boarders but none of the fatal firefights.

The assault took place in international waters, where the law onboard a ship is that of the flag it flies. This also means that it is illegal to take prisoners. While over six hundred activists detained have now been deported, Israel’s actions are in clear defiance of International Law, which they hold very little respect for. The activists were forced to accept they had entered Israel illegally, despite their transport from international waters by the IDF. In theory, the perpetrators of the deaths may be open to prosecution under Turkish law as the Mavi Marmara, on which the deaths occurred, was flying the Turkish flag.

The final ship of the flotilla, the MV Rachel Corrie, is currently approaching the area of Israel’s disastrous raid on Monday. It is named after an American peace activist killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. Turkey has said that the ship will have a military escort and many other governments have called for the ship to be allowed to land in Gaza. The Rachel Corrie is out of Dundalk, flies the Irish Flag and is carrying Mairead Maguire, a Nobel Peace Prize winner for her efforts in Ireland.

Following the widespread condemnation of the first attack, Israel’s hands are surely well and truly tied. They will have to let the ship land or risk turning a crisis into international war. The problem is that Israel tends to take the most offensive course of action and their current, unrelenting stance indicates that this will be the case. While they may not expect much resistance from a 66 year old woman and four other crew, if there is a military escort the results will surely be even more disastrous than Monday.

BY BEN FINCH

This is because of Cameron’s ill advised statement on the Northern Ireland public sector and how it needs to be reduced. The public sector in Northern Ireland has reduced the effects of the recession here and has kept thousands of people in employment throughout the Troubles. While a reduction in the Civil Service may be necessary, it should be slow, controlled and not affect frontline services. It should also be met with an increased investment in the local economy, rather than trying to lure big business from overseas. However the vampiric George Osborne has been preparing for “Slash and Burn” all over the UK and it is very worrying that Northern Ireland is top of the hitlist.

In the regions of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales there has been a clear rejection of Conservatism. Only 8 Tory MPs, out of 117, were elected from these areas, seven from Wales and one from Scotland, with 9 Lib Dems in total from the regions, if Naomi Long is ignored. This means that Northern Ireland is essentially being ruled by England, by a government that the electorate has shown they don’t want by removing the two UUP seats held. While the DUP has traditionally voted with the Conservatives (about 90% of the time) they took the decision to support a possible Labour Government to protect Northern Ireland’s interests.

On top of all this the Conservatives show stronger support for the Union than Labour have done and are likely to take a harder line on Nationalism, which will push its supporters further away from the government. The result seems to have led to an increased unity among politicians from the province, as the SDLP, Alliance, DUP and Sylvia Hermon all decided to join the potential rainbow alliance in order to oppose cuts in the public sector and the block grant. It also appears that, along with Scotland and Wales, there has been an increase in Nationalism as people would prefer to rule themselves due to fears about the state of local economies as the Conservatives tend to ignore and underfund the regions. This can only lead to further tensions between regional government and Parliament.

Universities are likely to see a decrease in funding from the Government, which will only see them wanting to increase the already unfair tuition fees, which are a premium on education and discourage many people from furthering their knowledge. As students we have to be prepared to resist this and anything that we see to be bad for our regional economy, where we expect to be employed soon and a double dip recession could destroy.

The Lib Dems appear to have pulled the Tories to the left but it remains to be seen just what has gained their support and just how far right they have allowed themselves to go in order to get bums on government seats. Hopefully they can temper the excesses of a generation that has grown up with Thatcherism. But in deciding to take the Tory whip they may not be able to without bringing down the government.

The Tories will have to affect a central stance in relation to Northern Ireland and treat the electorate fairly or else a situation, slowly becoming more dangerous and only supported by a few, could explode. Cuts to public services, such as education and healthcare, could destroy the increasingly fair and harmonious society we live in. We have already used our democratic voice to oppose these cuts and we will have to continue to use it over the next few years to ensure society remains.

BY BEN  FINCH

After a funny start, the play builds to an excellent second half as Harpingon’s children try to beg, borrow or steal his money and fall in love. Harpingon turns out to be an apt pun as he greatly enjoys the sound of his own voice. The boundaries of the stage are ignored with characters roaming around and interacting with the audience. However, this led to a heckler shouting out during Harpingon’s final speech. She was hilarious though and no-one seemed to mind.

The play has been relocated to Belfast and achieves this through witty references to areas of the city, Northern Ireland and the inability of various Scottish characters to understand the Northern Irish accent. While retaining some of the more pretentious language of the seventeenth century, a majority of the dialogue has been updated to be understandable to a contemporary audience allowing a self-aware critique of the play itself to take place.

Despite a first half that can seem slow at times, with some jokes missing their targets, The Miser is a very funny and relevant production, that manages to highlight the absurdities of obsession and the banking system.

The Miser runs at Elmwood Hall until 9 July 2010

Following the Ulster Museum’s £17.2 million refurbishment, it has been nominated for the prestigious Art Fund Prize. This could be worth £100,000 to the museum as well as being a “huge accomplishment”. The public are being urged to vote for the museum to win on the Art Fund website. The Ulster Museum is currently in first place with 25.5% of the popular vote, but is closely followed by Blists Hill Victorian Town, near Birmingham on 21.9%. It is also up against institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London, and the Great North Museum, Newcastle.

BY BEN FINCH

Judges have been visiting museums on the longlist and will soon be making the decision for the shortlist, taking into account the public vote. Crimewatch presenter Kirsty Young is a member of the panel. Unable to visit with the other members of the judging panel, she visited the Ulster Museum on April 14. These visits are said to have gone very well, and the judges were “suitably impressed”. Gillian McLean, from the Ulster Museum, has said that they need to keep up the momentum in keeping visitors coming to hold on to first place.

Jim McGreevy of National Museums NI said, “The Art Fund Prize of £100,000 is a most prestigious accolade and to win it would be a huge accomplishment for the Ulster Museum and indeed, for Northern Ireland.”

Previous winners of the Art Fund prize include the Wedgewood Museum and The Lightbox Museum and Gallery.

The refurbished museum contains new exhibitions on Irish and natural history as well as a poignant and balanced look at The Troubles. There is also an excellent series of art and fashion galleries on the upper levels.

To vote for the Ulster Museum in the Art Fund Prize visit www.artfundprize.org.uk/2010/vote. Voting closes on 7 May with the shortlist being announced at the end of May.