Whilst UofG promised that no student would be delayed from graduating this is not true for PhD students. 

University guaranteed that “no student would be delayed from graduating” amidst the ongoing UCU marking and assessment boycott however The Glasgow Guardian can reveal that this is not the case for all PhD students. 

Jade Saab a PhD student at the University of Glasgow and Graduate Teaching Assistant who is also taking part in the marking boycott himself, is one of those affected. He said that: “Marking and assessment boycott (MAB) has been called as a result of the university’s and the employer’s association it is a voting member of failure to meet workers’ demands or successfully negotiate a resolution to a dispute which has been going on for more than three years now. The cancellation of my viva, and any impact the MAB will have on other students, is entirely the responsibility of university management and a reflection of their unwillingness to provide fair working conditions for their staff.”

“There’s been no word from the university about when the viva will be rescheduled for. Considering the preparation that is required by examiners, they need to read more than 80,000-word dissertations to be ready to ask questions about it, I imagine it can take months. The university has also offered no form of support.”

READ MORE: Casualisation of staff contracts on the rise at UofG – The Glasgow Guardian

“The cancellation of my viva has had serious implications on my immediate future. From my ability to apply to jobs, since most require a completed degree, to casting doubt on my graduation date, which will probably be pushed to December forcing my family, who live outside of the UK, to go through the whole visa application process again. This is not to mention the mental toll and anxiety this has produced.”

 After raising this with the University and providing details of the student’s case a University spokesperson said that: “We are aware of one person who has experienced a delay to their PhD viva due to the national marking and assessment boycott. We are working with them and their School to put in place alternative arrangements.”

The University of Glasgow sent an email to all students on 14th April saying that “no student will be prevented from progressing to the next stage of their degree or graduating, because of industrial action.” 

This guidance has since been updated on May 17th with the Clerk of Senate Martin Hendry saying “We expect that in most parts of the University, the marking of exams and assessments will be unaffected, but in a small number of Schools there is potential for the impact of the boycott to be more significant.”

“We expect that no student will be prevented from progressing to the next stage of their degree or graduating, because of the industrial action. In some cases, however, there may be a delay in the release of marks and feedback for students’ assessments.”

Mary Senior, Scotland official UCU, said: “This action short of strike is targeted at university principals’ failure to address the fall in pay, unsafe workloads and the pay inequality in universities.  Our members are educators and teaching and supporting students is precisely why they came into the profession, the last thing they want to do is disrupt exams, assessments and graduations. Rather than trying to resolve this dispute university principals are now threatening punitive pay deductions.  The blame for any disruption lies squarely with them.  Our door is open.  Rather than trying to find ways to circumvent the marking and assessment boycott and punish staff, employers need to come back to the negotiating table with an improved offer which is acceptable to university staff.”

The post Glasgow break graduation guarantee appeared first on The Glasgow Guardian.

Unapologetic Aussie pub punk rock band The Chats produced a mature performance at the Barras on the tour of their second album, Get Fucked; in the same way it’s almost endearing and grown up when a toddler tells you to fuck off. 

I often write reviews straight after the gig meticulously taking notes throughout, but perhaps this time I took the essence of the album’s title a little too literally. However, this time it has worked out for the best. 

My initial gut reaction after the gig was disappointment. Not because I didn’t have a great time but I craved The Clap or Dine and Dash, staples of a night on the town done properly, and classics of the Chats back catalogued. But upon reflection, it was an incredible show. 

Once you return to the monotony of the 9-5 on Monday do you appreciate the euphoric energy the band provided on Saturday night. If I only remember one image from the night it was always a man in a wheelchair being risen aloft to crowd surf. 

Going to gigs recently, with the rise of touring costs bands have noticeably started to cut support bands and gone are the days of regularly being treated to two support bands. Yet the Chats put on two great bands to warm up the crowd, The Chisel and Guantanamo Baywatch. 

Playing for just shy on of an hour straight through, with no messing about with a quasi-break longing for the crowd to drag the band back on stage with chants of one more tune. The setlist showcased their new album with nuggets of the classics like Smoko. 

The songs off Get Fucked, like 6L GTR and The Price of Smokes were delivered in a tighter fashion in parts perhaps even more musically astute but had the same characteristic Chat-core energy. 

With The Chats you get what you’re given but that’s exactly what I wanted. 

The post The Chats @ The Barras appeared first on The Glasgow Guardian.

The co-host of Dolls Discuss podcast sits down with The Glasgow Guardian.

Lourdes has gotten comfortable in non-queer spaces: “I’ve gotten to the point in my life where I am so unashamedly myself, I will go into any space and do exactly what I do…I’ve worked too hard to diminish my light for anyone.”

The 23-year-old from Baillieston, Glasgow is no stranger to being centre stage. From up-and-coming podcast ‘Dolls Discuss’ which she co-hosts with her friend the recording artist, TAAHLIAH, to her hostess skills at well attended club nights at the likes of Bonjour, Stereo and Berkley Suite. We met in a cafe in Finnieston to talk about her experiences being trans in Glasgow, the queer scene and the resistive power of a “candidly open discussion between two trans-feminine girlies”.  

I first came across Lourdes earlier this year at a fundraiser she was hosting for Lorelai, a transfeminine asylum seeker living in Glasgow, and was struck by her stage presence and her control of the crowd. That charisma translates well through to the podcast in which she and TAAHLIAH serve hot takes and funny anecdotes interjected with important and necessary conversations on queer trans experience. 

Central to Dolls Discuss, is the dynamic between Lourdes and best-friend TAAHLIAH. “At the end of the day there’s never been an act to anything that we are doing… to the point where I’ve probably said thing’s I shouldn’t have”, she says jokingly. It is this dynamic which allows Lourdes and TAAHLIAH to effortlessly flit from hard hitting serious topics to light-hearted ones. In one recent episode, “Between a Rock and a Busted Place”, the friends go from funny dating anecdotes to discussing the unfair distribution of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for cis women compared to trans people and the general anti-trans rhetoric permeating across the American and UK political landscape. “Whilst the world is doom and gloom and there isn’t a lot of hope for a lot of people, you can highlight these things without it only ever being negative – why can’t two trans girls just talk about the stupid experiences we’ve had”. 

When asked if she had felt pigeonholed into being a spokesperson on certain issues, as is the case with many members of minority groups who have a platform, Lourdes said, “the goal of Dolls Discuss was never to be a 101 on trans experience, people can listen and be educated which is great, but it was never the main goal”. Once labelled as a podcast about trans experience, there is a concern that viewers might see Dolls Discuss as only for a queer audience. “The minute you label something people’s brains relegate it – people do judge a book by its cover… how many straight cis men are willing to listen to trans girls talk about their life? But if you just handed it to them, and didn’t tell them what it was, they would enjoy it.” 

The same can be said for the queer scene in Glasgow. Lourdes spoke briefly on how many club promoters refrain from explicitly using queer labels in advertising their events to avoid cutting off a large part of their customer base. Further, she warned of the backlash some established clubs in Glasgow face when hosting nights for queer people. “When queer nights happen at clubs with an established history and a religious following, people almost feel like their spaces are being invaded”. However, by not advertising their nights as explicitly for queer people, clubs leave themselves open to people not in tune with queerness, thereby leaving a proportion of their customers vulnerable. 

We also touched on the sliding-scale ticket system some queer venues use which require cis-straight allies to pay more than their queer counterparts for the same ticket. “A door policy can only go so far as so much of it comes down to visual representation – within that you start discriminating against people who don’t present visibly queer, but how do you even look queer? … you can end up charging someone more for not having the resources to explore their queerness”.  

Lourdes herself first went to a queer venue at the age of 19, one somewhat infamous club in Glasgow not known for its inclusion of anyone who isn’t cis-gendered, white or male. “The level of queerness in the public is not true to lived experience of queer people. When it comes down to it yes there will be a lot of white gay males but that is not the majority, so why is the majority of the queer scene catered to it”. The need for inclusive queer spaces in Glasgow is clear. Clubs like Bonjour, which offer nights deliberately inclusive of people across the queer spectrum and events which aren’t centred around alcohol, are forced to resort to crowdfunding to stay afloat.  

While Bonjour has found relative success with its crowd funding efforts, it is still undergoing financial difficulty and queer inclusive nights in Glasgow often struggle in the long run. “People need to care about something for anything to come of it, that level of posting it on Instagram is not enough” says Lourdes. “If you really cared you would show up to the event, it feels like a level of forced wokeness when people feel obliged to share something on Instagram – you post on it, but you are not doing anything about it… If you call yourself an ally but just look from the side-lines, then you are no better than a transphobe”. 

The queer community in Glasgow, and across the UK, finds itself in a balancing act. In the shadow of a cost-of-living crisis and a toxic climate of anti-queerness, a level of accessibility to wider public is necessary to stay afloat, however can come at the expense of the safety of members of the community. Further, we must assess what is meant by community and the duty we have to one another. Ultimately though, Lourdes remains positive going forward. “Change comes from a lot of years of going through a lot of s****, but you’ll know from the other side of it will have been for the better”.  

You can catch Lourdes at the GSASA X Ponyboy Degree show Afterparty on June 1st and listen to Dolls Discuss here.
 

The post Lourdes on The Scene, Queerness and Glasgow appeared first on The Glasgow Guardian.

Now that the summer has begun, The Glasgow Guardian’s guide to a sporting summer lists some of the best up-and-coming sporting events in Scotland to watch or get involved in.

Whether you’re planning to stick around in Scotland this summer or already call Scotland home, now that the undergraduate exam period has finished, summer has officially begun. With most societies and clubs pausing official activities over the summer period, here is The Glasgow Guardian’s guide to a sporting summer in Scotland so you can continue to get involved with everything that Glasgow and the rest of Scotland have to offer.

Sports to watch:

Strathclyde Sirens have their final two home fixtures in the Vitality Netball Superleague, both played at the Emirates Arena, Glasgow. The Sirens currently stand in seventh place in the table and are up against Celtic Dragons on Friday 26 May followed by their final home fixture against Manchester Thunder on Saturday 3 June. Adult tickets start at £14.50 with discounts offered to NetballScotland members.

Scottish men’s club football is slowly coming to a close as the season ends but that doesn’t put a stop to national men’s football. Scotland faces Georgia on Tuesday 20 June at Hampden Park in the qualifying stages of the UEFA European Championships. General sale tickets have sold out but various venues will be streaming the game live.

With the Men’s Rugby World Cup being held in France this September, Scotland’s Summer fixtures at BT Murrayfield Stadium will be crucial practice for Gregor Townsend’s side leading up to their tough pool, which includes current Six Nations Champions Ireland. There are three fixtures at Scotland’s home ground: the first is against Italy on Saturday 29 July, followed by France on Saturday 5 August, and their final fixture against Georgia on Saturday 26 August. Individual prices start at £21 for Adult tickets in the Bronze seating area or £25.20 for Students in the Silver seating area against Georgia.

Finally, the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) World Championships are coming to Glasgow, 3–13 August. A variety of cycling events are happening across the city and beyond including Artistic Cycling and Cycle Ball played at the Emirates Arena with adult tickets starting at £8.

Sports to get involved with:

Topgolf Glasgow, situated about a 20-minute drive outside of the City Centre and West End caters for all your glamourised driving range and social needs. Topgolf offers a range of food and drink options as well as party packages.

Many UofG students find themselves in the Highlands during the summer months after exams and the Highland Shooting Centre in Sutherland offers a range of activities to keep your summer schedule interesting. The centre offers traditional sports with a technological twist, including Air Rifle, Clay Shooting, and Archery.

Ride in Peace Adventures (RIPA) is a mountain biking centre based in Alford, Aberdeenshire on the eastern edge of Cairngorm National Park. RIPA offers mountain bike coaching at local trail centres and guided rides in the glens, hills, and mountains.

If you decide to ascend as far up as the Orkneys this summer, you should certainly check out Kraken Diving. It’s the only diving school in Scapa Flow and is ideal if you’re interested in exploring some of the best wreck diving sites in the world. Kraken Diving offers diving courses as well as guided dives where you can see some of the world’s best shipwrecks from WW1 and WW2.

Venturing as far as Aberdeen or the Orkneys may not be suitable for some over the summer period but if you’re still wanting a fix of outdoor sporting activities in Scotland, why not head to Loch Lomond? Trains from Glasgow make Loch Lomond accessible to students, particularly if you don’t have a car. A variety of activities are offered at Loch Lomond including canoe trips, gorge walking, river sledging, and canyoning.

Although many GUSA clubs pause official activities over the summer period, Skydiving and Cycling both offer activities that you can get involved in. Skydiving is still running skydiving courses throughout the summer at their home dropzone, Skydive Strathallan. In August, GU Skydiving is having an “Open Week” where the dropzone is open for nine consecutive days where there will be plenty of opportunities to jump as well as much more happening. GU Cycling is offering group rides at various points in the summer and are open to any students to join. If either of these activities are of interest to you, reach out to the relevant club via their social media channels:

Instagram – guskydivingclub

glasgowunicycling

Facebook – Glasgow University Skydive Club

University of Glasgow Cycling Club

The post Your guide to a sporting summer in Scotland appeared first on The Glasgow Guardian.

70 years on, Vladimir Nabokov’s legacy shouldn’t be at odds with 21st Century feminism.

To call Lolita controversial – disturbing, even – would be an understatement. A patriarchal (mis)construction of the text aligns a paedophile protagonist with victimhood – and the young girl with predation – all under a flimsy coat of romance. To the perpetually online, this phenomenon is hardly new. It takes its roots in early-to-mid-2010’s Tumblr blogs, exacerbated by questionable Lana Del Rey lyrics and stills of the film, Lolita (1997). But why are young girls obsessed with Lolita? Is this merely senseless self-victimisation in the name of style over substance?

The year is 1962. A simple yet definitive poster: girlish eyes, peeking precariously over heart-shaped sunglasses, a cherry-red affair with the viewer topped off by a lollipop and a simple heading: “How did they ever make a movie out of Lolita?” Well, they made two.

For the (blissfully) unaware, Nabokov’s novel centres on Humbert Humbert, a silver-tongued scholar smitten with 12-year-old Dolores Haze – his step-daughter, the eponymously dubbed Lolita. The book chronicles his festering infatuation, a cross-country road trip in which he sexually desecrates her through the sick lens of his romantic idealisation. Penned in first-person, the author obscures the lines between an otherwise untouchable monstrosity and humankind, forcing the reader to traverse the interior of something wretched and haunted. More poignant is the gentle terror of Nabokov’s language, each rotten word gilded in honeyed eloquence. The reader is groomed. We know what he is, we are enchanted, disgusted and afraid, yet we remain utterly taken. 

The films continue to exist, despite the questionable morals of casting a young actress in the role of Dolores. The original film (1962) – with its flirtatious heart-shaped sunglasses – establishes the scandalised iconography of Nabokov’s gruesome tale that we are so familiar with today. Flirting with controversy, director Stanley Kubrick’s dark comedy arguably ignited the careless perception of the story people have today. The latter adaption, directed by Adrian Lyons in 1997, stays much more faithful to the source material, but is inevitably a less comfortable watch.

Kubrick’s Dolores – played by Sue Lyon – is glamorous to the point of mockery: a seductive temptress completely different from her tomboyish and ordinary character in the text. It’s telling that Dolores is never called by her name in the film – only Lolita – which, in the book, is a sexually objectifying nickname used exclusively by Humbert. Stripped of agency, her story persists through an oppressive ideal. However, in the 1997 adaption, there is no attempt to make Humbert’s attraction palatable. As Dolores, Dominique Swain is a snapshot of girlhood. In keeping with the novel, her power is tucked away in braids and braces and bubblegum. It is within the quiet crevices of simple girlish youth that Humbert goes insane. Here, pleated with simplicity, is reclamation, a subversion of power for the powerless. Is it truly surprising that young girls identify with this? 

This is definitely a cause for concern: the image of a 17-year-old in mimicry of Dominique Swain’s tennis set is unsettling no matter how you look at it. Young girls are vulnerable enough to the Humberts of this world, and the story should be taken seriously. However, teenage girls should not have their intellectual capabilities underestimated: they are more than capable of having nuanced discussions about the story. Long before Lolita TikToks and blogs, my mother (to the horror of her teacher) read the book at fourteen. So did I. Little girls notice things, and perhaps it’s easier and more comfortable to pretend they don’t.

The book as well as the film are dusted in the haze of the male gaze. According to Margaet Atwood, “even pretending you aren’t catering to male fantasies is a male fantasy”. Still, I think being a girl is, to an extent, knowing this. Who knows the male gaze better than someone who lives through it? 

Yes, it is through male eyes that we see the story. However, I have faith that young girls can see past the cloud to Dolores, not Lolita.

The post Notes on Lolita appeared first on The Glasgow Guardian.

The cost of living crisis has meant that many students can’t indulge in expensive activewear, but there are still plenty of options that won’t break your bank account.

When it comes to shopping for sportswear, it’s important to strike a balance between affordability and sustainability. While it’s not always easy to find sportswear that meets both criteria, there are plenty of brands and options out there that fit the bill. With the current cost of living crisis impacting so many people, especially students, it’s no surprise that many of us are looking for more affordable options and are reluctant to fork out a lot of cash for new activewear. The good news is that there are plenty of sports clothing brands out there that won’t break the bank. 

ASOS is always a good starting point for any of your clothing wants or needs. At ASOS, you can find a range of affordable sports clothing from a variety of different brands, including Nike, Adidas, and more. ASOS usually has some sort of discount on their site and if not, student discount is always an option..

Another store to consider is M&S. The highstreet store has a dedicated sportswear collection called Goodmove. This collection is not only affordable but also eco-friendly, using sustainable fabrics like recycled polyester in their range. Some of the items in the collection, such as sports bras and training tops, are available for as little as £12 or £14. 

H&M is another brand that offers affordable sports clothing, with its DryMove collection starting at just £5, although the brand is not known for its slow fashion. Quite the opposite.

Sustainability is also a factor that many students consider when purchasing new items for their wardrobe. There are several brands out there that are worth supporting. Pangaia and Yew Clothing use 100% organic or recycled materials. People Tree and Girlfriend Collective both offer sustainable options at reasonable prices. People Tree is the most affordable out of the following options. 

That being said, it’s not always easy to find affordable and sustainable sportswear, especially if you’re on a tight budget. In these cases, second-hand activewear can be a great option and can be procured on a number of websites including Depop, Vinted, and eBay. Not only is this a more sustainable option, but it’s usually much cheaper than buying brand-new items.

The post Affordable sports clothing brands: saving money while staying active appeared first on The Glasgow Guardian.

The Sport of the Month for May is Glasgow University Skydiving.

Have you ever wanted to Skydive? Well, according to Glasgow University’s Skydiving (GU Skydiving) Captain Eloise Wood, there’s no better time than when you’re at university to try. Wood describes the sport as “exhilarating, welcoming, and definitely unique.” Skydiving is The Glasgow Guardian’s Sport of the Month for May.

Whilst the Skydiving Club does not yet have any BUCS or other competitive teams, Wood stressed how the committee is working hard to assemble a competitive team over the next few years. The club is also ideal for beginners wanting to learn to skydive or just wanting to tick off an incredible activity on their bucket list. “I strongly believe that skydiving is something that everyone should get to experience at least once in their lifetime, and there’s no better time to do it than while you’re at uni,” Wood commented.

Furthermore, Wood emphasised the value-for-money aspect of trying skydiving at university: “If you join our club you’ll be entitled to discounts that allow you to do your static line course and first jump for just £150. You (probably) won’t learn to skydive for cheaper anywhere in the UK. It’s really not as expensive a sport as people think it is and we offer lots of opportunities to make it even cheaper if you do get involved.”

Although many university sports clubs pause activities after the summer examination period, GU Skydiving is still running skydiving courses throughout the summer at their home dropzone, Skydive Strathallan. Furthermore, in August 2023 GU Skydiving is having an “Open Week” where the dropzone is open for nine consecutive days where there will be plenty of opportunities to jump as well as much more happening. This event will be advertised in greater detail on their social media platforms closer to the time.

Despite not yet having a competitive team, there have been a number of successes within the club. A number of the club’s members have achieved their Skydiving ‘A’ Licences so far this year. Skydiving’s Secretary, Arun, recently achieved his ‘B’ Licence. Finally, Wood has recently been awarded a bursary from the Royal Aero Club Trust in order to help her progress within the sport.

Wood stated that the best three things about the Skydiving Club are, “the community, the fun, and the adrenaline of course!”

Skydiving is hosting their final social of the year on the 23^rd of May but if you’re interested in getting involved with the club before the next academic year or have any further questions, contact the club via their social media.

Instagram: @guskydivingclub

Facebook: Glasgow University Skydive Club

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Commonwealth bronze medallist and ex-Scottish badminton player Susan Egelstaff discusses her experiences as a student, a professional badminton player, and now a sports writer for The Herald.

Susan Egelstaff, ex-professional badminton player for Scotland and Great Britain, discusses her experiences of being a student during her professional badminton career. Egelstaff won the bronze medal in Women’s Singles at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and overcame a serious knee injury to compete in the 2012 Olympics. After the London Olympics, Egelstaff decided that she would retire at the top. She is now a sports writer for The Herald.

The Glasgow Guardian spoke to Susan about her experiences as a student at the University of Stirling whilst playing badminton professionally, her post-badminton career, and her role as a mentor in the mentorship scheme offered by Women in Journalism Scotland.

“It was definitely hard at some points,” she stated as she discussed the experience of being a final-year undergraduate and travelling around the world to compete in various competitions. “I enjoyed the combination of studying and playing professionally. I also wanted to have a degree as something to fall back on.”

Susan stated that she completed much of her final year away from university and at times found it hard to fit her studies around badminton and her various classes. “It was about getting a degree and having it as a back-up plan,” she commented. The purpose of a degree varies from student to student as to whether the degree is about expanding one’s mind or having it as an insurance plan. Whilst Egelstaff mentioned that she didn’t necessarily delve that deep into her chosen subject of Psychology and Sports Studies, the practical experience of the theory she learnt in her degree on the badminton court was incredibly valuable. “It’s about doing what you’ve learnt which is the difficult bit,” she said in response to whether she found her knowledge of sports psychology to have impacted her during her badminton career. “I’d already done a lot of the stuff I was learning on a practical level. But psychology definitely has a huge impact on professional athletes.”

Egelstaff stated that she had tried a number of sports as a child but found that badminton was the sport she was especially good at. Egelstaff made the Scottish Senior Squad when she was 15 and found that the amazing travel experiences that came with playing badminton professionally were a huge perk. “I was in Malaysia when I was 15,” she said and further commented that she would never have had that experience if it weren’t for badminton.

“My favourite moment in my badminton career was definitely walking out for my first-round match at the London Olympics and then going on to win that match,” she stated.

After the London Olympics, Egelstaff made the decision to retire from professional badminton, stating that it “felt like the right time” to do so. “I’d spent a long time playing badminton – you just know when it’s time to move on.”

Since hanging up her badminton trainers, Egelstaff is now a sports writer for The Herald. “I just started writing wee bits and bobs on the side whilst I was still playing. Then I found out that I really liked doing it and gradually got into it.”

Egelstaff stressed that her sporting connections and experience as a professional athlete have really aided her sports journalist career: “Badminton helped massively with sporting connections. The contacts I gained from the sport were invaluable.” Furthermore, Egelstaff suggested that her experience of professional sport aids her rapport-building with current professional athletes across a number of sports, particularly in interviews. “I understand sport from a player’s angle. It can be so stressful being a professional athlete. I know it looks so fun but it is hard. Someone could pull your funding or sponsorship at any time and you have to live a different kind of lifestyle.”

As well as writing for The Herald, Egelstaff is a mentor on the Women in Journalism Scotland mentorship scheme and has been involved with the program for two years. She enthusiastically stated that any woman looking towards a career in sports journalism should, “Go for it! There are lots of opportunities, especially with the need to diversify the industry. Although it is a hard industry to get into and stay in, there are opportunities out there. There’s so many digital and online opportunities and it’s just about taking them.”

Furthermore, we discussed that women are often afraid to ask for opportunities in the industry. “If you don’t ask, you simply do not get.”

Whilst Egelstaff is still relatively new to the mentorship scheme only having two mentees thus far, she believes that a major strength of the program is that it offers early-career female journalists the chance to ask questions and receive support from someone already in the industry. “It’s really nice to be a part of something like that. I feel like I can really make a difference to a woman’s career.”

The post In conversation with Susan Egelstaff appeared first on The Glasgow Guardian.

Glasgow University Netball Club were one of three university teams to be included in the newly-created National League for the best netball clubs in Scotland.

Back in November 2022, The Glasgow Guardian spoke to Niamh Fitzpatrick, Goal Attack (GA) for Glasgow University Netball Club’s (GUNC) first team. Fitzpatrick had stressed the excitement within the club after their inclusion in the recently introduced National League (NPL) which saw the best seven netball clubs in Scotland go head-to-head.

After playing some tough matches in the NPL alongside their BUCS fixtures and other university commitments, GUNC came third in the NPL below Edinburgh University 1s and Strathclyde Netball Club. GUNC were tied on points with Edinburgh University but their opponents pipped them to second place after GUNC suffered a defeat to them in their final fixture of the season by five points.

The narrow scorelines in many of the fixtures meant that everything was to play for at every point in the season. It was certainly a tight contest for the top three spots in the table.

Strathclyde Netball Club, however, sits comfortably at the top of the table at the end of the season and convincingly beat GUNC by 27 points at the Emirates Arena in late February.

GUNC’s 1s also came fourth in BUCS Scottish Tier 1. The 2022/23 season has certainly been a successful one. 

The post GUNC finish third in the NPL appeared first on The Glasgow Guardian.

Baroness Meta Ramsay reminisces on her time at the University of Glasgow and her friends from those days who went on to lead New Labour.

Baroness Meta Ramsay’s career since graduating from the University of Glasgow has not been short of drama nor prestige. Since her days frequenting Gilmorehill as President of the Student Representative Council (SRC), Ramsay has seen a lot – from working as a spy in the Nordic states during the Cold War to being an important part of the Labour Party in the House of Lords during the Iraq War.

Ramsay welcomed me to her flat to talk about what it was like being part of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and her involvement in the New Labour, as well as to reminisce on her time as a student at Glasgow with some of the figures who would go on to become big names through those years. From her endearing and gentle nature, urging me to take a biscuit from the selection she’d laid out on platters, it would be hard to guess this woman was once believed to be in the running for chief of MI6. Although her meticulousness in making sure my cup of tea was made to my liking might be indicative of the type of character that led to such a successful career.

Though Ramsay’s early politics may have been influenced by Glasgow Uni, a member of the debating society where her contemporaries were the likes of John Smith and Donald Dewar, she insists this was not the case for her career in intelligence. Some journalists have suggested circles Ramsay was involved in during her time at university, particularly in her role as President of the Scottish National Union of Students, were CIA and MI6 fronts used to recruit for the intelligence services – a claim Ramsay dismisses as rubbish. “It had absolutely nothing to do with Glasgow University. Sometimes people ask because they’ve read all these things about Oxford and Cambridge tutorials, the classic idea from all these novels and things. That your tutor tapped you on the shoulder. At Glasgow University we didn’t have tutorials and glasses of sherry and people tapping you on the shoulder.” I noted with curiosity that judging from her book shelves, she does seem to enjoy a spy novel herself. On the real way she was recruited, the former MI6 Case Officer simply explains she was abroad at the time, and the Ministry of Defence spoke to her.

Ramsay went on to have a successful career in MI6 beginning in the sixties and spanning to the early nineties, which she tells me she enjoyed very much. Reaching the rank of Case Officer as head of the SIS Helsinki station, she worked on the exfiltration of former KGB Colonel Oleg Gordievsky, a notable achievement for MI6 at the time. Through the seventies and eighties, Ramsay was one of only two women who made it to a senior rank in MI6. She highlights the passing of the Equal Opportunities and Sex Discrimination Act in 1975 as a turning point that got the wheels moving, albeit slowly, on seeing more women in the secret service, since it became illegal not to hire someone on the basis of their sex. “They went through big periods when they just wouldn’t look at women, they just didn’t recruit women. Legislation helped, I would say that was the definite foundation block of letting women in with a fair chance to get up,” Ramsay explains, adding that it took a while for progress to be noticeable since, naturally, it takes years from being recruited to work up to a senior role in the service. “As one knows, women are just as talented as men in anything, but it takes a lot of time to get up through the ranks of any of these bureaucracies or organisations. But we’re getting there. We’ve made strides. We’re not there 100% even yet, I think, sometimes, but it’s getting very much less and less.” Over 30 years on from the time Ramsay was a name rumoured as a potential MI6 head, there is yet to be a female in charge – although she does think it’s coming soon.

Due to SIS’s policy of staff having to retire at 55, Ramsay’s career in the intelligence services came to an end in August 1991. But the challenge of keeping the line to people in her life that she simply worked at the Foreign Office continued: “How do you disguise that you stopped your career at 55 when everyone knows the Foreign Office goes on to 60? Why were you never an ambassador? So they either think you’ve been an absolute dead loss or done something terrible at some point, so you have to try and make it so that it doesn’t seem unusual, which can be quite difficult.”

But Ramsay’s 55th birthday arguably fell at the perfect time. It wasn’t to be a simple early retirement – her old friends from the Glasgow Uni days were gearing up to New Labour and working towards electoral success that would see them in power until 2010. Her old friend John Smith immediately asked her to join his team as a foreign policy advisor after winning the Labour leadership. After working in the leader’s office until Smith passed away in 1994, Tony Blair nominated Ramsay for the House of Lords, which she joined in 1996. She has held a number of roles in the House, including as a government whip, and acting as a junior minister for the Departments of Health, Scotland and the Foreign Office.

The transition into politics was also eased largely by the fact she was still friends with her contemporaries from student politics; people like John Smith, Donald Dewar, James Gordon and Teddy Taylor. Although at the time the Glasgow University Union (GUU) was still the ‘men’s union’ and the Queen Margaret Union the ‘women’s union’, they all came together every second Friday at the GUU for the parliamentary debate. “Nobody thought this was a special group, nobody thought this was going to be a Labour minister or a Labour that at the time. You just take them as your contemporaries and you don’t necessarily know that,” Ramsay reflects.

One of the proudest moments of her political career, Ramsay tells me, was being one of three front bench government ministers in the House of Lords who took the Scotland Act through. A Scottish parliament was something her contemporaries at Glasgow Uni used to talk about. “It wasn’t a question of being Scottish nationalists, because most of us were Labour, but we all wanted a Scottish parliament. Devolution was almost something you talked about as a name and you couldn’t really see it coming to pass. It was certainly something John Smith felt very strongly about, as we all did. Of course, once he was leader, we really thought we’d do it and the Labour party did adopt it as a policy and we managed to deliver it. Well, he didn’t live to see it, but never mind, we fulfilled it.”

Ramsay is clearly very proud of all that the Labour governments achieved, so I wonder whether she is concerned that its legacy is tainted by criticism of the Iraq war. “This is where you’re maybe going to get a great surprise – the Iraq war was completely justified. The first problem and mistake was made in the first Gulf war. It was stopped too soon…we should never have stopped when we did.” She argues that without getting rid of Saddam, it was bound to be a massacre of the Kurds in the north and the Shia in the south. “Saddam had to go. It was a horrible, dreadful, awful regime. I mean, the horror stories of what happened to people and went on happening, and resolutions after resolutions were ignored from the UN. It should never have taken until 2003. It was absolutely inevitable and it was quite right to go in. I would have gone in. Well, I wouldn’t have stopped when we stopped and I would have gone back much faster.”

With the 20 year anniversary of the Iraq war falling in March this year, debates of whether or not Britain should have joined Bush in Iraq have naturally spiked again. “Recently, I can’t tell you how frustrated and angry I’ve been at the television coverage of the anniversary. People who don’t know what they’re talking about, they really don’t. They think it all started then. No, it came from a very bad set of circumstances in 1991. And of course, it’s now just become conventional wisdom, the Iraq war and how terrible it was. I don’t think most of the people who say it really understand what they’re talking about. It’s just something that gets parrotted.”

Baroness Ramsay has seen a lot in her career, both abroad and at home. So what should Labour’s priorities be in the next general election, which is tipped to start a new era of British politics by ending over a decade of Conservative rule? “Trying to give everyone a better life. Giving them a sense of wellbeing and to protect the people who need protection, the weakest in society who have problems. But the trouble is, of course, where do you start?”

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Australian three man band DMAs returned to a Glasgow audience last week, with their last stop in the city having just been last Halloween. My co-editor attempted to review that last gig, but it was branded “lazy journalism at its best” by a reader named George. This time then, I have been tasked with trying to do a better job.

This was my first experience of a DMAS gig. I was struck by how many members of the audience who had come down to the O2 were dressed in the same outfits as the Australian musicians themselves – a Liam Gallagher style parka jacket which they did not take off for the duration of the gig. The inspiration which had clearly been taken from the former Oasis frontman did not end there – with DMAs own frontman incorporating the shaking of a tambourine into several of the tracks, as Gallagher is known for doing. Choosing a different handheld percussion instrument, like maracas or a triangle, might have made the imitation less stark. 

Aside from the parkas and tambourine, one area of accessories which DMAs and indeed 90% of the audience differed from Liam was their chosen device for nicotine inhalation. The overwhelming scent of the gig was a mixture of watermelon, blueberry and juicy apple, coming from the elf bars which they seemed to have been giving out complimentary with the ticket. The lead singer himself even took a puff of a vape mid-song. If DMAs ever fancied doing a version of Oasis’ ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’, it would probably be better named ‘Elf Bars and Alcohol.’

Still, all this is just a bit of light hearted fun. The band put on a great show and it was a good night out. The show was part of the tour for their recently released fourth album ‘How Many Dreams?’, and opened with the song of the same name. The setlist featured a mix of these new releases, with my own favourite being ‘Fading Like a Picture’, as well as some of their older hits such as ‘Silver’ and ‘Lay Down’, which got a great response from the crowd. The night finished with a four part encore, ending on one of the new album’s tracks which was first released as a single in 2022 – ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend’. The only disappointing omission was their popular cover of Cher’s ‘Believe’.

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Following our story on the University of Glasgow agreeing to offer places to female Afghan students in its medical school, should the UK Home Office bring them to the country, The Glasgow Guardian hears the unedited accounts of life under the Taliban from the students.

I was in the sixth (final) year of medical science when I was suspended by Taliban government for attending university. We paid our fees and we were so nervous to take preparation for our final exams. We were about to take our final exams that we informed through media and news that Taliban government banned women from their higher education. We could not believe our eyes. Then, we contacted our faculty director; he suggested that we should take preparation for exams and take three exams in one day. We planned to go to university and take the exams. I do not know how Taliban got knew that women are going to university and taking exams. Before, we reached to university, our university inside, and outside surrounded by Taliban with their guns. They were not letting female students inside the university to take exams. Then, we female and male students did protest in front of the university for our rights. Unfortunately, we lost for our rights and could not able to win. Indeed, we hated by Taliban and injured very badly. They started gunfire’s on students and wanted to shoot students not stand for their rights. I still remember their long black hair and scary red eyes while they put gun on my head and told me shall I shoot you now. Why you came out to raise your voice for education? Don’t you scare from us? Who the hell are you and what you called to yourself for being so brave? I was just crying loudly with disappoint tears and breathe! Then, he just hated me very badly by his gun on my shoulders and on my feet! I still feel pain on my body. It has been months, we are far away from our education and our dreams.

I as an Afghan girl face both the collapse of my rights, dreams, and risks to my basic survival. Taliban banned women including those who had worked in education, health care, social services, and business, and former students from human rights. The Taliban have banned women and girls from secondary and higher education, and reformed courses to focus more on religious studies. They dictate what women must wear, how they should travel, workplace segregation by sex, and even what kind of cell phones women should have. They enforce these rules through intimidation and inspections. The past several months have been painful and disappointing ones. While all around the world, Women’s Day is celebrated, we in Afghanistan especially the girls in Kandahar are confined to the walls of our houses. I am angry and deeply disappointed that no one is supporting us, reaching out to us and hearing us.

My life in Kandahar/Afghanistan is so horrible. Each day and night, I feel so scare that Taliban don’t come to our home and investigate us. There is no security. In the day, they occupy the duty of Taliban or as a solider but at night they attend their job as thieve. They are not trustable and they are not kind in any case. We have never had dinner in peace without worry and tension. The thing that pained me the most recently is that I started university before my brothers, but when the Taliban stopped women from schools, I stayed behind and my brother graduated. I watched his degree with disappointment and tears in my eyes. I thought to myself that this could be me. This could be me with a degree, with a big smile, with my family cheering for me. However, I felt incapable, I slapped myself and I questioned my existence as a woman. I wished I was born as a boy. 

Taliban’s cruelty and bans on women has made my present and future look dark. I had many dreams, and wanted to continue studying and working. I was thinking of doing my bachelor as MD to become a professional doctor and to serve my beloved country. Now, the Taliban do not even allow girls to finish high school so completing my bachelor is IMPOSSIBLE in Kandahar. I feel extremely unsafe now because there is a new type of threat against women. Kidnapping of women has increased a lot in Kandahar province. Each day, unknown people kidnap girls and women even in front of their homes who are later found dumped and raped. It is so devastating and terrifying to witness all this, to meet the victims and to not be able to get sleep thinking I will be next by just stepping out my door.  Families are not equipped to take their women outside or let them for a basic education to learn in their relatives and friends’ home. Horror is spread in our and in our families’ hearts. I am tired of being at home. I am depressed and suicidal. If I am not studying, my family will decide to get married.  If I get married, all ambitions will go to waste. I cannot tolerate all these. It is better to die than live such a life.  Such a decision made by Taliban has devastated my dreams and future. The whole thing is over for me. The only thing, I wanted to be educated, to be well-known person in my community, to be a doctor, and to serve people. Nevertheless, I cannot do that anymore. Life means nothing for me.I am hopeful that this woman’s day (March) will bring something promising and positive into our lives. I am really praying that someone will hear my voice and the voices of so many girls in my community.

Actually, having the opportunity to train to be a doctor on Glasgow would drastically change my life and future for better. I am in prison that I banned from getting an education and to achieve my goals. I fell so stranger in my own homeland. Now body would complain about his/her country how they live and how they feel. If they even live in poverty and in low economic, they would never complain. At least, they will work and prepare something for his/her family. However, in my homeland, women don’t treat as human-being. How should I and other Afghan educated women should live here in such country and in such situation where I don’t treat as human-being. How I can achieve my goals here in Afghanistan when Taliban don’t treat me as a great citizen of Afghanistan and human-being. Here, in Afghanistan my life and future is so dark and achieving my goals are IMPOSSIBLE!

There is no opportunity for me to go to university and become a professional doctor anymore especially in Kandahar province. I am actually scared for my future and I am scared that not much attention might be paid to Kandahari women because of the nature of the province’s extreme cultural barriers against women compared to provinces like Kabul. I stress a lot because I do not want to be left behind. I want to start my new life from prison and live in peace to go abroad and study hard to become a professional doctor to help people in the future. If my own country does not accept me as a woman to achieve my goals and to treat me as human-being but at least international community/organisations should hear my voice and help me in this hard time to leave Afghanistan and achieve my dreams abroad.

There are too many other girls include me who are so disappointed and worry about their future and being in four walls for months and years. I will never give up for my rights and education. I will always fight for my education to achieve it. I as an Afghan brave girl will try my best to achieve UK scholarship so that I could able to represent Kandahar brave girls that they are so strong and can never give up for their rights and sit quietly. I being come to Scotland and train to be a doctor will make my whole life and it will give me the authority and strength to help and serve sick people. I will support my people in case if I could be capable to help them.

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With progressive representation and constant shifts of narrative perspectives, Dragonfall is a unique intervention in the fantasy canon.

“If there can be dragons in fantasy, why can’t there be queer people?” I remember a colleague on my Fantasy MLitt commenting in a discussion on diversity within the genre. It’s fitting, then, that Sunday Times bestseller L. R. Lam provides both in Dragonfall, which is sensational in both the language it uses and the stunning cover design.

Being the first book in The Dragon Scales trilogy, Dragonfall follows the last male dragon and a desperate thief whose fates are entwined. Their bond will save, or shatter, the world as they know it. Arcady, a non-binary character, has scraped a living by thieving on the streets of Vatra, dreaming of life among the nobility – and revenge. When the chance arises to steal a powerful artefact from the bones of the Plaguebringer, the most hated person in Lumet history, they jump at it. Everen, the last male dragon who was once foretold to save his kind, is dragged by Arcady into the human world. Everen soon realises that the key to his destiny lies in Arcady. All Everen needs to do is convince the thief to bond with him completely – body, mind, and soul – and then kill them. 

One of the many issues fantasy writers encounter is info-dumping at the very beginning of a novel or new series. Although this allows a secondary world to be constructed, the reader is denied the opportunity to navigate it for themselves. Even though the world-building in Dragonfall initially seemed complicated, I am glad Lam instead allowed the reader an entryway into her secondary world via the distinct narrative perspectives of Arcady and Everen. This was especially important after they thanked Robin Hobb, a well-renowned worldbuilder, in the opening pages of the book. 

Dragonfall is distinctly Scottish. Lam’s scenes were vivid, peppered with the odd colloquial “wee”, and there were certain moments l where I felt like I was wandering through Edinburgh. Lam also strikes a balance between simplicity and complexity. Their vocabulary is complex, but the overall style and structure of their writing is simple, making the book totally digestible. The language flowed with ease, and the novel was well-paced. 

Its experimental style deploys all three narrative perspectives, making Dragonfall like no other fantasy novel that I’ve read before. Overall, this is weaved into the narrative well, however there were moments where a shift in narrative perspective either felt repetitive, or disrupted the rhythm within the story. Furthermore, there were moments during the climax and final moments of the novel where the reader was introduced to a brand new perspective. It’s hard to tell whether this was a useful device to round off the novel – setting up for the second novel in the trilogy – or merely a convenient tag-on. Nonetheless, the Everen chapters that use both first and second person perspectives contribute to the sexual tension between themselves and Arcady, while the second person was also a smooth stylistic choice to refer to Arcady as a non-binary character, aiding my understanding as a cisgender woman of their life experience.

The constant shifts of narrative perspective are not my favourite part of the novel, but combined with its unique representation of a non-binary co-protagonist, it ensures Dragonfall is a stand-out within the fantasy genre, pushing the boundaries of what the canon can look like.

Finally, I love the materiality of this book. The cover is simple but bold and eye-catching. The typesetting and little emblems printed throughout the text further enable the words on the page to come to life. Dragonfall might be digestible, original and experimental, but it’s also a beautiful addition to my bookshelf.Pre-order now or buy in stores from 2 May 2023.

The post Beautiful and experimental: Review of Dragonfall by L. R. Lam appeared first on The Glasgow Guardian.

Theatre Royal Glasgow is transformed into the tragic, lustful chaos of New Orleans

Scottish Ballet’s performance of A Streetcar Named Desire, based on the play by Tennessee Williams, is choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, directed by Nancy Meckler, and accompanied by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra. It begins with protagonist Blanche (Marge Hendrick) falling in love with and marrying Alan (Javier Andreu) at her family home. However, Blanche rejects Alan after witnessing him having an affair with a man, which ultimately leads to his suicide. While grieving the death of her partner, Blanche remains at her family home. Blanche’s sister, Stella (Constance Devernay-Laurence), moves to New Orleans where she falls in love with Stanley (Evan Loudon). All is well until Blanche arrives at her door, seeking more than just sisterly companionship. 

The storytelling of Streetcar is enjoyable, engaging and emotive, and (critically) understandable for those who may not be familiar with the storyline beforehand. Nicola Turner’s set design creates a vivid sense of place despite its minimalist nature, often using sets that double as props. The most impressive part of the set design is Blanche’s family home, which is made of crates that collapse when Blanche’s family life begins to crumble. The movement of the crates reminds the audience that all aspects of the set design are engaged in the dance. These crates are used throughout the performance, seamlessly shapeshifting into each setting. 

The lighting of this performance, designed by Tim Mitchell, harnesses and guides the audience’s emotions through pivotal scenes. The use of shadows establishes an eerie and unsettling mood from the exposition, foreshadowing the trauma and violence to come. Pendant light bulbs are used throughout, not only to set the scene of New Orleans and show the impoverished state of Stella’s apartment, but also to allow Blanche and Mitch (Blanche’s love interest) to hang a lantern on the light. 

The sound design, by Peter Salem, builds tension and creates a sense of loss. Extended periods of silence are deployed skillfully in this performance, drawing the audience to the edge of their seat and subverting their expectations to create a sense of fear. Similarly, Ella Fitzgerald’s song ‘It’s Only A Paper Moon’ is first played when Blanche and Mitch share their first dance, and is twisted into an eerie, unsettling soundtrack by the end of the performance, when Blanche is forcibly committed to a psychiatric hospital. 

As a ballet, the dancers’ movements hold the preponderance of the audience’s attention. The performance comes with content warnings for domestic and sexual violence, which are delicately yet veridically depicted through Hendrick, Devernay-Laurence and Loudon’s performance. 

The performances from these talented dancers, along with the emotive sound design and clever lighting, leave audiences horror-stricken as the curtains fall. 

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Is the kind of popcorn they eat the only thing you want to learn about your date?

Let me set the scene: you’ve been chatting to someone on Tinder for a couple of weeks, and eventually you take the plunge and ask whether they want to meet up. They reply with the dreaded question: “Sure, what should we do?” Now, I get it. Finding a good first date idea can be difficult; we’ve all been there googling “the most romantic bars in Glasgow.” However, whatever you do, do not suggest that your first date take place in the cinema.

While going to the cinema might seem like a safe bet, low pressure and relatively cheap, the whole purpose of going on a date is to get to know the other person better. The best way to do this is not, funnily enough, to sit side by side in a dark room and not talk to them for two and a half hours. Now, those in favour of cinema dates would probably say: ‘Well, you can get to know them after the film, and at least that way you have something to talk about.’ Whilst admittedly there is something rather appealing about a date with no awkward silences, or indeed a date where you have something to talk about other than rock climbing (personal experience), a film followed by a drink, or even dinner, is effectively two dates in one. Now this is all well and good if you like the person, but if, during the film, you discover that they clap when the film ends or worse, like sweet popcorn, you can do nothing but slowly come to the realisation that you have to spend the next three hours with them (at least).

If you have decided to ignore my advice and choose to go to the cinema anyway, there is another pressing question to be answered : what do you watch? You could suggest a horror film in an attempt to seem cool (even though you secretly find Harry Potter scary), but small yelps and sweaty palms might not be the best look for a date. Alternatively, you could try to set the scene with a rom-com, however, this does run the risk of Ryan Gosling setting the bar just a little too high. Given that the film you choose may be the only indication they have of your personality, since you can’t talk to them during the film (unless you are one of those people, in which case, red flag), choosing the right film is an important, and treacherous, decision, and dare I say it, one that could have been avoided if you hadn’t chosen to go to the cinema in the first place.

I get it, awkward conversations are a nightmare, but going to the cinema on a first date will not spare you from the inevitable discomfort of a second and third date (if you liked the person) and it can even prolong contact with someone you will realise you have no interest in dating. While the cinema date might postpone uncomfortable silences, they are almost impossible to avoid if you really want to get to know someone, so stop hiding from it and tear off the plaster!! Cinema dates are far more enjoyable once you have gotten to know the person you are dating, and you are sure that you can pick a film you will both enjoy and are excited to talk about afterwards over a couple of drinks.

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To commemorate the 400^th birthday of the first printed edition of William Shakespeare’s collected plays in 1623, the ‘First Folio’ will go on public display at the Hunterian Art Gallery on 22 and 23 April 2023. The University of Glasgow’s First Folio is currently held in the Library’s Archives & Special Collections, as one of three remaining copies in Scottish collections.

Approximately 750 copies of the First Folio were printed. 235 are known to have survived with 50 copies still in the UK, 149 in the USA and 36 held elsewhere in the world (nine of which are listed as missing). 

Speaking with The Glasgow Guardian, Julie Gardham, Senior Librarian from Archives & Special Collections at the University of Glasgow, said: “It is always a joy to show our First Folio to students at the University. 

“It is a complex ‘made up’ volume, formed from combining two or three different imperfect copies to create a whole. In common with most other surviving First Folios, the book shows considerable signs of wear and use, and many of its pages are stained and dirt engrained. This evidence of heavy use by previous owners can offer us historical insights into reading habits, and this copy is particularly important for its early annotations that were made by a reader who had evidently seen Shakespeare’s plays being acted contemporaneously.

“At first glance, it seems to be dilapidated and imperfect but turning its pages and seeing the annotations of an early owner who ‘knew’ some of the actors and comments on the plays gives us a thrilling direct connection to Shakespeare’s time.”

The Folio contains 36 plays, 18 of which were previously unpublished, thereby saving works such as The Tempest and Macbeth from probable extinction, Gardham explains. 

“If it was not for this book, you would not be able to go and see a performance of Macbeth, since there would not be any documentary evidence for it. The only way that play has survived and is able to be enjoyed, studied, and talked about, is the fact that it was printed in this book in 1623… If it was not for this book there would be only half of Shakespeare that we know.”

Professor Adrian Streete, Head of English Literature at the University of Glasgow, said: “Today the First Folio is a literary and cultural monument, as several of those involved in collecting and printing Shakespeare’s plays four hundred years ago hoped it would be. Yet in 1623, the publishing of the First Folio was an expensive and risky undertaking. Shakespeare’s popularity was not then what it would become later.”

The First Folio’s exhibition at the Hunterian is part of the Folio400 celebrations across the UK and Ireland. The Scottish-held copies that will be accessible to the public in 2023 are at the University of Glasgow, the National Library of Scotland and Mount Stuart Trust. An extensive range of rare and internationally important collections can be found at Glasgow University Archives and Special Collections, on Level 12 of the University Library, and is accessible to students after booking a visit over the Appointment Booking System.

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A lecturer at the University of Glasgow posted an advert on Spare Room for a bedroom in a  “luxury 2 bedroom apartment” demanding nearly £12,000 rent to be paid upfront. This is equivalent to a year’s rent at a rate of £215 a week. Housing law in Scotland states that a landlord can not demand more than six months of rent upfront. The advert on SpareRoom has since been deleted. 

The flat situated on White Street in Partick is described in the advert as “a nice peaceful street whilst the surrounding area bustles with life”, and asked for a “female student” to take up the tenancy. 

The advert concludes by stating that “the total rent would be 52 weeks at £215 =£11880. All the rent needs to be paid at one time normally within one week after you move in”. 

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University activists reflect on the contrasts and similarities that unite their respective secessionist movements.  

The ever-evolving Catalan and Scottish Secessionist movements are among the most well-known campaigns for independence around the world. The political struggle for independence has reached an interesting point, with the SNP currently in the midst of a historic leadership election and Esquerra Republicana, a left-wing pro-Catalan independence party standing in a minority government for the first time in its lifetime. 

Although each movement has its unique challenges and developments, there are still strong connections between them, as evidenced by the display of the Saltires during the national day of Catalonia, Diada, every year and the estelada, a flag which represents support for Catalan independence, being flown at Scottish marches. 

To gain further insight into these movements, The Glasgow Guardian has spoken to student activists from both movements: Olaf Stando, the international officer of Young Scots for Independence (the SNP official youth wing), and Duran Matamoros, his counterpart in Jovent Republica (the youth wing of Esquerra).

On the Catalan pro-independence movement, Matamoros acknowledges that “the whole effervescence that happened in 2017 is quite far away”, referring to the buildup of pressure and momentum that led to the constitutionally illegitimate referendum in October of that year and the legal procedures against Catalan pro-independence  leaders that followed. He describes the current state of the movement as a “standby situation” and explains the dialogue process that the Catalan government finds itself in with the central Spanish government: “We need to take the whole political affair outside of the legal course so that people are not persecuted for calling a referendum or taking part in one.”

As Spain readies itself for a general election later this year many pollsters suggest a centre right government led by the Partido Popular with the confidence and supply of the far right Vox party. “I do not believe in independence because I hate Spain but because I think that Catalonia will be better independent. I would never want Spain to be ruled under a government that is fascist or has far right components within it,” says Matamoros. 

Despite his disapproval of the possibility of this government Matamoros recognises that it could help the Catalan independence cause, since “they will be more harsh and provoke a greater reaction”. He draws a comparison with the Scottish movement here, and the beneficial narrative that could be written as a result of the UK leaving the EU. 

The 2014 Edinburgh Agreement and the Smith report (a set of recommendations for devolving further powers to the Scottish Parliament, following the 2014 Scottish independence referendum) are beacons of judicialization that the Catalan group hope to see for their movement, with Matamoros citing the Spanish constitution and judicial system as amongst the main barriers to achieving independence. 

Recently back from Galicia, where he attended an EFA (a coalition of European pro-independence  parties) Youth Summit, Stando stressed the unity and shared motives of pro-independence movements across Europe. “Self-determination is what unites our movements. In both Scotland and Catalonia, people vote for more progressive and leftist parties, and you don’t often get these outcomes. It is a desire for democracy and to get the governments we vote for.” 

His own movement, that of Scottish independence, Stando says is “fundamentally strong.” “We are at a crossroads due to the unforeseen resignation of Sturgeon, but despite this, the SNP continues to be a driving force for Scottish independence.” 

Before her resignation, Nicola Sturgeon announced the next general election would be a “de facto referendum“, meaning the SNP would run on the explicit message that a majority of votes for them or another pro-independence party would be considered a demonstration of the will for independence by the majority. Duran Matamoros draws comparison with the 2015 Catalan parliamentary elections when the major pro-independence parties united under the electoral pact Junts Pel Sí, an exercise he called “useful” despite the fact the parties received a combined total of less than 50% of the vote. 

However, Matamoros expresses scepticism about whether a similar strategy would work for the Scottish independence movement, due to the differing ideological nature of Catalan nationalism, which spans parties on both the left and right. Unlike in Scotland, since the end of the Franco dictatorship in the 70s, Catalonia has been dominated by centre-right politics. It was only in the 2021 regional elections that left wing Esquerra became the largest pro-independence party, and nationalist ideology remains deeply divided. 

Matamoros’ views the ideological component in Catalonia as a strategic benefit to achieving independence if parties across the political spectrum share a common vision. “Junts and Esquerra should share a common strategy, that is, Esquerra should focus on the left side of the political spectrum. And Junts should do more liberal and centre-right narratives that would also appeal to pro-independence supporters,” he explained. On the other hand, he acknowledges that competition between independence parties creates “continuous confrontation which only decreases the force as a whole that the pro-independence movement has.” 

Although the Scottish independence movement does not encompass such a wide range of parties, with the SNP still the most dominant force, Standos believes that ideological changes have also occurred here. He considers that the SNP has shifted to the right since 2014, understanding “the desire to capture 2014 No voters and 2016 Remain voters” as presented by their embrace of free ports and economic liberalisation measures. 

However, he stressed that he does not consider the SNP to occupy the centre-right. “The SNP is very much a centrist party, very much in the middle of the pact,” he explained. He also stated that “broadly, the independence movement is a centre-left movement which is crying out for the SNP to embrace more progressive policies.”

Although Stando stressed his neutrality on the leadership race due to his position within the party and the YSI, he did state that “the candidate we choose should be progressive, and unashamedly so, both economically and socially.”

“The party risks drowning in division and a spiral of polarisation which we haven’t had since 2004, when Alex Salmons was elected leader” Stando highlighted on the SNP’s leadership race. “The movement in Scotland feels a bit disjointed, perhaps disoriented, and it just needs a bit of a push to get going and campaigning, and I’m confident that with a new leader that’s exactly what we are going to do.”

Looking to the future, both Matamoros and Stando express optimism for the progress of their respective movements. In Scotland, the movement’s success relies heavily on the outcome of the SNP leadership election and the ability of the next First Minister to maintain the momentum and garner greater support for independence. In Catalonia the “standby situation” seems to drag on, seriously hampered by the rigid constitution and judicial hurdles it faces. Additionally, the dialogue process is threatened by the rise of the right throughout the rest of Spain.

“Despite the differences in language and culture, the desire for political autonomy and the right to choose one’s own government is a common thread that runs through both movements”, says the SNP’s Stando. He believes that this shared vision will continue to drive the movements forward towards their ultimate goal of independence.

The post Students at the heart of the Scottish and Catalan independence movements  appeared first on The Glasgow Guardian.

A University of Glasgow student seeking asylum is currently involved in a legal battle against the Home Office.

Lorelai Patanik (25) was denied her right to work and, later, her asylum claim in late 2022. The Home Office sent a statement of refusal against Lorelai’s asylum application on 16 December 2022, which it based on the availability of state protection and the possibility of internal relocation in India. “They admitted, yet ignored that I face transphobia in India, arguing that it may resolve itself if I moved to a different part of the country. This option is not accessible to me. They also believed I could go to the higher authorities. But there is institutional transphobia from the legislature to the judiciary. There is police brutality and employer discrimination against trans people. If a trans person is assaulted, it is a bailable offence and the police may refuse to resolve the case. If I went to the police in India about my parents, I would be ignored. My parents would have killed me by then. They said they would kill me. My mother said it and laughed” Lorelai said. 

After an asylum interview earlier that year, on 7 May 2022, Lorelai was accused by the Home Office of verbal deception, and the conclusion that she had intended to claim asylum from the start. Her right to work in the UK was promptly removed. Lorelai told The Glasgow Guardian, however, that she had no intention to claim asylum until Scottish charity LGBT Health and Wellbeing put in her touch with the legal team at Katani & Co Solicitors, who advised her to register her claim: “When I came to Glasgow, I did not know about asylum. I was familiar with the concept, but that was it. I simply wanted to start a new life and build a career in a place where I could be myself freely without my parents.”

In another interview on 5 September 2022, Lorelai says the transcript taken by the interviewer contained errors, and her lawyer had to make revisions to it: “The interviewer would interrupt me and leave out some things from the transcript.” Asylum seekers are required to attend a substantive interview set up by the Home Office to determine their status in the country, which often requires intense preparation, and Lorelai had accordingly collected evidence to substantiate her lived experience as a trans woman in Glasgow. 

Now, Lorelai is appealing to the first-tier tribunal against the Home Office’s decision. Yet, because Lorelai’s crowdsourced living funds are above the blanket number of £3,000, she has been denied Scottish Legal Aid. As a result, Lorelai must pay all her fees despite not having the right to work, forcing her to convert her survival fund into a fund aimed at meeting the cost of her legal fees for the appeal process: “I feel vulnerable and scared. No asylum seeker should have to pay for a legal process. I feel I was penalised by the Scottish Legal Aid board for relying on community’s support. There is a lack of concrete policy or active involvement from the Scottish Government for asylum seekers in Scotland. Everybody has a right to dignity. On top of already being an asylum seeker, the system is so dehumanising.”

It could be months before Lorelai hears of an outcome, but she remains hopeful about appealing the denial of her right to work in Spring.

Meanwhile, violence and discrimination against trans people in India is increasing. According to trans rights activists, trans people have been pushed to the sidelines of policy-making, with legislation to protect their lives not being truly enshrined in democracy, nor delivering any protection to trans people. India’s rampant transphobia problem has resulted in transphobic assault, violence and murder, conversion therapy, workplace discrimination and a government actively eroding trans rights and proactively neglecting the welfare of the trans community. In 2022, a teacher was fired for being a trans woman. In addition to the cases of violent public and public transphobia, one 17-year-old trans girl was brutally murdered by her own family in 2021. The state and society are actively hostile to the trans community in India.

When Lorelai came out to her parents, they became an active danger to her life and safety: “My parents are violently abusive and transphobic, and actively repressed my identity, desisting my transition through therapy, and threatening conversion therapy. They were a threat to my life and safety on the very basis that I was a woman. When I came out, my mother pushed me to the wall and said she’d kill me and burn the house down if I continued expressing myself.”

Lorelai’s parents weaponized against her the sort of non-medical, spiritual practices of conversion therapy which are common in India. Conversion therapy involves using violent procedures to alter one’s gender or sexuality, and it is tantamount to torture. It has been proven to be continuously unsuccessful, and the individuals forced to participate are at a high risk of suicide. Although India’s High Court has prohibited the practice of conversion therapy, the court has allocated the responsibility of criminalising conversion therapy to India’s union and state governments – both of which have not expressed any plans to implement bans. Additionally, this law only applies to medical professionals, meaning that non-medical practitioners, including religious factions, can still practise conversion therapy.

In September 2021, Lorelai made an active decision to move to Glasgow to complete an LLM in law, pursuing a career she loves in which she can help others whilst building a life for herself: “The moment that plane left India, it felt like the beginning. An ocean apart from everything.” Lorelai found community amongst the Glasgow University LGBTQ+ Society, taking on the role of POC officer. She began to present more outwardly in public as feminine, with greater access to clothes and makeup. Through groups including Small Trans Library Glasgow, Rainbow Glasgoroos, and places like Bonjour, Pink Peacock Cafe, and Category is Books, Lorelai finally felt at home. Lorelai’s drag persona, Medea, also found success, becoming one of only five trans women of colour performing drag in Scotland, even performing in the first all-POC Scottish drag show: “Drag for me was finding community, feminine gender expression and feeling like I would be cherished.”

The support Lorelai has found in queer communities in Glasgow has been crucial. Under the current regime, the Home Office’s provision for asylum seekers involves a sum of £40 a week to live off, which has not been increased in spite of the cost of living crisis. Hotel detention accommodation is offered, but as a trans woman, this proves an incredibly dangerous option for Lorelai. With the help of the Glasgow University LGBTQ+ Society and Glagow’s queer community, Lorelai was able to set up the GoFundMe for her survival in Glasgow, as well as various fundraisers. These initiatives, which are now having to be directed towards the legal fees, contributed towards Lorelai’s survival fund, ensuring she could move into safe, queer-friendly accommodation whilst still having enough money to survive.

“Everyone’s support has been crucial. It means a lot. I want to focus on my health and dysphoria and start transitioning. Having now raised enough to meet the costs of my legal fees, my fundraising will now focus on my transition, as my other needs have been met by previous fundraising. Transition is a crucial part of my survival as a trans woman. I am fighting with the strength of the community I have found in Glasgow. It’s a battle, but I’m not struggling or isolated because of their support.”

Due to her status as an asylum seeker Loralai is fundraising to be able to afford to survive in Glasgow and cover her legal fees. The link can be found here .

The post Loralai’s story: Trans UofG student denied asylum appeared first on The Glasgow Guardian.

How can TikTok algorithms be manipulated to promote new music?

Techniques of promotion that were previously accessible to only a select few people have, in recent years, expanded to anyone with access to the internet. Using internet trends to manoeuvre through the algorithm; independent artists and newcomers to the industry can attract a fanbase, promote new music and network in the industry. This is inherently a good thing. It makes a career path that is usually seen as out of reach much more achievable, but with that comes a much larger sphere of content artists need to conquer. The need for individuality and a unique sound or image becomes much more important than ever in order to stand out.

If you remember growing up hearing about people like Justin Bieber, who was discovered by Scooter Braun through a video of him singing on YouTube, or Shawn Mendes who captivated an audience through Vine, I’m sure you were also conditioned to believe that these were “once in a lifetime” instances, because we have always been taught that the arts are not realistic career options. But with the growth of TikTok, whose content almost fully relies on music and sound clips, artists from all over the world have flocked to social media to grab the attention of other music lovers looking for something new. 

Continuing the traditional method of posting a video of your singing to the internet, Katie Gregson-MacLeod uploaded herself singing an original song to TikTok, it gained global reach and success, and it has now been signed by Greg Kurstin, a Grammy award winning producer. She transitioned from a student at Edinburgh University with a part time barista job to an overnight sensation. Similarly, Leith Ross posted a raw original which would soon amass over 1.2m likes and have artists such as FINNEAS, Alessia Cara and Ricky Montgomery praising them in the comments. 

It’s undeniable that the arts have almost always been about luck. No matter how talented you are, there always needs to be a certain amount of luck on your side to be able to catch a crowd’s attention. People on TikTok have managed to find unique new ways of attracting this attention, by finding their way through the impressive algorithm.

Think about one of TikTok’s biggest success stories, PinkPatheress, a 21-year old self-produced artist from Kent who quickly rose to stardom after a snippet of one of her songs went viral on TikTok in 2021. She stated that it was really “quantity over quality” in the beginning, that the aim was to release a short clip of something every day in the hope that one would reach its way out of her sphere of followers and into the mainstream. This happened with her first hit single, Just for me, a song using popular slang behind a hyper pop beat in a short catchy snippet which users grew to love; putting it as the soundtrack to anything and everything. She capitalised on the success of this to expand and release an EP in October of that year. Now with a cult following, she used TikTok to build hype around her new tracks like Where you are, featuring WILLOW (an artist she had dreamed of working with). A short clip of the track wouldn’t leave people’s minds or “for you” pages for weeks, before the full thing was even released. 

This is a technique seen popping up all over the app when an artist – established or not – is promoting a new song and will do so by creating video after video using the same 5 second clip, usually in an attempt of making a trend. Conan Gray did this when promoting his song Telepath by creating (one might say an excessive amount of) videos to the lyric “You’re just so predictable”. Further, Lydia Martin from The Regrettes did the same thing to promote their song Barely on my mind, using that exact lyric. The key really is to find a snippet from that song that is diverse enough to be moulded into different jokes, skits, aesthetic videos, dances and really anything else people can think to put on the app, so that people can use it as a base for their own creation. Now that this has worked on many occasions, it is what attracts artists and record labels to push for this method of marketing. However, this has begun to backfire when people become sick of a song before it has even been released; only for it to lose its hype that the artist had spent so long creating. Creating music which is so clearly intended to fit into the mould of a flexible 10-second video, only for the rest of the song to be neglected, creates the potential for fans to be severely underwhelmed. It is almost as if the marketability of a song is being mistaken for having a good sound. 

Although it can become irritating to see people abusing this format for reasons that are not so aspirational, it’s a joy to hear about the success of independent artists who many can relate to. It’s inspiring and motivational to see normal people with talents which deserve to be displayed on a grand scale, who can turn that into their career amongst the abundance of nepotism baby career paths that otherwise plague the music industry.

The post Breaking through the noise appeared first on The Glasgow Guardian.