Monday 27th April 2026
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YouGov survey supports Cherwell’s findings

Daniel Kodsi
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YouGov survey supports Cherwell’s findings

A YouGov survey conducted from 17th to 18th January found that a majority of British people are opposed to taking down Cecil Rhodes’ statue at Oriel College, a proportion in line with Cherwell’s findings about the Oxford student body.

59 per cent of respondents were against removal of the statue. A further 29 per cent were unsure and only 11 per cent were in support of the movement.

At Oxford, Cherwell found that 54 per cent thought the statue should remain and 37 per cent that it should fall, with only nine percent remaining unsure.

A preference for keeping the statue was common across all political demographics. 75 per cent of UKIP supporters thought that the statue should be kept up, while four per cent did not.

Though YouGov found slight variation across region, the greatest amount of support for the statue falling in any given region was 19 per cent in Scotland.

The survey further found that 44 per cent of respondents thought that, “Britain’s history of colonialism is part of our history that we should [be] proud happened,” more than twice the proportion who felt that it was something to regret.

Respondents were more evenly divided, however, on the matter of whether Britain tends to view its history of colonisation too positively, too negatively, or appropriately at 29, 28 and 27 per cent respectively.

This poll comes on the back of one conducted in July 2014 that found that 49 per cent of British people polled believe that countries once colonised by Britain are now better off for it.

The survey’s sample size was 1733 adults with the margin of error not given. 

Exclusive: Oxford Union Hilary Termcard

Tristan Upton
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Exclusive: Oxford Union Hilary Termcard

Mark Hamill, David Hasselhoff, Mary Berry, Lance Armstrong and the Prime Minister of Tibet will all speak at the Oxford Union this term, Cherwell can reveal. The full termcard will be coming to your pidge tomorrow evening, but in the meantime, here’s an exclusive preview of what to expect:

Mark Hamill – 2nd March

Known for his role as Luke Skywalker in a film trilogy set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Hamill will appear at the Union, probably to answer all your questions about Episode VIII. 

Mary Berry – 7th March

Judge on The Great British Bake-off, baking innuendo queen and all-round kitchen veteran, Berry will speak at the Union in 8th Week.

Prime Minister Lobsong Sangay – 3rd Week debate, 4th February

Siding with Natalie Bennett, the Tibetan PM will face off against Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Kevin Brennan MP in a debate entitled, “This House Would Sacrifice Trade With China In Protest Of Human Rights Abuses”; certainly not one to be missed.

David Hasselhoff – 25th January

The Hoff is coming. Need we say more?

Shia LaBoeuf with Rönkkö, and Luke Turner (#ELEVATE) – 19th February

He’s no longer famous, so we’re not really sure why the Union invited him. But nonetheless, come along if you’re looking for an evening of unique performance art.

 

Some other noteworthy names are:

Lance Armstrong (TBC), Janet Napolitano (23rd February), Jon Ronson (31st January), Katrina Kaif, (TBC), Tim Rice (27th January), Harry Redknapp (26th January), and Boris Becker (9th March). See below for more details.

 

The seven debate titles, and the speakers attending them, will be as follows:

1st Week: This House Believes Holocaust Denial Should Not Be Criminalised In The 21st Century

Proposition: 

Sir Richard Evans (renowned historian and author, expert witness in David Irving case)
Professor Deborah Lipstadt (Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University)

Opposition:

Professor Charles Asher Small (founder and Director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy)
François de Smet (Director of Myria)

 

2nd Week: This House Believes Positive Discrimination Is The Best Solution To An Unequal Society

Proposition: 

Lucy Drescher (Head of Parliamentary Advocacy at RESULTS UK)
Kate Kinninmont (Chief Executive of Women in Films and Television UK)

Opposition:

Sunny Hundal (journalist, lecturer, consultant, and author)
Katie Hopkins (television personality and columnist) 

 

3rd Week: This House Would Sacrifice Trade With China In Protest Of Human Rights Abuses

Proposition: 

Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay (Prime Minister of Tibetan Government in Exile)
Natalie Bennett (Leader of the Green Party)

Opposition:

Sir Malcolm Rifkind (former Defence and Foreign Secretary)
Kevin Brennan MP (Shadow Minister for Trade, Investment, and Intellectual Property)

 

4th Week: This House Believes Nuclear Weapons Have No Place In 21st Century Britain

Proposition:

Kate Hudson (General Secretary of CND)
Katherine Hamnett (fashion designer and CND activist)

Dr Andreas Stradis (Senior Research Fellow for Atlantic Council)
Paul Shulte (Visiting Senior Research Fellow in Centre for Science & Security Studies at Kings College London)

 

5th Week: This House Would Prioritise Public Safety Over The Right To Strike

Proposition:

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe (Commissioner of Metropolitan Police)
Deborah Lawson (Secretary General of Voice)

Opposition:

Dr Johann Malawana (Chair of the Junior Doctors Committee)
Andy Gilchrist (former Secretary General of Fire Brigades Union)

 

6th Week: This House Believes The West Has No Responsibility To Take Military Action Against ISIS

Proposition:

George Galloway (former Respect Party MP for Bradford West)
John Baron MP (Conservative MP for Basildon and Billericay)

Opposition:

Lt. Gen. Robert Mood (headed UN Supervision Mission in Syria in 2012)
Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb (Commander of the Field Army from 2007-2009)

 

7th Week: This House Believes The Obama Administration Has Been A Success

Proposition:

TBA

Opposition:

Steven Erlanger (Bureau Chief for New York Times in London)
Mallory Factor (FoxNews contributor, political commentator)

 

Must Rhodes Fall? panel (19th January, 8pm), featuring:

Professor Richard Drayton (Rhodes Professor of Imperial History at King’s College London)
Professor William Beinart (Professor of Race Relations at University of Oxford African Studies Centre)
Yasmin Kumi (President of Oxford University Africa Society)
Sophia Cannon (Social Justice and Political Commentator and Barrister)
Ntokozo Qwabe (RMF representative)
Athinangamso Esther Nkomo (RMF representative).

 

David Hasselhoff (25th January, 8pm)

Prolific TV, music, and film personality

 

Harry Redknapp (26th January, 8pm)

Former Premier League football manager

 

Deborah Meaden (27th January, Time TBC)

Highly successful businessperson, with a reported £40m fortune. Also known for appearances on the TV show Dragon’s Den

 

Sir Tim Rice (27th January, Time TBC)

Award-winning lyricist responsible for some of the most iconic productions of all time

 

Thorbjørn Jagland (29th January, 8pm)

Secretary General for Council of Europe

 

Jon Ronson (31 January, 5pm)

Best-selling author

 

Gabrielle Aplin (time and date TBC)

English singer-songwriter

 

Irina Bokova (1st February, 8pm)

Director-General of UNESCO

 

Laurence Fox (time and date TBC)

Actor best known for role in ITV crime drama Lewis

 

HSH Prince Hans-Adam II (5th February, 8pm)

Reigning Prince of Liechtenstein

 

Len McCluskey: ‘Jeremy Corbyn: Blast from the past or leader of tomorrow?’ (9th February, 8pm)

General Secretary of Unite

 

Marina and the Diamonds (10th February, 8pm)

Chart-topping musician

 

Jon Favreau: ‘Life as Obama’s Speechwriter’ (13th February, 6pm)

Barack Obama’s Director of Speechwriting 

 

Tariq Ali (15th February, 8pm)

Writer, journalist, activist, and filmmaker

 

Dame Zaha Hadid (16th February, 8pm)

Award-winning architect of global prominence

 

Robin Hood Debate: Should Big Taxpayers Be Treated As Treasured Customers Or Cheats? (17th February, 8pm)

Speakers TBA

 

Shia LaBeouf, Rönkkö, and Luke Turner (19th February, 8pm)

Performance artists. #ELEVATE

 

Isa Mustafa (22nd February, 8pm)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo

 

Janet Napolitano (23rd February, 12pm)

US Secretary of Homeland Security 2009-2013, and current President of University of California

 

Bertie Ahern (24th February, 5pm)

Former Prime Minister of Republic of Ireland

 

Dr Jill Stein (24th February, 8pm)

Most successful female presidential candidate in US history, for the Green Party in 2012

 

Frances de la Tour (25th February, 8pm)

Star of stage and screen

 

Gloria Steinem (26th February, 8pm)

Feminist, journalist, and activist

 

Professor Tariq Ramadan and Maryam Namazie (29th February, 8pm)

Discussing Islam in Europe today

 

Mark Regev (1st March, 8pm)

Israeli Ambassador to the UK

 

Edwin Van Der Sar (2nd March, 5pm)

Former footballer with Fulham, Ajax, Juventus, and Manchester United

 

Mark Hamill (2nd March, 8pm)

Actor best known for portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series of films

 

Mary Berry (7th March, 8pm)

English cook, food writer, and television presenter. Judge on The Great British Bake Off

 

Craig David (8th March, 5pm)

R&B superstar making headlines with a retro comeback for 2016

 

Michael Lynton (8th March, 8pm)

CEO of Sony Entertainment Inc., Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment

 

Boris Becker (9th March, 5pm)

Former tennis World No. 1

 

Pedro Passos Coelho (9th March, 8pm)

Former Prime Minister of Portugal, and current Leader of the Opposition

 

Bernard Arnault (time and date TBC)

Chairman and CEO of LVMH

 

Lord Patten (10th March, 5pm)

Chancellor of Oxford University, former Governor of Hong Kong and Chairman of the BBC Trust

 

Tom Odell (10th March, 8pm)

Chart-topping English singer-songwriter; he will be performing.

 

Katrina Kaif (time and date TBC)

One of the highest paid Bollywood stars

 

Charles Michel (8th Week; time and date TBC)

Prime Minister of Belgium

 

Antonis Samaras (time and date TBC)

Former Prime Minister of Greece

 

Ali Babacan (time and date TBC)

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey

 

Sir John Hurt (time and date TBC)

Prominent television and film actor

 

Lance Armstrong (time and date TBC)

Former professional road racing cyclist at the centre of drug investigation in the sport

 

Prince Bandar Bin Sultan (time and date TBC)

Former Saudi Ambassador to the United States

 

President of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (Time and Date TBC)

 

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The Union stated, “We are delighted with the events and speakers visiting the Union this term, and we hope members can agree that we have a unique and exciting collection of evenings awaiting us in the weeks ahead. Represented here are an incredible number of former or current heads of states, and even more individuals who have shaped, or are shaping, the world around us. Every Union committee strives to consistently offer the best lineup of events and speakers in Oxford, drawing global interest and engagement, and we are proud to continue this tradition going into Hilary Term 2016. We look forward to welcoming members new and old to many of our events here this term.”

Street Style: HT16 1st week

Ellen Peirson-Hagger
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Street Style: HT16 1st week

Sian, Cornmarket

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“I work at Oxford University Press, in Marketing.

“My scarf is from Zara and it’s a year old but it’s my favourite scarf … it’s massive. It’s like a blanket. My trench coat is from Topshop – it’s suede, so warm. But I can’t wear it in the rain which is sad. My skirt is from Zara, which I got last year. But the hem has come undone. I mean you can’t tell so I still keep wearing it. My friend who knows always notices and she’s like “that’s so lame” but I don’t really care. And I’ve got a polo neck jumper from Topshop in green, because I love green, and I feel like everyone’s wearing polo necks at the moment, so…

“And my Chelsea boots are from the Debenhams sale, because, yeah – I just live in Chelsea boots.

“I used to shop online a lot at uni, but now I prefer to spend my time in shops so I can try things on just to see how they look on me.

“I think the shops in Oxford are pretty rubbish … I mean, the Topshop’s a bit better now and the Zara’s good, but I feel like we need bigger shops. It’s kinda sad that Primark’s closing as well. It’s closing soon; we’re getting a smaller Primark round the corner for a while.”

 

Elliot, Magdalen Bridge

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“I’m a student at the Oxford School of Drama. Straight acting.

“Our first public show will be in June. That’ll be a Shakespeare play, but we’re not sure what it is yet.

“So I’m from Bristol. This coat – I bought in a shop called Cooshti on Park Street. The jeans – I think my ex-girlfriend bought them for me. I’m not sure where they were from. The shoes I’m wearing are Nike Air Force 1s. They’re all black suede. This ring is from Bristol – a place called Dragon Workshop. And the shirt is a vintage shirt.

“At school we have to wear black so whenever I’m out of school, I try and steer away from that. I’m influenced by music – King Krule – I like his style. But I don’t know, really – I just kind of throw it together.

“I don’t do much clothes shopping in Oxford. I do a lot of it online. There’s a couple of cool clothes shops on Cowley Road though.”

 

Pia, Turl Street

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“I’m a second year Human Sciences at Hertford College.

“Nike shoes, the trousers are Zara. The top is Brandy Melville. My coat … do you know the Ballroom Emporium? So this is second-hand something or other, I don’t know exactly where it’s from.

“This scarf is from Zara. It’s so comfy. And they’ve had such a good sale recently.

“I usually just stick to shops I know work really well – like Zara. I go online quite a lot, like Urban Outfitters. I always find better deals on there. And then, you know, if I can find a good deal like in a charity shop, it’s always fantastic as well. Mainly online though.

“I do think I dress differently since I’ve been a student. I wear clothes that are a lot more comfortable. I think it kinda comes with age as well. When I was younger, you know, I wore a lot of tighter stuff. I’d tried out more styles. But I still have to keep to a good budget – that kind of thing.”

Oxford Union sets out to improve its queues

Daniel Kodsi
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Oxford Union sets out to improve its queues

The Oxford Union will be implementing a new queueing system for Tuesday’s ‘Must Rhodes Fall’ debate and other popular events this term in response to issues with the European Union debate in Michaelmas.

Jack Lennard, press officer for the Union said, “The Oxford Union regularly hosts some of the most fascinating and appealing discussions and speakers in Oxford. After listening to feedback from the last term, we made it clear that we intended to overhaul access protocols for our more popular events. With this new queueing system, we hope to give our members a fairer chance to see who they want than ever before. We hope to fully monitor the success of this trial, and work with our members to find a permanent solution, whether this system or a variation, that achieves this goal.”

Under the new system, 200 free tickets will be available for collection from 11am the day before the event, with every member entitled to pick up a ticket for themselves and two other members. In order to pick up tickets for another member, one must have the other person’s membership card with one.

250 seats will still be available on a first-come-first-served basis the evening of the event itself.

If a ticket holder is not in her seat by 7.30pm, her place will be given to someone else in the queue—with updates on the size of the queue to be regularly provided on the Facebook event page.

Jake Olenick, a first year Physics and Philosophy student at Exeter, told Cherwell that he thinks the changes will be positive, saying, “[The new system] seems like a pretty good idea to me. One of the biggest problems on the EU debate queue was one person standing in for a bunch of others, but with this system you can only get a spot for up to 2 other people, so it limits that sort of problem. Overall, I’m thinking it’ll be a much better queue than last time.”

Rising from the flames

Harry Sampson
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Rising from the flames

Effortlessly stylish and undeniably seductive this season’s addiction to grunge captures the essence of 90s rock, promoting a scruffy aesthetic whilst merging retro rockstar with runway’s haute couture. As designers fall for deep velvets, black leather and tantalising mesh it’s time to bring those bullrings out, put those platforms on and let down your messy hair.

For men, this look exploits the simplicity of monochrome, using both black and white to give a slender silhouette of the 90s rockstar complete with spray on skinny black jeans and plain white t-shirts. What appears to breathe life into the image is the selection of bold accessories that add different layers to the look, helping to recall the rebellious and care-free spirit of Kurt Cobain – the pioneer of the grunge aesthetic. Ignoring all conventional expectations for men’s fashion, grunge welcomes brothel creepers, rounded sunglasses and tousled hair as the perfect accompaniments to the simple frame. Saint Laurent’s Spring Summer 2016 runway saw the revival of the look with the use of oversized black leather jackets, with zips and studs embellishing the already iconic accessory – irrevocably reminiscent of the archetypal 90s rocker. The renewal of grunge marks a significant progression in men’s fashion as boundaries become blurred as male models walk the runway in both materials and accessories once deemed appropriate for womenswear alone. Men’s jewellery is an almost fundamental element of the grunge aesthetic, with numerous chains and pendants of different lengths and designs adding to the look’s overall apathy, whilst facial piercings are also endorsed as welcome additions. Whereas velvet and mesh were once considered more effeminate fabrics, grunge encourages the sporting of black velvet sweatshirts and dark mesh t-shirts which work perfectly with the glint of necklaces underneath.

Womenswear marks an equal endorsement of grunge with the reappearance of deep velvets and heavy CAT boots indicative of the 90s biker chick. Once again, creepers and Doc Martens are used to add weight to the look, contrasting a heavy shoe with flared and frayed denim jeans typical of Marques Almeida, or perhaps some silk balloon trousers which can be used to elongate the frame and communicate a carefree and relaxed impression. Popular alternatives to loose trousers include long socks to accentuate leg length and the resurrection of fish net, pinstripe and even floral black tights which add another layer to the already intricate look. High skirts, made of leathers and velvets demonstrate this trend’s use of different fabrics whilst mesh tops over multi-strapped black bralets create a more interesting look. Rough edges work well for grunge, demonstrating the unpolished nature of the style, whilst oversized garments contribute to the apathy of the appearance. Black velvet chokers with small delicate pendants are a welcome addition, moving away from the clichéd plastic choker of the confused teen. Messy hair; dyed, bleached or highlighted is also key to the look’s disinterested character, whilst makeup should be heavy with a dark lip and smoky eye to create a similar effect.

The key to successful grunge is layering. Putting an interesting selection of materials, accessories and shapes together to give stylish slouch will secure the look. With deep colours and vintage styles, this trend encapsulates our favourite fashion classics and is magnetic in its regeneration of a once loved musical era.

Ready Steady Cook: Fishcakes

Elle Makower
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Ready Steady Cook: Fishcakes

Oh how I’ve missed the bright lights of the reduced aisle (even if I have swapped shops), the pop of a plastic lid, the ping of the microwave. It’s o-fi shcial, the highlight of my week is back. Tonight I tuck into two of Tesco’s finest salmon fishcakes, which I’ve decided to pair with kale fried in garlic, (I hope it’s O-Kale that I cooked that part myself.) And crumbs! What a tasty treat. The fish is tender and delicious, and it floats in a creamy dream of a sauce which is seasoned to perfection. You are definitely getting your salmonies worth at only £1.50 for a double portion. Two fishcakes turned out to be quite a large-scale meal, and I almost couldn’t finish, but I’m the kind of girl who likes to have my fishcake and eat it too, so I polished them both off in a roe. Thank cod for that, because these are a bream come true, and way too good to waste. Good fishing, lazy cooks!

Chez Chaz: French Lentilles aux Saucisses

Charlie Bishop
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Chez Chaz: French Lentilles aux Saucisses

Lentilles aux saucisses (serves 4)

When I lived in Paris last year, three of my friends somehow managed to establish themselves as my surrogate children. I used to cook for them every night in my tiny studio apartment (call me Rachel Khoo). They used to refer to my room as Chez Chaz. Cooking became a bit of an obsession of mine in Paris and forms a huge part of why that year will remain very dear to me. It brings me a quite sad amount of pleasure that I can continue to pretend I am the proprietor of a classy French bistro by writing this column under the name Chez Chaz.

The dish I am starting with is this simple lentil and sausage stew. It became the signature dish of Chez Chaz, enjoyed because of its simplicity and stalwart meatiness. I have decided to ordain it with an unnecessarily pretentious French name not because it is a French classic (it isn’t) but because of its personal significance to me as a reminder of my year abroad. I hope it brings you as much joy as it did me and my friends.

Ingredients:

12 sausages (I tend to use chipolatas, in which case you may need to use more)

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 glass of red wine

3 tomatoes, chopped

2 tins of lentils

Cup of frozen peas

1tsp chopped thyme or rosemary (if using dried, add ½ tsp)

Parsley (optional garnish)

Method:

In a deep pan, pour in a bit of olive oil. When the pan is hot enough, add the sausages. Stir often enough that they brown without burning. You want nice caramelisation on the bottom of the pan because it ensures the sauce has a rich meaty flavour. Take the sausages out once browned, turn down the heat and add in the onion. Stir occasionally for about 3-5 minutes before adding in the garlic. After a minute, add in the red wine. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan so that it is completely ‘deglazed’ (all the brown bits have been mixed into a sauce). Add the tomatoes, followed by the two tins of drained lentils (reserving some of the liquid to add to the sauce). Add back the sausages and bring to a gentle simmer, adding some water if needed to cover the sausages. Stir in the thyme or rosemary, and season with salt and pepper to taste (be careful because sausages can be quite salty). Stir the stew occasionally to ensure the lentils don’t get stuck to the bottom of the pan. After about 10-15 minutes (enough to cook the sausages), add in the frozen peas and allow to cook through for 2-3 minutes. Serve with crusty bread or potatoes and garnish with parsley if desired. 

Knee Deep in Clunch: LMH

The Clunch Review Team
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Knee Deep in Clunch: LMH

Clunch. Some say it’s the most important meal of the day, surpassing the lauded hashbrowns oozing with grease at breakfast and the defrostedreheated pheasant served up at formal hall. Verily, what is an essay-day without a healthy boost of midday carbs powering you towards that word count? But knowing where to clunch is a skill. I’m here, dear readers, to guide you through the treacherous pathways of Oxford’s many halls and butteries.

Our first port of call is Lady Margaret Hall. When I began at LMH, clunch was passable. My food taste has improved, however, whilst clunch has been sent into a perpetual downward spiral of grease. Don’t get me wrong, LMH’s beautiful panelled hall is a great place to eat and socialise: to chew the (literal and metaphorical) fat.

Despite its aesthetically pleasing setting, the quality of the food has taken a nose dive in the last couple of years. Today’s options were really something else. With an option of three hot mains, a warm salad and a salad bar, my inner porker loves the potential for gluttony. The problem is that there may be many options for my delectation. But I really have no desire for a third of a courgette halved with a tiny bit of rice placed as “stuffing”. Nor do I have any intention of even going near the sauceless spaghetti intermingled with whole Quorn sausages. I mean, that’s not a meal, hun.

The salad bar remains well stocked, but nursing a hangover, I want something more than a few leaves to soak up the remnants of last night’s shame. As a pescatarian, I’m put into a sticky situation. My omnivore friends assure me the roast chicken is tasty, even if I can see the grease coming out of it. Sticking to my morals, I bite the bullet and opt for the stuffed courgette fragment.

I shouldn’t have bothered. Flavourless and somewhat undercooked, all that I can say is that the chips and baked beans served with it at least provided me with two of my five carb binges a day. Their dessert of spotted dick and custard still continues to satisfy me no end.

Restaurant Review: Elham’s Lebanese Deli

Jonny Lawrence
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Restaurant Review: Elham’s Lebanese Deli

New to the scene on Little Clarendon Street, Elham’s Lebanese Deli is cashing in on recent trends in the North Oxford-Jericho food craze of Mediterranean tapas-mezze-small plate food, joining the likes of Manos, Al-Andalus and Al-Shami. Owing more to the lunch café (Manos) style, I decided to treat myself to an afternoon snack after moving back in for my penultimate term.

On entering Elham’s, I was a bit confused by the layout; chairs cross in a diagonal line across the, admittedly tiny, sit-in area, broken up by fridges and the service area, replete with regional delicacies. Upon first glance, however, I knew this place was more than just hummus and soggy chips, the usual fare of pseudo-Lebanese restaurants (even the great Al-Shami serves them up dripping in oil). The chilled food counter was serving foods I hadn’t seen since I lived in Jordan – and some of them I had never seen. I decided to go for the take-away veggie-box (amazingly cheap at under £4 for an Alpha Bar size and style box with much better food) and joined the enormous queue snaking its way through the diners.

Indeed, my main quibble with Elham’s is that the diners are actually not served particularly well by this queue which splits the room in half. I haven’t had such good mujadara since I visited Beirut last. The lentils and onions were perfectly cooked and the rice deliciously crispy. As for their dips, they were bliss. Not content with simply serving up grainy hummus and a bit of yoghurt-and-mint, they had bowls of mutabal (aubergine and tahini dip) covered in pomegranate seeds (a lovely touch), muhammara (walnut and red pepper dip traditionally from Aleppo) and ful (Egyptian beans).

Their salads were also beautifully presented, with colours not seen since Ottolenghi dropped Jerusalem, whilst their hot dishes looked really appetising as well. Eating in will cost you and my advice is definitely to take away and not buy a drink (since they always cost!) However, Elham’s has another major fault: closing hours. I appreciate that this is a predominantly lunch time café trade, but closing so early in the afternoon (at a similar time to Will’s Deli which also suff ers because of this) is unacceptable.

It is time that cafés remained open longer allowing for dinner-time sandwich and snack trade, as found all over the continent which could provide students with a cheaper option of eating out than a full sit-down meal. Essentially, Elham, you’re doing a great job: how about a bit more?

Oxford, the cabaret of plants- and us

Ben Ray
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Oxford, the cabaret of plants- and us

Richard Mabey is one of Britain’s leading writers on the natural world and our place in it, as well as a veteran broadcaster with more awards and experience to his name than I can list here. So it was mildly surreal to find myself chatting with him about the time he stole a rare rose from Merton College garden to give to his then girlfriend for her exams.

Richard’s new book, ‘The Cabaret of Plants’, a fantastic book exploring the wonders of the botanical world: “I wouldn’t call it ‘magical’”, Mabey says, “but modern botanical science is revealing the vegetal to be a universe matching the wildest dreams of fantasists.” As the conversation continues I get the strange ense of entering a deep wood, or one of the countless, wild heaths that Mabey explores in his books on the natural world: from discussion about his new work we are soon talking about our relation on the world around us, and about the history of ‘nature writing’ itself. As well as the style of nature writing that attracts the media by meditation on the self through the world around us, Mabey explains, there are many other nuances that can be seen throughout history: “the idea that this is something new or sparked off by a peculiarly modern environmental angst doesn’t bear historical analysis.” From postwar urban disillusionment in the 20s and 30s to fictionalized exploration in Forster and Woolf, right back to the 16th century via Thoreau and Emerson in America – it seems Mabey’s writings are just the fringes of a forest which is riddled with pathways and tracks, stretching back through time.

But even if the path of nature writing has been trodden before, Mabey’s writing always seems new, original and absorbing, with a voice of urgency that demands our ears. “I believe the current fad for regarding nature as a kind of complementary medicine , a green Prozac,  is rife with problems”, he argues, “not least the over -simplification of a parallel world that is as full of pain, loss, and hidden transactions as it is of beauty.” The view that nature is there for our benefit, he tells me, has to stop. “I don’t believe the natural world “answers” people’s problems at all – an intense attention and respect for it can heighten our understanding of the experience and terms of living on the Earth.” These messages are important for all of us: when Mabey speaks, we really should listen.

But as well as his strong messages about the world around us, Mabey writes with a poetry, a lyricism, that entices you onwards. When I mention his literary focus on certain areas such as the Norfolk Broads, Mabey explains how, despite his strong love for these regions, he is ‘habitat-promiscuous’: ‘I’m apt to develop crushes wherever I go.” You don’t need to go to the Cairngorms for wilderness, Oxford students will be pleased to know – the marvels of plant life can be experienced in a square inch of vegetation. “I once watched a tuft of lichen for an hour under a microscope, and found a dynamic miniature forest, with the lichen having its own fungal flora and minute insect herbivores grazing among the stalks.” This wonder and joy that oozes from his writing is infectious – as Mabey explains, the overriding incentive is to successfully enthuse himself. “If you can pull this off, and convey it, there is a chance it may be contagious.” It is certainly catching.

And Richard Mabey doesn’t just talk about new approaches to nature: as well as presenting numerous essays on the radio he sat on the Nature Conservancy Council in the 1980s. And it his actions seem to be working – Mabey talks hopefully of a sea-change in our attitudes to the world around us. “Because of the astonishing recent discoveries about plant senses, communication and intelligence, which are reviving their status as active beings, subjects in their own life stories.” We are connected with nature whether we like it or not – by evolution, kinship, ecological co-dependency, and “the simple fact that we breathe in what the plant world breathes out.” Reaching a greater acknowledgement and understanding of this is the challenge.

And what of the much-repeated news that certain ‘nature’ words taken out of the Oxford Junior Dictionary? “My own experience over many years suggests that young people reach this by immersion in the feral, more than being taught to tell a burnet moth from a cinnabar. Since our distinctive identity as a species in the biosphere is as language and symbol users, this can come about as much through literature and art as through ‘real’ experience.” There is as much wilderness in the Bodleian as in the unexplored lands beyond Jericho: we just need to open our books and find it.

When I mention his time studying at St. Catz, Richard Mabey tells me how, “unfashionably, I had a great time in Oxford.” Although nature took a back seat for a while as he got involved in radical politics, Mabey now loves exploring the green, hidden corners of (as he called it in an essay) ‘the city of greening spires’. Magdalen’s meadows and watery walks, the Botanical gardens (“and the heartening way the archway entrance just misses lining up with Magdalen Tower as the architect intended – the wild card wins again!”), the extraordinary flora of the old wall north of Christchurch Meadow, and Corpus’ garden’s  eccentric medieval mix of flowers and veg. Not to mention a bit of eco-slumming the lanes and canals round Jericho. It seems the wild is here, in Oxford- we just need to go out and find it.

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