Wednesday 9th July 2025
Blog Page 1377

Introduction to… Electro-Swing

Naomi Polonsky
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Introduction to… Electro-Swing

You may have heard its jazzy rhythms and techno beats reverberating through the stony subterreanea of Babylove or the ecclesiastical expanse of Freud’s. If you were lucky enough to spend Valentine’s weekend at Catz Ball (and if the unlimited free booze didn’t completely rob you of your consciousness) you may have seen one of this genre’s main players, Swing Republic, taking headline stage. It is electro-swing, the latest music craze to hit the world and, a few months later – Oxford. 

Electro swing fuses the fluid sounds of 20s and 30s jazz and swing with the heavy beats of house, hip-hop and electronic dance music. It’s Louis Armstrong meets Swedish House Mafia. It’s Etta meets Guetta.

These two seemingly disparate musical movements may have more in common than one might think. For example, the ‘Lindy Hop’, a staple dance in the swing era is, in fact, an early precursor of breakdance – both were invented as forms of street dance by young African Americans in New York.

Far from being the new kid on the music block, electro swing really traces its roots to the late nineties/early noughties, when there appeared sporadic hits such as Jurassic 5’s “Swing Set”, Gry & F.M. Einheit’s and “Princess Crocodile”. Mr. Scruff’s “Get A Move On” is a tune which I, personally, will always associate with the scene in ‘What a Girl Wants’ when Amanda Bynes inexplicably tumbles off a catwalk.

However, many will agree that the genre really hit the ground swinging with the 2006 album of record label G-Swing. With a self explanatory title, Swing for Modern Clubbing, the songs feature looped extracts of vintage swing intermingled with modern techno. For the first time, the modern clubber could dance to Nina Simone and Duke Ellington.

It was only a few years later – in 2009 – that the genre started to be defined and its name coined, with the appearance of compilation albums such as Freshly Squeezed Music’s “White Mink: Black Cotton (Electro Swing versus Speakeasy Jazz)” and Wagram’s ‘Electro swing’. London Time-Out was quick to sing electro swing’s praises, ecstatically stating: ‘Yes, this really is a new genre, and an exciting one at last!’ 

TOP TUNES:

  1. “Suzy” – Caravan Palace

The video for this song features a robot and a flapper having a boogie, which epitomizes electro swing’s fusion of the modern and the neo-vintage.

  1. “Kisskiss” – Parov Stelar

In this track the monotony of a looped swing sample is broken by some trumpeted interjections, jazzy riffs and electro beats.

  1. “I’ve Got That Tune” – Chinese Man

The opening tune of pure swing reoccurs throughout the track with different electro embellishments, running as an underscore to some 20s-style female vocals infused with contemporary influences.

  1. “Bang Bang” – Will.i.am

Arguably the best product of the Great Gatsby OST, this song is an upbeat mélange of jazz instrumentals and synthpop. It contains elements of the Charleston and Louis-Armstrong-inspired lead male vocals.

  1. “Swingy Mama” – DJ Farrapo

This track is something of a swing sandwich. It begins and ends with uninterrupted electro beats, which frame a melody of jazz, ragtime and rap.

 

 

A Response to Dear Harvard

Gina Price
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A Response to Dear Harvard

I don’t know who you are, mystery woman from this now famous Crimson article (http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/3/31/Harvard-sexual-assault/) but I thank you. If we walked past each other in the street, we would not know each other but it is articles much like yours that changed my life for the better. Last year I was sexually assaulted here in Oxford by a fellow student. I’m not going into details. But while the Universities culture is not friendly to survivors, I received invaluable support and compassion by both my college and Oxford University’s administration. So I am writing this to tell women and men of Oxford who are survivors of sexual violence that you can come forward, and that contrary to popular perception, Oxford will not ignore or belittle your experiences.

One of the worst experiences any survivor can have is finding that some of those you once thought you trusted and could rely on don’t believe you, or worse, slander you to him and his friends. On finding that those I trusted didn’t believe me I started lying about it. Eventually lying to the outside world turned into lying to myself; my friends knew him as such a sweet, nice guy, so he couldn’t possibly have done this!

So I didn’t go to college administration at the time. But months down the line, I stumbled across an article about the definitions of rape & sexual assault, and something inside my head clicked. Some friends had recognised it for what it was at the time, but I could never bring myself to acknowledge it as assault before – but here it was in cold hard English. I was ashamed by what happened; it took me months, but eventually I felt as though I could emotionally stand the loneliness and isolation and pain no longer. 

Once I did reach out, I remember feeling so safe that I was able to really cry for the first time. I sat there in a wooden chair in someone’s office, so broken and covered in tears that I couldn’t even sit up or form a sentence. I previously had felt so unsafe, as if I couldn’t trust my friends and if I talked about it then he would somehow find out. I had no space of trust to really talk to someone – I grew, after all, to mistrust my friends due to the incident. I still feel distant and isolated from them, but talking with college gave me the courage and safe space to start accepting what had happened. 

I didn’t take any action against the attacker; for fear that no one would believe me over him and fear that he would try to turn my friends against me. It was so bad at one point that I was on the verge of rustication. Many people told me that I was cowardly, that I was ‘protecting him’ – but honestly, I was only ever trying to protect myself from him. I only hope that they understand.

I have lost more friends than I could count on a single hand over what happened. I felt as though the ensuing ordeal was my fault, that it was my fault that it had gotten back to him, that I felt that I could no longer trust anyone. I became paranoid and depressed. I covered it up with drink, drugs and sex for a long time until I realised that I was spiralling out of control.

It was hard going to someone. It will always be hard to talk about what happened and wonder whether they believe you, whether they’re stacking up your character against his in their minds, whether they care or whether they really want to be working instead. But once I started crying that afternoon in that chair, I realised that I could not find fault with the administration who I spoke to regarding the assault. They encouraged me to come to them but never forced me – they simply were there for months, knowing but giving me space. They helped me seek out counselling, they talked it over with me for many, many hours over many, many cups of tea.

They assured me that should I feel it necessary, he could be banned from college.

They said that the Proctors would know about my circumstances so that the stress that I was overwhelmed with at the time would not have affected my exam results. Even though I never took any of those routes due to fear and an unwillingness to address the incident at the time, the fact that they were so supportive shocked me – and the fact that even though I never took action they are still supportive and caring and check up on me now, a year and a half on, has meant so much to me. Thank you if you are reading this.

That is why I am so grateful to the anonymous woman from Harvard. The authorities at Harvard may be against her, but the authorities at Oxford are not against us, despite what the media perception of Oxford may imply. I am grateful to her and those like her – without those kinds of articles I would never have been aware of what happened to me, I would never have spoken to my college and found the support that I never realised I needed, and I would have lived in a state of confusion for years.

These articles are written by strong, inspiring women who take on their attackers and universities and win and those help many others. This article is trying to help those women who have been assaulted here at Oxford to come forward – not necessarily publicly – but to come to something safe, to somewhere that you can get help and support. Addressing your assault doesn’t have to inspire you to change a system that works, and it will take your side in battles – aside from those you have with yourself. I was so proud and so scared for so long that I unnecessarily lived in fear for months. It’s hard to do, but I felt so much better once I had – and you will be surprised at how much is available for you. Good luck, and whatever you decide to do, however it feels at the moment, there is a safe space for you somewhere. So email a welfare officer and you might be surprised – there’s always at least one person rooting for you.

Oxford victorious in 160th University Boat Race

Jacob Rabinowitz
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Oxford victorious in 160th University Boat Race

Umpire Richard Phelps was defiant: “If you want a nice, easy, clean boat race, go to Lucerne and race it in July.” Many of those huddled on the banks of the Thames under grey skies and drizzling rain wouldn’t exactly be averse to the suggestion.

Phelps, however, was referring not to the April showers but to the major talking point of the race: the clash of oars that saw Cambridge number two seat Luke Juckett briefly thrown from his seat. In the 160th BNY Mellon Boat Race, a contest in which Oxford were already overwhelming favourites, it was this incident – five minutes into the race – which finally put the contest beyond a valiant Cambridge crew. Oxford ultimately triumphed by the mammoth margin of eleven lengths, with a time of 18 minutes and 36 seconds – the most decisive Boat Race victory since 1973.

Cambridge faced an uphill battle from the start. Oxford, able to call on three Olympic rowers and the unmatched experience of coach Sean Bowden, presented a formidable opposition. Meanwhile, the Dark Blues’ dominant performances in pre-race contests against Molesey, Leander and the German U23 crew offered their opponents little in the way of encouragement. As if that were not enough, the Dark Blues won the toss, electing to take up their position on the Surrey station.

Nevertheless, the early stages of the race were tight and tense – Oxford initially took a marginal lead, only for Cambridge to claw back the lost ground, using their advantage around the Middlesex bend to good effect. Disaster, however, lay just around the corner for the Cambridge crew. Such was the intensity of competition in these early stages that a clash of oars was always a possibility – umpire Richard Phelps was forced to issue warnings to both boats. When the clash did come, in Phelps’ own words, “the contact was slight but the impact was great”; the Cambridge crew will feel its reverberations for weeks and months to come. The oar of Sam O’Connor, the Oxford 7-seat, clipped that of the unfortunate Luke Juckett. Juckett came off worse, catching a crab, as he was knocked out of his seat, his rigger badly damaged. From hereon in, there could be only one winner.

The Oxford crew, like all great sportsmen, were ruthless, never easing up, refusing to allow complacency to creep in. Cambridge battled on valiantly, cox Ian Middleton urging his men to believe the game was not up, but as the gap grew and grew – reaching five lengths by Chiswick Steps – his barking seemed ever more futile. When the triumphant Dark Blues did cross the finish line at Putney Bridge, they had extended their lead to eleven lengths. An immediate Cambridge appeal, claiming that Oxford were at fault for the clash, was quickly rejected by umpire Phelps, who maintained that “Oxford were on their proper station, quite clearly”. There was, then, to be no divine intervention for Cambridge.

Despite Bowden’s post-race claim that the outcome would most likely have been the same without Juckett’s crab-catching, the reality is that for all Oxford’s talent and experience, this looked to be a fairly tight encounter – albeit one in which Oxford looked on the verge of pulling away – until its course was irreversibly determined by the clash. The same cannot be said for the race between Oxford’s reserve boat, Isis, and their Cambridge opponents, Goldie. This, though admittedly bereft of summer Lucerne sunshine, was a contest as clean as straightforward as they come – and one from which Isis emerged with an incredible thirteen-length lead.  

Cambridge coach Steve Trapmore billed this as a “David versus Goliath” clash. However, he and his crew found out in the harshest possible way that for most would-be Davids there is no happy ending. At the end of a triumphant Varsity Boat Race series – with victories across the board for Oxford’s male and female rowers – “the river”, as Oxford stroke Constantine Louloudis put it, “is running dark blue”.  

For Cherwell’s coverage of the Boat Race as it happened, see here.

 

Zurich and Vaduz: A foray into last-minute travel

Natalie Stumpf
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Zurich and Vaduz: A foray into last-minute travel

I have noticed a curious phenomenon as spring vacation unfolds. International students hanker after travel, while British students remain bemused. It makes sense. I’m from San Francisco and left famous tourist sites unvisited until I hosted friends from out of the state/country.

One such friend came to visit from the U.S. a few weeks ago. In a Skyping-frenzy before her arrival we searched the internet for last-minute plane tickets. We had the somewhat panicked attitude of two Americans faced with free time in Europe and the cultural imperative to Travel. With ten minutes left before my friend had to go to class we picked Zurich, solely because it was cheaper than the first destination we checked.

A week and a half after we had bought the tickets, we stood outside the airport, Zürich Flughafen, waiting for a shuttle bus that didn’t come. Instead, we took a taxi from the airport and got into the city by midnight. (The wiser among us might consider booking a flight that doesn’t arrive in the middle of the night, then opting for the far cheaper train). What do you do with Zurich, two days, and a student budget?

If you are travelling with a friend and want to be able to hold a civil conversation by the end of the trip, don’t stay out from eight a.m. to one a.m. without a nap. And embarrass yourselves with music only you two like. This is why I have re-enacted scenes from Lord of the Rings in Iceland, and why I have belted out Backstreet Boys across the globe.

We went to Uetliberg, a mountain offering a view of Zurich and the Alps within tram-ride distance from the city centre. We walked around the lake and across bridges, into churches and cafes, and down side streets. We ate at a place called Cakefriends.

Our sojourn into Lichtenstein was impromptu: we had meant to go to the Swiss history museum. The museum happened to be next to the train station, and a quick stop at the tourist information centre told us that the next train to Liechtenstein left in fifteen minutes. Or, more accurately, to the station nearest the Liechtenstein border, Sargans. In an hour we had wound our way through cows, snowy mountains and lakes, all the way to Sargans. A neon-yellow bus was the next victim of our One Direction recital. It took us to the capital of Liechtenstein, Vaduz, population: 5,000.

We did not spend a lot of time in Vaduz. We ate lunch (garlic cream soup and something involving bacon dumplings), bought some chapstick from a pharmacy, looked around a gift shop, and got back on the bus. My friend fell asleep while I watched the carousel of castles and cows from the window. Eight hours later, we touched down into London; my feet had stopped itching.

Oxford domination not enough to prevent Tab varsity win

Jonathon Turnbull
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Oxford domination not enough to prevent Tab varsity win

Cambridge edged to victory over Oxford in a penalty shootout in a game largely dominated by the dark blues. 90 minutes wasn’t enough for either team to hit the back of the net, leaving Cambridge to take the spoils 4-2 in spot kicks.

Oxford went into the match with only 3 returning blues compared to Cambridge’s 8, giving the tabs the advantage of experience.

This year’s varsity football match shared the spotlight with two other sporting spectacles that took place on the same day. The Cherwell Sport team found themselves covering both the boat race and goat race as well as the football on this cloudy Sunday afternoon.

In the first return for this fixture to Craven Cottage for five years, an impressive crowd of 3,341 saw a first half characterised by nervy play, with both teams struggling to retain possession, and neither team managing to fully find their feet. Cambridge showed the first real attack of the game, but the resulting shot was well blocked by Ben May.

Both teams struggled to get on the ball for extended periods of time, and only really settled into it after half an hour. Oxford’s Ezra Rubstein showed flashes of his potential that failed to materialise into any clear-cut opportunities, but still demonstrated why he is the most capped blues footballer of all time. The dark blues’ first chance of the game came after 18 minutes, with Toner hitting the post from a well delivered cross from Aidan Barry.

Eight minutes later, Barry was lucky not to receive a card after committing a foul that has been described as ‘Matt Nicol-esque’ after Nicol’s notorious challenge made in last year’s Varsity game.

The match remained fairly uneventful until the 34th minute, when Beck-Friis headed Rubenstein’s free kick over the bar. This triggered an upsurge in the performance of both teams, with a flurry of efforts towards the end of the first half. Rubstein’s bending shot was caught by Cambridge keeper Kent on 42 minutes, and Adriaenssens fired over the bar in the 44th to go into half time level pegging at 0-0.

Both sides went into the second half unchanged and Oxford had an early chance with Ben May heading over the bar from Essman’s long throw after 51 minutes. Cambridge began to show signs of fragility with their keeper juggling a cross and nearly letting Oxford’s forwards in on goal after 54 minutes. Cramp began to strike the tabs like wild fire as the second half went on, but they did begin to open up Oxford’s defence. Oxford’s keeper handled a long range shot well after 65 minutes.

With cries raining from the terraces of “Do something”, the game remained tame at 75 minutes.

Beck-Friis showed considerable skill by taking on players down the line and orchestrating an attack that led to a penalty shout for a Cambridge handball after 77 minutes. Referee Jon Moss instead waved the appeals, signalling a corner to Oxford.

Cambridge’s Chris Hutton was the second player to avoid a card after a double footed lunge on Tom Hobkinhson in the 79th minute. Oxford went on to dominate the closing stages of the match, offering Cambridge only one chance which Hutton failed to put away after Farmer blocked well in the 84 minute.

The game ended with a succession of Oxford corners, only for Beck-Friis to fire over at the near post. With Oxford failing to capitalise, the referee blew the whistle, consigning the game to a tense penalty shootout. Cambridge was first to step up, firing in to the bottom corner, but Rubenstein quickly pegged them back to 1-1. Hutton put the tabs ahead again with a shot straight down the middle, but Tozer fired his response over the bar allowing Cambridge to take the lead. The next two penalties were calmly put away by players from both sides, with Farmer coming close to saving. Gorringe put the Tabs 4-2 ahead, and then Heardman stepped up to keep Oxford in the game. His first touch of the game unfortunately sent the ball wide of the post, giving Cambridge their 50th Varsity win, level pegging with Oxford.

Both Oxford centre halves were deserving of the Man of the Match title, whose defensive displays shone in a game largely devoid of chances, but Mike Moneke took the official title over teammate Ben May. It was disappointing to see the performance put in by the dark blues not represented in a final scoreline which gave fair due to their dominance, especially in the second half in which Cambridge barely had a sniff at goal. Both sides will look forward to next year’s fixture with the overall scores now level at 50 wins apiece. 

Review: New Worlds

Demelza Scott
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Review: New Worlds

★★☆☆☆
Two Stars

The most apt word to describe this new historical drama is ‘confusing’. The programme itself was no more enlightening as to what was going on than the many adverts shown in the run up to it and, alas, the adverts showed the only bits that were particularly exciting, whilst the majority of the ‘drama’ was a complicated mess of long, idealistic speeches about social equality and justice.

Set in the 1680s, during the reign of Charles II, the programme is a vague sequel to The Devil’s Whore, (2008) starring John Simm and Andrea Riseborough. In comparison to the passion and intensity of The Devil’s Whore, however, New Worlds falls desperately short. Part of the problem lies in there being far too much going on; the storyline is split between England and Massachusetts, preventing any flow in the action because of the frequent switching between the two. It also means there are a lot of different characters to get to grips with and so, despite a promising cast of up-and-coming actors, there was little opportunity for anyone to truly shine or for viewers to develop any real affinity with them. In the first episode two love stories were introduced almost immediately, between Beth and Abe in England, the classic case of love across the classes, and in America, between Hope and Ned. Everything happens too fast; Beth (Freya Mavor) is very quick to go from feisty abducted aristocrat, to locking lips with the renegade ‘Robin Hood’ who stole her, not to mention her chance discovery of a letter to her mother, conveniently lying in an open chest, revealing the truth of her parentage.  

The point is absolutely no tension was allowed to build up, rendering the programme ultimately unexciting. The hunt for the regicide William Goffe, yet another element crammed into the first episode, had the potential to invoke some thrill and suspense, but fell completely flat, as did Goffe when he jumped off the cliff. We all saw that one coming. In fact, the only surprising bit here was the liberty the writers took with history; Goffe did flee to America, but he appears to have lived well into old age there, as opposed to being chased and committing suicide in a grand act of defiance.  They really need not have bothered.

Hopefully, now that all of the background information is covered, the next episode will be more engaging, and room will be allowed in the script for the characters, and the viewers, to breathe a bit. A slightly less frantic approach is definitely needed. It would be unfair to completely write-off the series, which certainly has the potential in its subject-matter and cast to be both interesting and compelling, in light of this first episode.  What is a shame, however, and which seems irredeemable for this series, is that the writers feel the need to add drama to what is already a very exciting sequence of historical events; we don’t need clichéd stories of forbidden lovers to find history interesting, and the way these are immediately presented to us in New Worlds is not only ineffective, but patronising.

De-clutter the plot and focus on the history and it could be a hit.  

The 160th Varsity Boat Race: Live Blog

Max Long
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The 160th Varsity Boat Race: Live Blog

19.20: That’s all for today folks. Here’s a quick summary of today’s action:

  • In the Boat Race, Oxford beat Cambridge by 11 lengths after an early clash caused a Cambridge rower to crab and miss a couple of crucial strokes
  • The reserve race was also won by the OUBC crew, with Isis dominating against Cambridge’s Goldie boat.
  • The Varsity Football went to penalties after a tense nil-nil game, Cambridge won 4-2.

And in the day’s most anticipated event:

  • Oxford’s representative beat Cambridge in the Goat Race too, although an interlocutor called Annie took the overall victory… 

18.59: Good news all round for winning President Malcolm Howard:

Pride comes through in each of the quotes offered too:


18.47: Some good pictures and quotes coming from the press conferences and celebrations!

18.42: On a more serious note: The BBC’s montage, intercut with some pretty Oxford footage, is pretty inspiring.

It’s been a busy day, and I – like the many athletes who have entertained us today, am in need of a beer or two. Stay tuned for extensive post-race analysis from Cherwell, and keep following @Cherwell_Online, @CherwellSport, and @maxlxng for info. 

18.36: The two Oxford crews have just dipped their coxes in their Thames. It’s always good to see that.

18.32: I always like to use the boat race as a reminder of what could have been, were I not engaged in sleeping ’til 1pm and eating fried food whilst at university, it’s an absolute privilege to share an alma mater with these guys. 

18.31: As Oxford take to the podium, let’s bask in the glory of these athletes who are far more impressive than me. 

18.30: The presentation is now happening. 

18.29: We’re hearing that Luke Juckett was also rowing with a broken rigger, not entirely sure how a boat is put together, but that sounds pretty debilitating. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see both boats going full pelt for the whole race. 

18.26: The Oxford rowers have been fantastically modest in victory, Karl Hudspith saying how “unfortunate it is to end a year’s training like that [for them]”, and current OUBC President insisting on a need to be “gracious”. Poor Luke Juckett looks devastated, but he’ll be back. 

18.20: Result declared, stay tuned for top quality post-race reporting. Apparently this was the biggest victory since 1973. 

The victory time was 18 mins 36 seconds. 

18.19: There is a protest by the Cambridge crew, but the umpire isn’t having any of it. 

18.17: OXFORD WIN BY AROUND 10 LENGTHS.

18.15: 

Meanwhile Cherwell’s Sport editor is clearly enjoying the likely victory…

18.14: The Oxford boat has reached Barnes Bridge. Looks like a foregone conclusion now – barring an act of God.

18.13: 

18.10: The lead is just going to get bigger according to the official twitter account. The BBC are speculating whether or not the end of the race will see a protest.

18.08: 

18.06: The Oxford boat is continuing to pull away. Would take a monumental effort for the light blues now. CherwellSport can clarify what just happened:

18.03: CLASH. The Cambridge no.2 seat has just missed several strokes and Oxford now hold a substantial lead of several lengths.

18.02: Andrew Cotter on the BBC commentary is wondering whether the tabs may be spending too much energy too soon. Oxford look to be back in front, but it’s very close.

18.01:

17.59 Oxford take a short lead on the first bend

17.58: AND THEY’RE OFF

17.55 Tension builds as crews prepare for the race!

17.51: Both Blue crews are ready to start. Follow the race live here.

17.44: Isis have dominated in the reserve race! Congrats to them, and let’s hope that blue boat will continue the success.

17.42: Good omens on the Isis/Goldie Race:

17.40: The finish line is quiet now, I can’t see that lasting…

17.37: Jon Briggs on Twitter provides a timely reminder that the Isis-Goldie race takes just as much out of the athletes: 

We will bring you news of the reserve race as we get it!

17.31: The BBC are currently engaged in a fabulous game of innuendos centered around the word ‘cox’, we at Cherwell consider such immaturity beneath us. (Not really, tweet any good dirty jokes @samuelevolpe) 

17.27: Whilst Clare Balding gets distracted by a puppy, some Oxford BNOCs are showing their support.

17.23: Not only will the winning crew gain a lifelong memory and a lot of pride, they’ll also get watches apparently. Hope they feel motivated!

17.18: Apparently raining on the Thames, I’m no scientist put I imagine that’ll alter the river’s flow? (tweet @samuelevolpe to provide scientific corrections.)

17.11: I always enjoy Clare Balding’s grandstanding (pun intended) introductions. Hope you all caught last term’s interview with Constantine Louloudis in Cherwell, if not it’s here!

17.05: What’s done is done, thankfully the rowers can make amends very soon indeed. They’re (well the boat at least) officially on the water! 

17.03: I’m sad to report Cambridge win 4-2 on penalties.

17.01: Down at Craven Cottage it’s unbearably tense. Currently 3-2 Cambridge after three pens a piece. 

16.56: Meanwhile Dan Snow (former Oxford boat-race rower) is on the BBC with a morbid VT about the 1914 boat race. Inspiring nonetheless. 

Otherwise, this is the latest from Max:

16.54: FOOTBALL ENDS 0-0. We’re looking at the ‘dreaded penalties’. @CherwellSport will be your best port of call right now…

16.49: WINS PER STATION:

SURREY: 84

MIDDLESEX: 85

It seems the Surrey advantage is not as great as some say afterall!

16.41: The football is reaching the closing stages and apparently the fans are getting desperate, while chances are coming for both teams as the game opens up. 

 

16.38: Swearing won’t be tolerated apparently, that’s a fiver of mine in William Hill’s pocket then… 

16.27: Cambridge are having a crampy time at Craven Cottage:

16.24: And we have news from the Goat Race, where Rowan Borchers is reporting on events:

16.23: The Isis/Goldie race starts at 17.25 – Oxford have won 5 out of the last 6 times

16.22: Goldie is named after the Cambridge Boat Club president John Goldie (1849–1896), whilst the Isis boat is (predictably) named after the Thames in Oxford – in itself named after the Ancient Egyptian goddess, also revered in Ancient Greece and Rome. Basically she’s meant to symbolise the ideal mother or something. 

16.20: Goldie won the reserves toss, and Oxford won the toss for the main race. Both chose the Surrey side, which resulted in victory ten out of fifteen times between 1994 and 2008. 

16.14: The level of security on hand is impressive today. This might be why I couldn’t bet on Trenton’s return.

16.11: We’ve been hearing from the Oxford captain and the umpire too:

16.08: Oxford win the toss – is this a good omen for later? 

16.07: The coin toss is taking place AS I TYPE. 

16.00: It’s busy down on the tideway – Cherwell has also been playing ‘count the red trousers’. 

15.55: There’s free cake at the media centre so not all is not lost. 

15.53: It’s nil-nil at Craven Cottage as the referee blows the whistle for half time:

15.50: Here is a confusing map which is probably of no interest to you whatsoever: 

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15.48: The Boat Race toss will be taking place at 16.07

15.47: The Surrey side is generally considered to be better, as it gives that boat the advantage over the largest amount of bend in the river. The Surrey station granted victory those who chose it in 10 out of the 15 races 1994–2008. However, the benefit of choosing either station is made obsolete once there is open water between the two boats. Therefore, a crew confident of its own start might choose the Middlesex side, which has the advantage in the first and last bends.

15.40: Both the Oxford and Cambridge teams have arrived at their respective boathouses and will now be warming up and preparing for the race. A coin toss, chaired by the umpire, will ensue. The winner of the toss will choose whether they begin on the Middlesex or the Surrey side. 

15.38: The BBC’s live coverage will begin at 16.30 for those who want to compliment Cherwell’s (more complete) updates. 

15.36: Twitter is seething with reminders of the 2012 race, which was interrupted by Trenton Oldfield, and resulted in a Cambridge victory. 

15.29: Now settled in the press office at Putney. A room full of ergometers and computers. Damp. I don’t want to be a journalist. No Pimms provided. 

15.28: If any of you were unsuccessful gamblers during yesterday’s Grand National, why not have a flutter on the Boat Race? William Hill are offering Oxford as 2/7 odds-on favourites, with Cambridge at 5/2 and the possiblity of a dead heat at 66/1. Personally I like the high opinion the bookies have of both coxes – 2/1 is being offered for, “Commentators to apologise for bad language of one or both coxes at any point during race”. Sadly I’ve been unable to find odds on a return of the erstwhile Trenton Oldfield…

15.14: Just a quick reminder that @CherwellSport is live tweeting the Varsity football match from Craven Cottage. By all accounts it has been a cagey opening quarter of an hour.

15.10: The intrepid Max Long is making his way to the media area so forgive any blip in the level of wit Cherwell is providing… This handy webcam site will give a hint as to what the conditions down on the Thames have been like today. Excuse the frankly terrible music – we are definitely not responsible for content on external sites. http://www.earthtv.com/de/kamerastandort/london-webcam/

14.13: The dreaded imminence of finals means that some will be following the race surrounded by books:

14.05: Quick Recap for those who are joining us now:

• The big race starts at 17.55. Plenty of time to stock up on pimms and canapés. 

• The Isis/Goldie Race begins at 17.25. Isis (Oxford’s second boat) has won five out of the last six races against Goldie.

• The Varsity football match will begin at 3pm, and Cherwell Sport will be reporting from Craven Cottage with all the action

• A false rumour that the Boat Race was to be cancelled due to “lack of water” was quickly refuted. The Sheffield Half Marathon will be fact be cancelled for this reason.

• Cherwell is the only Oxford student paper live blogging the event throughout the day

14.04 One can’t help but think that the Boat Race sponsors do little to dispell myths about Oxbridge. They’re hardly Nike and Adidas.

13.54: Quite similar, in fact, to the Goat Race, which has never been won by Oxford.

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Rowan Borchers will be reporting on the event once it starts (time yet to be confirmed)

13.52: Oxford may be the favourites for this evening, but Cambridge won the veteran’s boat race yesterday for the third year in a row

13.43: Cherwell is sending five journalists to the Boat Race today. Here’s the sport’s team on their way to Craven Cottage to cover the Varsity Football match:

13.40: Quick Fact: Oxford’s Storm Uru, former lighweight international, will be the first ever Maori to compete in the Boat Race. He’s been named Maori sportsman of the year twice. 

13.35: Meta.

13.25: Here is a screenshot of the fateful BBC headline:

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13.21: Sly News have been quick to pick up on the joke:

13.18: Rumours have been circulating that the Boat Race was to be cancelled after an ominous headline by the BBC opened “Race cancelled due to lack of water”. Luckily this refers to the Sheffield Half-Marathon rather than the Boat Race. Those who need reminding of BBC innacuracies during past boat races need only scroll down. Stick with us for the most up to date coverage. 

13.14: Helena Dollimore reminds us that next year this will not be an all-male event. The question still stands whether both races will be televised and given equal prominence.

13.12: Fascinating insight from the twitter world

12.19: Rumours that a Cherwell editor intends to disrupt the Boat Race are entirely unfounded. 

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11.48: Here’s some bare Oxford skin as the crew head off to do some warming up:

 

11.34: Last year the BBC provided a far from imbalanced commentary. Stick with us for the real story.

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11.28: As many of you will know, the Oxford rowers were victorious last week in what was to be the last Women’s Boat Race to be held separately at Henley. Here’s a cool video showing the history of the women’s boat race:

The Newton Women’s Boat Race: History from NewtonWomensBoatRace on Vimeo.

11.02: We’ll also be reporting on the Varsity Football Match, which will be taking place at 3pm at Craven Cottage, itself on the Boat Race route. The rowers have already wished them luck:

 

10.58: We’re going to be active on twitter throughout the day! Make sure you tweet us to be featured on this live blog, and follow @Cherwell_Online and @CherwellSport for constant updates. Max Long (@Maxlxng) will be reporting from the ground, and Rowan Borchers (@RowanBorchers) will be covering the Goat Race live from Spitalfields City Farm in East London

10.50: Good morning everyone, and wellcome to Cherwell’s coverage of the 2014 Boat Race. The water is already running keenly down the Thames, boaties are by now all porridged up and ready to roll, and all of the London crowd are ironing their best blazers, putting the champagne on to cool and whipping up some cream to dip those strawberries in. 

An Open Letter to Andrew Smith MP

Alice Nutting
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0
An Open Letter to Andrew Smith MP

Dear Andrew,

I am a student at the University of Oxford and one of your constituents. I was saddened to learn that you were not amongst the handful of Labour MPs who were courageous enough to vote against the welfare cap on March 26th. I am sure you are aware of Save The Children’s prediction that the decision will push 345,000 children into poverty in four years and their estimate that an enormous £3bn of savings will be needed for the Government to not exceed the cap. At a time when the poorest people and the disabled are already being hit hard by real terms wage freezes or cuts, rapidly rising living costs, and the shrinking of vital public services, it is nothing short of moral bankruptcy for a party that supposedly stands against the coalition’s attack on the poor – who are bearing the brunt of austerity measures – to support such a policy.

Research conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found that there is scant evidence for the mythical culture of worklessness that is so often alluded to by Labour, Liberal Democrat and Tory MPs alike; the majority of non-elderly benefits recipients are in work, reliant on government support because their wages are too low. Recipients of disability benefit are often unable to work; those people commonly termed “benefit scroungers” often suffer from low living standards, lack of education, lack of available gainful employment, and difficulties in meeting childcare costs, and sometimes alcohol and drug related problems. Over 22% of children in Oxford live in households below the poverty line and 12 of our 85 areas are among the 20% most deprived areas in England. By voting for this cap, you have failed your most vulnerable constituents.

It has become increasingly clear to me that Miliband et al are nothing more than proponents of ‘Austerity Lite’, a watered-down neoliberal Tory tendency stemming back to the Blairite years. I want to believe in the Labour Party because I cannot bear to see the consequences of this government’s actions and I want to be able to vote for a real alternative, but Labour has failed to provide that alternative. I would have probably voted for you in the next General Election regardless of my views of the party leadership, because I believe you have a generally good voting record; but I can no longer in good conscience support you, or any Labour MP who was not amongst the 13 rebels on March 26th, next year.

The decision of you and your colleagues to vote yes says more about the state of the modern Labour Party and its principles than any election pamphlet or television debate will. I had hoped that the Miliband era would turn its back on tired right wing rhetoric about being tough on welfare recipients, but sadly the almost unanimous support for the welfare cap and the appointment of Rachel Reeves as the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions demonstrate that it is business as usual for New Labour.

Yours sincerely,

Alice Nutting

The Boat Race: Preview

Joe Iles
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The Boat Race: Preview

Another year, another Easter vac, another boat race. For the 160th time 8 big people and 1 small person from Oxford will pit their oars against 8 big people and 1 small person from the Other Place. Expect drama, expect rivalry, expect Pimm’s. Here’s all you need to know:

The History

  • This is the 160th boat race. The first was in 1829 (and Oxford won)
  • Cambridge are winning overall, with 81 victories to Oxford’s 77
  • Oxford won last year
  • There has only ever been one dead heat, in 1877. There probably won’t be a dead heat this year

The Crews

The Valiant Oxford Warriors:

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Oxford Storming to Victory

  • Bow: Storm Uru (29 / 190cm / 80.4kg / Keble)
  • 2: Tom Watson (25 / 181cm / 72.1kg / Brasenose)
  • 3: Karl Hudspith (26 / 199.5cm / 91kg / St Peters)
  • 4: Tom Swartz (24 / 189 / 81.2kg / Christ Church
  • 5: Malcolm Howard (31 / 200cm / 108.2kg / Oriel)
  • 6: Michael Di Santo (24 / 184cm / 89.2kg / Trinity)
  • 7: Sam O’Connor (26 / 185cm / 88.8kg / Christ Church)
  • Stroke: Constantine Louloudis (22 / 190cm / 93.6kg / Trinity) 
  • Cox: Laurence Harvey (20 / 174cm / 54.8kg / St. Hugh’s)

The Cambridge Team:

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Cambridge looking worried

  • Bow: Mike Thorp (23 / 194cm / 88kg / Homerton)
  • 2: Luke Juckett (23 / 186 / 84.2 / St. Edmund’s)
  • 3: Ivo Dawkins (20 / 203cm / 89.2kg / Gonville & Caius)
  • 4: Steve Dudek (25 / 203cm / 101kg / St. Edmund’s)
  • 5: Helge Gruetjen (26 / 204cm / 96.6kg / Magdalene)
  • 6: Matthew Jackson (23 / 198 / 94.4kg / St. Edmund’s)
  • 7: Joshua Hooper (25 / 194cm / 92kg / St. Edmund’s)
  • 8: Henry Hoffstot (23 / 195cm / 89.6kg / Hughes Hall)
  • Stroke: Ian Middleton (18 / 173cm / 53.6kg / Queen’s)

Oxford are slightly lighter than their Cambridge counterparts (and the heavier crew has won 9 of the last 12 races), but are slightly more experienced with an average age of 26 compared to the Light Blues’ 24.

It’s not all about Sunday…

Whilst the men’s race on Sunday afternoon gets all the glitz and glamour, blue lycra has seen the light of day on a few occasions recently:

  • The women have already raced and Oxford won (for the sixth time in seven years), this time by 4 lengths
  • Oxford also won the women’s reserves by ½ length
  • Cambridge men’s lightweights proved too good for Oxford, winning by 3 ½ lengths
  • But the women’s lightweights tipped the balance back in Oxford’s favour with a 3 ½ lengths victory themselves
  • Earlier today, the veteran’s battled it out on the Thames, with a victory for Cambridge by 1¼ length. Might well be a consolation prize for tomorrow. 

Who’s gonna win?

  • According to the bookies, Oxford. Bet365 has Oxford at 3/10 and Cambridge at 5/2 at the time of publishing. They offer odds of 100/1 for a dead heat if you’re feeling brave.
  • James Cracknell said in The Telegraph that he didn’t know who was going to win
  • Pippa Middleton also told The Telegraph that she’s supporting Cambridge, so it’s anyone’s race

What about the goats?

It wouldn’t be The Boat Race without The Goat Race. Two goats (one representing Oxford and one representing Cambridge) will go head to head sometime between 2 and 5 (depending on the goats). It’s at Spitalfields City Farm, but (understandably) tickets have sold out for this year. Aspiring news reporter Rowan Borchers (@RowanBorchers) will be keeping us up to date. 

Where can I keep up to date?

We’ll be running a liveblog, don’t you know. So Tweet us, email us, Vine us, Instagram us etc. and we’ll feature the best throughout the day.

The race starts at 17.55, but we’ll be getting underway at noon. Join us here then!

Referendum due on NUS affiliation

Alex Stronell
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Referendum due on NUS affiliation

An all-student referendum on OUSU’s affiliation with the NUS will be held in Trinity Term, it has been announced. 

Last year, OUSU Council voted to continue its affiliation with NUS on the condition that an all-student referendum would be held on the matter the following year. Typically, OUSU Council votes on its membership of NUS every Trinity Term.

The referendum, which is scheduled to be held in 4th week of Trinity Term, will ask the following question: “OUSU is currently affiliated to the National Union of Students (NUS). Should it continue to be affiliated: yes or no?”

A motion to cancel the referendum in favour of a ‘Special Council’, in which JCRs would have mandated representatives to vote on the matter on their behalf, was defeated at OUSU Council in 7th week of Hilary Term, paving the way for the referendum. 

Proponents of a Special Council had argued that given historically-low OUSU referendum turnouts, it would have been more democratic for the debate to take place in common rooms. However, OUSU Council decided that because opting for a Special Council would exclude members of disaffiliated JCRs from voting, holding a referendum was the preferable option.

Nominations for the leaders of the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ campaigns will open on the first day of 0th week (27th April). Husts and elections for campaign leaders will subsequently take place at briefing meetings on 4th May in the OUSU buildings.

OUSU President Tom Rutland has said that he will be supporting the ‘yes’ campaign. Rutland told Cherwell, “I will be campaigning for OUSU to remain part of NUS. I strongly believe that Oxford students benefit by being a part of a national union. With a seat at the table, we can influence NUS policy and ensure that we have a national union that is fighting for students’ interests. Oxford students have access to the NUS Extra Card, which nearly 2000 students currently take advantage of, saving them a tonne of money over the course of their degrees. If we disaffiliate, none of our students will be eligible to have an NUS Extra Card”.

However, OUSU NUS Delegate Jack J Matthews has said that he will be opposing re-affiliation. Matthews said, “For three years I have worked tirelessly to reform the NUS into an open organisation that actually works for students. What I have encountered is a body that has no interest in change, and that seeks to preserve the cosy arrangement of the status quo, to the detriment of its members”.

Matthews, a former OUCA President, continued, “The time has come for change. We’ve tried to reform from within, but they wouldn’t listen. It’s time for us to stop wasting tens if thousands of pounds within an organisation that simply doesn’t care about our views. I believe in Oxford, and I believe in the strength of our Student Union – that’s why I will be voting ‘no’ to NUS this Trinity Term”.
 
However, Rutland maintained, “Disaffiliating from NUS would cost Oxford students money, it would isolate us and it would remove our opportunity to shape national policy and campaigns. After students were betrayed at the last general election, it is more important than ever that we come together to fight for our interests – especially in the run-up to the 2015 General Election, where we need to be following up on the broken tuition fees pledge and get policy that champions students in party manifestos”. 
 
Thus far, OUSU has voted to remain affiliated with NUS every year since at least 2006.
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