Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Blog Page 82

Radcliffe Camera to enforce ‘History Readers-Only’ time slots amid overcrowding

Selina Chen
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Radcliffe Camera to enforce ‘History Readers-Only’ time slots amid overcrowding

Oxford’s iconic Radcliffe Camera, home to the History Faculty Library, has announced “History Readers-Only” time slots after widespread complaints of overcrowding that prevents history readers from accessing their books. The rule will be enforced through an electronic system that records students tapping their Bodleian cards upon entry and exit.

On weekdays, only history readers are allowed access from 9am to midday and from 3pm to 6pm. On Saturdays, special times are designed to commemorate years of important historical events, with 12:15pm (Magna Carta) to 18:15pm (The Battle of Waterloo) reserved for history readers.

During “History Readers-Only” times, non-history ‘Bod cards’ will be automatically denied entry, and non-history students who were already in the library will be expected to tap out before the end of general-access time. Because the electronic system tracks which students are in the library, those violating the new rule will be sent automated email warnings.

An inside source told Cherwell that students will be fined £25 upon the third offence and denied entry to the Rad Cam for the rest of term upon the fifth offence.

They told Cherwell: “Despite the inconvenience, we find these ‘History Readers-Only’ times necessary after many History Faculty students and researchers complained about overcrowding. Many history books are reference-only, so readers must stay in the Rad Cam for the duration of reading these books, but are unable to do so because all desks are taken by non-history students who flock there for the ‘aesthetic.’ We hope that with this new rule, essential academic work will no longer be hindered.”

A history tutor told Cherwell that she hopes this new rule means that “fewer students will hand in their essays late with the excuse that they can’t find a Rad Cam spot to read the books [she] assigned.”

An outraged Medicine student, who studies at the Rad Cam daily, told Cherwell: “Rad Cam-ming is the whole point of an Oxford degree! This cruel exclusion is not what the great physician John Radcliffe wanted at all. What do History students even do, anyway?”

April Fools! Did we get you?

Boat Race 2024: Both Oxford crews lose to Cambridge

Selina Chen
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Boat Race 2024: Both Oxford crews lose to Cambridge

Both the Men’s and Women’s Oxford crews lost to Cambridge in the Gemini Boat Race 2024. The women’s crew started ahead and the men’s crew kicked off head-to-head, but both Dark Blue crews fell behind the Light Blues.

The renowned sporting event is regularly watched by over 250,000 spectators at the riverbanks and millions on TV. This year’s, marking the 169th for men and 78th for women, took place at the 4.25-mile long Championship Course on the River Thames in London. Prior to today, defending champions Cambridge led with a 86–81 record for men and 47–30 for women.

This year, both Oxford teams were tipped as favourites before the race began. Though the women were considered clear favourites, the men were believed to hold a slim lead. This makes the results a surprising upset. Oxford won both tosses, and the women’s Dark Blues chose the Middlesex side, while the men’s chose the Surrey side.

In the women’s race, Oxford started well on an early bend on the Middlesex side of the river, going up nearly a boat length. On the long Surrey bend, however, Cambridge gradually pulled ahead. When Cambridge went up a boat length, the Dark Blue cox directed the crew to bump the Light Blues, believing that they had strayed into the Oxford line. The daring move did not work out, however, and the umpire warned Oxford to move back into their line. It cost Oxford dearly, and after that point, Cambridge cruised smoothly to victory by several boat lengths. After the race ended, the Oxford cox appealed the win to the umpire, arguing that Cambridge had strayed, but the umpire held that it was Oxford that had strayed. 

In the men’s race, the boats started off neck-to-neck, oars splashing within metres of the other team’s, prompting frequent warnings from the umpire to avoid contact. Cambridge led at the Hammersmith Bridge by a small margin, around half a boat length. Past that, Cambridge pulled ahead cleanly as the Surrey bend smoothened out. By Barnes Bridge, on the Middlesex bend, Oxford were about five lengths behind. Though Oxford made a late charge as one of the Cambridge rowers struggled to finish, the gap was too much to close, and Cambridge reached a comfortable victory.

Days before the Boat Race, high levels of E.coli bacteria were found near Hammersmith Bridge. The organisers issued safety advice in response, including cancelling the annual celebratory tradition of throwing the winning coxswain into the river.

Ahead of the race, Oxford Men’s President Louis Corrigan told Cherwell: “I am of course concerned for the safety of my teammates. This risk [of falling ill] doesn’t sway their determination to race. It would take unthinkable adversity to shift these guys away from their goal of victory, but that doesn’t make the contamination acceptable. As part of the Boat Race, we play an important role in really publicising this issue [of water contamination].”

Oxford Women’s President Ella Stadler told Cherwell leading up to the race: “We just can’t wait to show the world how fast we are and what we have built this year as a collective. Flip the tabs and clean sweep, bring on 30th March.”

Among the 40 rowers in the women’s squad, 18 previously trained with the lightweight or openweight squads and 16 trained in the summer through the development squad, so the turnover rate is not too high, according to Stadler. For the men’s squad, Corrigan said that turnover rate has been higher in recent years with more postgraduates who are often only here for a year, but through re-engaging recent alumni, they have built a team environment which has learned not just from last year, but from decades of experience. 

The umpires are Sir Matthew Pinsent, a BBC broadcaster and ex-Oxford rower with ten world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals, and ex-Cambridge rower Richard Phelps, for men’s and women’s, respectively.

On the day of the race, bankside towpaths, pubs, and fan zones are filled with spectators. An Oxford supporter told Cherwell: “The women have given us optimism for the future: This year was a really good performance, much improved. The men showed perseverance and continued to gain even towards the end, but the Cambridge boat was clearly putting in a lot of work and was unstoppable.”

This is Cambridge’s fifth victory out of the last six races for the men, and the seventh consecutive victory for Cambridge women. It marks a dominant period for the Light Blues.

Oxford’s Dark Blue lineups were:

SeatWomen’sCollegeMen’sCollege
BowLucy EdmundsPembrokeJelmer BennemaExeter
2Ella StadlerExeterHarry GlenisterKeble
3Tessa HainingBalliolSaxon StaceySt John’s
4Claire AitkenOrielJames DoranOriel
5Sarah MarshallJesusElias KunGreen Templeton
6Annie SharpSt Antony’sFrederick RoperSomerville
7Julia LindsaySt CrossLeonard JenkinsMansfield
StrokeAnnie AnezakisPembrokeElliott KempOriel
CoxJoe GellettSt Peter’sWilliam DenegriOriel

Boat Race rowers warned not to enter the Thames after E. coli discovery

Kyra Radley
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Boat Race rowers warned not to enter the Thames after E. coli discovery

High levels of E.coli have been found in the River Thames, where the Gemini 2024 Boat Race between Oxford University and Cambridge University will be taking place on Saturday afternoon. The organisers of the race have issued warnings to the competing rowers about entering the water. 

The bacteria was found near Hammersmith Bridge by a World Health Organisation-approved E.coli analyser. Average levels of 2,869 E.coli per 100 millilitres of water were recorded, which is over double the recommended quality standard.

The Boat Race organisers have given rowers a list of health advice in their briefing packs. This includes wearing plasters to cover any open wounds, wearing footwear when getting in and out of the boat, and taking caution not to allow any splashing water to enter their mouths.

They have also been told not to enter the water at the end of the race. This means annual celebratory traditions, such as the winning coxswain being thrown into the water, will not take place this year. 

The advice is accompanied by contempt from the pressure group River Action. The chief executive, James Wallace, said: “our water quality results show what happens after decades of neglect by an unregulated water company, Thames Water.”

Thames Water has emphasised that “taking action to improve the health of rivers is a key focus for us and we want to lead the way with our transparent approach to data.”

Meanwhile, The Boat Race has acknowledged the discovery of E.coli and issued a statement saying “we will also be taking on board British Rowing’s recent Poor Water Quality Guidance, issued in partnership with River Action, as we look forward to the Gemini Boat Race 2024.”

Louis Corrigan, president of the men’s Oxford University Boat Club, told Cherwell that this discovery is “alarming, but sadly unsurprising.” He notes the extent of this contamination describing how: “over the years I have seen plenty of teammates or friends on the embankment fall ill while training here as a result of the water cleanliness.” 

While the Boat Race will still be going ahead on Saturday 30 March, the high level of E.coli in the River Thames will have an impact on the event. Corrigan told Cherwell “for that to be the norm is shameful…there are some serious questions for the water companies to answer.” 

“Extremely vulnerable”: Review of The Sun King

Anuj Mishra
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“Extremely vulnerable”: Review of The Sun King

It is difficult to imagine the stiflingly intimate space of the Burton Taylor transformed into a wide beach overlooking the expanse of the sea: The Sun King inspires us to do so. Uğur Özcan’s semi-autobiographical play presents a queer coming-of-age narrative with a small cast and a singular, beachfront setting. It is structured – coincidentally – around the same conceit as One Day: we meet our main character, Jamie (played by Matt Sheldon), upon this beach on the same, mid-September day each year as he blossoms from early puberty into adulthood. In so doing, the play takes on a lot of work in having to follow and develop the character over such a lengthy period – a project which explains its runtime of two hours – but does so with some success, inspiring our sympathies at the most crucial moments.

Jamie’s coming-of-age is presented through interactions with the Sun King (played by Jules Upson), who sinks from a figure of enchantment to one of oppression as the play progresses. His first entry shines a soothing light upon the lost, pre-pubescent Jamie, and his dialogue furnishes utopian images of paradise in ‘Summerland’. By the end of the play, Jamie has grown disenchanted with this figure of his imagination, providing an effective – if heavy-handed – figure for his disenchantment with his own country and transition into adulthood. The bright lights demarcating the Sun King’s entry by this point grow glaring and discomforting.

The programme and synopsis of The Sun King declare that it is set in a “developing country”. This setting point is unimportant and inevident at first, but grows in importance as Jamie grows older and becomes aware of the authoritarian political situation in his country, ultimately deciding to migrate. Though this plotline appeared a touch sudden – I, for one, failed to realise the unnamed, broadly ‘third-world’ setting until far too late in the play – it was well contrived, and perfectly captured the bittersweet essence of migration as a pursuit of freedom as well as a displacement from the spaces that defined one’s childhood.

The Sun King was extremely vulnerable in its writing, and deserves applause on that basis. In the naïve, slight character of Jamie we are reminded, perturbingly, of our own personal bildungsroman: the narrative lens with which we reminisce upon our own childhood and coming-of age. The performances of Upson and Sheldon were sympathetic and displayed an impressive stamina across a relatively long runtime. These two were well-complemented by Jenny and May (Ranya Hossain & Maisie Saunders), who inspired a few bouts of well-timed laughter and an uncomfortably accurate rendition ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ (because adolescence, duh.)

The Sun King ran at the Burton-Taylor Studio from the 27th February until the 2nd March.

Bruegel to Rubens at the Ashmolean review: ‘Intimate and eye-opening’

Adam Saxon
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Bruegel to Rubens at the Ashmolean review: ‘Intimate and eye-opening’

As students, it is often easy to forget about the rich cultural scene at Oxford, especially given our hectic term time schedules. Therefore, it was a pleasure to return to Oxford during the vacation to visit the Ashmolean’s new exhibition, which showcases some of the best drawings of the great Flemish artists of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Upon entering the first room, a dimly lit space which takes your eyes some seconds to adjust to, we are greeted by a preview of what is to come. The exhibition takes us through the different functions of drawings, from mere sketches used to train and build skills as an artist to independent drawings being pieces of art in their own right. Much of the art on display was created around the city which the curators call the ‘centre of the known universe’ (or at least the cultural universe): Antwerp.

Moving into the second room, we learn more about how drawing was used by these artists to hone their craft, many taking tours to Italy. The highlight of this room is comfortably the Belvedere torso, of which there is a cast in the exhibition along with a sketch drawn by Rubens. The real statue is on display in the Vatican, but from the drawing alone you gain a sense of the intricacies of it and the talent needed to recreate such a beautiful sculpture on paper. The precious nature of these delicate artworks is also evident in the motion sensors that have been installed for the lighting in some of the galleries; we are allowed to capture a ten-second glance at the works before they are seized away again. 

Following this, we move into a room that pays homage to the role of drawing as a key stage in the design process. One of the unique things about this room is the number of double-sided artworks. Again, this creates a sense of intimacy: a number of these double-sided works bear little relation to each other, suggesting they were simply playful ideas, possibly never even meant to see the light of day. This does not detract from their quality. There is an energy and creativity in some of these drawings that you very rarely see in a finished piece.

The final purpose of drawing explored is that of drawings as artworks in their own right. One of the interesting concepts explored in this room is that of friendship books, in which artists would draw signature-like pieces for each other, and which acted like an artist’s autograph book. Beyond that, in this room, we see that there is more to drawing than simply being a stepping stone to larger works. Taking a close look at the drawings around the room, we see a truly fascinating level of detail in pieces that, from a distance, can look rather simplistic.

One of the things that struck me most about this exhibition was its stark contrast to the last exhibition held in the same space at the Ashmolean. The previous instalment, which focused on the Victorian Colour Revolution, featured room after room of vibrant colours and lights. This exhibition is not that. However, it has an equally hard-hitting effect due to its intimacy. The nature of the pieces existing as part of the artists’ learning process acts as a reminder of their talents, and the fact that artwork does not always have to be filled with colour to be interesting.

All in all, Bruegel to Rubens: Great Flemish Drawings is an eye-opening look into many of the different processes that artists go through both in their training and production of great masterpieces. Furthermore, it is a very thoughtfully assembled exhibition, perhaps unsurprising given the great passion for the subject held by the curators, and the incredibly close partnership established between the Ashmolean and the Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp for its purpose. Great Flemish Drawings is a must-see for anyone who is an artist looking to learn from the greats of the past, but also an incredible learning experience for anyone with any level of interest in art.

Bruegel to Rubens: Great Flemish Drawings runs from 23rd March to 23rd June 2024. Admission is free for University of Oxford students.

Oxford University changes electoral process for new Chancellor

Éilis Mathur
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Oxford University changes electoral process for new Chancellor

The University of Oxford has announced changes to the regulations governing how the next Chancellor will be elected. A new Chancellor’s Election Committee, consisting of a few internal University representatives, will decide which candidates can be eligible for election. 

In previous elections, such as the one in 2003, which saw Lord Christopher Patten elected Chancellor, any individual could run for election, as long as they were nominated by at least 50 members of the Convocation. The Convocation consists of “all the former student members of the University” and so the eligibility requirements were straightforward. 

Regulations that take effect on 5 April 2024 will introduce a new step into the electoral process: there will be a new committee, with final say in which individuals can stand as candidates. The Chancellor’s Election Committee will be composed of the High Steward, the Vice-Chancellor, and several other “representatives from across the collegiate University and its council.” 

The Committee’s power to “determine which candidates are eligible” will give them the final say since they can block any candidates they view as unsuitable or even reopen nominations. If the Committee determines that only one candidate is suitable, they can become Chancellor without requiring a further election. In a situation where candidates receive an equal number of votes, the Committee has the sole responsibility of deciding between them. 

It is unclear how this Committee will function and how these decisions will be reached. The University told Cherwell: “eligibility for the role [of Chancellor] will first be checked by the Chancellor’s Election Committee against criteria agreed by the Council.” These criteria have not been specified and while the Committee will “have due regard to the principles of equality and diversity”, it is unclear how this will be achieved. 

This change to the election process follows the shift of voting from in-person in the Sheldonian Theatre to an online system. However, Oxford University told Cherwell that further details and announcements about the election “will be made in due course.” 

Captain’s Corner: OUBC

Krishna Gowda
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Captain’s Corner: OUBC

In anticipation of the Boat Race on 30th March 2024, Cherwell spoke to the women’s president of the OUBC, Ella Stadler, and the men’s president, Louis Corrigan.

When did you start rowing?

E: I started rowing when I first came to Oxford as an undergraduate in 2019. I had been on the ergometer a few times at the gym but thought that it was the ‘Oxford thing’ to get involved in rowing. I did two years of very disrupted college rowing due to 2019/20 flooding and then the pandemic, before joining the university development squad in Trinity 2021 and Trinity 2022. I then trialled in the 2022/23 season, making the Blue Boat and this year I became the president of the OUWBC

L: I started at school at age 13. I rowed for two years and then pivoted to coxing because I clearly wasn’t going to get much taller!

What drew you to the sport?

E: Initially I was drawn to the sport because it seemed like the sport that epitomised Oxford and the thing that I had to try whilst I was here. I stayed because of the friends I made and the satisfaction that I got from a sport which required so much perfection!

L: In all honesty, simply because it was offered and offered for free. I was already a swimmer at the time on a full training programme, but thought I’d try out something different at school. Once you get into it the sport has a way of hooking you in. It’s a unique experience, and I never really looked back once I started to get involved!

Were there any specific goals for this season and how has the season gone so far?

E: The goal for this season as president was for an Oxford clean sweep and to create a great group dynamic that incorporated both the new coach and the recently merged openweight and lightweight women’s training group. As an individual I really wanted to improve my own technical experience, as I am still so new to the sport. I think that both my presidential and individual goals are progressing well, and I am so thankful for the coaches and the team for making it all possible.

L: Our club has a fairly simple goal of winning the Boat Race, which does provide a unique sense of pressure, with all of your work for the year being defined by the outcome of one race on one day. Our goals for this year which were more specific could be thought of as goals for the type of people and athletes we wished to be, and the way that we were going to go about pursuing the win. From my point of view, especially in the context of merging the previous four clubs into one this year, a major goal was to have a cohesive and integrated team of athletes who all see the role that they play in the result in March. Whether they’re the strongest in the Blue Boat, or competing to be in the spare pair, everyone recognising the effect they can have on the outcome of the year, I think, is really key to succeeding. The sport isn’t just physiology, it’s often about building something greater than the sum of its parts. I think we’re going in the right direction there. 

The season so far has been tough with the weather flooding off our home water and much of the rest of the area, but rather than using that as an excuse everyone is even more determined to make the most out of every session and be better people and athletes than yesterday. We’ve had our first opportunities to race externally now, and we’ve seen good results from that. In the last few weeks now we’re doubling down and refining our speed ready for race day. 

What have been the biggest sporting successes and setbacks in your time at Oxford so far?

E: The biggest sporting successes at Oxford were making the Blue Boat and racing in the Boat Race 2023. The biggest setbacks for me were COVID and the river flooding, both in 2019/20 and this year.

L: I guess that question is easy to answer by just reflecting on my previous two Boat Race campaigns. 2022 was the biggest success, winning the Isis-Goldie (Men’s Reserve) race with a record to the Mile Marker for that race. Then 2023, a close loss in the same event, where we changed leads several times over the course and fought out to the last stroke. Winning is probably the best day ever, losing one of the worst, and that’s what makes the race special. Victory is absolute, defeat is total. 

How did the boat race go last year?

E: We lost.

L: 2023 was not our year, to understate it…It has left all of us eager to turn the tide and embed a renewed, winning culture at the OUBC. 

How difficult is it to have a high turnover of athletes, losing and gaining people each year?

E: We actually didn’t have a lot of people leave last year. We have a current women’s squad of 40 people and 18 previously trained with the lightweight or openweight squads, including myself, and 16 members came through the development squad, so had trained in the summer term with us. The job of the president and coaches is to create a training culture and dynamic in which any potential turnover doesn’t matter. I had lots of chats with the returners about developing a culture that we all believed in from day one of the season. I have a lot to thank them for!

L: This has become more of a prevalent thing in recent years, as our programme has an increasing number of postgraduates who are often only here for a year. It certainly gives every year a unique feel, and places quite a lot of demand on the returning athletes to build a culture, while learning the lessons from years gone by. This year we’ve really worked to re-engage our recent alumni to really build and reinforce a sense of an inherent club identity, which can be lost when turnover is as high as it is. We’ve had a lot of insight from a range of different experiences of the race and club, and it has ultimately enabled us to build a team environment which has learned not just from last year, but from decades of experience. 

What is the best and worst thing about being Blues president?

E: The best thing is the people who are alongside me. I wouldn’t be able to put the hours in if it wasn’t for the incredible and inspiring group of women that I am working alongside. Their determination and commitment are highly commendable. The worst things are long rowing meets and long media commitments. 

L: The best thing about being president is watching your work come to life, by far and away. I ran for the role on a core principle: leadership through service. Much of the work I’ve done this year has been to enable the team to focus, as purely as possible, on their athletic careers and on winning this race. I shoulder a lot of the organisation, and work to lay everything in place so that the guys have everything they need to progress and pursue victory. This has enabled everyone to play to their strengths, and support each other through an undoubtedly challenging season, while building a team which is resilient to challenge. 

The worst thing? There are definitely times when the workload, alongside the degree workload and everything else life can bring, can feel overwhelming. I’m fortunate to be supported by good friends both within and outside of the team at times when things can seem too much!

How are you feeling about the Boat Race this year?

E: I am so excited about this year’s race. It is completely different to previous years and I think that the excitement we are feeling towards it is really driving our training on. We just can’t wait to show the world how fast we are and what we have built this year as a collective. Flip the tabs and clean sweep, bring on 30th March. 

L: Everyone is excited to race and display the best of themselves against strong opposition. We’ve got a lot of real solid work under the belt, and we’re improving every day.

SU campaign appalled at Oxford Literary Festival for hosting ‘gender-critical’ sportswoman Sharron Davies

Éilis Mathur
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SU campaign appalled at Oxford Literary Festival for hosting ‘gender-critical’ sportswoman Sharron Davies

On Sunday 17 March, the Oxford Student Union LGBTQ+ Campaign issued a statement against the Oxford Literary Festival for hosting Sharron Davies in their  event Unfair Play: The Battle for Women’s Sport. 

Sharron Davies is a former competitive swimmer and in her new book Unfair Play: The Battle for Women’s Sport she argues against the participation of trans women in women’s sport. 

The LGBTQ+ Campaign publicly stated that they were “appalled by the decision” due to Davies’ past comments regarding the LGBTQ+ and transgender community. They noted that in 2019, she had compared drag shows to blackface in a tweet stating they were “a parody of what a real woman is, like blackface.” 

Davies’ synopsis of her book and the upcoming event, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday 21 March, refers to transgender women as “biological males” and states that their involvement in women’s sport “threatens the integrity of women’s [sport]” and “is the latest manifestation of decades of sexism.” The LGBTQ+ Campaign stated that this is “a claim incredibly insulting to the real victims of sexism in sports.” 

While the Oxford Literary Festival is independent of the University of Oxford, several schools, seven colleges, and the Bodleian Libraries are listed as some of the Festival’s “sponsors, donors, and partners.” 

The LGBTQ+ Campaign spoke against the University’s involvement and, in particular, referenced the Vice-Chancellor, Irene Tracey’s first oration in October 2023, when she expressed sadness over the intolerant rhetoric aimed at the University’s transgender staff and students that surrounded Kathleen Stock’s appearance. The Vice-Chancellor said “we should have done more to support them; rest assured lessons were learned.” 

However, the LGBTQ+ Campaign view the platforming of this event as contradictory to the Vice-Chancellor’s assertion and said “in choosing to hold this event, and the language used in its promotion it is clear that this is not the case.” The Student Union Campaign declared: “the University cannot claim it cares about us whilst allowing this to happen.”

Bust?: Saving the Economy, Democracy and our Sanity by Robert Peston and Kishan Koria- Review

Hassan Akram
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Bust?: Saving the Economy, Democracy and our Sanity by Robert Peston and Kishan Koria- Review

So long as we have an economic system geared towards the accumulation of wealth rather than the acquisition of it, inequalities will continue to widen. Fortunately, Robert Peston and Kishan Koria have written an extremely readable analysis of our political-economic system, its flaws, and the many ways in which it may yet be modernised and fixed. The book certainly benefits from having been written by someone of Peston’s calibre. He knows most of the political leaders he discusses; he has been writing state-of-the-nation books for twenty years; and he writes in a refreshingly direct style akin to that of his favourite Guy de Maupassant.

What differentiates Bust? from Peston’s earlier books is AI, and it is clear throughout that he and Koria are fascinated by what they believe is a coming technology revolution. They are certain that economic productivity will rapidly be increased by AI: twelve million American workers may soon have been replaced by it; and, by 2030, 40% of all work could be AI-managed. Despite many grounds for optimism – such as potential developments in education, NHS diagnosis, record-keeping and other areas – AI also brings with it many dangers. We may for instance experience a new “Engels Pause”, whereby economic productivity rises while workers’ living standards fall; or even a “not inevitable” dystopia in which the world is thrown into an AI machine war. Certainly, our current government is unprepared for the revolution that is coming; although, as their sci-fi predictions reveal, Peston and Koria may also be somewhat overprepared. It is true that AI will have a transformative effect, but it may well turn out as manageably and naturally as the Internet revolution of the last few decades.

Separately, there is also an interesting and very convincing argument about low-probability, high-risk events. The authors argue that it would have been rational to prepare for events like a global pandemic or a war in Europe, even if, ten years ago, they seemed almost impossible. By the same logic, preparations ought to be underway for a potential climate disaster. The reasoning behind this is explained at length for the benefit of those who refuse to understand it, though what it boils down to is: better safe than sorry. 

Peston and Koria’s real topic of expertise is economics. In outlining the state of the British economy, they make it clear that, on present trends, we have nothing to be optimistic about. Our living standards are 20% behind those of mainland Europe. Productivity growth is “flatter than a pancake”. Austerity, pessimism, falling life expectancy, the biggest house-price/incomes gap since 1876, inflation, outdated tax structures, a lack of post-Brexit investment, poor infrastructure, cumbersome planning laws, unproductive financial institutions and an education system which blocks talent from certain backgrounds – the list is endless, and all of the factors are analysed and explained with a lucidity which (so my PPE friends tell me) most economists lack. 

Peston and Koria believe that we are approaching a national tide-change moment, as in 1945 or 1979. Price controls are returning, and neoliberalism is failing. The idea that “capitalism is a racket”, which has been given more credence by the Conservatives’ excesses than by any of their opponents, can only be solved by a new set of policies which do not fail voters as badly as the last batch did. Many of this book’s proposals – renationalisation, parliamentary reform, trade union rights – are such as should already have been adopted by any genuinely progressive party, and the authors (unlike Keir Starmer and his pitiful “five missions”) benefit from a vision that is genuinely radical. They want to transform a system which “Gladstone would recognise”. They propose, for example, a proportional representation system with the number of MPs slashed from 650 to 220. 

There is, however, something to be said for keeping some institutions as they are – even if Gladstone would recognise them.  Parliament and the monarchy have together prevented revolution, civil war and invasion for three hundred years, and, though they require reform, they should certainly not be abolished. It is right to decry the £100 million bill for the King’s coronation, and the monarchy does need to be radically defunded; but surely its image is not, as Peston believes, so antiquated as to ward off foreign technology and investment, and it has a unifying, stabilising, historical value which no short-term gold rush could substitute. (Admittedly, where the monarchy is concerned, Peston is more of a royal sceptic than an outright republican.) 

The authors’ other, smaller proposals – each of them minor but together capable of very significant change – include an annual government letter explaining what the young can expect from the future, quality work experience, compulsory bank accounts at fourteen, a windfall tax on banks, a regulated cryptocurrency for central banks, digitised records, pay rises for those who commit to work for the NHS for life, GP feedback forms and an EU referendum in 2034. One of their most controversial points is against the NHS’s “free at the point of use” principle. They suggest that, temporarily, while the NHS is restructured and modernised, wealthier patients should pay for their healthcare. If that creates a dreaded two-tier health system, it would only be a rendition of the existing gap between public and private healthcare. The reasoning here is sound enough, but it may not suffice to justify glossing over what is really the NHS’s founding principle: free treatment for all.

A reforming government would probably do best to adopt a practical number of Peston and Koria’s proposals, while maintaining such aspects of the current system as are worth preserving. The difficulty is to decide what should be changed and what maintained. That is the question that we should be asking, and this book is better than any manifesto in providing a most readable, substantial and visionary guide to answering it. 

The Oxford Revue: A Room with Revue

Ralph Whitworth
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The Oxford Revue: A Room with Revue

I have a habit of steering away from live comedy. This is mostly out of a fear that it won’t be very good, and the excruciating awkwardness which would be the result. So it was only after intense encouragement from a number of sources that I agreed to see this year’s offering from the Oxford Revue. The production ran for two hours (including a short interval) – a great challenge, I thought, to be consistently funny for two hours. Yet they managed it admirably. This was a well executed barrel of laughs from start to finish.

A Room with Revue skillfully delivered a very modern approach to comedy. The production consisted of a series of sketches with no overriding theme or even links between them. In a similar way to the random streams of content which characterise today’s internet humour, the resulting chaos made the sketches themselves even funnier. Scripting was sharp, simple and often very clever, playing off highly relatable moments in everyday life like going shopping, watching adverts or asking for directions. The production also made hilarious use of a projected slideshow, including some sketches done entirely on video. It was this clever use of the varying themes, mediums and forms of sketches that meant the whole performance never got boring – you were always looking forward to whatever was coming next, and preparing to be surprised. It was lighthearted and very refreshing viewing.

Credit for this highly enjoyable show must be given in great part to the actors themselves. The cast seemed selected from a wide range of Oxford students with postgrads mixing with first-years in a huge variety of roles. The actors showed themselves highly capable of performing in this great range of characters and smoothly matched the production’s simple and quick-witted humour. The sketches worked best with multiple actors firing off of each other, and often stumbled the fewer people there were on stage – one-actor scenes tended to work less well. It also has to be admitted that there was a variation in funniness amongst the large cast, with some particularly standing out and dominating their scenes. But the general quality was very high, and there was nobody on stage who disappointed. Every actor was capable of generating many a laugh from the audience.

A special mention must go to the role of music in this production. A four-player band was on stage at all times and performed excellently. Their riffs and tunes were used throughout the production to introduce new scenes and to augment the humour of the sketches. The band was funny in their own right, and only got better in those instances where the cast themselves broke out into song – a risky ploy which can sometimes end badly, but played off to great success whenever it was used.
A Room with Revue was a simple and clever production which ranks as one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve seen all year. With sharp jokes, witty use of action, a solid cast and great musical backing, it rolled along hilariously for its two-hour course, and made me disappointed they hadn’t lengthened it to three. My fears and misconceptions about comedy definitively dispelled, I eagerly await the next offering from this impressive group.

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