Government cuts Founders' Building upkeep fund - The Founder

Glorious 39 

This year’s 

‘Atonement’ 

Page 13 

E X T R A 

Reviewed: 

Tim Minchin 

Page 21 

thefounder 

the independent student newspaper of royal holloway, university of london 

free! 

Volume 4 | Issue 4 

Wednesday 25 November 2009 

thefounder.co.uk 

Government cuts 

Founders’ Building 

upkeep fund 

Bedford alumna 

appointed one of 

the most powerful 

women in Europe 

Ed Harper 

News Editor 

Bedford College alumna Baroness 

Catherine Ashton has, last week, 

found herself thrust to the forefront 

of European politics after accepting 

the position of European Foreign 

Minister. Now standing as one of 

the most powerful women in the 

world, responsible for the entire European 

Union’s foreign policy, Baroness 

Ashton will have to grapple 

with problems including the war in 

Afghanistan and Iran’s nuclear ambitions. 

Professor Rob Kemp, Acting Principal 

of Royal Holloway, University 

of London, said: “On behalf all of 

us at the College, I am delighted to 

offer warmest congratulations to 

Baroness Ashton on her historic appointment. 

She is not a grandstanding 

politician, but is widely admired 

for her warmth, humour, brisk efficiency 

and businesslike style. In 

many ways she embodies the ethos 

of our institution, which is founded 

to educate women to become lead- 

Continued on page 3 » 

Ashley Coates 

Despite Britain’s oldest universities 

standing on solid academic foundations 

may soon find their physical 

foundations a little less stable following 

a cut to the historic buildings 

fund. Universities including Oxford, 

Cambridge and the London colleges 

are going to have to find alternative 

sources of funding when the 

upkeep of their historic buildings is 

cut. Unsurprisingly this will include 

Founders Building. 

Designed by William Crossland 

and built in 1875 Founders currently 

sets the university back £500,000 

per annum in maintenance and insurance. 

A further £600,000 is being 

used to make improvements (the 

quadrangle pathways for instance) 

while there are “requirements for 

further works” will cost “many 

millions”. In a statement for The 

Founder the university warned that 

“Funding for Founder’s is boosted 

by income from the Founder’s Endowment 

Fund, but this only covers 

part of the costs. A cut in the historic 

building grant will increase the 

gap between what we need to spend 

and the funding available, and we 

will need to raise extra funds, for 

example from alumni.” The university 

stands to lose £322,000 per annum 

from the scrapping of the fund 

while Cambridge is expected to lose 

£4.2 million, Kings College London, 

£2.1 million and Manchester another 

£2million. 

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The continuing failure of 

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Comment & Debate 

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2 The Founder | Wednesday 25 November 2009 

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News - In Brief 

Controversy surrounds 

service of rememembrance 

Francesca Wilski 

Remembrance Sunday has always 

been an opportunity for the commemoration 

of those who fought 

and died during the last century, 

made all the more poignant by the 

sacrifices made by troops currently 

serving in Afghanistan. Therefore, it 

was unsurprising that the decision 

of Royal Holloway’s Anglican Chaplain 

Sally Rogers not to include the 

singing of the national anthem in 

her Remembrance Sunday service 

was met with mixed reviews. 

Chaplain Rogers, whose feelings 

on the subject were strong, justified 

the omission of the national anthem; 

“Royal Holloway is a multi-national 

community – respecting the needs 

tf Newsdesk 

newsdesk@thefounder.co.uk 

of foreign and home students alike 

is my responsibility”. Essentially, as 

part of this community we have the 

responsibility to include foreign nationalities 

in our traditions, such as 

Remembrance Sunday, but in a way 

that does not isolate them as foreigners, 

they must feel as at home 

here as we do. Remembrance Sunday 

is therefore not a day to remember 

our troops alone, but the world 

wide troops fighting from every nationality, 

a day to remember every 

last soldier that fought, no matter 

what side they were on. 

Chaplain Rogers was happy to 

allow those students upset by the 

omission, to take time in the Chapel 

on Remembrance Day to sing the 

national anthem, re-lay the wreath 

and stand in two minutes of silence. 

Jazz duet at Royal Holloway 

Entrepreneurs’ Global Entrepreneurship 

Week launch party in Crosslands last 

week

The Founder | Wednesday 25 November 2009 

News 

3 

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Got a tip-off? 


Bedford alumna 

appointed one of 

the most powerful 

women in Europe 

» continued from front page 

ers in all fields, and our motto ‘esse 

quam videri’ - to be, rather than to 

seem to be.” 

Lady Ashton’s political ascendency 

has been remarkably quick. 

Graduating from Bedford College 

(now part of Royal Holloway) in 

1977 with a BSc in economics & 

sociology the Baroness before Ashton 

entering public service in 1998 

as chairman of the Hertfordshire 

health authority, a post she held 

until 2001 when she became a junior 

education minister where she 

played a key role in establishing 

the Sure Start network of children’s 

centres. Appointed a peer in 1991, it 

was not until 2007 that Lady Ashton 

entered the cabinet as the leader of 

the House of Lords. Within European 

politics Lady Ashton has made 

a considerable mark winning praise 

for her competence and efficiency in 

a political system often perceived as 

being beset by red tape. 

Political repercussions from the 

sudden decisions that saw Tony 

Blair drop out of the European limelight 

(after he was beaten to the post 

of President of the European Council) 

and the promotion of Lady Ashton 

have already begun. Questions 

of Lady Ashton’s inexperience were 

raised minutes after the news of her 

appointment broke but were soon 

countered by the baroness herself 

saying; “Judge me by what I do and 

I think you’ll be pleased and proud 

of me...Am I an ego on legs? No, I’m 

not.” 

Lady Ashton takes office as “High 

Representative for Foreign Affairs 

and Security Policy” on 1st December. 

Holloway golfers 

awarded prestigious 

bursaries 

Student home 

ablaze in Egham 

Catherine Nelms 

Residents of Manorcrofts Road, 

Egham, watched in shock last week 

as three fire engines rushed to a student 

house on fire. 

At approximately 1am, local residents 

were awoken by the sound 

of police cars, ambulances, and fire 

engines pulling up to the corner 

of Rusham Road and Manorcrofts 

Road. Eyewitness Lucy Haig a 2nd 

Year Media Arts student described 

the scene: “There was a lot of smoke 

billowing out of the building. Police 

had set up road blocks to stop 

the traffic, and firemen were everywhere. 

They broke down the front 

door to the property and took their 

hoses to it. I couldn’t see any flames 

tf Newsdesk 


but there was a lot of smoke.” 

The fire had restarted after a previous 

fire at the property begun at 

approximately 4pm that day. It is believed 

that at the time of the second 

fire, the property was empty though 

it is not yet known whether the residents 

were harmed in either event. 

The landlord to the property was 

contacted and eventually arrived on 

the scene some time after the fire 

had started. At approximately 2am 

the smoke had cleared and firemen 

began to clear the building. 

The cause of the fire remains unknown 

however this incident serves 

as a poignant reminder of the need 

for students to ensure that they 

take necessary precautions to guard 

against fire 

Ed Harper 

News Editor 

Tee off at Wentworth Golf Course 

and it’s more than likely you will 

be watched; not just by other golfers 

but by a course official who, depending 

upon your first shot may 

discreetly ask you to leave. Playing 

at Wentworth has always been 

strictly, yet politely, reserved for the 

best. Situated only a few miles from 

campus Wentworth has, since its establishment 

in 1936, stood as one of 

the world’s most illustrious courses 

tf Next deadline 

and home to the PGA European 

Tour. This year the same greens that 

have challenged players such as Tiger 

Woods and Nick Faldo will now 

also play host to three Royal Holloway 

students, winners of prestigious 

Golf Bursaries. 

Recipients of the award; Simon 

Clement, Sebastian Schyberg, and 

Jon Putman, all members of the Student 

Talented Athlete Recognition 

Scheme (STARS) will now be fully 

entitled to use Wentworth’s three 

championship courses and exceptional 

sports facilities. For Jon Putman, 

captain of the Holloway golf 

team, this marks the second consecutive 

year he has been awarded the 

“absolute privilege” of the bursary 

that he sees as fundamental in helping 

develop his abilities and lowering 

his handicap, a view shared by 

his fellow players. 

Speaking on the subject Acting 

Principal Rob Kemp said, “We are 

delighted that these aspiring golfers 

will be able to develop their talent 

for the game alongside their studies. 

This is a unique opportunity 

for students of Royal Holloway, and 

we look forward to continuing our 

close partnership with Wentworth.” 

The next deadline is Wednesday 2 December, send your submissions to: 

Editor - editor@thefounder.co.uk 

News - newsdesk@thefounder.co.uk 

Comment & Debate - comment@thefounder.co.uk 

Extra - extra@thefounder.co.uk 

Arts - arts@thefounder.co.uk 

Film - film@thefounder.co.uk 

Music - music@thefounder.co.uk 

Features - features@thefounder.co.uk 

Sports - sports@thefounder.co.uk 

Pictures - pictures@thefounder.co.uk 

Thanks!


News 

Nursing to 

become a degreeonly 

profession 

Black History Month 

celebrated at RHUL 

Alissa Bevan 

Royal Holloway University of London 

has for the last four weeks celebrated 

Black History Month which, 

from its establishment in 1986, has 

sought to raise awareness and celebrate 

the contribution of Africans to 

the economic, cultural and political 

life of the UK. 

A similar event, Afrikan History 

Month runs across the United States 

throughout February, while both 

these events develop on the original 

ideas of Negro History Week that 

started back in 1926. Black History 

Month in the UK is a yearly celebration 

of history and heritage looks to 

readdress the imbalance imposed 

upon this important aspect of world 

history throughout the nineteenth 

and twentieth centuries, with over 

6,000 separate events taking place 

across the country this year alone. 

All students were welcome to take 

part in the events that help contribute 

to promoting knowledge of 

black history and culture. 

At Royal Holloway, Black History 

Month was celebrated with a series 

of events for students by a large 

number of academic departments 

including History, Geography, Sport 

and Drama. One such event welcomed 

students to examine the history 

of Black British footballers, led 

by historian and documentary filmmaker 

Phil Vasili. The session celebrated 

over one hundred years of 

black participation in British professional 

football, from Arthur Wharton, 

the very first professional black 

footballer, to the England striker 

John Barnes. 

The Department of Geography 

ran “Hidden Histories of Exploration” 

a workshop led by Professor 

Felix Driver who aimed to highlight 

the important contributions 

of intermediary persons, such as 

interpreters and guides, during the 

nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 

The workshop applauded the efforts 

of local people in journeys of exploration 

across the globe, which are 

to often forgotten or reduced to the 

margins by mainstream histories. 

Celebrations also included a 

drama workshop with Simeilia 

Hodge-Dallaway and award-winning 

theatre director Kwame Kwei- 

Armah, who introduced students 

to the Black British Play Archive. 

This exciting project has led to the 

discovery of more than three hundred 

plays written by black playwrights 

in England over the last 60 

years with Mr. Hodge-Dallway and 

Mr, Kwei-Armah giving themselves 

the extraordinary task of archiving 

them all. Students were given the 

chance through the workshops to 

become part of black history and 

contribute to the archive by being 

filmed as they recreated scenes from 

the plays to. The full archive will be 

opened next spring at the National 

Theatre Studio London. Mr. Kwei- 

Armah, the first Black Briton to 

have a play staged at the West End, 

commented that “It’s great to see 

new generations come here to Royal 

Holloway to attend these workshops 

to find out more about the work of 

many influential Black playwrights.” 

Additional sessions offered included 

a presentation intended to 

uncover who Gandhi really was, 

a workshop that explored the historical 

roots of Caribbean tourism 

based on research done in conjunction 

with the National Maritime 

Museum, and an interactive session 

that studied the civil rights movement 

with newsreel footage, photographs 

and first-hand testimony. 

Royal Holloway’s Senior Outreach 

and Widening Participation Officer, 

Tanya Popeau, also said: “We were 

delighted to host such an exciting 

range of sessions for schools and 

colleges. This event provided students 

with a great opportunity to explore 

the rich cultural fabric of our 

society and celebrate our heritage.” 

Anybody wishing to find out more 

about Black History Month should 

access the organisation’s website, 

www.Black-History-Month.co.uk, 

for more information. 

Amy Johnston 

The government last week approved 

a proposal that will make nursing 

in England an all-graduate profession 

and by 2013. Nurses currently 

receive a diploma after two or three 

years of training however they will 

now be required to take a full degree. 

The new courses, lasting up 

to four years, will meet standards 

developed by the NMC, the professional 

regulator. Rather than being 

based at hospital, they will be based 

at university and more emphasis 

will be placed on gaining experience 

outside of hospitals- shadowing 

school nurses and district nurses for 

example. 

Health Minister Ann Keen argued 

that “Degree-level education 

will provide new nurses with the 

decision making skills they need to 

make high-level judgments in the 

transformed NHS. This is the right 

direction of travel if we are to fulfil 

our ambition to provide higher 

quality care for all”. The move is 

designed to raise the status of nursing 

but questions have been raised 

about the advisability of such a dramatic 

change in medical education. 

Many critics claim that a degree in 

nursing could mean nurses will consider 

themselves “too clever” to perform 

basic but important tasks such 

as washing patients and assisting 

them to the lavatory. The emphasis 

could also potentially shift to more 

supervisory care, rather than direct 

care, causing a break-down of the vital 

rapport nurses should have with 

their patients. There is also some 

trepidation among doctors who are 

concerned about the new ‘high-level’ 

judgements that will be expected 

from nurses. Despite these concerns 

Dame Christine Beasley, chief 

nursing officer for England said the 

change was a “small but important 

step” that would help give nurses the 

“real ability to think and make decisions” 

as care became more complex. 

“It’s not about moving nurses 

away from direct care,” she added. 

UNISON head of nursing Gail Adams 

stressed the union’s concerns 

that the move to degree only entry 

would result in a less diverse profession 

and therefore a profession less 

reflective of the society it cared for. 

Universities throw out the 

traditional academic calendar 

Francesca Wilski 

New trends emerging amongst certain 

Universities have seen increasing 

numbers of students admitted 

in January instead of the traditional 

September start. The University of 

Derby, offering this January start, 

described the courses as being “back 

to front” as though the course stays 

the same the first (Winter) term is 

carried out last, after doing the second 

and third (Spring and Summer) 

terms first. 

There are several justifications 

for introducing the January start. 

Mature students, taking university 

primarily as an academic endeavour 

rather than as a life experience, described 

how they conveniently forgo 

the primary fresher’s mayhem. Additionally, 

with the growing attraction 

of overseas students and their 

larger fee’s, providing a January start 

is more efficient as many foreign academic 

timetables fit better into this 

time frame. 

Other students discussed how 

‘Rather than mapping out your career 

path before even leaving school, 

you can take the post A-level summer 

to take time to view your options 

and then apply in the Autumn 

if necessary.’ Likewise in favour of 

the scheme, another student explained, 

‘It avoids students taking a 

whole gap year off, which can often 

lead to expensive procrastination.’ 

Lastly, for those that did apply for a 

September start but were rejected, 

get the choice to reapply immediately 

rather than wait a year. Importantly 

for these students, the process 

is a lot quicker as students apply directly 

to the university, rather than 

through UCAS. 

However, it has been argued that 

this move suggests that the first year 

of a degree has less to do about academics 

than about the introduction 

to living away from home, making 

friends and gaining life experience.


News 

5 

News Comment 

The continuing 

failure of 

Student Finance 

England 

Ed Harper 

News Editor 

The fiasco resulting 

from Student 

Finance England’s 

complete ineptitude 

continues 

into is fourth 

month with the 

news that three 

quarters of English 

Universities 

have had to support 

students 

still waiting on 

financial support. 

Following 

a survey 

carried out by 

the BBC it has 

been found 

that on average 

universities have been forced to 

spend £44,000 supporting hundreds 

of students yet to receive their maintenance 

loans. Rubbing salt into the 

still open wound The Guardian revealed 

last week that the senior executives 

of the Student Loans Company 

were awarded £2million worth 

of bonuses last year while spending 

almost £111,000 on expenses. 

With the end of term now within 

sight and up to 50,000 still waiting, 

the failure of SFE has been complete 

and shameful. Stories of students 

being forced to defer their entry 

or simply drop out of their courses 

have been met by the same worn 

out excuses from SFE who continue 

to pin blame on anyone but themselves. 

With concerns about the 

increased numbers of students applying 

for courses being raised as far 

back as April, SFE had ample time 

to plan for increased demand and 

implement measures to avoid this 

crisis. Surely £2million could have 

helped resolve this problem? Adding 

further insult, the response of 

the SFE has been shockingly slow 

reiterating tired excuses and with 

the audacity to blame students for 

their own failings. 

Letting down students 

who have the grades, the 

places and the ambition to learn is 

disgraceful and embarrassing to the 

whole English university system; 

made worse by the fact that it is 

students from poorer backgrounds 

who are suffering the most. This 

problem should have been resolved 

within a fortnight of fresher’s week 

yet it drags on today with some students 

being told that they will be 

waiting till after Christmas for their 

first instalment, this simply is not 

good enough. 

The NUS is right to call for the 

resignation of Mr Seymour-Jackson 

who along with other executives at 

the SLC. Without exception those 

involved in this debacle should 

make an unreserved apology, not 

through another carefully worded 

press release and not through government 

ministers, but a direct 

personal admittance of failure to 

the students whose education they 

have hindered. This should be followed 

thorough public investigation 

into what exactly went wrong that, 

if finding evidence of negligence 

should soon be followed by resignations. 

Students three times more 

likely to be burgled 

Amy Norman 

Statistics released by the Home Office 

have revealed that students are 

the most likely group to experience 

to crime, with one in three students 

becoming a victim each year. 

Yet despite of this a survey carried 

out by the NUS has revealed that 

the majority of freshers are unconcerned 

about the risks of crime, including 

burglary. 

The survey shows that 84% of 

freshers are not concerned, while 

only 15.6% of the survey’s participants 

stating that crime is one 

of the things that most concerns 

them. However, the type of crime 

most freshers are worried about remains 

burglary, with 81.7% students 

choosing this over other options 

such as violent crime or sexual offences. 

According to the same survey, a 

third of students are not going to 

get insurance, the main reasons being 

that it is too expensive and too 

complicated to organise despite the 

NUS urging students to take out an 

insurance policy. Ben Whittaker, 

NUS Vice President for Welfare 

warned that “because most students 

live in communal households, they 

are particularly at risk from walkin 

theft, we would advise students 

tf Newsdesk 


to take extra care when it comes to 

making sure their doors and windows 

are locked and to get insurance 

which covers walk-in theft”. 

A Home Office Minister commented 

on the survey, saying: “burglary 

has fallen nationally by 54 per 

cent since 1997 but I am determined 

to stay on the front foot in keeping 

crimes like this down. The Government 

has provided £175,000 to the 

NUS to help educate students about 

the simple things they can do to 

protect themselves”. The money will 

be used to raise awareness of home 

safety, give practical help to freshers 

leaving home for the first time and 

encourage partnerships with the local 

community. 

When speaking of student safety 

in the local area, the Royal Holloway 

website states “Surrey is one of the 

safest counties in England in which 

to live and work [yet] all members of 

the community have to make every 

effort to minimise the risk to themselves 

and others”. When speaking 

of recent crime figures, Surrey Police 

Assistant Chief Constable Mark 

Rowley, said: “Surrey continues to 

maintain a level of crime per head 

of population that is 40% below the 

national average. Surrey remains 

one of the safest forces in England 

and Wales for all of the major crime 

categories of burglary, vehicle crime 

and violent crime”. 

Despite of this, there have been 

problems of burglaries in the local 

area, especially targeting student 

houses in Englefield Green. According 

to the Safer Neighbourhood 

Policing Team, last year saw a rise 

in burglaries in the neighbourhood 

in daytime and at night, with thefts 

ranging from small items to high 

value vehicles. In particular there 

were a number of burglaries in the 

Christmas vacation last year, where 

burglars took advantage of empty 

houses where students had returned 

home. Six incidents were reported 

to Surrey police between December 

18 and the New Year, where televisions, 

jewellery and other electrical 

equipment were stolen. 

The Home Office has said the 

main reason why students are so 

highly targeted is the fact they own 

more expensive consumer goods per 

head than the rest of the population, 

with the Complete University Guide 

stating students are “rich pickings” 

for petty criminals since they own 

laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras 

and other goods which are all 

easy to dispose of and sell on. This 

combined with the fact that most 

students live in shared accommodation, 

where there will be multiple 

items under one roof, means they 

remain an attractive target.


News 

Government launches 

student fees review 

Amy Norman 

After several months of expectation 

and speculation, the government 

has finally launched a full review 

of tuition fees and student funding, 

leading to mixed reactions from 

students and academic groups. The 

review, a condition of the introduction 

of top-up fees in 2006, aims to 

overhaul the student funding system 

and will consider exactly what students 

should be charged for higher 

education, how to generate more 

funding from employers and how 

to make sure that students from 

poorer backgrounds are not put off 

by higher fees. 

The review is to lead by Lord 

Browne, the former chief executive 

of BP and one of New Labour’s favoured 

businessmen. The inquiry 

team also contains Sir Michael Barber, 

a former senior civil-servant 

who advised the government before 

the introduction of the current fees 

system; economist Diane Coyle; 

David Eastwood, vice-chancellor of 

Birmingham University; Julia King, 

vice-chancellor of Aston University; 

Rajay Naik, former chairman of the 

British Youth Council; and businessman 

Peter Sands. 

The review has been backed by the 

Conservatives, meaning that when 

it reports next year it is likely to exert 

a strong influence on whichever 

party is in power. However, one of 

the main criticisms of the review 

is the fact that its findings will not 

be published until after the general 

election, leading to allegations that 

the government has deliberately 

tried to stop the issue of tuition fees 

becoming an election issue. Wes 

Streeting, President of the NUS, 

has said that politicians will need 

the votes of the nearly two million 

UK students in the May election, 

and this “could make the difference 

between winning and losing the 

election for one of the parties”. He 

reminded politicians that in 2004 

retaliation from students over topup 

fees caused considerable problems 

for Tony Blair’s government 

and resulted in several pro-fees 

MPs losing their seats. The NUS has 

promised to name and shame every 

MP who refuses to sign a pledge of 

opposition against an increase in 

tuition fees, revealing the names before 

next year’s polling day. The student 

leaders of 85 UK universities 

have guaranteed to break the “cosy 

consensus of silence” within the two 

main parties, saying they are “appalled 

by Labour and Conservative 

attempts to duck difficult questions 

on student fees”. Several protests 

have already taken place at Westminster 

calling for politicians of 

both parties to “come clean on fees” 

while last week a debate at Reading 

University’s Student Union, allowed 

both politicians and Mr Streeting to 

voice their sides of the arguments. 

The Liberal Democrats have 

fought back against the two main 

parties, with their shadow universities 

secretary, Stephen Williams, 

saying “Labour and the Tories have 

colluded to keep tuition fees off the 

agenda until after the election” and 

it is not fair to expect students and 

parents to vote for them “without 

being honest about whether they 

intend to leave them with decades 

of debt”. He also spoke out against 

the line up of the review panel, saying 

the lack of student representatives 

is “disgraceful.” The University 

and College Union is another group 

to criticise the panel, with general 

secretary Sally Hunt stating “we are 



Arts Building, The Hub, Gowar and Wedderburn Halls, T-Dubbs 

incredibly disappointed that there 

is no proper employee representation 

on the panel.” She also said they 

would be “very surprised if the ‘independent’ 

argument holds much 

weight with anybody when they realise 

how well-represented employers 

and business are on the panel.” 

Director General of The Russell 

Group of Universities, Dr Wendy 

Piatt, has said “we greatly look forward 

to working with Lord Browne 

who brings a wealth of business experience 

and academic links to this 

review.” She said that as universities 

face increasingly tough economic 

conditions and global competition a 

change in the current system needs 

to be made to ensure UK universities 

remain internationally competitive, 

especially as the level of investment 

in UK higher education is significantly 

lower than other countries. 

The Russell Group state that “the 

introduction of fees has managed 

to halt a long-term decline in funding. 

Without fees, universities will 

have struggled to maintain facilities, 

retain leading academics and offer 

generous bursaries to poorer students.” 

While increasing tuition fees 

is the most “effective” way of raising 

funds, they want to “be sure about 

the impact of any changes to fee levels 

on students before advocating 

one particular option.” 

Debates and speculation as to 

what the final recommendations 

of the review looks set to continue 

until the report is finally published. 

With the issues under consideration 

potentially ushering in fundamental 

changes to way British universities 

operate, The Founder will continue 

to report on any further developments 

in what looks set to be a long 

running saga. 

Graduate 

unemployment 

rises in 

recession’s wake 

Laura Jones 

Graduate unemployment rates have 

soared this year by 44%, marking 

a twelve year high. The recession 

seems to have hit university graduates 

the hardest and unemployment 

is now threatening to reach 

pre-millennium heights last seen 

in 1995. The Higher Education Careers 

Services Unit (HECSU) warns 

that the pictures could be even more 

pessimistic for those about to graduate 

this year. 

As a result, the number of students 

now choosing to go into the 

public sector, either in the NHS, 

as teachers or even social workers 

has increased dramatically with 

half of all UK graduates now employed 

in such professions. On the 

other hand, architects and trained 

builders along with financial and 

accounting graduates have been 

among those worst affected by the 

economic downturn. There is no 

longer a call for rapid construction 

of new housing and fewer dreams of 

high flying careers as bankers in the 

city. 

Charlie Ball of HECSU has predicted 

that as the recession alleviates 

in 2010 there will be fewer graduates 

going into jobs in the public sector. 

He predicts that there will be fewer 

entry level positions available for local 

and central government, while 

‘front-line’ jobs such as teaching and 

NHS work will be unaffected. 

Along with the current economic 

downturn, that has meant less employment 

for graduates, the sheer 

volume of school-leavers that now 

go on to university has been cited 

as a reason for graduate unemployment. 

According to the Times (20th 

October 2009) the number of graduate 

jobs available would have to 

double in the next 2 years simply in 

order to accommodate new graduates. 

With job prospects after graduation 

increasingly bleak, more students 

may decide to stay at university 

and do a masters degree or even 

PhD, however, according to HECSU 

the number of graduates staying on 

to partake in a masters barely rose 

last year. However despite continuing 

negative press that has questioned 

the value of a degree, on 

average graduates continue to earn 

more across their lifetimes.


tf Comment 

& Debate 

7 

The Holy Church of Global Warming 

Oleg Giberstein 

A comparably minor incident was 

the last straw which literally broke 

not the camel’s, but my back. I 

bought many items in the college 

shop and asked for a bag because 

not all of the items I bought would 

fit into my own. What I received 

was a paper bag which broke the 

moment I had left the shop. 

It is not easy to carry two or three 

bottles of water as well as other 

items at the same time, especially 

for a disabled person like me. Why 

did the shop stop using bags which 

do not break after walking two 

steps? They stopped in order to save 

the environment, the earth and the 

universe in its entirety. 

But let us start from the beginning. 

Humans seem to need a belief 

or faith to cling to. The western 

world is becoming more secular, 

but this does not mean that there 

is no need for ideology anymore. 

Old ones are simply being replaced 

by new ones. Thus, what dominates 

much of public discourse and our 

daily routine nowadays is the attempt 

to change our lives according 

to a new ideology: environmentalism. 

We recycle, we try not to use 

our car and we demonstrate against 

anything the Holy Church of 

Global Warming dislikes. We adjust 

our lives according to green ideas. 

At the same time companies 

around the world produce CO2 

per day on levels none of us, even 

combined, could ever produce in 

a lifetime. Yet, it is me who has to 

suffer those little, and not so little 

but frequent, annoyances. Are 

we really making even the tiniest 

impact if we recycle or use paper 

bags? All of this happens, of course, 

under the assumption that global 

warming is actually man made. 

Hang on; is it really? 

Any counterevidence is immediately 

dismissed as being 

sponsored “by the industry” (as if 

those with supporting arguments 

did not have their own interests 

as well…). Yet, there is evidence 

for both sides. Why has the earth 

been cooling down and warming 

up for thousands of years without 

human influence? Why was the 

warmest recorded year so far 1998 

and not 2007 or 2008? Speaking of 

2007 and 2008, the planet actually 

cooled down significantly between 

these two years. The number of 

natural disasters has not increased 

since 1878 (instead, the recording 

and the media coverage have both 

been increasing). Against all claims, 

glaciers in Alaska and Southern 

Argentina have been growing lately, 

as have some other glaciers. Where 

is the warming? 

Such alternative voices however 

do not get much, if any, media coverage. 

After all, it does not fit into 

the green world view. Indeed, the 

whole movement is increasingly reminding 

me of the Catholic Church 

of the Middle Ages. While the Pope 

and the Cardinals of this modern 

Church (Al Gore, Prince Charles, 

various celebrities) live their good 

lives in huge, CO2 wasting homes 

and drive big cars, the grassroots 

inquisitors spread out to protest 

and ban whatever they can get hold 

of with sheer fundamentalism. 

Who would say anything against 

these inquisitors? At best, you will 

be ignored and treated like the 

heretic you are. At worst, you face 

literally social exclusion. You are 

not saving the environment, how 

dare you!?! 

Yet, all the time these people 

think they are going against the 

mainstream. This is not the case. 

Nowadays, many gain from the 

environmental alarmism. All those 

motivated activists have something 

nice to add to their CVs, politicians 

can get easy votes, many companies 

make money, and the media has a 

lot to talk about. After all, bad news 

sells better than good news anyway. 

All this alarmism has a resemblance 

of the late 70s when people 

panicked about a possible coming 

ice age. In fact, some of the activists 

of those days are now preaching the 

warming. Why should they not? It 

pays their bills. At the same time it 

seems like humans need something 

to panic about. This is fair enough 

as long as I do not have to be 

involved. Which brings us back to 

my initial encounter with the paper 

bags of the college shop. 

So much about this alarmism is 

purely and simply hypocritical. The 

paper bags save the environment? 

What about the plastic cups in the 

dining halls then? What about the 

college buses which never switch 

off their engine, even while they are 

waiting at the stop? What about the 

Founders heating, which is always 

running? Are all these issues not 

much worse than the bags, of which 

millions are produced every day 

around the earth no matter what we 

do? Maybe, but it is always easier to 

go for the easy targets. 

I lack the scientific credentials to 

dismiss all the environmentalist arguments 

myself and this is not my 

aim. I do not want to say that I (or 

anyone else for that matter) know if 

there is a manmade global warming 

or not. Nor do I want to attack 

all those dedicated activists who 

really have the best of intentions 

and invest a lot of time into their 

efforts, on campus and far beyond. 

Indeed, it does make sense to make 

the planet more sustainable, since 

resources will run out sooner or 

later. Also, certain changes improve 

the quality of the air or save some 

endangered species. However, this 

does not mean that we have to 

make our own lives miserable and 

accept every statement and issue of 

the modern day inquisitors, as absurd 

as it may be (just think of the 

cows and the methane gas) without 

questioning. The tiny impacts, 

which most of these annoyances 

that are inflicted upon us make, 

are so microscopic that it is not 

worth making our daily routines 

so much more complicated. Resist 

the Church of Global Warming and 

do not accept each single one of 

its demands simply for the sake of 

political correctness. 

I love nature. Yet, I hate it when 

anyone tries to direct my life according 

to some fanatic ideology, 

especially when so much is being 

done purely for the show and the 

own good conscience. When the 

Catholic Church was dominating 

the life of people in the Middle 

Ages, most of these people did not 

have an education to counter the 

clerical arguments. It is time to 

prove that 500 and more years later, 

we are smart enough to question 

each ideology that so radically tries 

to change our everyday lives, even 

if it comes concealed as progressive, 

urgent and necessary.



Don’t like what you’re reading? 

Got a different point of view? 

Email David, our Comment & Debate Editor, at comment@thefounder.co.uk 

Striking the 

future square 

in the face 

James Lewis 

Post will never be the same again. 

Since 2005, when the numbers 

of letters sent in Britain peaked 

at around 84 million a day, the 

amount we use the postal system 

has been declining; quickly. With 

70% of homes now online, this shift 

in our methods of communication 

can be attributed to modernization 

– to technological progress. 

Who could argue that it isn’t 

progress? E-mails and internet 

banking is faster, cheaper and easier 

than letters, not to mention the forests 

saved in paper! As the service 

dealing with 99% of this decreasing 

postal volume, it is understandable 

that the Royal Mail must shrink to 

incorporate the changing market. 

Nobody could even dream of a 

company maintaining its size and 

influence while its business drained 

away from beneath its feet. Nobody 

could feel that the country owed 

them employment regardless of 

their worth. Nobody could argue 

that providing (or inventing?) jobs 

is more important than development, 

progress and the future. 

Nobody, that is, except the 

Communication Workers’ Union 

(CWU); the organisation, that went 

on strike on these principles. 

If the question of prioritising employment 

seems a little less absurd 

to you than the others, let’s consider 

the effects that this contrived application 

of Marxist theory would 

have had if used successfully for 

the last 150 years. Imagine, for instance, 

if when the light-bulb came 

into mass production and was set 

to replace candle light in millions of 

dwellings world-wide, candle stick 

makers protested, saying, “Society 

OWES us our jobs! You can’t replace 

us!” Imagine if every technological 

advance was thwarted by the 

angry and ignorant workforce that 

it rendered useless. We would be 

living in a dark age. 

It should also be remembered 

that the purpose of our national 

postal service is not (in a Marxist 

sense) to supply people with jobs, 

but to provide a service to the people. 

It is therefore essential that the 

business be run with the efficiency 

of a private enterprise - to give the 

best possible service to the nation 

in a branch of the communications 

industry that is deemed too 

important to be left in the hands of 

the private sector. 

Thankfully however, the future of 

our much loved ‘posties’ and their 

preposterous principles, rests in the 

hands of the Royal Mail and our 

Business secretary, Lord Mandelson. 

This is the man whose honesty 

and strength of character has dealt 

with many a complex political issue 

such as the revelation of his corruption 

and subsequent resignation 

both in 1998 and 2001. Surely his 

heroically hard bargaining diplomacy 

will be able to defend capitalism 

in the face of idiocy. In Mandy 

we trust. 

A brief 

response 

to Tom 

Greenaway 

Dave Paxton joins 

the debate on the value 

of degrees sparked off 

by Jessica Freeman in 

the this year’s first issue 

of The Founder 

Tom Greenaway wrote, in last 

month’s edition of The Founder, 

that the expansion of universities is 

a positive thing, and that the classic 

degrees (History, English, and Law) 

should accept vastly reduced numbers 

of people, so that the rest of us 

have the option to study “practical” 

degrees such as Real Estate and 

Accounting. 

First, I do not see why someone 

who wishes to work in the property 

market should be expected to study 

at a university, or why the budding 

Accountant does not simply find 

employment in a bank and work his 

way up to the top from there. For 

a start, debt would be avoided, and 

the individual could be out in ‘the 

real world’ earning money earlier 

than his more studious peers. The 

graver problem, as I see it, is this: 

a university degree in Accounting 

will drill many facts and figures 

into the mind, but it will provide 

no practical knowledge, and no 

knowledge of the company that the 

individual will end up in once his 

studies are finished. This means 

that he will possess the paperwork 

to take up a position, but lack the 

experience that would justify his 

holding that position. 

I remember working in Waterstones 

in my gap year, and being 

surrounded by hugely experienced 

and motivated long-term employees 

who could never ascend 

to a managerial position, simply 

because those positions were always 

spoon-fed to university graduates, 

flashing paperwork and lipstick, but 

lacking even the basic knowledge



9 

Manners are from 

Mars, students are 

from Venus 

Tom Wright 

“Excuse me please”, my words fell 

upon deaf ears as I found myself 

shunted into some rather large 

shrubbery. Emerging somewhat 

bewildered by the whole experience, 

I glanced around only to find 

the culprits had continued on their 

way. A group of chatty females, 

feverish with gossip, had failed to 

notice all 5ft 10” of me, let alone 

stop to apologise. 

The time is six o’ clock on a 

Friday evening in the Arts Building, 

it has been a long and tiresome day 

and you are eager to get home to 

grab a shower and a bite to eat. In 

your urgency, you neglect to hold 

the door for the person behind 

you. That building has been your 

prisoner for the previous two hours 

and you want out. The door swings 

back, hitting the poor unfortunate 

behind you with tremendous force, 

“WHAM!” That poor unfortunate 

is me, however there is no time to 

stop and apologise, that dinner will 

not cook itself! 

The following Monday, I head 

to the Founder’s Library books in 

hand, eager and ready to learn. 

I head to the group study area, 

setting out my books, paper and 

writing utensils. Suddenly I hear 

this almighty commotion, I go 

to investigate, only to find a large 

group of people huddled around a 

laptop transfixed on the latest funny 

on YouTube, laughs aplenty. Hardly 

a moderate level of conversation, 

nevertheless, I do not make a fuss 

and decide to retire to a quiet area. 

Finding an empty space, I sit down. 

Peace at last...well for all of fifteen 

minutes, a male student takes his 

seat opposite me. I pay little attention 

to begin with, that is until 

he fires up his iPod. Tchaikovsky 

is clearly not to his liking, no he 

prefers death metal. Both distracted 

and angered by this, I give up all 

together. 

I can draw only two conclusions, 

the students of Royal Holloway 

have been robbed of their sense 

of spatial awareness and common 

courtesy has become an entirely alien 

concept. ‘Manners cost nothing’, 

goes the old adage, yet for many 

people manners seem to be a rare 

and precious commodity. 

Now, you may ask ‘what is all the 

fuss about? These things happen 

all of the time.’ Well the answer is 

simple one. Royal Holloway has its 

own community and functioning 

society. However, a society cannot 

function properly without cohesion, 

and cohesion is reliant on 

common courtesy and good manners. 

What happens when someone 

shunts me into some shrubbery; 

slams a door in my face; or is 

excessively noisy? I feel resentment 

towards them for having treated 

me in such a way, negative feelings 

such as this are unproductive. 

Manners are from Mars and 

students are from Venus, or so it 

seems, so I ask all of you who read 

this to smile and say hello to one 

another! Look behind you when 

you walk through the door, a door 

in the face does not send out a 

polite message (and it hurts!) and 

keep that music to yourself. A little 

courtesy goes a long way towards 

having a good day. 

of how to run a bookshop. This, it 

seems to me, is what such “practical” 

degrees as Real Estate are 

doing: they are training more and 

more people up to take on difficult 

positions that should really be the 

gratifying end-product of years of 

dedicated service in a company. The 

predicted response – “People have a 

right to go to university” – is subtly 

snobbish, in that it works on the 

assumption that only by undergoing 

higher education will people be 

fulfilled in their lives, an idea that 

could be disputed by any one of the 

fulfilled individuals who are not 

graduates, and which I also dispute 

– I learnt a lot more in my gap year 

than I have in two years of university 

education. 

That was all that I was going 

to say on the matter, but I found 

myself, last week, talking to an 

individual who is taking a degree in 

Sports Journalism in a prestigious 

university in South England, and 

who wants to use this degree to 

become a football commentator. All 

I would ask is: why would anyone 

want to hear his opinions? The 

most successful football commentators 

at the moment are surely those 

ex-players who have experienced 

professional football from inside, 

and who can thus offer informed 

and knowledgeable criticisms. 

Again, university education is training 

people up to take on prestigious 

jobs which should really be the payoff 

of a long and dedicated career in 

a certain sphere of life. And – one 

final point – as more people attend 

university, those people who do not 

attend will be increasingly hardpressed 

to find fulfilling employment, 

and to move up in a company 

(i.e. to have a career). This egalitarian 

view of education is damaging 

to those in the world who are not 

academic. 

Then again, I am with Mr. 

Greenaway wholly in his scathing 

denunciation of current English 

students, busy scribbling their 

“post-modern interpretation of 

women in Shakespeare’s tragedies”. 

English Literature – at least at this 

university – has, I think, lost whatever 

vitality it may once have had, 

any truly profound study of books 

having been replaced by a series of 

odious ‘critical studies’ (feminism, 

post-colonialism, gay-studies, etc.). 

One tends to find huge swathes 

of mediocre, ludicrously superficial 

students, chanting their little 

catch-phrases – “the construction 

of the body”, “the objectification of 

women”! – and gaining good marks 

for so doing. 

That these little people have 

learned to feel themselves at the top 

of society is what should worry us, 

but then I would argue that such a 

state of affairs is the natural result 

of allowing too many people into 

higher education, an area which 

is supposed to be the privilege of 

an academic elite: the education 

becomes downgraded to ‘appeal’ to 

a wider demographic, while the old 

cultural prejudices remain intact. 

So I am with Mr. Greenaway on this 

point, but I think that he comes at 

it from the wrong angle, and that he 

is incorrect in seeing the modern 

downgrading of English Literature 

as indicative of the subject as such, 

or as a reason for it to be partially 

disbanded in favour of Real Estate.



The Year 

of Obama 

Toby Bromige 

It has now been a year since 

Barack Obama became 

President Obama. However, 

the question still lingers: 

what has Obama achieved 

so far in his first year? What use has 

he been? Did he really deserve the 

Nobel peace prize? 

The first question is a very interesting 

one, not only have I had to 

study it constantly during my last 

months of A-level politics due to 

my politics teacher’s unhealthy addiction 

to Obamania, but it is also 

on almost every journalist’s lips. 

When I last scrutinised Obama’s 

presidency back in May of this year 

it seemed he had not done much. 

Yes, he had pushed a financial 

stimulus package through Congress 

but not without many Democratic 

‘earmarks’ throughout it. He managed 

to persuade some Republicans 

to support his package, but many 

were dissatisfied with the outcome 

that seemed to benefit mostly rich 

Democratic areas. 

Obama attended the G20 summit 

here in London in April this year, 

not only did the press treat him and 

his wife like the second coming, 

there was also a lot of immaturity; 

today’s political leaders acted like 

children trying the get a picture 

next to Mickey Mouse. Now none 

of this is Obama’s fault by any 

means, he has a lot of charisma and 

he is a fabulous orator, it is in fact 

the press who over-document his 

every move. 

On the international stage 

Obama has yet to pull the rabbit 

out of the hat. While he has condemned 

the Iranian election result 

this summer, he has yet to tackle 

the Middle East issue; however it is 

certainly true this is normally attempted 

by second-term Presidents. 

Credit where credit’s due, Obama 

did immediately step into action 

within the first hours of his 

presidency; he tackled the very 

unpopular decisions of the Bush 

regime, through measures such 

as legalizing stem-cell research, 

closing down the Guantanamo Bay 

detention centre and announcing 

troop reductions in Iraq. 

What must be recognised is that 

a lot of the good that Obama has 

done is very domestically orientated. 

He is after all the President 

of the USA not the world, but all 

the hype by the world media of his 

election was far too extreme. I was 

in fact lucky enough to be present 

in D.C. on November 4th last year, 

and it was fascinating to see the 

joy on people’s faces in the bar 

where I was sitting (and no, I wasn’t 

drunk…). 

The main issue has been the reaction 

of the rest of the world, mainly 

us! The Nobel Peace Prize most 

certainly should not have gone to 

Obama this year. There were far 

more worthy candidates who have 

contributed to world peace far 

more than Obama has done. The 

international community need to 

recognise Obama as the President 

that he is; he still has time to prove 

that he will be remembered as a 

great President, but the way he is 

treated now is not natural nor is it 

healthy for anyone. My advice to 

anyone reading this: appreciate his 

greatness in more subdued tones! 

Futuristic 

fashion 

Shairah Habib 

The term futuristic is taken to mean 

things that are to come or happen. 

It’s the opposite of the past and occurs 

after the present time. So when 

I was invited to a futuristic fashion 

show at Cafe de Paris (Leicester 

Square) by up and coming designers 

Laura Palmer and Serena Di 

Scalzo, the results of my evaluation 

should have been parallel to 

the definition of which the show 

claimed to be. Right? Wrong. 

As fiercely as the models strutted 

down the runway and as eye -capturing 

as the clothes were it dawned 

upon me that there was nothing 

futuristic about the clothing. At 

first I thought my analysis was due 

to the tough battle of getting into 

the show with the poorly organised 

event managers but my opinions 

were confirmed when I asked student 

Lara Mie from London what 

she thought of the show, “If I’m 

being honest, not much. There was 

nothing different about the clothes, 

nothing I have not seen before and 

not something I would wear.” 

Even if we put the “wearable” 

factor aside as not all fashion is 

supposed to be wearable but is 

none the less a form of fashion to 

be appreciated, it made me think, is 

this what has become of the industry 

today? With greatly established 

British fashion designers such as 

Vivienne Westwood, Antonio Berardi, 

Paul Smith, Stella McCartney 

who have been credited immensely 

with great emphasis on incorporating 

original creativity into their 

designs, where is our generation of 

the next big thing? 

Is it possible that newsagent 

shelves filled with endless fashion 

bibles and numerous University 

fashion courses have taken away 

our individual creative freedom to 

just be? I’m sure it has not, but I do 

think that new London fashion designers 

need to step up to the plate 

and make me eat my words, which I 

will happily do so, applauding.

E X T R A


E X T R A 

Film 

1001 films to see before you die 

Batman (1989) 

Kayleigh Dray 

“Haven’t you ever heard of the healing 

power of laughter?” 

Call me old-fashioned, but I much 

prefer this twisted ‘80s original to 

the latest blockbuster The Dark 

Knight. And, despite the grittier 

effects, I feel Tim Burton’s production 

is truly the finer telling of the 

rodent crusader and his nemesis, 

the ever-smiling Joker. But, of 

course, some of you may have lived 

under rocks all your lives and never 

seen nor grasped the concept of the 

Batman. Thus, my pity obliges me 

to summarise one of the greatest 

plots of all time, just for you. 

Welcome to Gotham City. What 

was once a great city has fallen into 

disarray, a den of eternal depravity, 

increasingly inky with crime 

and sin…until a Dark Knight 

arises. Sure, he’s dressed as a bat. A 

very muscular bat, complete with 

“ 

armoured car, flying machine and, 

Batman this does not matter, which 

of course, the awesome utility belt. 

highlights Burton’s clear role as a 

“Where does he get these wonderful 

toys?” Surely the extortionate 

Whilst the action element is 

Batman 

fantasist, not a realist. 

prices would be a little steep for is stylish, there, this visually inventive and 

most dark, brooding vigilantes? Not 

sumptuous feast is also very much 

for Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), thrilling 

the playboy millionaire who dresses 

in a suit by day and a cape by night. 

And why does he do this, other 

than the obvious reasoning that 

black is slimming? This vengeful 

creature of the night seeks to soothe the psychotic, unpredictable 

” 

and concerned with psychological 

neurosis and social breakdown. In 

one hell of a what might have conceivably been 

a film directed at children, Burton’s 

Gotham is a world tainted by 

ride 

an adult awareness of humanity’s 

Clown potential for harsh cruelty. 

his embittered heart after the murder 

of his parents. 

Great performances from the became the first ever to be rated 

Prince of Crime...the Joker. 

This results in a movie that 

To add romance to the mix, entire cast make this movie an a 12 in Great Britain, in the vain 

enter Vicky Vale (Basinger), a absolute treat but, in typical Burton hope of preventing young children 

prize-winning photo journalist fashion, you become acutely aware from watching the movie and, with 

who wants to uncover the secret that this film is…odd, to say the a body count of 56 (admittedly 

of the mysterious ‘bat man’. As for 

villainy, step right up the unrivalled 

prince of terrible black humour, 

Jack Napier (Nicholson). Horribly 

disfigured after a firefight in 

a chemical factory and, devoid of 

the last vestiges of sanity, he seizes 

control of Gotham’s underworld as 

least. The imaginative designs and 

quirky concepts, seen throughout 

his films, echo German expressionism, 

although occasionally one 

might feel frustrated that Burton 

seems reluctant to confront the 

thematic implications of his nightmarish 

scenarios. Nevertheless, in 

tame by today’s standards) it’s not 

difficult to see why. But there’s only 

so many ways to stop kids from 

sneaking into cinemas, and Batman 

quickly became a playground idol. 

The ‘80s masterpiece won an 

Oscar for Best Art Direction, was 

nominated for seven BAFTAs, 

including Best Actor in a Supporting 

Role for the amazingly talented 

Jack Nicholson, plus a multitude of 

awards and nominations from the 

Brits, BMIs, Golden Globes and 

Grammies. Not only did it rocket 

to the top of the Box Office, but it 

made an estimated additional $750 

million in merchandising alone. 

Just think of all the plastic Batman 

dolls that could buy you! Yet steer 

clear from the outfit itself, as it 

weighs a whopping 70lb – hardly 

aerodynamic, calling to mind a flying 

mole-man rather than sleek bat! 

Batman is stylish, thrilling and 

one hell of a ride. While he’s not 

generally associated with action, 

Burton proves to be in his element 

as the Dark Knight swoops out 

of the shadows, crashes through 

windows and employs a host of 

extraordinary, jealousy-inducing 

gadgets. The worst sin a movie can 

commit is to be dull, and that is 

something which the original Batman 

is never guilty of.


E X T R A 

13 

Film 

Glorious 39 

Daniel Collard 

Film Editor 

When a young man in modern-day 

London goes to visit two old relatives 

to find out about his family’s 

past, a story of conspiracy, lies and 

betrayal unfolds as Britain begins to 

feel the tremors of the approaching 

Second World War, in the glorious 

summer of 1939. “It’s not always a 

good place to go, the past.” 

This is writer/director Stephen 

Poliakoff ’s first foray into cinema in 

over a decade, having spent his time 

since then crafting award-winning 

TV dramas such as The Lost Prince 

and Gideon’s Daughter. With Glorious 

39, however, he has something 

far too powerful to keep from the 

big screen. Romola Garai (Atonement) 

stars as Anne, the adopted 

eldest daughter of the Keyes family, 

rich and powerful British aristocrats 

overseen by the charismatic 

patriarch and high-ranking MP, 

Sir Alexander (Bill Nighy, Notes on 

a Scandal). As Britain celebrates 

the apparent safety from war with 

Germany granted by the Munich 

Treaty, trouble is brewing under 

the surface of the Keyes’ idyllic 

existence. When Anne stumbles 

across clandestine vinyl recordings 

stored at her family’s Norfolk home 

by sinister government official Mr. 

Balcombe (Jeremy Northam, Gosford 

Park), her perfect life begins to 

unravel around her as she begins 

to uncover a conspiracy to appease 

Hitler and keep Britain out of the 

coming war – at any cost. 

As the film develops from period 

drama to intense political thriller, 

Poliakoff displays a mastery over 

escalating tension easily comparable 

to that of Hitchcock. Anne’s terrifying 

journey is a brilliantly conceived 

combination of naturalism 

and the surreal, as the intimidation, 

betrayals and shocking violence 

she encounters on her quest for the 

truth take their toll on the young 

woman’s sanity. Like the ‘Master of 

Suspense’ himself, Poliakoff inlays 

his film with a sense of gathering 

dread, throwing the audience offbalance 

with a series of twists and 

shocks that never feel gimmicky or 

derail the story [although I did at 

one point fall off my chair. Ed]. 

Having amassed a cast of some of 

the most talented actors Britain has 

to offer, Glorious 39 delivers some 

truly brilliant performances. Garai 

really is incredible as the heroine, 

Anne: she portrays a beautiful 

innocence that feels all the more 

tragic when it is corrupted and torn 

away by the events around her. But 

there is also an innate strength in 

her performance that makes you 

realise why Anne has no choice but 

to try and fight the evil she encounters, 

regardless of what form this 

evil may take. Nighy is superbly 

subtle as the benevolent Sir Alexander, 

utterly convincing as a man 

who really does have both his country 

and his family’s best interests 

at heart. The staggeringly talented 

“ 

”and 

Having amassed a 

cast of some of the 

most talented actors 

Britain has, Glorious 

39 delivers brilliant 

performances 

cast, including Oscar-winner Julie 

Christie (Finding Neverland), Eddie 

Redmayne (The Other Boleyn 

Girl) and Charlie Cox (Stardust) 

to name but a few, provide hugely 

memorable individual turns as well 

as ensemble support, while there 

are powerful cameos from David 

Tennant and Christopher Lee as the 

to be enjoyed. 

Awe-inspiring directing and performances 

aside, what makes this 

film really interesting is its exploration 

of a relatively unknown part 

of modern British history. Poliakoff 

said that he “wanted to create a suspenseful 

story that would resonate 

with a modern audience, but which 

was firmly based on historical 

fact. So many elements of Glorious 

39 are true, the spying, the secret 

service being used by the government 

to quell all opposition to its 

policy of appeasement and how 

passionate feelings were unleashed 

even amongst the least politically 

minded about whether to face up 

to Hitler.” 

By grounding these intriguing 

historical events in a family drama, 

Poliakoff is able to turn a potential 

history lecture into a dramatic 

exploration of how it truly affected 

the people involved. Anne’s world 

is thrown into chaos when she is 

forced to decide between her duty 

to her family and her duty to herself 

and what she believes in. It is this 

personal conflict, not the global one 

that is to come, that is at the heart 

of this film, and what makes it such 

a fascinating experience. 

Glorious 39 is out in cinemas 

from November 20th (London) 

November 27th (nationwide) 

The 

Invention 

of 

Lying 

Jonathan Woodhouse 

Whether you like him or not, Ricky 

Gervais has pushed the boundaries 

of comedy ever since mockumentary-style 

sitcom The Office hit our 

screens eight years ago. Shortly 

following this up with hit series 

Extras, Gervais has quickly become 

the master of social satire, exposing 

the world for its triviality and 

desperation whilst still managing to 

make us laugh at the same time. 

In his latest effort The Invention 

of Lying, Gervais brings us to a 

society where no-one in mankind’s 

entire history has ever told a lie. In 

this world everyone tells the truth, 

no matter how blunt or uncomfortable 

it may be, with the first 

half hour of the film firing rapid, 

unexpected dialogue from all directions 

to hilarious effect. Gervais, as 

well as co-writing and co-directing 

with newcomer Matthew Robinson, 

stars as Mark Bellison, a loser in a 

non-descript town somewhere in 

21st Century America. In this alternative 

reality there is no fiction, 

no religion and adverts are brutally 

honest – “Pepsi: for when they don’t 

have Coke”. 

An unsuccessful screenwriter 

(films here are basically filmed 

historical lectures), Bellison is even 

more out of luck when love interest 

Anna (Jennifer Garner) dismisses 

any idea of a relationship due to his 

appearance and his lack of financial 

security. Seemingly down and out, 

Mark goes to a bank to withdraw 

the remnants of his earnings and in 

his desperation utters the unfathomable: 

the world’s first lie. What 

follows is a expertly crafted comedy 

where anything is possible. 

Much like his personas in The 

Office and Extras, Mark Bellison is 

played comfortably by Gervais and 

his style of comedy translates well 

to the screen. Bellison is perhaps 

a much more likable character 

compared to his previous roles and 

as such is played far more honestly, 

with Gervais proving he is worth 

his salt as an actor as well as a comedian. 

It would seem that Gervais 

is at an experimental stage with 

his own streams of consciousness, 

making Mark Bellison a character 

that is very much grounded in reality 

despite the cinematic world that 

surrounds him. 

The seemingly simple concept of 

one man being able to tell “something 

that wasn’t” means that some 

of the laughs are obvious, yet The 

Invention of Lying manages to 

subvert ideas of the human condition 

and asks some of the deepest 

philosophical questions recently 

put to film. However this is something 

that moviegoers may struggle 

with: Gervais doesn’t have a whole 

TV series to play with here and 

thus some layers of this 99 minute 

film may be lost to a mainstream 

audience. Perhaps that is the point; 

Mark Bellison’s swift fall from grace 

as a result of his actions allows Gervais 

to explore the moral ambiguity 

of lying without being conclusive. 

Much like his TV efforts, Gervais 

disguises his film as a fairly harmless 

comedy (with the inevitable 

romantic subplot) but delves into 

something radical and unexpected. 

A great supporting cast (including 

cameo appearances from Edward 

Norton and Phillip Seymour Hoffman), 

a well conceived story with 

many laugh-out-loud moments, 

Ricky Gervais’ first proper foray 

into cinema (let’s forget Ghost 

Town) is brave and ultimately successful. 

Whilst being by no means 

perfect, The Invention of Lying 

should stay with you long after 

leaving the cinema – and you may 

even discover your own personal 

truths in it, somewhere.


E X T R A 

Film 

The Imaginarium of 

Doctor Parnassus 

Up 

Rob Wallis 

Okay, let’s get the major issues out 

of the way: No, Doctor Parnassus 

is not former Python Terry 

Gilliam’s best film - that honour is 

reserved for Brazil, Orwell’s 1984 

via German Expressionism and 

Salvador Dali; nor is it the late 

Heath Ledger’s defining performance 

- whether you prefer Brokeback 

Mountain’s closeted cowboy or 

the psychopathic philosophy of the 

Joker in The Dark Knight, both are 

far more worthy of praise. Nonetheless, 

if you’re not looking for an 

instant classic then there is plenty 

here to enjoy. 

The eponymous Doctor Parnassus 

(Christopher Plummer), an 

immortal mystic turned jaded alcoholic, 

tours with his travelling show 

around the shadowy backstreets 

and docksides of modern-day 

London. His troupe is comprised of 

the diminutive yet truculent Percy 

(Verne Troyer), the over-eager Anton 

(Andrew Garfield) and Parnassus’ 

daughter, the elfin, passionate 

Valentina (Lily Cole). However, as 

her sixteenth birthday approaches, 

Valentina remains unaware that 

her soul is soon to become the 

property of gravel-throated, pencilmoustached 

Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) 

as payment for her father’s Faustian 

“deal with the Devil”. 

While the Imaginarium itself 

– the magical world generated by 

Parnassus in which your imagination 

becomes reality – has generated 

much interest, the $45 million 

budget and copious CGI is not 

enough to effectively replicate the 

hallucinogenic dreamscapes that 

were doubtless floating around 

inside Gilliam’s head, although 

you can’t fault the man for trying. 

Indeed, the travelling show is occasionally 

reminiscent of his Monty 

Python animations, possessing the 

same brand of anarchic wit and 

knack for abstract symbolism. It is, 

somewhat understandably, the atmospheric 

and gloomy ‘real world’ 

to which one feels a connection; 

here the events feel less contrived, 

more honest, and it is here that 

we first meet the enigmatic Tony 

(Ledger). 

A charming, if sleazy, Cockney 

vagabond hiding a dark secret, 

Ledger’s character is charismatic 

and engaging, but never to the 

extent of some of his more memorable 

performances. Fortunately, 

despite rumours to the contrary, he 

is present for almost half the film, 

which will please those yearning 

to indulge in every last second of 

screen time of a man who may well 

have become a cinematic legend. 

If Brokeback was his East of Eden, 

Dark Knight his Rebel Without A 

Cause, then Doctor Parnassus is 

Ledger’s Giant: a burgeoning epic 

full of interesting characters and a 

deeply thematic piece, but one in 

which the players are more ciphers 

than human beings. As soon as 

the cast pass through the magic 

mirror, it becomes difficult to focus 

on the reality - or lack thereof - of 

their situation. Despite this, it is 

the alternate faces we see of Tony 

when he enters these worlds (made 

a necessity by Ledger’s untimely 

death mid-shoot) that provide possibly 

the most genuine view of the 

character, as well as giving some 

sub-textual weight to the piece. 

The nature of identity is explored, 

with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and 

Colin Farrell all bringing their 

own individual talents and styles 

to the portrayal of Tony. There is 

some irony, however, in Parnassus 

lamenting the death of the public’s 

imagination, when Gilliam himself 

has seemed to indulge celebrity and 

artificiality in this film. 

Doctor Parnassus is evidently 

a labour of love, a testament to 

artistic integrity, but is too loose in 

its affections. The story is convoluted 

and obtuse, the characters are 

flighty and unpredictable, and there 

is an over-reliance on elaborate set 

pieces as plot devices. Plummer 

plays his familiar plummy rascal to 

great aplomb [Shameful, shameful 

pun. Ed.] and Waits is incandescent 

as the chain-smoking, bowlerhatted 

Devil, but both are all too 

evident allegories of Gilliam’s many 

battles against studio interference. 

There is admirable support from 

Cole, fey and lovely as Valentina, 

Garfield, awkwardly heroic as her 

would-be love interest, and Troyer, 

an acid-tongued Sancho Panza 

to Parnassus’ Quixote. Ironically, 

the problem at hand is an overabundance 

of imagination; what 

this film needed was a larger degree 

of focus, perhaps a more ruthless 

editor. 

The cinematography jumps from 

bleak to saccharine, and the mood 

wanders between farce and tragedy. 

Doctor Parnassus big and often 

crass, a polished mess of a movie, 

but even so one leaves the cinema 

with a sense of wonderment at its 

sheer ambition. Though rambling 

and self-indulgent, Doctor Parnassus 

is nevertheless a memorable 

piece of cinema, and a rather enjoyable 

one at that. 

Boyana Draganova 

So far, Pixar has been appreciated 

by children and adults worldwide 

with classics like Finding Nemo, 

Monsters Inc. and Toy Story, and 

now with its latest addition, the 

stakes may be set too high for any 

successor to overcome. Directed 

by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, 

Up is one of those movies that will 

gather the children around each 

time it is being played, while the 

parents will be pretending to be doing 

grown-up things while secretly 

taking part in the excitement as 

well. 

The opening scenes of the movie 

immediately enchant the viewer 

with the Pixar trademark plot 

simplicity mingled with endearing 

characterization and brilliant 

animation. We follow young Carl 

Fredricksen as he becomes an eager 

adventurer, inspired both by the 

cinematic example of an already 

accomplished explorer and his 

friendship with the equally, if not 

more adventurous, Ellie, whom he 

later goes on to marry. 

The loving couple stays inseparable 

throughout their teenage and 

conjugal life, but are befallen by 

numerous hardships, including the 

inability to raise enough money to 

realise their dream adventure of living 

in Paradise Falls, South America. 

In just one melody, composer 

Michael Giacchino manages to 

take the viewer through one of the 

most heart-wrenching sequences 

witnessed in recent cinema, while 

retaining an unmistakable feeling 

of love and hope. The music plays 

an integral part throughout the 

movie, flowing so perfectly with the 

emotional content each scene that 

it is impossible to stay unaffected as 

the story unfolds. 

Inspired by his wife and his own 

former spirit of adventure, Carl 

invents an ingenious way to escape 

the woeful destiny of the retirement 

home which threatens the scant 

comfort he has left: by attaching 

thousands of helium balloons to the 

fireplace, he takes off, house and 

all, towards South America. The 

scene of the old man’s departure 

is definitely one of Pixar’s golden 

moments as the house soars beautifully 

between sky-scrapers to the 

explainable amazement of onlookers. 

Unbeknownst to Carl, however, 

Russell, an irrepressible boy-scout 

has also come along for the ride, 

and as time goes by he realises that 

both of them will have to help each 

other to overcome the seen and 

unforeseen challenges waiting for 

them on this epic journey. 

In the picturesque jungle wonderland 

of Paradise Falls, many 

an unexpected creature makes an 

appearance, including the incredibly 

fast multicoloured bird Kevin 

and the charmingly honest talking 

dog, Dug. Fascinating to witness is 

how the simple dialogue and subtle 

animation in this movie succeeds in 

speaking volumes, weaving subtle 

subtexts into the layers of the story 

and leaving many things purposefully 

left unsaid. Just when you least 

expect it, the film rests for a moment 

on a landscape scene, displaying 

images so beautiful and powerful 

it will leave you wishing that 

these are the colours and shapes the 

real world were made out of. Not to 

mention that behind the more or 

less innocent connotations of the 

film, there is a serious suggestion 

to themes prevalent in our modern 

society, such as the pouching of 

endangered animal species, the gap 

in both age and culture between 

older and younger generations, and 

the faceless domination of capitalism 

over real human values. Thus, 

exciting adventures and depth of 

meaning come together to form a 

truly entertaining motion picture 

for people of all ages. 

All in all, Up is a movie which 

opens up offers something breathtaking 

and new – a truly marvellous 

discovery. Having got this year’s 

Cannes Film Festival off to a flying 

start, the film’s conclusion was met 

with a standing ovation from the 

enthusiastic audience. Without a 

doubt, this is one of those films that 

will keep the smile on your face 

long after the credits roll. 



Arts Building, The Hub, Gowar and Wedderburn Halls, T-Dubbs


E X T R A 

15 

TV 

Promising new TV from the US 

“ 

”on 

Chris Pritchard 

‘FlashForward’ is the latest high action, 

plot twisting thriller to come 

from America, following in the 

footsteps of amazing shows such as 

‘24’, ‘Prison Break’, ‘Jericho’, ‘Heroes’ 

and ‘Lost’. The basic premise of 

the show is this: On October 6th 

2009 the planet blacked out for (an 

incredibly specific) 2 minutes and 

17 seconds, and the whole world 

saw their future in 6 months, on a 

specific date - April 29th 2010. 

The opening scenes are spectacular, 

as the mass blackout of 7 

billion people all around the globe 

inevitably leads to widespread 

catastrophe, which is shown to us 

on a highway in downtown Los 

Angeles: massive car pile-ups, fires, 

explosions, aircraft falling from 

the sky into buildings, screaming, 

looting - everything you’d expect. 

Oh, and a random kangaroo. If 

you’re a fan of disaster movies and 

television shows then you’ll enjoy 

the first episode. However, the later 

episodes seem to somewhat ignore 

or play down the fact that global 

apocalyptic carnage just occurred, 

in favour of identifying why the 

event happened. 

The main characters are all 

engaged in dramatic action when 

the blackout hits. FBI Agents Mark 

Benford (Joseph Fiennes) and 

Demitri Noh (John Cho) are pursuing 

a car chase, Surgeon Olivia Benford 

(Sonya Walger) has a patient 

on the operating table, and other 

characters are either on the verge of 

committing suicide, having sneaky 

sex, or up the top of a telegraph 

pole. So, when they wake up, things 

have gone a little bit wrong. 

Even though the series is loosely 

based on Robert J Sawyers 1999 

novel of the same name, it is hard 

not to see the comparisons with 

the highly acclaimed, award winning 

masterpiece that is ‘Lost’. It’s 

as if FlashForward’s creative team, 

It is as if 

FlashForward’s 

creative team have 

tried to reach the 

high standards and 

fan base of Lost 

including David Goyer (writer of 

the ‘Blade’ series and ‘The Dark 

Knight’) and Brannon Braga 

(producer of ‘24’ and ‘Star Trek: 

Enterprise’) have tried to reach 

both the high standards and indeed 

the fan base of ‘Lost’ by using the 

same compelling ideas, themes, 

plot devices and cast members. For 

example, both shows focus on the 

themes of fate and destiny, both 

shows include cast members Sonya 

Walger and Dominic Monaghan, 

and the concept of the flash forward 

as a plot device is used extensively 

in the later seasons of ‘Lost’. 

However, an element of ‘Lost’ 

that the creative team forgot to 

copy - and one of the reasons why 

‘FlashForward’ may indeed fail as a 

long 25 episode series - is the lack 

of deep, engaging characterisation. 

Each episode of ‘Lost’ owes a centricity 

to one main character, and 

focuses primarily on their development, 

and secondarily on the development 

of plot and mythology. 

FlashForward seems to lack this. 

In the UK, FlashForward is 

shown on Channel Five on Mondays 

at 9pm, or seeing as we are 

all usually out boozing (or essay 

writing) on a Monday evening, the 

show can be watched on ‘Demand 

Five’ - Channel Five’s free online 

streaming service. 

And so, it remains to be seen 

whether ‘FlashForward’ will be 

an intelligent, engaging, forward 

thinking, flashy masterpiece, or 

simply just another short-lived 

television programme with the occasional 

flash in the pan moment of 

brilliance. 

FlashForward is on Channel Five 

Mondays at 9pm


E X T R A 

Holloway View


E X T R A 

17 

Holloway View


E X T R A 

Arts 

A Streetcar Named Desire Review 

Alexandra Kinman 

Arts Editor 

Widely considered a landmark 

play, A Streetcar Named Desire 

deals with a violent culture clash 

between two iconic characters, 

Blanche Dubois, a relic of the Old 

South, and Stanley Kowalski, a 

rising member of the industrial, 

urban immigrant class. The play 

presents Dubois as a fading but 

still-attractive Southern belle whose 

pretensions to virtue and culture 

only thinly mask alcoholism and 

vicious delusions of grandeur. 

In many ways, the play is piloted 

by the portrayal of Blanche. Her 

ambiguous speeches and shady past 

can be governed in many different 

directions. In this case, Blanche (EJ 

Martin) led the audience superbly 

through a haunting tumble-turn of 

emotions, making the intention of 

Tennessee Williams’ words completely 

her own. 

Moreover, the intense duo of 

Martin and the protagonist, Stanley 

Kowalski (Amir El-Masry), highlighted 

the very core of the play: 

the static mental struggle between 

the two leading roles. The on-stage 

tension, sometimes subtle yet often 

eruptive, was intensely captivating 

and vastly entertaining. 

The aspect of this production 

which identified it as an acutely 

rich piece of drama, undoubtedly, 

was the many valuable layers of the 

cast. Director Tom Stacey evidently 

grazed the plentiful dramatic talent 

of Royal Holloway and selected 

some sparkly gems. 

One character which sent 

undeniable ripples of sympathy 

through the audience was Mitch 

(Alfie Linney). Surprisingly his 

first campus production, Linney 

struck an effectively poignant 

balance through emulating both a 

kind hearted mummy’s boy and a 

frustrated growing man. Through 

this realism of character definition, 

Linney created a stark consciousness 

opposite Blanche, supplying 

“ 

some context of reality into the 

play, opposing the internal mental 

struggles of the leading roles. This 

E X T R A 

The on-stage tension 

was intensely 

captivating and 

vastly entertaining 

Arts 

arts@thefounder.co.uk 

spark was reciprocated through the 

smaller roles in the play. 

Singularly, the character Eunice 

”him. 

(Jodie Smith) struck me as talented 

beyond her role, despite it being her 

first on campus. Smith fruitfully 

supplied some of the sparse black 

comedy into the play plus a belting 

voice, which further evidenced a 

heavily talented cast. 

Conclusively, the production 

itself was a first for many involved, 

but by no means should it be the 

last, namely director Tom Stacey, 

who I hope will apply himself to 

other dramatic classics as this 

seems to be a bit of strong point for 

Involved in a production? 

Just want to contribute to the arts section?


E X T R A 

19 

Arts 

All 

knowledge 

is precious... 

The History Boys 

by Alan Bennett 

Another 

point of 

view 

On the same 

production 

Performed in The Student Workshop’s infamous 

“Suicide Slot” (in which productions 

are performed with limited tech, budget and 

rehearsal time), Grace Holliday’s production 

of Alan Bennett’s ‘The History Boys’ had a 

lot to live up to: not only was it expected to 

meet the high standard achieved by the three 

productions in this slot previous, but it also 

stands as being the first RHUL production of 

this academic year. 

Thankfully this production of Bennett’s 

critically lauded text lived up to those expectations, 

the end result being a powerful, 

highly comical play that questions (rather 

than teaches) how society values education. 

Set in a grammar school in eighties northern 

England, the play focuses on a class of 

history pupils and their teachers who are 

preparing them for the Oxbridge entrance 

examinations, despite their teachers’ contrasting 

styles. 

Hector (Alisdair Hinton) believes in teaching 

knowledge, favouring English Literature 

as a way to ensure that his pupils are cultured, 

well-rounded human beings. Irwin 

(Ben Lawson) on the other hand teaches the 

boys a more general essay style, encouraging 

them to explore unorthodox perspectives of 

history through unusual facts and controversies, 

in the hope that this will gauge an 

examiners interest enough to make the pupils 

stand out. 

The boys are led by cocksure Dakin 

(Lawrence Brasted), a good-looker whom 

everyone from the school secretary to fellow 

history boy Posner (Ben Hodson) fancies. 

To complicate things further Hector is 

a closeted homosexual, struggling with 

desires that he nevertheless acts upon in one 

instance with a pupil at a significant turning 

point in the play. 

As Hector, Hinton’s relationship with the 

boys admittedly wasn’t always convincing. 

Whilst there is of course an internal struggle 

with the anti-exam teacher, the role was at 

times not played confidently enough, meaning 

that his presence in earlier scenes with 

the boys was lost. 

However Hinton came into his own once 

the uneasy truth of his character is revealed, 

handling the troubled soul of Hector with 

sensitivity showing him to be a brave, but 

flawed human being. 

Ben Lawson’s Irwin proved to be a stand 

By James Woodhouse 

out performance, played with such maturity 

and spirit that an audience may indeed want 

to question the value of originality against 

truth. 

Supported by a memorably eccentric Dean 

Elliot as the league-table driven Headmaster 

and Sophie Foulds as the indifferent Mrs Lintott, 

the teachers were a force to be reckoned 

with. 

The History Boys were played wonderfully 

by the eight-strong ensemble, the cast 

being the key to this production’s energetic 

atmosphere. 

Brasted had an excellent and wisely layered 

performance as the over-confident Dakin, 

and the sense of intrigue in his scenes with 

Irwin was well crafted. Karl Mercer was 

very engaging as Scripps shifting in and out 

of monologue almost effortlessly, and Josh 

Ward’s Timms kept the class dynamic up 

with great comic timing. Special mention 

must also be given to Ben Hodson who gave 

a brilliantly understated and brave performance 

as Posner, a smart young Jewish man 

troubled by self-discovery. 

The cast paced Bennett’s text very well, 

knowing exactly when to step up or down 

a beat when a scene demanded so. Because 

of this the production could have benefitted 

from quicker lighting transitions, as it is 

always uncomfortable to see an actor visibly 

want to move out of a scene. 

The curiously contemporary soundtrack 

also did the production no favours in establishing 

the eighties setting of this wellknown 

play, Bennett surely intending it to 

be a metaphor for how society struggles to 

decide between Hector’s “reason” and Irwin’s 

“function”-the debate that undoubtedly was 

at its height under the Thatcher reign. 

Despite some of these minor issues, one 

could not help but be charmed by this 

delightfully funny and poignant drama. Effectively 

staged from tense opening to triumphant 

end, The History Boys should be seen 

as a great achievement for the fantastic cast, 

well executed by director Grace Holliday and 

her crew. 

Whilst today the world continues to struggle 

and much of theatre and film continues to 

tell us so, The History Boys emerge victorious, 

and -most importantly- with optimism. 

In the words of the great Hector, “pass it on 

boys…” 

E X T R A 

Arts 

Write reviews! 

arts@thefounder.co.uk 

By Paul Philo 

One of the boys in the closing stages of the 

play sums up thus: “History – it’s just one 

fucking thing after another”. Quite so. 

The word ‘fucking’ seems apposite since 

the sexual impulse, in whatever direction it 

manifests itself, often proves to be the trump 

card in the personal history of both teachers 

and pupils. 

As I sat perusing the set before the action 

proper began, I wondered if the wall clock 

mounted on the middle panel of the backdrop 

was ticking away; no it was still, permanently 

stuck at ten to two. Quite right, since 

this play was in no way attempting to be a 

slice of real life in real time. It was a marvellous 

fantasy from Alan Bennett who evidently 

has an equal penchant for the erudite 

and the smutty, such dual interests exhibiting 

themselves in the ageing teacher Hector as 

well as in some of his charges: Dakin relates 

his seduction of the headmaster’s secretary 

in terms of an analogy with World War One 

military tactics. Fervent discussion of poetry, 

war and war poetry provided the rich filling 

whilst sex, either carried out or just fantasised 

about, served as the containing slices of 

this sandwich. 

There is a poignant moment when Hector, 

sensing the loneliness of the boy with whom 

he is having a one-to-one tutorial, expounds 

the joy of literature: “discovering someone 

long dead had the same feelings as you, a 

hand reaching out to grasp yours”. 

This production compares well with the 

original I saw five years ago at the National 

Theatre. The Hector as played by Alisdair 

Hinton here was a more dour, troubled soul 

than the original played by the charismatic 

Richard Griffiths. But that was to the good, 

since Richard Griffiths’ compelling charmer 

tended to overbalance that production; here 

with Hector as more of a lonely outsider, the 

focus falls more on the boys themselves. 

All the actors playing the pupils managed a 

plausible northern accent and deftly managed 

to capture the difference in speech register 

when talking to each other as opposed 

to addressing the teacher. 

If the actors playing the boys were uniformly 

impressive, those playing the staff 

were decidedly more mixed. I couldn’t quite 

decide whether Alisdair Hinton was uncomfortable 

in the part of Hector or he was a 

genius at portraying Hector as being uncomfortable 

in his role as a teacher – I’ll give him 

the benefit of the doubt. Sophie Foulds as 

the only female staff member, Mrs Lintott, 

gave her abrasive views in a suitably abrasive 

Yorkshire accent. As the more genteel and 

younger southerner, Ben Lawson as Mr Irwin 

gave an impressively understated performance. 

In contrast, Dean Elliot overplayed his 

part as the Headmaster: a collection of facial 

tics and absurd speech mannerisms more 

suited to a Ray Cooney farce; still he did 

manage to carry off the pivotal scene where 

Hector is brought to book for his grave misdemeanour 

with suitable exasperation. 

My only quibble is with the structure: the 

long series of short scenes, most of them of 

the same classroom scene, militated somewhat 

against the building of tension. Though 

a more major cavil is the ending. You can 

imagine the playwright here thinking ‘Um, 

how shall I end this? – oh, I know, why not 

employ that old standby – the road accident.’ 

As a result, the closing scene, in which a now 

wheel-chair bound Mr Irwin has apparently 

adjusted to his restricted circumstances, 

seemed a tad glib in that a whole new theme: 

‘how do you adjust to severe disability?’ is 

introduced at the last moment but necessarily 

remains unexplored. 

Still, overall this play was a fantastic tourde-force, 

seamlessly melding high intellectual 

debate with characters’ very personal 

foibles, and I doubt even a seasoned professional 

troupe of actors could have realised its 

themes with any greater dexterity than did 

this production.


E X T R A 

Arts 

Quills An interview 

with the cast and crew 

Laura Jones speaks to Director Roz Carter, Stage Manager Abby Jones, 

Co-Producer Bruce Asher and the Marquis de Sade Liam Fleming 

‘Quills’ is the story of the Marquis 

de Sade as he spends his final 

days in the Charenton insane 

asylum. It follows his final writings 

which he does while in care 

and the problems he encounters 

with censorship from the chief 

physician of the asylum. It is a 

modern play by the Pulitzer Prize 

winning author Doug Wright. 

First of all, Roz Carter, what made 

you choose ‘Quills’? 

RC I can honestly say I have no 

idea how I got my hands on a copy 

of ‘Quills’. It could be called divine 

intervention but I went through 

a phase of ordering lots of plays 

off the internet and when I came 

across ‘Quills’ I fell in love with it. 

Scarily I found I was able to identify 

with many of the characters in the 

play. Also I feel that it is such a relevant 

play in terms of the censorship 

issues that have been surrounding 

the union in the past year. In the 

same way that death metal is said 

to have an influence on suicides, 

‘Quills’ questions whether the artist 

can be blamed for the actions of 

individual interpretations. 

This is a question for all of you, 

were you ever worried about being 

involved in such a controversial 

play? 

LF Well, for me the biggest issue is 

the nudity, it is something that has 

never been done within the union 

and it is very daunting for me. 

BA After the initial pitch from Roz 

I was somewhat sceptical simply 

because so many union plays 

had “almost” pushed boundaries. 

However, having worked with Roz 

before, I had every faith that she 

would do the story justice. 

AJ Worried isn’t the right word, 

excited would be the way I’d put 

it. No-one has ever tried to push 

this many boundaries before and I 

jumped at the chance to be a part 

of it. 

RC There was one moment, in 

the computer centre when I had 

opened an email with some restricted 

content and I had the thought 

“can we actually do this?” and then 

it crossed my mind that we were 

making history by putting on such 

a controversial production, and I 

thought “I want to do this wholeheartedly 

rather than with lacklustre”. 

People have been worried 

about this production but I would 

always prefer to provoke a reaction 

than be forgotten. 

How have you found the rehearsal 

process? 

LF Although there is an abundance 

of difficult material that I personally 

have to deal with I have enjoyed 

dealing with it. A lot of issues are 

explored in this play and one of 

my biggest worries was whether 

I would be able to get away from 

them. It’s been good though, Roz 

is a fantastic Director: she cares 

about the cast and crew so much 

and really wanted to make sure that 

everything we did in the rehearsals 

gets left there. 

AJ For me this has been a fairly 

passive role. We have been utilising 

the “shadow scheme” (a scheme in 

the drama soc and student workshop, 

where first year students are 

invited to shadow a member of the 

crew e.g. the director) to its full 

capability so rather than everyone 

being stressed out at their wits end, 

everyone is working well together. 

It’s been an enjoyable process rather 

than a tiring one. 

RC It’s been going well considering 

the cast only got their scripts two 

weeks ago, the script had gone out 

of print and we managed to get the 

last copies of the book off Amazon. 

I have to say my cast and crew have 

been working so well together that 

I have been able to work on a traditional 

relationship between Actors 

and Director. 

Liam, how do you feel about playing 

such a prolific character? 

LF Again, daunting is the word 

I would use. Mainly because the 

Marquis de Sade is an actual historical 

character, he had a life- he 

is not just a work of fiction. Also if 

anyone has seen the film Geoffrey 

Rush offers such a fantastic portrayal 

of the Marquis that I was worried 

about being compared to him, but I 

like to think that I’ve developed my 

own character. I’d done a fair bit of 

research in regards to the Marquis 

by reading a lot of his works to try 

and get my head round the mentality 

of the Marquis writings. It was 

always in the back of my mind that 

nobody really knew a lot about the 

man, rather his notorious writings; 

his character was defined by the 

words that he wrote. 

How does it compare to other 

plays that you have been involved 

with? 

RC To be honest about 80% of the 

crew I had worked with before on 

the last play that I directed (So 

This Is What It Feels Like, with 

the Student Workshop), so I knew 

they were reliable, in fact I trust 

my team more than I trust myself 

sometimes. I like to think that I am 

a Director not a dictator despite 

demanding that no-one in the cast 

or crew can drink a drop of alcohol 

in the week before the production! 

BA Being the first time I have 

produced a play it’s been a steep 

learning curve but I have to say 

I am really enjoying it. I’ve had a 

lot of experience in publicity and 

I have to say ‘Quills’ is a dream to 

publicise. The very fact that it is 

such a controversial play and there 

is an 18 certificate on all the posters 

means that everyone has been curious 

about what the fuss is about. 

Makes my job easy. 

AJ It has been a lot more challenging 

than other things I have worked 

on. Mainly because on this production 

the props list is so fantastic, 

with items such as “a wooden prop, 

newly greased”, I mean where do 

you find things like that? (answer, 

Egham Essentials). It has been 

AMAZING and a challenge but a 

very good one. 

Roz have you any comments on 

your interpretation of the play? 

RC All the controversy is justified, 

there may be blood and gore but 

there is also philosophical debate 

about love, art, God and existence. 

My vision was to bring theatre back 

to its origins. I want it to be sexy, 

graphic and funny. I have a feeling 

that there is too much suggestion 

and reliance on hints in today’s 

modern theatre; I wanted ‘Quills’ 

to be different to watching a film or 

a subtle piece of theatre. Love it or 

hate it it’s going to be different. 

Finally can you sum up ‘Quills’ in 

three words? 

RC Bloody. Sexy. Theatre. 

‘Quills’ was performed in the SU 

Main Hall on the 21st, 22nd and 

23rd of November


E X T R A 

21 

Music 

Tim Minchin 

‘Ready for this’ 

at the Hammersmith Apollo 

Dan Woodruff 

As Australian Tim Minchin appears 

barefoot onstage amongst 

the smoke and lights he bursts out 

into his introductory song. He 

wears his trademark eye-liner and 

his hair is typically wild and the 

many cameras are focused on him, 

presumably filming for a DVD that 

will no doubt be ready in time for 

Christmas. 

The first half of the set is dedicated 

to new material. I wondered 

if these could ever live up to some 

of his classic songs, and I genuinely 

think he pulled it off. For example 

his song titled “Prejudice” tackled 

the subject of being a ‘ginger’ in a 

very clever way using fast and fluid 

rhyming and superb wordplay. 

However merely describing the 

song does not do justice without 

listening to it. He seemed totally 

comfortable with these although he 

did fumble his lines in ‘If I didn’t 

have you’ a song about his wife – 

but he didn’t seem to care too much 

anyway. 

The second half featured some 

of the old favourites including the 

nine minute monologue about a 

fictional conversation with the fairy 

tattooed hippie called ‘Storm’ and 

the semi-love song “If you really 

loved me.” It is strange because 

you would never ask a stand-up 

comedian to repeat material he performed 

on their previous tour, but 

with Minchin the songs don’t lose 

their humour and so you welcome 

the classics. 

Tim Minchin is first and foremost 

a comedian, entertaining the 

crowd with his witty songs, but he 

is far more than just this. He is a 

sharp lyricist, brilliant singer, and 

an impeccable pianist. He alternates 

between song and chatter, telling 

not so many jokes with punch 

lines but having a simply hilarious 

interaction with the crowd often 

ad-libbing effortlessly. 

One of the definite highlights of 

the night involved Minchin singing 

about use of bears as some sort 

of spectacle, in particular making 

them dance. However that was not 

all, he proceeded to dress a member 

of the audience member - who 

later turned out to be a professional 

dancer – in a bear costume along 

with a whole troupe of other dancing 

bears. 

It is true many of his songs can 

seemingly be silly and a dark sort 

of humour that would perhaps be 

offensive to many. However there is 

a more serious side to them which 

can be easy to overlook. He uses his 

logical take on issues to make sense 

of and dismiss religion or champion 

the importance of the environment 

in ‘Canvas Bags’. 

Before the penultimate song 

Minchin explains how sometimes 

he fears that his songs lack a certain 

depth. So he tries to fight this assumption 

– and a good example 

of this was by far the best song of 

the night: the finale. The song was 

called the “White Wine in the Sun” 

and gave him his second standing 

ovation of the night. It was simply 

beautiful. 

His humour may not be to everyone’s 

taste but I can assure you that 

the night was thoroughly enjoyable 

and full of laughter and insight 

into the slightly twisted mind but 

ingeniously constructed songs of 

Tim Minchin. 

“eNovella has a genuine sense of community 

and is already proving very popular” 

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Read, write, discuss 

eNovella is a new social network for 

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whatever you like with the constructive 

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The site also features lively discussions 

on news in the book world on the forum 

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If writing’s not your bag, you’re also 

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E X T R A 

Music 

music@thefounder.co.uk 

eNovella has been featured in: 

enovella.co.uk


E X T R A 

Music 

Mr Hudson 

Straight No Chaser 

Major Lazer 

Guns Don’t Kill 

People... Lazers Do 

David Bowman 

When most people go on a trip 

to Jamaica they come back with a 

hangover or a drugs conviction. 

When M.I.A producers Diplo and 

Switch went they brought back 

“Guns Don’t Kill People... Lazers 

Do”. The album is a mixture of 

straight up Reggae and unadulterated 

party bangers that spans genres 

but still sounds like an export of 

Jamaica rather than the work of a 

music nerd and a brummie. On top 

of that it is backed by a Thom Yorke 

sampling and M.I.A contributing 

mixtape along with some of the 

craziest music videos of 2009. 

The album features plenty of 

artists from the island but still has 

the likes of Santigold to appease 

the probable market of hipsters. 

Opener “Hold The Line” runs with 

a spaghetti western guitar and 

orders you to “vibrate like a nokia” 

and album highlight “Keep It Goin’ 

Louder” would be deserving of the 

E X T R A 

Nobel dance prize. “Guns” also has 

more mellow tracks; “Can’t Stop 

Now” follows a standard Reggae 

structure but is complemented by 

a throbbing dub bass line and is 

immediately countered by the raw 

“Lazer Theme” which is driven by a 

chugging guitar and is littered with 

the sound of gun (and laser) shots, 

inviting the listener to join Major 

Lazer’s personal revolution. 

But despite all the gold on offer 

here, the album sags in the middle 

with a truly appalling misogynistic 

three song stretch during which 

the ironically named Einstein tells 

us “Ya love when badman fuck ya”. 

Really now. Thankfully your palette 

is quickly cleansed with a Crookers 

(of Day ‘N’ Night fame) collaboration 

and “Guns” stays in safer 

waters. So for all the uninitiated in 

Dancehall “Guns” is primed to be 

your call to conversion and proves 

that Diplo and Switch may well be 

encroaching on Damon Albarn’s 

territory as the music’s worlds multicultural 

tastemakers. 

Music 

music@thefounder.co.uk 

Dan Woodruff 

Having met Ben Hudson a few 

years ago at an impromptu gig in a 

pub it is nice to see him finally have 

some success. ‘Straight No Chaser’ 

is the follow up to the 2007 album 

‘A Tale of Two Cities’ but for most 

of you this will be your first experience 

of Mr Hudson. 

Gone are the strong bass-lines 

and the charm of the steel drums 

and in is a vast array of all sounds 

electronic. Of course this is due 

to the influence of Kanye West 

who produced and features on the 

album. Whilst he may have jumpstarted 

Mr Hudson’s career I am not 

convinced West has done anything 

to better the songs and, if anything, 

has ruined them. It’s not surprising 

that two members of his backing 

band left under dubious circumstances. 

That is not to say I do not like the 

songs; their second single ‘White 

Lies’ is undeniably catchy, telling 

of Hudson’s experience of telling 

minor white lies so that he has an 

excuse to talk to girls. The singing 

of Joy Joseph of his backing band 

in ‘Library’ is a huge asset to the 

album. She showcases her talents 

in songs like ‘Central Park’ and ‘Lift 

Your Hands’ which are some of the 

best songs of the album. 

The album is meant to be a mainstream, 

straight to the point kind 

of album – as he sings in the song 

‘Straight No Chaser’ but I feel that 

the point has been missed somewhat. 

The sound and energy that 

he and his band achieve live is not 

transferred to the studio, and they 

don’t need anything but themselves 

and their instruments. 

Mr Hudson has got huge potential 

and he will always be a favourite 

of mine, I just hope that next him 

he will be able to get it right. 

The Flaming Lips 

Embryonic 

Christopher Thomas 

Three years on from the politicopop 

weirdness of “At War with 

the Mystics”, the Flaming Lips are 

back with their official take on the 

“double album”. Called ‘an attempt 

to break the confines of the album 

form’, the name “Embryonic” is a 

clear choice for the concept album 

with no real concept; other than 

breaking the concept of the album, 

man. The ideas of growth and freedom 

are apparent throughout this 

effort, with the band recalling their 

darker past, which is nice to see 

from a band on a major label. Sonic 

jams and enigmatic improvisations 

are not usually welcome amongst 

the Warner Bros artist roster, so 

seeing a new ’Lips album that can 

be deemed experimental is fairly refreshing. 

For a band with all its aesthetic 

oddities so evident, it seems a 

shame that in recent years the band 

were more concerned with being 

“The Flaming Lips” than pushing 

the boundaries that confined 

them to being that “pretty cool, 

weird band with the bunnies and 

stuff ”. This is definitely a gloomier 

effort and after a few listens is a 

rewarding experience. The first half 

is extremely open and loose and 

whilst being a worthwhile listen 

remains confined by how obviously 

“jammed out” it is. The artwork 

imagery and the ideas of growth 

feel a bit uncomfortable at first, but 

by the time “The Ego’s Last Stand” 

has kicked in, the album really 

comes together with that spontaneous 

cohesion that made the band’s 

earlier work so inspiring. 

The lead single, “I Can Be a Frog” 

features a lot of animal imagery 

that the ’Lips are known for, but 

these critters differ greatly from the 

cuddliness of the animals lurking 

in their previous efforts. This 

album is definitely more of an 

artistic endeavour and after a few 

listens, its dark jams and solemn 

spaciness can be quite affecting. 

The only problem encountered 

comes with the fact that no matter 

how “weird” the band has been, or 

how commercial, they have always 

been able to write great pop songs. 

Neon Indian 

Psychic Chasms 

Jack Ingram 

Music Editor 

Blending the best elements of 

synth-heavy 80s electro pop with 

otherworldly vocals and a selfaware 

retro chic, Psychic Chasms 

wears its influences on its sleeves: 

“Local Joke” has a synth line 

straight out of the “Ghostbusters” 

theme song, and “Psychic Chasms” 

overlays the bass part from “The 

Safety Dance” with a radiant sitar 

part to bizarrely credible effect. 

You can dance if you want to… 

“Deadbeat Summer” samples Todd 

Rungdren’s “Izzat Love” and “(If I 

Knew I’d Tell You)” sounds like the 

intro music to a forgotten lowbudget 

TV show from the late 70s. 

Fragments of half-remembered 

cultural phenomena surge through 

this record like a retro singularity 

and vanish almost as soon as they 

appear. 

The LP’s cover has a deliberately 

worn look, adorned with fauxcreases 

and fading. Although it 

is, of course, entirely new, it has 

the battered appearance of being 

passed through numerous record 

collections, having had one too 

many joints rolled on it. Perhaps 

this reflects the band itself, who, 

despite undoubtedly riding the 

crest of modern technological innovation, 

manage to create the old 

from the new. 

The record is, for the most part, 

lyrically uncomplicated. “Should 

Have Taken Acid With You” 

benefits from a simple sentiment 

that embodies the band’s approach: 

“Should have taken acid with you, 

Touch the stars and the planets too. 

Should have taken acid with you, 

melt our tongues and become unglued”. 

Psychic Chasms is about as 

lo-fi as they come, and often fades 

away into a staticky haze. Some 

exquisite musical threads emerge 

from the electro-fog throughout 

Psychic Chasms’ half hour duration 

and, although this record could 

easily soundtrack a car commercial, 

there is a subtle intelligence at play 

that rewards closer attention.


23 

UK recession is over says Dr Andrew 

Sentance at Royal Holloway 

The UK economy is on the road to recovery 

according to a leading economic 

expert and visiting professor at Royal 

Holloway, University of London. 

Speaking at a special lecture at Royal 

Holloway yesterday, 16 November, Dr 

Andrew Sentance, a visiting professor 

in Economics and external member of 

the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy 

Committee, said: “evidence suggests the 

UK economy has moved on to a recovery 

track and growth has resumed in the 

second half of this year”. 

Around 300 researchers, students and 

university leaders attended the event 

in the college’s Windsor Building. Dr 

Sentance said: “As policy-makers, we are 

hopefully now moving from the role of 

fire-fighters in the recession to a more 

familiar role - steering the economy 

through an upswing underpinned by low 

inflation.” 

department which he went on to say: “has 

gone from strength to strength establishing 

itself in the top 10 in the UK for research. 

I was very honoured last year when 

my association with Royal Holloway was 

acknowledged with an Honorary Doctorate 

of Science (Econ).” 

Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Principal at 

Royal Holloway, who opened last night’s 

proceedings, said: “We were delighted to 

welcome Dr Sentance and this is a wonderful 

endorsement of our excellence in 

economics.” 

Video and powerpoint slides of Dr Sentance’s 

lecture now online: 

http://mediasite.rhul.ac.uk/rhul/Viewer/?pe 

id=562bc5eee3964bc39660b104f44dcc36 

For more information about events at 

Royal Holloway, please visit: 

http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Whats-New/events. 

html 

He praised Royal Holloway’s economics 

Professor Andrew Motion to chair 

Booker Prize 2010 panel 

Sir Andrew Motion, Professor of Creative Writing at Royal 

Holloway, University of London, was today unveiled 

as the chair of the 2010 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. 

The acclaimed poet, biographer, lecturer and former 

Poet Laureate described it as an exciting challenge 

with a lot of difficult decisions lying ahead. He said: “It’s 

an honour to be asked to chair the Man Booker Prize, 

which has consistently been a focus for the best fiction 

of recent years. I greatly look forward to a year of reading 

voraciously.” 

Professor Motion and his panel will have to read more 

than 100 novels before they decide on the winner of 

the award. The shortlist of six contenders is revealed in 

September and the winner is decided on October 12. 

Hilary Mantel, an Honorary Fellow of Royal Holloway, 

won the 2009 Man Booker Prize for her historical novel 

Wolf Hall. 

Professor Motion was appointed Poet Laureate in 1999 

before stepping down from the role in April 2009. He 

was appointed professor of Creative Writing at Royal 

Holloway in 2003 to design and be director of the new 

MA in Creative Writing. The bulk of his teaching has 

recently concentrated on Creative Writing, but he has 

also lectured extensively on c19 and c20 poetry, and 

supervised several theses in both these areas. He is 

the co-founder of the online Poetry Archive and was 

knighted last month for his services to literature. 

To find out more visit: http://www.rhul.ac.uk/english


Features 

Holloway protects 

the Human! 

Tom Shore 

Pictures Editor 

For five consecutive days, between 

the 19th & 23rd of October, RHUL’s 

Amnesty International Society 

mobilised themselves for events 

around campus to raise awareness 

for Human Rights. ‘Protect the 

Human Week’ was part of a larger 

campaign by Amnesty International 

as a whole, but these images 

reveal RHUL’s take on the matter. 

Bookending the week’s events, the 

volunteers rid students of their inhibitions 

by giving out ‘hugs for human 

rights’ on Monday and Friday 

outside the Windsor Building. 

They hosted a free screening of 

last year’s poignant Oscar magnet 

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ on Tuesday 

in the Main Lecture Theatre. Amnesty 

President Anna Misterska explained 

the film choice, describing 

it as ‘a great movie, which illustrates 

the human rights abuses related to 

poverty and gives you that extra bit 

of motivation to take action.’ Here 

they were also able to raise extra 

awareness for ‘Demand Dignity’, a 

wider campaign which aims to raise 

awareness of human rights abuse 

on the global scale. 

Wednesday saw Crosslands play 

host to a Human Rights Pub Quiz, 

Amnesty competitions, a prizepacked 

raffle (selling 300+ tickets) 

and a party. 

On Thursday, full-time Amnesty 

Campaigner Paul Eagle made an 

appearance to talk about Demand 

Dignity. ‘His talk was fun and inspirational,’ 

says Misterska ‘because he 

is one of the people who started the 

whole campaign so he went to these 

communities, spoke to the people 

himself, and knows everything 

about it.’ 

‘We’re particularly happy that we’ve 

managed to prove human rights 

activism doesn’t have to be boring, 

difficult or dull,’ she says. ‘There 

are plenty of options and a way for 

everyone to get involved.’ 

Amnesty International at Royal 

Holloway expects to have raised 

over £250 from the week. 

Photographs: Tom Shore & 

Amnesty at RHUL


Entrepreneurship 

25 

Upcoming 

Events 

Epistemology and 

entrepreneurship 

Saurabh Thukral 

Membership Director 

Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs 

From what was originally an 

industry-driven economy, we now 

reside in an economy which is 

knowledge-driven. Being an insignificant 

commodity some time ago, 

it is now one of the most powerful 

weapons in any organisation’s hand. 

It is one thing which can neither be 

stolen by kings, nor be thieved by 

slaves, but one of life’s most prized 

possessions. 

Knowledge is one thing which 

everyone strives for throughout 

their life. People from all walks 

of life are in search of knowledge. 

From doctors and lawyers, to media 

types, to students. Everyone is in 

search of knowledge. 

Epistomology is that branch of 

knowledge that is concerned with 

the value of human knowledge. 

Throughout history, interest in epistemological 

questions is aroused 

chiefly after periods characterised 

by ontological investigations implying 

the assumption of the validity 

of knowledge. 

Locke’s principle that “knowledge 

is conversant only with our ideas” is 

contrary to experience, since in fact 

it is for the psychologist alone that 

ideas become objects of knowledge. 

Parmenides holds that it is 

unchangeable; Heraclitus, that it is 

constantly changing; Democritus 

endows it with an eternal inherent 

motion, while Anaxagoras requires 

an independent and intelligent 

motor. 

A great entrepreneur is like a 

great musician or any person with 

an exalted status. The musician 

focuses on creating his music; his 

goal is to express his ideas with 

such compassion that the musical 

senses of a person are gratified. His 

life is the exercise of his creative 

power to fulfil people’s needs. In 

the same way, an entrepreneur 

fulfils people’s needs. 

To become an entrepreneur, is 

not a popular career choice. It is 

a less taken path in the modern 

world but the benefits are innumerable. 

Take Steve Jobs who needs 

no introduction at all. He is the 

perfect example, for anyone who 

wants to start up his own business . 

He acquired knowledge of calligraphy, 

and now Apple are renowned 

for their devices with beautiful 

interfaces. Another great entrepreneur 

is Sir Richard Branson who 

has severe dyslexia and had a poor 

academic record, but discovered 

his ability to connect with others. 

With his social knowledge he has 

conquered heights in his career. 

Another successful entrepreneur 

is Ratan Tata, owner of Jaguar and 

Land Rover. When he commenced 

his car project in India, his fellow 

businessmen told him that he was 

putting his money down the drain, 

but with his sound knowledge of 

the automobile market he came out 

as a warrior and now has global 

footprints. 

All entrepreneurs mentioned 

above have one thing in common, 

which is their knowledge, and the 

way they integrate their knowledge 

to achieve their dreams. From 

knowledge generation, to knowledge 

use and then integration they 

have used it to their benefit and 

give back to society. So, I implore 

all of you to trigger the sparks in 

your mind and use your knowledge 

to ignite the fire of an entrepreneur 

within you. For all you entrepreneurs 

out there you can find me on 

facebook by the name of Saurabh 

“Rajan“ Thukral. 

Last week was Global 

Entrepreneurship Week 

and Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs 

celebrated it in 

style with a host of events 

including a party in Crosslands 

complete with live 

jazz duet. There was also a 

speaker event on Thursday 

with the theme ‘Digital Entrepreneurs’. 

Guest speakers 

included James Proud, 

founder of GigLocator, and 

Matt Hosanee from Sun 

Startup Essentials (Sun 

Microsystems) 

Thursday 26 November 

James King, CEO of Find Invest 

Grow will be coming to give a talk 

about his business. The website, 

www.findinvestgrow.com helps 

startups get funding and can help 

any student at Royal Holloway 

with funding for their business 

idea. 

www.findinvestgrow.com 

Thursday 3 December 

Hermione Way, founder of 

Newspepper.com and TechFluff. 

tv will be our last speaker of the 

term gracing the stage of the 

Moore Building Lecture Theatre. 

Well-known on the UK tech scene, 

Hermione is renowned as a presenter, 

reporter and tech entrepreneur. 

Her picture above is part of the 

London Nude Tech calendar being 

put together by Milo Yiannopoulos 

from TechCrunch to prove that 

tech people are not all unattractive 

geeks! 

www.techfluff.tv 

For all the latest: 

Web: 

royalhollowayentrepreneurs.com 

Twitter: @rhentrepreneurs 

Facebook: Search for “Royal Holloway 

Entrepreneurs”


Features 

Bee-hive 

yourselves and 

enjoy the autumn! 

This is, in my opinion, simply the bees-knees of all 

seasons. Let me explain... 

Best foot forward: the 

Ballroom and Latin 

American Dance 

Society (BALADS) 

Lauren McManus 

I was persuaded by an enthusiastic 

housemate to join her for a beginners’ 

class with the Ballroom and 

Latin American Dance Society at 

Kingswood last Thursday night. 

“You’ll enjoy it, it’ll be fun,” she 

promised. I had my doubts having 

never felt the need to ‘strut my 

stuff ’ in public, let alone on the 

dance-floor. The notion of trying to 

master the Jive or the Cha-Cha-Cha 

filled me with fear and trepidation. 

I was sure to stand out from the 

crowd but for all the wrong reasons: 

I have two left feet, am always out 

of step and will probably make a 

complete and utter spectacle of 

myself. 

However, for the sake of friendship 

and peace and harmony, I 

let myself be coerced into it and 

applied myself with plenty of 

enthusiasm but little knowledge. I 

was surprised at how quickly my 

confidence grew and very soon I 

was rewarded by the speed at which 

I picked up the steps and twirled 

around the dance-floor under the 

encouraging eye of the talented 

Denise and Corrine, our patient 

but inspiring instructors. By the 

end of the evening I was Jiving and 

Waltzing although the Quickstep, 

a firm favourite of several of the 

dancers, proved totally elusive to 

me. I am sure, however, that I will 

have it mastered next week - or 

tf The Founder 

Want to work on any part of The Founder? 

maybe the week after! 

My housemate was right - I had 

a great time and very much look 

forward to the next lesson. There 

is, of course, just one thing and the 

purpose for which I write – GUYS, 

we don’t have enough men – WE 

NEED YOU! To quote Jane Austen, 

“Mr Bingley was to bring twelve ladies 

and seven gentlemen with him 

to the assembly. The girls grieved 

over such a number of ladies...” - 

some things just don’t change. 

So, guys, if you yearn for something 

different and fancy cookingup 

a Salsa or attempting a sizzling 

Samba, join us on a Thursday, 

whisk a few ladies off their feet and 

Foxtrot till you drop! 

Alice Dunn 

I have a somewhat unusual confession 

to make. Autumn is my ultimate 

favourite season; I absolutely 

adore this time of year. Towards 

the end of every summer, I secretly 

look forward to it, observing the 

changes of light, waiting for the first 

socially acceptable day to break out 

my winter coat. I literally fall in love 

with this delicious spell. 

Yes, I am aware there are certain 

snags. I’d be willing to bet my 

new killer heels that you’ve had 

to invest in throat lozenges over 

the past fortnight, if not for you, 

then your poor unwell, bed ridden 

housemate. Ooh and then there are 

the dark evenings. Cold, chilling, 

you shudder. OR comforting and 

consoling, I beam?! I personally 

have a weakness for dusk. I am 

partial to a good five o’clock lecture, 

when even before the lecturer has 

uttered the first words of wisdom, 

your path home has been successfully 

obscured by velvety darkness, 

and the only light being conveyed 

is through the intangible glow from 

the yellow ochre leaves, which have 

by now formed a crunchy carpet. I 

could go on… 

But, if I am completely honest, 

the one thing that particularly 

thrills me about autumn is the 

fashion. Any fashionista will tell 

you that the conversion of weather 

temperature is without doubt code 

for a new wardrobe. And they’d be 

right! But there is something about 

going from bare shouldered, knee 

exposing summer, to cosy knits 

and beanie hats, which really hit 

the spot for me. I love feeling indulged 

by cashmere; there is a real, 

unconditional love that a cashmere 

sweater can provide. It surrounds, 

protects and cocoons you from the 

elements, affectionately clinging to 

every ounce of new-addition fat. 

(On that note, I once read somewhere 

that health experts recommend 

that we should actually try to 

put on some weight, around half a 

stone for the winter months). Well, 

let’s face it: that’s always something 

to look forward to! 

And what are the trends this 

season? I hear you inquire. There 

are times when the fashion world 

is very forgiving to the penniless 

students /shrewd stylistas. Gifted 

people last year would have been 

able to suss-out the style for this 

year, and invest wisely, knowing 

that due to the infamous crunch of 

the credit, designers would have to 

do the very trendy thing anyway 

and reuse and recycle last year’s 

shapes and colours. Obviously 

re-touching them oh so slightly, for 

those who didn’t quite get it the first 

time round. 

So here goes: prepare for some 

careful manoeuvres (those who ‘got 

this’ last year will be thankful for 

the practice) as the padded shoulder 

is back; although, even more so. 

Very exaggerated and tres dramatique. 

Easy to remember and speaking 

plainly now: this season you 

want to be a real stud, right? Make 

sure you buy something studded. 

It can be very elegant. Anything, 

from an LBD with a stud trim, or a 

pair of studded pumps, to a knitted 

sweater with sleeves… studded. 

OK maybe I need convincing with 

the latter, but you catch my drift, 

or rather, refreshing recurring autumnal 

gust. You’ve just got to love 

those! Even if they do flatten your 

carefully constructed bee-hive bun 

hairdo, which, by the way, is also 

very very in this month, at least. 

There’s always room for more students to get involved in the production and running of The Founder. If you’re interested in any 

element of this publication, get in touch with us today: editor@thefounder.co.uk


Last Word 

27 

Mirror mirror on the wall... 

I hate both of us 

Body Dysmorphic Disorder [BDD] is an 

underestimated and debilitating somatoform disorder. 

A personal memoir: do not let it win. 

Keith McDonald 

Mirrors, according to Mark Pendergrast, 

are harmless artefacts, ‘meaningless 

until someone looks into 

them’, and the epicentre of the human 

love affair with reflection. But 

what about the opposite extreme, 

when mirrors take over our lives, 

and become altogether the most 

craved, most feared, most hated, 

and yet most needed constituents of 

the psyche? The growing influence 

of the mirror and the aesthetic is 

both explicitly and tacitly damaging 

lives. 

How can we determine what we 

see when we look in a mirror or 

reflective surface? As some people 

identify particular mirrors that are 

somehow ‘kinder’ than others, or 

otherwise develop tendencies to 

view themselves differently (even 

of bipolarised severity) at different 

times, it is logical that a distortion, 

an animadversion, is taking place. 

Mirrors, as Pendergrast concedes, 

are ‘ambivalent servants’. Moreover, 

how do we cope when we cannot 

accept that image presented of ourselves, 

and/or when the preoccupation 

with mirrors, reflection, and 

body image begins to take over our 

lives? A fixation with one’s appearance 

can spiral out of control. From 

manipulating small behaviours, it 

can become as severe as to manifest 

itself into a chronic dislike of 

self-appearance, to the extent that 

social, professional and romantic 

lives are disrupted, dismantled, or, 

at worst, destroyed. 

It is an extremely sensitive 

subject, partly due to the elasticity 

of response that victims can suffer 

given triggering concerns, but it 

is a necessary one given that body 

image remains an integral problem. 

Equating aesthetics with success is 

not new; it has particularly strong 

precedence in the nineteenth 

century. Consider Henry Wotton 

in Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian 

Gray: ‘Beauty is a form of Genius… 

It makes princes of those who 

have it… It is only shallow people 

who do not judge by appearances’. 

A slender ‘ideal’ had begun to be 

pursued as a form of attractiveness 

and success, while body image concerns 

emerged inchoately. Trends 

of thought leant towards anorexia 

during this time, and the initial 

term for BDD, ‘dysmorphophobia’, 

was coined by Enrico Morselli in 

1886, concerned with negative 

attitudes towards facial disfigurement. 

But the nuances of BDD have 

kept it a silently suffering partner 

in the shadow of eating disorders 

which can display their symptoms 

corporeally, and thus it remains 

a relatively enigmatic, underestimated, 

and dangerous disorder. 

The tragic and unexpected suicide 

of model Ruslana Korshunova in 

2008 demonstrates palpably that 

even those idolised in the glamour 

industry can suffer psychologically 

from its desolate and solipsistic 

nature. 

What has changed over 200 

years is the overwhelming level of 

exposure. Many are keen to blame 

the media, arguing that, through 

the commercially dominant fashion 

and cosmetics industries to the 

exponentially soaring culture of 

celebrity, they have propagated, and 

are thus responsible for, the resultant 

trend of dissatisfaction that has 

spread over people’s opinions of 

their own bodies. So rarely is body 

image far from mainstream news 

that it is difficult to argue against 

image disorders being to some 

degree culturally determined. We 

find ourselves bombarded with 

images of perfect ideals (for men, 

‘mesomorphic’ ideals), to which 

vulnerable people inevitably compare 

themselves. This then turns 

ideological through small debates 

or actions, such as designer Mark 

Fast’s decision in September to 

use size 12 models for his London 

Fashion Week show, which saw two 

of his team resign in protest. This 

courageous move is far from revolution, 

however, and the industry 

still revolves around the privileged 

few revered for their appearance. 

Pivotally, localised media also 

resounds of opportunity cost and 

consequence: stories of success and 

confidence, of what life could be 

like, if only... Every feature in issue 

3 of The Founder addresses body 

image in some capacity, but one 

passage in particular struck me. 

Naomi Nightingale speaks with 

refreshing openness on confidence 

being a key to success, and that 

starting a new life chapter requires 

confidence and ‘“wing people”, 

friends that you stick to and stick to 

you’. Sadly, such body image disorders, 

without companions blessed 

with endless patience, might just 

unwillingly result in neither. 

BDD sufferers are aware that 

they can be imbued with a variety 

of misleading attributes, from 

straightforward vanity to sullen 

or unsociable behaviours. This 

exacerbates a sufferer’s frustration 

at the torment between the social 

opportunities available, and the 

reluctance of the schema which 

inhibits and prevents involvement; 

a dejection-based emotional pain. 

Avoidance and/or dependence on 

mirrors or cameras, the visible behaviours, 

are governed by a pretext 

of hatred, not harmony. The secrecy 

and shame that govern BDD, 

Katherine Phillips (the US’ leading 

authority) notes, stem from a sufferer’s 

worry of being considered 

superficial or vain. Moreover, as 

more image debates involve women 

than men, it can be potentially 

more difficult for men to admit 

such problems, even to themselves. 

If somatoform disorders appear demasculinised, 

potential losses extend 

subconsciously to the remains 

of pride and personal sovereignty. 

Altogether, it is a vicious cycle of 

isolation and melancholy. 

Nothing could start for me until 

the realisation that this is a legitimate 

concern. I grew up with a 

wandering eye, acne, and emotional 

suppression. It seemed to be something 

I could cope with until I became 

the victim of an unprovoked 

attack ten years ago (at the week of 

writing) which radicalised my view; 

without any other reason, my mind 

settled on appearance as the instigating 

factor. What followed were 

corrective surgery and a stockpile 

of medication. Through later school 

and undergraduate years, while 

paranoia convinced me that I was 

being judged by appearance, I was 

more likely suffering the effects 

of being low and withdrawn, with 

little confidence or self-esteem. 

Alas, there is no magic formula to 

turning this around. As one astute 

commentator has suggested, BDD 

is like any other relationship: there 

are intrinsic elements that become 

addictive and part of one’s identity; 

it leaves a void when it is not there. 

It can be difficult to see how the 

positives gained by recovery could 

supersede the ineffable attachment 

and, in some cases, the uneasy 

sense of community and attention 

(from online support networks, for 

example), that comes from being 

afflicted. 

Recovery has been a disjointed 

process, a rough journey 

of self-discovery, and one which, 

retrospectively, I ruefully recognise 

the power of university to help 

in providing. University offers 

the social networks and support 

structures that can offer a pathway 

sufficiently illuminating to cast the 

old in shadow. My hope here is to 

encourage any readers tormented 

by these issues to consider seeking 

help. Understanding that one 

is not alone in such unexplainable 

self-destructive behaviour and what 

feels like uncontrollable, grotesque 

narcissism, is an irrepressible relief. 

Guilt can be freed; there is nothing 

to apologise for. Please remember, 

and this applies to anybody used to 

throwing about superficial remarks 

with abandon: nobody deserves to 

feel ugly, no matter what we look 

like. 

Keith McDonald is a PhD student in 

the English Department at 

Royal Holloway 

Self-help and 

further reading 

Katherine Phillips, The Broken 

Mirror: Understanding and 

Treating Body Dysmorphic Disorder 

(Oxford: Oxford University 

Press, 1986). 

David Veale, Rob Willson and 

Alex Clarke, Overcoming Body 

Image Problems including Body 

Dysmorphic Disorder (London: 

Robinson, 2009). 

--- 

Sarah Grogan, Body Image: 

Understanding Body Dissatisfaction 

in Men, Women and 

Children (London: Routledge, 

1999). 

Mark Pendergrast, Mirror 

Mirror (New York: Basic Books, 

2003). 

David Veale, ‘Advances in a 

Cognitive Behavioural Model 

of Body Dysmorphic Disorder’, 

Body Image, 1 (2004), 113-125.


Sport 

Interview with RHUL STARS athletes 

Lucy McCarthy 

Sport Editor 

Each issue I will be talking to the 

girls and guys who are striving 

to reach the top of their game 

with the help of Holloway’s STARS 

funding programme. This week, 

Rugby takes to the stage as we 

have a chat with three of Holloway’s 

rising stars in the game: 

Peter Elder, Arthur Ellis and 

Robert Webster. 

What team or standard do you 

play? 

Peter: London Wasps and England 

U20s 

Arthur: London Wasps and currently 

in U20s England squad. 

Robert: London Scottish and played 

Scotland age group rugby. 

When did you start playing and 

how did you get into the sport? 

Peter: I started playing when I went 

to senior school; everyone there 

had to play rugby 

Arthur: My dad and brother played 

rugby so it was a natural route for 

me to follow. 

Robert: I started aged 7 as my parents 

encouraged me. 

What do you like about your sport 

and what don’t you like? 

Peter: I love the team/family aspects 

and the characters you come across! 

I don’t like waking up at 6am to be 

in the gym at 7.30. 

Arthur: I hate the training and 

physicality that comes with the 

Peter Elder Arthur Ellis Robert Webster 

game! 

Robert: I like the people you meet 

and friends you make, but I hate 

the early morning sessions. 

What are your aims and objectives 

for this coming year? 

Peter: I’m hoping to go the junior 

world cup in Argentina at the end 

of the year. 

Arthur: I hope to break into the 1st 

team at Wasps and appear in the 

World Cup in Argentina as well. It 

will show that I have made process 

this year. Also, I hope to win 

another contract as my present one 

is up at the end of the year. 

Robert: Establish myself in the 1st 

team at London Scottish and gain 

another contract for next year. 

What are you aims and objectives 

for the future? 

Arthur: I really would love to play 

number one for England and also 

to play in the 1st team regularly. 

Robert: To play for Scotland. 

Who is your sporting idol and 

why? 

Peter: Lance Armstrong as I admire 

how much strength and determination 

he has! 

Arthur: Serge Betsen who plays for 

Wasps and France. He is just an 

incredible player and role model. 

Robert: Again, I’ll have to say Lance 

Armstrong. After suffering such a 

torrid time with illness to be able to 

come back and perform like he did, 

shows anything is possible. 

How has the STARS programme 

helped you? 

Peter: The STARS programme has 

enabled me to combine my degree 

with playing a professional sport. 

Without the help I have received, 

I would not have been able to pass 

the year, let alone complete the year 

with a good mark. 

Arthur: It has enabled me to play 

competitively as well as complete 

my education. 

Robert: It allows me to arrange me 

classes around training, along with 

Louis helping me get back to fitness 

after a long period out last year. 

How do you feel about rugby sevens 

being made an Olympic sport 

from 2016? 

Peter: The Olympic inclusion will 

be great for the sport, the way it 

includes countries from the USA 

to Kenya, New Zealand to Fiji, just 

shows the massive diversity of the 

sport and the opportunity it will 

give to have something a bit different 

in the Olympics! 

Arthur: I love the fact that rugby 

sevens is going to be in the Olympics. 

It is a much shorter game 

which is perfect for the Olympic 

set up. 

Robert: Fantastic idea, a great way 

to increase the coverage of rugby 

around the world and 7’s gives 

smaller nations, such as Kenya a 

great chance for success. 

Great performance from Holloway in first 

Cross Country event 

Stephen Auger 

UCL 

The first race in this year’s London 

Colleges League produced some 

promising results from the University 

of London’s cross country 

runners. In all, about 150 runners 

took to the start line at Parliament 

Hill, ready to kick start their cross 

country season. From the gun there 

was outlandish solo attempt to take 

the crown of King of the Hill by one 

Imperial athlete, but the UL athletes 

kept their composure and got 

stuck into the rest of the undulating 

course. 

In the women’s race (won by 

former UL athlete Harriet Scott), 

Harriet Owles (Kings) led home the 

UL runners in 3rd place overall. She 

was closely followed by Emily Moss 

(Royal Holloway) in 4th, with Zoe 

Anton (LSE), Felicity Elliott (Royal 

Holloway) and Anna Ferguson 

(Kings) all achieving impressive top 

10 finishes. This is the first time in 

over 10 years that 5 UL athletes have 

all finished in the top 10 at Parliament 

Hill, suggesting we have got a 

promising year ahead of us. 

In the team race, only 4 points 

separated the top 3 teams, proving 

that every position really does 

count. Kings just managed to pip 

Royal Holloway by the smallest possible 

margin with the teams finishing 

2nd and 3rd respectively. 

The men found the going a bit 

tougher but there were still some 

strong finishes. Stephen Auger 

(UCL) came 8th, with Scott Bastek 

(LSE) 10th, John Ferguson (UCL) 

14th, Jonny Laybourn (UCL) 16th 

and Alex Macaulay (UCL) 19th, 

all placing in the top 20. The UCL 

team were edged out of a top 3 finish 

ending up 6th place. 

The results suggest there is currently 

a good pool of talent at the 

University of London and hopefully 

we will be able to build on this 

to produce some truly outstanding 

performance in UL colours later in 

the year. 

The Founder sports news is 

brought to you in collaboration 

with RHULSport and BUCS:


tf 

sports@thefounder.co.uk 

29 

2nd XV Rugby, vs Kingston 

Photo: Dan Woodruff 

RHUL Squash 

Match Report 

26th October (1sts) 

Match Report 

21st October (2nds) 

Ben Hine 

RHUL ULU 1sts baked in the heat 

of the ETHOS Imperial College 

courts and succumbed to a 3-2 defeat 

against Imperial ULU 3rd team. 

The boys used the time they had to 

warm up to try and assess the conditions 

and Adam Robin, the number 

1, started off the games. He adapted 

quickly and won 3 games to 0. 

Tim Scarfe, substituting in at 

number 5 in the absence of Julie 

Peachey at number 1, played next 

and fought hard. Unfortunately he 

could not capitalise whilst the advantage 

was there and lost 3 games 

to 1. 

Next on was Jamie Pearce who 

looked comfortable from the start 

and secured a 3 games to 0 victory 

making it 2-1 RHUL. Arran Waterman 

had to clinch his game to guarantee 

victory but was up against a 

good player and flu and lost 3 games 

to 0, levelling the score 2-2 with 

everything on Hugh Gibson’s game. 

However it was not the pressure but 

the quality of Imperial’s number 3 

that led to the game ending 3 games 

to 0 in favour of Imperial. 

Ben Hine 

RHUL Men’s 2nds team took on 

University of Surrey 2nds team on 

the 21st October. Elliot Rawstron 

looked close to winning his first 

game but the tide eventually turned 

against him, the first game ending 

13-15 and with a resulting loss of 3 

games to 0. Rory Voake’s match unfortunately 

took a similar turn and 

despite his best efforts and some 

promising skill ended 3 games to 0 

to Surrey. Finally Surrey confirmed 

the defeat with their player beating 

Will Walton 3 games to 0 also. 

A disappointing result for the 2nds 

leaving them with both thinking 

and training to do before their next 

match. 

RHUL Men’s 1sts team sailed 

to victory against the University 

of Hertfordshire Mens 1sts. Tim 

Scarfe won 3 games to 0 against an 

inexperienced Hertfordshire player 

starting off the winning run. Arran 

Waterman recovered from an 

individual loss last week to stay 

calm and claim his match 3 games 

to 0 also. Hugh Gibson, battling 

through illness, played a strong defensive 

game again leading to a 3 

games to 0 win. Jamie Pearce was 

on excellent form, showcasing some 

great tactical shots, dropping few 

points and gaining another 3 games 

to 0 victory. Finally the number 1 

Adam Robin secured the full house 

with a final 3 games to love victory, 

after a small wobble in the second 

game going to 12-10. RHUL won 

overall by 5 – 0 and they are now 

2/2, but skills need to be maintained 

for some tougher matches yet to 

come.


Sport 

Women’s Basketball dominate Reading 

RHUL 85 

Reading 31 

Anna Dyachenko 

The Lady Bears’ second win of the 

season resulted in a smashing score 

against the team from Reading. 

With an overall advantage of 54 

points, girls proudly walked out of 

the Reading’s Sports Centre and 

brought the Bear’s glory home. 

Although being an undoubtedly 

stronger team, RHUL Women’s 

Basketball did, however, experience 

some problems. Working hard 

on their defensive technique in 

trainings, Bears have assumed wellstructured 

offense which requires 

an equally structured response. For 

a while, heads down, Lady Bears 

were confused by the unorthodox 

playing style of the Reading team 

and they felt that the figures on the 

score-board did not indicate their 

real potential. ‘We’re here to play 

our game’, said the women’s Head 

Coach, Natasha Green, ‘So let’s just 

do what we came here to do and 

win again’. 

It took some time to adjust the 

defensive settings to pressure Reading’s 

penetrations and offensive 

drills, but gradually and owing 

to a great deal of communication 

between the girls, the Lady Bears 

cracked it. 

Reading’s squad of eight was 

disadvantaged in the face of twelve 

RHUL players; exhaustion hit them 

quickly. Too slow to return on defense, 

the team from Reading was 

severely challenged by the speed of 

Bears’ fast breaks. 

The Lady Bears really pulled it 

together and finished the game as 

well as they could. The top-scorers 

of the game were Shanty Cheung 

(25), Alice Couten (20) and Elle 

Hughes (18). Bringing the Lady 

Bears their third highest point margin 

in the club’s history. 

Lady Bears would like to thank 

Nick Heff, Romeo McDonald and 

Kristine Flyvholm for coming to 

Reading to support the team, as 

well as Ian Jeffery and Alan Lee 

who kindly drove the team to 

Reading and back. Your support 

is hugely appreciated! Also thank 

you to Colossus who made a guest 

appearance at the game and rallied 

the troops through the second half 

of the game!! 

Lacrosse 

Kent dominated by 

near faultless Holloway 

performance 

RHUL 24 

Kent 4 

This was a great triumph for the 

RHUL 1st team as we beat Kent 24 

– 4. This great score illustrated the 

united team effort and showed off 

our ever increasing skills. The ball 

was often won in the centre draw 

where RHUL would continue to 

dominate the entire game. The defence 

was united and the midfield 

prevented breaks from Kent, while 

the ball frequently travelled into 

attack which resulted in attacking 

breaks or goals for Holloway. 

RHUL continued to give their all 

throughout the game. Players applied 

new skills and drills learned 

in practice throughout and as the 

game continued, team confidence 

and communication increased. 

Another terrific score for hopefully 

a promising season. 

Netball 

RHUL stride over local rivals 

RHUL 40 

London Met 15 

Madeleine Mortimer 

On Wednesday 28th October 

RHUL 1st netball team took on 

their unofficial rivals, London Metropolitan 

University. Having won 

our previous two matches we were 

hoping to continue our success. 

The game saw Holloway take an 

easy lead as all our players pulled 

together the skills we have been 

practicing in training sessions. As 

the match continued, the opposition 

pulled back and did everything 

they could to stop our goals, however 

the determination of the whole 

team saw Holloway pull together 

to record a final score of 40-15 to 

Holloway. 

This third consecutive win is testament 

to the team spirit which is 

very quickly developing between 

all our players and the hard work 

and commitment from everyone 

involved in netball. Player of the 

match was won by Annabelle 

Breckenridge for another outstanding 

performance on court. 

tf 

Want to write for the 

Sport section? 

If you’re keen to get involved 

with the sport section of this 

newspaper as a photographer 

or reporter, email: 

sports@thefounder. 

co.uk


tf 

sports@thefounder.co.uk 

31 

Hockey 

RHUL Ladies 1s 

vs UCL 2s 

29th October 

RHUL 3 

UCL 1 

Madeleine Mortimer 

The team stepped out onto the 

moonlit pitch laced with fog on a 

brisk Wednesday evening. With a 

later push back than expected, the 

adrenaline travelled through our 

blood as we embarked on our first 

BUCS Cup match of the season. 

The work-rate was high and it 

was clear to see the players were 

constantly thinking about our new 

coach’s recently taught tactics and 

manoeuvres from the first few 

weeks of training. One-nil to Holloway 

at half time, courtesy of fresher 

Sarah Belcher, however, we weren’t 

satisfied. Silly passes, not looking 

and moments of wrong-headedness 

meant we gave the ball away much 

more than we should have and this 

led to us conceding a goal later in 

the game. 

Our structure and formation 

seems to be coming together, which 

shows promise for the rest of the 

season and our relentless attack 

earned us another two goals by Magenta 

McDougall and Bex MacDonald 

in the second half. 

A few more fitness sessions, a full 

squad returned to good health and 

some lessons in communication (or 

shouting à la Izzy Higgs) will stand 

us in good stead to reach the later 

stages of this competition. Playing 

a team a few leagues below us (plus 

a few ringers), complacency might 

have been an issue, and I think everyone 

would agree we should have 

made it a little more convincing, but 

a win is a win. On to round two. 

I am going to make an executive 

decision and pronounce Miss Higgs 

as man of the match, for playing superb 

as centre half. She was always 

open and supported the attacking 

lines, even if she didn’t always feel 

totally comfortable in the position. 

Thanks to the male contingent on 

the sidelines and the parental support. 

It really makes a massive difference 

with people cheering you on 

and with people to impress. I’m sure 

we all ran a little faster as a result. 

Holloway Men’s 

Basketball crush Brunel 

RHUL 82 

Brunel 49 

Anna Dyachenko 

The first home game for Men’s Basketball 

resulted in a win against the 

team from Brunel University. 

Quite tall and athletic at first 

sight, the guest players gave the impression 

of being an even match for 

The Bears. They however exerted 

no significant pressure on offence, 

so Nick Heffernan was scoring his 

famous three-pointers early in the 

game. Despite the successful shooting 

however, the first quarter resulted 

in only a two-point advantage 

for RHUL: it was time to get their 

heads in the game and work harder, 

better, faster and stronger. After a 

talk from Coach Steve Bucknall, the 

Bears then took advantage of open 

opportunities; punishing Brunel 

for sloppy defence and opened up a 

lead in the 2nd and 3rd quarters by 

hustling on our defence and limiting 

Brunel’s shot opportunities. 

The intensity of the game developed 

through the last quarter and 

although the opponents made a big 

effort, the Bears stayed strong. Our 

zone-defence accepted no penetrators 

and with Chris Ratteree and Julian 

Bailes picking up a lot of steals 

leading to a succession of fast break 

points the Bears pulled away with 

the victory. Arnold Junior was the 

games top scorer by battling away 

inside with the help of RHUL’s post 

players Nicolas Dumont and Romeo 

McDonald. 

Bears made a good effort and finished 

with a thirty-three point advantage. 

The top scorers of the game 

were Arnold Junior (19), Nick Heffernan 

(14) and Ian Jeffery (10).

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