Lord Blake of Braydeston 1916-2003 Lord Blake was best known as a historian of the Tory Party, and was described as judicious in his treatment of it. Starting off as a student and then tutor in Politics at Christ Church between 1947 and 1968, he later became a Censor (1950-55), Senior Proctor (1959-60), Pro-Vice Chancellor (1971-87) and Provost of Queen’s College between 1968 and 87. His biography of Disraeli earned him a peerage from Prime Minister Edward Heath. At Christ Church he played a major part in representing the College’s interest in the struggle to prevent a road being built across Christ Church meadow. Lord Blake’s distinguished literary career was marked by his Ford Lectures delivered in 1972 which became The Conservative Party from Peel to Churchill.ARCHIVE: 0th Week MT2003 

Jeffrey Archer chose Oxford University as the venue for the relaunch of his political career. The peer and convicted perjurer addressed a meeting of the Howard League for Penal Reform held at New College on 18th September, suitably entitled “After Crime.” Speaking alongside University academics, Lord Archer proffered his insider knowledge on prisoner drug abuse and the need for incentives to increase education in prisons.ARCHIVE: 0th Week MT2003 

Two men charged with the manslaughter of a Wadham student have both pleaded not guilty in the latest judicial hearing regarding the tragic event. Appearing at Bristol Crown Court, 44 year old David Aitkenhead, and Richard Wicks, 32, were again released on bail, with no trial date having been set. Kostadin Yankov, a first year biochemistry student, died as a result of injuries sustained when being fired from a human catapult.ARCHIVE: 0th Week MT2003

University academics are to lecture on board the Queen Mary 2, the largest liner ever built, in an attempt to educate her largely North American passenger list on the politics, culture and history of the UK. The Queen Mary 2, due to be launched next January, has set aside 20 000 ft of floorspace for educational purposes, including ‘Oxford Discovery’, produced in liason with the Oxford Centre for Continuing Education.ARCHIVE: 0th Week MT2003 

The University will remain at the forefront of British vaccine innovation due to the recent launch of a Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine. Officially opened on 25th September, the centre will ‘work at the interface between research and clinical practice’ on vaccines for global diseases such as meningitis, TB and HIV as part of the UK’s commitment to reduce the worldwide burden of infectious diseases.ARCHIVE: 0th Week MT2003 

Ryan Li, Cherwell photo editor, Torsten Henricson-Bell, Cherwell editor, and Clare Bevis, Isis former editor and feature writer, have been shortlisted for the Guardian Student Media Awards 2003.ARCHIVE: 0th Week MT2003 

Sarah McWhinney names the winners and losers in tenancy deposit disputes… Edd Southerden was in his second year and living out along the Cowley road when he went down to his basement one night to find himself wading around in three inches of raw sewage. “We didn’t realise what it was at first,” he said. “It had filtered through the bricks so all the particles had been left outside. It wasn’t so much poo as poo-juice!” Further investigation revealed that the sewage pipe in his house had become blocked over two years previously, leaving waste accumulating until it forced its way back into the house in a flood of mouldering effluent. Amazing as it seems, stories like this are far from rare in Oxford. Our landlords were recently branded the second worst in the country and the Student Union declares itself regularly deluged with complaints relating to substandard housing and unscrupulous property practice. Most relate to the ongoing problem of reclaiming housing deposits, which are often pocketed by crooked landlords in an attempt to make quick profits. “It seems to be all tactics,” said Nigel Simkin, Vice President of Mansfield JCR, who spent the summer trying to reclaim over £400 of deposit money for each of his housemates and eventually had to resort to the threats of a solicitor. “Students are the worst hit, as we don’t have jobs and can’t afford to lose such substantial amounts. Landlords know that most students can’t afford to take legal action, which leaves them able to take advantage.” Adam Thoday of Homefinders Letting Agents was quick to refute such a claim, calling the suggestion that landlords deliberately withheld deposits “grossly unfair.” “Deposits are categorically not a profit-making part of the contract”, he emphasised. “There are a few cowboy landlords out there, but then there are anywhere.” But are landlords really to blame? Perhaps not. Kate Davenport, of University of Oxford Administration and Accommodation Services, suggested that the delay in returning deposits and the seemingly unjustified costs often seemed to stem from letting agents rather than landlords themselves. But Adam Thoday contradicted her, pointing out that as regulated bodies, letting agents are often a safer option than landlords operating on a freelance basis. “Landlords tend to be after quicker profits,” he said. “As part of the National Approved Letting Service and the National Association of Estate Agents letting agents are bound by the rules, unlike landlords.” Rosie Buckland, OUSU VP (Welfare), blamed the problem on the lack of an independent third party to regulate the exchange of money throughout tenancy deals. “Unlike many university cities, we don’t have an accreditation scheme, which leaves students vulnerable to dodgy landlords,” she told Cherwell. OUSU are attempting to free students from this situation with plans to institute a housing bank – a website where students can search the database for landlords and letting agents and read the accounts of previous tenants. “This will free tenants from the landlord spin,” said Buckland. Edd Southerton and his housemates blamed the University for their predicament. “Colleges owe a responsibility of care to their students which they utterly fail to fulfil,” said Edd. Asked whether he had found the University Accommodation Offices helpful, he replied, “Not really – most of our information was got through the Citizens Advice Bureau.” Premiere, who deal with the Cowley Road area, expressed surprise at the ranking, saying, “We do a good job and most of our tenants are happy.”ARCHIVE: 0th Week MT2003 

Cherwell brings you headlines from the past week… George Bush has refused to criticise Israel’s air strike on Syria in response to a terror attack which left 20 people dead. National papers are close to exploding a legal minefield, after hinting at the identity of premiership footballers alleged to have gang-raped a teenage girl. A male contraceptive has proved 100% effective in preliminary clinical trials of hormone injections on 55 men. Dogs were turned into mules last week, after police discovered cocaine sewn into the stomachs of two live labradors. Ben Affleck has denied meeting a woman who is making claims of harassment against him in the wake of media frenzy surrounding the cancellation of his wedding to singer JLo. Celebrities clamoured to congratulate young winner of Pop Idol, Alex Parks, who appeared dazed by her meteoric rise to musical recognition this Saturday. Playful tricks turned nasty for world-famous illusionist Roy, who was mauled by his pet tiger on stage in front of his partner Siegfried and a confused live audience. Sergeant Bilko, the 1950s American comedy series, was named best ever TV sitcom in the Radio Times guide to TV comedy. ARCHIVE: 0th Week MT2003 

Both Tony Blair and IDS have battled cynical media coverage of the party conferences this week, struggling to retain focus on policy in the face of infighting and leadership controversy. Despite Tory hopes for an inspirational speech from their party frontman, Duncan Smith gave only a lacklustre performance, assuring voters that he would win the next election, but hardly appearing convinced himself; critics commented snidely that he had at last succeeded in unifying the party, but only in opposition to his leadership. Before IDS had even taken the stage, most attention was paid to speculation about possible candidates to succeed him, with former chancellor Kenneth Clarke casting the most threatening shadow over his pledge to remain in control. While warding off scepticism about his political competence, IDS threatened to sue the BBC should it broadcast allegations concerning the dubious payment of a secretary’s salary to his wife out of party finances, but he failed to prevent the rumours from clouding his conference agenda. The Independent even declared IDS’ leadership in crisis after its survey this week revealed that most people see the Liberals as Labour’s most serious opposition. According to electoral polls, the Tories remain in second place by five points, defying forecasts that they would advance on Labour following a recent slump in Blair’s popularity. The Prime Minister’s credibility was most dented in the past week by Channel 4’s drama, The Deal, which portrayed him as a wellspun actor on a ruthless quest for self-advancement. The programme purported to represent his rise to power, focussing on the friction between Blair and Brown, especially during the infamous Granita agreement supposedly promising the Chancellor leadership of the government halfway through his second term as Prime Minister. However, Blair managed to smooth over accusations of spin and deceit with a concerted campaign to promote Labour’s renewed efforts at transparency; his speech again proved his mastery of sincere performance, reasserting his authority as the party vote-winner and locking Brown back up in his little red box.ARCHIVE: 0th Week MT2003 

The micro-mini is a must have this season, as the sexiest of all skirts regains its catwalk throne and gives our favourite slouchy combats a sharp kick in the pants. Patterned tights at D&G, leggings at Versus, opaque tights in bright colours at Marc Jacobs and almost endless thigh-high boots at Gucci all meant one thing – the focus is on legs this season. But the sudden leg-fetish is nothing to fear even if you don’t have the proportions of a supermodel – in fact it’s pretty good news. There’s no reason to slog for pointless hours on the cross-trainer; there is no J.Lo bottom of legs. Yes, most of us may turn green at the sight of Gisele in a miniskirt, but many guys may not agree with you. Britney’s legs are short and chunky and Beyoncé’s thighs are far from toned but guys go crazy over both. Go figure. Treat your own little slice of perfection to some of this season’s leg-hugging lovelies.All clothes from GAFF, Broad St,Short faded denim skirt £65; Black cow-neck top £54;Tartan skirt £72; Red and khaki top £27Model – KATIE CARROLLARCHIVE: 0th Week MT2003