By Mohsin Khan
OUSU Council will today debate a motion that demands richer colleges pay more money to poorer colleges as part of the College Contribution Scheme (CCS).
If passed, the motion would support the continuation of the CCS and ask that richer colleges contribute more to the scheme in proportion to their wealth, and that conference income from all colleges be ‘taxed’ less.
The College Contribution Scheme was created in 1973 to redistribute wealth from colleges with larger endowments, such as Nuffield and St John’s College, to colleges with smaller endowments, for example St Peter’s and Lady Margaret Hall.
Tom Lowe, JCR President of Hertford College and proposer of the motion, highlighted the disparity that exists between Oxford colleges’ wealth.
“I believe the CCS should be made stronger so richer colleges pay more. A good example of the massive difference in college wealth is All Souls College. The assets of All Souls are £224 million, in contrast to Mansfield College which is probably the smallest of the colleges. Mansfield’s assets are £11 million. A pretty big contrast,” he said.
A majority of colleges are paying a smaller proportion of their endowment income than when the scheme was created. From 1973 to 2003, the total contributions to the fund have declined from 11.2% to 4.5%.
Total endowment income for the University is around £80 million a year, of which almost £10 million comes from St John’s College. In contrast, the poorest major undergraduate college, Keble, has an endowment income of only £500,000.
The amount that richer colleges currently contribute is not entirely based upon their assets or endowment income. Lowe suggested that differences in college wealth were unjustified, and could lead to a system where colleges were offering significantly different academic standards.
“Richer colleges will say endowment successes are down to good investment,” he said. “In reality, good investment is only part of it. A lot of it comes down to historical accident.
“If you have rich colleges getting richer, and poorer colleges not getting comparatively richer, then you’re likely to end up in a situation where degrees from the colleges mean different things.”
The motion demands that taxation on conference income be reduced, as poorer colleges rely more heavily on conference income than richer colleges.
It also argues that wealthier colleges are better equipped to increase their income than poorer colleges, as they are able to use their premises for conferences and to hire better research fellows than poorer colleges.
The proposed introduction of the Joint Research Allocation Method (JRAM) for distributing money between colleges will give more money to those which conduct research. As richer colleges achieve higher research ratings, these colleges are likely to receive more money from the Government than poorer colleges.
Colleges are funded from four other sources besides the CCS: endowment income, through donations, by hiring out of premises for conferences and by HEFCE grants from the Government. Fees paid directly to colleges by the Government were abolished in 2001, increasing the dependence of poorer colleges upon the CCS.
The Conference of Colleges, the University body charged with investigating the CCS, is due to release a separate report later this term.

 
 
 
 





Christ Church 2 – Balliol 6

HAVING just missed out promotion to the Premier Division last season, Christ Church would no doubt have been hoping to begin the long process of atonement with a win against newly promoted Balliol. It was certainly not to be, however, as Balliol produced an emphatic early-season performance that will certainly lend weight to their promotion chances.

Balliol can attribute much of their victory to fine performances from Rory Campbell, and in particular David Lawson, who had a debut to remember as he bagged a hat trick.

Lawson’s season started in perfect fashion, as he beat Christ Church defence who appeared to still be on vacation to round a fine move by Balliol.

Christ Church managed to find their way into the game after conceding, and were much the better side for the next twenty minutes. Pacy striker Bola Ogidan was a definite threat, and he should have equalised after fifteen minutes, but after having been released he shot tamely against the keeper.

Then, all of a sudden, Christ Church found themselves two goals down. From a Christ Church corner, Ted Maxwell broke with terrific pace, and earned his side a corner. Christ Church totally failed to clear their lines, and defender Andy Salisbury smashed a powerful header against the post. Not to worry, though, as he duly stuck the rebound away.

Ogidan then hauled Christ Church back into the game, winning a penalty as a Balliol defender bundled him over rather unceremoniously, despite his initial shot having been saved by the keeper. Andy Sissons stepped up and calmly sent the keeper the wrong way.

And it was so nearly all square with just two minutes of the second half gone. Sissons swung in a fabulous left footed corner that hit the bar, with the keeper two yards off his line.

Despite Christ Church dominating the next fifteen minutes, they did their level best to throw the game away as James Corke-Webster launched into a challenge that could only be described as clumsy on Maxwell. However, skipper Ian Mainwaring temporarily kept his side in the game, making a fine save low to his right from Campbell’s penalty. Indeed, without some terrific saves from their captain, Christ Church could quite easily have conceded ten.

The penalty reprieve lasted a mere two minutes, as a suicidal back pass was intercepted by Maxwell, who rounded Mainwaring and fired into an unguarded net.

The concession of the third goal seemed to shatter Christ Church’s confidence, and after enjoying a strong twenty minutes, Balliol scored, albeit somewhat fortuitously. Mainwaring made another tidy save from Jamie Hill’s run, but Lawson headed the rebound home.

By this point Christ Church were shambolic. Ogidan sped onto a through ball, but managed to shoot five yards wide, and from the resulting goal kick Campbell worked the ball to Lawson. His initial shot was blocked, but he retained the ball, powerfully beat his marker and arrowed his shot in off the post.

Even after a frenzied second half, there was still time for two more goals in stoppage time. The first was a consolation for Christ Church, as Andy Sissons fired in from the edge of the box. At least they thought it was a consolation. From the kick off Campbell angled a ball across the box, and Julian Rose swept home. Mercifully for Christ Church, that was the final action of a manic second half.

For Christ Church, some urgent defensive work is clearly required. For Balliol, what a season appears to be in store.

 Despite an impressive supporters contingent at Iffely Road, the Oxford Brookes rugby team was sent back up Headington Hill on Wednesday after failing to convert determination into points.

A strengthened Greyhounds team that mixed newcomers with capped Blues was woken into action by the Brookes' 15, just moments after kick-off when he converted a penalty to take Brookes into the lead. The response was not long in coming however, as Allfrey fed to Humphrey-Baker in midfield who made a trademark break, releasing Oxford's full-back to score in the corner. Shortly after, a chip into the corner set Jonan Boto up to dive in a second try, which was also converted successfully. Having found some momentum, the Greyhounds employed the catch and drive tactic, which resulted in third try, grounded by fresher Chris Davies and duly converted.

When Brookes finally reached Oxford's twenty-two the scrum half initiated a comeback, scoring a try just before half-time, taking the score to 21-10.

Returning to play, the pressure on the visitors was maintained after half-time, but a few careless handling errors prevented Oxford from scoring. An outside break leading to a try and conversion for Brookes' speedy full-back brought the scoreline closer, but Oxford's response was not slow in coming; Tomaszczvk burst through the defence to score under the posts. With the Headington crowd's jeering creating a home atmosphere for the away team, Brookes' had a few breaks in the latter part of the game, but the Iffley-based forwards remained dominant at both scrum and breakdown. The 'hounds will need maximum composure if they are to improve on the final score of 34-17 at the away fixture later this term.

by Hannah Pennington 

Cooking beans in your kettle is one of those opportunities to revel in your student status. When you’re not at home and your mum can’t throw a wobbler, you can eat whatever you choose. You can exult mischievously in eating your favourite concoction of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, stage a covert rebellion by eating breakfast at four in the afternoon and devour late night greasy kebabs without that guilty aftertaste of your mum’s raised eyebrows. But there is a reason why when you’re in Oxford you always crave a classic, homely Sunday lunch with crisp roast potatoes and lashings of gravy. Student cooking on a budget only remains a novelty for a few weeks, a month at most. So if you’re far from delighted by the prospect of sharing a grotty fridge, tackling the mountains of washing up and doing constant battle with mental arithmetic as you traipse up and down the supermarket aisles then read on for inspired tips, shopping tactics and some common sense solutions.

A student spends on average about £29 a week on food but the odd lunch out with friends in the covered market, grabbing a coffee in between lectures, indulging in a curry for your crew date and buying a bottle of vodka or a few cans with your weekly shop will leave you with little change. In student vernacular keeping it cheap and cheerful is often synonymous with a poor diet. Pre-term intentions of cooking from scratch and experimenting with fresh ingredients fade rapidly in the face of essay crises and the tempting ease of microwave ready meals. According to recent surveys the average student puts on 11 pounds in their first year and many students would readily admit that it is attributable to tucking into late night chips and grabbing quick on-the-go solutions when the hunger pangs strike.

So how do you avoid eating endless portions of tomato pasta, special offer ready meals and, well, beans on toast? All too often you end up trying to budget-buy on the wrong things. It is easy to become unwittingly sucked in by the supermarket’s calculatingly placed three-for-two offers and suddenly you find a shelf full of tins and tins of tuna but no mayo for a sandwich, no cheese left to make a bubbling pasta bake and no time to cook a jacket potato. Co-ordinating a kitchen cupboard is like co-ordinating a wardrobe: make sure that the items in your basket go well together.

If your student diet is based on toast and cereal and you find yourself googling Delia to ask if it’s possible to make an omelette without eggs then start by evaluating the contents of your cupboard. According to Jamie Oliver a student’s store cupboard should always contain salt, olive oil, fresh lemons and fresh garlic along with a home grown herb box on your windowsill filled with a range of aromatic herbs including thyme, rosemary, basil, sage, mint and oregano. Fat chance, when it’s far easier to keep a couple of cans of soup on standby to cover all eventualities. When I asked one student how he dealt with buying ingredients and conjuring up meals on a budget, he gave me this key philosophy, ‘Cooking at university is all about stretching the realms of accepted flavours and bunging in whatever you can find in the cupboard, why shouldn’t Jiff lemon juice and baked beans go in a curry?’ Students are renowned for creating bizarre eating habits: one student recommends tuna, cold baked beans and crisps whilst another claims to have eaten a diet consisting solely of cornflakes, halloumi cheese and diet coke.

Make yourself some rules to lug round the supermarket with your basket. Firstly always buy versatile ingredients, rather than buying a whole jar of spices you will never finish before it sails past its sell by date, buy a jar of curry paste; mix it with yoghurt to make a fresh tasting curry; add it to fried potatoes to make a Bombay version; fry a bit of leftover chicken in it for your sandwiches or add it to your rice to give every grain kick and colour. If you need to prove to your mother you can cook when she comes up for a visit, have a cheesecake ready in the fridge by creating a base of crushed biscuits, mixing some soft cheese with the zest and juice of a lemon and a mound of sliced strawberries on top for decoration.Once you have sussed a shopping routine enlist your housemates to share the cooking and washing up. If each of you cooks once a week you are well on the way to a varied, stress-free diet. Minimize the washing up pile by always opting for one pot dishes; for example, try out the oven baked Thai chicken rice and adapt it according to your taste (and your store cupboard). Do multiple variations of the same dish, turn omelettes into Spanish potato tortillas, Chinese egg fried rice or vegetable fritters. Cooking requires a blend of experience and bravery, but if you are short of one of these two vital ingredients then just supplement one with the other. ‘Practice makes perfect’ really is the maxim of learning to cook so step away from the student stereotype and head to Cowley road to find cheap, fresh fruit and vegetables, buy yourself a book of ‘one-pot’ recipes to save on the washing up, learn timesaving tactics by freezing leftovers and outwit your housemates by labelling every dish as ‘fusion cooking.’ If all else fails. the baked beans wont go off in a hurry.

This is the winning start that Christ Church would have been hoping for, and although an important victory in its own right, it was all the more important as it demonstrated this was a team still moving forward, despite the loss of some big players last year.

The game started on a very even footing, and when Exeter spent 10 minutes camped inside the Christ Church 22, some of the men in white may have feared a repeat of last year's comprehensive Exeter victory. However a huge clearing kick from fly-half Ashley Gillard, followed by a lineout steal from in-form lock Matt Podger begun a second quarter which Christ Church dominated comprehensively. They scored three tries, all of them converted by Gillard's ever-reliable boot. The stand out gem of these scores was a fantastic individual effort by Jamie Holdoway, running hard from full-back and leaving tacklers in his wake to touch down under the posts.

With the score 21-0 at half time, the House players appeared confident of being able to seal victory, even with a player lost to the sin-bin. This confidence seemed well placed as they scored the first try of the second half to stretch their lead. However Exeter were not yet dead and buried, and they came back into the game with two tries, including a classy run down the blind side by scrum half Quentin Macfarlane. With both of these tries converted, those watching could have been forgiven for thinking that the game was turning around. However Exeter let their concentration lapse and spilled the kick-off. From the resulting scrum, a crisply worked backs move saw debutant outside centre Andy Sprague cutting through the smallest of gaps, and although he was felled by an excellent covering tackle, he managed to offload in contact and see the ball touched down to effectively end the match as a contest.

Captain Christopher Perfect described Christ Church's first half performance as “…the best I've ever seen us play…” and felt that with this kind of solid forward platform combining well with the pace and skill of the backs, the House's chances were strong going into next weeks game against Trinity/LMH. However this Exeter team must try to recover from their performance today, and will need to improve if they are to maintain their place in this division.

First week of Michaelmas stands out as an eventful seven days for all Oxford students. The essays haven’t started and Filth is still cool because you have nothing to compare it to. It’s a week of meeting new people, making the friends who see you through your degree and, for many, tolerating the inevitable references about where you come from. For me, hailing from the coastal town of Llanelli in South Wales, this meant slowing down my speech, asking the occasional individual not to call me Glyn, and tolerantly explaining why I wasn’t at Jesus. Such comments have never escalated into what anyone could call prejudice, but there have certainly been moments where being away from a country that is essentially not particularly distant have been difficult. So can the same be said for other non-English Brits? What difficulties face Scottish and Irish students, as well as Welsh ones other than myself, on arriving in Oxford, a quintessentially English town full of English people?

The first few days at Oxford, as well as bringing light-hearted stereotyping, also means signing up for more clubs than you have time to attend at the Fresher’s Fair. The first stall I came across as I walked into the exam school that day was the Arabic society, and I was asked if I wanted to be a member. Apparently, it didn’t matter that I had no connection whatsoever to this group, so I quickly put my e-mail address on the contact sheet and looked around for the next potential association. Something caught my eye; the Welsh society, a club which I surely had every right to be a member of. I practically ran across the crowded room, pen ready, and began to write my name. And yet, I was stopped by a questioning glance from the girl who mans the stall. “Don’t worry” I say, “I’m Welsh”.
But my hopes are dashed. I may be Welsh, but that doesn’t mean I’m wanted. My inability to speak the tongue of my native land means that, to the society, I am unnecessary, and unless I have lessons, I will forever remain in purgatory, linked with Wales through my heritage, but to England through my language.
So why such a rule? Surely the Welsh society, full name Cymdeithas Dafydd ap Gwilym, has an obligation to cater for all countrymen. I ask the current president, Delyth Jewell, about the motives behind such a strict policy, and she is understandably quick to jump to its defence. ‘The point is that the very purpose of the society is for first language Welsh speakers to have the opportunity to use the language when they’re away from home.’ This seems fair enough, but would it not be possible to embrace non-Welsh speakers in different events? Apparently there was indeed a separate society which performed such a function, but it has, as Jewell says, ‘filtered out’. The shelf-life of what could be described as an overly nationalistic club seems short, but Cymdeithas Dafydd ap Gwilym is the second oldest society in the University (after the Union), so they must be doing something right. Evidently then the national identity which people like Jewell work hard to maintain is not always present in the Welsh students at Oxford. Is this simply apathy, or rather a conscious decision on their part to become absorbed into English life?
This isn’t always the case though, as I discover from Fiona Mulvenna, a second year from Northern Ireland, who feels that her sense of national identity has actually increased since being in England; ‘At home, national identity is a bit of a no-no as it’s so closely linked to sectarianism – ie you have to have a “British” identity or an “Irish” one. Now  I’m here however, I do feel quite proud of my Northern Irish-ness. It makes me cross when people think I’m Scottish, which is surprisingly frequently.’

Such a seemingly strange comparison brings me to the Scots, who congregate at the Scottish society. This lacks the restrictions of its Welsh counterpart, but it seems strange that it has only recently found its legs. I meet Mark Hamid, who has been active in the formation of this society, and ask him about what he considers the problems facing the Scottish students who decide to come to Oxford. He instantly agrees that the minor jibes experienced have never been anything more than playful banter, but nevertheless raises several occasions when where he comes from has caused difficulty. Certain issues seem to be caused by crossed wires and friction between contrasting authorities. For example, the fact that some individuals do not understand Scotland’s exam system can create difficulties. Finance is even more of a problem; Mark recalls the cost of his battells in Michaelmas as amounting to more than four thousand pounds, which, not surprisingly, ‘came as quite a shock’. This problem occurred after delays on the part of his L.E.A in paying his fees, a problem which was solved eventually, but was nevertheless an avoidable error.

Mark also comments on the difficulties posed by the sheer distance students from Scotland, Wales and Ireland (and to many extents parts of England itself) must travel to get to Oxford. Journeys are of course kept to a minimum, as one only needs to make their way here three times a year, but when you’re getting a train to Edinburgh with a few cases and a couple of boxes, it seems a whole lot harder. Colleges hardly make this easier. Whilst a French student from Calais (277 miles away) is entitled to vacation storage to enable an easier journey, Mark, whose home lies 359 miles away, has no such benefits. I am reminded of my return to Oxford in Hilary to find the contents of a box I left in storage (being unable to carry it with everything else) had been donated to a nearby charity shop who, as I discovered after much investigation, had deemed my photographs and general items unsuitable for sale and promptly put them out for the rubbish trucks. I ask Fiona if this has ever been an issue for her; ‘I always spend Saturday of 8th looking wistfully at people from Reading filling up their parents’ cars with stuff’, she says. ‘Meanwhile I totter off to the bus station with an enormous suitcase and several other bags. It doesn’t help that I have far too many shoes.’ The Scottish society hopes to be able to find a way of helping students with this problem in the future, but it seems slightly unfair that colleges themselves are not already providing assistance. In Ms. Mulvenna’s view though, there is little they can do, ‘even if college let me leave everything it wouldn’t make that much difference as I’d still have to take home more than I can carry’. Presumably, she means her shoes.

The Scottish society have a lot of thoughts on how they can be of assistance to the many students who choose to come to Oxford. Mark comments on his intention to improve access, hoping that the association will soon be in a position to help future Scots make the decision to apply. The society though, as Mark is quick to point out, is in no way overtly nationalistic in a political manner, saying ‘I should hope that the society never opts to take a particular stance’. Mix these serious aspects of the society with events celebrating St. Andrew’s Day, Burns’ Night etc. and surely you have a winner. After all, the Scottish dancing society (which amusingly precedes this new one) have expressed support for future functions. Mark seems eager to encourage any celebration of Scottish identity, even if, as he tells me, such a club is made up mostly of the English.

There can be little doubt then that coming to Oxford from Wales, Scotland or Ireland is going to raise difficulties. There are inevitably going to be less of us, but there are still plenty of countrymen about if you just look and, as Fiona tells me, ‘you usually know them or their sister or their best friend or their auntie’s dog’. Whether you are simply derided light-heartedly by new friends, or experience hardships involving finance or distance, there is going to be minor inconvenience. However, such issues can in no way be found only in Oxford; in fact, the University seems to be more accepting of the influx of non-English students than certain Welsh institutions are when welcoming individuals from just across the Severn Bridge. And, indeed, the accents and traits which may bring comical comments are found in equal measure in students from places such as Liverpool or Yorkshire. In my experience, there does not seem to be any difference between a Geordie and a Welsh boy in terms of the level of such comments. Overall then, we non-English Brits have got a lot to be thankful for, even if, every now and again, we get asked to speak just that little slower.

 Ben Lafferty

 This new play by David Cochrane is an attempt to take us into the dissociative psychosis that seized the Nazi cabinet in the final convulsions of the Third Reich. Set in the clammy claustrophobia of Hitler's bunker, Cochrane's aim is to illustrate the seeping paranoia of Hitler's inner circle and to remake figures who have become synonyms for abhorrence into comprehensible humans.

Cochrane's writing is at its best when knuckling down to these issues, as his repeated stabs at black comedy follow a formula that turns stale midway through the first implementation. A pair of doctors embark upon a vaudeville exchange of increasing pomposity before, in a manner sure to shock any audience, one calls the other a 'cunt'. The device is repeated later with 'fucking idiot' and 'bitch', with similarly side-splitting consequences. When not indulging in such ornamentation, however, he poses some excellent, not to mention disturbing, questions. Beyond what point does depravity become irredeemable? Where does moral relativism come to an end?

The character that best embodies these intractables is Albert Speer. Cochrane's Speer is a decent man brought low by events. Rhys Jones' portrayal will be familiar to all who've seen his previous roles. He is the world-weary Everyman striving for dignity in, you guessed it, a world gone mad. Jones is characteristically solid, but his portrayal exacerbates the piece's patchy approach to naturalism. Alongside the fixedly deranged grin of Sheridan Edward's Goebbels (think Chris Barrie, think 'The Brittas Empire'), Speer remains a man of identity. One does not suppose that Cochrane feels compassion for Speer, he is not made a hero. When Cochrane protests he's not writing a 'historical' play, the characterisation of his Speer is troubling. His portrayal is not a-historical but anti-historical; not alluded to for instance (at least at press-preview) is Speer's complicity in the employment of slave labour. Should we truly be feeling empathy, even admiration, for a Nazi leader on the grounds that he was somewhat less evil than those around him?

I've pored over the Thesaurus for whole minutes, but there really is no elegant way to say this: Tom Garner is just awful, portraying Heinrich Himmler so maladroitly as to stagger description. Unfortunately, as the drama of the piece rests on his ability to wrestle with the implications of his succeeding Hitler, climactic momentum conspicuously fails to build. Kit Dorey features as his aide, Walter Schellenberg, who naturally benefits from the direct comparison. It falls on Dorey to serve as playwright's mouthpiece, acting as moral commentator, but the result is hampered by having the script's clumsiest lines.

This is my first encounter with Cochrane's work, and I rather hope it shan't be the last. As a writer he has conviction and the willingness to take chances, as well as an ambitious approach to monolithic subject matter. Sadly, that ambition betrays him here. Even for a author of maturity, re-imagining a situation so central the popular historical imagination is an awesome task. Cochrane's style possesses too much studied mannerism, too great an eagerness to flash its literary credentials, to immerse us in the Führerbunker, though once he sheds such tics his qualities make him a writer of promise.

16-20th October

Joe MacDonald talks to the British Ambassador to Afghanistan about his career as an envoy Six years after the US and Britain began the aerial bombing campaign against the Taliban, Afghanistan remains unstable, violent, and desperately poor. Its people have a life expectancy of 46 and its basket case economy depends on the heroin trade, with over half of its GDP coming from drugs. The government of President Hamid Karzai, who won presidential elections three years ago, has little control beyond the capital Kabul. In the badlands bordering Pakistan, the resurgent Taliban are establishing control and launching attacks on Nato forces – 82 British soldiers have died since operations began in 2001, all but four of them within the last two years.
So all things considered, British Ambassador to Afghanistan would seem to be a job demanding in equal parts optimism and realism. Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, speaking to Cherwell soon after his arrival in Kabul on the 15th of May, does not mince his words: “The lack of development is really quite shocking. It’s one of the poorest countries in the world – we need to do all we can to help Afghanistan.”
His posting comes as part of the upgrade of the British diplomatic effort: soon the embassy will be one of the largest in the world. Day to day, the job of staff is to understand Afghanistan and to integrate British government efforts. Also on the in-tray are daily engagements with the Afghan government and coordination with the rest of the international community, be it foreign embassies, the UN, NATO, or the EU.
With security the foremost concern in Afghanistan, working closely with the military is also a big part of Sir Sherard’s role (“it brings out the sad tank-spotter in me”, he jokes on his blog). Security is just one part of the state-building effort. “The British military understand better than anyone what we call the comprehensive approach to building stability,” he says. Military force can only be one element in “a much wider approach” to economic development and establishing the rule of law.
Yet reconstruction efforts remain seriously hampered by the government’s lack of authority and the widespread violence ensuing. Sir Sherard insists that the insurgency is being pushed back, but points to the complexity of the situation. Afghanistan’s recent history makes bleak reading. After three decades of war and suffering under the communists, the warlords and the Taliban, the country was hardly ripe for democratisation. It was only with the rise to prominence of the hardline Islamist movement that any stability was achieved in the country.
Few other nations recognised the Taliban regime as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, oppressive policies ensuring their pariah status. Minority ethnic groups such as the Hazara were persecuted and massacred. Islamic punishments such as stoning and amputation were introduced and religious minorities were forced to wear identification tags. Women were banned from work and education – one edict demanded that windows in Kabul be blacked out so that housebound women would not be visible to passers by. Even shaving was banned.

This legacy explains why state-building and democratisation are such huge challenges. “As a diplomat, it’s essential to learn the language and engage in the culture. My great regret in coming here is that although I’ve been studying Pushtun in London I haven’t had the time to master it.” The lessons will continue in Afghanistan, he says, although since his new teacher speaks no English he will be learning Pushtun through the medium of French.

A fluent Arabic speaker, Sir Sherard has specialised in the Middle East for much of his diplomatic career. After a First in Greats at Hertford in the mid-70s, he took the Foreign Office entrance exam and to his “amazement” was offered a job. His first year saw him based in London as desk officer for Ireland. Coincidentally a friend from Balliol had just entered the much smaller Irish diplomatic service – his first position was desk officer for Africa and Asia.

This was followed by language training in Lebanon, although he had to finish his studies in London: along with other British nationals he was evacuated as the tail-end of the civil war saw Syrian forces firing Katoosha rockets over the Foreign Office school where he studied. He was one of the last graduates of the famous Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, which Egypt’s President Nasser called the “British spy school”.
Later he became private secretary to the late Robin Cook. The notoriously prickly foreign secretary hated to be bothered by trivia before important meetings, Sir Sherard recalls. At one European conference news of Cherie Blair’s pregnancy had just come through, but he decided it would be best not to mention it in his morning briefing to a grumpy-looking Cook. Unfortunately, as soon as Cook entered the conference chamber, Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern asked him to give the prime minister his congratulations on the “wonderful news”. A baffled Cook assumed that Ahern must have been talking about some sudden breakthrough in the Northern Ireland peace process. Unimpressed by Ahern’s frivolous tone, he replied, “I will pass on your congratulations, but you do realise this has taken Tony three years of hard work.”
One of the privileges to come with being the minister’s private secretary was being able to indicate, within reason, what job he wanted next. Having learnt Arabic and served in Cairo, Sir Sherard wanted to see the other side of the Middle East conflict. After immersion training in Hebrew, which he picked up by living with an Israeli family in Hendon, he became Britain’s ambassador to Israel, at the centre of diplomatic efforts to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“Neither side is gaining from the situation. Israel’s true friends should help bring about a settlement, which means engagement with both sides.” The answer – a two state solution – has been known since 1937, Sir Sherard says. First the Arabs rejected it, and now in recent years Israeli worries mean that it has been delayed again. His time as ambassador taught him much about the “sense of insecurity” amongst Israelis. “The general worry that Israel will be pushed back into the sea – whether or not one thinks this is justified, considering Israel’s military power and its support from America – is a reality of Israeli politics that needs to be recognised.”
Relations between Arabs and Jews have not always been so bleak. “Before the creation of Israel there were huge Jewish communities across the Middle East in Baghdad, Cairo, Beirut, and elsewhere. A sad consequence is that these communities have disappeared. The connection between the Jewish people and the wider Middle East has been lost.”
His stint in Israel was followed in 2003 by a posting as ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Moving an ambassador from Tel Aviv to Riyadh proved a controversial decision. “It was never done before, and may never be done again,” he explains, admitting that he was initially treated with “some suspicion” in the Saudi capital. There were also awkward moments where, due to the similarity of Hebrew and Arabic, he accidentally used Hebrew words instead of Arabic ones. However, he soon struck up a close relationship with his Saudi colleagues, who affectionately nicknamed him ‘Abu Henry’ after his eldest son.
Because of the big British commercial and security interest in Saudi Arabia, the embassy has to deal with “a huge range of activity” – much of it based on meeting the needs of British expats. Fear of al-Qaida led to the number of British nationals in the country falling from 30,000 to 20,000 during one year of Sir Sherard’s tenure. Yet he remains cautiously upbeat about its future: “A key point to remember is that it’s the only country in the Arab world that was never properly colonised, which is a source of pride, but also a burden in the sense that the interior population is very religious, devout, and conservative. The reality for a ruler who wants to bring reform, like King Abdullah, is that he must take the population with him. He can’t just impose his will without risking serious disorder.”
For the scores of Oxford students mulling a career in foreign affairs, he advises that the most important qualities are adaptability and an open mind, “coupled with a strong sense of judgement… and a sense of humour”. He insists that the Foreign Office is not the preserve of white males with double firsts from Oxbridge, pointing out that almost half of the staff in the Saudi Arabia embassy are female. “You have to be prepared for tough conditions. Our job is to understand what makes foreign countries tick. It’s not just understanding for its own sake. The role of the diplomat is more important than ever. Countries have more to do with each other than ever before, and a country like Britain – which engages in the world – needs to understand to influence in Britain’s interest and the international interest.” Again, optimism and realism.

After a day of torrential downpours it was, somewhat miraculously, glorious sunshine that greeted Lincoln and Worcester for this opening premier clash. Unfortunately for Lincoln however, only one team could do the conditions justice.

Even before kick-off Worcester were clearly the more professional outfit with sharp, snappy passing and a strong emphasise on communication. Lincoln meanwhile, had a more relaxed approach and it was no surprise that Worcester dominated the play right from the off.

After only 30 seconds a smart flick from Worcester forward Rich Adams forced Lincoln to concede a corner. A beautiful ball was swung in deep to the far post where Charles Sheldon towered above the Lincoln defence to nod home Worcester’s first.

Worcester forced a third corner on 5 minutes and it was another back post finish, this time from Matt Sinett and with his right foot, that secured Worcester’s second. Worcester continued to have the better of it for the rest of the half, the physicality of midfielder Tim Grady winning the aerial battle while Lucian Weston neatly picked up the pieces. Pacy striker Adams linked up well with fellow forward Desai, but for all their pressure Worcester could not find a third before half time, despite hitting the woodwork on no fewer than three occasions.

Lincoln were lucky to go in only two behind, their best opportunities coming through striker Nick Long who was a constant menace to the Worcester defence.

In the opening period of the second half Lincoln did begin to find their feet, midfielder Jeff French matching the physical presence of Grady and forward Martin Toolberry finding his passing range. This upturn in fortune did not last long though and the comeback goal eluded them.

Worcester reasserted their authority with a sublime through ball from Grady, which was coolly tucked away by Adams.

Lincoln then proceeded to practice their one-twos with the Worcester woodwork. An audacious overhead attempt by Long fell to winger Ploughman, whose shot cannoned off the crossbar only for the now upstanding Long to hit the post. Worcester broke and punished these missed opportunities with Desai drilling a shot straight into the top corner from a tight angle.

Lincoln did ruin the complete performance by Worcester by scoring a consolation on 75 minutes, John Webb tapping in after a fumble by the Worcester keeper. But Worcester had the last word when Weston fired in a cracker from the edge of the area and sealed the 5-1 victory.

Worcester’s captain Danny Plaxton was thrilled with the result, “This is certainly the best football we’ve played for a while and it was great to see the team come together despite several new faces. I can see no reason why we can’t win a third successive league title.”

Confident words from the Worcester captain and a performance to match, suggest Worcester are the side to beat in this year’s premier.

By Matthew Hackett
Oxford is to launch the biggest fundraising campaign in its history with a predicted target of £1bn, Vice Chancellor John Hood told dons last week.
Funds will be used to improve teaching provision across the University by providing resources for academic positions, centres, scholarships and bursaries.
In his annual Oration Speech at Convocation House, Vice Chancellor John Hood said that in the past the University’s potential had been “too often frustrated” because of “inadequate funding”.
In a speech designed to appease rebellious dons, Hood emphasised the importance of Oxford as a university, rather than a business. “We cannot allow funding to dictate the terms of what we do, or how we do it,” he said. “An academic agenda shaped by dollar, pound or euro signs would be an appalling betrayal of all we hold so precious.
“It will be firmly and securely founded on the academic properties of the collegiate University: its history, its values and its academic priorities as determined by its members and their various constituencies,” he added.
With the University now under government pressure to widen access to state school applicants, a large proportion of the money is to help assist prospective students from non-wealthy backgrounds.
A report by the Sutton Trust charity, published in September, found that a third of places to Oxford and Cambridge are dominated by 100 elite schools.
“This is a campaign of campaigns that will work as an umbrella for individual fundraising efforts,” said one college’s development officer. “This is an attempt to show that all the colleges are one big, happy family, although there are no set fundraising targets at this point.”
She added that it was significantly more likely that donations would come from select wealthy individuals rather than multiple smaller bequests.
The campaign will be officially launched in May 2008 by Lord Patten, the University Chancellor, and aims to generate more than the £225m raised for the ‘Campaign for Oxford’ in the late 1980s.
Individual campaigns from wealthier colleges such as Christ Church, Magdalen and Merton could raise over £2bn, although there will no redistribution of funds to poorer colleges.
OUSU President Martin McCluskey said that he welcomes “any campaign that will directly benefit our members” but also spoke of the need to monitor the involvement of businesses in higher education.
“This is one area where there is a need for real debate,” he said. “We think it’s important to discuss how much business investment there will be. Oxford is now taking significant amounts of money from corporations that sponsor chairs and professorships.”
In 2005, Cambridge University launched its own fundraising campaign, also designed to raise £1bn. Cambridge announced this week that they are already over half way to reaching this total. “This is crucial to Cambridge’s future as one of the world’s greatest centres of education,” a spokesman said. “We’re well on the way to safeguarding its future.”
The National Association of College and University and Business Officers (NACUBO), a group representing leading US universities, estimated that Cambridge would now rank third or fourth in terms of wealth when listed alongside the eight Ivy League universities.
University College London also launched an appeal in 2004, with a total target of £300m, claiming that it was “important to compete with top universities in the US”.
Students at top American universities like Harvard and Yale can expect to pay around £22,400 in tuition fees and living costs. Donations from rich ex-students help to provide grants and scholarships for students from poorer backgrounds.
Oxford has previously accepted donations from controversial benefactors, including in May 2007 when the University accepted £2.5m from Hong Kong gambling mogul Stanley Ho, found by a 1992 US Senate Committee to have connections to organised crime.
In February, Tony Blair announced plans to boost the funding of higher education. He pledged that the government would give £1 for every £2 that universities raise from alumni and philanthropists.