Sunday 20th July 2025
Blog Page 569

Abiy Ahmed Must Finish What He Started

Pippa Barlow
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Abiy Ahmed Must Finish What He Started

This year’s Nobel peace prize was awarded to the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. In his eighteen months in office, Prime Minister Ahmed has torn down Ethiopia’s old authoritarian regime through a series of liberal reforms. His domestic policy includes liberating thousands of political prisoners and the press, inviting exiles back to Ethiopia, removing a ban on political parties and promising free and fair elections in 2020. He’s moved the economy towards free-market capitalism by opening up key sectors such as telecommunications, permitting foreign investment alongside an ambitious infrastructure program. The economy is set to expand by 9% in 2019 alone. What secured him the prestigious Nobel prize, however, was “his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation” through the peace deal he negotiated with Eritrea in July of 2019. Their bitter two-year border war, which left between 70,000-100,000 dead, ended in 2000. But conflicts periodically erupted for years afterwards.  This historic agreement thus marked the end of twenty years of military hostilities between the neighbouring nations.

Yet Prime Minister Ahmed’s Nobel success has not been without criticism. Detractors argue his prize is premature. Despite his laudable achievements, they may be right. Ethiopia’s liberal transformation, while necessary, has ignited ethnic-nationalism and inter-community violence which is threatening Ethiopia’s political stability. An estimated 3 million people have been displaced from their homes. There are around 80 different ethno-linguistic groups in Ethiopia, currently divided between nine semi-autonomous states. Under the constitution, however, each ethnic community has the right to establish its own state. The previous government prohibited the different communities from doing so. While its rulings were oppressive, one is not hard pressed to see why eighty different states would be unfeasible, ungovernable and potentially dangerous deepening of ethnic divides. Yet with the political freedoms Prime Minister Ahmed has introduced, separatist groups have been able to voice old animosities and violently demand regional autonomy. The Prime Minister has so far failed to deal with such hostilities effectively.

Moreover, there is a growing fear that his peace agreement with Eritrea has not lived up to expectations. Directly following the agreement, the border was opened on September 2018, allowing families to reunite and diplomatic relations to strengthen. Since then, however, the land border has been closed again by Eritrea, likely due to the tens of thousands of refugees who fled Eritrea to escape poverty, indefinite conscription and human rights abuses. The repressive political situation in Eritrea remains steadfast after the agreement, with restricted freedoms of the press, speech, association and religion. This begs the question of whether the Nobel committee’s decision to celebrate the peace agreement between the two countries has partly served to legitimise President Isaias’ authoritarian rule. Although it must be said that it is no Mandela-de Klerk joint award, with the Nobel committee only acknowledging how President Afwerki “grasped” Ethiopia’s outstretched hand.

Prime Minister Ahmed himself, however, has also started to show a capacity to permit repressive measures. With discontent rising after news broke of his Nobel success, authorities dismissed petitions for demonstrations to be held in Addis Ababa and did not waste time putting a civic clampdown into place. It was a worrying move from a Nobel peace laureate.

Yet the award was not bestowed upon him for being perfect. As the committee stated in its press release, “much work remains” in Ethiopia. His Nobel peace prize recognises both the great steps he has taken as well as encouraging the steps he still needs to take.

The peace deal may be signed, and there may be no active fighting, but it is vital Prime Minister Ahmed continues to put pressure on Eritrea to live up to its promises of an open border. Ethiopia should continue to engage in constructive dialogue with Eritrea, but Prime Minister Ahmed can now also use his newly-gained Nobel authority to encourage President Afwerki to reform Eritrea’s authoritarian laws.

Most importantly, the Prime Minister cannot let up on the liberal reforms he put into place in Ethiopia. Lasting and peaceful foreign relations with Eritrea and other east-African nations depend on him successfully controlling the situation at home. To do so he must effectively deal with the growing threat of ethno-nationalism. In 2020 he faces his biggest challenge in this respect: elections. He will be up against strong challenges by nationalist parties such as the Oromo Liberation Front and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. How he deals with different demands from these groups before the elections will be crucial to his success. He must stay committed to his belief in his philosophy of ‘Medemer’ (togetherness). Navigating the nationalist’s desire for the creation of autonomous states, while avoiding the dangerous ethnic divisions this could create, will be a precarious tight-rope walk. His best chance is to keep nationalist opponents included in discussion and decision making, as well as both allowing and controlling legitimate political protest.  

Success can quickly go to a leader’s head: Nobel esteem and the £900,000 that comes with it even more so. President Abiy take note of the warning implicit in the Nobel committee’s statement that “many challenges remain unsolved” within Ethiopia: to live up to his prize he must now go out and solve them.

Girl not (quite) Goddess

Saoirse Genoni
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Girl not (quite) Goddess

After sitting on the fence about turning vegan for a while, a long summer spenteating heavily-processed American food while working in a summer camp in the States convinced me to make a change. Two days into becoming vegan, I felt like a saint. I was walking on air. Do you know how greatit feels to tell people that no, you don’t want the cheeseburger because you’re vegan (but you will have the equally good bean burger)? It feels really great. No wonder they never seem to stop talking about it.

Nonetheless, after loudly and emphatically asking the canteen staff at college for some more vegan soya milk before beingreminded by my genuinely-vegan friend that the yoghurt I’d also just dolloped into a bowl for myself was not, in fact, vegan, I realised I’m not amazing at this whole commitmentthing. So, while no-one likes a fence-sitter (sorry, Jezza), I’ve instead decided to become a fully-fledged flexitarian and here’s why you meat or dairy-eaters should too (the vegansamong you may continue to enjoy your saintly capacity for self-control):

1. We’re all humans and we make mistakes – and yes, perhaps the kebab I ate after my last night out was a mistake and wasn’t excusable simply because I had had a sip of alcohol. But, rest assured, sober me will forever endeavour to atone for drunk me, in more ways than one.

2. Secondly, is seafood even that good? Just putting it out there – personally, I’ve neverbeen that sold on it. And as for red meat,well… If you want to eat yourself into anearly heart attack then be my guest. Just know that if the entire U.S. did not eat meat or cheese for one day a week, it would be the equivalent of not driving 91 billion miles –or taking 7.6 million cars off the road.

3. This third one should be quite obvious: plant-based food isn’t actually disgusting. It can be easy, affordable and delicious so don’t be dissuaded by your preconceptions. Plus,the level of satisfaction you get from cookinga tasty vegan dinner for your initially vegan-sceptic parents is incomparable, take it from me. Moreover, the more people consuming plant-based products, the more money goes into the industries that produce meat alternatives and affordable vegan products, the even tastier they become – everything isgood!

4. It’s good for your skin and it’s good for your health. This doesn’t require much ex- planation. The chemicals in dairy products, as with the hormones in processed meat,should be avoided like you avoid your dead-lines and, quite frankly, all other impending responsibilities (or is it just me?).

5. And last but not least, it makes you feel good about yourself knowing that you’re doing something for the planet and knowing that Greta Thunberg can’t bully you because you are in fact listening to her immortal words of wisdom. So what if you’re not 100% 24/7 vegan yet? It stops you from falling into the trap of believing that veganism is the mother of solutions for the global climate crisis. It isn’t.

So although telling anyone and everyone that I was vegan was pleasurable while it lasted, it turns out I’m not a saint. But in the meantime, I will continue to enjoy picking the plant-based options as much as possible, and not exclusively when I’m sober – except, perhaps, when it comes to chocolate.

An Oxford Supermarket Guide

Katya Alban
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An Oxford Supermarket Guide

Disclaimer: The overall rating is to be viewed through a student lense. Whilst other con- tributing factors such as quality and distance are important, budget friendly options will do better.

Aldi, Botley Road

Opening time: 8-10am Price: £
Range of products: 7/10 Product quality: 7.5/10 Location: 3/10

Overall rating: 9/10

Grocery shopping on a student budget andfinding the central supermarkets a bit toocostly to support your love of avocado andsalmon? Look no further. With savings like 60p on a punnet of grapes, or around £1.50 for smoked salmon (relative to the prices intesco or Sainsbury’s), you can treat yourself to some nutritious goods and not burst thebank.

One thing to take note is that aldi is great for fresh fruit and veg, but more specialist products are on a supplier demand basis, so don’t expect very niche products.

Having said that, they are constantly introducing new ranges, with a personal favourite being the ‘Halo’ brand ice cream equivalent, costing just £1.99; a savingof just over £3! It is significantly furtheraway from central Oxford than any of the other supermarkets, but if you’re fancying a break a walk or cycle to aldi could bejust the thing (especially since you would get the reward of a labyrinth of affordable treats!)

I will say that aldi is not theplace to find overly healthyready meals or meal-deals,but if you are cooking fromscratch/ sticking to mostlyfresh produce then the prod- uct quality is just as good as anywhere else.

Tesco, Magdalen St.

Opening time: 7am-12am Price: ££
Range of products: 9/10 Product quality: 9/10 Location: 10/10

Overall rating: 8/10

With a central location and a meal-dealvariety to die for (or perhaps just spendfor), Tesco is a fantastic supermarket op-tion. Whilst your weekly shop here will be significantly more expensive than in aldi, you get a guaranteed range of products: be it health orientated brands, exotic world foods or brand new product ranges. (Apersonal victory for me was discovering the Polish fridge where I finally discovered acurd cheese which I had been craving from my Polish shop at home!)

Tesco does also have a reduced sec- tion, which at around midday can offer an impressive variety of otherwise pretty expensive goods. Products to expect in this section include: fresh herbs, bags of salad,fresh fish and entire chicken carcusses…

Tesco also offer a clubcard deal which isdefinitely worth taking advantage of if it is your go-to supermarket. Whilst the savings aren’t great, they do add up so you might as

well. The shopping aisles are also very clear to navigate, and unfortunately the samecannot always be said for Aldi.

Life hack: The clubcard scheme comes intoits own if you are spending a lot of money on food or products for college events; this money will be reimbursed by college and you

get all the benefits from the clubcard points! (Best start helping out at JCR events!)

Waitrose, Botley Road

Price: £££
Location: 3/10
Range of products: 10/10 Environmentally conscious: 10/10
Product quality: 10/10 Overall rating: 8/10

What Waitrose lacks in affordability, it certainly makes up in variety and quality! Itis not uncommon to find at least 2 varietiesof any one vegetable, with the bougie purple sweet potatoes featuring among the classic root vegetables. The quality of the food does account for the difference in price.

If you do manage to get the funds togetherfor a Waitrose shop, it may well feel likehaving formal dinner every night.

But jokes aside, if you are a good cookthen you will certainly be satisfied with therange and quality of the various products and spices. The ready meals are also much more extravagant, and there are far more vegetarian and vegan options available.

What’s more, if cutting down waste is high on your list of consumer concerns, Waitrosemay well be the supermarket for you.

Waitrose has recently launched an ‘un-packed’ scheme which is currently being tested in Oxford, with customers using their own containers to buy produce such aspasta, wine and frozen fruit. More than 200 products were taken out of their packaging at the Botley Road shop in June to cut waste.

Voluntouring is not a vacation

Luke Hatton
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Voluntouring is not a vacation

What springs to mind when you hear ‘volunteering abroad’? For many, it is Western teenagers taking selfies with smiling children in ‘Africa’, enjoying the fact that they’re having an ‘authentic’ cultural experience and improving the lives of the less fortunate. 

My first experience of this was in Ecuador. I was sixteen, and had signed up to a month-long World Challenge expedition, which mixed tourism with volunteering in a local community. I’d had to fundraise to pay the (significant) costs involved – two years’ worth of bake sales, tea and coffee events, and any odd jobs I could get my hands on.

The week-long volunteering project took place in a remote cloud forest community, where I and the other students helped to build sustainable toilets and taught English at the local school. During the course of this week, I distinctly remember thinking how unqualified and unprepared we all were – out of 13 students, only one could speak Spanish at even a basic level, and none of us had the faintest idea how to build a compost toilet. Most of the time we spent ‘volunteering’ was spent waiting around for the local people to (try to) communicate  what they wanted us to do, which translated into basic jobs – moving wood and digging out trenches. Not exactly something that required us to fly halfway around the world to facilitate – let alone each raise and spend nearly four grand to be there.

I didn’t know it at the time, but my expedition was a prime example of ‘voluntourism’ – a form of travel that couples volunteering with travelling abroad to an exotic country. Many choices lie open to the volunteer – be it helping out at an orphanage in Malawi, teaching English in Cambodia and thousands of other opportunities around the globe. Every year, over 1.6m people travel abroad to volunteer, and it is very popular with under-25s, especially from high-income backgrounds.

With such a large demand, a wide range of organisations have sprung up, offering a variety of opportunities around the globe – with one thing in common; questionably high fees. Over 85 organisations in the UK exist (the majority being for-profit) with the average cost of their volunteering programs reaching over £1k – often not including flights, vaccinations or travel insurance. No wonder it’s considered one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel industry, worth an estimated £2bn per year.

However, voluntourism is currently mired in controversy. Some argue the presumption that young unskilled Westerners will be an asset in a development project disturbingly echoes the colonial attitude of the ‘white saviour’. It has reached a point where some communities in the developing world have begun to refuse or ban international volunteers, and closer to home JK Rowling has warned against volunteers, arguing that they perpetuate abusive practices in orphanages. In theory, the concept of voluntourism should be effective – volunteers are providing financial and physical support to development projects overseas. So what is going wrong?

The focus of voluntourism is often on the volunteers’ experience, in favour of the actual development project. This is down to the fact that these ‘voluntourists’ are paying for the opportunity to be there – so they treated more like customers. This has an impact on the range of projects available, as research has shown volunteering with ‘orphans’ has become so popular amongst voluntourists that orphanages are beginning to operate more like businesses than charities, depicting children in poor conditions to attract volunteers. Data from ReThinking Orphanages – a campaign against orphanage voluntourism – has estimated that 8m children worldwide live in orphanages, but up to 90% of these children still have a living parent. Children are being intentionally separated in order to meet the high demand from Western volunteers in search of an ‘authentic experience’. 

International campaigns supported by NGOs and ethical tourism experts have had some success in reducing this particular strand of voluntourism, leading to governments such as Australia banning it. However, they have had little success in pushing for further regulation of the sector, with few blanket requirements or universal standards applying to the industry (while many apply to domestic volunteering). This can have extreme consequences, as volunteers often lack the skill set required for the projects they embark on. Students fresh out of college are unlikely to know how to lay bricks, dig wells or teach English to a class of 30 students in an unfamiliar language – yet provided they have a few grand spare, they’re welcome to travel abroad to do just that. We wouldn’t let volunteers work on a domestic project that they are under-qualified for – yet there is a double standard for volunteering abroad. 

Some would argue that despite their lack of skills, volunteers are beneficial regardless as they are there for free. If volunteers did not crowd out local labour this would be the case, but sadly this is rarely true. Organisations are unlikely to employ local workers when they have volunteers who will pay for the privilege (regardless of their difference in skill). Many studies and anecdotal reports highlight that projects take longer and cost more if they are staffed by unskilled volunteers – especially as they may require supervision. This can even result in volunteer labour impeding a project’s success, as Pippa Biddle recounts of her experience in Tanzania – “turns out that we were so bad at the most basic construction work that each night the men had to take down the structurally unsound bricks we had laid and rebuild the structure”. The money that voluntourists bring is often prioritised over their actual capabilities, with potentially disastrous results. 

By and large, voluntourism can come from good intentions, with the aim of supporting those less fortunate. The reality is that there is poverty and suffering everywhere, not just in the developing world. Many voluntourists cite ‘making a difference’ or ‘giving back’ as part of their motivation, but with a recent UN report claiming that the UK is lagging behind the developing world on child poverty and inequality stats, why is there not a similar enthusiasm for domestic volunteering? Partly this is down to stronger regulation of the domestic sector, but there’s something more at play. Some NGOs have referred to these voluntourists as ‘slum tourists’, pulled towards a mirage of glamour associated with seeing poverty first hand in the developing world – having ‘an authentic experience’, as the stereotype goes – not to mention the bragging rights earned from social media posts documenting their ‘altruistic’ endeavours. 

If volunteers really wanted to make a difference, their money could be more effective if donated to charity, right? Organisations could use it to hire local labour to complete the same projects, and this would be more cost-effective and better for the local economy. However, in some cases even global charities fall short. For example, the Red Cross were criticised for their work in Haiti after the earthquake in 2010, spending $500m they raised in donation ineffectively, with little reaching those it was intended for. If international charities can get it wrong, where does that put voluntourists? With volunteering abroad potentially doing more damage than harm, this can leave those who genuinely want to make a difference exasperated and defeated, left with many questions which are hard to answer, even for those who have made the study of development their career. So how can people best make a difference?

In fact, the most effective way is the one which seems most counter-intuitive – to be a tourist. Tourism makes up a significant proportion of the economies of many developing countries, for example in Cambodia, where it comprises 15% of total GDP. By travelling to these countries and spending money in a way that supports the local economy – for example ecotourism initiatives that protect the environment and provide local jobs – tourists can make a difference whilst experiencing a new culture and environment, just as voluntourism purports to do.

At its best, volntourism is less effective and more costly than providing communities with the support they need, while at worst it’s exploitative and perpetuates colonial-era attitudes. It’s difficult to judge where programs lie on this scale, as voluntourism operators often market their placements to sound as critical and sustainable as possible. Regulation from governments is practically non-existent and would prove difficult to implement due to the varied nature of the sector, so in the end it’s down to us as customers to do the research to ensure that our money is used effectively – whether that’s through volunteering abroad, donating to charity or supporting local economies whilst travelling.

Hopefully it won’t take you as far as an Ecuadorian rainforest to realise that volunteering abroad is not as charitable as it may seem.

Chilean Protests: a call for change

Harry Wilson
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Chilean Protests: a call for change

It’s Monday morning in the coastal city of Antofagasta, northern Chile. From its centre, the stench of last night’s tear gas has replaced the usually fresh smell from the nearby sea. Children wear masks to avoid painful stinging to the eyes, nose, and mouth. Soldiers stand outside supermarkets, where queues stretch for two or three blocks. It’s like a grotesque caricature of a usual day time scene.

As a student and teaching assistant in Chile, I have seen protests engulf all of Chile over the last few days. Friends, colleagues and neighbours have become frustrated at poor living conditions, corruption and police brutality. What began as a protest against increased Metro prices has rapidly escalated out of the control of the conservative President Sebastian Piñera. These protests may be happening on the other side of the world, but they deserve our support. What is happening in Chile matters. It tests our fundamental principles: are we on the side of peace, tolerance and democracy, or will we allow would-be tyrants to rule down the barrel of a gun?

All ages – children, parents, miners, professors, and the elderly- can be seen congregating outside for a cacerolazo: a form of protest where wooden spoons are clattered against household pans. It’s an act of defiance against the 8:00 pm curfew. They walk towards the nearby Main Street. Army trucks sit waiting to enforce the toque de queda. They bang the pans as the soldiers drive past with guns.

This typical image of the protests is notably missing from Stephen Gibbs’ report in Monday’s Times. He only wrote of rioters’ supposedly responsible for deaths. Photos from the BBC primarily show rioters in provocations with the police. As the few violent protesters receive the majority of the attention, it’s the plight of the peaceful participants that is continually overlooked.

Of course, any movement with such a national reach risks being undermined by the actions of a small minority. Social media in the past few days has been full of posts urging fellow protesters to be respectful and avoid violence at all costs. Students in particular are desperately trying to self-police this diverse movement. This is made particularly difficult by the spontaneous and leaderless nature of the demonstrations.

While the reports rightly condemn violent demonstrations, they ignore its link to police brutality and a President who has declared a State of War on his own people. The demonstrators that I have spoken to in Antofagasta stress the need for peace. Kenneth Shields is a professor of Law with a PhD in Political Science. He was at the protests that afternoon and described a friendly atmosphere where the elderly, students and children were protesting together until the arrival of the special forces. This account of events was supported by various videos shared on social media. It’s a damning indictment of the traditional media’s ability to distort a story in its own interests.

This disparity between the experience of protesters and its portrayal on Chilean news has been a constant frustration for demonstrators. As of writing, there have been 18 deaths, with a further 8 instances of alleged sexual violence carried out by the carabineros. Lists of missing persons and photos of injuries are ignored by the press but feature far more heavily on social media. Javier Ignacio Iara Gallardo, 23, is studying to become an English teacher. He is “zapping between channels, looking for videos, testimonials and photos to compare”. According to him, national reporters’ silence on police brutality forms part of a long-held position of covering up illegal police activity. This lack of faith in mainstream news outlets has forced people to turn to social media to post videos of police using water cannons, tear gas and bullets against demonstrators. In the process, students are determined to show that they are protesting peacefully and are often willing to place their lives at risk to be heard. Their efforts at standing up for truth and justice in the face of a hostile and violent establishment is an inspiring one.

For many, police brutality, mistrust of mainstream news outlets, and a government facing corruption scandals are echoes of a previous era. This is unsurprising: the Constitution has not changed since the Pinochet years, and the top-rank police and military began their training under his dictatorship. Pinochet may be gone, but the Chile of today lives every day in his shadow. Its public life and population are scarred by the legacy of his rule and the traumatic affect it has had on this nation’s psyche.

Danis Andrea Olivares Rojas was 19 at the time of the coup d’etat in Chile in 1973. Now she is 64 and fighting for the future of the next generation. She suspects that the excessive force used by the government is a ruse in order to stage another coup and justify further repression. During our encounter, she launches into an impassioned appeal to the President and the press, pleading for Piñera to take the military off the streets and for the media to report what is truly going on. She says that she isn’t scared, and the curfew won’t make her back down. The noise of the cacerolazo carries on long into the hot Antofagastan night.

Their anger stems not simply a hike in Santiago metro fares but from issues that have been building for 30 years. One mother who working in public health was protesting with her young son. She told me of people dying while waiting for hospital appointments. She described a corrupt pension system that leaves the terminally ill in a situation of crisis, and an education system collapsing under the burden of insufficient student care. Meanwhile, the salary of politicians remains 33 times higher than the US $414 per month minimum wage. No wonder the Chilean people are angry. In the UK we might complain about politcians’ incompetence and expenses, but over here doing so is a genuine matter of life and death. This might seem alien, but to the people I meet every day here in Chile, it’s all too real. These are my friends and neighbours, and they have every right to be bloody angry.

Above all, they believe that President Sebastian Piñera epitomises these problems. He claims to have listened yet offers little reform. He asks for stability whilst stirring divisions. He calls for peace by declaring war. It would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic. Whether you agree with their assessment or not, their concerns should not be drownedout by the violence of a select few. The media should assess the various issues raised by the Chilean people instead of incorrectly labelling them a violent mob.

From the UK it is easy to feel that none of this is very important. However, accurate reporting on this subject matters. Students in the UK deserve the chance to show solidarity with their counterparts protesting in Chile. More generally, the eyes of the world should be on a country where fundamental human rights are being broken and democracy is under real threat. Most importantly, however, the UK needs to support its own Chilean community, many of whom were protesting outside of the Chilean Embassy in London on Monday, as they think of their loved ones back home.

This house believes genetic engineering is irresponsible

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This house believes genetic engineering is irresponsible

Proposition: We should not exercise the power to shape our genome

William Atkinson

Who chooses who lives or dies? Which children are born into poverty and hunger? Previous generations would have said God. As staunch an agnostic Anglican as I am, I’m rather glad we’ve done away with that notion now. The last few decades have seen incredible advances in tackling the evils of global poverty and malnutrition. Every day, more people live happier, healthier and wealthier lives than ever before.

But there’s much more to be done, and genetic engineering forms part of the answer. The ‘golden rice’ of Professor Ingo Potrykus was in the news this week. It’s rice that’s high in Vitamin A. Deficiency in this is almost unknown in the West. Elsewhere it’s a huge killer. It’s estimated as the cause of 2,000 deaths a day, more than HIV or malaria. A third of global children suffer from it, and it can lead to blindness. But the introduction of this rice has been delayed in many countries because of stifling regulations. This resistance to genetic engineering is a disgraceful tragedy. The millions that died unnecessary deaths attest to that.

So why, if I can so passionately defend genetic engineering, should I argue it’s irresponsible?

Because plants are different from people, as much as Guardians of the Galaxy suggested otherwise. As genetic engineering progresses, it’s moving into troubling areas. ‘Designer babies’ is an infantile term. It makes you think of Sex in the City style choosy mums picking out their best babies. Oooh, I fancy a ginger one I think. Maybe a girl. Let’s not make her too bright though, the last one was a bit too clever, etc. It’s like Aldous Huxley crossed with Sophie Kinsella. But don’t let this silly image hide a deeply problematic debate. What right do we have to choose what our kids are like?

It happens already, for a lucky few. The wealthy can have sperm sifted from donors predisposed to particular traits. But hoping for a particular sex or hair colour is nothing compared to some of the implication of genetic engineering. What happens thirty or so years down the line when a parent can choose not only their child’s IQ or predisposition for putting on weight, but whether they suffer from mental illness or a disability? If parents chose in a certain way, they’d be suggesting those born naturally with those conditions were somehow less worthy of life. That’s horrifying.

It’s an old debate; after all, the term eugenics was invented in 1883. That doesn’t make it any less crucial. I stand foursquare behind Professor Potrykus and those like him whose work can do so much to alleviate human suffering. But as genetic engineering spreads from plants to humans, I can’t help but feel we’ll be resembling Potrykus less and less. Instead, we’re like those nations blocking the introduction of his rice, choosing who gets to live or die.

Opposition: If done carefully, gene editing can solve problems nothing else can

Yaelle Goldschlag

Gene editing brings to mind dystopian scenarios. The technology and potential behind gene editing feel so futuristic that we condemn progress. But we must not dismiss the field because of its potential dangers. We must instead proceed cautiously and carefully.

Gene editing research today deals primarily with improving unfavourable situations, from increasing crop resilience to preventing diseases. Examples of past experiments include treating a man with HIV by transplanting modified, HIV-resistant cells into his bloodstream and increasing algae’s biofuel production.

Various concerns arise from different categories of gene editing. We must conduct effective tests when modifying food crops because the food is often widely distributed. Edited genes that are inserted into live organisms should be tested like any other medical treatment. However, creating regulations that enforce effective testing and thoughtful progress is preferable to outlawing advances. Progress can be undesirable: we should likely not allocate money towards building larger nuclear weapons.

But we should continue with research in areas that may be fruitful. With the climate, the potential for food shortages, and the state of medical advances, gene editing has the potential to be useful.

There are consequences to tampering with the human genome however. Successes in eliminating a disease or creating immunity may come at the expense of other consequences. The longer-term consequences are speculative. Editing the germline may spur evolution that has been remarkably absent from humans for thousands of years. It is hard to know what will happen if we upset that distinction.

Other concerns are dystopian: what would happen if we improve some segment of humanity? Will this new technology lead to elimination of diseases, increases in strength or intellectual ability, or even reductions in ability to enforce a class-based system?

But these are not decisions we must make today. There is no indication that society will advocate for these changes: people are rightfully wary of editing the human genome, and governmental legislation and self-imposed regulations in the research community prohibit this area of advancement. I argue in favour of thoughtful gene editing, but against nonessential changes to the human genome. There are cases where modifying the human genome may be desirable such as when a fetus is known to have a serious disease. As in these other areas, we should continue to have transparent discussions and reevaluate as new scenarios arise.

Review: Another Sky

Chloe Whitehead
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Review: Another Sky

“Being punched in the face then kissed tenderly”: this is how Another Sky described their music, and after seeing them live I’m inclined to agree.

Wearing a t-shirt with the print of Joy Division’s iconic debut album ‘Unknown Pleasures’, lead singer Catrin set the tone for an ethereal and energised performance. As so many reviewers have said, her voice is – particularly live – astonishingly beautiful, reminiscent of Florence Welch. It has an incredible pitch range, rising from deep, sonorous tones to a high-pitched celestial wail in their opening song ‘Apple Tree’. Taken from their recent EP ‘Life Was Coming In Through The Blinds’, released in June this year, the song began a vibrant set that brought a warming charm to the room at the top of Cowley Road’s O2 Academy.

Announcing their second song as concerning a “past life as a fish”, the set continued in its bizarre but captivating mix of serene, lulling melodies and furiously energetic drum build-ups. Drummer Max Doohan’s movements from tambourine to cymbals solos created an unusual timbre that characterises the band’s eclectic harmonies, welding perfectly with singer Catrin’s transitions between electric guitar and keyboard. Her voice matched wonderfully with bassist Naomi Le Dune’s warm tones and extremely cool aura.

Quipping to the audience in between songs, Catrin announced that one was about places far away – such as Canary Wharf – and another was for “the ladies in the room”. Tantalising. Her on-stage relationship with guitarist Jack Gilbert was lively and dynamic, emanating enthusiasm as Gilbert became visibly engrossed in the set. Their performance of ‘The Cracks’, also from their recent EP, was a highlight as my favourite song of theirs. Chaotic acceleration to an indulgent fever pitch faded carefully and expertly to silence, holding the audience’s attention.

It’s a shame the set was only 30 minutes, as the audience and I were almost bewitched by its end. I’ll definitely be seeing them again.

Interview: The Sherlocks

Simone Fraser
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Interview: The Sherlocks

On 4th October, Yorkshire indie band The Sherlocksreleased their second album, Under Your Sky, opening at a brilliant Number 13 on the Official Album Charts. Simone Fraser sat down with their lead singer and songwriter, Kiaran Crook, to talk about musical evolution, gigging, and… a massive loaf of bread.

Under Your Sky is the second full album the Sherlocks have released – how’s your music evolved since Live For the Moment(2017)?

“With this album we’ve sat down and looked at each song and for what it is, rather than just going straight into recording and getting everything down. We looked at the structure of the songs, the lyrics of the songs and then obviously the production…I think with first album we seemed to layer everything up too much, like we’d do a guitar track and we’d end up tracking like 20 guitars. And listening back it still sounds good, but it sounds a lot fuller, there’s no space. And I think that’s the main thing we wanted to achieve with this record is to have a bit more space… You can pick the instruments out rather than just being a wall of sound, so I’d say that’s the main thing”. 

Do you have a favourite song on the album?

“Yeah, mine’s probably Under Your Sky. A couple of other lads like Dreams – that’s good too. I think with Under Your Sky I just like how big it sounds – like it sounds massive… I think Brandon and Josh like Dreams because it sounds pretty fresh for us, and I don’t think it sounds like  anything we’ve done before. Like it sounds more acoustic-y, but it’s still rocky… and it’s a fast-paced tune, but with more acoustic sounds… it sounds a little bit like a DMAs kind of tune.” 

Have you been playing them a lot on tour so far, or have you gone straight into the studio?

“No, we’ve been holding them back. The only tunes we’ve been playing are the singles so each time we released a single then we’ll start to play it. But apart from that we’ve kept then all pretty much under wraps. I think we’ve played we’ve played NYC (Sing it Loud), Magic Man, Waiting, we’ll start playing Under Your Sky… It feels like we’ve been playing the first album for so long now. To have some fresh songs it just feels like a dream for us. And obviously the fans are ready for it as well, when we go on tour it’s just going to fuse right. Everyone’s ready for new music. I’m a fan of music anyway so I know how it feels for a band that I like to bring new music out. It’s just so exciting so can’t wait. We’re all just buzzing to go out”. 

Are there any venues or cities you feel particularly excited about playing?

“Sheffield. That’s a big one. I think we all feel that we’re ready for just playing a good gig in Sheffield. I don’t know why but it just feels like it’s been ages since we’ve played Sheffield. I’d say that that’s the main one to be fair, but  we’re obviously looking forward to them all. I think it’s just because it’s close to home. We live 15 minutes outside of Sheffield, but Sheffield’s the nearest place where we’d go for a night out and a drink and stuff. Me, especially I’m always out in Sheffield, and it’s got a bit of a vibe. I think Sheffield fans as well have got on board with us from the start. They always seem to have got our music. It didn’t take much persuading, it was just like these are tunes and they seemed to get it. And then that’s followed on with this next album as well”.

Doyou feel you’ve got more of a fanbase up North, or is it more spread around?

“I feel slightly yeah, but I feel like we can go anywhere in the UK and get pretty much the same reaction. A few years ago I think it would have been a lot different. When we were playing in London it wouldn’t have been as good as what it would have been in Sheffield. I think now we’re closing that gap where we can do a gig in London and it’s going to go off just as much as a Sheffield gig. But that’s all down to people learning about your band and how your fans react and stuff”.

Do you prefer playing bigger venues or do you prefer smaller, more intimate ones?

“I have enjoyed playing these smaller ones. We’ve been doing a lot of acoustic gigs and stuff. But I think I’d still say the bigger the better for me. I love playing big gigs. We’re a fan of festivals as well. I think the only thing with festivals is there’s a lot more room for things going wrong. You obviously don’t get as much time to play as what you would at your own show. But that’s sometimes nice as well because you play all you best songs and all the songs where you think crowd are gonna get it a lot easier. Your bigger tunes”.

Do you ever get tired of playing your most popular songs, such as ‘Chasing Shadows’?

“I mean I always enjoy playing Chasing Shadows. There’s maybe some songs I don’t like as much, maybe Heart of Gold on the first album. I’m maybe not as fussed about playing it but as soon as it kicks in and you see people reacting then straight away you just snap out of it. I don’t think we’d ever be one of those bands that refuses to play a well-known tune just because we’re bored of it. To me that’s just a little bit selfish. Even if I’m bored of playing a tune that’s still what people come to see, I feel like we owe it to them”.

You’ve toured with quite a few big names, like the Libertines. Do you find it affects the music you’re writing like when you’re touring with them?

“I think it does. If you get the chance to watch it as well. We played with King of Leon in Sheffield Arena and we stayed to watch them, and you learn what sounds good in a certain space. Watching King of Leon was class, they sounded huge. And then you start listening to the songs and how they are, and you realize they write those kind of songs because they sound big. As a band as time goes on your own you start to learn what sounds good in a venue as opposed to what sounds good in your practice room, so you tailor your music and you song writing around that a little bit. I know I do. Now write songs where I think – this’ll will go off in a venue. I don’t think you can base it all on that because sometimes you’ve just got to let the song turn out however it needs to turn out. Certainly when you get to the studio you could probably make thing sound bigger. There are just certain parts that sound good in big venues and stuff – which is where we want to be playing: big venues, and be as big as we can be”.

What’s your songwriting process?

“It usually starts with me on an acoustic guitar – I write the bulk of the song. Recently, on the second record I’ve been making little demos and playing it to the band, just so they can get their head round the song, so they can hear the song a little bit easier and it takes less time and they think ‘right, so that’s how it needs to sound’. Then I just teach them the parts, and get it to a point where we’ll all happy with it. We’re pretty easy going when we get in the studio with somebody, we’re not really like, ‘it’s got to be this way or no way’. We just hand the reigns over to the producer and see what he’s got to offer. And obviously if we didn’t like it we could say, but more times than not the producer adds something that we couldn’t do. I think you’ve got to be open to ideas when you’re in the studio. There’s always somebody else with a better idea to what you might have”.

The band is two sets of brothers. Do you find that adds to the band, or can it get quite difficult being so close all the time? 

“It just depends on how you work as brothers… I think so long as you’re not suffocating each other and doing each other’s head in, it’s all good. We’ve got the balance right now. We’ve been in a band ten years, so we know what annoys each other – and that doesn’t stop us, we still like to annoy each other! But it’s more when’s the right time to do it”. 

You’ve got bigger progressively over the past couple of years. Have you noticed any negatives of that, or is it ‘the bigger the better’ at the moment?

“I mean there’s always negatives but as long as you don’t take it too seriously… I just crack on. My job is to write songs and write the best songs I can. And I can only base that on what I hear. I can’t write a song thinking about what other people think is a good song. I’ve just got to write a song and if it sounds good to me then that’s it. And then show it to the boys and see if they like it and that’s the main thing, and then take it from there really and put it out. And if people like it then it’s done its job and if not then we just try and write a better song I suppose. I mean we could write the best song in the world and the rest of the lads could think it’s class, and we could release it, and the fans could think it’s unbelievable and then a review could say they don’t like it. So it doesn’t really matter to be fair. As long as the lads like it, as long as the fans like it and the record label like it, that’s all that matters to us”.

Are there any moments when you realised you’d become a band that people were starting to know?

“I don’t think I’ll ever see it like that. I feel like we’re still an up and coming band trying to scratch at the surface. We’re just trying our best to get as big as we can, but it’s hard to see how big you’re getting… We’re just focussed on the next thing all the time. We just want to get the single and then release the album and continue writing and touring. And then before you know it it’ll be over the tree, but I’m sure one day we’ll turn round and, depending on where we are, realise how far we’ve come”.

Do you have any standout/strange/funny gig moments? 

“We played Manchester once, a couple of tours ago – I think it was the biggest headline gig we’d done – at Victoria Warehouse… When we walked on there was this massive piece of bread. I think it’s called a cob – pretty much the same size as a loaf of bread but a round shape. It was absolutely massive, and it was just in front of my mike stand and obviously someone from the crowd had thrown it, but it couldn’t have landed in a funnier place. So I got to my mike stand and I just looked at Andy like ‘what’s that doing?”. And when I wasn’t singing I turned to Josh and I absolutely booted it as hard as a could, put my foot through it and it nearly took Josh’s head off, nearly hit Josh straight in the face. Who’s bringing that to a gig?”

Under Your Sky is available to stream and buy online in and in store.

Review: JOHN

Sanaa Asim
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Review: JOHN

I don’t really know what to expect when I walked in the Wheatsheaf. Music-wise, JOHN is thrashing and discordant, and I was curious to see how that translated to the stage. It was also my first time in the Wheatsheaf, and it was right in the middle of Freshers’ week so I’m pretty sure I was the only student there. The crowd was full of a lot of older people in leather jackets who gave me old rocker vibes, which was interesting for a band that sounds so new.

Opening for JOHN was Milo’s Planes, who John Newton (drummer and vocalist of JOHN) described as “Fugazi reborn” when I chatted to him before the show. They’re young, from Bristol and they are pure distortion-riddled, high tempo, doesn’t-take-itself-too-seriously fun. I was confused to see not one but two drummers on either side of the stage, but it all worked seamlessly – they took us on a journey as they controlled the music so that I didn’t realise how peaceful the room had gotten with their lazy strumming until they started screaming and I could feel the bass in my bones. This expert control of the atmosphere paired well with their contrastingly straightforward lyrics (“Alex IT DOESN’T MATTER, ALEX IT DOESN’T MATTER”) – I’m not quite sure who Alex is but I felt like I understood him. 

The sounds and samples they used were really interesting. The discordant noise of what I can only describe as wood being chainsawed in half cutting in to the emotional content of the lyrics in the second song was interesting to witness, and I was surprised when the drummer started leading the singing a few songs in. I felt like I was kept on my toes: there was never a dull moment. They jumped around the stage and had seemed to have a lot of fun, and the performance felt like it was being made up as they went along. Their subtle digs at each other and overall lightheartedness made the room feel comfortable. It set the tone for JOHN well but the band was talented in their own right. I feel like sometimes in concerts, the opening act can wear a crowd down but because Milo’s Planes had their own strong sound, I felt anticipation for how JOHN would differ.

“Hey, I’m John, He’s John, we’re JOHN.” With a concise opening JOHN played, starting with one of their older songs ‘Squad Vowels’. JOHN have always said they are a “live band first”, and I was able to see first-hand why: the sound just envelops the room, I felt like my ears were bleeding, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to head-bang without a worry as they took over. Despite being chained down by their instruments, both John’s really controlled the stage and the movement of the crowd. The richness of the sound that they create with only two people also blew me away – it never once felt like there was anything missing. Instead it’s rather clever how they take their “ weakness” and convert it into a strength through the sheer force and energy they put into their performance. The sweat was dripping down both John’s faces within one song and I respected that.

They continued into their second song , which is a track from their latest album Out here on the Fringes, ‘Future Thinker’. The crowd was quite small and quiet, so I really appreciated how in between songs, as they caught their breaths, JOHN chatted and tried to rile the crowd up. “You’re all very polite. Shout something mean.”. “ You’ve got shit legs!” referring to Drummer Newton’s bare legs, followed by some hearty chuckles. It was a very warm and welcoming atmosphere as John went on to talk about how Iggy Pop also liked this song, or how John’s mum was in the crowd that night. It is these details that separate the experience of streaming and going to listen to live music. Their performance was incredible and lived up to the expectations I had when I first streamed the album, but what really made this gig into one that I will remember is the interactions between the band and the audience, and their stage presence. At one point Newton’s drumstick flew halfway through the air on to the middle of the stage. It seems that this wasn’t the first time as he just grabbed another drumstick and didn’t miss a beat. Partway through their set, Johnny’s (Guitar/bass) guitar lost a string before losing some more. It wasn’t a reason to panic – he plucked it off and went back to playing. I appreciate a band that brings more than just a perfect rendition of their tracks, especially to a small stage like the Wheatsheaf. 

They continued with a flurry of songs from their latest album such as ‘Fringes’, ‘Western Wild’, and my favourite, ‘Midnight Supermarket’, as well as some old favourites from their first album. ‘Midnight Supermarket’ was a pleasure to see live as I always wondered how they changed their sound to play it – it is slower and more ambient than their other songs. John brings out another set of drumsticks solely for Midnight Supermarket as they slowed it down. They start by beginning with their usual joking around in between sets, a few chords here and there and it slowly developed into the song. Overall the setlist was ordered in a way that it controlled the vibe of the venue well throughout and it all blended together well. 

JOHN and Milo’s Planes are two up-and-coming bands that I recommend wholeheartedly for those times that you want to not think and just move. My only regret is that this concert was in 0th week  – could really have used the stress relief around 5th week!

JOHN’s new album “Out Here On The Fringes” came out on October 4th – you can listen on Spotify or buy here. 

Review: Ritual Union Festival Ranked

Guy Brabbins
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Review: Ritual Union Festival Ranked

Ritual Union Festival delivered the goods for the third year on the trot, bringing 45 bands down to Cowley Road for a day of joyous musical revelry. I will preface this ranking by saying that all the acts I saw were of a very high quality and are well worth a listen, but for me, some shone brighter than others. So without further ado, on a scale of least enjoyable to irrefutable masterpiece, I give you Ritual Union.

Eight – Heavy Lungs

The major downside of doing a ranking is that someone must inevitably end up last, and this is particularly upsetting here, since Heavy Lungs, on most festival line-ups, would be leagues ahead of their competition. This is not the case here, though. This was my second time seeing Heavy Lungs in Oxford, after their riotous performance in the O2 academy supporting IDLES last year. That performance, though, was in front of a crowd destined to lap up whatever Heavy Lungs offered; after all, one of IDLES’ biggest songs to date – ‘Danny Nedelko’ – is named after their lead singer. When the IDLES cord is cut though, it becomes apparent that Heavy Lungs struggle. For a start, and it pains me to say this, the songs just aren’t that great, and there is little to set them apart from the slew of other post-punk bands plying their trade on the UK circuit today. The crowd was largely indifferent towards them, at least until Danny Nedelko, the undeniable bright spark, whose glorious dancing and passionate delivery will always make Heavy Lungs intriguing at worst, ploughed into us and sang at our faces. There were promising moments, and I maintain that Heavy Lungs have potential in spades, but as of now, the songs just don’t do it for me.

Seven – Teleman

I feel bad putting Teleman so far down the rankings, since I am sure they suffered heavily in my estimation because of the mastery that preceded them (don’t worry, we’ll get there), but sometimes this is just the way things go. The performance was fun, groovy, and – as was frightfully apparent by glancing at the crowd – very danceable. They are reminiscent of both Hot Chip and Metronomy but sadly fall short of the former’s musical muscle and the latter’s big hooks. Overall, the performance just felt a bit lacklustre, especially considering their headline slot. 

Six – She Drew the Gun

This was good. I’ll start with the positives; the instrumentation was a fresh blend of guitars and keyboard, and the grooves they produced were consistently arresting, serving as the perfect backdrop for the long spoken-word passages of Louisa Roach. These passages, however, did prove to be the major detraction for me. The content was interesting and important, maybe even vital, but the delivery was, if I may be frank, really quite annoying. The whole performance came off as self-righteous and preachy as Roach marched the stage like a prophet, bestowing infinite wisdom upon us. The lectures I get at university are ample; I don’t need more in my free time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for delivering important messages in music (Nadine Shah, in the very same place, achieved it spectacularly in the best performance of last year), but this just fell very flat, as was manifest in the dejection and apathy of the crowd. If this can be improved, their live show will become a serious tour de force. 

Five – Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

Say what you will about the name – hardly something that would make me eager to spread my love for the band – this was a mature, well-paced and exciting gig. Yet another success story from Australia’s burgeoning psych-rock scene that includes Tame Impala, Pond and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Crumpets deploy elaborate fuzzy riffs, catchy choruses, and a whole lotta fun, to create a hugely enjoyable sound that proved to be very popular amongst the Ritual Union crowd. A lively but friendly mosh pit was present throughout, while the band echoed the joyful goofiness, if not quite the versatility, of the aforementioned King Gizzard. My sole criticism beyond this is that the performance hasn’t lodged itself in my mind as vividly as some of the others. 

Four – The Soft Cavalry

In contrast to Teleman, The Soft Cavalry likely benefited in my mind from their positioning in the line-up, since their warm melodic lullabies were a welcome change of pace to the pummelling noisy punk that had preceded it. Their set was sadly cut short but was nevertheless long enough to make a fan of me. The harmonies between bandleader Steve Clarke and Rachel Goswell (not only vocalist and guitarist of the now-legendary shoegaze band Slowdive, but also Clarke’s wife), were quite simply beautiful. The shoegaze influence is ever-present in the winding ambience of the songs and of course, in Goswell’s ethereal vocals, but The Soft Cavalry is its own beast; a folky aesthetic and the guile to include spiky basslines and captivating guitar set this group apart. The true crowning achievement, though, is the production. All the sounds coalesce in a marriage so pleasurable and alluring that it even rivals that of the two singers. 

Three – PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS

Right. I’ve counted and re-counted the number of times I’ve typed PIGS to be sure I’ve got all seven down (yes it’s a silly name), so let’s crack on with the review. For a band as primal and aggressive as PIGS (x7), I feared they might struggle with a slot early in the day, before the cover of darkness and before the crowd had been loosened up with a few drinks; I couldn’t have been further from the truth. PIGS (x7) delivered a blistering set, full of piss and vinegar, spitting out brutal, sludgy acid rock and crafting a ferocious mosh pit in the process. It was wild. The inter-song banter was probably the best of the day too, with vocalist Matt Baty at one point proudly declaring, ‘this song is what it’d be like if Aleister Crowley went on bake-off.’ Many know of Crowley from Ozzy Osbourne’s classic ‘Mr. Crowley,’ and you can be sure that the Black Sabbath frontman would’ve appreciated a gig like this. 

Two – The Murder Capital

This one was pretty special. With sharp dress sense and even sharper musical sensibilities, The Murder Capital looked and felt like a big deal. The set began patiently, with sparse guitar parts and jagged bass, creating an ominous, foreboding tone. Every so often, more and more noise would creep into this sonic wasteland, until vast, cavernous walls of static filled the room – a suffocation of sound. The other bonus of this sparsity was that it put focus on the depressing gloom of the lyrics. They are delivered in a variety of ways – be it sad, dejected, angry or indifferent – and repetition is utilised in such a way that the words, although hardly catchy, bury themselves deep within the memory nonetheless. The audience is given the time to dwell on small phrases that are vague enough to make them truly consider what is being said. The performance can be best summed up in one image; vocalist James McGovern offering a sardonic grin as he casually shakes his tambourine along to a dreary drum beat. It was also lovely to see them supporting the other bands throughout the day. Top marks.

One – The Comet is Coming

Electrifying. Breathtaking. Faultless. Despite the quality on display throughout the day, I’d be lying if I said that anything came close to this. Shabaka Hutchings (here using pseudonym ‘King Shabaka’), has been one of the most important figures in the British music scene over the last couple of years, and within just a few seconds of this live show, it became most evident why this is so. Revitalising jazz through masterful, rousing and innovative saxophone playing, King Shabaka is absolutely worthy of his moniker. The three-piece have such a distinct identity, and keyboardist Dan Leavers, (‘Danalogue’) and drummer Max Hallett (‘Betamax’) are both as integral to this as Shabaka. For a start, all three are quite simply superb at their respective instruments, which is always handy. This can be witnessed in absolute clarity, since each of them are given the freedom to go off on galvanising and explosive solos. It is when playing together, though, that they are at their most powerful. 

Their update on jazz is not merely refreshing, it is essential, maybe even historic. Propulsive, chunky synths give the tracks a rampant momentum, made even more thrilling by the unmitigated bluster of Hutching’s saxophone. The drumming is intricate, but potent. What makes the live show so perfect though, is that every single beat is timed to perfection. As soon as a solo reaches its climax, a filthy synth pattern is introduced, which will itself build with steady groove until it explodes into an even wilder house beat, and then just when things are threatening to get a bit too raucous, or the crowd is about to lag, suddenly they jump into a spacey ambient piece. It was so precise, so academic, but somehow also so animalistic and off-the-cuff. In short, it was the best live show I’ve ever seen. Show me someone who wasn’t dancing; I’ll show you a liar. Show me someone who wasn’t smiling; I’ll show you a cheat. Most heart-warming of all, is the fact that the band were quite clearly loving it every bit as much as those watching. I’m not a particularly cheery fellow, but I’m still buzzing from that over a week later. 

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