Our new President: - The Founder

The true meaning of Valentine’s Day, p. 6 

free! 

the independent students’ newspaper of royal holloway, university of london 

Tuesday 13 February 2007 | www.thefounder.co.uk | Issue 6 

Elections results announced on Wednesday last week 

Marcus O’Shea 

Vice-President: 

Education & Welfare 

Valentine’s Edition 

Our new President: 

Joff Manning 

Joff Manning won in a landslide victory over Ellen Garrett, 

Jayne Mills and Judith Ratcliffe with over 700 votes 

The Sabbatical Team 07-08 

“...I will be doing 

everything within 

my power to work 

with you towards 

a better future for 

students.” 

“I want to make sure that the Union continues to have a strong voice on campus and in the local area, 

by developing a stronger working relationship with college and the community, all working together 

for your benefit.” 

Nicki Robinson 


Communications & Services 

“I will justify the 

Union’s spending, 

so that students 

know where their 

money goes, and 

that the SU is not 

a profit-making 

organisation.” 

Kate Manning 


Student Activities 

“I want to put 

Holloway on 

the map for 

our drama, for 

our sport, for 

our music and 

societies, for our 

student activities.” 

FULL STORY, PAGE 2 

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Should this Union remain affiliated to the NUS? | Yes - 1160 No - 257 

2 NEWS Tuesday 13 February 2007 thefounder 

Complaints, insults and campaigns: 

Election results announced at 6:50pm last Wednesday 

By Victor Bernards 

The Sabbatical and Media Elections 

were held last week as the 

Students’ Union saw a record 

number of ballots cast. The positions 

that were up for grabs were 

President, Vice-President for Education 

and Welfare, Vice-President 

for Communications and Services, 

Vice-President for Student Activities, 

Publication Editor, Deputy 

Publication Editor, Station Manager 

and Deputy Station Manager. 

Canvassing had already been under 

way since Wednesday 31 January 

with student candidates storming 

the campus with flyers, posters 

and leaflets as to why they should 

be elected in (see last week’s edition 

of The Founder). 

As well as having a record voting 

turnout, the elections are also reported 

to have seen a record number 

of complaints ranging from 

slander and poster-pulling to abuse 

of Facebook. 

The SU’s Elections Code of Conduct, 

which is considered Draconian 

by some, is very strict and states 

that candidates are not allowed to 

canvas themselves online by any 

means. Of course, the success of 

the website, Facebook, over the past 

couple of years has meant that regulating 

this rule is becoming increasingly 

more difficult. With ‘Facebook 

campaigns’ being the subject of 

many official complaints, it is likely 

that the website will be properly incorporated 

in the Code of Conduct 

by next year, with candidates either 

President 

Winner in 1st round 

Joff Manning | 796 

Ellen Garrett | 319 

Jayne Mills | 118 

Judith Ratcliffe | 115 

RON (re-open nominations) | 37 

Clockwise from top: another vote is cast; Joff Manning grins contentedly as result is announced; 

noticeboard covered with election posters (like most round campus) DAN NICHOLLS 

being allowed to use it, or having 

their profiles disabled during the 

canvassing period. 

The candidates had more or less 


Education & Welfare 

Winner in 3rd round 

Cat Vince | 568 

Marcus O’Shea | 824 

a free reign over campus between 

9am and 9pm so it is likely that readers 

will have run into them at some 

point. The favoured areas for canpaigning 

were the dinner halls and 

certain halls of residences (some 

were out of bounds). Student apathy 

is reported to currently be at an 


Communications & Services 

Winner in 3rd round 

Will Sudlow | 532 

Nicki Robinson | 718 

all-time high and many candidates 

reported that students responded in 

a hostile manner when approached. 

This was particularly prevalent at 

the Kingswood, off-campus site 

where posters were repeatedly torn 

down and/or heavily defaced. Some 

graffiti accusations were particularly 

offensive though no action was 

Similarly the SU were criticised 

for not acting on a number of official 

election complaints, some of which 

After heated campaigning on the 

final days of canvassing, the ballots 

were closed at 7:00pm on Tuesday 

6 February and counting started 

at midday on Wednesday 7 February. 

The counting session normally 

lasts around four hours but with 

record voting (over 1500 ballots 

cast), the Elections Committee did 

not emerge from the International 

Building until 6:50pm to announce 

the results in Tommy’s Bar. As students 

crammed themselves in, the 

tense and emotions were beginning 

to break through as the results were 

announced (as below) with some 

insults being shared between candidates 

and official aides. For the losing 

candidates it was a sad moment 

and some of the winners had mixed 

emotions. It is now a matter of seeing 

if our newly elected representatives 

can follow through with their 

taken by the SU. 

included illegal use of Facebook. 

atmosphere became extremely 

promises. 

Listen to Insanity’s podcast: 

www.insanityradio.com 


Student Activities 


Kate Manning | 763 

Matt Shepherd | 336 

Cath Welsby | 254 

RON | 40 

Publication Editor 


Deputy 

Publication Editor 


Station Manager 


Deputy 

Station Manager 


Jack Lenox | 589 

Adam D’Souza | 1017 

Joe Friel | 824 

Naomi Sharpe | 1232 

Mario Creatura | 688 

RON | 330 

Callum Just | 486 

RON | 175 

RON | 53 

RON | 53

thefounder Tuesday 13 February 2007 

NEWS 

3 

By Will Adams 

Last Monday five brave members 

of RHUL Boat club shed their 

clothes and their dignity in aid of 

the Raise And Give (RAG) Calendar. 

Not wanting to do anything by 

halves, they then embarked on a leirates 

of some elderly lunchers, they 

headed under Staines bridge, getting 

those all important pictures 

taken, only to be attacked by two 

rather angry swans (think they saw 

what looked like a snack). 

After that it was full steam back 

to the boat house and some warm 

pants, until the bowman caught 

a crab, knocking him for six and 

made the crew worry that they may 

to have done such a deed; members 

of Dance, BALADS, Absolute Harmony, 

Expedition, Women’s Rugby, 

Lacrosse, Men’s Rugby, Hockey, the 

Executive Committee and Netball 

have also showed skin in the pursuit 

of charity and fame. The RAG 

Calendar will be on sale in RAG 

week (12th-18th February) for a 

fine sum of £5 at the RAG stand 

in the SU, the proceeds go to the 

Willow Foundation that grants the 

terminally ill opportunities and experiences. 

RAG made over £20,000 

last year for various charities and 

Get your cox out for RAG Week! 

“...they gave each 

other a smug smile 

in the knowledge 

that their buttocks 

would very soon be 

the public property 

of Holloway students...” 

aims to improve this year. With 

RAG week kicking off next week 

there is a whole host of fundraising 

events on show. 

If you want to get involved and a 

free t shirt join the RAG triathlon 

on Thursday consisting of a 2km 

row, 5km cycle and a 3km run on 

the Friday, sign up sheet and sponsor 

forms in the student activities 

office. 

It’s all for charity so get up, get 

involved!!! 

See this week’s ‘What’s on’ in the 

Arts section for the full run-down 

of the RAG events! 

The team steam down the Thames 

surely early afternoon row through 

Staines. As heads turned, camera 

phones shot out of onlookers’ 

pockets quicker than you can say 

“look it’s a boat full of naked rowers!” 

Needless to say the cry of “It’s 

for charity” was almost on repeat. 

At a cosy 3 degrees, the team decided 

to keep the outing short parading 

themselves past the HA!HA! 

Bar, Outback restaurant and the 

Swan Hotel, not to mention numerous 

local resident’s houses, wearing 

nothing but rowing shoes and reluctant 

smiles. Having risen heart 

With the Sabbatical and Media 

elections out of the way, one can 

look back at the sheer intensity 

of reactions from both the high 

quality of Candidates and Students 

on how they felt about the 

election. This year has set to bring 

about the highest turnout of voters 

for a long time. It can also 

be branded as one of the dirtiest 

elections with high levels of complaints 

from across the board. 

Looking over the week campaign, 

as a student, I can say that it 

has been toughly fought with Candidates 

working hard promoting 

themselves and their policies. This 

has hit a variety of student audiences 

from the enthusiastic and receptive, 

those who have an element 

of interest but were unaware of who 

have to swim home. As they travelled 

home they gave each other a 

“...Needless to say 

the cry of “It’s for 

charity” was almost 

on repeat...” 

smug smile in the knowledge that 

their buttocks would very soon be 

the public property of Holloway 

students. 

They were by no means the first 

The team in photo from left to right: Cox: Jane Reid, 1: Will Adams, 2: Malcolm Munelly, 3: Nic 

Watson, 4: Tristan Stewart 

Politics, apathy and students: all in a day’s work 

By Sahar Mirhadi 

was running, to the full spectrum 

of apathy and disinterest. Will Sudlow, 

Candidate for Communications 

and Services, has described 

the Campaign as ‘Surreal, where 

people recognise you through your 

leaflets and policies’. Joe Friel, Candidate 

for Station Manager has 

come across a good reaction during 

his week campaign, where he has 

received points he had never considered 

and has quoted that ‘this is 

“..one of the dirtiest 

elections with 

high levels of complaints 

from across 

the board...” 

what doing the campaign is about, 

listening to people’. 

This is all fair and well, but students 

have felt that they have been 

bombarded with leaflets showing 

the many candidates and also not 

being fully informed by the Union 

“...a variety of 

student audiences 

from the 

enthusiastic and 

receptive...to the full 

spectrum of apathy 

and disinterest...” 

about who is running for what and 

the candidates having to explain 

this. Further some students have 

expressed a level of apathy, stating 

that the election will not affect lives 

of students and that casting a vote, 

will not make a change. This is true 

of the opinion of some third years 

who as Christopher Chapman, Official 

Aide to Will Sudlow stated 

‘they are cynical as they have heard 

the same policies time and time 

again, but rarely are they delivered’. 

There have also been concerns 

throughout the campaign about 

the rules and the level of increasing 

complaints considering certain candidates 

over the campaign. Candidates 

and Students have expressed 

views that the rules and regulations 

are too rigid and do not allow for 

creativity and imagination for ideas 

on how to promote oneself. However, 

speaking with the Elections 

“...the rules and 

regulations are too 

rigid and do not 

allow for creativity 

and imagination...” 

Officer (James Bromige), there will 

be a possible review on making 

elections more open, in time for 

the executive elections, coming up 

in march. 

So taking all this, the campaign 

has definitely had a mixed reaction 

from students and candidates 

alike with some candidates saying 

“...This election will 

hopefully push for 

more radical and innovative 

ideas...” 

that it has been an enjoyable week 

and have met lots of new people 

to some hating it and wishing it to 

be over, but all putting in so much 

hard work. This election will hopefully 

push for more radical and innovative 

ideas and might change 

the way things are done at Royal 

Holloway, with more creativity 

around elections and according to 

Andrew Coleman, Communications 

and Services Candidate ‘making 

it more fun’.

NEWS Tuesday 13 February 2007 thefounder 

Prestigious award for Royal Holloway lecturer 

David Cesarani, Professor of Jewish History at Royal Holloway 

By Lara Stavrinou 

Professors at Royal Holloway are 

being showered with awards this 

season. The latest to receive recognition 

is David Cesarani, Professor 

of Jewish History, who has 

been awarded the Gerrard and 

Ellman Award for his book Becoming 

Eichmann (2006), by the 

American Jewish Book Council. 

Cesarani mainly researches modern 

Jewish history- namely the relations 

between Jews and non-Jews. 

He also has a vast knowledge when 

it comes to ethnicity, immigration, 

German history, and Genocide. He 

has supervised and acted as an advisor 

to doctoral students studying 

these subjects and is an advisor to 

the Home Office on Holocaust Memorial 

Day. He has also made radio 

documentaries for the BBC and advised 

the Imperial War Museum on 

their permanent Holocaust exhibition. 

In addition to this book, Professor 

Cesarani has also published 

Eichmann: His Life and Crimes 

(2004) and The Left and the Jews 

(2004). 

Cesarani explains that “writing 

about Eichmann was a challenge, 

and at times it was quite distressing. 

But mass atrocity and genocide 

is still going on, so I hope the book 

will help people to understand the 

perpetrators and be better equipped 

to deal with racism and the murderous 

actions it can lead to”. In this 

book, he offers a complex portrait 

of Adolf Eichmann, 

a fanatical anti- 

Semite who was 

heavily involved 

in the Jewish persecution. 

Cesarani’s 

extensive 

research has 

allowed him 

to dig into the 

past and write 

a work that 

corrects various 

historical 

records. 

C e s a r a n i 

p o r t r a y s 

Eichmann 

as a man 

w h o 

m a d e 

d e l i b - 

e r a t e 

choices 

in 

h i s 

p u r- 

s u i t 

of power, which 

resulted in his desensitisation to 

the atrocities committed. He rejects 

misconceptions that portrayed the 

man as either dumb or purely animalistic 

and, on a whole, presents a 

psychological analysis of genocide. 

This is to be his first book award 

and it truly is a prestigious one. “The 

award came as a complete surprise 

and I am delighted. It is fantastic 

to get such reco 

g - 

n i - 

t i o n 

from 

a 

p r e s - 

tigious 

b o d y 

like the 

J e w i s h 

B o o k 

C o u n - 

America,” 

m e n t s . 

The Jewish 

Book Council 

is one of 

cil of 

he com- 

ish literature 

it is no wonder 

that the author 

The award will 

the world’s 

largest Jew- 

advocates so 

is delighted. 

be presented 

on March 6 in New York. 

9am lectures and shared toilets: worth it? 

By Tim Ruffles 

Universities UK has just released 

the results of research commissioned 

from Pricewaterhouse- 

Coopers on the economic benefits 

resulting from attaining a degree. 

The research states that there are 

“significant economic benefits” 

to acquiring a degree, and that 

on average, gaining a degree will 

mean you earn 20% to 25% more 

over your lifetime than if you simply 

had two A levels. 

Although the report stresses the 

continued worth of higher education, 

it also highlights the uneven 

spread of the advantages; depending 

on the subject studied and the 

student taking the course. 

Gender is the strongest factor in 

determining how much you will 

gain from attaining a degree. Women 

gain a lot more from attaining 

degrees than similar men; after adjusting 

for other variables such as 

socio-economic background and 

family income, a woman law graduate’s 

lifetime earnings would be 44% 

higher than if she’d just had two A 

levels. A similar male law graduate’s 

would be only 27% higher than if 

he’d merely taken two A levels. 

As well as this, males from higher 

socio-economic backgrounds will 

not receive as much benefit from 

higher education. A male with a 

high socio-economic background 

will have around 6% lower wage return 

from his degree than another 

male who has a lower socio-economic 

background. The effect of 

a woman’s socio-economic background 

is fairly negligible; however, 

in women’s cases those from 

a higher socio-economic background 

receive very slightly higher 

wage returns. 

The economic benefits translate 

into an average life time earnings 

increase of as much as £340,000, in 

the case of medicine. The average 

return of all degrees is £160,000. 

Some subjects however, have 

much smaller rewards than this. 

Humanities students can only look 

forward to around a £50,000 life 

times earnings increase, compared 

to a business and finance student’s 

£185,000. A student taking management 

at Royal Holloway when 

told of the report’s findings by The 

Founder said “I think this report 

shows my course leads on to a good 

job. I’m glad I did something which 

employers really want!”. 

The report suggests that certain 

£340,000 

Medicine 

Business 

and Finance 

students may actually be losing 

potential earnings through achieving 

a degree; men taking arts degree 

actually receive 4% less than a 

Average 

Degree 

European 

Languages 

similar individual with only two A 

levels. 

Impact on lifetime earnings of 

gaining a degree level qualification 

compared to 2 A-Levels: 

£185,000 

£160,000 

£97,000 

£51,000 

Chart images: Tim Ruffles 

Source: Department of Economics, University of Warwick, from Labour Force Survey 

Humanities


NEWS & COMMENT 

5 

As the tension built, things turned somewhat scrappy at the Sabbatical and Media Elections 

thefounder editorial team 

Editor-in-Chief 

Jack Lenox 

jack@thefounder.co.uk 

News Editor 

[Currently vacant] 

Features Editor 

[Currently vacant] 

Media Editors 

Dan Nicholls 

dan@thefounder.co.uk 

Michael Dean 

michael@thefounder.co.uk 

Comment, Opinion 

& Letters Editor 

John Hunter 

john@thefounder.co.uk 

Proof readers 

Peter Brown, Veronica Paez, Helen Johnson 

Business Manager 

Simon Hepher 

simon@thefounder.co.uk 

Arts Editor 

Beth Turrell 

beth@thefounder.co.uk 

Sports Editor 

Allison Ealey 

allison@thefounder.co.uk 

Deputy Business Manager 

Lina Pio 

lina@thefounder.co.uk 

Photography 

& Images Editor 

Tim Ruffles 

tim@thefounder.co.uk 

Cartoonist 

Bob Groves 

bob@thefounder.co.uk 

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6 EDITORIAL & OPINION Tuesday 13 February 2007 thefounder 

& 

Editorial Opinion 

thefounder 

john@thefounder.co.uk 

The real meaning of Valentine’s Day 

By Sarah Leaford 

Every February, across the 

country, men and women 

go into a blind panic trying 

to fulfil their obligation to romance 

their nearest and dearest with sweets, 

flowers, and gifts. The pressure to 

create the perfect evening or make 

the ultimate statement of romance 

detracts from the simple idea of love 

and appreciation. Even for those not 

under any obligation to wine and 

dine their better half, Valentines 

Day isn’t a barrel of laughs. It’s the 

ultimate time to feel lonely and gain 

a stark awareness of the unavoidable 

fate of being single forever and ever. 

Company is sought in the bottom 

of a pint glass and the day is either 

spent vowing that next February 

will be different or resigning oneself 

to a lifetime of Februarys like this. 

According to one survey, 32% 

of the British public confess to 

actually having bought themselves 

an anonymous present so as not to 

lose face among other gift-receiving 

friends! And all in the name of St. 

Valentine. But who is this mysterious 

saint? And are we celebrating this 

holiday as it was intended? 

The history of Valentine’s Day 

and its patron saint is shrouded 

in mystery. But we do know that 

February has long been a month 

of romance. The day itself has its 

roots in both Christian and ancient 

Roman tradition. But there is debate 

over who exactly was Saint Valentine 

and how he became associated with 

this day of romance. 

One legend contends that 

Valentine was a priest who served 

during the third century in 

Rome. When Emperor Claudius 

II decided that single men made 

better soldiers than those with 

wives and families, he outlawed 

marriage for young men in order 

to achieve the ultimate army. 

Valentine, realising the injustice 

of the decree, defied Claudius and 

continued to perform marriages 

for young lovers in secret. When 

Valentine’s actions were discovered, 

Claudius ordered that he be put to 

death. Other stories suggest that 

Valentine may have been killed 

for attempting to help Christians 

escape harsh Roman prisons 

where they were often beaten and 

tortured. According to one legend, 

Valentine actually sent the first 

Who is this 

mysterious 

saint? And are 

we celebrating 

this holiday 

as it was 

intended? 

‘valentine’ greeting himself. While in 

prison, it is believed that Valentine 

fell in love with a young girl who 

visited him during his confinement. 

Before his death, it is alleged that he 

wrote her a letter, which he signed 

‘From your Valentine,’ an expression 

that is still in use today. 

Although the truth behind the 

Valentine legends is murky, the 

stories certainly emphasise his 

appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, 

and, most importantly, romantic 

figure. He certainly didn’t pop down 

to Clinton’s and buy the whole 

shop! It’s no surprise that by the 

Middle Ages, Valentine was one of 

the most popular saints in England 

and France. It seems a shame that 

a day pinpointed to remember a 

noble hero has been eclipsed by 

commercialism and expectation. 

Maybe by going back to basics, this 

Valentines day we can forget about 

spending ridiculous amounts and 

trying to have the perfect day, and 

just feel grateful that thanks to St 

Valentine, love has been allowed to 

prevail – in all its forms. 

A bitter taste 

By Guy Galloway 

which has a different 

effect on the 

yeast and endows 

each ale with a 

uniquely complex 

taste and aroma. It 

also has the same 

alcoholic qualities 

of the yellow water 

served on campus, 

meaning you 

can still get totally 

whacked if you so 

desire. 

Beer. What is it? Asking 

various people to define 

what it actually is produces 

greatly different 

results. Some people 

suggest that it is a piss-coloured liquid 

designed to get the consumer as 

drunk as possible, while rendering 

them so mentally confused that they 

accidentally sleep with members of 

the opposite sex. Others look at beer 

as a beautiful concoction of delicate 

flavours to enjoy on warm summer 

afternoons and to cheer you up during 

the long winter nights in the 

pub. Now I would classify both definitions 

as correct… although this 

judgement is not completely based 

on personal experience (ahem). 

However, it seems that an alarming 

number of people see beer as a 

homogenous category of drink, and 

cannot make the distinction between 

a fine ale and a lager. Many 

blindly follow what Medicine and 

Stumble call ‘beer’ (i.e. lager) and 

end up consuming copious amount Crosslands, 

of said yellow water with the aim of 

getting themselves inebriated. Now 

anyone who has visited ‘The Happy 

Man’ and ‘The Holly Tree’ and other 

off-campus pubs will know that the 

bigger (and much more handsome) 

brother of this yellow water, real 

ale, is by far a much more satisfying 

pint. Real ale is fermented at much 

higher temperatures than lager, 

To analogise 

this for the wine 

drinker: imagine 

if you had the 

choice between a 

flavoursome wine 

or a Lambrini, 

with little or no 

difference in price 

- which would you 

choose? Although 

real ale may be the 

far superior breed 

of beer, only one 

pub on campus, 

has 

caught on to the 

fact that it is in big demand. To the 

relief of many students, ales such 

as ‘London Pride’ and ‘Old Hooky’ 

are now available on tap. Although 

Crosslands is perhaps not the most 

desirable establishment to spend 

an evening in, its investment has 

drawn in many of the ale appreciators 

who would previously be found 

supping a sorry Grolsch in a corner 

of the Stumble. Crosslands’ bar staff 

also suggest that it has proved to be 

a very popular investment indeed. 

So why isn’t real ale served in 

other campus pubs and bars? That’s 

a question it seems that no-one 

has any answer to. It makes sense: 

Crosslands sells its real ale for a 

higher price than most of its lagers, 

and is more profitable than the lagers 

that it shares a counter with. 

Perhaps the debt-laden SU should 

take note? Most London pubs have 

at least one or two real ales on tap, 

but for some reason there are no real 

ales in SU pubs or bars. As a result it 

is the off-campus pubs which get the 

business, and it is the SU which lose 

out on a tidy revenue. Hopefully 

PHOTO: JONATHAN WOLLNY 

they will finally begin to catch on to 

the fact that there is a big demand 

during the next month. The SU will 

be polling around campus during 

February to find out the demand for 

real ale amongst the student population. 

So use your vote wisely for the 

sake of students, and for the sake of 

the SU!


EDITORIAL & OPINION 

7 

By Martin O’Neill 

To what extent can Bede 

be described as ‘a scholar 

of the renaissance, 

born hundreds of years 

before his time’? 

What factors have shaped the form of 

urban settlements in Romania? 

Essay questions. Doubtlessly, we’ll 

have to start browsing online journals 

and library shelves to be able to 

answer the questions, but our first 

port of call won’t be JSTOR. Equally, 

if we have to give a presentation 

on a topic, there is one place that 

will help us know what we are talking 

about without having to wade 

through piles of books. Departments 

warn against using it as a reference 

in essays, but students love it 

all the same. 

Wikipedia has certainly been one 

of the greatest recent developments 

in the field of student research. It’s 

quick and convenient, covering all 

the main issues in a few paragraphs, 

whilst the same issues fill entire 

books in the library. Wikipedia often 

has pictures, and you can easily 

follow from link to link to cover any 

related aspects of what you need to 

know. Just look up ‘Bede’, or ‘Romania’ 

and chase your concerns. 

It’s not even restricted to academia. 

Yes, Wikipedia has lengthy 

pages on the European Parliament 

and nuclear fusion, but it also has 

reams of trivia on every episode of 

Futurama, profiles of almost any celebrity 

you could care to name, and 

even pages close to home, covering 

Royal Holloway, Englefield Green 

and even Egham railway station. 

The Wiki-ed ‘Which?’ 

Whatever your interests, Wikipedia 

will cover them. Wikipedia can 

seem almost omnipotent, especially 

if you use it to cheat on pub quizzes, 

or address a debate you had earlier 

with your friends on that particular 

episode of Lost. 

‘Web 2.0’ 

Wikipedia is the best known example 

of the principle of ‘wiki’, whereby 

users generate their own content 

for the benefit of the collective, and 

are able to add and edit to others 

contributions, eventually producing 

a sum of knowledge greater 

than any individual contributor 

possesses. This in turn is another 

side of what has become known as 

‘Web 2.0’, an internet more socially 

complex than the original boom of 

the 90s. Facebook and other social 

networking sites give a good idea of 

what ‘Web 2.0’ is all about, as does 

YouTube. It is hardly a limited affair, 

either. Time magazine named ‘You’ 

as their ‘Person of the Year 2006’ 

in honour of the individual-centric 

developments including, amongst 

others, Wikipedia. ‘Web 2.0’ was 

even recently praised at the World 

Economic Forum. 

It has its critics, just as it has its 

supporters. A Newsnight reporter 

claimed how the internet was increasingly 

filling the role of religion, 

providing an environment for the 

mind to explore and interact with, 

unencumbered by physical form. 

Jeremy Paxman found the concept 

somewhat ludicrous. ‘Web 2.0’ has 

been praised for bring power to the 

people, and has been criticised for 

not actually existing: under this argument, 

there has been no substantial 

shift from the user-based systems 

already present, such as eBay, 

Amazon and the IMDB, amongst 

others. The debate continues. 

Wiki, or not Wiki 

Wikipedia is indeed useful. However, 

it’s use is primarily as an introduction 

to topics, an overview of them, 

similar to reading a summary of a 

novel rather than the actual book. 

That’s fine if you need to know what 

the largest lakes in Asia are, but less 

useful if you need to know specific 

details about the management of 

said lakes. Wikipedia misses things 

out. 

If you try looking up such issues as 

‘Chechen Independence’ or ‘Abortion’, 

you’ll find a minefield of a narrative, 

often presenting both sides 

of the argument with equal ferocity, 

and a high number of edits. Wikipedia 

is not impartial, although it tries 

hard to be. Despite the best efforts 

of professional ‘Wikipedians’, there 

are still many biased articles. 

The key thing to remember with 

Wikipedia is that, whilst it may seem 

as if you’re being advised by an omnipotent 

force, you’re actually reading 

the contributions of a number 

of people, not necessarily experts 

in their field, often edited together 

to form a narrative that can easily 

jump between descriptive style. It 

is for this reason that departments 

warn against its use: the information 

you use may not be accurate. I 

have found that in many cases, it is 

valid, but it still could theoretically 

be untrue, as Wikipedia has none of 

the barriers placed around articles 

in journals and academic books. I 

once found a lovely quote for one of 

my essays, only to discover no evidence 

of the quote from anywhere 

else, and thus could not use it. 

Carpe Wiki 

Interestingly, although Wikipedia 

is so widely used, very few people 

actually contribute to it. RHUL has 

its fair share of contributors, but as 

they tend to share the same campus 

IP-address, it is hard to tell who edited 

what. I’ve witnessed Hollowegians 

vandalising pages before, as 

well as providing information on 

Chelsea players. In one chilling case, 

someone wrote an anti-Semitic line 

in one article, which was quickly edited 

away again. 

I eventually decided to set up my 

own Wikipedia account after contributing 

to some articles. I don’t do 

a lot of editing, but I’ve done enough 

to learn how Wikipedia is both 

so useful and so flawed. Amongst 

professional Wikipedians, there are 

many codes of conduct as to what 

is ‘encyclopaedic’ and what is not. 

Edits which promote biased viewpoints 

are often quickly removed. 

Rewriting of articles is seldom done, 

so that the same basic structure is 

always being added to. Wikipedians 

argue out their differing viewpoints 

by claiming their view is more suited 

to Wikipedia. For a long time, 

the Royal Holloway page was edited 

back and forth regarding The 

Da Vinci Code’s Sophie Neveu, a 

fictional alumnus of RHUL. Ought 

she be included, or not? 

I personally have done a fair 

amount of editing to the SURHUL 

section of the same page. I’ve had 

some of my edits revoked by more 

professional Wikipedians, arguing 

that the data is either biased or irrelevant. 

Some societies have promoted 

themselves by making sure they are 

included as part of the section. As 

for the section itself, the notion that 

SURHUL is worth its own article 

was quickly shot down, as a ‘generic 

SU’ isn’t worth it. SOAS’ Union, the 

most politically active in the UK, 

underwent a debate as to whether it 

ought to retain its own page or not: 

the general argument was against, 

but there were many who pointed 

out a clear discrepancy. Thames Valley 

University SU has its own page. 

So does Hull. In fact, many SUs retain 

their own pages, but have not 

been challenged because no ‘professional 

Wikipedians’ have visited to 

make the challenge. 

Manipulation 

Using the example of Students’ 

Unions, it ought to be clear how 

Wikipedia can be manipulated. 

Pages such as ‘The United Kingdom’ 

may undergo massive debate as to 

wording and viewpoints, whilst ‘Englefield 

Green’ will undergo considerably 

less scrutiny. Furthermore, 

the first person to write about, say, 

Brunel’s Runnymede Campus, puts 

in place the basic structure of the 

article, which will then be read by 

many curious students wanting to 

find out a little more about it. 

I myself am guilty of that, adding a 

photograph to the RHUL main page 

shortly before the page was visited 

heavily by A-level students researching 

where they were about to go. 

By all means use Wikipedia. I spend 

hours daily on it. However, bear in 

mind that what is says is not necessarily 

the truth, the whole truth and 

nothing but the truth. It is regulated, 

contrary to the opinion of many, 

but there is no universal agreement. 

It is a good thing, a great benefit to 

all of us students, but it’s not perfect. 

Happy browsing. 

Biggles’ Corner 

What up, my homie mofos. Biggles in the house here, coming at 

you like a Spitfire. Down with you kiddies, yo ho. Apologies to 

any adult readers for that outburst of student jargon, but your 

poor Biggles has this week been forced to enter the foul mire of students in 

order to bring his magic kind of journalism to a new and unhygienic audience. 

My ruddy face blushes crimsoner still as I dwell on the last week spent 

with vile, supernoodle-chomping infants. The things I do for journalism 

– fortune favours the brave – tally ho! 

Biggles found the sabbatical elections of this week somewhat unfulfilling. 

The election rules of the Student’s Union mean that you poor students 

don’t get to participate in all the fun parts of politics, such as mudslinging, 

negative ads, intimidation, bullying, and of course, fixing the vote. Instead, 

candidates must run solely issue-based campaigns. How can a decent candidate 

win an election without chopping their opponent into small pieces and 

defecating, sportsmanlike, on their remains? Biggles shakes his head at this 

awful take on politics, and ticks another box on his “students are damned 

blighters” checklist. 

There was, however, one aspect of the University that Biggles found 

to be pretty dashed tops, and that was the gallant sports societies, and 

their hilarious antics of a Wednesday evening. I found myself roaring with 

hearty laughter as these brave laddies performed all kinds of masculine 

japes, involving nudity, violence, drinking beer through their own socks 

(!) and so much more. In fact, it made me rather teary-eyed for my own 

tender schooling at Cambridge, where, one jolly evening, I stripped a poor 

chap completely starkers and rode him around Jesus until dawn broke! I’m 

sincerely glad that some traditions cannot be stamped out by the liberalpansy-PC 

Brigade. 

Anyway, all these fine memories have rather stirred up the beast within, 

so to speak, and so I must now put down my pen and see what Mrs. Biggles 

is up to. Or, as you students say: I’m off to spank my bitch around! View 

Haloo!


POLITICS SAM KISS 

‘Britishness’ 

A faux notion of identity, 

and the decline of the Sceptred Isle 

In recent conversation, I stumbled across an individual who believed that the 

British were “innately superior, and perhaps the greatest race in the world”. 

I was not sure as to whether this statement was cause for pity, rage, revulsion 

or concern…or indeed all four. Perhaps civilisation has deceived me. 

Perhaps there are still people who believe that the British Empire was a wholly 

positive thing, that the slave trade put “those Africans in their place” and that 

we should all be throwing stones at Mosques. Indeed, this individual appeared 

to believe that the WASP had a right, nay, duty to straddle the globe and spread 

glorious ‘British’ values. Spewing Christianity, capitalism, free trade and English 

mores out of the metaphorical spunk-flutes of imperialism and globalisation. 

Well, I respond in kind to this delusional semi-moron: The British are not special. 

Britain’s virtues are a product of geographical, ecological and political circumstances; 

we are the children of luck. Democracy, free speech, equality, the rule of 

law; these values are not intrinsically ‘British’ in character. Unfortunately, these 

musings render Sir Keith Ajegbo’s report rather obsolete. 

“Britain is committed to the values of free speech, the rule of law, mutual tolerance 

and respect for equal rights. They are things that are fundamental to our society.” 

Yes. Perhaps this is what makes Britain oh so different from say, the United 

States or France. These transcendental values are definitely unique; one can barely 

dare to gaze across the channel. Towards those dark despotic lands where prejudice, 

inequality, anarchy and sin reign supreme. I respect the general ignorance 

and intractability of any individual who seriously believes that the UK is ‘free’ or 

‘fair’, that the average Briton is tolerant, that capitalism is just…or indeed effective…that 

simple plurality is a paragon of democratic practise. To my mind, the 

Ajegbo’s report serves as a fitting indictment of the concept of nationalism. This 

‘kingdom of mongrels’ best exemplifies the ills of patriotism. ‘Britishness’ must 

be taught, because it is no more innate than ‘Frenchness’ or ‘Americaness’. All of 

these notions are entirely artificial, and have been cultivated over the centuries. 

They are also necessarily exclusive, prejudicial and irrational; that is the function 

of patriotism. That it has become necessary to teach ‘Britishness’ demonstrates 

that the theory of nationalism in itself is rapidly becoming redundant. Anglo- 

African, Anglo-Asian, Anglo-Irish, Anglo-whatever; all of us have contributed to 

the positive development of the British state. That we cannot define ‘Britishness’, 

that it is such a dilute and irrelevant concept, is surely an argument in favour of 

the dissemination of multiculturalism and liberal ideology? ‘Britishness’ may be 

decomposing, but are we not still a nation? Is this not still a country? Of course. 

We should be bound together by the ideals of secularism, democracy, justice and 

reason. 

There’s nothing quite so anachronistic and backward as a nationalist conception 

of statehood and citizenship; one need only draw upon Israel as a fitting 

modern example. What does it mean to be British? Perhaps supporting various 

teams involved in a wealth of pointless grey games, or watching Celebrity Big 

Brother. When pressed, I am not sure as to whether I can define modern ‘Britishness’. 

We can afford to be proud, but not as extensively as we might wish. The 

NHS, once a beacon to socialists across the Western world, is on the brink of collapse. 

Modern Britain is as much a product of globalisation and political mediocrity 

as it is of history. Illiberty reigns supreme, as absurdist ‘Religious Intolerance’ 

Bills are muddled through Parliament and authoritarian ruffians savage habeas 

corpus. As if religious belief was not simply an opinion, as any other. As if it 

were special: deserving of any more merit than the concepts of socialism, capitalism 

or liberalism. Protection for Tories and Communists, perhaps? A pox on the 

thoughtful, then. Rule Britannia indeed! A salute to McDonalds, ASBOs, Coca 

Cola, anti-intellectualism, Starbucks, Islamists, popular music, football hooliganism, 

capitalism, house arrests, child molestation and cultural vapidity. 

The subject matter may appear somewhat dated, but I think it important that 

the question of ‘Britishness’ resonate for some time to come. Until the concept 

is dead. Nationalism is nothing more than an agent of division. Polemics aside, 

I apologise for the sensationalism. It is true that we are rather lucky; Britain is 

still secular and relatively democratic. Many are non-religious, non-racist, openminded, 

internationalist, socialist and comparatively well educated. We should be 

thankful that an otherwise unreliable government snubbed the often homophobic, 

ignorant and atavistic views of the Catholic Church. Flexing the muscles of 

exclusion, coughing up hatred and small-minded medieval little semi-thoughts. 

These are positive things. Yet we must remember that this is also a land of neoconservatives, 

racists, fundamentalists, Tories and Eurosceptics. Irrationalism and 

cognition are locked in a struggle that is tantamount to that between Dawkins 

and the Church, or capitalism and justice. What I mean to say is that we should 

be grateful, but the lionisation of ‘Britishness’ is a dangerous thing. Suggesting 

that it should be taught is alone indicative of nationalist sentiment, of a willingness 

on the part of our government to sponsor a resurgence of patriotism. This is 

absurdist, deadly, naïve and retrogressive. 

MILLER & BENSON © BOB GROVES



9 

Grammar Schools 

The only part of Britain’s education system that hasn’t been messed up... yet 

y Jack Lenox 

ditor-in-Chief 

For some years now there 

has been relentless criticism 

of the UK’s grammar 

schools. The criticisms 

vary but, to be 

frank, they seem to be entirely misguided 

and ill-informed. 

The latest wave of whinging has 

been caused by the new school 

league tables that were released just 

a few weeks ago. Naturally, the lowest 

ranking schools are not happy 

and are therefore looking for scapegoats 

to explain their poor performance. 

The key school in question 

here is Temple School in Strood, 

Kent. Temple is officially, academically, 

the worst school in Britain, 

and why is it so? The “grammar effect”, 

as headmaster Neil McAree as 

dubbed it. His conclusion is that the 

poor performance of his school is 

due to the fact that the local grammar 

schools absorb all of the most 

intellectually gifted children in his 

area. 

There is no part of Mr McAree’s 

argument that I understand. Firstly, 

why does it matter that his school 

is bottom of the league? Someone 

has to be there and if his school gets 

good Ofsted reports and provides a 

good quality of teaching, he should 

not be concerned about the actual 

results his pupils achieve. A good 

school is a school that does a good 

job with the students it is given. To 

me, it appears that the recent tables 

have simply dented his pride making 

him unhappy. 

Streaming exceptionally bright 

students into grammar schools is 

no worse than splitting pupils into 

sets. It has been proven that children 

tend to be more successful in 

Britain’s education system if they 

are mixing with pupils of a similar 

intelligence. I’m not just talking 

about the top end of the class here 

either. In classes of mixed intellect, 

less intelligent children are mocked 

by classmates and are repeatedly 

made to feel stupid as their results 

persistently fall below the class average. 

Eventually they become unenthusiastic 

and put in less and less effort. 

Similarly, bright pupils become 

complacent as they repeatedly score 

highly and suffer from the ‘big fish 

in a small pond’ syndrome that we 

are all aware of. 

Grammar schools provide a vital 

link for the British public. As much 

as people try to dismiss it, Britain is 

still very class-based. For the poor 

working-class children of this nation, 

the one opening for them to 

climb the social, and financial ladder 

is intellect. In the recent league 

tables, grammar schools dominated 

the top positions - there were far 

more grammar schools in the top 20 

than private, public or comprehensive 

schools. This is the vital opening 

for intelligent, less wealthy children. 

Through grammar schools, they can 

attend one of the best secondary 

institutions in the country and become 

likely candidates for the best 

universities the country has to offer. 

To counter this idea, Mr McAree 

stated that grammar schools are restricted 

to children whose parents 

can afford tuition for the ‘11+’. 

Firstly, the ‘11+’ is an IQ test, you 

cannot teach a child to be intelligent. 

Having been quite involved in the 

process for a few years, I have seen 

countless wealthy parents chuck 

money at tuition for their children 

to absolutely no avail. There were 

several private primary schools in 

my local area that focussed heavily 

on training children to pass the 

‘11+’ and yet my primary school 

The 11+ is 

an IQ test, 

you can’t 

teach a 

child to be 

intelligent. 

(which was not private) repeatedly 

got a far higher proportion of its 

pupils through simply by providing 

a good level of teaching and by 

streaming pupils into sets for core 

subjects such as Mathematics and 

English (something many primary 

schools are sceptical of). 

Secondly, having studied at a 

grammar school, I can say firsthand 

that pupils are not predominantly 

middle/upper-class. In fact, 

some of the best pupils at my school 

were the least fortunate as far as 

wealth is concerned. I doubt anyone 

has thoroughly researched it but I 

suspect that less wealthy pupils are 

more aware of a need to be intellectually 

successful from a financial 

standpoint, and thus try harder. 

Finally on this point, Mr McAree 

is completely contradicting himself. 

He said that grammar schools were 

absorbing all the intelligent children 

in the area. Surely if grammar 

schools are restricted to children 

whose parents can afford private 

tuition, his complaint makes absolutely 

no sense. 

In my opinion, if you’re going to 

attack a general type of school, attack 

public and private schools - a 

tragic scourge of the British education 

system that restricts good 

education to the wealthy. I find 

this theory absolutely hideous and 

am a strong believer in equality of 

compulsory education. Streaming 

children based on ability is fine, 

but to stream children into these 

PHOTO: ROBIN KEEFE 

fee-charging schools is just outrageous. 

How can people attack grammar 

schools and yet leave the elitist 

public schools such as nearby Eton 

completely untouched? 

Alright, grammar schools are intellectually 

elitist, but is there really 

anything wrong with that? Sadly, 

this government seems to think 

there is, and thus established grammar 

schools are regularly targeted as 

the monasteries were in the 1500s. 

If there weren’t enough problems 

with our education system at the 

moment, it looks as though we will 

lose one of the only things that still 

operates effectively. Maybe they’ll 

convert all the grammar schools 

into “arts academies” as they’re 

doing with all the under-performing 

comprehensives. What is this 

government’s obsession with Performing 

Arts? Grammar schools are 

one of the only surviving traditional 

secondary institutions teaching core 

subjects to a very high standard. If 

we lose them, we will cut a key resource 

to the greatest minds of Britain’s 

future.


Oh-Mi-Pod 

By Jamie Russell 

Something in my journalistic conscience 

(a contradiction in terms, I admit) 

urges me to begin apologetically. The 

ubiquitously marketed iPod TM is not 

only a tired metaphor employed in the 

low-grade ramblings of many a hack pawing for 

the zeitgeist, but also tends to initiate the populist 

writer’s well-oiled punning machinery. The 

combination of these facts lays the groundwork 

for a long list of wonderfully insightful tracts with 

all too catchy titles - a list to which this article is 

unfortunately appended. As much as it hurts to 

say it, I believe the hype too. Afterall, there must 

be something in it. 

For one who chooses to play through their 

library in shuffle, the mp3 player’s influence can 

be almost biblical. We hope for a moment of 

alignment between song and the quotidian march 

of life - a landscape that washes right through you 

to a 4:4 beat, or a lyric that one might easily wrap 

around their day – and maybe allow ourselves 

to believe that, at the very least, coincidence is 

‘no coincidence’, as if some ethereal intellect has 

talked to us. Of course, I don’t swallow my own 

hyperbole. There is no community of deluded 

psychotics wandering about heeding the voices 

in their headphones, but there is, nevertheless, 

a cue for some to take comfort in the arbitrary 

sympathy of an mp3 player. Carrying around such 

an extensive library is a security blanket – like 

uploading versions of your self into a pocketsize 

and tangible space, which, I guess, is what puts the 

‘i’ in iPod. 

So, though we may wish to resist the cloying 

generalization that surrounds it, we cannot deny 

the iPod’s very real presence in our lives. If there 

is a greater philosophy in it, it might combine in 

PHOTO: EDWARD DUFFIELD 

us a sort of egotism and hope for clarity, for if we could 

download each other, then we could come somehow closer 

to actually communicating. But, then again, if that were 

possible, why would we bother expressing ourselves in the 

first place? 

Today’s music lovers don’t just listen on the move, they 

write their lives down to be kept in a safe place, though the 

jury is still out on how real and safe a place it actually is. So, 

in the meantime, keep your ‘i’ on it. 

The Adored 

Red, a humming, a drumming 

It sings and yearns to fly 

It yearns to saw, to catch the star 

Awash your dreamy inner eye. 

I would give you my heart 

For just one kiss. 

A single kiss, solitary caress 

Adorned in a vessel of fermenting 

Fruits, nestled between 

Bulgingly bright strawberries 

Over ripe, 

Soft, sweet fallen mangoes. 

Oh for that pressing of flowers 

Ruffled petals, grasping stems 

Upturned roots 

Bursting buds 

A single fragranced mouth full. 

I present my heart burning my 

Milk stained fingers, 

My eyes wider, lips redder 

Hands hot, dripping hotter 

Take hold - my heart 

In a wooden box, embossed 

The clasp beating, thumping 

Jumping, peeping. 

Dressed in a bow deepest 

I part my lips, for you and only 

You, crack my dawn awash with dew 

Where flowers grow, raise their 

Heads and smile. 

Your damp warm mouth 

Your lips about mine 

Your lips about my lips - 

A swallow flitting, I caress its 

Body hold it, feel it kick and writhe 

Releasing, breathing in to touch 

Catch it and cage him. 

Anonymous 

An Introdu 

By Jack Perschke 

On 06 Mar 2007 RHUL will be host 

to a debate involving some of the 

UK’s most important figures in the 

sustainability debate. The Shadow 

Minister for the Environment, CEO 

of The Campaign to Protect Rural 

England, a former CEO of The Met 

Office and a Director of, corporate 

giants, Diageo will be locking horns 

in the search for a path toward sustainable 

living. The week after will 

see Prof John Lowe of RHUL give a 

presentation on Climate Change. He 

is one of the pioneers in the use of 

ice-cores to create a historical record 

of global temperatures. His research 

has been ground-breaking and helped 

shape the global climate change debate. 

In the build up to these two 

important events, “The Founder” is 

serialising an article on sustainability 

that should help inform, interest and 

entertain. We hope it will help give 

a background to some of the issues, 

spark debate around campus and 

help those lucky enough to attend 

either event to offer insightful and 

valuable contributions. 

An Introduction to 

Sustainability 

Many readers of “The Founder” 

will have heard the word “sustainability” 

used. For some it relates to 

self-sufficiency, to others re-cycling 

and to few more it has something to 

do with global climate change and 

drowning polar bears. The truth of 

sustainability is that, whilst it does 

relate to those issues, it is a far more 

wide-reaching and complex field. 

In 1987 the UN convened a commission 

to look into sustainability 

and they defined it as a lifestyle 

that, “meets the needs of the present 

generation without compromising 

the ability of future generations to 

meet their own needs”. For most of 

us at Royal Holloway I suspect that 

sounds like a fairly sound ambition. 

It fits with the traditional beliefs of 

our society which include, inheritance, 

supporting our children and 

grandchildren, and appreciating 

and protecting our environment. 

Unfortunately, no matter how desirable 

sustainability may be, it seems 

humanity is failing to meet its demands. 

Population Growth 

The background to all issues of sustainability 

is the unprecedented size 

of the human population on Earth. 

It took from the dawn of time until 

the early 1800’s for the number 

of humans on earth to reach 1bn. 

Each extra billion after that has appeared 

at an exponential rate. It 

took about 250,000 years for the human 

population to reach 1bn, the 

last 200 years has seen our numbers 

on this finite planet reach a massive 

7bn. Population growth does seem 

to be tailing off but, unfortunately, 

it’s the wealthiest that are producing 

less children, but it is also the 

wealthy that tread most heavily on 

the earth. 

Ecological Footprints 

Malthus famously predicted that, as 

population is growing at a geometric 

rate (2,4,8,16 etc etc) and food 

production grows at an arithmetic 

rate (1,2,3,4 etc etc), the human 

population would run out of food 

by the middle of the 19 th century. 

Clearly we got to that point, and 

subsequently saw a seven fold increase 

in population, yet the majority 

of us have had enough food and 

resources. How has this happened? 

The answer is that humanity has increased 

the efficiency with which it 

utilises the resources of our planet. 

Fertilisers, pesticides and, soon, 

GM crops have all contributed to 

the fact that the last 50 years have 

seen a population growth of 100% 

but an agricultural land use growth 

of only 10%. 

And it’s not just food production 

that is getting more efficient, 

we live in cramped, high-rise cities 

to preserve space, we travel via fast 

transport to save time, we package 

our food so it lasts longer and we 

use electricity to make everything 

quicker and easier. In short, we 

have grown very adept at living in 

an increasingly crowded world, but 

with each innovation our impact on 

this world is increasing. 

The principle of an ecological 

footprint is how much of the world’s 

resources are needed to support 

an individual’s lifestyle. In other 

words, if every person on the planet 

lived as you do, could the earth support 

itself? The answer for the vast 

majority of RHUL students will be 

no. Typically, we live at a rate that 

would require three earths if everyone 

lived like us. This means that 

each of us is wealthy at the expense 

of others, we are using their allocation 

of the world. Of course they are 

not using it now, but every time one 

hears mention of growing pollution 

in China or Africa consider the fact 

that the reason it’s so damaging to 

the earth is because, up until now, 

we have been using up their capacity 

to effect the earth sustainably. 

Global Governance and The Rise 

of Corporate Power 

The corporation has long been identified 

as the bad guy in the world of 

environmental issues. Be it Shell, 

Nestle or Rio Tinto we all know how 

they rape the earth without care or



11 

ction to Sustainability 

consideration. Don’t we? 

The rise of corporate power has 

been a symptom of the increased 

efficiency alluded to above. For 

production to be efficient it must 

have economies of scale. Mass 

production and the commercial 

power houses that make it happen 

are a price we pay for feeding, 

clothing and housing a population 

that grew by 700% in 200 

years. In criticising corporations 

we are sometimes in danger of 

sounding like the Judean People’s 

Front in Monty Python’s The Life 

of Brian. 

“I mean, what have the corporations 

ever done for us?” 

“Well, there are the roads.” 

“And the sewage.” 

“Oh, and the feeding of our ever 

growing populations” 

“What about clean housing, freedom 

from disease, the use of cars, 

electricity and communications.” 

“OK, apart from the roads, the 

sewage, the food, the housing, 

freedom from disease, cars, electricity 

and communications ….. 

what have they ever done for 

us?!!” 

However, there are problems. Joel 

Bakan’s recent film, The Corporation, 

suggested that 51 of the 

world’s 100 largest economies 

are not countries but corporations. 

Indeed, even the GDP of 

a relatively large and prosperous 

country like Denmark is less than 

the turn-over of General Motors. 

This growth in size, has combined 

with increased interconnectivity 

and global reach brought about by 

globalization and the two factors 

have combined to give corporations 

greater access to, and sway 

with, the brokers of international 

power. For its supporters, bodies 

such as the World Trade Organisation 

(WTO) reflect the value 

corporations add to our lives. For 

its detractors the WTO is symptomatic 

of the undemocratic, and 

every growing, power these vast 

companies hold over us. 

The fact is that corporate power 

has grown hugely in the last 100 

years but should we simply rejoice 

in the efficiency giving power of 

their profit motives? Or spend 

more time worrying about the 

tendency for profit to ignore the 

needs of the planet and our future 

generations? 

Global Climate Change 

Climate change is the issue of today. 

We can feel it around us, we have a 

scientific consensus on it, it has been 

taken up by the media as a pet topic 

and, probably as a result of those 

events, it is starting to be taken seriously 

by politicians. Because of this, 

climate change is often seen as being 

synonymous with issues of sustainability, 

however, as I hope last week’s 

article showed, it is really just a part 

of our global habit for unsustainable 

living. If one considers sustainability 

failure as the hidden disease, 

climate change is the prominent 

symptom. 

I think most have an idea about 

global climate change but there are 

a few facts that I would like to establish. 

First, we all rely on “The 

Greenhouse Effect” to live. Without 

the warming effect of the natural 

level of greenhouse gasses in 

our atmosphere the earth’s average 

temperature would be about -18°C, 

rather than its current, much more 

pleasant, +13°C. So “The Greenhouse 

Effect” is not as abstract as 

we think, we rely on it to live. However, 

what most don’t know is that 

the level of these gasses was 280 

parts per million (ppm) before the 

industrial revolution, and currently 

stand at 430 ppm. Most scientists 

agree that it will take immediate action 

to stabilise the level between 

500 and 550 ppm. Argue the specifics 

at will, but I would suggest that 

altering a fundamental, global, lifegiving 

mechanism to that degree is 

bound to bring serious issues for 

our world. 

And largely that is the point, for 

from here, the speculation starts. 

Will it simply raise temperatures a 

little, making England a nicer place 

to live? Will it raise sea levels flooding 

millions in South East Asia? Will 

it raise sea temperatures so that we 

see an increase in extreme weather 

events? Will it cause desertification 

and starvation in Africa? Will reduce 

global temperature differentials 

causing total disruption of our 

climate drivers and possibly heralding 

a new age of climate conditions 

intolerable to humans? Maybe it 

will do all of them eventually. The 

fact is that, because of the amount 

a variables involved in weather patterns, 

weathermen sometimes get 

tomorrow’s weather wrong when 

predicting in one place on good information. 

To expect global predictions, 

for a century from now, based 

on unprecedented conditions to be 

accurate is not reasonable. What we 

can conclude though is that something 

will happen and, when it’s on 

a global scale, and, when we don’t 

know what it is, are we happy risking 

it in return for cheaper flights, 

petrol and electricity? 

Sustainability – all questions, or 

are there some solutions too? 

So let’s just re-cap. The world is over 

populated and relies upon industrial 

exploitation of the Earth to sustain 

itself. The richer we become the 

less we populate but the greater the 

impact each of us has on the earth. 

This need for efficiency has resulted 

in the rise of corporations on which 

we rely for many of our basic needs. 

However, in the process of serving 

our needs, they have gained a level 

of power and influence that many 

are uncomfortable with. The system 

of greater good resulting from 

an individual’s pursuit of gain, upon 

which capitalism relies, seems to 

be failing to take in to account the 

needs of our planet and our future 

generations. The clearest symptom 

of all this today is global climate 

change, the effect of which no one 

knows for sure. To paraphrase Oliver 

Hardy, “That’s another fine mess 

we’ve got ourselves into!” 

So where do we turn to for answers? 

Can our politicians lead 

the way? Or should business start 

amending their operating models to 

account for the earth? Even if these 

two things happen how can we 

avoid economic and social collapse, 

resulting from reduced efficiencies? 

I’m sorry to say I don’t have the answers. 

But I am confident that answers 

will start to arise so long as we 

keep asking the questions. 

Every day and in every area of our 

lives we need to keep questioning. 

Do I need to consume that product? 

Do I need to use the car? Is my boss 

doing all s/he can? Are my political 

representatives doing all they can? 

Are my friends doing their bit? Is 

science the answer? Is science 

what got us here in the first place? 

Should I commit myself to finding a 

solution? Will my children be part 

of the problem or victims of it? If 

history has taught us anything it is 

that humans can overcome even the 

most insurmountable problems but 

they need to accept the problem exists, 

open themselves to innovation 

and pursue their goal mercilessly. 

As Ray Anderson, the CEO of pioneering 

carpet manufacturer Interface, 

has said, 

“The climb to the top of Mount Sustainability 

is an arduous, but rewarding, 

journey. Every foothold 

gained begins with a self-questioning 

analysis of our processes and materials 

and the determination to achieve 

even better results with less, and ultimately, 

no impact on our environment”. 

I would suggest that this is a pretty 

good place for all of us to start. Sustainability 

is the challenge of our 

generation and, so long so long as 

we appreciate its importance, I for 

one am confident that we have what 

it takes to meet it. 

Jack Perschke is a student 

at Royal Holloway 

studying Sustainability 

and Management 

To continue the debate and have your say 

why not attend a “Question-Time” style 

event being held at Founders Lecture 

theatre at 7pm on 06 Mar 2007? The panel 

will include former CEO of the Met Office, 

the Shadow Minister for The Environment, 

CEO of The Campaign to Protect Rural 

England and The Corporate Citizenship 

director for, massive corporation, Diageo. 

Tickets are £5 per head and can be 

reserved by emailing: 

mail@jackperschke.com 

Contribute! 


thefounder

Life in A Day 

Multimedia Exhibition 

with high-profile photographer, Alistair Morrison 

15 February 2007, Windsor Building 

Calling all Staff and Students! Celebrate your part in the 

Royal Holloway community and be part of the exhibition 

• Come to the Windsor Building between 9.00am – 5.30pm to have your 

portrait taken 

• Return to the Windsor Building to find your portrait, have a drink and 

experience the interactive exhibition from 6.30pm 

Check out Alistair Morrison’s photos at www.alistairmorrison.com 

Find out more about this exciting event at www.facebook.com 

Xxxxx 

Royal Holloway, University of London 

Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX 

T: 01784 0000 

www.rhul.ac.uk

FRANCIS WHEEN 

Born in 1957 and a Royal Holloway student in the 1970s, Francis Wheen is now a world-renowned 

journalist and writer. In 1997 he was named Columnist of the Year for his ‘Wheen’s World’ page in the 

Guardian. He now has a weekly column in the Evening Standard (Tuesday edition) and is the Deputy 

Editor of Private Eye. 

His best-selling biography of Karl Marx (shown 

left) won him the Isaac-Deutscher prize in 1999 and 

he more recently published, ‘How Mumbo-Jumbo 

Conquered the World’ (also shown left), a hilarious 

book looking at the “spirit of the age” in the world 

today. The list goes on, you can find a full list of his 

titles on his Wikipedia page. 

Francis Wheen’s books can be 

bought online and in all good 

bookstores, and can be ordered 

from Royal Holloway’s 

College Bookshop 

(opposite the Windsor Building) 

thefounder will be running a feature on Francis Wheen in the near future!

14 ARTS Tuesday 13 February 2007 thefounder 

Arts 

thefounder 

beth@thefounder.co.uk 

What’s on... 

RAG week is here! 

RAG week is here – so make sure you 

come along and support us at all the 

fabulous events we have arranged 

for you! Also look out for us around 

campus and particularly in the SU 

during the day – we have a stall and 

will be selling a multitude of fun 

things including Valentine’s flowers 

and accessories for the evening 

events! You can even get your picture 

taken with a load of your mates or 

that special someone! 

If you can’t quite spare the cash, we 

would love it if you could donate some 

of your time – we are always looking 

for volunteers to help out at one of our 

many crazy fundraising events! 

All money will be donated to The 

Willow Foundation – special days 

for seriously ill young adults. 

Date: Event: Time: Place: 

11th Feb ‘07 RAG Stumble Pub Quiz 8pm Stumble Inn 

12th Feb ‘07 Hypnotist 10pm (TBC) SU 

13th Feb ‘07 Arabian Night Theme 9pm Medicine 

14th Feb ‘07 Going Commando ft. Full Monty 10pm SU 

15th Feb ‘07 X-Factor Final and RAG Triathlon 10pm SU 

16th Feb ‘07 Coyote Ugly and RAG Triathlon 10pm SU 

17th Feb ‘07 RAG Battle of the Bands 10pm Medicine 

18th Feb ‘07 RAG Cabaret (TBC) SU 

Theatre 

The Importance of Theatre… 

By Beth Turrell 

Arts Editor 

There’s a lot going on in the 

West End at the moment. 

A diverse range of shows 

from dance and drama to comedy 

and musicals. High quality theatre, 

as you would expect from the 

theatre capital of the world. As 

ever though there is also a lot of 

unnecessary rubbish. I’m pretty 

sure I could be proven wrong for 

all of this and I’m expecting to be 

accused of theatre-naivety (which 

is a term that will be made up 

simply due to my comments and 

opinions that are to follow) and 

ignorance and not ‘looking deep 

enough’ or knowing what ‘true art 

is’. But frankly…why is The Lord 

of the Rings on stage? I know, I 

know, it was a masterpiece on the 

screen so why would it not make 

the transfer to the stage? Well 

why would it? Great landscapes 

and epic journeys…pretty much 

the best part of the films and the 

books (probably). Then again, of 

course…it is being staged at Drury 

Lane and if any theatre is going 

to cope with this sort of ‘epic’ theatre 

(in the non-theoretical sense) 

it is the stage to have dealt with 

Miss Saigon and that infamous 

helicopter scene. My complaints 

don’t stop here; it’s going to be a 

musical. 

Decided against singing Hobbits 

on stage? Take the walk from 

Covent Garden down towards 

Charing Cross Road and you’ll be 

faced with puppets on stage. Yes, 

Avenue Q has had great reviews; 

‘Simply the funniest show in town’, 

‘A monster hit’, ‘An outrageously 

funny musical hit ’. It’s quirky and 

a new idea, that seems to work. But 

really puppets on a stage. Puppets 

on a stage for two hours. I’ve seen 

Team America. I’m done. I know 

what your thinking having spent 

a couple of minutes reading what 

you thought may be intellectual 

insight into the actual ‘importance 

of theatre’ yet you have so far had 

someone rant cynically about the 

nonsense on the stage. And shows 

I have not even seen may I add. But 

I plan to. Not Lord of the Rings of 

course, you couldn’t get my bum on 

a seat at Drury Lane within the next 

“...It wouldn’t surprise 

me if it won 

an Oscar, the most 

sought after filmaward 

just because it 

won everything else 

so they thought, ‘why 

not!’...” 

few months if they gave out free Elijah 

Woods cardboard cut-outs or 

if Frodo was being played by Julie 

Walters (my favourite) actually for 

Julie Walters I would go. Just for in- 

trigues sake. 

Don’t get me wrong, The Lord of 

the rings is bound to scoop every 

award known to man. it is going to 

be the most expensive show ever 

put on in the west end with a cast 

of 50. It wouldn’t surprise me if it 

won an Oscar, the most sought after 

film-award just because it won 

everything else 

so they thought, 

‘why not!’ 

Avenue Q has 

already done well 

so I will give it 

a try. But puppets…really?! 

I’d like to breeze 

over Daddy Cool 

but the idea Javine 

(Popstars reject) 

and Harvey (ex so 

solid crew) taking 

the starring roles 

leads me to leave 

any sort of sarcastic 

cynicism to 

your imaginations. But just so you 

know, £10 day seat are available. 

I will however, endeavour to, by 

next week, have seen at least one of 

these and give it a true review. If all 

else fails I will go and see what the 

critics recommend and stop moaning.


ARTS 

Blasted explodes cut-throat theatre 

By Neil Thornton 

“Wogs” and “Pakis” are doing to something from the wreckage leaving 

a glimmer of hope. 

audience is supposed to do? Direc- 

cruelty lie in us all, or at least in all 

thrust upon them, what is that an ply that the seeds of unimaginable 

the country he loves, and it is hinted 

that he himself may well be engaged 

in murderous action against 

By now, you probably think that 

something like this should never be 

tor Jenny Sealey makes it clear, in 

the horrific scene of male rape: we 

men? 21st century media and technological 

capabilities have brought 

them. Certainly he has a gun, put on public view and should have are supposed to recognize the fact us significantly closer to the realities 

of war, more so than we were 

Theatre today runs through which he constantly displays and been kept in the mind of the tormented 

author, well, now add this with it. 

even in 1995, predominantly mind- 

of the disability, to accept, and deal 

pretty much every emotion, 

idea, theory, or opin- 

he also has cancer and an astrin- 

to the mix: 

It questions our own moral views; less, inhuman civil war conflicts 

seems scared. However, because 

ion any of us I can think of. But 

is it time we ask, “What is acceptable 

theatre?” As a drama student 

I can be bias to loving any new 

gent humour, it is hard to despise 

him exclusively, as he throws back 

the gin and puffs away heroically 

on the cigs. But events become increasingly 

With killings, suicides, numerous 

rapes and cannibalism in this 

intense piece, the general hysteria 

of audiences in 1995 is understand- 

I must admit when I was watching 

the character of Ian, played fantastically 

by McDermott, standing naked 

in front of the tiny, frail look- 

that characterise parts of the developing 

world. Therefore society on 

the whole is more aware of the capabilities 

of many humans, showperformance 

nasty. 

able. Yet seeing Blasted anew in the ing, thumb sucking body of Cate 

that is controversial 

and boundary pushing, but I can During the night in a scene, production at the Soho Theatre, it (Ellison), I found myself swamped “...Blasted is a play 

understand where people come 

is clear that this is in no way a piece with fear, not for the character, but 

from when they riot against certain 

“...This new production 

that distresses its audience for the the actress herself. I felt it was of- 

that breaks its own 

performances. 

sake of shocking. This new producfensive 

for her to be there. It wasn’t 

goes beyond; it 

structure apart, and 

A recent example would be the 

tion goes beyond; it takes apart the until later when Ellison’s acting 

latest revival of Blasted, the debut takes apart the script script and uncovers new, shocking 

aspects. This is thanks to the survival that I began to think, why 

took centre stage as Cate battles for leaves its audience 

play by Sarah Kane. Sarah Kane 

was one of the most talented and and uncovers new, Graeae Theatre Company, which can’t she be there? This is a grown shattered...” 

controversial young writers to 

aims to bring together disabled and woman, fully aware and consenting 

shocking aspects...” 

emerge during the nineties, her 

non-disabled actors, writers, and of what she is doing - something ing us that these things are part of 

small but awesome collection of 

five plays and a screenplay are a which, uncharacteristically, we 

audiences. It is for this reason that 

two of the main three actors in this 

she loves. David Toole as the Soldier 

also does an amazing job of 

reality and are part of the human 

capacity. 

powerful body of work. Her first don’t witness - Ian brutally rapes production of Blasted are visibly, conveying both the danger and the So now, more than ten years later, 

play Blasted was written in 1995 - Cate, odd, as he had seemed genuinely 

fond of her. Then all hell “...I found myself mind, without any legs, he relied therefore more powerful than when 

nature of his characters tortured Kane’s play is more significant and 

it was the biggest theatrical scandal 

since Howard Brenton’s The Romans 

in Britain in 1980. The public room; an explosion decimates the 

ver around the stage, something saw her prophesize the waning dis- 

breaks out. A soldier erupts into the 

swamped with fear, 

completely on his arms to maneu- 

it was first publicised. Kane’s genius 

perception of Kane has been coloured 

hotel and we learn that atrocious not for the character, he did with amazing strength and position of people the world over; 

by the negative responses to fighting and sickening carnage are 

even to the extent of relaying all his so it is the thought that if the world 

Blasted, as reviewers branded it “a taking place on the streets of Leeds. 

but the actress herself...” 

actions and fluidity. 

change soon, then this harrowing 

characters emotions through his and the humans within it do not 

feast of filth”, and by her death by Ian is in turn raped by the soldier, 

suicide age 28. Blasted opened to who then continues to suck out and 

Blasted is a play that breaks its tale by Kane will remain, as very 

the public in January 1995 in the 

small theatre upstairs at the royal 

court London. 

The play is set in a Leeds hotel, 

Ian, a middle-aged journalist, and 

Cate, a tender, naive 21-year-old 

with a propensity to fits and stammering, 

have come here for a tryst. 

eat Ian’s eyes and then turns a gun 

on himself. 

The end reduces Ian to eating a 

dead baby until Cate returns with 

food and drink. The final picture is 

one of charity and desperate, daring 

endurance. Having contemplated 

the worst of which humanity 

significantly, disabled. And that 

presents the polite, carefully cultivated 

sensibilities of the average 

audience member, and reviewer, 

with a dilemma - we’ve got used to 

colour-blind casting, barely turning 

a hair at a black Roman Emperor 

or Tudor Monarch, but when having 

own structure apart, and leaves its 

audience shattered. The movement 

from a world that we identify as 

our own to one we have only seen 

in film (and the darkest reaches of 

our imagination) raises all kinds 

of questions. Is Kane suggesting 

that racism on UK soil could turn 

little theatre truly lasts. If there’s 

any play of the twenty r so years 

that may still be drawing audiences 

in the future, engulfing them and 

dragging them through a world of 

darkness, fear and looking at and 

understanding of terrible truths, 

then this piece of revolutionary 

Kane’s dark and morbid world into total ethnic cleansing? Or sim- 

theatre may very well be it. 

Ian is a racist, who hates what the is capable, Kane somehow salvages 

The Man of Mode 

15 

By Henry Martin 

He is charming. He is rich. 

He is very, very sexy. 

When he talks to you he 

makes you feel like the only person 

in the room. When he moves 

away from you, you feel empty 

and alone. You hate to love him 

and you love to hate him. Most 

of all, he knows all this. He’s the 

man of the minute and the man 

of mode. To him you are an accessory, 

a fashionable dalliance. 

He’ll drop you like the winter 

line when he sees the spring line 

in Paris. If curves are in he’ll 

buy you chocolate. If Kate Moss 

is in you don’t stand a chance. 

He’s on stage at the National until 

March. He’d love you to love 

him and stop on by. 

George Etheridge premiered 

The Man of Mode, or Sir Fopling 

Flutter 331 years ago to huge acclaim. 

Nicholas Hytner with The 

Man of Mode aims for the same 

success in his modern re-work- 

“...Charming, slick 

and very, very sexy...” 

ing of this Restoration Comedy of 

Manners with a cast of twenty-five. 

Essentially the story is about 

Dorimant, a playboy who, as soon 

as he can’t have a woman, wants 

her, and as soon as he gets her, 

doesn’t need her anymore. Your 

ordinary bloke then? Throw into 

the mix mistaken identities, slapstick 

humour, feisty scorned lovers, 

elopement, drinking games, lots of 

techno music, art, rhymed verse, 

drink and gallic jokes and you get 

a pretty good picture of what awaits 

you at the Olivier Theatre. 

Though it is a lively energetic 

production, with some wonderful 

performances (Tom Hardy as 

Dorimant and Rory Kinnear as 

Sir Fopling Flutter) there remains 

something superficial about the 

production, which is even more 

lamentable owing to the fact that 

the whole play questions superficiality. 

The choreographed dance routines 

that link the scenes, though 

enjoyable in their own right, do 

little to add meaning to the piece. 

Due to the number of characters 

and the importance of choreography 

and dance in the piece, pace 

is everything and seemed uneven 

in the second act. Some key stage 

business and even a very important 

revelation were completely missed 

by the audience, but perhaps this 

has been corrected since previews. 

Though the set sought to represent 

the current penchant for architectural 

minimalism and retrospection, 

it remained bland, 

when it should only have 

evoked it. 

It was the actors who 

brought colour to the 

stage. But overall they 

were primary colours, 

with a great deal of tonality 

and self-reflection diffused 

with the designer 

perfume. Sure, we live in 

an age defined by the image 

and the superficial, 

my guess was this production 

sought to comment 

upon that, not fall 

victim to it. Charming, 

slick and very, very sexy, 

The Man of Mode awaits 

you. 

Directed by Nicholas 

Hytner. 

National Theatre, until 

March 10th 

Tom Hardy

16 ARTS Tuesday 13 February 2007 thefounder 

ntony and Cleopatra The Royal Shakespeare Company 

By Renata de Groot 

regory Doran directs the 

second of three Shakespeare 

plays, brought to 

he Novello Theatre by the Royal 

hakespeare Company. Set in 

he aftermath of Julius Caesar’s 

eath, Antony and Cleopatra is a 

ragedy which depicts a love affair 

ondemned by a stormy political 

ituation. 

Headlining the play are two 

ward winning RSC Associate Artsts: 

Patrick Stewart (of Star Trek 

ame) as Antony, and Harriet Waler 

as Cleopatra. Whilst many preious 

productions have presented a 

liché of the two iconic characters, 

tewart and Walter perform their 

oles credibly and with originality. 

tewart humanises the character of 

ntony, from the cocky and powerul 

general at the start, to the drunk 

and suicidal wreck at the end. Walter 

has the challenge of portraying 

the many sides of Cleopatra who is 

“... as the ultimate 

femme fatale Walter’s 

stage presence 

is both politically and 

sexually powerful...” 

presented, by Shakespeare, as not 

only a commanding ruler, but as 

the ultimate femme fatale. Walter’s 

stage presence is both politically 

and sexually powerful, at one point 

making a messenger boy visibly 

shake in terror and at other points 

passionately seducing Antony. 

The fast paced production captures 

the audience’s interest not 

only through its brilliance in acting 

but also through Adrian Lee’s 

atmospheric score. An example of 

this is the unbearable excitement 

evoked, during the battle scenes, by 

the thunderous drum beats. The atmosphere 

is also established by the 

backdrop’s ever-changing colours: 

from the gold decadence of Egypt, 

“...captures the audience’s 

interest not 

only through its brilliance 

in acting but 

also through Adrian 

Lee’s atmospheric 

score...” 

to the red bloodiness of battle. 

Despite the company’s best efforts 

to make the play accessible to 

a varied audience, the play is somewhat 

difficult to follow if you have 

never read it. I would advise either 

having a quick read of the play, a 

“...Despite the company’s 

best efforts 

to make the play accessible 

to a varied 

audience, the play is 

somewhat difficult to 

follow...” 

synopsis or the programme before 

watching it. Antony and Cleopatra 

is now in its last week and I would 

strongly recommend going not 

only because it is masterly done, 

but because of the £5 tickets for under 

25’s. Don’t miss out! 

For more information call the 

Novello box office: 0870 950 0902 

Books 

001 Books to Read Before 

ou Die: Gulliver’s Travels 

By Vikki Weston 

his week’s literary offering 

is a work, political 

and satirical in nature, 

ark, disturbing, brutal and ofen 

frightening. It may come as a 

urprise, then, that today’s book 

o read before you die is Jonathan 

wift’s ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, often 

onsidered a popular children’s 

ook and work of fantastical ficion. 

First produced in 1726 it is, 

n essence, a book that parodies 

he popular ‘traveller’s tales’ gene 

of the period, told by Captain 

emuel Gulliver, almost literally 

s Swift often produced work uner 

pseudonyms, one such being, 

emuel Gulliver himself. The 

tory chronicles his travels to sevral 

uncharted lands inhabited by 

trange and unfamiliar societies. 

Gulliver’s first stop, after an unortunate 

shipwreck, is the island 

f Lilliput where the inhabitants 

re 6 inches tall. This section of the 

tory is where the children’s verions 

of the text often focus, even 

hough in reality the people of Liliput 

are a clever and vicious society 

that Swift uses to comment on 

the way intelligent society use and 

abuse their means to gain land and 

power. In this first section of the 

“...dark, disturbing, 

brutal and often 

frightening...” 

book the ridiculous and trivial fight 

between the nation of Lilliput and 

their neighbours of Blefescu about 

which end of a soft-boiled egg you 

should crack when you eat it, is 

Swift satirising the petty differences 

of religions and societies. Gulliver 

travels many lands in four parts, arriving 

finally, via the simple giants 

of Brobdingnag, at the land of the 

Houyhnhnms, a land where horses 

(Houyhnhnms) rule over men, 

known as Yahoos, who are brutish, 

savage and unintelligent. The word 

‘Houyhnhnm’ seems unpronounceable 

but it is, I believe, intended to 

sound like the ‘neighing’ noise associated 

with horses. Gulliver learns 

about human greed, deceitfulness 

and savagery from the philosophical 

Houyhnhnms (get used to seeing 

it, it crops up a lot in the book) 

an ultimately ends up referring to 

all human’s as Yahoos. 

This sublime and exciting tale of 

adventure and discovery expresses 

Swift’s attitude to political problems 

in Europe and the British 

government. Born and raised in 

Ireland, Swift and his literary pals 

(the likes of Alexander Pope) were 

particularly concerned with highlighting 

issues in the political climate. 

Through Gulliver’s eyes, and 

Swift’s microscope, the reflection 

of humanity is not a pleasant one. 

Gulliver’s differing experiences 

“...an entertaining 

and easily readable 

adventure combined 

with a harsh look at 

the political and social 

realities of the 

world we live in...” 

show his society, and in many ways 

our society today, as vicious and 

trivial, magnified and crude and 

finally savage and greedy. 

The reasons, and there are many, 

why this book unquestionably deserves 

to be on the list are further 

proven by its tremendous popularity 

from the 18th Century to the 

present day. It is an entertaining and 

easily readable adventure combined 

with a harsh look at the political 

and social realities of the world we 

live in. The book is still relevant to 

our society today, the government 

in the 1700s may be very different 

from the present, but humanity and 

its problems of greed, deceit and 

malice still exist. Swift points out 

ferent to us. If you need any further 

reason to go out and find this book 

a p p e a r s 

on the list 

at least 4 

‘Gulliver’s 

one of the 

p e n s a b l e 

erature. I’m 

inclined to 

the flaws in our treatment of others, 

particularly those who are dif- 

to read, 

I’ll leave 

you with 

George Orwell 

(who 

times) saying 

that 

Travels’ is 

six ‘indis- 

books’ of 

world lit- 

agree.


MEDIA 

17 

Media 

Contribute to this section: 



Editor’s note 

This week in the media section of 

the founder we have a review on 

the highly anticipated ‘Hot Fuzz’ 

by Michael Keating who was lucky 

enough to attend a special advanced 

screening. The film is the latest from 

the same amazing team that created 

Shaun of the Dead, 2004s highly 

entertaining and amusing romantic 

comedy with zombies. Already 

the film has created an enormous 

amount of hype and if early indications 

are to be believed, it doesn’t 

disappoint. It is out on general release 

on the 14 th of February. 

Also this week we have yet another 

contender for the Oscar race, 

‘Dreamgirls’ reviewed by Jonathan 

Dakin. Expect strong performances 

through out from this fictional biopic, 

which shares more than a few 

parallels with the rise of Motown 

and the history of The Supremes. 

In DVD releases, first up we have 

a review on Luc Besson’s ‘Angel-A’. 

The ‘Leon’ director has been away 

for quite some time now but he has 

returned to the screen with this sublime 

looking monochrome photographed 

piece centred on the story 

of maverick angel Rie Rasmussen’s 

bid to break serial schmuck Jamel 

Debbouze’s losing streak. Perhaps 

not his best, but certainly a welcome 

return for the French Director. 

As well this week, my own review 

of the chronically humourless 

‘Beerfest’. Although it was released a 

few weeks ago now the opportunity 

to put it in only arose this issue. If 

you are interested in any our films 

reviewed on DVD, remember they 

are all available at discount prices 

through The Founders own link 

www.cd-wow.com/thefounder. 

I hope that the media section of 

The Founder proves useful, and remember 

if you would like to submit 

a review of a current film, a DVD 

release or have a comment on what 

you have read in the media section 

email myself at mike@thefounder. 

co.uk or Dan Nicholls through 

dan@thefounder.co.uk. 

Thanks, 

Michael Dean 


By Martin Marshall 

The College Bookshop 

(Specialist in out of print, hard 

to find, and obscure books) 

As the build-up to R-Fest continues, 

I’ve attempted to keep my reading 

focused. Consequently, I’ve just 

finished reading “Zanzibar”, Giles 

Foden’s most recent novel. Billed by 

it’s publishers as a thriller, and reading 

at times like an old-fashioned 

adventure story, “Zanzibar” is in 

fact neither of these things. Like 

his earlier work “The Last King of 

Scotland”, “Zanzibar” is as much 

about thoughts and feelings as it 

is events. Also like “Last King…”, 

it is a book about the intersection 

between big political events and the 

lives of ordinary people. And again 

like his earlier work, it is very much 

about a place. 

Zanzibar is brought to life for the 

reader in just the same way as Uganda 

is in “Last King…”. From sights 

and smells, the poverty of the people, 

it’s wildlife and weather, all are 

included and all serve to remind any 

reader who has not been there personally 

that we are a long way from 

home. The big difference however, is 

thefounder 



Zanzibar 

the setting in time. “Zanzibar” is set 

against a very familiar backdrop of 

political events. The characters are 

watching news about the Clinton- 

Lewinsky affair, and we are witnessing 

the rise of Al-Qaeda. 

For those of us too young to remember 

Idi Amin, this more contemporary 

feel has a way of reinforcing 

the realism of Foden’s work. 

On the other hand, in switching 

away from a first person narrative, 

Foden is also making “Zanzibar” 

seem more traditionally fictional. A 

great point in Foden’s favour is his 

ability to be realistic about the British 

and American roles in world 

politics without being condemnatory. 

For many writers dealing 

with say, America’s role in training 

Osama Bin Laden would require 

either a whitewash or a judgement. 

Yet going either way would hamper 

the story and it’s realism, and 

Foden manages to avoid both. His 

stories are not about imposing lasting 

moral judgements, but simply 

about provoking thoughts in the 

reader. 

Forced to choose, I would have 

to say that “Last King of Scotland” 

was a better overall read than 

“Zanzibar”. It had a greater degree 

of continuity, and managed to instil 

that compulsive need to read 

just one more page before putting 

it down. But this is in no way to 

denigrate “Zanzibar”. It remains a 

thoroughly entertaining novel in 

its own right and will, I am sure, be 

superior to “Last King” in the eyes 

of many readers. Either way, I am 

looking forward to Giles Foden’s 

workshop and book signing more 

than ever after this. 

Film News 

Martin Scorsese’s remake of Hong 

Kong gangster thriller ‘Infernal 

Affairs’, ‘the Departed’ may be one 

of the most hotly tipped movies of 

2006 to walk away with the Oscar 

for best film, but this week one of 

the film’s stars, Mark Wahlberg, revealed 

that like the Asian original 

there is plans for two sequels in the 

pipe line. In an interview, the thirty 

five year old star revealed “They’re 

talking about bringing in De Niro 

to play a senator or a congressman. 

You know, the corruption obviously 

going deeper and higher up the 

ranks — reaching up the political 

chain. So it’ll be fun. And if it’s a 

success, they’re gonna do a prequel 

and bring everyone back…make it 

a trilogy”. According to Walberg, 

screenwriter William Monahan 

is currently penning up a sequel 

to the Boston set crime saga. But 

despite all this, any script would 

need Scorsese’s approval and the 

director’s involvement in any future 

chapters is currently unclear. 

If all goes well though according 

to Walberg shooting could begin 

sometime at “the beginning of 

next year 

or end of this year”. 

The highly anticipated film version 

of the first book in Phillip Pullman’s 

His Dark Materials trilogy, The 

Golden Compass, has now not only 

got a full cast listing but also several 

screen shots posted on the web. 

Among the talented cast that former 

‘About a Boy’ director Chris Weitz 

has assembled is Nicole Kidman in 

the role of the icy Mrs. Coulter and 

Daniel Craig as the enigmatic Lord 

Asriel. But for fans of the books it 

is the casting of the protagonist 

Lyra that is most crucial. Although 

twelve-year-old newcomer Dakota 

Blue Richards, who beat ten 

thousand girls who turned up for 

open auditions to secure the part, 

certainly looks physically well cast 

for the role, it is the question of 

her performance that many are 

concerned with. Only time will tell. 

We will have to wait and see if this 

literary adaptation holds its own in 

the post Rings and Potter world. 

At Potter’s end 

By Lara Stavrinou 

You would have to be a complete 

hermit to not have heard about the 

Harry Potter buzz over the past ten 

years. That buzz now has an ending 

in sight. 

Last week JK Rowling announced 

that the final instalment in the Harry 

Potter series will be released on 

July 21. Although she gave no clues 

about the book’s ending, Rowling 

expressed great sadness about the 

wrapping up of her seven-book 

project. 

“Even while I’m mourning, 

though, I feel an incredible sense of 

achievement,” she commented on 

her website. “I can hardly believe 

that I’ve finally written the ending 

I’ve been planning for so many 

years. I’ve never felt such a mixture 

of extreme emotions in my life, never 

dreamed I could feel simultaneously 

heartbroken and euphoric.” 

As most people know, this author 

started off writing about Harry Potter 

and his magical adventures in 

a little café in Edinburgh as her 

daughter napped beside her. “Harry 

just strolled into my head fully 

formed,” she recalls, but little did 

she know that Harry would inspire 

the printing of over 325 million 

books worldwide. Each title has 

come first on The New York Times, 

USA Today, and Wall Street Journal 

bestseller lists and the sixth book, 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood 

Prince, set a new world record for 

a first printing. 

Rowling has said before that ‘the 

theme running through all seven 

books is the fight between good 

and evil, and I’m afraid there will 

be casualties!’. With this teaser still 

lingering in the air, she reassures 

readers that ‘there will be plenty to 

continue arguing about, even after 

‘Deathly Hallows’ comes out. So 

if you’re not yet ready to quit the 

message boards, do not despair.’ 

“While each of the previous Potter 

books has strong claims on my 

affections, ‘Deathly Hallows’ is 

my favourite, and that is the most 

wonderful way to finish the series” 

Rowling gushes. Lets hope her fans 

are as satisfied.

18 MEDIA Tuesday 13 February 2007 thefounder 

Film 

Vue Cinemas, Staines 

Hot Fuzz (15) 

Dreamgirls (12A) 

By Michael Keating 

Director – Edgar Wright 

Starring – Simon Pegg, 

Nick Frost, Timothy Dalton 

Run Time – 120 minutes 

Hot Fuzz is the story of hardboiled 

super cop Sergeant Nicholas Angel 

(Simon Pegg). Intimidated by his 

arrest record, his superior officers 

(Martin Freeman, Steven Coogan, 

and Bill Nighy) transfer him from 

the busy streets of London to the 

sleepy village of Sandford to keep 

him out of the way as he’s making 

everyone else look bad. A big cop 

in a small town, Angel sees murders 

and conspiracies where the town 

police men and locals see only accidents. 

But with the help of his partner 

Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), 

it is not long before he discovers 

that not everything in Sandford is 

quite what it seems. 

Sound cliché? That’s the point. 

Once settled in Sandford, Hot Fuzz 

becomes a vehicle designed to send 

up every action film that has ever 

taken itself seriously including Point 

Break and Bad Boys (which are referenced 

several times during the 

course of the film). It does this brilliantly 

by simply taking everything 

from the most cliché action films 

and pushing it all that much further, 

allowing it to appear both ridiculous 

and amazing at the same time. 

The characters are fantastically 

exaggerated, especially Pegg’s super 

cop and Timothy Dalton’s over-thetop 

super-villain, giving them just 

the right tone. The action sequences 

are outrageous, exciting and feature 

a surprising degree of rough justice, 

most memorably in the scene 

where an old lady’s is on the wrong 

end of Pegg’s flying kick (or maybe 

when the pub landlord gets his 

head caught up in a bear trap. The 

dialogue ranges from obvious parody 

(“I threw the teddy bear at him 

and said ‘play times over!’ ?”), to 

clever Pegg-Frost exchanges. Even 

the music is perfectly balanced between 

action-scene rock songs and 

mock-epic slow guitar pieces. 

However, that’s not to say that 

Hot Fuzz is non-stop comic action. 

The first half an hour or so seems a 

little slow, but there’s no reason to 

worry; the cast are simply setting 

up jokes to be knocked down later 

on, and it is definitely worth the 

brief wait for the well-paced comicaction 

masterpiece that’s lying just 

around the corner. 

As with Shaun of the Dead, 

the people behind Hot 

Fuzz are affectionately poking 

fun at a genre that they 

clearly love, creating a film 

that embraces its genre’s 

inherent ridiculousness, 

and is all the better for it. 

4/5 

By Jonathan Dakin 

Director - Bill Condon 

Starring - Beyonce 

Knowles, Eddie Murphy, 

Jennifer Hudson, Anika 

Noni Rose 

Run Time - 131 mins 

I felt excited with the thought of 

seeing Dreamgirls. Not only is it 

one of the most hotly tipped Oscar 

contenders of the year, the film also 

includes an all star line-up, has been 

adapted from the musical with the 

same name, and is said to be based 

on the life of Diana Ross and the Supremes, 

so I was set for an interesting 

piece of cinema. 

Dreamgirls starts with an explosion 

of glitter and melodies, as 

many different soulful acts sing 

songs to a baying audience. We wait 

for the moment that the struggling 

group The Dreams, composed of Effie 

(Hudson), Deena (Knowles) and 

Lorrell (Rose) will come out and 

dazzle us with their amazing voices. 

And dazzle they do. All three are remarkable 

singers, and the beginning 

of the film sets the scene for many 

more spectacular musical numbers 

to come. Unfortunately, this hyped 

up beginning is quickly lost in a sea 

of poor plotting, bad scripting and 

sometimes amateur directing. 

The Dreams are a struggling 60’s 

soul group, who grab the attention 

of part time talent agent Curtis Taylor 

(Foxx). Curtis makes a deal with 

the girls to be backup singers for the 

sleazy but talented James ‘Thunder’ 

Early (Murphy), until they can become 

stars in their own right. Slowly 

but surely the girls work their way 

up the showbiz ladder to become an 

established pop group, and at the 

same time experience love, betrayal 

and ultimately, empowerment. 

Although the plot and directing 

are at times sub par, all of the 

Competition 

Congratulations to last fortnight’s winner Joe Casey! 

actors really work hard- Murphy 

and Hudson both shine in their 

Academy Award nominated roles, 

Foxx makes the best out of his tired 

character and even Beyonce, who I 

wasn’t expecting to be very good, is 

extremely likeable. 

The songs are sung amazingly, 

and some of them are really catchy 

(‘Dreamgirls’, ‘One Night Only’ and 

‘Listen’) but unfortunately some are 

very cheesy (especially the vomit inducing 

‘Family’). 

Packed with a punch, 

Dreamgirls finishes well 

and makes up for the middle 

hour that wasn’t up to 

scratch with an emotionally 

feel good ending. The 

film is worth a watch, especially 

if you want to be 

singing the catchy tunes 

days after seeing it. 

2.5/5 

Who said the following line and where did they say it (actor, character and movie)? 

‘This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time’ 

Prizes this time round are as follows: 

1 x pair cinema tickets for Vue, Staines; 1 x ‘Beerfest’; t-shirt; 1 x ‘The Guardian’ Beanie, 1 x 

‘Big Momm’s House 2’ novelty thong. 

Good luck! As always, answers to competitions@thefounder.co.uk (competition closes 

26th February 2007).


MEDIA 

19 

DVD 

w w w . c d - w o w . c o m / t h e f o u n d e r 

Angel - A (15) 

By Christopher Lo 

Director - Luc Besson 

Screenplay - Luc Besson 

Starring - Rie Rasmussen, 

Jamel Debbouze 

Run Time - 88 minutes 

After the tremendous critical and 

commercial success of Nikita, Leon 

and The Fifth Element, Luc Besson 

seems to have slipped into somewhat 

of a cinematic wasteland. It’s 

been six years since Besson last directed 

a movie, during which time 

he has spent his time producing and 

funding a whole host of pet projects. 

During this extended directorial 

hiatus, Besson’s legions of devotees 

have been drooling in anticipation 

of his eventual return to the director’s 

chair. This return has come in 

the form of Angel-A, a deeply personal 

tale of love, redemption and 

self-discovery. 

Set in Paris, Angel-A tells the 

story of Andre, a perpetual liar and 

occasional con artist. Beset with 

seemingly insurmountable debt 

and hounded by the Parisian underworld, 

he decides to end it all 

by throwing himself into the Seine. 

In the process of doing so, he meets 

Angela, a beautiful woman with no 

past and an inexplicable interest in 

Andre’s future. Their attempt to put 

right Andre’s life (and mind) exposes 

this bizarre couple to their own 

secrets as well as those of the world 

around them. 

Despite the supernatural mysteries 

that lay behind Angela’s origins 

(the clue’s in the name), Besson 

focuses on the reality of the characters’ 

internal struggles as well as 

their blossoming relationship. At 

Angel-A’s core is an exploration of 

a distinctly human issue: the importance 

of self-perception and the 

ability to respect oneself. Visually, 

the film has a breathtaking blackand-white 

aesthetic, Thierry Arbogast’s 

cinematography representing 

an unabashed love for the beauty of 

the Paris skyline. The leads are also 

perfectly cast. Debbouze’s anxious, 

twitchy energy proving the perfect 

counterfoil to Rasmussen’s breezy 

vitality. The fact that Rasmussen 

must be at least six inches taller than 

her co-star only helps to emphasise 

her otherworldliness. 

Angel-A represents a 

startling return for Luc 

Besson; reminiscent of his 

early days as a pioneer of 

the cinema du look style. 

The smoky beauty of the 

imagery and the irresistible 

charisma of the characters 

marks this as one of 

Besson’s very best. 

4/5 

Beerfest (18) 

By MIchael Dean 

Director - Jay Chandrasekar 

Starring - Jay Chandrasekar, 

Kevin Hefferman, Steve 

Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, 

Jurgen Prochnow. 

The Film 

‘Prepare for the ultimate chug of 

war’ is the tagline that adorns the 

front cover of the Beerfest DVD 

case. Straight away things do not 

look particularly promising. 

The story is about a pair of American 

brothers, Jan and Todd Wolfhouse, 

who attend Oktoberfest in 

the attempt to deliver the ashes of 

their recently deceased beer loving 

German grandfather (oddly a 

cameo from Donald Sutherland) to 

an appropriate resting place. While 

there though, they discover a secret 

‘fight club’ styled beer-drinking 

contest in which the world’s nations 

come together to compete. After 

taking on the German champions 

and suffering a humiliating defeat, 

the brothers return to the states 

and assemble their own squad in 

the hopes of returning to win the 

event. 

It never ceases to amaze as to 

what Hollywood will throw money 

at. Beerfest’s premise has about as 

much complexity as something devised 

by a thirteen year old schoolboy, 

who coincidentally I can imagine 

are the only demographic who 

will be entertained by this comedy 

that is as flat as week old Lager. 

It is not particularly Beerfest’s 

story (or lack of) that lets it down. 

A film that solely revolves around 

irresponsible drinking could possibly 

be funny in the hands some 

decent comic talent. Here though, 

the ‘Broken Lizard’ team who have 

been responsible for ‘Super Troopers’ 

and ‘Club Dread’ fail to raise 

any real quality laughs. After one 

hour of the films flimsy attempts at 

humour, it does eventually manage 

to induce in it’s audience some ever 

so slight snigger, with some passable 

physical comedy, but it all feels 

far too little, far too late. 

The films downfall is not it’s continued 

adoration of drinking and 

beer, but instead lies in the overwhelming 

hopelessness of it’s creation. 

Both filming and editing are 

astoundingly sloppy, and the use 

of some decent acting talent such 

as ‘Das Boot’ star Jurgen Prochnow 

only serves to highlight the 

shortcomings of the regular cast. 

The only thing that can be said in 

the films favour is the fact that it 

doesn’t rely on gross-out humour 

like so many of the other equally 

inept comedies in this style that 

have preceded it. 

Beerfest is a film that will require 

a considerably large amount of 

the old fermented vegetable juices 

to enjoy. Equally as bad as it’s out 

come is absurd. That is, an American 

drinking team being the best in 

the world. 

1/5 

The Extras 

Two commentary tracks are provided 

in which the Broken Lizard 

boys account their experiences 

while making the film. Ironically 

these prove more amusing than 

the actual film its self, though that 

is not to say its comic gold by any 

means. Along with this is a collection 

of deleted scenes in which 

a whole gag that was omitted is 

shown and that generally seem 

to consist of topless woman. Also 

there are two short documentaries, 

one a Broken Lizard history 

of beer, and the other about a scientist 

who masturbates frogs. For 

any one who actually enjoyed the 

film the extras will be very welcome, 

but for the rest of the sane 

population they add very little to 

a film already dreadfully low on 

substance. 

2/5

20 MEDIA Tuesday 13 February 2007 thefounder 

Music 

w w w . c d - w o w . c o m / t h e f o u n d e r 

RAG Presents: 

People in Planes 

Saturday 17th February at 

the Student’s Union 

Tickets available at SU 

This coming Saturday (17 th February), 

avid gig-goers at Royal Holloway 

will receive a reprieve from the 

weekly cheese and hip hop nights as 

we welcome People In Planes to our 

Student’s Union. People In Planes, 

(signed to Wind-Up Records in the 

US), are an atmospheric alt-rock 

band that bring an intelligent and 

progressive edge to modern rock 

music. After having spent early 

parts of their career touring with 

the likes of Biffy Clyro, Jarcrew, The 

Bravery and The Kaiser Chiefs, and 

having spent much of 2005 touring 

the States, the band are currently 

gigging the UK, road testing new 

material for their new album which 

is due to be recorded in the States in 

March. SURHUL have been lucky 

enough to lure the band into playing 

with support from popular campus 

bands, The Loyalty Point and Red 

Dead Collective. Both bands have 

strong followings on Campus having 

previously headlined their own 

nights in the Union. For those longing 

for the London music scene to 

be brought to their doorstep look no 

further. At £2 entry punters will be 

getting 4 blistering sets from local 

talent before the stage is hit with a 

headlining set from Wales’ own People 

In Planes. For those of you who 

prefer the London club scene don’t 

worry, after the bands there will be 

DJ sets and an open bar until late. So 

next Saturday, get down to the SU 

for an 8.30 start, (8pm doors), and 

support your music scene. 

For more info visit www.peopleinplanes.com or 

www.myspace.com/peopleinplanes. 

Letters to the Editor 

thefounder 


My Fair Lady: A Confused and Half-unwritten Rendition! 

By the production team that haven’t brought you anything ever before….. 

If you want to put on a piece of musical theatre at Royal Holloway there are a number 

of hurdles you must overcome. Most notably, you need to successfully bid to put on 

your production, and you need to have a production team of recognized successful 

players in the MTS circle. Our production of ‘My Fair Lady’ has exactly none of 

these… 

So, you may ask yourself, how does ‘Variations on My Fair Lady’ even exist? Lizzie 

Fisher (Co-Director), Melanie Johnson (Producer) and Lucy Allen (Musical Director) 

cramped together in a corner of the Monkey’s Forehead and fantasised about staging 

a potential production which brought up to date the themes and ideas of the classic 

musical. The more they dreamt, the more the potential became a filled-in bid pack. 

Meanwhile, as Fate would have it, another musical won the bid and it seemed as 

though their plans would never come to fruition. However, Lizzie Start (the President 

of MTS and saviour of our little production) decided to create a second Spring Term 

musical, which she dubbed her ‘first year venture’. With this in mind, Lizzie Fisher approached 

two writers, Jennie Falconer and Simon Cummin, with a cunning plan. They 

were given a mission to create the concept for a play based on the main themes of 

My Fair Lady, including some songs but with none of the original script. Once more 

against the backdrop of the Monkey’s Forehead, the two of them bashed around with 

bizarre and, at times, morally questionable story lines. Eventually with Simon as writer 

and Jennie as script consultant, ‘Variations on My Fair Lady’ was created. So, we had a 

play, and a chance to prove ourselves worthy of upholding MTS’ impeccable reputation. 

This left us at the beginning of the path to putting on a show! 

Newcastle replacing the cockney girl, Eliza (Steve Ramsden), a fading actress replacing 

the character of Professor Higgins (Helen Dawson), and a pantheon of buskers who 

commune on the street where she lives and oversee everything… 

As you can imagine this production has warranted a lot of experimentation as well as a 

fair bit of ‘trial and error’ in rehearsals, with script alterations being produced every few 

days. The play has given the actors freedom to devise scenes and explore new ideas, 

even influencing parts of the story line. Under the guidance of their two distinctly 

contrasting directors, Lizzie Fisher and Simon Cummin, the cast seems to be bravely 

facing what is indeed an ambitious project – the recreation of a musical masterpiece 

in 26 days! 

With most of the classic songs included in the script, this looks to be a spectacle of a 

show, and in no way claims to be the traditional My Fair Lady. If you aren’t a fan of conventional 

musicals, then this is a musical for you, and if you are….then keep an open 

mind and don’t feel too offended! But do come along, as it would be very interesting 

to hear the response of hardcore ‘My Fair Lady’ fans to this show. It will be performed at 

Jane Holloway Hall on Saturday 24th February. However, in the meantime to keep you 

interested, a selection of buskers will be released into the streets of Royal Holloway to 

prepare you for the spectacle! 

With upper-class borderline alcoholics, almost incomprehensible Geordies, tramps 

with beautiful voices, tango dancing, just a little bit of theft and an almost non-existent 

budget, this promises to be an intriguing and hopefully memorable interpretation 

of the much-loved London musical. 

With one month from finishing the script to the performance, anything could happen. 

I’m writing this article after a few rehearsals and the two and a half weeks ahead 

could take this production in many different directions. So far we have a bloke from 

Simon Cummins


LETTERS 

21 

Sir: May I suggest that Adam D’Souza was rather missing the point in his 

‘Comment & Analysis’ article in issue #4? 

The General Meeting was indeed below the required level for quorum. 

However, to refer to the January GM in particular as ‘a damp squib’ 

seems to suggest that that meeting in particular was especially 

unattended. In fact, GMs have not once met quorum since I came to RHUL 

in 2005. Granted, one or two have come close, but it’s a recognised 

fact amongst regulars to these meetings that they are not well 

attended. 

Student apathy is rife, but few seem to be bothered. It is not only 

GMs. The various forums held by the Students’ Union on issues such as 

accommodation have been even less well-attended, and campus elections 

are increasingly suffering from students who simply cannot be bothered 

to spend five minutes in a dining hall, or at the SU, voting for the 

people who will represent them next year. It’s not even an issue 

solely related to student politics, as fewer and fewer are voting in 

national elections. Apathy seems to have become everyone’s favourite 

choice. 

With this in mind, is it any wonder that increasingly narrow bodies of 

students are making the decisions for the 7700 students on campus? The 

problem lies not with those who attend the meetings, or organise them, 

but with the many who simply are not bothered, especially those who 

then are first to complain when a GM decides on something they 

disagree with. GMs can indeed be tedious, but that is the price to pay 

for fair democracy, and as people are increasingly unwilling to pay 

it, it is no wonder that the new structure proposed by the Governance 

Review has proved popular. 

Finally, in regards to D’Souza’s comments on the NUS campaigns, I have 

to reach the conclusion that he was not looking very hard. I was one 

of those who attended the ‘No’ campaign initial meeting in TW20s, and 

we took up a good two tables, discussing various aspects of the 

campaign for about two hours. I admit that without knowledge of the 

location, it would have been hard to join in, but should the impetus 

really lie with the campaign leaders and SU to tell everyone what is 

happening where? Students seem less willing to actually find out for 

themselves what is happening. If the information isn’t handed to them 

where they stand, they won’t set off to find it. 

If I am wrong about student apathy, than I request the students of 

Royal Holloway to prove this by voting in the upcoming elections and 

the referendum, and taking part in the various aspects of the 

Students’ Union beyond the function nights. Otherwise, I believe the 

future does look bleak for SURHUL…but it won’t be their fault. 

Yours, 

Martin ‘The Cynic’ O’Neill 

Imogen Heap: another view 

“I heard her (Imogen) singing unaccompanied in the field and said ‘I have to make a recording with you now.’ 

Two hours or so later we had found the technician, recorded the song and cut the track onto a disc. I put it 

on the record as it was and it’s one of my favourite tracks.” Guitarist Jeff Beck told me the story when I was 

interviewing him for a Radio 4 programme about rock and roll and the links to the science and technology 

of engines. We had finished the recording and to take advantage of a few minutes with one of my musical 

heros I asked him about the incredible voice of the singer of “Rollin’ and tumblin’”. It is on one of my all time 

favourite albums “You had it coming”. He looked all dreamy and said “We were at a singer and writer workshop 

in France - last day - just lying about in the garden of the chateau, and this woman came over to me and 

started talking - ‘Groupie’ I thought - then she started singing.” Beck told me that he asked her what rock and 

roll/blues songs she knew - and she knew most of “Rollin’”. He started playing when they had got the studio 

up-and-running a few minutes later, and she blew him away. And you should listen to it to hear another facet 

of this extra-ordinary artist’s talent. Beck admitted that he plays quite a few wrong bits and notes on the track 

because he was so intent on listening(can’t hear them myself). 

For my part I rate Beck as the leading experimental guitarist after Hendrix. But that’s got a lot to do with my 

age (60’s child (well old man really). 

I am now a Heap fan (she’s a lot more interesting than the other Heap - Uriah Heap of the 70s- to now). To put 

her Beck achievement in perspective you should try the Beck album “Truth”(70s). The singer; Rod Stewart. 

The song; Ol’ Man River (like it’s rarely sung - real blues and painful. Beck claimed that he just kept telling 

Rod to “sing properly and eventually he did.” A shame he didn’t stay with Beck. There was Nicky Hopkins on 

keyboards and Ronnie Wood on bass. Oh and by the way as I was leaving I asked who the drummer was in 

that Truth band that played such an incredible backing to “Ol’ Man River” 

“Oh that was Mick Waller”. 

“Who?” 

“Yes that’s him! ( I looked puzzled) Keith Moon - the Who drummer - yes really....” said Beck. My continuing 

puzzled frown elicited the explanation “His label wouldn’t let him play on my label - so we just did it and gave 

him another name - Keith didn’t give a ****.” 

But that line up probably explains why the tracks are all so good. 

So when he says Imogen Heap is incredible - believe him. He’s worked with the best so he should know. 

Alun Lewis 

Lecturer showing his age 

Get Involved TODAY! 

Sign up as an individual or gro up: 

volunteering@rhul.ac.uk 

Com munity Acti on | Founders’ East 115 | open Mon /Wed/Fr i 10a m-4pm | 01784 4140 78 

| 01784 414078 

www.rhul.ac.uk/services/volunteering/theBIGspringclean2007.html 

Wednesda y 14 th / Friday 16 t h 

Febr uary

2 CROSSWORD Tuesday 13 February 2007 thefounder 

Solution: Issue 5 

founderblocks 

want to advertise your society, charity, sports team 

founderblocks is the way to do it. buy a block for just £10! if you buy multiple blocks you can join them together 

to make one big message. finally, classified ads have come to royal holloway! email simon@thefounder.co.uk to find out more. 

One of these 

blocks could 

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just £10! 

contact: simon@thefounder.co.uk


SPORTS 

23 

Sports 

thefounder 

allison@thefounder.co.uk 

Editor’s Note 

Many thanks go out to the American football club for 

hosting such a great Super Bowl party this week, and 

for allowing the Founder to take pictures and interview 

them during the game. Congratulations to the 

Ski Team, who have secured a place in the national finals, and to the 

hockey men’s 2nd XI for remaining undefeated! 

If you have an event you would like to see covered in the Founder, 

contact me two weeks prior to the event with the details, and it can be 

included in the Founder, possibly as a feature article! 

Happy Sporting! 

Allison Ealey 

Sports Editor 

By K Hannam 

Netball Review 

Holloway 2nd: 23 | Brighton 4th: 24 

Wednesday the 31st of January saw 

one of the closest matches for the 

RHUL netball second team this season. 

Holloway took the first goal 

from a Brighton centre pass putting 

them one goal ahead at the beginning, 

a good start. However the first 

quarter saw the first injury to wing 

defense Laura Lucey. Dirty play saw 

a final total of three injuries to Hol- 

BUSA Southeast Conference Division 5a 

loway players for the game. By quarter 

time Holloway were down 7goals 

and 1 player. In the second quarter 

a loose ball caused some problems 

requiring a substitution with Laura 

Watts coming on to replace Sarah 

Taylor. The fresh legs really lifted 

the team and by three quarter time 

Holloway were back level. However 

an ankle injury to substitute Laura 

Watts meant a return to the court 

for Sarah Taylor, and a move to wing 

attack from goal shooter for Kath- 

ryn Hannam. By the final quarter 

the match was scoring to centre pass 

and at points Holloway looked to be 

able to pull ahead. Strong defense 

from both teams kept the score 

in the low twenties with the final 

whistle coming with Holloway one 

goal down. Even though it finished 

a loss this game was one of the best 

for the second team and showed 

how far the team has progressed 

through the year. 

Who’s that coming over the hill? 

Is it the unbeatable BUSA champions? 

Holloway 2nd XI 3-0 University College London 2nd XI (ULU Cup Quarter Finals) 

Holloway 2nd XI 2-0 Surrey 2nd XI (BUSA League) 

y Barry de Silva 

There is a train, coming over the 

hill of history, which on its way inscribes 

the name of the Holloway 

Men’s Hockey 2nd XI upon it. The 

problem with this train, for opposing 

teams around the country, is no 

matter how hard they try, they never 

seem to be able to get in its way, and 

draw the train to a halt. In the last 

week the team of invincibles from 

Royal Holloway have slaughtered 

the much-admired and favourites 

of the University of London Union 

(ULU) Cup, the University College 

of London 2nd team, as well as sealing 

last Wednesday, the title of the 

BUSA league, with a gritty win over 

the Surrey 2nd XI in a high tempo 

local derby. 

The captain of the unstoppable 

train is Joe Keech, the ever present 

central midfielder, with an opinion 

on everything. These opinions are, 

however, not contained within the 

walls of the team, but also encroach 

onto the field of play, where he’s not 

afraid to shout at a poor decision 

(in his opinion), or an illegal challenge 

by an opposing player. One 

of the highlights of Keech’s passion 

for the game of hockey was in the 

quarter-final clash at Staines Hockey 

Club, against a very technically 

gifted University College London 

team. Just as Keech was set to unwind 

a vicious shot at goal, and with 

the goalkeeper scrambling out, he 

was pushed by an opposing player. 

Mr. Keech’s reaction was anything 

but the calm and collected attitude 

you may expect from a captain, with 

words of outrage exchanged to the 

guilty player, for the illegal and malicious 

challenge he received. 

Despite the Holloway train steamrolling 

and flattening the University 

College London 2nd XI, with Alex 

Stephens contributing with two 

stunners, the team from Egham 

were by the end of the game crippled 

with severe 

injuries to crucial 

players. The likes 

of Sam Chuang, 

who all season 

had been up to 

that point been 

a rock in the defence 

of the train’s 

mission to remain 

unbeaten. His season 

has, as a result 

of a violent and 

inaccurate shot 

at goal, been cut 

short through injury. 

He will most 

definitely be the 

most sorely missed 

for the rest of the 

season. In the last two games, the 

squire aboard the Holloway express, 

who goes by the name of Joe Yaxley, 

has had a dreadful time through 

illness. His lack of action in the 

last two games, clocking up a mere 

10 minutes on the field of play has 

been a blow to the 2nd team, as it 

has lead to the non-existence of his 

energy and blistering runs up and 

down the pitch. 

Even though these absentees 

have become a thorn in the robust 

locomotive Holloway, the train has 

instead gone up three or four gears 

in its hunger and desire to win. This 

has lead to others pushing the train 

forward, to produce match winning 

performances. Will Reidie and Alex 

Janz are two who have revelled in 

the responsibility in midfield, producing 

alongside Joe Keech clean 

cut tackles, and counter attacking, 

defence splitting passes, which 

have hence lead to the likes of Chris 

Bull slotting away the through ball 

in comprehensive style. His goal, 

which put the icing on the cake, 

helped seal the victory against Surrey 

in the BUSA league showdown 

for the title, pinpointed his qualities 

as a forward. 

The showdown with Surrey on 

the last day of the BUSA league season 

was anything but academic. The 

notable absentees of Chuang and 

Yaxley left large gaps in the defence 

and midfield to fill, however the introduction 

of Nick Keulers into the 

team added another dimension as 

he made several 

storming runs 

from defence and 

into the opposing 

half. The late 

arrival of James 

Symons (due to 

the mix up in 

the timings of 

the match) didn’t 

ooze confidence 

in the train’s destination 

of victory. 

Like in the UCL 

game though, it 

was the second 

half that brought 

out the best in 

Holloway with a 

blistering run by 

the evergreen James Symons and an 

Alex Stephens miniscule flick into 

the Surrey goal. The second goal involved 

Chris Bull skipping past two 

or three players, and despite having 

support, having the confidence to 

whip the ball into the bottom corner, 

and past the outstretched goalkeeper. 

The camaraderie within the team 

has been a strong focus as well this 

season. James Morley in particular 

is one who has lightened the mood 

upon the Holloway express; especially 

when the 2nd team look all 

‘doom and gloom.’ His creation of 

‘Morley Hockey’ particular has received 

a few laughs from the team, 

with some going as far as to say 

it’s groundbreaking. The togetherness 

in the team is a key part of 

the success. The want to fight for 

one another seems to be a continuing 

theme through all the Royal 

Holloway Teams. Let’s hope that it 

still remains as one of Royal Holloway’s 

traits not only in its hockey 

teams but throughout the Athletics 

Union. 

N.B. 

The men’s Hockey 1st team is another 

who has the honour of being 

unbeaten BUSA champions of 

their respective league, though 

they have the disappointment of 

being defeated in the ULU Cup. 

The men’s 2nd XI remains the only 

hockey team in the club that are 

still in it.

Sports 

PHOTO: TIM RUFFLES 

can’t find your match? email your sports news to: allison@thefounder.co.uk 

Victory for Colts, American Football fans 

y Allison Ealey 

ports Editor 

Few sports clubs on campus are 

fortunate enough to have a major 

international event held each 

year, celebrating their sport, and 

their sport only, in all its glory. The 

American Football Club, however, 

is just so fortunate. Sunday night, 

February 4, the American Football 

Club hosted their second annual Super 

Bowl watch party in Medicine. 

Doors opened at 10pm, and a very 

substantial and diverse crowd grew 

as kickoff drew nearer. With colorful 

displays of dancing, musical performances, 

and the United States 

national anthem sung by Billy Joel, 

kickoff was at 11:30, and for some, 

it was their first taste of the Super 

Bowl, and of American football. 

Marilia Sio, a second year exchange 

student from Sidney, Australia, was 

watching one of her first experiences 

of the sport. “Its really different 

from rugby, it seems less aggressive, 

but is still really exciting” Sio 

commented. Rugby seems to be the 

most effective frame of reference for 

American football fans who are new 

to the sport. However, the popularity 

of American football at Royal 

Holloway appears to be growing 

rapidly, and events such as the Super 

Bowl foster this growth. The American 

football team’s defensive coordinator, 

Laurent Michel was pres- 

ent for the game, and noticed the 

excitement surrounding the events. 

He was glad to see a diverse group 

of students in the audience “This is 

great, its nice to see everyone get excited 

for the game”, Michel told the 

Founder. 

There was much excitement in 

Medicine, as the Bears returned the 

kickoff for a 92-yard touchdown, an 

extraordinary start to the game. Despite 

rainy playing conditions, the 

first half had a substantial amount 

of scoring for both teams. Earlier in 

the game, the crowd seemed favor a 

Bears victory, but as time went on 

and the score went up, more support 

for the Colts emerged. Simon 

Pearl, president of the American 

Football Club, was one spectator 

supporting Peyton Manning and his 

Indianapolis Colts. Pearl explained 

to the Founder that it was the second 

year the American Football 

Club had hosted its Super Bowl 

party. The American Football Club 

has only been in existence for three 

years, so it was remarkable to see the 

amount of support for their events 

growing so quickly. “Last year there 

were around 100 people present, 

this year, it is likely there are closer 

to 250”, Pearl explained. 

Without the American Football 

team acting as host for the event, it 

may not have happened. This year, 

Medicine informed the Club that 

they would be hosting the event 

Students gather in Medicine to watch the Super Bowl 

whether they became involved or 

not, but the help contributed by the 

American football club was the pivotal 

force in a successful evening. 

Last year, there were no plans to 

host the event, and none were made 

until the American Football Club 

took matters into their own hands, 

and took over control of hosting the 

event. Therefore all credit is due to 

the American Football club for beginning 

a new campus tradition. 

Unfortunately, the Club will receive 

no financial reward from the £2 entry 

charged to students. Despite this 

small disappointment, there was 

back Hameed Tarin is a player from 

Afghanistan, and Super Bowl XLI 

was also his first. Tarin became interested 

in American football after 

watching the Club play a game last 

year. Although he had never seen an 

American football game before, he 

was “Really impressed, Royal Holloway 

had a very new team, and 

they were out there winning games”. 

Eventually, Tarin joined the team, 

where he has quickly become an 

asset on the field. Tarin showed his 

support by joining in to watch the 

big game, also choosing to support 

the Colts. 

still a strong presence among both Although there were several 

members of the American Football 

Club and students alike. Corner- 

rookies in the audience, there were 

also some seasoned spectators who 

had been following the Super Bowl 

for many years. Masters student and 

American Football Club member 

Eric Motschiedler went to great 

lengths to watch last year’s Super 

Bowl while in Ecuador. This year, he 

was “Amazed by how many people 

are interested” in the game and saw 

“fertile ground for European interest 

to grow”. For an American watching 

the game in the United Kingdom for 

the first time, expectations may have 

been somewhat unsure, as there is 

not a noticeable buzz surrounding 

American football in general. The 

crowd support at the Super Bowl 

watch party however, was just as exciting 

and energetic as viewing the 

game amongst an American crowd. 

After a 29-17 victory by the Colts, 

only the most dedicated were left, 

as the game ended around 3 in the 

morning, local time. Although the 

American professional season has 

ended, there is still more American 

football fun to be had. For anyone 

interested in following the American 

Football Club, they have upcoming 

home games February 17th 

and 24th , played at the Brunel campus 

fields. 

Congratulations! 

Congratulations to the Ski Team, who competed in 

the King’s ski race last weekend and placed 5th in 

the league, securing them a place in the national 

finals later this year! 

Some fans cheer, some moan, as the game carries on 

allison@thefounder.co.uk

Our new President: - The Founder

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