Its 1984, or so the government wishes.Their new “Orwellian” initiative to uncover extremism in Universities by monitoring student’s internet activity is just another screw in the coffin containing our freedom of thought.It seems to me that they have found a perfect excuse to intrude even further into our already invigilated lives, using the threat of terrorism as the scapegoat.Yes we all know that university provides an environment which has the potential to breed extremism, but why should we all have to suffer for the acts of a few? It’s simply outrageous.In a country which has been tarred with the surveillance brush, (now deemed the “surveillance society”), it is becoming ever more difficult to lead your life without Big Brother peering over your shoulder.Let’s just say for example, I need to find out how a bomb is made for a Physics project. Does this automatically make me a terrorist, or am I just exercising the natural human right of inquisition? Am I wrong in thinking that at Universities around the country in the last few years, individuals have been arrested under suspicion of extremism?, and moreover they were discovered without having to monitor ALL students.That strategy seemed to work, why the sudden need for change?.
The worst part is that you can understand the Government’s simplistic, yet subtly intrusive strategy. More monitoring, less terrorism. That’s the long and short of it.But when does this quest for the preservation of human kind stop?. How far are they willing to delve into people’s privacy for the cause of the “greater good”? I can already see this surveillance situation getting out of hand, and no doubt the government will pull out the extremism card when challenged on it. Soon I won’t be able to leave my house without a government official escorting me to do my mid week shop at Tesco!!.The sad fact of today’s society is that the truth has become a rare commodity.Banking systems collapsed due to devious, greed mongering bankers, and it seems that the true ulterior motive behind the new government initiative is cloaked by the hot topic of the modern day, terrorism. And I for one don’t see that changing anytime soon.
As a student, life after University is becoming more difficult by the day. Recent studies by the Association of Graduate Recruiters has predicted a 5.4% fall in vacancies in 2009, leading to evermore pressure on graduates who are already applying in a job market, hit hard by the economic downturn. The majority of graduate cutbacks have occurred in the Investment Banking sector, which has inevitably suffered in current economic conditions, but other business sectors also are set to reduce placements. Students now have to deal with the uncertainty of employment, as well as piling student debts waiting just around the corner when graduation comes around in July, leading to some people questioning whether University is worth the time and money at all. In an interview with Sky News, Higher Education Minister David Lammy silenced the critics, saying
“People considering applying to University should do so. A degree can help you not only get your first job, but also a career”
It seems that the figures support Mr Lammy’s contention, with a record number of students applying this year, in hope of making themselves more employable. Yet although University can increase your employment opportunities, if the jobs are simply not there, a degree is useless.
Speaking with a recent graduate, it’s clear that life is becoming a sea of uncertainty when entering the real world after Uni.
“I recently received a Biomedicine degree with honours and am unemployed. I have applied for jobs in all sectors but there is simply nothing available to graduates. I am not alone either, as many of my highly qualified friends are in the same boat, struggling to get by on temporary work or work which simply does not require any education whatsoever.”
Although it is not all doom and gloom, as some employers are capitalising on the recent economic crisis, such as Aldi who have seen 25% increases in sales, aiding the offering of profitable graduate placements, some offering up to £60000 per annum.
It seems that for so many students, applying next year is the only option. A stagnant employment market simply is not supplying the graduate placements needed to meet the demand, yet with the economic situation looking ominous, who is to say that next year’s employment outlook won’t be just as bleak.
On Saturday, the Millenium Stadium played host to one of the most physical, hard fought encounters of the 6 nations so far, as England’s hopes of a Grand Slam were dashed by a well drilled Welsh outfit. Despite losing 23-15, England pressured Wales throughout the match, with solid defence, interspersed with moments of individual brilliance in attack. Although the performance sparked some confidence in the English set up, some critics, fastidious as ever, remain adamant that Martin Johnson does not have what it takes, and are putting what I see as unnecessary pressure on a team that is very much still in a transition stage.
Like so many other supporters of English Rugby, every match brings about the same, familiar thoughts. Will the new players have the desired impact?, Will the pack provide the impetus needed for the backs to be affective? Will England beat Wales by a huge margin? (For the latter, no was the unfortunate answer). Yet despite the usual criticisms of English rugby, Saturday did highlight how England have made some progress since last year’s 6 nations clash.
In the pack, individual grit and resilience from players such as Man of the Match Joe Worsley showed that not only could the English pack meet the Welsh on a level playing field, at times we could be dominant. Time after time Worsley put down the mighty figure of Wales number 8 Andy Powell, who usually carries enough yards for the whole team, yet one factor that still remained was the lack of support from his tight 5. The pack is still very much a question mark for the England team, with numerous different combinations having been tried; it’s still unclear who links best. One thing that was evident though, was the improvement and fluidity in the backs.
Harry Ellis, a quieter performance in comparison to his last minute call up in the Italy match, yet still showing onlookers such as Danny Care that he is a fierce competitor for the No. 9 jersey. Andy “food” Goode, although worries about his pace still resound amongst the critics, provided a solid performance, with impetus breaking the line as well as awareness, such as his delicate chip for the first try. His outside man, Ricky Flutey , showed glimpses of his devastating agility that has plagued so many of Wasps’ opponents this season, with his break leading to the first half Sackey try. The back 3, Armitage, Cueto, and Sackey, all had good games, although Cueto’s was a bit quiet in comparison, he still maintained solid defence and pace when moving forward. The only person I did have a problem with, was Mike Tindall. We all know how experienced and skilful Tindall can be and that his place in the team was to combat Shanklin’s imposing figure in the outside centre channel, but on Saturday he had a bad game. Slow in defence, limited going forward, it really did seem as though someone like Tait could have been more affective at outside centre, giving England the pace injection so needed in the outside channels. Many may argue that he is an inspiration, which I do not deny, but against a team like Wales defence is simply not enough.
All in all the backs were a success, with a lot to build on for the next game, but only if the Outside Centre position can be utilised affectively.
Despite this, there was still a major negative point which needs to be solved before the next game. Discipline. England of recent have shown a poor disciplinary record, with 8 players being sin binned in the last 3 games. Under Martin Johnson it comes as a surprise, as discipline is something he is sure to be drilling into his players. It is having 2 major detrimental effects on England, the first being obvious in that with 14 men points are likely to be conceded, such as the Lee Halfpenny try on Saturday which exploited a gap out wide which would have been filled if there were 15 men. The second detrimental effect is the referee’s treating of the team in games to come. Knowing that England’s discipline is so poor, referee’s will scrutinise against England even more, increasing the pressure. We are our own worst enemies.
So back to the critics. What strikes me is how they forget that beating Wales, at the Millenium Stadium , is something of a pipe dream for the current England set up, although we were not far off. Even the team that reached the World Cup Final in 2007 would struggle against the current Welsh side, let alone a young team trying to find its feet in the rugby world under a new management set up. The team showed promise, determination, and moments of brilliance, and if we can replicate the performance from last Saturday, Ireland will have to play well to beat us.
In September of last year, Gordon Brown vowed to do all that he could to make the streets of Britain a safer place to be. Yet reports only last week of a 26 year old man, stabbed at a bus stop in Croydon on the way to visit his new born son, highlight just how much of a mountain our police force still have to climb. With a new tough talking Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Stephenson, British hopes for a safer Britain are high. But are these hopes bound to be dashed by the inevitability of conflict on our streets? Can knife crime actually be significantly reduced?
Figures from the Home Office seem to answer this pretty simply. Last year alone 34 people were killed as a result of knife crime in the UK, and over 22,151 offences involved knives or sharp instruments. Despite these figures, the Home Office website assures readers that knife crime is not on the rise, accounting to 7% of all crimes in the UK every year. These somewhat spurious knife crime statistics fail to escape the all seeing eye of the truth, with the statistic not including under 16’s who commit knife crimes, according to the Daily Telegraph. Why does the Home Office assume that a 16 year old cannot inflict the same damage with a knife that a 17 year old can? This type of inaccuracy makes the Government strategy on knife crime seem more successful than in reality, and begs the question, What are police actually doing to combat knife crime on the streets?, and more specifically the streets of Birmingham.
Speaking with Inspector Phillip Asquith, head of knife crime at the Bournville Lane branch of West Midlands Police, it’s evident that there is a comprehensive Police strategy on knife crime being carried out in the student area of Selly Oak and the surrounding student suburbs. Figures provided by Bournville lane Police indicate that knife crime in the Bournville area has steadily declined, resulting in 157 incidences last year. Reasons for the steady decline seem to be representative of the implementation of a tougher “stop and search” policy, as well as the use of “knife arches”, used on the doors of clubs and pubs, which detect metallic objects on persons entering the establishments. In conjunction with the two tactics mentioned, the Police have also utilised the Internet, with the “Safer Students” part of the West Midlands Police website offering advice and tips on staying safe in student areas such as Selly Oak.
In a more widespread strategy Police are aiming to educate British youths on the dangers and consequences of knife crime. Inspector Asquith highlighted how Police strategy such as “Tooled up for schools” is helping to educate teenagers at Secondary Schools in the area on the repercussions of carrying lethal weapons such as knives. Once again, the Police are using the Internet to reach out to young people in the Midlands area, with websites such as oneknifeonelife.com, providing information for both victims and youngsters involved with knife crime. More practical measures such as knife amnesties and legal injunctions have also helped curtail knife crime in the Midlands area, with over 9000 weapons being handed to authorities in 2007. The legal injunctions also play their part, forbidding certain dangerous individuals from entering specific parts of the city.
Speaking with a third year student International Relations student, it seemed that not only was an effective Police strategy needed in reducing crime in the Midlands area, but also common sense.
“The Police can only help to an extent. Having your wits about you at night when walking in the City Centre or even Selly Oak, is something students have to do in order to avoid trouble”
The Police strategy not only in the Midlands, but on a nationwide scale, seems to be focusing on young people and education to prevent the carrying of weapons such as knives, as Inspector Asquith mentioned with the Police’s “tooled up for schools”. A recent Panorama programme on the BBC also aimed to shed some light on the issue of knife crime, focusing on why young people carry weapons. The programme explained how young people involved with knives feel that there are 2 options. Be the victim, or carry a knife. Hearing this, it’s obvious that this sentiment, engrained in so many British youths, must be prevented. The Police are going about it in the right way, starting with education, but this must be in conjunction with more severe prison sentences, not just 2-4 years, in order for the strategy to bear fruit.
It seems the Midlands strategy on knife crime seems to be working, but the rest of the country must follow suit, as the tragic story of a new born child coming into this world without a father, is one I don’t want to read again.
Here is an article I wrote for the student paper on Cheap food.
As a student, living on the breadline is part of the lifestyle. Yet with the recession biting at the bank balance, food prices have sky rocketed resulting in an increased demand for budget food lines, providing affordable food for a fraction of the cost. Despite the financial benefit experienced by opting to shop at cheaper supermarkets and purchasing budget lines , a recent Dispatches on Channel 4 revealed how all is not as it seems, with many cheaper products containing significantly lower nutritional levels than the higher priced goods. This begs the question “Do we really know what goes into budget line food, and do we care?
According to Channel 4’s Dispatches over a third of shoppers have switched to budget line foods, causing an increase of 42% for the cheaper brand lines. The upsurge in popularity of cheaper supermarkets such as German owned Lidl and Aldi, is no doubt a consumer response to the pinch of the credit crunch. Yet in opting for cheaper supermarkets, and the more affordable brand lines of the big 4 (Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, and Asda), does lower price necessarily mean lower quality?
The Dispatches documentary highlighted how especially in meat products such as Chicken, Sausages, and Pies, significantly lower nutritional values can be found, and that the Supermarkets utilise industry tricks to make us think we are getting more than we paid for. When investigating Tesco’s value line chicken breasts, it was found that they consisted of 60% chicken, with the remaining 40% being water, salt, and dextrose, injected via syringes to increase the overall size of the product. The same story can be applied to value line sausages, with an average of 40% meat in the value line ranges across the supermarkets. The majority of the content is connective tissue, contributing no nutritional value whatsoever to the product. The programme also highlighted how by just increasing the price by 1p, the meat content in sausages can be increased by 15%, which would make only the modest of changes to the supermarkets already huge profit margins.
It seems that the meat products are mostly affected by low nutritional content, with fruit and vegetables being low cost due to their short sell by dates, not nutritional content. The only exception to this was Tomatoes. The cheaper ranges contain far less Vitamin B12, used for production of blood and maintenance of nerves, as well as far lower Lichopene, an antioxidant used to help prevent prostate cancer.
The weekly shopping for the student house I live in is a prime example of the need to save money, with all our shopping being done at the local Aldi, cutting our weekly bill by up to £50. We have maintained the same meals and we all feel that the taste is just as good. The main thing for us and for many people who have switched to budget line foods, is that although it may not be as high a quality as more expensive products, it is still food on the table every evening. So this brings us about the question, Do we really care? It seems that we prefer to remain in the dark, when considering the nutritional value of cheaper foods, as a 3rd year Drama Student supports;
“As a student, cheap food is part of the lifestyle. As long as it looks and tastes edible, why not buy cheaper?”
So it seems that students in general are just happy to have food on the table, and that in the case of cheap food, ignorance is bliss.
