Tuesday 29th July 2025
Blog Page 625

Women’s football at its peak ahead of World Cup

Cerys Baines
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Women’s football at its peak ahead of World Cup

Any fan of women’s football has a lot to look forward to this summer, as the Women’s World Cup kicks off in France in June and July. The recent growth of the women’s game means that for those competing, the stakes are arguably higher than ever, and the increased publicity around the event suggests there will be record-breaking numbers of viewers, both at the stadiums and watching from home – the BBC, for example, will be airing every single match that takes place.

While it’s been growing steadily over the years, in the past six months or so the popularity of women’s football around the world seems to have steamrolled. On the 17th of March 2019, a game between Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona in the Primera División attracted a crowd of 60,789 which broke the world record for attendance of a women’s football club match. A week later, a Juventus side which included the English striker Eniola Aluko beat Fiorentina 1-0 in front of a crowd of 39,000, smashing the previous Italian record of 14,000 for a women’s football match. Speaking to the BBC, Aluko said, “When women’s football has been put on a huge platform…and has been marketed properly, people come out and watch as they would do in the men’s game.”

It is clear that sponsors have cottoned onto the fact that women’s football can be popular if it receives enough promotion, with Nike recently unveiling bespoke home and away kits for 14 national teams in the Women’s World Cup, marking the first time that each kit has been designed specifically for the women’s game. Baroness Sue Campbell, the FA’s director of women’s football, has suggested that having unique kits is “a real marker of progress and an indicator of how much the profile of the women’s game has grown in [England].”

Another sign that women’s football is growing rapidly in England is the recent announcement of a three year partnership with Barclays to make them the first ever title sponsor of the Women’s Super League, which is worth in excess of £10 million. The sponsorship, which is likely to have come off the back of the England team’s success in winning the 2019 SheBelieves Cup for the first time ever, also sees the introduction of a prize-money pot of £500,000 for the Super League Champions. It also bodes well for the grassroots game, with Barclays having a large role in the FA Girls’ Football School Partnerships, a nationwide scheme to help develop girls’ access to football at school.

Despite these recent advances in women’s football, there is still a huge pay gap between the genders in football, both on an individual level and in regards to prize money. The fact that the winners of the 2019 Women’s World Cup will receive $4 million in prize money and the overall prize fund is being doubled to $30 million seems like a step in the right direction for the game. However, this is minimal in comparison to the amounts that are involved in the equivalent men’s competition. In 2022, the winners of the men’s World Cup in Qatar are set to receive £40 million, with the overall prize fund standing at $440 million.

There is also a huge discrepancy in terms of players’ wages. According to a Sporting Intelligence report, in the top leagues in Australia, England, France, Germany, Mexico, Sweden, and the USA in 2017, 1,693 female players earned a total of £32.8 million between them. Despite this, in the men’s game, Brazilian forward Neymar Jr. was paid a whopping £32.9 million by Paris Saint-Germain for the 2017/2018 season. Looking closer to home, players in the English Women’s Super League receive an average of £26,752 a year, while the average Premier League pay packet is £2.6 million.

If this gender pay gap is allowed to continue, it could be detrimental to the further growth of women’s football. In December 2017, a FifPro survey of female footballers in the Super League revealed that 58% had considered giving up their careers in football due to financial reasons. The relatively low salaries earned by female players means many have to work a second job in order to make ends meet, which can be tiring in itself, but this also means that they have less time to train. This already puts them at a disadvantage in comparison to their male counterparts whose generous salaries allow them to be fully committed to their footballing career.

Furthermore, the wealth of top male footballers makes it much easier for them to reach their peak, as they have more money to spend on personal trainers and chefs who are able to develop special programmes for them. Newcastle United’s Jonjo Shelvey advertised for a full-time personal chef back in 2015 with an annual salary of £65,000, which in itself is 2.4 times the average salary of top-flight female footballers.

Evidently, there is still a long way to go for women’s football before it can be on par with the men’s game and one of the biggest factors stunting the game’s growth is the comparative lack of funding. However, there is still hope, and success for the England team in this summer’s World Cup would go a long way in promoting the sport in this country and eradicating some of the stereotypes that have been in place since the FA banned women’s football in 1920.

Best of luck to England’s Lionesses in the upcoming World Cup. It’s coming home.

The Enduring British Tradition

Oliver Donaldson
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The Enduring British Tradition

The Boat Race is a funny anachronism: a “private match” which is at once an adjunct to the competitive academic rivalry between two prestigious universities and an event which continues to attract a huge amount of public interest, be that as part of the nation’s sporting heritage or as an out-dated joke.

Either way, annually drawing crowds of around 250,000 people and, in 2016, a TV audience of 6.2 million people, the Boat Race is arguably the most high-profile rowing event in the British sporting calendar outside of the Olympics.

Almost two centuries of races between Oxford and Cambridge have generated a weight of history that adds a thrill of mystique to proceedings. But tradition alone does not fully explain the enduring allure of this annual event.

First, the Boat Race is rarely, if ever, boring, with enough broken and clashing oars, pain and passion, fortune and misfortune, triumph and tragedy, and occasional sinkings to satisfy even the most ardent of Titanic film fans.

In 1912, exceptionally poor weather led to both men’s boats disappearing below the surface and the race being abandoned. In 1978, Cambridge were on their way to victory when their boat started taking in water, sinking before the finish line and allowing Oxford the title. In 1980, Oxford’s bowman blacked out and collapsed during the race but the dark blues still beat Cambridge by a canvas. In 1984, the Cambridge men’s boat collided with a barge before the race had begun and sank, so the event was rescheduled to the following day. In 2012, a protestor swam in front of the boats as they headed into the final bend, and narrowly avoided being struck. The race was restarted. In 2016, the Cambridge women’s boat began to sink on rough water and Oxford stormed to victory by 24 lengths.

The list of these thrills and spills could go on as it is a quirk of the Boat Race that, unlike many other regattas, the event goes ahead whatever the weather. There have also been a number of surprises over the years, ranging from a variety of Oxford boat mutinies to the discovery of an unexploded WWII bomb in the Thames in the lead up to the 2017 Boat Race. However, it is the races that are most tightly contested which typify the dramatic excitement of this race.

No Boat Race was more controversial than the 1877 event: staged in shocking weather conditions, both crews were said to have finished in 24 minutes and eight seconds, with race judge John Phelps adamant that both boats had nosed across the finish at exactly the same time. Finishing posts were introduced the following year to avoid a repeat of such a result. There is also the small matter of the 2003 Boat Race, the closest in history, which Oxford’s men’s team won by 30 centimetres.

Alongside its many controversial and enthralling moments, the history of the Boat Race has a number of quirks which in part explain its enduring position as part of our national sporting fabric and heritage. The Boat Race first started in 1829 when Cambridge student Charles Merivale challenged his Oxford friend Charles Wordsworth to a river race involving crews of eight from their respective seats of learning. Oxford won the race in Henley-on-Thames and it would be another 27 years before the Boat Race became an annual fixture.

Not only is it amusing that the Boat Race was created by two students with the same name, but also it is this spirit of amateurism with no financial reward, which the Boat Race retains, that makes it such an iconic British sporting event. Indeed, the Boat Race is so deeply entrenched in the national furniture that it has entered Cockney rhyming slang (Boat Race meaning ‘face’).

Moreover, the event continues to draw interest since, over the race’s history, there have been some famous names wielding those oars. Actor Hugh Laurie was in the 1980 Cambridge crew, and historian Dan Snow was in the Oxford boat from 1999 to 2001. Olympic gold medallist Matthew Pinsent rowed for the winning Oxford crew in 1990 and 1991. More recently of course, 46-year-old former Olympian James Cracknell became the oldest ever member of a Boat Race crew.

This is an example of how the Boat Race has moved on in so many respects from its portrayal by some as an irrelevant and defunct tradition. Seven of the GB rowers who returned from Beijing with Olympic medals in 2008 were Boat Race competitors. And as any bookmaker will attest after the weigh-in, the event draws interest and allegiances for Oxford or Cambridge from vast numbers of the public irrespective of whether they went to the universities or have any connections with them or the sport.

The Boat Race is also a great British tradition that deserves respect. Not only because it was established 43 years before the first FA Cup final and more than half a century before English and Australian cricket teams disputed the Ashes, but also because it is one of the more progressively conscious sporting events in the British sporting calendar. In terms of media coverage, the Boat Race offers complete gender parity unlike many sports on television. There is still a lot of work to do, however, in order to make the race and indeed the sport less elitist.

Finally, we must take a look at the perspective of a participant of the Boat Race to understand the event’s significance. It might seem to be about 17 minutes on the river, but for the participants, the Boat Race is a way of life for six months – and that does not even begin to cover the amount of time and effort dedicated to getting into the squad in the first place.  

The Boat Race is an extraordinary gamble as crewmembers give up virtually everything for six months to gain a winning Blue. Participants train like professional athletes for five hours a day, six days a week in wind and rain and hail and cold.

And all of this dedication hinges on winning and losing. The enduring allure of this event is that it is driven by the fact that everything is put on the line. Crewmembers often do not get the opportunity that professional athletes do – despite training like them – to make amends for defeats and mistakes. Victory or defeat, however fractional, decides how a crew is remembered. Victory might mean mission accomplished, but defeat might make one crew look as if they did not deserve to be there.

Kicking out racism in football

Greg Pankhurst
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Kicking out racism in football

In recent weeks, countless news features on the presence of racism in football have sought to trivialise the matter, rather than tackle it directly. We must look no further than Moise Kean, the Juventus forward, to see both the misunderstanding and mis-management of racist abuse. Kean attempted to challenge the racism of Cagliari fans after his goal on the 2nd of April by making a signal in their direction, only for his own teammate Leonardo Bonucci to criticize his actions. Therefore, we must ask ourselves – is racism truly embedded in football? Has modern football culture reached a stage in which racist abuse has become acceptable?

Thankfully, I believe this not to be the case. However, social media proves to be a hindrance in the battle against racism in sport, and particularly within the footballing world. Due to the ability to be able to hide behind a social media profile without revealing one’s identity, there are many challenges in holding someone accountable for racist abuse online. Take the case of Watford striker Troy Deeney, who was forced to disable comments on his Instagram account, following anonymous racist comments posted after his side’s FA Cup semi-final victory against Wolves. This represents a greater issue of racial abuse – while we are able to hold accountable those guilty of racist abuse in the terraces, on a wider scale, and certainly through digital means, it is far more difficult to act with such diligence. Therefore, it is of increasing importance to tackle racism beginning at grassroots football, as it has been allowed to exist and propagate through football culture for far too long.

This brings me to the subject of racism in lower-league football, in particular League Two. Having witnessed first-hand abuse of Lincoln City striker John Akinde on multiple occasions, it is clear that Akinde becomes the scapegoat for a minority of Lincoln fans due to his ethnicity, rather than his talent on the football pitch. While Akinde is yet to comment on such abuse himself, it is evident that this is unacceptable. Yet without being identified or prosecuted, this group of fans are free to continue to racially abuse players without punishment. The same behaviour appeared in MK Dons’ 2-1 win against Forest Green Rovers last weekend, after which Dons’ striker Chuks Aneke was racially abuse on social media. Although the club have declared that they are ‘appalled’ by such behaviour, not enough is being done. Whilst players and clubs share #KickItOut posts and condemn the presence of racism in football, I continue to believe that one of the reasons why it is still so prevalent is due to the failure of the FA and the authorities to address it effectively.

Several Chelsea fans were recently barred from entering their UEFA Europa League fixture against Slavia Praha, after footage of racist chanting emerged on social media about the club’s former player, Mohamed Salah. Whilst these fans were permanently banned from Stamford Bridge, this does not send a strong enough message that racism is both unacceptable and a crime.

Recently, following racism directed towards England winger Raheem Sterling in an international fixture against Montenegro, the manager of the opposition declared that he had heard no evidence of racism during the fixture, hence the culprits were not prosecuted. Racism is allowed to spread due to a lack of action. Tottenham full-back Danny Rose recently stated that ‘countries get fined what I’d spend on a night out’, implying that punishments for those arrested of racial crimes are not taken seriously enough. The only way in which we completely eradicate such a disease from modern football is by tackling the problem at every level. Without sufficient support from the FA and the football clubs themselves, many players are left feeling isolated and bullied by a minority of supporters.

However, all is not doom and gloom with regards to the current situation of racism in football. Whilst such discrimination attracts the attention of large newspapers and media organisations, only a minority of supporters are to blame for the racist abuse, with the majority of fans being largely supportive of both the industry and the players. Organisations such as Kick It Out are continuously working to eradicate racism from football, and having been established in 1997, they have been using frequent social media campaigns, working with football clubs on the ground, and establishing links with professional players to spread a message of solidarity that racism is not acceptable.

Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has been praised for his direct approach towards the English media, as he has repeatedly addressed their negative headlines towards his behaviour, and hence represents a force for change within the often-stagnant football world. It is without a doubt that more must be done to tackle the issue, however. If we wish to fully remove racism from football, we must work together to identify and report racism whenever we become aware of it. Therefore, racism is not inherent – it is present, but it has no place in our football culture, and no footballer should be made to feel unwelcome in their profession. The responsibility is in our own hands.

2019: a high-point for British sport?

Tom Ashley
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2019: a high-point for British sport?

Once the crescendo of the summer of 2012 had fizzled out, most believed it would simply not be possible for British sport to ever again enjoy a calendar year with so much success. Wiggo winning the Tour de France, the first Briton to do so. A home Olympics that produced our highest ever medal haul. Super Saturday. More medals in the Paralympics. Chelsea (somehow) had won the Champions League. McIlroy won the PGA. Murray won the US Open.

Surely we would never see a year like that again? Perhaps that may be the case. But perhaps not. This year, over the next 6 months, there is the potential for British sport to equal or perhaps even top the dazzling heights of seven years ago.

Firstly, this season has seen British football clubs dominate Europe in a fashion that brings back memories of decades gone by. Both Spurs and Liverpool are in the Champions League semi-finals, and so an all-English final in Madrid remains a distinct possibility. The same is true in the Europa League, where Arsenal and Chelsea are favourites to progress from their respective semi-final clashes.

It is not only domestic clubs enjoying a continental renaissance. England under Gareth Southgate are an international force to be reckoned with, and will look to follow up last year’s World Cup run with victory in the Nations League.

If we defeat Netherlands in the semifinal and then one of either Portugal or Switzerland a few days later, the Three Lions would pick up their first piece of international “silverware” since 1966. It is certainly not a World Cup win, but it is a start.

There could yet be an English football team lifting a World Cup trophy in 2019, as our Lionesses compete in the Women’s tournament this summer. The USA and France are fairly tipped as favourites, but Phil Neville’s side could yet spring a surprise.

This cricketing summer has also been hotly anticipated for a long while. Not only is the Cricket World Cup being held in England and Wales, but England are the firm favourites to win the tournament, given their simply sensational form in the oneday format over the past few years. Following that up by emerging victorious against Australia in the Ashes (and securing a 5th home series victory in a row) would be an unprecedented achievement for English cricket.

A more unlikely global triumph would come in the form of the Rugby World Cup this autumn. The All Blacks are quite rightly tipped to win their third in a row, while Ireland and Wales look like the pick of the bunch from the northern hemisphere sides.

However, anything can happen in the World Cup, and Eddie Jones’ previous experience of coaching in Japan may just come in handy. Keep key players fit, avoid New Zealand for as long as possible – and we may just have a chance.

In Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton is aiming to become the World Champion for a stunning sixth time this year. He faces a tougher challenge than in 2018, in the form of an improved Ferrari car and a hungry team mate in Valteri Bottas, but Hamilton has the talent and determination to become the second most successful driver of all time come November.

The Athletics World Championships in Doha later this year also serve up a timely reminder that Team GB is brimming with talent ahead of the 2020 Olympics. Medal hopes will rest primarily on Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Asha Philip, Dina AsherSmith and Laura Muir, all of whom will want to build on recent medals and titles.

In the Alps and on the cobbles of Paris, this summer Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome will battle the peloton, and themselves, in order to win the Tour de France. Victory for a British cyclist would be the fifth in a row, a feat simply unthinkable just ten years ago. The other two grand tours, plus the Road World Championships in Yorkshire in September, provide further opportunity for this golden generation of British cycling.

Rory McIlroy will aim to add to his haul of golfing majors in the three remaining ones of the year, boxer Anthony Joshua will defend his world heavyweight titles, England will go for glory in the Netball World Cup in Liverpool this July and track cycling’s super-couple Jason and Laura Kenny will lead Britain into the European Games in Minsk.

Of course, some of these things will not happen. Perhaps even only one or two will come to fruition. But what do we have without hope? What is so wrong with just hoping that maybe, just maybe, 2019 could be a year that goes down in British sporting history?

When Layla met Greta

Sam Millward
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When Layla met Greta

Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, met this week with climate activist Greta Thunberg during the Swedish campaigner’s visit to Parliament.

Speaking alongside Thunberg at a government press conference, Moran praised the Swedish teen’s harshly worded address to Parliament.

Turning to Thunberg as she spoke, Moran said: “to put it back to you, you said ‘we promise to go back to school as soon as you listen to science. I am the education spokesperson for the Lib Dems and a former science teacher; that was music to my ears.”

Greta Thunberg, invited to Westminster after the international success of her school climate strike initiative, told MPs “[their] ongoing irresponsible behaviour will no doubt be remembered in history as one of the greatest failures of humankind.”

Later adding that the carbon emissions reduction, celebrated by parliament this year, was a product of “very creative accounting”.

Over 1,659 school strikes took place across 6 continents and 100 countries last month. Layla Moran applauded the strike taking place in her home city, telling press that she was “inspired by the 2000 young people in Oxford on Friday for Our Future”.

She continued to commend Greta Thunberg’s actions, claiming she was “awestruck to meet [her]”, and that Thunberg “reminds us that this is about young people and their voice and their future.

“I hope very, very much that today and everything else you’re doing has woken up parliament, and collectively, as we have seen in various debates…we need to now declare that national climate emergency, as have many local authorities.

“I would love if that is what the prime minister decided to do off the back of your visit today, and what I can promise, as just one of many parliamentarians, but I hope I speak for all the parliamentarians in this room, when I say thank you so much for inspiring us, you are the future and we need to make sure that we do everything we can within our power to tackle this.”

Writing in the spirit of Thunberg’s youth-centric movement, Moran’s article in The Independent stated that “to suggest that young people aren’t ready to vote at 16 is now clearly a fallacy.

“Imagine what a difference they could make to our political landscape if they were able to tip the balance in favour of MPs who put their concerns, climate change being top, first.”

Moran went on to condemn Brendan O’Neill’s recent critique of Greta Thunberg, in which she was described as “chilling” with her “monotonous voice”, terming his seemingly unprovoked attack on the young activist “frankly unacceptable.”

“What Greta shows to us all is that the myth that young people don’t care or are not engaged in politics is false. Young people care about their future, they care about the future of the planet, and they care that our generation is failing to protect it.

“In February, I led a debate on climate change in the House of Commons. The first on the main floor of the house in over two years. The shocking lack of government debate and action is what led me to do it. But it is unacceptable that it took place only after young people started to say this isn’t good enough.

“We must now seize the opportunity created by Greta. Politicians from all sides of the political divide must come together to tackle the biggest issue affecting not just the UK, but the world. First, the UK must declare a national climate emergency; local councils up and down the country are already doing so, but for the governments of the world to take note the UK must take the first step forward.”

Commenting after the meeting, Moran said: “I was delighted to meet with Greta today – she is such an inspiration and so driven. My call today to my fellow Parliamentarians is to heed her message and start by declaring that the UK is in a state of national climate emergency.

“I will work across party lines, as the Lib Dems have worked locally with the Green Party in Oxfordshire, to combat climate change.

“Greta has inspired and continues to inspire me on this issue.”

Petition to revoke Sultan of Brunei’s honorary degree receives over 117,000 signatures

Charlotte Moberly
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Petition to revoke Sultan of Brunei’s honorary degree receives over 117,000 signatures

A change.org petition demanding that Oxford University to rescind the Sultan of Brunei’s honorary degree has received over 117,000 signatures. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah was awarded an honorary degree in Civil Law by the University in 1993.

The University announced that it would be reviewing the degree earlier in April, following outcry after the Sultan made changes to the penal code in Brunei which make the punishment for homosexuality death by stoning. However, Oxford has yet to indicate when it will come to a final decision.

Bolkiah has faced international condemnation for the new laws. However, he has refused to back down, and recently defended his position in a letter to the European Parliament.

The authors of the petition argue: “As a world-renowned institution, the University should not be linked to such legislation and must take a clear stance in opposition to the Sultan’s actions.

“It is not enough to simply support “international condemnation” of Brunei’s new penal code and “back the United Nation’s call to stop the code entering into force”, as this requires no action by the University itself.

“It is time for the University to take responsibility for its links to governments which oppose basic human rights and freedoms. It is time that the University recognise that its refusal to take concrete action makes LGBTQ+ students and staff members feel that their institution will never prioritise their rights on a global scale.

“We therefore call on the University of Oxford to rescind the Honorary Degree of Civil Law by diploma conferred on Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in 1993, as a statement of support for LGBTQ+ people worldwide.”

Earlier this month, 31 JCR Presidents signed an open letter to the University call- ing for the degree to be revoked.

They argued that if Oxford allows the Sultan to retain the degree, “the University is supporting mass Human Rights violations, associating itself with the persecution of the LGBTQ+ community, and failing to take a necessary stand in solidarity with its students.”

The letter was also signed by other JCR representatives. The letter asked that: “As senior officers to the University, we ask that you do everything within your power to ensure the University rescinds the Sultan’s honorary degree.

“The eyes of the world, the eyes of the LGBTQ+ community suffering in Brunei, and the eyes of the students under your care are upon you.”

Oxford’s two MPs, Layla Moran and Anneliese Dodds, have also called on the University to revoke the degree. They wrote: “It is time to listen to your University community and your conscience.”

If Oxford revokes the degree, it will be following in the footsteps of Aberdeen University, who last week rescinded the honorary degree they had given to the Sultan following their own review. Kings’ College London is also conducting a review.

Lady Pat R. Honising: Fretting Fresher

Lady Pat R. Honising
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Lady Pat R. Honising: Fretting Fresher

Dear Agony Aunt,
I wondered if you could give me some of your hard-earned advice. I have finally had the slap in the face realisation that my Prelims are coming up at the end of the term, and to tell you the truth, it’s not ideal. I’ve spent the majority of my first year social climbing and telling myself that it’s only first year once, however have realised that not only is this not conducive to a low 2.i and a job in the city, but the last part may not even be true, as it’s looking more and more likely that I’ll end up retaking first year. Please Agony Aunt, tell me how I can go from a full time networking fiend to passing prelims in just eight weeks?
Fretting Fresher

Dear Anon,

Oh my sweet child, fear not, you have come to the right place. We’ve all been there, finding ourselves going back to Oxford at the end of a 6+ week vac with nothing to show for ourselves aside from a weakened alcohol tolerance and desperation. But if Grace Fit and myself have anything in common, it’s that we both somehow scraped ourselves through this and made it to second year (give or take the scholar’s gown, a million Instagram followers and a house in London), which just goes to show that you too can get through these turbulent times. For just eight easy payments of a tiny fragment of your sanity per week, you too will be saying hello to second year, without sacrificing your networking prowess!

Your first step to success is simple – assessing your priorities. Sure, opening the website on that fateful day in the Summer vac and seeing that ambiguous 2.i will give you a fleeting moment of joy; maybe even enough to send that instantly regrettable gloat to the group chat that really does nothing but make you look like a bit of a dickhead. But what comes next? This isn’t A-Level results day – day drinking until it’s time to go to your nearest ATIK/PRYZM variant to meet Love Island’s latest reject is not on the cards tonight. All that remains is the celebratory Instagram story you nearly posted, which will just so happen to be the last time your Prelims score is mentioned. What you really need to focus on here is the long game.

It’s about time we took a little inspiration from two of the greatest philosophical minds of the last few hundred years
– Jeremy Bentham and Marie Kondo. Forget about prelims for the moment and focus on what really sparks the maximal amount of joy for the maximal number. You’re a self-described social climber, seeking that sweet, sweet empty gratification that can only be provided by a soul sucking spring week that you couldn’t be less genuinely interested in. What could serve your (lack of) interests better than pursuing this as your Trinity Term goal! £9250 a year for world class education and the opportunity to make genuine friends for life vs the priceless fun of getting caught up in a corporate hellhole at the ripe old age of nineteen – there’s no comparison! Keep networking, whether your platform of choice is Linkedin, Tinder or the Bridge VIP room, and you’ll be on track for this fun and exciting future in no time – prelims will soon be only a distant memory!

All social commentary aside, you will be absolutely fine my dear anon. Disregard what people may tell you about Prelims being the be all and end all, as this is just not true. If you are anything like me, a little bit of sparknotes and desperation will carry you through just fine to get that low 2.i whilst not having to sacrifice anything else, whether that be the networking you thrive upon, or like me, a Bridge or two here and a Plush or three there. Listen to your Auntie and don’t take it too seriously, and you’ll be just fine and on track for a cracking second year and beyond.

Toodle pip and lots of snugs,
Lady P xoxoxo

Cherpse! Felix and Kaitlyn

Cherwell Life
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Cherpse! Felix and Kaitlyn

Felix Westcott, 1st Year, Medicine, St Peter’s

Kaitlyn was super nice and I really enjoyed taking the time out from revising to talk to get to know someone new and talk and learn about her time at university in America and ideas about education in general. Because of the fact that she’s a visiting student from America there lots of talk about different university systems and like the party atmosphere in the two countries, like a cool bit about greek life there and Oxford union here. Overall it was really nice to meet her and interesting to talk to but would only see her as a friend.

What was your first impression?

Seemed really nice, very friendly in that American way. Good looking.

Quality of the chat out of ten?

7.5

Most awkward moment?

Waiting in line to get drinks right after we first met but before we sat down and started chatting properly.

Kiss or miss?

Miss because I feel like we got on really well as friends.

Kaitlyn Ham, visiting student, PPE, Pembroke

Overall we had a great time, Felix kind of reminded me of when I was an excited college freshman, and we ended up chatting about how he felt being away from home for the first time – although I did worry that he was a little young for me to be going on a date with. He was really nice though and I enjoyed comparing what it was like to go to school here and in the US, as well as talking about medicine and all sorts of other things. Overall I had a lovely time.

What was your first impression?

Tall.

Quality of the chat out of ten?

8

Most awkward moment?

Nothing that bad. Maybe first meeting up and leaving?

Kiss or miss?

Very nice, but maybe a little young for me so probably a miss.

Looking for love?

Email [email protected] or message one of our Life Editors Eve Webster or Simone Fraser!

To the Barricades! – via Waitrose

Aine Kennedy
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To the Barricades! – via Waitrose

“It’s not free, love.”

I looked up from my third slice of sunwarmed, spongy Hovis, and into the narrowed eyes of a middle-aged white woman with dreadlocks. “Sorry?”

She nodded pointedly at my plate, streaked with evidence of my crime. “The hummus. It’s not free.”

“Oh. I‒ uh… sorry.”

The woman gazed sourly down at me for a moment, her wooden Venus symbol earrings swaying gently in the April breeze. The 5-piece brass band and line of policemen behind us seemed to melt away, and suddenly I was in Year 4 again, being apprehended by a lunch lady mid-theft of my fifth serving of Arctic roll. The air between us was thick with tension, as well as a pungent blend of patchouli oil and BO wafting sepulchrally from the meditation circle a few feet distant.

A scuffle behind the daal stand caught my accuser’s attention, and with a parting glare she strode off to investigate. This would not be the last time I was admonished about the ‘donation hummus’, but it was, fortunately, the closest I came to an actual confrontation during my time with the Extinction Rebellion.

I say “with”. Like many who participated in the demonstrations, I was motivated partly by conscience, and partly by a desire to get a picture of the big pink boat plonked in the middle of Oxford Circus. But many more were motivated by something else. XR protestors have been variously criticised as selfish, egotistical, and out of touch, but as the number of people arrested passed the 1,000 mark on Monday, it became clear that the movement is driven by a large core of people who are genuinely, urgently concerned with the state of our environment. The variety and persistence of the people who turned out at various locations over the week of ‘occupations’ proved that the public is aware of climate issues and striving to address them. Heartening as this attitude is, whether it will result in actual change is another question. And whether they’re the majority is yet another.

When I reached Waterloo Bridge on April 20th, the protest was in its sixth day, and still buzzing despite the alternative diversions on offer in Hyde Park. The cloudless skies and 20-degree heat (thanks, climate change?) added to the festival atmosphere: warm cans of Red Stripe, the faint scent of frying onions, thin, blonde, septum-pierced girls napping in the shade with French braids pillowed atop their Herschels… Wait. Did she go to my primary school? Let’s not stick around to find out.

I whipped around to survey the rest of the packed bridge, best described as a street party with patches of “I’m missing Boomtown this year because mummy wants us to go to the villa in Skiathos”. Not a philosophy David Attenborough, patron saint of ecology, would approve of I’m sure. At the north end, a large banner and a cluster of sweaty, pained-looking police officers were collectively glistening in the afternoon sun, soundtracked by the irregular scrape of wheels against wood as a preteen boy swung up and down a small skate ramp. A white-stubbled man proffered stickers and leaflets to passersby, unfazed by the drum and bass thudding from a speaker behind him. Several times I stumbled into the path of a woman in her sixties doing tai chi, moving gently around the bridge with the unhurried, random trajectory of the DVD logo bouncing around a noughties computer screen.

My pleasure at seeing the older generation participating so actively was dampened by the realisation that a lot of these people were actually just middle aged, white, and sun-damaged. (I tried to make a joke to my friend about Caucasians’ lack of rhythm as we passed the drum circle, but had to begrudgingly admit that they were pretty good). The concentration of tribal tattoos, bare feet, and crusty dreads increased as I pressed into the centre, where a thick cloud of incense was doing its best to disguise the smell of dozens of shirtless, hairy men. There were a handful of black and southeast Asian faces, but the majority were tanned at best and sunburnt at worst. Meanwhile, the only other East Asian person I saw was my mum, anxiously stalking me from the other side of the bridge to ensure I didn’t get arrested. (This in itself may help explain why there weren’t more Asians present).

The Extinction Rebellion protests weren’t a totally white affair, especially since there were a range of sites with varying atmospheres. The protest zone designated by police at Marble Arch and addressed by Greta Thunberg was more formal ‒ crucially, it didn’t pose the risk of arrest for attendees, as at Waterloo Bridge and Oxford Circus. And the drama of civil disobedience, from ‘die-ins’ to gluing one’s peachy cheeks to the House of Commons, has been vital in energising less hardline members of the public to join the movement. But the occupations were fun. Not necessarily for the people who got arrested, but for the many who, like me, came down, enjoyed the atmosphere, and rinsed the snack bar. It’s easy to put on some glitter, paint a sign, and spend the day listening to psytrance and blaming Big Oil for wrecking the ice caps. It’s also easy to forget that Big Oil does this to enable individual lifestyle choices that we may not even be aware of making as I’m sure many of my fellow protestors are indeed in willful ignorance of, just like the rest of us.

The single-use plastic hummus tubs were a necessary sacrifice to fuel White Guy With Cornrows No. 7 and his slam-poetry ode to Gaia (“let’s plant a new seed to breed a generation who can breathe in harmony with the sea”). The nonbiodegradable glitter on the face of the Camberwell students discussing how “it’s a size too small but I only bought it to get into Berghain” was, surely, equally necessary. There was a woman with a plasticboxed Waitrose superfood salad strapped to her Kanken backpack like a protective talisman. I wish I was making this up.

One of the activists that day acknowledged these issues, but voiced frustration at focus on XR’s perceived flaws being used to detract from its mission. “This movement is about everyone’s lives, all over the world, regardless of class or gender. Of course the organisation as a whole will have its flaws, nothing’s perfect, but to try to write off the whole thing as ‘middle class’. The whole point is it’s bigger than everyone involved”. And I suppose this is a bit more forgiving than my cynicism.

Even if a lot of it is for that ever self-indulgent gram, Extinction Rebellion’s protests have reengaged us with the climate emergency and allowed the British public to make its feelings clear to politicians. Now, it’s time for the more be-glittered, M&S shopping, casual environmentalists to examine what they can do themselves to address the situation. The thousand people prepared to get arrested are already doing so- for the many thousands of others who participated and went back to business as usual, the protests should serve as a reminder of our individual responsibilities, not just on the picket line but also while on Depop, at Starbucks or even in the Waitrose hummus aisle.

The Duality of Movement in the New Taiwanese Cinema Movement

Ellie Czyzowska
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The Duality of Movement in the New Taiwanese Cinema Movement

The entry of Hong Kong cinema to the Taiwanese market in the 1980s brought with it a move to protect homegrown directors and maintain a national art scene. From this desire came the 1982 feature In Our Time, directed by Te-Chen Tao, I-Chien Ko, Yi Chang, and Edward Yang, this film seen as the ‘beginning’ of the New Taiwanese Cinema Movement. Involved in this first feature, director Edward Yang would go on to produce a number of acclaimed films over the next 20 years, but it is his 1991 release, A Brighter Summer Day, which is now seen as the defining work for the entire movement. In terms of ‘movement’, there are two approaches to take for the film: its place in the New Taiwanese Cinema Movement, and through its depiction of the movement of Western culture over Taiwanese tradition.

Set in 1960s Taiwan, the film follows Xiao Si’r, a young boy from a large Chinese family, whose settlement in Taiwan is part of the wider political period, seeing escape from the Communism of mainland China. The displacement immediately introduces one of the key themes of the movement as a whole: realistic portrayals of common problems in Taiwanese society, including in particular conflicts with political authority. Films of this movement were known for their slow pace, following genuine people using camera techniques which promoted a sense of realism, this shown especially in the distant camera angels often used to show a sense of time passing for the protagonist, Si’r.

Focusing on a single family, you feel by the end of the 240 minutes as though you are another seat at their table – the extended run-time is not taken for granted, every scene still feels necessary, tailored for this film, as though before the editing process the film had been twice the length, and what remains is irreplaceable to the narrative. It defines the movement through extended scenes of silence, using a steady camera which remains in one spot even when you feel you are ready for it to move on, but goes even further than its contemporaries in its pacing. The peacefulness typically associated with such stillness is distorted, somehow, images such as the early shot of Si’r and Ming’s shoes as they lean against a school wall kept from total, utter tranquillity by the time-frame placed on them, the pair only stopping to linger that a teacher may pass them by.

Asides from defining a cinematic movement, A Brighter Summer Day focuses on movement in a thematic sense, following the ‘move’, or, infiltration, of Western culture in the 1960s to traditional Taiwanese society.

This is depicted specifically through the presence of Elvis Presley, both in conversation, and in song, throughout. The title of the film is taken from Presley’s ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’, bringing the promise of hope for ‘a brighter summer day’, whilst simultaneously rendering such hope useless by reminding of the loneliness which comes with wishing somebody was missing you back. So effective is this use of ‘Lonesome’ that every time I think of the song, Presley being a central figure in my music for close to a decade, I now think of Si’r and his navigation through life, the song thus irreversibly changed and redefined for me.

Even after he has committed murder, the audience hopes for Si’rs salvation despite knowing that it is hopeless, largely thanks to the homicide being portrayed with great subtlety, the movements filled with love thanks to the camera location being a distant angle from across the street. This idealistic mix of hopefulness and hopelessness at the same moment, at least to me, the goal of such a socially-conscious film, and such a socially-conscious film movement as a whole.

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