Sunday 13th July 2025
Blog Page 164

From War to Freedom: In conversation with an Ukrainian refugee

Joey Weinbren
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From War to Freedom: In conversation with an Ukrainian refugee

Aleksandr is from Kharkiv Oblast’ in Ukraine. When the war broke out, he and his family drove all the way from Ukraine to England, bringing everything – their life, belongings, and even their pet animals – with them. He now works for the university’s disability advisory service. I wanted Aleksandr to share his story with Cherwell, as well as to provide an insight into how he finds his new life in England, having arrived here more than a year ago.

As I sit down to talk to Aleksandr in a café on Oxford’s High Street, he shows me a photo that one of his friends back home has sent to him. In it, a dog sleeps calmy on an apartment floor next to the bright flame of a candle during a power cut. I am also shown a video of the dog – a fluffy blue-eyed husky – trudging through the snow amidst the blast of air raid sirens in the background. It seems that, as Aleksandr gets used to his new life here, his friends back in Ukraine do the same: war is now just an ordinary part of their everyday lives. 

I start by asking Aleksandr to tell me what he and his family did when the war broke out and how they ended up in England:

Aleksandr: “We were in Kharkiv when the war started. A missile landed very close to our apartment. We gathered all our things and in two cars drove to the west, through Poltava, to get away from the shelling. When we were on the road, we looked at the news on the internet and found out that there were missile strikes in all cities. So, we drove for around four days, stopping in small towns to rest for the night, until we reached Chernivtsi on the Romanian border. We drove through Romania, then Hungary, Austria, and in Germany we stopped for a month to stay with friends from Donetsk, before being granted permission to go to the UK. Having found a sponsor, we took the Eurotunnel to England.”

Joey: “I remember you telling me that you decided to take your pets with you. Why so? And what was it like travelling with them on such a long journey?”

Aleksandr: “We ended up taking the animals because our granddaughter couldn’t leave without them. They were a cat, two parakeets, and two chinchillas. We weren’t able to keep them with someone who would guarantee they would be looked after. Indeed, our local zoo in Kharkiv was being shelled at the time and all the animals pretty much died. They all got through the journey okay, though it was quite difficult at times: when we stayed in Budapest, for instance, we had to find and pay for a special service to allow us to keep them in our hotel room. The most difficult thing was getting them registered and microchipped to be allowed in the UK.”

Joey: “Have you encountered Russians here in England that weren’t against the war? If so, did you have any arguments or conflicts with them?”

Aleksandr: “We have Russian friends and relatives; my wife herself is Russian, though she’s been a Ukrainian citizen for thirty-five years. We often encounter Russians here in England in our English language lessons, in church, in Abingdon, and various other places. But we don’t know or speak with Russians who support the war or are fighting in Ukraine. The Russians who live here usually do so because they sought to leave Russia. We haven’t had any arguments with them at all. We are also really sympathetic towards those in Russia who are suffering from the war and their country’s aggression. When it comes to relatives and friends who remain in Russia, we can’t discuss the war with them over the phone or through messages. When I bring something up related to the war, since their calls could be monitored and they could get into trouble, they tell me that they can’t talk about it. So, we don’t discuss it and instead just talk about everyday stuff. We can’t freely speak with them.”

Alexandr plans to stay in England with his family for the long-term. Even after Ukraine gets its territories back, there remain political and economic problems, as well as reconciling with those who currently support Russia’s aggression, which means that staying here would be the best for them. But he dreams of one day being able to return to his homeland, when in a country formerly ruined by war, the winds of peace blow through its fields and valleys.

Broken Eggs – A love letter to Spanish Tortilla

Oliver Hall
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Broken Eggs – A love letter to Spanish Tortilla

Regular readers know my obsession and love for pretty much all things Spain. Aside from anything else, the food scene is one of the most diverse and varied you will find anywhere on the planet. Amid all of that, the closest thing the nation has to a national dish is probably the tortilla. Variations are endless and family recipes hotly debated but pretty much every bar in the country will have at least one on the bar. Broken Eggs, the fascinating new concept from chef Gabriel and his sister, has brought that obsession and the culture that comes with it to London. The entire restaurant is focused on the glorious simplicity of the ‘potato omelette’, and slowly but surely it is seeking to educate Fitzrovia on the dish and Spanish food culture.

Originally, ‘Tortilla Espanola’ is thought to of come from Extremadura after potatoes were brought over by Pizzaro from the Americas in the 19th century. From there, it spread and is now famous for being cooked in a thousand different ways. On a basic level though, it gained popularity due to its simplicity and cheap ingredients. Potatoes, eggs, onions, and olive oil are all that’s really needed to create one. Recipes vary hugely but chorizo, jamón Ibérico, seafood, and more all regularly make appearances.

Whole Tortilla

Gabriel, like most Spaniards, has his own twists and specifications. Originally from Valencia, he came over to the UK in 2011 to study at King’s College and originally worked in finance before making the transition back across into the world of food in May. The pair have always had hospitality in their veins and that experience is what gave them the confidence to start out on their own. Originally a dark kitchen, Broken Eggs was their attempt to introduce the London market to just how good a tortilla can be. The restaurant started as a dark kitchen on Charlotte Street and the in-person site opened on Thursday of last week.

Broken Eggs does that in many ways but above all focuses on simplicity and quality ingredients to deliver a product genuinely superior to any I have seen in London tapas bars (of which I have visited many!). It might not be to everyone’s liking, but Gabriel explained to me that he uses more eggs and fewer potatoes to create a light and almost gooey dish that lets the ingredients shine in their own right. The intention is that it turns tortilla into a dish that you can eat every day for lunch, much like you might in Spain, and not feel uncomfortably heavy.

That gooey interior!

The restaurant itself is small and has been designed by the couple from the ground up. A large kitchen at the back allows for everything to be prepared in-house and tables of different sizes both inside and out accommodate parties of all sizes and different vibes. There’s plenty of room for sharing dinners as well as quick lunch break nibbles and the clean and simple aesthetic only adds to the relaxed atmosphere.

Homemade drinks and juices

The amazing thing here is that the menu also caters for all of those different types of meals and groups with so few dishes. Small menus are always a good sign if you ask me and the couple are keen to explain that everything is here to compliment the star of the show, the tortilla.

Citrus Salad

That tortilla is available in several different ways with five different flavours always available. The favourite for me was without a doubt the chorizo but I’d keep an eye out for the morcilla (Spanish black pudding) and pepper monthly special starting next week if I were you!

Heritage Tomato Salad

Lunch is covered off by a pair of classic Spanish items both available either on their own or as a ‘meal deal’. The Pintxo is tortilla served on superb sourdough bread with homemade garlic aioli or tomato spread and the bocadillo (sandwich) uses ciabatta. The first was my favourite — the chorizo pairs really well with the garlic aioli and comes with a salad for £10.50. The citrus salad I had was another great pairing for the slightly spicy chorizo with the orange bringing a tart balance.

Pinxto

Alternatively, order a whole tortilla to share in two different sizes. That, alongside charcuterie, croquetas, and a couple of salads can create quite the sharing feast for dinner with a few friends. Gazpacho here is superb too and exactly what it should be — refreshing lightness and freshness make it perfect for a warm day. If tortilla isn’t the national dish of Spain it might just be this and I am so glad that Broken Eggs execute it well — £5.50 might just make it the best value lunch option on the menu.

Bocadillo

Dessert is the only thing not made in-house, instead coming courtesy of a friend of the couple who lives nearby. There is only one choice and as you might have guessed that is Basque cheesecake. This is another place where the ethos of light and tasty food shines through. A good Basque cheesecake is one of those things that is dangerously easy to eat a lot of and is a credit to Broken Eggs that I managed nearly the whole thing.

Basque Cheesecake

The only thing missing here is a coffee machine. The couple justify this by the fact that they are surrounded by some of the best cafes in the capital and I don’t deny that. Trying too much too soon has seen the downfall of endless restaurants before so I more than see the sense. On the other hand, the restaurant is an espresso away from offering a classic Spanish breakfast of coffee and pan con tomate — in time that could very much be a winner.

Gazpacho

Broken Eggs is just the kind of reason I love the food industry. Put simply, it is a love letter to a favourite dish in restaurant form and ticks pretty much every box. The menu is short, the backstory is brilliantly unique, and the final product is deliciously simple. It might take a while to convince London of the joys of a potato omelette, but I have no doubt that before long this couple will succeed.

The Rejection Letter

Ayaat Yassin-Kassab
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The Rejection Letter

What exactly did I plan to do with my life? For 20 years, words like ‘talent’ and ‘potential’ have floated around me. I’m confident, charming, intelligent, I’m good. But not good at anything, except maybe Wordle. Before my Oxford interviews, I prayed they wouldn’t ask me something like ‘why Oxford?’ or ‘why literature?’. If they had, I would have blinked back at them and delivered some obviously phony speech about passion and drive and bringing diversity to the field, and they would have smiled up at me and crossed out my name in bright red ink. Instead, they asked me to analyse poems and talk about them, so I did. My talent, my ‘passion’, was evident in my work, and I was afforded the luxury of avoiding that ominous question for a while.

At the time of writing this, I just received a rejection letter. I had secured my place on a journalism course but was in desperate need of funding. I was shortlisted after a written application, had the interview, and a few days later, was told that the interview panel: “were not convinced of [my] drive or passion for journalism”. There they were – my least favourite words, ‘drive’ and ‘passion’, the ones I was glad to dodge in my interview three years ago, and the ones that let me down today.

My ego took a hit. I was rejected! That’s not fun. But there was something about that line that stood out from the rest of the (thankfully brief) rejection letter, something that went beyond vanity. Once the gut punch had subsided, and after I had called my mum and informed her of the outcome, I realised that those words would be the ones to let me down again and again in interviews to come, because I myself am not convinced of my passion or drive for anything in particular.

In a field that has become so competitive, you need to be bloodthirsty. You need to communicate a burning, spitting determination compelled by some profound experience or longing.  The word ‘passion’ (I hate to do this but I’ve spent three long years as an English student so I do – technically and according to zero rulebooks – have the right) is derived from the Latin ‘pati’ meaning ‘to suffer’, and all OED definitions of ‘passion’ in its noun form are linked to ideas of suffering, pain, disease, or extreme emotion lapsing into mental derangement. I don’t feel that way about anything. I really like writing articles, and editing them, and I could see myself effectively bossing people around as an editor one day – it’s that simple. To me, that’s good enough. That’s confirmation that I’d thrive in the field. I enjoy journalism without being able to explain why. I’m also not that interested in communicating my ‘passion’ and I’m too stubborn to hone that skill. Perhaps that makes me difficult…

But the question still plagues me. ‘Why?’ Why literature, why Oxford, why journalism, why anything at all? Why is there no deeper meaning behind what I do, and why can I not win over an interview panel where all I have to do is explain why? The ego thing probably holds more sway than I initially let on – I’m hurt that they didn’t like me, and it makes me dislike myself. But I’m also worried that I’m simply not interesting enough to care deeply about anything, and that means that I won’t succeed.

But I ask myself again: what exactly did I – before my degree ended, and before my funding rejection – plan to do with my life? I suppose I planned to float through it, and I expected that some opportunities would pass me by, and other more suitable ones would present themselves to me fairly willingly. Although I’m no stranger to hard work, I expected that some good luck would push me forward and decorate the career path with a few rose petals. I planned to spend time writing and reading, to spend some time in the sun, to spend some time with my loved ones, and to make some nice meals for dinner. At Oxford, there is a high-achieving atmosphere that encourages us to keep pushing and makes us feel guilty when we don’t. But I’ve just finished my degree and ‘passion’, or something similar to the interview panel’s definition of it, is not something I’ve found yet. So (and this felt to me like a big realisation) why don’t I stay at home and do what I planned to do all along?

My plan is one that is unfixed, unfastened, and yet I expected certainty. This is the first of many rejections I will get. It’s an opportunity for real reflection which, I’ve discovered, feels more like a lurching of the stomach than a clearing of the fog. In the meantime I’ll be at home, reading, resting, and gravitating to whatever actually interests me.

Bakery, posted — The brands hoping on the home-baked delivery trend

Oliver Hall
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Bakery, posted — The brands hoping on the home-baked delivery trend

You might have noticed something in recent months and if you haven’t then I certainly have. These days I seem to constantly be bombarded with targeted advertising for homemade baked goods that arrive through the letterbox. Up to now, I’ve disregarded these with generally unfounded scepticism, but then I saw a gap in the market.

One of these sites shouted about its gluten-free offering, and that seemed to me like a brainwave. I have so many gluten-free friends and the struggle with finding them good quality products at a reasonable price is real — baking them myself can be downright scary. A company that delivers high-quality, homemade, products for a variety of dietary requirements might just hit the mark.

And so I embarked on a journey — over the course of the last month or so, I’ve endeavoured to track down the very best postal bakeries. From local to global, vegan to gluten-free, cookies to brownies, and everything in between, I’ve seen a lot and now I’m here to bring you my favourites. I will offer the disclaimer that many of these brands offered samples of their products to me for free — as you’ll see, that far from protects them from my criticism.

Calluna Bakery

Ok, so first up is a local location. Amy is the brains behind Calluna Bakery in Oxford. She has been passionately baking since 2016 and earlier this year began to offer her cookies and cupcakes by post. The aim here is to show just how good vegan baking can be, and gluten-free is more than catered for too.

I asked Amy to pick out some of her favourites for me and kicked things off with the biscuits. We got the classic chocolate chip and also the white chocolate chip. Both were packaged well to prevent contamination and the chocolate inside was definitely balanced well by the dough. Strangely enough, it was the gluten version that struggled with its consistency. It was a little grainy for my liking.

We had a wide variety of cupcakes and again, the gluten-free ones had the best taste and consistency for sure. My main note on these is the frosting — if you are a fiend for icing then you will be in dreamland but for me it was a shame as it slightly clouded the great flavour of the cake itself. The top pick was the GF Chocolate, the Coffee just didn’t pack enough of a punch.

Calluna Cupcakes

Online, these cookies come in at 12 for £18. That’s exceptionally good value if you are going to get through all of them and could be a great bet for offices in search of an end-of-week treat that caters for everyone.

Baketime Stories

Baketime Stories packaging

Ok, so next up is Baketime Stories. These definitely come in at the higher end of the market and are more for a special occasion but they absolutely deliver on their promise of high-quality product and packaging.

Unboxing is a genuine experience and stood out from all the other brands that I sampled. The size is also huge — birthday party sized as opposed to your standard coffee snack. Each box comes with the option to add a video message via a QR code, as well as gift messages, and the brand also works with companies for further corporate personalisation.

The important thing here is that the taste lives up to the promise and the branding. These are good at room temperature (that is how I tasted the Banoffee), but so much better when prepared in the oven or microwave as per their instructions. The amount of filling in the Kinder Bueno made it my standout but there was absolutely no way I could finish one on my own. Pure gooey brilliance. A quick note on the smore though — smores have biscuits, not just marshmallows, so add them!

These are pricey, at £18.60 for four cookies and an extra £2 for a video message. Genuinely though, they make for a special birthday gift for the cookie lover in your life and more than fill a niche at that end of the market.

Kinder Bueno and Smores cookies

The Cookie Mill

Another brand and another completely novel concept. The Cookie Mill specialises in deep-dish cookies and caters for both gluten-free and regular diets. Even more pleasing than that was the fact that there was no discernible difference between the two.

Apple Crumble and Triple Chocolate Caramel

I had a huge selection here that took me a couple of days to get through but, eventually, I tried every single one of the 11 flavours on offer. These range from the regular chocolate chip to the wild and wacky apple crumble with all certainly distinctive.

The favourite for me was without a doubt the triple chocolate and salted caramel with the Hazelnut Heaven a close second. The thing that makes these is the gooey interior and warming them up in the microwave is a no-brainer. There are some to steer clear of though if you ask me — Lotus Biscoff and apple? No thanks.

Prices here are in the middle, at £25 to build a box of any 12 cookies. This makes them a good offering to cover off the dessert course at parties or again, an end-of-week office treat.

Cheeky Dough

Cookie dough is one of those things, you love it or you hate it. I am very much in the love it camp and one of those people who secretly only ever bakes to scoop the leftovers out of the bowl when the cookies are in the oven. As you can imagine, I was excited for a company that promised delivered varieties. Again, there are vegan and lactose-free options.

There are over 25 different flavours and I got a taste of four of their ‘fun-size pots’. Eight of these cost £22, with free UK delivery. Overall, these were a letdown. The smore was another example of mini marshmallows masquerading as something grander and the birthday cake simply didn’t have much to it. The best of the bunch was doubtless the mint choc crisp. Here, the freshness of the mint compliments the rich chocolate perfectly. Whatever you do, definitely heat these up in the microwave for the 30 recommended seconds, it takes them to another level completely.

So that’s it, the conclusion of my delivered bakes odyssey. In general, I think the hype train has still got a way to go. Make no mistake some of these are great for a special occasion and the likes of Baketime Stories make a superb gift. Really though, the price point is still (quite understandably) so high that anything other than home baking makes little sense for an everyday treat.

Kevin and Timmy on Overthinking

Sean Hartnett
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Kevin and Timmy on Overthinking

President-Elect cleared of electoral malpractice allegations

Suzanne Antelme
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President-Elect cleared of electoral malpractice allegations

Oxford Union President-Elect Hannah Edwards has been cleared of electoral malpractice allegations after an election tribunal held yesterday found there was no case against her. The tribunal also disqualified several candidates from election to Secretary’s Committee after they failed to sign down.

The election tribunal was held online via Zoom, open to all Union members. The complainant alleged Edwards had breached rules 33(a)(i)(7), 33(a)(i)(8) and 33(a)(i)(32) by spending money on publicising a prospective candidature, engaging in organised treating, and attempting to engage in organised treating. However, the tribunal found no case to answer on all counts. 

The tribunal then moved to consider whether the complainant had breached Rule 33(a)(i)(33) by bringing an unfounded and malicious or manifestly unreasonable allegation, but found the complainant not guilty.

Edwards told Cherwell: “The complaint against me was, frankly, completely ridiculous. There was no evidence at all of electoral malpractice and so I was not surprised that the Tribunal found there was no case to answer.

“In my opinion, the allegation was mean-spirited and exactly the kind of behaviour I stand against as a senior member of the Union.

“Thank you to everyone who voted for me – I look forward to taking up the role of President-Elect and working hard to deliver a fantastic Hilary 2024 termcard that all members can enjoy.”

Succession for the President-Elect will remain suspended for at least 48 hours following the release of the Tribunal’s report last night to allow time for any appeals to be submitted, as required by Rule 33(h). However, the tribunal has ruled that Edwards should take up the powers of President-Elect in the interim. 

The tribunal disqualified Caleb van Ryneveld, Immy Broome, Jakov Mlinarević, Lilian Chen and Jim Smith from election to Secretary’s Committee after they failed to ‘sign down’. Rule 33(c)(ix) requires all candidates to report to the RO or General Office following an election to check if their attendance is required at an election tribunal, and if they do not the tribunal can disqualify them. There will be a recount of the election to Secretary’s Committee excluding the disqualified candidates.

The tribunal’s report also mentioned an allegation of electoral malpractice brought against another individual which was then withdrawn.

The art of being silly

Molly Dineley
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The art of being silly

At the end of term, you can walk the streets of Oxford and see a certain look in the eyes of all the students you meet; the fatigue of eight weeks of work mixed with a vacancy that can only be seen in someone who has experienced too many Bridge Thursdays. With each new term your hopes rise. This is the one, you think, that will turn out perfectly. Then reality sets in by week five at the latest.  Rinse and repeat. But what can you do to keep yourself sane when you have to stay in the library for the third night in a row? Or if you have to bail on a hangout because you still haven’t finished a presentation due tomorrow? The only thing that can really work is to go off the rails a little. As a treat. Most of the people here go a little crazy from the general world anyways, so why not lean into it?

I’ve been told countless times about the importance of a work/life balance, but maybe the real metric we must measure ourselves against is the stillness/silliness balance. Stillness is necessary for your silliness. Taking moments to enjoy the quiet of life makes the loud moments more interesting. What’s the point of coming to what might be one of the most ‘serious’ institutions in the world and letting that go unchallenged? Of course, being silly is more than just a mere feeling – it’s a mindset. You could be silly every now and then, but there is joy to be obtained from committing to silliness even in your most serious moments. In your tutorials you may know everything you need to, but sometimes the best memories are the times when you could laugh with your tutors about a topic.

Possibly the best way to make friends is by being silly. I do many a silly thing with my friends (the silliness of that sentence is not lost on me), including a termly week seven cat maid bar crawl (which has previously been erroneously labelled the ‘animaid society’). Big or small, these actions make us who we are and bring us together into groups, each with its own quirks. Whilst sharing the same sense of humour and doing frivolous things together for the sake of it can be a bonding activity, silliness is also a way of creating your own individual identity. Self-expression often comes from the ‘silly’ in life, whether it’s the whimsical application of neon eyeliner in the morning, or dancing randomly on Cornmarket Street with your friends to scare the tourists. 

So, at least once before the end of this summer term, give yourself license to do something stupidly silly and sillily stupid while you’re still here. Go crazy! Be your truest self. Have fun in the sun. Use lots of inane mental health slogans in your daily vocabulary. Keeping yourself upright amidst the wave of work that comes each week is no easy feat. Let yourself be silly in as many little ways as possible.

Gees – Mediterranean dishes at a British price point

Oliver Hall
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Gees – Mediterranean dishes at a British price point

Gees is easy to miss, there’s no doubt about that, but behind the conservatory just next to North Parade on Banbury Road is the Mediterranean outpost in the eclectic Oxford Collection. A revamp last year has enhanced this continental image even more with garden dining matching the fresh dishes across the menu.

Chatting with the team at Gees, it really is clear just how much the history of this place matters to them. The current recognisable conservatory was built in 1897 and in 1985, Raymond Blanc opened his first ever ‘Petit Blanc’ here. That chain would go on to morph into the now famed ‘Brasserie Blanc’ and perhaps that is where that drive to create a Mediterranean atmosphere comes from.

That revamp last year wasn’t just to Gees. As well as adding the Gees Gallery room here for private dining of up to 40 guests, the entirety of The Oxford Collection underwent a rebrand back in 2020 with more cohesive marketing and branding. That group is home to Quod, Parsonage Grill, and both of their respective hotels. It is fascinating then to reflect on just where Gees fits into that picture overall. The price point is similar, with mains ranging from £18 to £32, but Gees strikes me as a more laid-back lunch spot than its compatriots. The only problem there of course is that prices that high are more reminiscent of high-level nighttime dining.

As always, I wanted to let the staff guide me through their favourite dishes and to start we went for the Asparagus Vinaigrette, Grilled Orkney Scallops, and a soft shell crab dish. Without a doubt, the fresh asparagus was a good recommendation. Locally sourced and in season, they were served with a light vinaigrette that gave the vegetable room to shine itself.

Asparagus

Soft-shell crab is a difficult thing to find in the UK so I was really excited to see it make an appearance. The crab itself was full of flavour and the paired aioli full of flavour — my only suggestion would be for a lighter batter, if you are to have one at all. Soft-shell has such a refined taste all on its own that it is a shame to cloud it with that batter, however ‘dusted’ it might be.

Soft-shell crab

Scallops were definitely the pick of the starters. Dill, capers, and brown butter within the shell enhanced the distinct flavour and the scallops themselves were perfectly grilled. £15 though? That might be a bit steep for some.

Scallops

Pastas, and in particular the duck ragu, are very much a signature but owing to the 27-degree temperatures we steered clear. Instead, the fish of the day (a whole grilled seabass), and burrata beetroot dish arrived in earnest. These are two vastly different dishes but both are absolutely superb in their own right.

The bass came alongside a pleasingly light mixed tomato salsa and lettuce salad. As regular readers know, I’m more than a fan of fish when served whole and this is a prime example of why. Kept brilliantly simple, it is baked with slices of lemon and rosemary. As a result, the fish itself takes centre stage and the light sides complement it perfectly.

Sea Bass

The burrata and beetroot dish was far more complex and brilliantly constructed. Vegetarian dishes often force chefs to think more about what they are putting together and this is no exception. Varying beetroots are chopped alongside chicory and blood orange before being topped with burrata and a fennel pangratto. The creaminess of the cheese complements the punchy beets and blood orange perfectly and the balance of flavours is bang on. At £17.50, this is for me by far the best value dish on the menu.

Burrata and beetroot

We kept things classic on the dessert front with Tiramisu and Pedro Ximenez affogato. Here, things were a little disappointing. The tiramisu was fine but just fine — it may well be personal taste but I am always a fan of less sponge and a boozier tiramisu. 

Affogato is such a treat and, in my opinion, one of the great desserts — that is even more the case when served with Pedro Ximenez in place of coffee. Somewhat tragically, the restaurant had no vanilla and the stracciatella substitute simply didn’t pair as well as the classic. As well as that, much of the ice cream had already melted when it arrived at the table — a problem easily resolved by pouring the shot tableside.

Affogato (Tiramisu in the the background)

All in all, Gees is no doubt a refreshing presence on the Oxford food scene. The refurbishment has only further enhanced its offering. The private dining space is a brilliant and novel edition and the new garden a no-brainer for summer afternoons. Dishes are generally very well thought-out and constructed and the ingredients are of the highest quality. The only thing holding it back is the price point. Very much at the high-end, this strikes me as a place to come with the parents, not somewhere to treat yourself with a friend on a weekend afternoon.

Why British politics hates the young

Martin Conmy
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Why British politics hates the young

As Jeremy Hunt ushered in a new era of austerity, it seemed like nothing was immune to the chancellor’s axe. Taxes were to rise, spending on public services reduced, the energy price cap reined in. As the principle of ‘sound money’ reared its head once more, nothing was off the table in a desperate attempt to get spending under control. 

Nothing, that is, apart from pensions. For the poor, children, and disabled, the treasury door was firmly shut; but just as he was taking food off the tables of the hungry, Hunt was busy lavishing riches upon the elderly. Not only is the pension ‘triple lock’ to remain in place – guaranteeing a 10% rise in pensions, year on year, costing the treasury tens, if not hundreds of billions – but the limit on pensions savings has been scrapped, costing the treasury a further £2.75 billion in the next five years.

This is despite the fact that are few groups in British society who need extra government help less than pensioners. A quarter of pensioners are millionaires, many more than are in poverty (indeed, poverty among pensioners is around half as common as among children); since 2010 pension funds have doubled, while wages have remained nearly static. Unlike millennials or generation Zers, ‘boomers’ also had the luxury of growing up in a world where nearly everyone could afford a house, and where one job was good enough for life.

Not only is investment in pensions at the cost of everything else unfair, however, it’s economically illiterate. Spending on education, childcare and infrastructure is an investment that guarantees a brighter, richer future; while pensions are of course necessary to prevent the old falling into poverty, increased spending on them offers no long-term economic benefits.  

Pensions, however, are only one manifestation of a problem that runs throughout British political life. Virtually every single major political event over the past decade can only be understood with reference to the complete dominance of the elderly over the debate. Brexit, for instance, will be completely disastrous for young people: it will reduce long-term GDP by as much as 10%, while devastating academic research and reducing opportunities for immigration. For the old, however, Brexit means less immigrants and an easier time holding onto a nostalgic concept of British exceptionalism; the only real downside is a little more bureaucracy when going on holiday. 

Time and time again, the interests of a youthful many have been neglected in favour of an elderly few. What the young need more than anything else is a growing economy; but for the old economic growth is difficult and disturbing – it means noisy construction projects, radical, worrying change and increased immigration – with most of them never to enjoy its positive effects. Almost every economically irrational decision taken by subsequent Tory governments – Brexit, the lack of spending on infrastructure, a refusal to reform planning laws – is in fact supremely rational when viewed through the lens of strengthening their elderly voting base.  

It is clear, therefore, that British politics increasingly resembles a gerontocracy – rule by the old. What is less clear is how to fix it. The most important step is to increase voting turnout among the young. The reason government after government neglects the interest of anyone of working age is because, politically, it’s far less beneficial; in 2019, over 75 year olds had a turnout not far off twice that of 18-24 year olds. Also crucial is to give the old a stake in an expanding economy. The triple-lock, while a brilliant piece of rhetoric, is a misnomer; our current pension system instead resembles a skeleton key, wielded by the old to raid the country’s coffers at every opportunity.  A solution first proposed by the Economist, so perfect as to practically be genius, is to link pension growth directly to economic growth. Many would’ve been more hesitant to opt for Brexit if it meant potentially seeing their pensions shrink by thousands of pounds. 

British politics, therefore, is captive to a special interest group of doddling old grandmas and zimmer frame wielding grandads. Until this group’s undue influence is weeded out, Britain’s status will remain the same; a declining power, destined to end up as the ‘Sick Man of Europe’ once again.

Image Credit: Surprising_Shots via Pixabay

Union bans “digital campaigning” in future elections

Maggie Wilcox
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Union bans “digital campaigning” in future elections

The Oxford Union has passed a new amendment to Rule 33 which will ban all forms of online campaigning except for one-on-one messages and the posting of plain text manifestos.

Previously, candidates and their slates were allowed to create Instagram accounts and Facebook profiles with their campaign promises. These were often elaborately designed with custom layouts and photography. Under the changed rules, these forms of online campaigning will be banned. The motion would also ban group “hacking” or soliciting votes in any form of social media or messaging platform. Individual private messages, however, will still be allowed.

Chris Collins, who proposed this motion, hopes it will be “an antidote to the needless toxicity of Union politics”. He added, “it will make elections more meritocratic and manifesto-based, stop the mudslinging and popularity politics, and cut down on all the Union spam that floods Members’ timelines in 7th Week”.

After being postponed from 5th week, the motion was originally passed on Thursday of 7th week. However, a petition had been posted calling for it to be postponed again, and it was later established that this had acquired the requisite number of signatories within the necessary timeframe. The motion therefore had to be brought again on Thursday of 8th week, where it was passed again by a verbal vote with only one vote against. The new rule will take effect in Hilary 2024.

This article was updated at 9:15am on 16/06/2023.

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