Members of Queen’s College JCR have accused their
President of using a provision which ensures tall people do not
get attic rooms to fix the room ballot to obtain the best rooms
for himself and his “mates”. Ashley McDermott, the JCR President, has dismissed the claims
as “ludicrous” and, while admitting things could have
been handled better, he said, “my conscience is completely
clear”. He has responded to allegations that the process
“wasn’t fair and that it was an excuse to give some of
your mates good rooms,” by sending a 1,500 word email to the
whole JCR denying that there had been “an outrageous abuse
of power.” The ballot for rooms in the college was run by the Home
Bursar’s secretary instead of the Home Bursar for the first
time this year, along with McDermott. Following last year’s
ballot that left students over 6ft tall stooping for a year in an
attic room, the college invited submissions from students who
felt they had a justifiable need of a certain room. After only
one application was made on the grounds of height, the Home
Bursar’s secretary asked McDermott to name all the tall
people in college. He named several of his friends but he admits,
“Unfortunately there were people who I missed out, and I
apologise for this.” There was more dissatisfaction after it emerged that McDermott
himself had made a submission to the Home Bursar but had refused
to reveal the reasons behind it. He asserts that “as a
matter of principle and personal preference I would not be able
to stand up in front of the JCR and try to justify the personal
reasons for which I applied for any particular type of
room.” The requested room is in the illustrious Drawda Halls
and contains a double bed. McDermott claims that it is not a
particularly good room and that he is as entitled as anyone else
to apply under the new rules. Stewart Robinson, ex-JCR president
said that the JCR “should establish a proper policy” on
the ballot adding that it, “should be the luck of the
draw” for everyone, including the President. Amidst a jumble of double negatives, McDermott goes on in his
email to “categorically deny that I have gone against
neither the ‘spirit’ not (sic) the ‘letter’
of JCR policy,” and to promise that clearer guidelines will
be drawn up in the future.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

St John’s JCR has decided to buy an island. The
“Motion in the Ocean” was passed on Sunday in an
attempt to alleviate the stress of college life. New Zealand, technically two islands, emerged with strong
support, but it was decided to keep the identity of the real
estate unspecified. Nonetheless, St John’s students are
upbeat about the prospect. Firstyear Jonathan Day, who proposed
the motion, highlighted the potential for a system of communal
holiday cottages similar to the Bothies of Scotland, as “a
retreat from the daily hubbub of Oxford life”. Despite a general aura of excitement, it may be some time
before an actual purchase is made. Until a financial motion is
passed, the President is not mandated to spend any money on such
an acquisition.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

An eleven-year-old girl saw her thirteen-year-old brother
killed on Monday, when their school bus collided with a tractor.
Tomas Ryan-Vig from Bicester, ten miles north of Oxford, was
among 38 pupils travelling home in a convoy of two coaches. Paramedics described the scene at a sharp bend near Bicester
as “devastation – it was carnage. There were children
lying all over the place and they were very distressed.”
They claimed it was a “miracle” that injuries were not
more severe. There was an attempt to resuscitate the boy but he
was prounced dead at the scene. One other student had to be airlifted to hospital and 21 more
slightly injured pupils were treated at the John Radcliffe in
Oxford. The tractor and the bus drivers were unharmed. Kate Harper, Tomas’ former headteacher at St Mary’s
RC primary school, which his sister still attends, said, he was a
“very able, sporty boy with a very special sense of
humour.” The Blessed George Napier School, where Tomas was at school,
has held a special assembley as a mark of respect and to help
surving pupils come to terms with what happened. Some pupils are
currently sitting their GCSEs. The school has written to the exam
board asking them to take the crash into account.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

India’s new Oxford-educated Prime Minister was a
“loner” with little charisma, according to his former
doctoral supervisor. Manmohan Singh studied economics at Nuffield College in the
early 1960s. His appointment as Prime Minister last Saturday came
following the shock victory of the secular Congress Party in
India’s general elections. The ruling Hindu nationalist BJP
party had been expected to win. Singh’s former research supervisor, Dr Ian Little, who
has since retired, informed Cherwell that Singh was a private man
during his time at Nuffield. “He wasn’t a highly social
animal,” said Dr Little, 85. “I don’t think he
really took part in college life.” Little claims to be “very proud” of Singh’s
rise to the top, but suggested that the new premier is an
“inexperienced politician” facing several difficult
challenges. Not everyone is impressed with Singh’s
promotion. “It’s not very interesting really,”
said one porter at Nuffield. “Somerville has had three prime
ministers.” As Finance Minister in the early 1990s, Singh pioneered
India’s economic reforms which supporters credit for
boosting the economy, but which critics claim have increased
social inequality. His surprise selection as Prime Minister came
after the favourite for the job, Sonia Gandhi, widow of the
former PM Rejeev Gandhi, declined the post following controversy
over her Italian origins.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

RON has reared his ugly head once again in Oxford JCR
elections. Last week, the ubiquitous but eternally silent
candidate stormed to victory in the Presidential elections at St
Hugh’s. Dominic Curran resigned as JCR president two week ago as he
struggled to cope with the twin demands of student politics and
Physics finals. A new election was subsequently called, in which
Joe Taylor, who had challenged Curran in the original contest,
was the only candidate. Taylor, a second-year medic, is also
Co-Chair of the Oxford University Labour Club. 25% of students turned out for the election. RON won 118 votes
against Taylor’s 96. “I understand that members of the
JCR committee campaigned for RON,” Taylor said, “but I
can’t say what effect that actually had on the voting.”
He noted that some students had concerns about his close links to
the Labour party and the implications for the impartiality of the
JCR. Chris Farmer, the External Affairs Officer on the JCR said,
“There was definitely not a RON campaign led by members of
the JCR committee. We were all very surprised by the
outcome.” Following RON’s shock resignation, the
position of president is vacant once more. Both Taylor and Farmer
expressed a desire that the JCR find a new president and
“settle down and get on with it.”ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

The Home Office has announced strict new measures in an
attempt to curb the violence of England supporters in Euro 2004.
A record number of suspected hooligans will be banned from
travelling to Portugal; nearly 2,700 people will be subject to
banning orders of bail conditions. For Euro 2000, there were only 100 such banning orders in
place. Police officers will be at ports and airports and
Portuguese authorities will be carrying out passports checks and
vehicle searches. Home Office minister Caroline Flint said, “Everyone
involved wants it to be a genuine festival of football and we are
determined not to let a thuggish minority ruin the tournament for
genuine supporters.” More than 5,000 England supporters are expected to travel to
Portugal for the games. The Tournament kicks off on 12 June and
England’s first game, against France, is the following day.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

Undersexed, underpriced and over here. The Silver Ring Thing
is the latest import from the States, and I bet it isn’t
even really made of silver. I mean seriously a silver ring for a
tenner, hell I might abstain for a bargain like that. Well
probably not. It is easy to dismiss the much publicised campaign which the
gulf stream has just deposited on our shores, aiming to reduce
teenage pregnancy, STDs, oh and save young people’s souls.
It is classic bible belt evangelism, with a message and a product
which you can conveniently purchase. But if most people are not fooled, then what is the problem?
Last year a survey showed that teenagers who have taken such
pledges have the same rate of STD infection as the rest of the
population. A more recent study suggested that while such pledges
actually did delay intercourse (no bad thing I admit) when such
teenagers did have sex they were less likely to wear condoms. Such evidence does not matter to the Bush administration who
recently gave The Silver Ring Thing $700,000. Federal funding in
the US coupled by conservative teaching in religious schools,
which is an increasing problem over here, prevents children
learning the importance of practising safe sex. This is the
difficulty. I have no problem with someone who wants to promote
abstinence. It is a legitimate position which I happen to think
is futile. But I do object the refusal to teach teenagers how to
put a condom on properly and the claims that the only way to
avoid STDs is through abstinence. Will George Bush be willing to
personally look after the unwanted babies, and treat all the STDs
he has created? They claim showing a teenager a condom turns their mind to
sex, but showing most fourteen year olds a multi-plug has exactly
the same effect. We live in a sexually aware age, where the most
famous advert for abstinence dresses up in a sexualised version
of a school girl outfit (did you wear that to school?) and
invited us to “hit me baby one more time.” It
isn’t possible to avoid sex and people are going to have it.
Lots. So lets make sure they know why safe sex is important and
how to have it. Sell them a ring if you like, but also give them
a load of free condoms and then even I may help out.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

Luna Caprese
4 North Parade
(01865) 554 812 I have always thought it one of the most elusive and charming
of mysteries that, for many people with no Italian blood
whatsoever, entering a gloriously Italian restaurant somehow
feels like coming home. Luna Caprese, despite being located on
foreign soil, is quite possibly the most glorious of them all.
Its owner, Luis Castro, has been serving the specialities of his
homeland with the same flair and dedication for 42 years.
Maritime murals and twinkling strings of lights festoon the
walls; the room seems to recall some forgotten Caprean grotto.
Yet, the homely edges of the place only serve to enhance its aura
of refinement – who could fail to be captivated by the party
menu which, due to a printing error, proposes ‘Salmonella
Luna Caprese’ in elegant script? The service is immaculate – Luis announces his specials
with an eloquence and dash which would have held the ancient
Roman senate rapt. He is no empty orator – the vision he
spread before our eyes was promptly incarnated in a succession of
exquisite dishes. I have always suspected meat to be most Italian
chefs’ Achilles heel, yet both the sirloin and the veal were
amazingly tender and seasoned with impressive restraint. Although
you could confidently choose any meat or fish dish, the steak
cooked in a creamy green pepper sauce and the decidedly sexy
seafood linguine get my especial vote. The strawberries smothered
in zabaglione which I had for dessert are summer itself distilled
in a bowl. Prices are fair without exception and are comparable
to those found at Oxford’s faintly generic French chain
restaurants. I don’t have the heart to devise a spurious criticism
which would lend my review the desirable air of objectivity
– and besides, any accusations of partiality might prove
lamentably well-founded. I left Luna Caprese having been treated,
as their guests invariably are, like a member of the family, and
am determined to defend my new clan with Italian tenacity and
enthusiasm.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

Raoul’s Bar
32 Walton St
01865 553 73 Raoul’s on Walton Street has an astounding selection of
cocktails. I have never been so spoilt for choice before, and
being my usual indecisive self I had to resort to asking the
barman for his recommendation. He displayed an impressive
knowledege of the list and proceeded to whip up a delicious
fruity concoction featuring raspberries and peaches – there
is something for everyone on this list. The cocktails range from
the classics to more eclectic house cocktails, as well as serving
a fine selction of wines and beers. Raoul’s itself has a
very intimate atmosphere, albeit slightly pretentious, but if you
can take this with a pinch of salt it’s worth a visit. On
the evening we went, it was full with a very laid-back and
relaxed crowd of people, making it a highly pleasant place to
drink. The background music is just right – not so loud that
you can’t hear yourself speak, but enough to provide an
excellent atmosphere and backdrop to the evening. The clientele are mainly early 20s to early 30s, ranging from
girlie nights-out to first dates, from after work drinks to a
late night cocktail, and Raoul’s seeems to cater for all
these occaions, moving seamlessly from early evening to late
night. Be warned though – due to its popularity, it becomes
quite packed later, which although adds to the ambience and
enhances the upbeat atmosphere, makes it quite hard to get a seat
– but in a way this is a testament to the popularity of
Raoul’s. The only drawback is the lack of natural light,
which is slightly diappointing on a summer’s evening. All in all, Raoul’s is fast becoming a well-known
established bar in Boho Jericho, and is definitely worth a visit,
for arguably the best cocktails in Oxford. Although quite pricy
at £5.50-ish a cocktail (plus Happy Hour prices earlier on) they
are fairly big and worth every penny; and once you have tasted
one of the delights on offer, you will want to return, both to
work your way through the menu and to enjoy the atmosphere in
Raoul’s.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004