BY THE HOOD

It doesn’t seem to have quite worked out that way though… Before he’s even started, our incoming President has already pissed off a significant number of staff with a ‘Do you know who I am?’ moment that betters Catherine Wylie’s from a few years ago.  Rumour has it that while taking questions he was asked what his name was again.  To which – and this has to be the most gleeful thing I’ve heard all day- he replied, “You should know who I am by now!”  Unlike Wylie, he was sober and talking to a room full of people. Fantastic!  Now everyone knows who you are.

But it wasn’t just the staff our new president annoyed, the outgoing sabbs got to enjoy a presentation of what all they did wrong this year.  The NUS award nominated VP Equality and Diversity Samantha Tan was seen crying after this. Oh well, Sam, you have still have Aaron Porter.

BY CATHERINE WYLIE

The truth should cost nothing, and the Saville Report made the truth publicly and globally official; that the victims of Bloody Sunday were all innocent men, killed unjustifiably and without justification by the State. Critics of the report’s lengthy duration and cost, 12 years and £195 million, should remember why it was absolutely essential that this inquiry be carried out. Saying that they are thinking of the other victims and families of the Troubles who haven’t got a fraction of the attention Bloody Sunday has, critics need to remember the most important factor in this whole affair, and that is that the victims of Bloody Sunday were murdered by Government representatives. They were killed by the State.

The report, due to its fantastic conclusion, is worth every single penny spent by the British Government, as its length and cost is ultimately their fault and that fault needed corrected. Due to Widgery’s lies, I understand why the Saville report was an absolute necessity and why perhaps the Ballymurphy killings have been overlooked in terms of launching an inquiry. There cannot be inquiries like Saville into paramilitary killings as there are too many atrocities on both sides. However, that is not to say that people of this viewpoint value the lives of the victims any less, but it has to be accepted that those killings are different and do not warrant the same sort of inquiry. Michael Mansfield QC has stated repeatedly (even David Cameron has highlighted this), that critics of the Saville Inquiry must accept that when a government’s forces kill innocent civillians there simply has be an inquiry. How can any government, anywhere in the world, expect its people to adhere to law and order, and respect its governance if such disgusting wrongdoings are committed, and then covered up with lies in a report afterwards?

This is the point that critics are missing. Regardless of where one’s political views lie, anyone with any sort of belief in justice, truth and legality, should accept the Saville Report with joy, and that joy should be for not only the exonerated victims and their families, but for the victory over a government trying to cover up the dirty wrongs committed by their military representatives on a day that arguably kicked off The Troubles proper. There is no hierarchy of victims, and to suggest there is insinuates that supporters of the Saville Inquiry value the lives of those killed on Bloody Sunday more than lives lost in other atrocities. Supporters of the Saville Inquiry see it for the absolute necessity it is and their persistence in obtaining justice and the truth has been rewarded sweetly.

The Saville Report is not “revisionism” as Gregory Campbell said, but is instead a 5000 page long document stating exactly what happened on that fateful day in 1972. Describing it as “revisionism” suggests that Campbell holds Widgery’s report in some regard, and that can only be viewed as pitiful. On BBC Spotlight, on the day the report was made public, journalist and political activist (and previous Gown reporter), Eamonn McCann, called Campbell a “sectarian disgrace”, and a vast majority of people would surely agree with that. His insistent refusal to say anything positive about the report has ousted him as an even bitterer man than he has always been viewed. He has repeatedly asked why the Paratroopers were in Derry that day, suggesting that such aggressive force was needed to contain the Catholic violence. He fails to acknowledge why the Catholics were marching in Derry. He also repeatedly says that we now need to move on and stop looking back. In just under four weeks, Campbell will commemorate an event that took place centuries ago, so it seems that he’s quite choosy in what he wants to move on from. He’s not a fan of anything in which Catholics are the victims.

Another way in which Unionist critics of the Saville Report are making themselves look bad is their focus on the revelation about Martin McGuinness “probably” carrying a sub-machine gun. Out of all that is revealed and cleared up in the report, this is just about the least significant thing in it, and to focus on this whilst at the same time ignoring the great victory for justice, is laughable. McGuinness admitted his involvement with the IRA some years ago now. We all know he was a member. He is denying the report’s suggestion that he probably had a machine gun on him by asking how one could possibly hide a sub-machine gun. He has publicly admitted that he was second in command of the local Derry IRA at the time of Bloody Sunday, so the notion of him “probably” having a gun is hardly groundbreaking news. The IRA was active at that time, so it is not interesting to hear that the second in command “might” have had a gun.

Watching the Widgery Report being torn up was possibly one of the most emotional and euphoric moments of this week. Not to mention the anonymous thumbs up which the anticipating crowd could see at a window at the Guildhall, before erupting with cheers of relief and joy that justice had been done. Or the families of the victims emerging from the Guildhall in a state of euphoria, which had been waiting for over 38 years to be released and enjoyed. Euphoria for the families, truth for the victims, justice for the world.

The 14 men shot dead by British paratroopers in Derry on 20th January 1972: INNOCENT

President Shane Brogan will bring this argument to Management Board tomorrow on behalf of The Gown editorial team and Gown Trust. Gown management met with Union and University officials last Friday to discuss the ongoing issues between the independent newspaper and the Union, which have caused significant difficulties for the newspaper to continue operating as normal. As part of the clubs and societies review, the Union is proposing to move The Gown from their office on the 3rd floor of the Union into a shared office. The Gown team is still suspended and members have been denied access since Monday 15th March.

UPDATE: The suspension imposed on The Gown from their office on Monday 15th March was lifted at this evening’s Management Board meeting.

There are obvious traditional and historical reasons as to why we believe The Gown should remain in an exclusive office, mainly due to the paper enjoying the usage of an office in the Union for decades. But The Gown editorial team and Gown Trust are adamant that the future survival of the newspaper depends on the continued use of an exclusive office. The internal affairs of a newspaper are by their nature private and confidential, and it is unthinkable to expect the independent student newspaper to share space which would compromise the very essence of its existence. This year The Gown’s current office has been used daily by a core team of 10 members, a wider voluntary body of 50, and a focal point of reference for hundreds of occasional student writers, not to mention whistle blowers, morning, noon and night.

BY CATHERINE WYLIE

You will see from the sign-in file at the ground floor reception just how often this year’s volunteers made use of the 3^rd floor office. As editor, I can confirm that each and every time the key was signed out, it was to genuinely work on the development and furthering of the newspaper, with hours upon hours of work going into keeping the publication fortnightly and the website updated as often as possible (The website has been updated daily for the majority of the academic year). I would be confident in saying that the small space taken up by The Gown on the top floor of the Union was possibly one of the most utilised spaces in the Union, and the most productive in terms of helping students and providing a service, this academic year. Without an exclusive office, but instead a shared environment, I would very much doubt if The Gown could continue in its present form of steadily returning to its glory days of former decades.

A newspaper office is notoriously busy and fast, and can be often disruptive, noisy, untidy, and high spirited. It would be unfair for the Union to expect any club, society or organisation to share with The Gown. Again, as editor, I have been in the office almost daily all year (up until the ban) and can vouch for what goes on in the daily running of the paper and its office. We have archives that go back to the 1950s, we have a selection of books left by editors and reporters in days gone by, we have a large amount of space dedicated to the business and financial side of the newspaper, and we talk, discuss, deliberate, debate, have differences of opinion and generally spend 100% of the time being very vocal. A shared office environment accommodating The Gown and another organisation would not be a productive working space for that organisation due to constant interruptions. The suggestion that each would have dedicated hours of working so that they would never be in the office at the same time is a nonsensical suggestion due to both the nature of breaking news and the total confidentiality expected by whistle blowers, and indeed anyone at all who speaks to Gown volunteers about any issue. To expect anyone to share with The Gown, whether it is on the basis of restricted and dedicated hours is simply unacceptable and would lead to inevitable clashes which would become problematic for sabbatical teams for years to come. It would eradicate any good faith or strengthened relations encouraged by a memorandum or document signed between The Gown and the Union, and as this year has shown, a particularly rocky relationship and bad feeling between the two is very stressful for all involved, and is therefore to be avoided at all costs.

The Gown has had an important presence on campus for 55 years, and has become a widely known and revered publication. Not only does it act as an independent voice for the student body, but it provides invaluable experience for a vast number of QUB students in the fields of journalism, business, advertising, design, and photography. The paper has been, de facto, an acting School of Journalism at Queen’s for over half a century, and has been an influential launch pad for innumerable successful journalists, both at home and abroad. There has been more editions published this year than in any other year, and we see the newspaper going from strength to strength from this point onwards. The success of the plethora of previous Gown writers is evidence that it is a fantastic beginning for anyone who wants to pursue a career in journalism, and an outlet that should be encouraged rather than quashed. Professor Gregson echoed these sentiments at our re-launch earlier in the academic year.

We ask you to put aside any ill-feeling you have for this year’s editorial team and volunteers, and instead focus your attentions on the fact that next year, and beyond, will bring fresh editorial teams that all have one common goal. That is to emulate the enviable successes of previous Gown volunteers who went on to realise their hopes of succeeding in the cut throat world of journalism. Keep this tradition at QUB alive and re-instate the independent voice which sparks healthy debate and makes the Students’ Union feel like a Students’ Union.

The above statement is supported by The Gown editorial team and Gown Trust:

The Trust consists of:

A young woman has been left shaken after a physical and verbal confronation in the PFC. The attacker, also a young woman, attacked a number of people in the car park behind the Admin building afterwards.

UPDATE: Police description of the assailant.

BY CATHERINE WYLIE AND BRENDAN HUGHES

The disturbance took place in the PFC at around 4:45pm. Students in the vicinity looked on in disbelief as the incident occurred. One onlooker said, “It was hard to tell if she was a student.”

It is believed that the attacker physically shook the female, shouting, “Tell me!” The girl told The Gown she was held up against the wall and kicked at least seven or eight times.  Before running off, the alleged attacker shouted, “Are you gonna report me then?”

A QUB lecturer who happened upon the attacker said that she had “obviously been drinking”.  Prior to the attack the lecturer saw the female in Cafe Krem. The female told the lecturer, “Ever since I’ve come back [to Belfast], people have wanted to put me down.” The female who suffered the attack recalled her saying, “I’m sorry, I have Asperger’s.”

While making her escape, the attacker ripped off her orange beaded necklace leaving beads strewn across the ground.

The police later came to the PFC to record statements from the victim and witnesses.

UPDATE: Police description of the assailant.

Disorderly behaviour escalated tonight in the Holylands as hundreds of revellers took part in a “street rave” on Palestine Street. Police and University officials looked on helplessly as young people sang and danced along with music blaring from one of the houses. It has been alleged that the house in question was not a student house.

BY CATHERINE WYLIE AND BRENDAN HUGHES

The “street rave” took place at the Agincourt Avenue end of Palestine Street, whilst the opposite end of the street was blocked by an ambulance.  The crowd sang ‘The Fields of Athenry’, the Irish national anthem and various chants, such as ‘We all live in the Holy Holylands’. It seemed that the ambulance was moved down the street in a futile attempt to disperse the crowd. Police officers then took the decision to run at the crowd, and this was successful in moving the revellers from the concentrated area, despite a defiant reprise of the Irish national anthem played on an electric guitar.

Shortly after the mob was dispersed, The Gown watched as police officers put an amplifier and guitar into the back of a police van. At this stage there was no music playing on Palestine Street.

Crowds cheered for one young man on Palestine Street who let off a fire extinguisher. Motorists attempted to dodge broken glass on the road, but many onlookers watched as tyres were punctured.

Student officers and University officials observed the chaos until late.

Across the Holylands, streets remain covered in broken bottles, glasses, empty beer cans, and an assortment of rubbish.

For more photos from the day, go to The Gown’s Facebook page.

From approximately 5pm, the Holylands became rowdier, with the alcohol intake inevitably taking effect. Crowds of revellers gathered outside houses on Rugby Avenue, Agincourt Avenue, Carmel Street, Jerusalem Street and Palestine Street, with Rugby Avenue arguably the worst. Young people took to the middle of Rugby Avenue for a rendition of ‘Rock the Boat’, which then turned into the Irish national anthem. One young man mooned in the middle of the street before being unsuccessfully chased by a police officer.

BY CATHERINE WYLIE

The Gown spoke to a few Belfast natives who had turned up to “see what they could see”. One man said, “It only takes one person. I think something is definitely going to kick off.”

Those gathered in front gardens were visibly drinking, whilst some took to sitting on first floor window sills, or even on roofs. When asked what they thought of how the atmosphere had progressed, one student said, “This is ridiculous.”

VP Campaigns and Communications, Gareth McGreevy, said, “It has been contained with very little violence and rioting. There was an incident earlier in which seven people wearing pyjamas had come up from the Ormeau Road with a Rangers jersey. They were walking down Carmel Street, shouting “Burn it! Burn it!” The students didn’t want them there, and the situation was sorted quickly.”

Many students expressed how good the police had been. One said, “It may have went too far at this stage, but the police have been really nice. I suppose nobody is doing any harm.”

Another student said, “If I was a resident I’d hate it. It’s a bit scary.”

To which her friend replied, “They should confine all the residents to one street just for today!”

For more photos from the day, go to The Gown’s Facebook page.

The University’s hope for a calm and peaceful St. Patrick’s Day looks set to succeed, as by early afternoon the Holylands remains relatively calm. From a walk around the area, stopping to speak to various revellers, The Gown learned that quite a few of those celebrating were not students at all. As is the case every year, groups of students are gathered in front gardens drinking. Police officers are patrolling the Holylands in groups, and student officers are encouraging revellers to spend their day in the Union.

BY CATHERINE WYLIE AND BRENDAN HUGHES

The majority of students felt that there would be no repeat of last year’s events, commenting on the fact that there was such tight security in the area. One student said, “It should be alright. There are plenty of police and last year was a good warning. Using students is a better control method. Police have the opposite effect. The police know that they were too assertive last year.”

However, another student wasn’t so sure about the calm atmosphere continuing, commenting, “If the police are heavy handed with one person then it will all kick off.”

One elderly resident said, “As long as it stays like this then it will be ok.”

An immigrant family commented that the daytime poses no problems at all. “At night I’d worry that we won’t be able to get any sleep because of the noise,” the man said.

After a slow start, more students appeared in the Students’ Union Speakeasy Bar as the afternoon progressed. The Union, which has helped organise the St. Patrick’s Day festival with University of Ulster, will be hoping to make big bucks tonight at its own party in the Union bars.

One student who chose to spend the day in Speakeasy, rather than the Holylands, defended the Union’s arguably hypocritical marketing campaign. Whilst the Union urges students to drink sensibly, it also offers drinks promotions and encourages students to ‘get twisted’. This student remarked, “The Union is making drinks cheaper for me today and that’s good. I’m not necessarily going to go out and riot though. It’s all about the type of person. Most of the people who live in the Holylands are from the countryside. If they’re caught doing anything worng then they should be thrown out of university.”

For more photos from the day, go to The Gown’s Facebook page.

BY CATHERINE WYLIE

UPDATE: RESPONSE FROM QUB

Speaking to The Gown, Séamus Óg MacGiollaCheara from Queen’s GAA said, “That crest is the one used by the club and it was put onto the poster by the promotion company by mistake. Once it was noticed it was cut off all posters.”

“They were up inside the Bot for about a month. I don’t have a clue who said anything about them. The manager in the Bot got a phonecall from someone about the posters, he phoned me and I got it sorted out. That was all there was to it,” he said.

However, it seems that not all posters with the crest included on them had been taken out of circulation completely. Also, the poster advertising the event on the Queen’s GAA facebook page still sports the crest in the top left hand corner.

Response from QUB:

“The use of the Queen’s University crest is reserved for honorary purposes only including graduations. Approval must be sought from Queen’s before inclusion of the University’s crest in any publication. Approval was neither sought or given on this occasion and the posters were subsequently withdrawn.”

The Union’s attempt to attract more students to the Thursday ‘Twisted’ club night by inviting DJ Sonya Mac to take over the decks has seemingly failed. This comes in the wake of the Union slashing working hours of bar staff. Declan Gallen (aka DJ Deci) lost his Thursday night slot to the Cool FM DJ from last night, and will now play in the Bunatee bar whilst Sonya Mac plays Mandela Hall. However, reports from last night aren’t good.

BY CATHERINE WYLIE

One student told The Gown, “Last night was the single worst Union night out I’ve ever had. And I’ve had plenty. The drink was cheap but the craic was non-existent. Even with Bar Sub closed to artificially boost the crowd in the Bunatee and Mandela, the crowd was thin and the atmosphere completely dead. Sonya Mac’s music, basically just the lowest common denominator pop possible, obviously holds little appeal for Queen’s students. If I wanted The Box, I’d have gone to The Box.”

Others said they saw people go into Mandela but leave immediately and return to Bunatee where DJ Deci was playing. One source said, “It was worse than normal, it was completely dead. Bunatee was busy when DJ Deci was playing though. She did play requests towards the end and that went down well, but the rest was just bad remixes that weren’t suited to the crowd. I think it says a lot when Bunatee was busier than Mandela at the end of the night.”

Another source voiced his concern that not only was DJ Deci being ousted from his usual slot, but the regular DJs in Bunatee had also lost their slots. He said, “I wasn’t very impressed. She played music that would suit the Beach Club or Clubland in Cookstown. The crowd didn’t seem into it. DJ Deci should be reinstated in Mandela. I think the whole thing is ludicrous.”

The suspension of The Gown team from the 3rd floor office was lifted yesterday evening at a Management Board meeting, after a full week of being denied access.

READ FULL STORY IN MONDAY’S PAPER.

Illustration by Niall Mooney (click to view)

BY CATHERINE WYLIE and BRENDAN HUGHES

The issues arose during a Students’ Union Executive Management Committee meeting. As part of ‘Political Activism Week’, students were invited to attend the meeting to see how the committee works. Two students turned up, both of which were Gown reporters.

The income drop was revealed by Acting Chief Executive, Andrew Dodge. Measures to increase revenue were suggested, including the idea of pints being slashed to £1.50 between the hours of 9 and 11pm.

VP Community Laura Hawthorne became emotional, as she abhorrently opposed any suggestion of a drinks price slash.

“I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on,” she said, referring to her ongoing work with residents groups in the Holylands and Stranmillis areas.

SU President Shane Brogan and VP Paul Courtney agreed that ‘a pound a pint’ idea could not be introduced, while Deputy General Manager Dominic Doherty pointed out that extreme drinks promotions in English Unions have been unsuccessful.

Doherty also raised the issue of the VPs frequently socialising in the Botanic Inn. He said that sabbs should be seen to be supporting the Union, and acting as an example to students.

VP Gareth McGreevy disagreed with this notion, claiming that the free time of sabbs should be spent in whatever way they choose.

“We’re not students,” McGreevy declared, prompting Doherty to remind him of his student-elected position in the Union. McGreevy proceeded to clarify that he had only been on one night out this year, which had been spent in the Students’ Union. He also remarked that the VPs have so much work to do that they don’t have time to party.

The Executive Management Committee meets every Wednesday at 12noon in the Anne Maguire room. Students are welcome to attend.

Read two reviews of ‘Up’ by Kathryn McCann and Catherine Wylie.

Pixar studios have a lot to live up to with this new release after cinematic gems such as ‘Wall-E’ and ‘Monsters, Inc’, but this expectation is more than fulfilled with the release of ‘Up’. Essentially the film follows the adventures of an old grumpy guy, an overweight, over-enthusiastic young boy-scout, a ‘talking’ dog and an exotic bird. However it would be wrong to sum up the movie in this way as it is about so much more than this. The story centres on a widowed pensioner called Carl who decides to grasp his last chance of freedom and adventure by tying balloons to his house and simply flying away, escaping both the mundane reality of his life and those coming to take him to an old people’s home. However, Carl doesn’t bargain that he has a boy-scout stowaway named Russell coming along for the ride. This results in a tale that is both laugh-out-loud and poignant in parts, reminding us through this unlikely coupling that life’s greatest adventures are those achieved through our relationships with others. (Also available in 3-D)

By Kathryn McCann

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‘Up’ encapsulates all that adults know to be sadly true of life, whilst also encouraging us to hark back to our childhoods by imagining the replacement of Air France with balloons in our chimneys. Critics raved about the opening sequence, and I wasn’t disappointed as I watched Carl and Ellie’s relationship progress from wanting a baby to old age. It’s commendable when an animation puts a viewer in the mood for love and marriage. Whilst young children may gloss over the themes of love, companionship and dreams, adults can fully appreciate the genuine closeness shared by the couple and the determination of Carl to make it to Venezuela. I particularly liked the nature of their wish to have their house right on top of Paradise Falls, and also the allusion to globalization in the construction surrounding Carl’s house. I found the dogs to be irritating at times, but overall this film made me feel all gooey inside.

By Catherine Wylie

BY CATHERINE WYLIE