Controversy descended on Broad Street last week, as a leading anarchist campaigner’s speech was cancelled amid security concerns raised by Thames Valley Police.

Ian Bone, a prominent anarchist blogger and founder of the far left party ‘Class War’, was invited to speak by the Left Caucus at Balliol. He had planned to discuss the view that, ‘The greatest contribution we could make to equality in this country would be to burn down Oxford University’.

However, preparations for the event were interrupted when the police sent a letter to the Left Caucus and the college authorities warning about the security risks. The talk was cancelled as a consequence.

Thames Valley Police claimed that they would have to administer appropriate security for such an event and the bill for this would fall on either the college or the Left Caucus. They claimed that the expenses would be in the thousands rather than the hundreds, and could feasibly extend to ten thousand pounds. Balliol were unwilling to pay such a fee and the Left Caucus did not possess sufficient funds.

Restrictions had already been made by the college on the nature of the talk. In order to limit any potential for trouble, the Dean of Balliol had ordered that the event was only to be open to University members who had acquired a ticket beforehand and that it was not to extend beyond half past seven or exceed the hour it had been granted.

Questions have subsequently been raised over the legitimacy of the police’s fears, and Ian Bone has been outspoken on the matter. He told Cherwell the tactics of Thames Valley Police were “fucking diabolical… cunning and underhanded.”

Bone stressed the fact that he was willing to comply with all of the restrictions that Balliol had imposed upon the talk, and intimated that the police had acted in a coercive and persecutory manner. He has now resolved to deliver the same speech next on 1st May, outside Balliol, and protected by the right to protest.

Bone said that he thought the police were exaggerating the potential danger. Whilst controversial movements on the far-right – such as EDL marches – often cause great public expense, Bone insisted that an hour-long indoor discussion wasn’t even remotely comparable.

Claudia Blake, President of the Left Caucas at Balliol, chimed with Bone’s sentiments and expressed doubt over the security costs requested by the police. She called the ten thousand pound figure “ridiculously high” and said, “I don’t know where the figure came from – they were pretty vague about it but said it could cost that much.”

Ms. Blake expanded upon this statement and articulated concerns over the political implications of the police’s involvement. He commented, “I think there is a problem here regarding both freedom of speech and freedom of association. The police have the power to decide if an event “needs” policing (and they did not feel they had to justify this decision to me), and also, it seems, the power to name an arbitrarily high price.

“Together, these two powers mean that they can effectively prohibit events like this, which means that any even slightly controversial speakers can be prevented from putting their views across.”

Thames Valley Police have released a statement regarding the reason for their estimations. It read, “Thames Valley Police risk assesses any event using a standard procedure which takes into account a number of factors. This is a standard practice – unless there is an agreed level of police deployment available we are unable to accurately quote a figure.”

Balliol JCR President, Alex Bartram, who was working in tandem with the Left Caucus to facilitate the speech, has stressed that the college authorities are not at fault and said that Balliol were very accommodating throughout the process.

However, Bartram also alluded to the police’s unshifting stance on the matter. He said, “Once the police were involved, there was little that I could do, but I tried it: we argued every which way that the event was highly unlikely to pose any sort of security risk, that the comparisons being drawn with previous sit-in protests by Ian Bone were not accurate, that comparisons being drawn with Tommy Robinson at the Union were off the mark too, that very few people would actually care about the speech other than those interested in hearing Ian Bone voice his opinions.”

Bartram also noted that he was ultimately unqualified to challenge the police authoritatively on the matter.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, students at Merton College spent the hour gained as the clocks returned to Greenwich Mean Time walking backwards around Fellows’ Quad in full subfusc in an effort to restore a balance in the space-time continuum.

The Time Ceremony, as it has been known since its introduction in 1971, is popular with Oxford students. Porters were forced to lock up the college and the event was limited to students of Merton College in an attempt to control numbers.

Tradition dictates the students drink port as they walk around the quad. Both Sainsbury’s and Tesco are reported to have sold out of the fortified wine by early Saturday evening.

Fortunately for many attendees, the JCR were on hand to provide support and assistance to those who, in the words of JCR President Christian Ruckteschler, were “a little worse for wear”.

The validity of the science behind the hour-long mass drunken backwards walk has never been proven conclusively. Several physicists have argued that the science of the ceremony “makes a weird kind of sense,” pointing out that the universe has indeed continued to function and the world has continued to turn after every ceremony performed in the last 40 years. “Better to be safe than sorry”, one medic insisted.

One second year commented, “As happens so often, saving the universe is a responsibility that falls to Mertonians.”

A group of freshers also pointed to the Time Ceremony as proof that, counter to its reputation, Merton does have a fun side.

A PPE student commented, “So this is how Mertonians enjoy themselves… Odd. Personally I’d have chosen to drink rum and coke.”

John and Edward Grimes, better known as ‘Jedward’, were in Christ Church on Wednesday morning.

They were filming their new TV programme, ‘Jedward’s Big Adventure’, to be aired in January.

Once they’d finished filming they went over to watching students, took out a hand held video camera and started asking them questions such as which subjects they took, what they thought was the best thing about Oxford and why no one is allowed to walk on the grass.

One second year History of Art student who was pictured with John, commented, “John grabbed me by the waist in noticing we were wearing the same coat, and said I was his ‘Oxford girlfriend’. Upon leaving, he shouted ‘Bye Oxford girlfriend!’, blew me a kiss then proceeded to do a cartwheel! They were lovely.”

Jake Downs, also pictured with Jedward, added, “They were really sweet; clearly the fame hasn’t gone to their heads. Certainly one of the most surreal moments of my time in Oxford so far!”

Jedward are famous for their stint on the ITV show ‘The X Factor’, and for representing the Republic of Ireland twice at the Eurovision Song Contest.

The development has been attacked for the environmental impact on Port Meadow, a declared a ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest’.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) took the case to the High Court, with the support of the Save Port Meadow Campaign, which has held a number of demonstrations in opposition to the development which has cost over £20 million. An online petition against the Castle Mill project attracted more than 3,000 signatures, and the development has also been criticised by UKIP in Oxford.

The High Court judge who ruled against a judicial review this week, Mr Justice Lewis, highlighted the fact that an environmental assessment is being carried out by the University, but rejected Oxford City Council’s demand that the campaigners pay for the council’s legal costs.

The buildings, which opened this term to house 439 graduate students, were approved by the Oxford City Council, a decision which has been heavily criticised by its opponents. According to the Save Port Meadow Campaign, “The buildings vandalise the views of the Dreaming Spires and ruin the tranquil experience of Port Meadow.”

Helen Marshall, Director of Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Oxfordshire, said, “So far, we believe the University has acted very poorly in its supposed role as guardian of the City’s heritage. The pressure is now on for it to step up to the plate and act honourably in fulfilling its promises made in court.”

She added, “Providing the voluntary Environmental Impact Assessment is carried out in the way the Court envisaged, including the full public consultation we were originally denied, there is still hope that we can reverse at least some of the damage done to Port Meadow.”

Jeremy Thomas, head of law and governance at Oxford City Council, stated, “The court refused permission to the CPRE to continue the judicial review and did not find any errors in how the council handled this planning application.

“We will now focus our attention on the voluntary environmental impact assessment which is being prepared by the university and the independent inquiry that is being held which is also under way.”

However, James Rainey, Chair of OUSU’s Environment and Ethics committee, told Cherwell, “The high court ruling is extremely disappointing. A judicial review could have addressed the valid concerns held by those in Oxford and further afield about the validity of the development and the scope for dealing with skyline issues in the planning process. The Castle Mill development has significantly damaged the University’s and Council’s reputations, and it is in their best interest that a similar development is not permitted again.”

A University spokesperson said, “We are pleased with the ruling. We will continue to work with the city council to address concerns about the Castle Mill development.”

This weekend brought an unpleasant surprise for the students of Regent’s Park College when many lower floor rooms were found flooded with an ankle deep layer of a liquid smelling of urine.

Will Yates, a first year student at Regent’s Park, discovered the flood on the morning of Saturday 26 October.

He said that both the mens’ toilets and the laundry room, situated in the basement of the main building, were flooded with a liquid he described as a, “combination of urine and leaked washing machine water”.

This posed a problem for many students who had left their washing drying in the room and also on the floor.

One first year who had left their clothes to dry on the floor of the laundry room was quite irritated, commenting, “They smelled a bit like piss”.

The consensus among students is that the problem was caused by the urinals in the toilet getting blocked, which was then exacerbated by a burst pipe.

One student was keen to stress that the flood didn’t result from “people peeing so much that they flooded an entire floor”.

The problem was apparently due to the main sewers on St Giles Street backing up, which was subsequently dealt with by Thames Water.

According to one student, the liquid within the college was not mopped up until Sunday morning.

Regent’s Park College declined to comment.

By measuring the type of brain activity associated with perceptual awareness in anaesthetised patients, they have discovered the point at which a patient loses consciousness of their surroundings.

The research could lead to patients being given a personalised dose of anaesthetic during operations. Dr. Katie Warnaby, part of the research team based at the Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, said “Anaesthetists [currently] give a dose and will monitor not necessarily the brain, but the heart and vital organs, to see how the anaesthetic is affecting an individual and determine the dose on that basis, but we do not have a point where we know when the patient is unaware.

“This study, by showing that there is a change in the way that the brain processes information under anaesthesia, may define that point or at least get us closer to it.”

The team measured the brain activity of 16 patients under a standard anaesthetic. The time taken to send patients to sleep was extended to allow more accurate measurement of brain activity. Warnaby says, “It usually takes 10 minutes, or even 10 seconds, but we took 45 minutes for this stage so that we could see the exact point at which the patients stopped responding to stimulation.”

She stresses that this would lower the risk of patients being given excessive doses which affect the rate of recovery, saying, “Particularly if you’re older, you can get confusion which could persist over a period of time, and if people have problems with their heart and lungs, too much anaesthetic would put pressure on their systems.”

The current risks associated with general anaesthesia are low; in 2011, there were only 153 reported cases of accidental awareness out of 3 million operations, while deaths occur in the UK in only one out of every 200,000 patients given anaesthesia. However, this research offers a reliable method of ensuring that general anaesthetic would continue to be effective throughout an operation.

The research was part-funded by the Medical Research Council. Professor Hugh Perry, Chair of its Neurosciences and Mental Health Board, is excited by the prospect of safer treatment for vulnerable patients. He stated, “With the growing use of anaesthetics in the elderly and other at-risk groups, understanding the minimal dose required to induce the necessary level of anaesthesia is hugely important. This work… provides an excellent scientific foundation for new ways of treating vulnerable patients.”

It is possible that this research could lower the cost of surgery. Many hospitals have expensive monitors to measure the depth of anaesthesia, but only 2% of the anaesthetists questioned in a large survey conducted by the Royal College of Anaesthetists earlier this year said that they routinely used this technology. This simpler process could reduce the cost of each operation, while shorter recovery times as a result of personalised doses would relieve the pressure on post-operative care units.

Blatter’s remark was in response to the discussion of Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré, who was allegedly the subject of racist abuse at a Champion’s League match in Moscow this past week. Touré stated, “If we [black footballers] aren’t confident at the World Cup, coming to Russia, we don’t come”. This incident has drawn international attention and speculation, and was a key subject of the debate with Blatter at the Union.

Blatter’s remarks came as part of a litany of self-justification in the face of critiques of FIFA in the public sphere. “Perhaps you think I am a ruthless parasite sucking the lifeblood out of the world and out of football – the Godfather of the FIFA gravy train, an out-of-touch, heartless schmoozer,” he joked with the audience. He later went on to suggest that he and FIFA were “a scapegoat” for larger social problems that come to a head in football matches.

Racism has nevertheless been a virulent issue for FIFA over the course of Blatter’s fifteen-year tenure as president. Over the past few years in England alone, the Premier League has seen drawn-out legal battles like that of Chelsea captain and then-England captain John Terry, who was charged last year for racially abusing former QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, and heated debates about the usefulness of anti-racism campaigns like Kick It Out.

Yaya Touré’s case against CSKA Moscow supporters goes before UEFA’s disciplinary board on Wednesday, and after Blatter’s remarks at the Union is expected to fuel the on-going debate about how to stamp racism out of football. Sepp Blatter’s solution? “We have to take more sanctions that hurt clubs because financial sanctions do not hurt”, he said Friday. “FIFA has taken a resolution and has said after a warning you can have other sanctions and these would mean you could deduct points or expel people from a competition.” Blatter stressed the importance of targeting reputations and ability to compete rather than earnings as lasting consequences for racism.

Blatter’s words at the recent Oxford Union debate have drawn fire from more than anti-racism campaigners in the international football limelight. On Tuesday evening, Cristiano Ronaldo demanded an apology for one of Blatter’s more light-hearted responses in the debating chamber. When asked to compare the Real Madrid star with Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, Blatter declared: “One has more expenses for the hairdresser than the other”. Blatter later called this an “amusing” off-the-cuff statement, Ronaldo stressed in a Facebook post: “This shows clearly the respect and consideration that FIFA has for me, for my club, and my country”. Blatter has since apologised.

Blatter is currently eligible for a fifth term as FIFA president. After Friday’s Union debate, however, one postgraduate student echoed the feelings of many footballers and fans alike: “He should just step down. An innocent and responsible president shouldn’t have to spend that much time explaining why they’re not a disgrace to the game.”

A recent Oxford Fine Arts graduate has won a prestigious contemporary art prize from the Saatchi Gallery and Channel 4.

Jack Stanton, 24, who graduated this year with a BFA from the University’s Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, was awarded the New Sensations Prize, which is open to all BA or MA students graduating in a particular year from a UK or Republic of Ireland art school, for work he was asked to produce as one of four finalists in the competition. In addition to a gallery showing of the winning artist’s work, the prize brings with it a cash award, the amount of which is not made public.

First awarded in 2007, the New Sensations Prize is known by some as the “baby Turner Prize,” a reference to the highly influential Turner Prize, winners of which include contemporary art heavyweights Damien Hirst and Anish Kapoor. New Sensations’ promoters bill their award as “the most important annual prize for emerging artists” in the UK.

Stanton’s winning entry featured an installation called “The Personality Agreement,” in which different “morsels” of sampled video were shown on two large screens while original music by Stanton played alongside. The eight-minute “operetta” explores what the artist sees as contradictory representations of adolescence in the mass media.

In another video made for the project, Stanton explains his process: “I approach my artwork with the mindset of a pop musician… Usually I gather an array of imagery from found material, then I zoom in to isolate whatever it is that interests me, searching for moments that function independently of their origins [and reveal] something of the inner workings of our digital reality… in a camp, dumb sort of way.”

The artist told Cherwell he was pleasantly surprised at his win. “I think virtually everyone in my 3rd year at The Ruskin applied for New Sensations after our degree show,” he said. “Its just something you’re encouraged to do. … I had no expectation of getting through to the long-list, let alone getting a bursary to make new work for the show.”

Elizabeth Price, a fellow of Lady Margaret Hall and Stanton’s tutor during his final year at the Ruskin said she was “delighted, but not unduly surprised” by the news. “I thought he had an exciting future in the profession,” she said. “This high profile Prize confirms his great potential, and will bring him many exciting opportunities to publicly fulfil. It’s great for the Ruskin too – as it builds our reputation as an art school generating innovative, experimental contemporary art.”

Current Ruskin fine artists expressed admiration at Stanton’s achievement, and cited the School as a source of inspiration and encouragement. “Jack Stanton won because he deserved to win and because he was encouraged to win,” said Irina Iordache, a second-year fine artist at Christ Church, “That’s what the Ruskin does for you: it constantly pushes you outside your comfort zone; it makes you want to give your best.”

Stanton also praised the Ruskin School’s approach. “I think the two most valuable things that the school offers are the freedom to explore whatever avenue a student wishes to take, and that this work is then taken so seriously by the tutors,” he said.

The shortlist for the prize, which was revealed in late September and included 20 candidates, included three other recent graduates of the Ruskin school in addition to Stanton: Rhea Storr, James Cross and Finbar Ward. Ruskin graduates made up twenty percent of the shortlisted candidates.

Stanton is currently working on developing a two-person frisbee game with Ward, the court for which they are building in the basement of the Cock ’n’ Bull Gallery, Shoreditch.

Shoppers from across the city have been very positive about how it could give the Westgate shopping centre a much needed facelift. Many shoppers commented on how they were looking forward to visiting the new 10,000 square foot John Lewis.

The proposals also aim to develop a new car park, and hopefully include some new independent shops. As well as this, there are plans to include a cinema, café and a rooftop terrace. At the same time, new homes would be built.

Colin Cook, the city council’s executive development member said, “A decision on the outline planning application is expected to be made early next year, with construction work potentially starting later in the year and the new centre opening by Christmas 2016.

“This is probably the fifth major plan for the redevelopment of the Westgate Centre since it was built and I look forward to examining the detailed proposals in due course.” This would be a two-stage process. After the initial planning application is approved, then a full one will be submitted.

Oxford students expressed differing opinions about the opening store. Many seem indifferent and are not disappointed that it will be opening after their graduation. A second year student from New College commented, “I don’t anticipate that it will add much more, we’ve already got exceptional choice.”

An Economics and Management student stated, “I am not particularly gutted I will have graduated by then. I never really have reason to go into John Lewis.”

Another student seemed more positive about the store, explaining “I am very happy and excited for John Lewis to be opening. It will bring much needed variety to the Westgate shopping centre and will serve as a nice addition to Primark. It is a shame it will be open after graduation.”

The exterior of Clem’s nightclub in St Clement’s is being repainted after an agreement between the owner of the nightclub and Oxford City Council. The graffiti-like design is to be replaced with a different frontage.

The nightclub has already undergone a change to its paint scheme since the large letters spelling the establishment’s name that were originally on show were deemed to require advertising consent by the Council. A report from the Council’s press office stated that the lettering “exceeded the maximum height of 0.75 metres.”

However, the report claims that the second design, featuring cartoon characters which replaced the lettering, “is not in keeping with the surrounding area.”

The manager of Clem’s, Mr Bruno Garcia, is cited on the BBC website as stating, “We had to do what we had to do – we just want to make sure everyone is happy.” He told Cherwell that the new plans are to have an all-blue frontage, although added that “It won’t attract as many customers as before.”

The City Council report notes that the new plans will require neither planning permission nor advertising consent.

Michael Crofton Briggs, Head of City Development at Oxford City Council, said in the report, “Officers organised a lot of meetings with the owner to discuss the changes to the outside of the building.”

“I am really pleased that our hard work has meant that the owner has shown us the colour scheme that he intends to use and that we have agreed it instead of tackling him through the enforcement process. This is a much more effective process for the Council. The work is currently underway.”

Graham Jones, ward councillor for St Clement’s, told Cherwell, “It was pretty obvious that the design, while ingenious and interesting in itself, was out of character with the formal and mannered, mainly Georgian architecture of the buildings around The Plain.”

He added that he began to receive complaints  from members of the public on the same day that the painting appeared.

He said “I must stress that I like urban graffiti very much in surroundings which work for it and vice versa. There’s a great example at the rear of Clem’s in York Place. Another is on the first floor of shops on Cowley Road opposite Manzil Way. Take also the polemical mural on a house in Union Street. The frontage on The Plain wasn’t the right setting.”

He also suggested the idea of a “Neighbourhood Plan, devised locally and put to the people living in the area in a referendum.” He continued, “One thing we could do is to insist that all new building meets more rigorous environmental and sustainability standards than currently demanded by the city. Another is to give Conservation Area rules precedence over Advertising Regulations.”

“That would allow businesses to know in advance if their plans for redesigned shopfronts were likely to be refused for the reasons that led to Clem’s having to remove its graffiti and think again.”

Oxford-based historian and art critic Estelle Lovatt has reportedly defended the artwork in the past, but was unavailable for comment when contacted by Cherwell.

Student responses to the constraint on the artwork included some angry reactions. Timna Fibert of St Anne’s said, “I think it’s ridiculous that personal aesthetic taste is dictated to by the Council. I mean, I think it was pretty ugly but why should my opinion, or even the opinion of a majority, stop people from expressing themselves and what they stand for?”

The constant change was greeted with confusion by students living in the nearby vicinity. Ben Whitman, from St Hilda’s and a resident of the flats above Clem’s, said, “‘it’s really stupid how they changed it and then changed it again. It’s just a waste of money in times of austerity.”

Another second year at St Hilda’s said, “The scrapping of the graffiti is an absolute outrage.   The dreaming spires are all very well and good but it’s a shame the city is so dismissive of contemporary art.”

He added, “Who knows – we might have just got rid of the next Banksy.”