t-A/N	--Lcsl^

THE NEWSPAPER OF THE LON^ JHOOI. OF ECONOMICS STUDENTS' UNION j 14TH MARCH 1994
T/ie Reaver
THE NEWSPAPER OF THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS STUDENTS' UNION
Issue 403	3 October 1994
Is the Beaver just not good enough?
The NUS/Guardian Media Award j udges appear to th i n k so


m

Ron Voce
The announcement of the 1994 Guardian Media Awards were announced last week, with the LSE's newspaper The Beaver not included in any of the short listed catagories.
Ron Voce, the current Executive Editor, was very unhappy about this as he felt that "not only were the entries into the Newspaper of the Year category of excellent quality and content, but the photographers and journalists that were entered were of also a high standard." Voce
continued saying "the Beaver is one of the few papers that produces weekly without a sabbatical Editor and content is very parochial to the LSE. Whether this is a drawback remains to be seen, but as long as 2000 students continue to read the Beaver weekly, although it would be nice to be shortlisted, I don't think an award would.make that much difference to the paper anyway, also most of those shortlisted are big Universities, rather than little colleges. Maybe this competition is becoming split into a two tier system where some Univesities fund their papers well and where others
have to make do with continually reduced resources" One answer that Voce gives for this exclusion is the lateness of the arrival of the, entries at the Watford office due to a foul up with the couriers who were supposed to collect them. In the end Voce had to deliver them personally and they therefore arrived after the office had shut on the closing day. But he did concede that it was difficult to speculate Finally Voce added 'reluctantly', that maybe "we (The Beaver) are not what the judges are looking for", but he 'philisophically' pointed out, that "there's always next year!"
TheGuardian/NUS Student Media Award 1994 Shortlist College Newspaper
Epigram	Bristol
Courier	Newastle
London Student	London
Darts	Sheffield
Mancunion	Manchester
Warwick Boar	Warwick
Student Journalist
Denise Derbyshire Darts Rachel Newsome Darts Chris Hadley London Student
Tom Ridgeway London Student
Simon Bird Courier
Shout The Smoke Spike ISIS Buzz
College Magazine
Smiths Goldsmiths (Lon) John Moores (Liv) U of Westminster Bath Uni.
Oxford Uni. Kingston Uni. Queens Medical Magazine Birmingham Uni. King's Bench King's College (Lon) Wayzgoose Bristol Uni.
Student Photogtapher
Paul Rogers	GairRhydd
U of Wales Roar (KCL) London Student Varsity Cambridge London Student
Phillip Ashworth Nick Strangelove
Benjamin Schott
Sam Faulkner
			
everal non-LSE taken down as it is a public kJ students were expelled highway. They had the the from freshers fair for following statement; "Khilafah, distributing literature by the the Islamic State, A secure LSE Students' Union. future for Muslims and Non- This action was taken due to Muslims. a written understanding WithHizbutTahrirsplitting between the School and the into several groups it is difficult Students' Union. Several toplacetheblameforthisbreach posters were placed on of School regulations onto any Houghton Street which were particular Islamic group.		reshers week ended J- with two packed parties in the Tuns. They culminated a well organised Freshers week, which with a few minor hiccups could be described as one of the best. All the sabbaticals appeared pleased that the first week had gone well, but were "relieved" that it was over.	rriory student national The storm of protest _L Chair, Andrew Reid, amongst Tory diehards seems condemned a Labom- Students strange when the Tories poster depicting Chancellor of themselves have issued a the Exchequer Kenneth Clarke poster depicting a 'mad' John as a "fat bloke". Prescott with the caption ChairofLabourStudentsIan "Socialism screw you up". . Corfield, defended the poster The LSE Labour Club and saying "we werejuststatingthe LSE Tories have given both obvious. He is a fat bloke and he posters to The Beaver to display has just cut grants by 30%. " in the Beaver Office ( E197).
2 - News
^he l^eaveir
3 October 1994
Union ^ack
Jack tossed and turned. She could not sleep. All summer it had been fine, but now the awful recurring nightmare was starting to affect her again. It was the same every Wednesday night. Jack dreamt that she was on her way to a Management Science lecture on Thursday lunchtime in the New Theatre, but somehow she had found herself in the Old Theatre. She could not work out why they called the lecture theatre with the new furniture the Old theatre, and the one with the old seats the New Theatre. As soon as she opened the door she realised that she was in the wrong place, those horrid leering g^ins were certainly not those of management students.
Too frightened to leave. Jack went into what she thought must be the safest of the seats in the middle of the lecture theatre, and sat down. Anxiously, Jack looked to her right, and saw the most awesome group of social misfits kno\ra to womankind. The faces looked familiar, the Cro-Magnon man with the unfeasible large head, and a character who Jack was sure that she had seen from the News of the World, but the spotty one with leather trousers who was so vivid a part of previous incarnations of this dream seemed to have disappeared, but no, who is that
coming through the green door.....Quasimodo who
seems to have been trapped inside the Old Theatre for the past nineteen years, was still there; as was Mr Creosote. Hastily, Jack looked to the left and saw an equally bizarre collection of misfits but fewer in number. She was sure that at least some of them were not students of the LSE. She caught the eye of one tall, thin strange looking guy, but he burst into tears almost immediately.
Whilst considering this bizarre collection of what could only loosely be described as people, Jack suddenly felt a thud on the back of her head. She spun round, and looked above her. Jack immediately felt the guilty pangs of judging people too hastily. Those sitting to her right were not the most awesome group of social misfits she had ever seen. Juvenile squeals and rolled up copies of the esteemed publication which included Jack's own musings on student politics were being thrown at her. The again, when you heard some of the people who were speaking. Jack could almost understand why missiles were being thrown.
For the best part of an hour, an assorted collection of inadequates rose to the podium to speak on a variety of scintillating subjects. Jack was, by now, squirming in her seat, and feeling too intimidated to leave. She shivered as a huge Irish man with a baggy neck tried to eat the microphones from the stage. Jack felt compelled to cover her eyes as a man looking suspiciously like a mini-cab driver from Birmingham rose to speak at inordinate length about the need for a megaphone to be purchased to assist the political campaigns of the Students' Union. Jack was looking at her watch, desperately hoping for it to be 2 o'clock, but in this dream it was one minute to two for ages. Jack glanced anxiously around, and decided that now was as good a time as any to make a break for it. She crept past the Liberal Democrats (both of them), and broke for cover. Almost there, and then stopped in her tracks. The killer blow. A slightly flustered looking girl wearing a V-necked jumper bounced up to Jack. "Hi, Jack. My name's Kate and I used to be a model and I was wondering if...oh shit. You're a woman. Hi, Jack. My name's Kate and I am an eco-feminist and I was wondering if you wanted to discuss the place of women in the modern sociological movement....."
Jack awoke, it was Thursday lunchtime. She was on her way to a management Science lecture in the New Theatre She felt sure she knew what was going to happen next...........
Warning Over Church Cult
Alan Davies
LSE students living in private
accommodation or lodgings, particularly new students, should be wary of anybody who invites them to a church service on Sunday afternoon.
More likely than not they will be a representative of the London Church of Christ (LCC), an extreme religious group who prey on single young people, particularly students.
Their tactics will not be unfamiliar to devotees of the television soap opera, Neighbours.
The recent storyline of how Lauren, the beautiful young
daughter of Ramsey Street car dealer Lou Carpenter, was sucked into a religious cult called the Barabians highlighted the dangers of brain-washing.
In reality though, since its birth a few years ago, the LCC has gained a reputation for luring students away from their families and into the 'wider family of Christ'.
One parent has started a campaign to warn young people of the LCC's subversive influence. Activists are particularly prominent in the Wapping, Whitechapel and Stepney areas of London, and in western districts like Shepherds Bush and Ealing. Popular meeting areas are believed to be targets, such as
Piccadily Circus.A prominent recruiter is called Dave Bill.
Following extensive investigations over the simimer. The Beaver offers this advice to anyone approached by a dodgy looking bloke, or woman.
Do not give your telephone number, do not give your name, simply say "sod off' or the equivalent and walk away. Failure toobserve this advice may result in dozens of phone-calls to yoiir house, some at 7am in the morning, or having the bible rammed down your throat.
If you have been approached byamemberoftheLCC,orindeed are or have been a member yourself, please contact the hews editors at The Beaver Office (E197).




liJ


Leicester Square, a recruiting ground for the London Church of Christ.
Photo: Kevin Green
SU Shop Stays Shut
PhilGomm
The £110,000 redevelopment of the student union shop was incomplete for the first week of the new school year.
A disagreement between the shop management and the School authorities meant work on the new split level store started three weeks later than the Union had hoped.
The LSE was worried the noise and mess from the work
would disrupt the running of the summer school program -an important source of revenue and publicity.
Notices were posted informing people the facility would be ready by 26 September. However because of problems with damp and the ceiling, the shop will now be open for business on Monday, 3rd September .
The shop manager Kate Slay admitted a penalty clause had not been added to the builders contract to compensate delay.
She claimed any loss of revenue - estimated at £3000 daily - would have been outweighed by the extra cost imposed by the contractors. They would have had to budget for overtime payments to ensure completion of the work to timetable.
Slay said shop staff "had done everything humanly possible" to ensure as quick a completion as possible.
To cope with the increased floor area two new permanent employees have been taken on, bringing the total to six.
T/te l^eayFer
3 October 1994
News - 3
Steve Roy
A radical new plan to make students repay their loans by deductions through the national insurance (NI) system rather than directly to the Student Loans Company (SLC) has been proposed by the LSE and British Petroleum.
The idea in the paper, Funding	Higher
Education, is that loans would be offered by the private sector. This would remove the Treasury limit on the number and value of advances offered to students, and might allow loans to help pay for any 'top-up' increases in tuition fees. The LSE Director, John Ashworth,
whose top-up fees proposal for the LSE was defeated last year, is a keen supporter of the loans plan, and is reported to have recommended it to Government Ministers.
Under the scheme loan repayments could be deducted at Ip in the £1 by employers and passed on along with income tax and NI deductions. These payments could be passed straight to the SLC computer and deducted from the student's account. Once the debt had been paid off the SLC would advise the DSS to remove the graduate prefix from the individual's code and repayment would stop.
The advantages of the
LSE scheme centre around the low default rate - virtually everyone (99%) makes their NI contributions. With such a secure repayment regime the financial markets would be more than happy to provide the lending capital. Without the tight Treasury constraint, students could borrow what they needed to live on and concentrate on their studies. Iain Crawford, the head of public relations at LSE and a leading supporter of the scheme, anticipates that the scheme will mean an end to overdrafts, high-interest credit-card debt, or court cases brought by the SLC. So far the SLC has taken over 1500 students to court for failing to meet their
repayments.
Government support for the plan is difficult to measure, with the Education Department still in a state of change following John Patten's departure in July. Gillian Shephard, the new	Education
Secretary, has indicated her willingness to be interviewed by the Beaver news-editors on the subject in the near future.
Kenneth Baker, who initially rejected the LSE model on the grounds that it will be seen as a tax rather than a loan, has now changed his mind, and supports a NI-based system. The Treasury is thought to be preparing to press the scheme onto Mrs Shephard.
Beaver Staff
Students starting a three year degree course this week will, on average, be £4170 in debt by the time they graduate in 1997. This is according to a recent estimate published by the National Union of Students. Other surveys over the summer indicate student debt is spiralling.
This year's 10% grant reduction effectively means that students with maintenance support receive £200 less from the government than they would have done in 1990. This is offset by the 30% increase in the student loan.
NUS research shows that nationally students are worse off than those young people relying on state benefits. A student with a grant and loan has the equivalent of £61.35 a week to live on, whilst those on benefit receive £71.15.
The grant cut is forecast to increase reliance on the loan scheme. This year take-
up increased by 133%, to 420,000. The company forecast that 52% of students will take out loans this year. Increased overdraft limits provide further opportunity for debt, with some high street banks offering £800 interest free. The danger
comes with unauthorised overdrafts. Average rates are around 25% per annum.
Whilst students face financial hardship, the same cannot be said of the Student Loans Company (SLC) top brass. According to ¦ The Observer, the highest paid director of the SLC receives £68000 a year. Ken Young, the nonexecutive chairman, is probably slightly happier; he gets £7000 for working 2 days a month.
The Beaver initially tried to contact Ken Young last week. When our call was finally answered, after being held in a queue for 15 minutes, a spokeswoman told us "We do not have a Ken Young on our telephone list. He is not registered as being in the building. Could you tell us who he is please ?" When our reporter told her that he was the chairman of the Student Loans Company, she replied that she had never heard of him.
Later, another representative from the SLC rang The Beaver to apologise for the earlier confusion.	She
acknowledged the existence ofthe chairman, confirmed his salary as listed in the annual report, and explained that Ken Young was unavailable	for
comment, as he had just left for a 'well-earned holiday".
MONEY WORRIES
\
As surveys show more and more students will face financial difficulties, an LSE report recommends radical changes to the loans system
ili^
" #

mm
f
........ - • ,,
BBS

Iain Crawford, a leading advocate of proposals to change the student loans system.
Photo: Steve East
"We do not have a Ken Young on our telephone list. He is not registered as being in the building. Could you tell us who he is
please?"
A Student Loans Company spokeswoman's reaction when we asked to speak to the Chairman ofthe Student Loans Company, Ken Young.
Computer Theft Wave Breaks Over School
PhilGomm
The LSE has been hit by the wave of computer equipment thefts currently sweeping the capital.
Computers and laser printers - valued at several thousand pounds - were taken over the summer from School premises.
Most of the thefts occurred from offices -
including an instance where a door was left unlocked - although one Apple Mac was removed from a study room which was	supposedly
connected to a loop alarm.
The School authorities admit they are baffled as to how the computer could have been removed without their knowledge.
In total four lap tops, two desk computers and a laser printer went missing.
Harry Edwards, the School's Facilities Manager, appealed for extra vigilance from
staff and pupils.
He confirmed that measures were being stepped up to combat the losses: "We have brought in contract security people on a temporary basis to increase our patrols - the program of equipment etching and locking continues."
So far police investigations have failed to find any trace
of the missing equipment or the perpetrators.
Edwards believes much of the theft is carried out to order, with many computers ending up in Eastern Europe.
The School's insurance has not been effected with the premium for cover remaining the same.
4 - News
Tfie l^eaver
3 October 1994
frniei?
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pJifeplHi
,S3r««
Sir John Morgan, head of the LSE
PhilGomm and Steve Roy
A former diplomatic high flyer and ambassador to Poland has been brought into the LSE Foundation - the School's development and fund-raising arm - to become its new head.
Sir John Morgan has already taken up the post
Handbook delays
Beaver Staff
The production of this year's Student Union handbook has been plagued by disagreements and recriminations, with the result that the publication wasn't available for the first day of freshers' fair.
SU officer Baljit Mahal and a member of the union staff were awarded the contract to produce the publication in early July by the then Finance and Services sabbatical Lola Elerian. It was scheduled for completion by the end of August.
But conflicts between the coauthors meant the deadline came and went without completion in sight. It also appears they lacked the required technical skills to cope with the publication.
It was eventually necessary to bring in Ron Voce, editor of The Beaver, to help sort out the confusion.
Questions have been raised
has a long association with the LSE.
He is an LSE graduate and member of the Court of Governors. Morgan has already helped raise money for the School, having been involved in the Library Appeal in the early 1970s.
It is clear the Foundation has chosen a figure who will smooth the relationship between themselves and academics, after it was left in turmoil by Raingold's more abrasive style.
Also employed is failed Liberal Democrat candidate
for Befordshire North East Mike Smithson - - another LSE graduate - who was head of fund-raising at the charity, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and now has his own fund-raising consultancy.
Smithson - whose son has appeared on the TV quiz show Blockbusters - is a keen Burnley football club supporter.
His family is actively involved in the Bedford community, where his daughter Kate once sung in the St Paul's church junior choir.
LSE Director John Ashworth said of the appointments: "We are fortunate to have two such well qualified appointees who are also alumni of the School. They know the LSE from the inside and they share a great commitment to its future."
Chairman of the LSE Court of Governors Sir Peter Parker added: "These are first rate people in their fields. Sir John's experience, particularly his deep understanding of LSE...will be immensely vcaluable in expanding the School's.
Foundation
Photo: Library
which was left vacant after the acrimonious departure of his predecessor Howard Raingold, which received unwelcome attention in the national media.
As predicted by The Beaver, the School has chosen to bring in a figure who is not only eminently well connected -Morgan has also seen foreign service in Moscow, Peking, Korea, Mexico and Brazil - but

m
Mike Smithson, Foundation Fund Raiser
Photo: Library
as to the decision making process involved in assigning the project and its relatively late start date.
By the time beginning of July most students had left and many departments had wound down for the summer vacation, making it difficult to gather information.
However Elerian insists she did nothing outside of her mandate and did actually discuss the matter with the other sabbabticals.
The new union general secretary Martin Lewis said of the debacle: "All things being equal, I would have liked to have seen a strong, full handbook...and for the future we will have to look for an alternative mechanism to produce the best possible book for new students."
This could involve a new publications sabbatical position being created. The incumbent would also take control of the alternative prospectus.
Anyone wanting to write for tine news section, or who has information about a story, should contact the News Editors, Phil Gomm or Steve Roy, at the Beaver Office (E197). Tel.
(071)955 6705
New education secretary worried about standards
Beaver staff
The new Secretary of State for Education Gillian Shephard has acknowledged university degree standards are under pressure.
Mrs Shephard - who succeeded the embattled John Patten over the summer - has set up a review of the higher education system. This is in light of concerns that its rapid expansion has led to a wide diversification of degree classifications.
The work will be headed by the Conservative junior minister Tim Boswell. His remit also includes areas such as top up fees payable by students- a proposal for which was overturned at the LSE last year - shorter degree courses and the requirements for graduates in the economy.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph Mrs Shephard explained: "With expansion comes the need for vigilance. The former polytechnics have brought a freshness of approach, but what is essential is that standards are maintained. It is no good increasing the currency if you debase is value."
She was cautious over calls from the Confederation of British Industry to expand the number of university students from the current target of 30% of school leavers to 40%.
Any growth needed to be matched by a sustained level of achievement and future employment prospects.
The results of the review are intended to map out the future of higher education in the country at least till the end of the decade.
The Reaver
3 October 1994
5

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6 - Opinions
T/te Reaver
3 October 1994
'Che Reaver
If you read this issue carefully, you will notice several spelling mistakes. They are not put there deliberately and I suppose we should've spotted them, but this is the second issue of the Beaver to come out this term and it's been hard work. The first was out for freshers fair and the second, hopefully Monday evening. That's some commitment the Beaver has to you its readers.
Commitment is something I hope to see from the over 100 people that signed up at freshers fair. Commitment is something I want to see from the Union towards the Beaver. It has promised much and it should deliver. How long should, in the case of this issue, 8 people give up their own time to work on the paper eventually I think disillusionment will set in and numbers will inevitably drop. So what's the answer.
Well last week I suggested that a Beaver sabbatical was the best way forward and Martin Lewis had a little word in my shell-like. I'm not against having a Communications Officer, providing it doesn't harm the Beavers hard one independence. But in retrospect maybe he was right. Our independence is only guaranteed, because the Students' Union allows it. That is you the students, our readers. As long as you read the Beaver it will be independent, because who ever is in charge, whether an non sabbatical editor, like myself or a paid Communications Officer they will both live and die by what you think.
So it is time for a new commitment by the old Beaver staff to the new Beaver staff to pass on what we have leamt in our time here and so we can leave the Beaver in the hands of the new collective that will form this year. Thanks, Phil, Steve, Dennis, Danny, Susha, Nigel, Jason, Chris, Alex, David, Marie and Jack for getting this last of a generation Beaver 403 out. Now let's welcome Beaver404. The first of a new generation of Beavers.	T.T.F.N.
l^eaver Staff
Executive Editor Advertising Editor Arts Editors
Campus Editors
Letters Editor Music Editor News Editors
Photographic Editors
Pohtics Editor Production Editor Sports Editors What's On Editor
Ron Voce Scott Wayne Susha Lee-Shothaman Dennis Lim Marie Darvill To be elected Rachel Cuthbert To be elected Steve Roy Phil Gomm Pam Keenan To be elected Tom Randell To be elected To be elected To be elected
Staff: Joanna Arong, Caroline Barnes,Graham Bell, Paul Birrel, Annika Bosenquet, Nigel Boyce, T. James Brown, Toby Childs, Adam Cleary, Sarah Clifford, Mark Dantos, Gary Delaney, Gavin Dodsworth, Nick Fletcher, N. P. Flywheel, Sarah Jane Gibbs, Deborah Goldemburg, Michael Goulding, Tom Greatrex, Kevin Green, Melissa Hall, Kate Hampton, Gerard Harris, Peter Harris, Olivia Hirschfield, Chris Hutchfield, Nick Jones, Sonia Kalsi, Sarita Khajuria, Hasan Khalid, Angus Kinnear, Claire Lawrie, Martin Lewis,Karen Lie, Guy Maidment, Stavros Makris, Jessica McCallin, Helena Mcleod, Adam Morris, Kaliq Nasir, David Nicholson, Emmanuel Ohajah, Ben Oliver, Sorrel Osbourne, Sarah Owen, David Price, Zaf Rashid, Mervyn Rees, Iain Roberts, Wayne Rogers, John Santa-Cruz, Trooper Saunders, Daniel Silverstone, Matthew Smith, Rita Solanke, Tony Thirulinganathan, Philip Tod, Jimmy Trees, Ian Turner, Dave Whetham, David Whippe, Zac Wild, Ralph Wilde, L. A. Wildethorpe, Ina Woyseth.
Printed by:
Eastway Offset, 3-13 Hepscott Road, London E9
No room at LSE's Inn
This year 3000 students have applied for only 1200 places in Halls, and some have found themselves in the unfortunate situation of having to sleep in the gym of the basement of the Main Building, whilst for the rest there has been some success in finding private accommodation.
Faced with such a situation many find themselves flung across London in a desperate search for 'suitable' accommodation, some being lucky and finding what they regard as a 'good deal.'
But the majority experience some problem, either with the travelling distance, cost, or general area. Many, therefore, regard themselves as unlucky.
Such a situation should not exist for students an3rwhere, let alone at the LSE, where so many are from overseas, yet to an extent it is inevitable - this is London.
What is being done by the Students' Union? Firstly, before we look at the SU we must mention the School, which has
purchased land for two more halls of residence, one of which is in construction stage.
Also, the leasehold on Fitzroy and Maple Street Flats at Carr-Saunders Hall of Residence will possibly be extended by a further year. So, the school is aware of the problem and tr3dng to deal with it in it's own way.
The Students' Union, al'^ ready runs the private accommodation service at the LSE from Room E298, with the Housing Adviser Sue Garrett in charge. We are more aware than anyone else of the scarcity and cost of accommodation in London.
One initiative which is in the planning stage - together with Senate House (University of London) - is the central computerisation of private accommodation lists. This would mean a massive increase in choice for students increasing the likelihood of finding something 'suitable'. Your comments and suggestions would be invaluable.
Finally, it is hoped to organise meetings in each of the four halls which mainly consist of undergraduates - Rosebery, Carr-Saimders, Passfield and Butlers Wharf - and arrange meetings later in the year at which 1st years wiU be given professional advice about seeking accommodation in the coming year.
These haveproventobehi^y successful at similar colleges in London such as UCL (University College London). The Students' Union hopes to demonstrate it's commitment to students in this area, and students who feel that anything is not being done right or at aU, should approach a member of the Welfare Team - Vini Ghatate, James Atkinson, or myself, Baljit Mahal.
This article was included as the Executive Officer requested Beaver space as written in the LSESU Constitution. The Beaverdoesnotnecessarily agree or disagree with any of the above comment.
The Latin American Column
As an extra service to our members, this colimm will be a weekly fixture in the Beaver so you can be updated on society events and any other activities taking place in the school.
This year will start off"with theLaLatina party at Circa on October 19. Tickets will be sold in the Quad, but buy them early to avoid disappoint-ment. Membership cards and raffle tickets will also be on sale, so don't miss your last chance to win the two return flights to Rio de Janeiro that we are offering with the support of STA Travel. Starting on the week of October 10th, we will begin the dance, Portuguese
and Spanish classes. Watch this space for further details of time and location. We are also recruiting first years to work with us in preparation for taking over the society and will discuss this at the first dance class.
Events outside L.S.E.
Bolivar Hall, 54 Grafton Way, London WIP will be hosting, free of charge a piano recital by Carmen Marcos on Tuesday October 4, and an exhibition throughout the week by young Venezuelan artists. For more information call 071 388 5788.
Canning House, 2
Belgrave Square, London SWl has an extensive library covering all topics related to Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal and Spain. They have discount student fares, and offer learning aids in the respective Languages. Tel: 071235 2303
Museum of Modern Art, 30 Pembroke Street, Oxford 0X1 if any of you are planning a little trip, the museum is exhibiting works by major Argentine artists from the 1920s to the present day. Tel: 0865 722733.
Part-time clerical staff
Students requlredas part-timeclerical staff for approxamately 10 hours per week commencing 10/10/94. Must have excellant organisational skills, be reliableand honest, and be able to work on own initiative. Position includes some use ofdatiabase therefore suitable applicants must be competent with computers. Starting salary will be £4.75/hour. FormoreinformationcontactAndrewHarvey c/o LSE Foundation on 0719556768.
To advertise anything at all in
T#ie Reaver
«
i.e. events, talks, jobs etc. please contact Scott Wayne on 0374 862616 or 071 955 6705 internal ext 6705 in El 97
T/te l^eaver
3 October 1994
Beaver - 7
For the best deals on
Apple Macintosh™
Computers, Software, Peripherals and Printers
contact
^he l^eavef
at Freshers Fair or El97 for a price list and full details on how to get the best deal on Earth for Macintosh computers
^he
^eavcK
Requires for the 1994 -1995 editions
New writers, as well as those who wrote last year. Photgraphers! Collective members ; who wish to become section editors in: Sport, Campus, Music, Literature, Distribution and Production. Photographers! Suggestions, new ideas and a desire to take part. The Beaver Is voluntary and needs your commitment
If interested, come
to the weekly Collective meetings in C119, IMondays at
6.00pm All Welcome!
8 - LSESU
^he Reaver
3 October .1994
"Where to
now for higher education funding?"
Martin
Lewis,
General
Secretary
of the
LSESU
asksand
tries to
answer
that
difficult
question
The last 14 years have seen an unparalleled decline in the funding of Higher Education. Since 1979 the funds paid per student to universities have fallen by 22% and the Government is aiming for a further 'efficiency gain' of 1.5% this year.
However, there have been some improvements. In 1988 only 15% of school leavers went on to higher education, the lowest participation rate in the developed world. It was clear that the UK heeded to move towards a mass Higher Education system if it was going to produce the highly educated labour force vital for economic competitiveness.
There have been many changes in the set up of higher education in recent years. This Government has hugely expanded the system, so that now nearly a third of all school leavers go on to University.
This increase in access has been far faster than expected:
to an extent that the Conservative Government are not only stopping the incentives that were offered to institutions to expand their numbers, but also penalising institutions for going over set limits.
The cost of this expansion has fallen upon both HE institutions and students themselves. The former are greatly underfunded, and quality of education thus suffers. Students also suffer tremendous levels of hardship, accentuated by last year's decision to make a 30% cut in grant levels over three years.
This leads us to the question of funding, both of students' education and maintenance. For Home/EC students, the present system uses a combination of methods. Education is paid for via a block grant from the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) which is calculated on an institutional basis, and Government-funded tuition fees, paid for each student.
The Government's cumulative real-term cut of 10% in public resources per student is intended to 'encourage' Universities to meet the demand from students cost-effectively. This is bad on a macro-scale and even worse for the LSE as an individual institution. The funding policy has been geared towards expanding certain sectors of the Higher Education system, notably engineering, but more generally in various areas of the arts and sciences. This is fine for most institutions which offer a wide and diverse range of subjects, but for a social science only institution it is devastating. The LSE's block grant increase this year is only 1%, the lowest possible, and this is not withstanding the LSE's third year at the top of 'The Times" good universities' social sciences guide, where LSE is quoted as being so far ahead of Oxbridge that it is in a 'virtually unassailable position'.
The present system for maintenance of students is in an equally dire situation, with student hardship at a record level. A survey by the National Union of Students (NUS) released on 5 July 1994, showed that 87% of students surveyed were worried about finance and 39% considered themselves to be in real hardship. The danger of this is that with many students living near the poverty line, some may have to sacrifice their education for a decent standard of living.
The cost of increased access for students is that of decreased maintenance. The present system for UK students is one of maintenance	grants
dependent on parental income and limited student loans as a supplement. This is not only problematic because of the fact that it simply does not provide many students with an adequate amount to live on, forcing them below the poverty line, or to take up part-time jobs instead of studying; there are other problematic elements in this equation.
Students, individuals above the age of majority, are forced to rely on parental funding if their parental incomes are over certain levels. This is fine for some, but for others it can leave an unwanted dependence, it leaves their parents with a huge degree of control in their lives, as those who hold the purse strings, etc. It also hinders equality of access to education, especially for those from families with no higher education tradition.
Student loans are a relatively recent innovation, and gradually the amount that students are expected to borrow compared with that available as a grant is proportionally increasing. Many students, myself included, were opposed to the introduction of loans, as it's the tip of the iceberg of privatised education, carr3dng the ethos of education as a privilege and not a right. The Student Loans' Company (SLC) is responsible for providing the loans, which are of strictly limited amounts. They carry a negligible rate of interest, linked to inflation. The two key problems are that of the upper fixed limit to loans and the question of repayment. If a loans system is going to work adequately it must allow students to borrow realistic amounts to maintain a reasonable existence. Student loans are at present repayable once earnings go over 12,000 per annum. Yet once over this, they have to be repaid at a quick rate, and the difficulty that this may present for new graduates with other debts to be repaid
Tfie l^eaver
3 October 1994
LSESU- 9
has lead to over 2000 prosecutions for failure to pay. This poor repa5Tnent rate and the inefEiciency under which the system operates ups the Government's costs, thus reducing the money available to students.
The Solution
There is no simple solution. The problem stems from the sudden and vast expansion of Higher Education. To advocate a return to both institutional and maintenance grants of 1979 levels is not realistic within the modern British economy.
None of the three main political parties have come up with an adequate solution as policy, although there are some brighter ideas being mooted in the smoke-filled rooms.
So where do we go now? We have expanded the system, and we have finally arrived at the situation where student loans have become an accepted part of the funding formulae, so what are the options?
The most urgent problem is that of student hardship; it is imperative that students are given enough money to survive on. The method of increasing the direct transfer payments to students may be actioned by either increasing grants or the restoration of benefits such as unemployment and income support throughout the long summer holidays. However, any increase in direct funding mustbegthe question, who will pay for it? Are the public ready for a system such as the Liberal Democrats' penny on income tax? Some say that the way forward is graduate taxation, with a lifelong surplus on income tax for all those with degrees. The argument against this is that we have a system of progressive taxation that should be used anjway, so why charge people extra because they went to University? Those who earn more due to it will be paying more taxes in any case, and this would penalise those who go to less well-paid, more socially beneficial employment.
There are other less direct methods to decrease the hardships some students suffer, such as the shortening of degrees to much more intensive	two-y«ar
programmes, or degree modularisation, which would allow students to study over long periods of time, gradually accumulating enough credits to total the amount needed for a degree, whilst either taking large chunks of time off to earn money, or stuying part-time.
A group of academics at the LSE have an alternative suggestion for funding education that encompasses both maintenance and tuition fees. This is a complicated
m



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As more and more students have to pay their own fees, how long before we all have to pay fees in the near future?
Photo: Beaver Staff
system that is being reviewed as a possible replacement for student loans. It is in the form of a privatised graduate loan scheme; students could borrow money which would go to pay both tuition and maintenance, with much larger amounts to be borrowed than are presently available. The loan would be repayable through the income tax/national insurance system, whilst allowing the student to pay back an amount according to her/his income, rather than the need for large repayments once income goes over a certain level. This scheme is thus similar to the graduate tax, except that once you have paid back the cost of your education, the payment stops.
The main problem with this is its innate acceptance that students should pay for their education, never mind simply
their maintenance. The British attitude on this has always been that education is to be provided by the state. It is interesting to compare this country to the United States, where there is a much higher level of participation in higher education, even though the system is considerably more privatised. It is the attitude of parents saving up for their children to go on to post-secondary education that is lacking in Britain, and under the present system is one of the causes of student hardship. However again it falls to the question of whether you believe higher education to be a right or a privilege, linked to the idea of students as customers or participants. At the end of the academic year 1992-3 the Director, John Ashworth, attempted to introduce top-up
fees, a system where each student would be required to pay an addition to the Government tuition fee towards the cost of their education. He did this because he believed that to maintain the quality of education at the School more money was needed , and that to raise this money, as the Government would not provide the extra (as it does to Oxbridge, with college fees) the students themselves shuld pay. This was fiercely argued both internally and in the national media by the Students' Union and by academics, and the proposal was defeated at the Schools' Academic Board.
This does not mean that the question of top-up fees is off the agenda; they may return at any time. It is true that both generally and at the LSE specifically there are problems
in funding Higher Education, in maintaining the rights whilst allowing increased access. What the future of funding holds I do not know; perhaps a modified form of the graduate loan scheme, with the loan just replacing the present student loans system and not involving tuition costs; maybe a whole radical shake-up of the system. What is important is that we as students play a part in the decision-making process. We need to inform ourselves, consider the issues and the debates, and come out with an educated solution to protect our rights. Some points, such as the acceptance of student loans, we may need to concede, as piecemeal to stop the continuing erosion of the system towards privatisation.
The future is in your hands, make a decision!
10 - Campus
^he ^eavei^
3 October 1994
Fresh Beaver in short supply (if you icnow what I mean....)
David Bouffont
The start of a new year presents a unique opportunity for soul- searching and self-appraisement. It's time to decide whether you want to establish yourself as a true pisshead and thus star, or be sad and ask questions in lectures. Take it from me, first impressions last, and I personally have never lived down the stigma of supping wine in the dinner queue during my first few weeks at Passfield. Your reputation is everything and establishing
it the correct way is all important. Possibly the best way of achieving renown and popularity is to join the Racing Society which will provide' astonishingly good events all year round, and I personally promise that I won't piss your subscriptions up the wall.
Having achieved my plug, I suppose it may be considered polite to extend my greetings to all the freshers out there. This I will not be doing, as every fresher who arrives is just exacerbating an already uncontrollable problem. I am of course referring to the LSE. Having possibly the worst male to female all boy
grammar schools, and even then there was usually some old duffer of a matron to ogle during the greater peaks of sexual frustration. It is my personal opinion that the Court of Governors should establish at least one textiles related course with a huge intake, and a maximum points requirement of two E's (General Studies included).
Of course, on reading this, every woman will think I am a sexist pig, but you will soon realise that I have your best interests at heart when you experience the degradation of being hit upon by every second year, all of whom are so sex
Obituary
Tragedy strikes at LSE as award winning comic dies on stage......
t
SMILEY
R.I.p.
.......................r
w
Beaver staff
The college was in a state of shock this morning after Perrier Award runner-up Smiley died on stage last night. The caxise of death is uncertain but his vain attempts to take on the almighty balcony were suspected to be involved. A northerner associated with the first football team is being questioned by police after a tip off by a certain long haired Ents Sabbatical.
Hints of the problem were evident earlier on in the evening when the first fifl^een minutes of hisactwerefoundnottobefimny, at this point the balcony expressedits dissatisfaction with a chorus of monster burps and criesof tellusagag". His pathetic attempts to tackle the balcony boys were evident of a man with no experience of a crowd which has lived through themosttorrid UGMs and was unwilling to accept the usual shit jokes that comedians think they can get away with when confi-onted with
a hall of pissed up students. This includes the classics such as parent gags, hash gags and if all else fails, the tried and trusted ones about being caught wanking by your
mother.....
The fimeral will be held next Tuesday in a disused cardboard box in Waterloo andaccordingto his last wishes his exorbitant fees have been used to meet the costs. Smiley will be sorely missed by aU those who knew him, dispite the fact that he was shit.
starved that they are likely to explode at fifty paces from any female LSE student. The display of ritual exploding in the Tuns during the intake of a new bunch of female freshers would put to shame anything the Americans ever dropped on Hiroshima. For this reason, there should be universal support for my suggestions as they are both heartfelt and beneficial to all.
Having made my point for this week, the appropriate course of action might be to go, but before I do so, I must make a plea to all freshers to attend the Union General Meetings every Thursday at 1 pm in the Old Theatre. As far as I know, this is the only UGM to exist where the right to paper throwing has been passed into Union policy, and it provides the best opportunity of your lives to slag off and humiliate the aspiring politicians and social misfits who actually take themselves seriously. Once you have experienced the rush of throwing your first piece of paper in the UGM, it will become an addiction in which the pursuit of your next fix will inevitably lead to matters of a less savoury nature involving Scotland Yard and other such institutions. Millwall FC would be proud to have such a rich and bounteous breeding ground for budding young hooligans and dysfunctionals, so be there in the balcony at the aforesaid time and you won't regret it.
Busy Beaver
Bonjour mon petit chou-fleurs. Je m'appelle le Busy Beaver and I just gossip about people really. If there's no gossip then I just make some up. So if you young whipper-snappers out there have anythingyou think should go in (if you know what I mean) then just leave a note in the Campus tray in the Beaver Orifice....
BB returned to the Tuns on Tuesday night, only to find that the LSE had been taken over by a Scottish Tesher lookalike, who was already running Passfield with almost Germanic efficiency. Obviously her private tutelage with the one and only Gen Sex has reaped great rewards. Speaking of Gen Sees, last years runner up, Ooh ahh Jethwa, was seen shamefiilly involved in the Tuns Royal Rumble after allegations of having trashed Scouse Garden's room. All in all, not a particularly eventful night, although some did have their cake and eat it, which makes a change for Pieman Pooper who usually goes for a nice block of lard.
Anyway, this is just a sample of the exciting things that go on at LSE, so you'll all have to do much better next week, or we'll just make something up that you might regret.......
LSE Top Ten
Week1: People Who Shouldn't Be Here (Years In brackets)
1)	Neil Andrews (5 years)
2)	Leandro "King Perm" Moura (6 years)
3)	Martin Lewis (3 long years)
4)	MC Steve Peake (7 years)
5)	Top Guard Security (Top blokes with small knobs)
6)	Alexander Ellis (Thanks for the Beaver phone bill)
7)	Rob Hick (3 years round the pool table)
8)	Paul Birrell (Oxycute him!)
9)	George Binnette (since time began)
10)	Bernado Duggan (before the Falklands War)
Next week we bringyou: Top Ten LSE Blundefs
WITH
* Expert advice from well travelled staff* ^Special student fares * Flexible tickets* *lnsurance, accommodation, car hire* *Book NOW for October and Christmas specials*
London School of Economics,
East Building, Houghton Street,
(next to the Vegetarian Cafe)
NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, TOKYO, BANGKOK, SYDNEY, AUCKLAND.... STA TRAVEL
12 - Arts
^he Reaver
3 October 1994
Cinemas, Cinemas
The Beaver's Arts Editors' Guide to London's best cinemas (and the worst).
London has enough cinemas to keep even the most dedicated film buff happy. They vary from glossy West End theatres to obscure arthouse venues and knowing which ones are worth a visit isn't obvious just front reading Time Out. Fear not, The Beaver's guide to London's best and cheapest cinemas will guide you through them with both your wallets and artistic sensibilities unscathed.
The Prince Charles Cinema, off Leicester Square is compulsory for film fans. London's cheapest cinema at £1.99, it shows a good and
varied selection of films - a diverse mix including mainstream Hollywood and offbeat independents tending towards those that have just left general release - "Reservoir Dogs", deemed unacceptable for video, has been playing for over a year now. It's a great place to catch up on any films you missed, or to watch your favourites again.
The MGM chain has just come up with an across-the-board student pricing policy, charging only £3.50, on presentation of student ID, for any screening, at any time, at all their West End cinemas (except the Trocadero
multiplex). It's no secret that some of the MGM venues can be rather unpleasant, with absurdly small screens and painfully uncomfortable seats, but it's still a very good offer, considering the exorbitant ticket prices charged by their counterparts. Besides, the MGMs Swiss Centre (noteworthy foreign films) and Piccadilly (consistently interesting programming often with a gay and lesbian slant) are always worth a visit. Just make sure you avoid the dump at Panton Street, which is rather appropriately something of a film distri-butors' graveyard where films deemed too horrible to warrant press screenings are often laid to rest (you might have noticed that "Weekend At Bernie's 11" is currently playing here).
Most of the first-run West End cinemas concentrate on blockbusters - if you don't live in Central London, it's probably best to catch these films at your local where you invariably pay less. Leicester Square, some will have you believe, is where it's all at - but don't be fooled. Fair enough, the Empire boasts a truly outstanding sound system and the Odeon Leicester Square, with close to 2000 seats, is certainly impressive, but
attend the first performance of the day, you end up being swindled. The Warner West End, a new multiplex, is far too shiny and plastic for refined tastes. Another one we're not too keen on is the universally-reviled Odeon Mezzanine, with not one of their five cubicles seating more than 60. Food in West End cinemas is, without exception, outrageously overpriced - the hotdogs are taste-free and by the time you're halfway through one of those gargantuan vats of popcorn; you are usually very close to being physically sick.
Some first-run cinemas are noted for quality programming. The Lumiere on St Martin's Lane with mostly arthouse films and very comfortable seats is probably the best. First performances are only £3.00. The Renoir, on Brunswick Square, is also one to check out. It's located in the middle of an extremely unattractive concrete shopping centre, but don't let that put you off - there's hardly ever a duff film on offer here and students pay only £2.50 for the first screening of the day.
Of course, we couldn't leave out the repertory cinemas - true film fans will know that rep picture houses
are the places to go for cult classics, cinematic treasures and good coffee. The National Film Theatre on the South Bank, a mere ten-minute walk from the LSE, is definitely worth investigating. Both the Everyman in Hampstead, the world's oldest rep cinema, and the recently-refurbished Riverside Studios in Hammersmith have excellent programmes of double and triple bills - ranging from contemporary favourites like Eaeslowski, Almodovar and Lynch to the great masters including Bergman, Fellini and Hitchcock.
And a special mention for the ICA - their cinema has this year alone shown exceptional films by Hal Hartley, Takeshi Kitano and Tian Zhuang-zhuang and the cinematheque has arguably the most audacious and adventurous programming around. Annual student membership costs £12.00 and allows you and a friend half-price entry.
And there you have it - the Beaver's very own cut-out-and-keep guide to cinema-going in London. There's absolutely no excuse for staying in and vegetating in from of the television, so get out there and start watching.
Wliat's tiie point of tliis, Kenneth?
Dennis Lim reviews the new Ken Loach feel-bad experience
There's cinema as entertainment, there's cinema as art form and then there's cinema Ken Loach style - socially aware dramas with a contentious political message. His new film "Ladybird, Ladybird", supposedly based on a true story, is an indictment of the petty, bureaucratic workings of the social services - warped judgements, a perverse sense of values and an inflexible conformity to outdated rules.
Maggie (Crissy Rock) is a foul-mouthed Liverpudlian with a disturbing predilection for violent relationships (and an equally distressing penchant for karaoke). Each of her four children has a different father ("Put it on a T-shirt," she says). After her eldest son is badly burned in a freak accident, she has all her children taken away by Social Services. Then she meets Jorge (Vladimir Vega), a good-natured Paraguayan refugee - a man tolerant enough to put up with her scathing streams of vitriol and occasional irrational outbursts. Much of the film concentrates on Maggie's largely unsuccessful

Maggie (Crissy Rock), with three of her children (Luke Brown, Lily Farrell, India Bayes) Photo:UIP
attempts to find happiness. She has one child with Jorge, but it's not long before the authorities declare Maggie an unfit mother and take their baby away. Now, losing five children, you would think, would be enough to drive
but oh no, our Maggie's anything but a quitter, She gets pregnant yet again and -would you believe it - nasty old Social Services are waiting to pounce outside the maternity ward.
It's hard to believe this is
She delivers a totally devastating performance -indignant and anguished - it's even harder to believe she's a stand-up comedienne. Chilean exile Vladimir Vega does his best with what inevitably turns out to be an
anyone paralytic with grief, Crissy Rock's first film role, underdeveloped
and
overshadowed character.
Ultimately, "Ladybird, Ladybird" proves to be a very agonising watch - the tragedies take place with such appalling regularity that it becomes quite unbearable after the first hour. That it's humour-free for upsettingly long patches doesn't help either. Loach and scriptwriter Rona Munro clearly have a message to communicate and although they avoid being plainly didactic, it's almost too clear where their sympathies lie and watching the film comes uncomfortably close to being force-fed.
If it's a good night out at the movies you want, you couldn't possibly do worse than "Ladybird, Ladybird" -this film depresses, upsets and provokes - not necessarily a bad thing, if you're in the mood. It is the antithesis of Hollywood-style escapist cinema - it plunges you into a particularly bleak portrayal of contemporary life and you leave with the overwhelming feeling that life, as a rule, is fucked, so why bother anyway? Yes, that kind of film.
T/te t^eaver
3 October 1994
Arts- 13
The different faces of modern feminism
The Beaver's new literary editor, Daniel Si I verstone reviews f ou r f em i n ist bestsel lers
Camille Paglia, American academic and scourge of feminists has stated "It will not serve women to base a sex theory on shoddy scholarship". Unless, of course, you are capable of reasserting all the old sexual cliches in a novel and entertaining way. This is what Paglia does in 'Sex, Art and American Culture', using by the most shoddy scholarship imaginable. Despite professing disgust at the incompetence of contemporary feminists and Ivy-League academics, this rigorous historian blithely states that "in history the human drive is toward monarchy". Her stringent standards of scholarship include a belief in "cultural weather patterns", and explaining change as due to a "twenty year astrological cycle". The reunion of the little known sixties rock group 'Aquarius' on the American chat show 'Arsenio Hair constitutes her evidence for the return of the sixties.
Paglia's grasp of biology is primitive; "hunt pursuit and capture are biologically programmed into male sexuality", and her insights are arbitrary "I suspect men are able to think cold, that is they can detach logic from emotion". All this would be simply risible if she was not taken so seriously, and did not claim to be a feminist. Underneath the vituperative prose lies nothing more than an apologist for the status quo. It is a damning indictment of the serious press that she is praised as a women "in full unflustered command of her extraordinary powers"(TLS)
If the press is going to continue to laud its own prejudices, Marilyn French's book will not help them overcome them.
Though French's view of world-wide male violence is persuasively put forward in 'The War Against Women', its force is blunted by her crude analysis and hyperbole. She derives her account of the stateof nature from Rousseau, basing it on inconclusive and contentious anthropology. It is arguable

Di
THE puums PRIZE-WIKNINC JOUIHHtlST
apposite today than when it was written in 1990. Its central thesis is that today beauty is being used not for its aesthetic value, but as a weapon for political control. Wolf argues society is propagating a myth: that to be sexual, successful or presentable one has to be beautiful. A level of beauty and youth is mandatory for women in jobs, but this does not apply to men. This redundant double standard is as pernicious as it is artificial. The perfect physical shape is only attainable for the vast majority of women through obsessiveness, (anorexia) money (cosmetics, clothes)or mutilation	(plastic
surgery).The result of the deification of beauty is illness, competition,	and
trivialisation. If a women is beautiful she can be dismissed as achieving her position by her looks. If she is preoccupied with beauty she is a typical "girlie", and if, she is unconcerned with vanity she is weird and unemployable.
However, by comparing
and possibly irrelevant whether there actually was, as she maintains "egalitarian harmony and material well being" for ten thousand years before feudal society. Her theory that men act consciously and collectively as a caste against women ignores the crucial delineations of race, class and culture. The reader is left with an extremely negative view of male nature which is frustratingly disclaimed as entirely without hope of redemption. Western civilisation is dismissed as merely "propelling most human beings into the depths of misery", while most television programmes and films produced are simply vehicles to "show the white men triumphant". She attributes the motivations for male violence as vague stirrings of reproductive jealousy, the hope for salvation lying in the forlorn example of resistance at Greenham Common.
In stark contrast, the last two books display meticulous scholarship. 'The Beauty Myth' is a prescient book, with most of its insights more



¦
i
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anorexia to forced labour in the gulags Wolf gives an exaggerated view of women's dependence. This view of helplessness is confused by her castigation of women's magazines for promoting the beauty myth, when at the same time praising them for providing an alternative women's culture. The problem is, that though it is easier to collectively blame men, often her targets are female dominated industries. This suggests that the beauty myth survives due to the urge to consume, exists beyond changes in the gender of personnel, and feeds on deeply imbedded insecurities. This is acknowledged for most of the book but seemingly forgotten in her vague conclusions. Wolf recognises that it would be of benefit to both sexes if the beauty myth dissipated, but only commends naive appeals to her "sisters" and a new "sensual politics" to achieve this." Susan Faludi book broadens Wolfs analysis and places it in a historical context., In a meticulously footnoted book Faludi adeptly deconstructs every facet of modern culture into a cogent hypothesis. She is equally comfortable championing an unemployed ex-AT&T employee, to revealing the insidious messages of Hollywood	flagship
"thirtysomething" . She trenchantly dispels the myth that sexism is natural and inevitable by showing that its contemporary strength is due to a peculiar alliance of irresponsible sociologists, fundamentalist preachers and embittered conservative politicians.
Her analysis is more optimistic and focuses primarily on economics. The leading masculine trait according to both sexes is that the man should be largest breadwinner, but Faludi shows that this is becoming an anachronism as more and more women are accepted into the workforce. As women become more aware of their own power it is inevitable that more stereotypes will fall. Her view of the future is optimistic, though the question remains glaringly imanswered. Willmenshare any of the responsibility for the coming change?
14 - Music
T/te l^eaver
3 October 1994
Get Protection from a Massive Attacic
Second album success beckons for Bristol's best
AudleyJarvis
Hmmmm.......bit
fucking good this one.
Its about four years since the talents of 3D, Mushroom and Daddy G were last on display but with the release of "Protection", Bristol's Massive Attack collective are most definitely back and on the case. Never mind your M-People or your Blur, had this album been released six months ago it would have kicked ass in the mercury awards...certainly a good bet for next year.
The album is produced by Nellee Hooper, he of Soul II Soul, Bjork and more recently Naomi fame. Right from the first beat you know you are in the hands of a serious profession. The bass end is so tight it's to die for whilst the vocal production is ice melting. Speaking of vocals some people may be alarmed to discover that Shara Nelson is no longer with Massive Attack. (Wakey Wakey!) Div'nt fret Massive
Attack's new vocalettes, Tracey Thorn (Everything but the Girl) and little known Nigerian singer Nicolette are more than ample replacements. Thorn's vocals on the title track will have you reaching for the rewind button....guaranteed, whilst the third track 'Sly' introduces the stunningtalentofNicolette in a wispy dream like number that features that "acid bleep" machine the Roland TD-303 (ahhh... memory lane...). The good news is that this monster tune is going to be released as a 12" on October 17. The rest of the album is dubby,deeply atmospheric and thoroughly mid tempo-tastically splendid. Tricky gets a couple of chances to display his distinctive rapping style and there's also a erm....different live version of the Doors classic "Light My Fire" tacked on at the end which kinda grows oil you.
Massive Attack are often hyped as Bristol's musical flagship and rightly so. With the focus often too much on the London scene or Manchester
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Massive Attack's "Protection prove more good things than cider comes from the West Country
Photo:Eddie Monsoon
sound...etc....etc"it'srefreshing In conclusion I reckon this Massive Attack's album to know that serious album will go down as a classic Protection is on release alternatives to these well worn much like its predecessor and I now and they will be touring genres are available. But humbly suggest that you buy in the autumn. Review copy an3way, enough of the bollocks, it.	courtesy of Wild.
Rons chooses the singles of the week from a choice of two
NatLofthouse
Radiohead are always going to be tarnished by that "hit in America first" tag which is something the music press have forgiven the Cranberries for because they are Irish. Radioheads success in America has not lost them from their English roots and the tracks on this 12 inch single bring English melancholy and black humour to the forefront. Musically it 'aint bad, but it does seem like they are always going to be that band that had a hit called "Creep". Shame really as "My Iron Lung" and "Lozenge of Love" are not that bad. they're also on tour playing London's Shepherds Bush Empire on Saturday.
All right I'm converted Shampoo are great. The A side sums their ethos up solely with "Viva La Megababes". Grungy guitars.
Oh lucky you it's marvellous
RonVoce
Radiohead in "let's look moody in front of a window" photo
Photo: Danny Clinch
that London accent and an OTT indie style production. The flip side is a cover of E17's House of Love which is so much better(?) than the original. The Shampoo babes can t ake any song and work it up into a lather. If you don': fancy Radiohead on Saturday, try
Shampoo at London's Equinox and they'll even throw in Let Loose, PJ and Duncan and that Whigfield character. But we know who we want, "Viva La Megababes"....Viva Shampoo!
Review copies courtesy of Beat wax and both singles are available now.
There was no need to use the gimmick of a strawberry scented CD label of the Lightning Seeds new album "Jollification" Coming two years after the classic "Sense" some of us had been wondering if Ian Broudie, the man behind the "Seeds" had given up on his project.
Originaly a producer of such famous Liverpool bands as Echo and the Bunnymen and the Icicle Works he released the classiest pop single "Pure" and followed it up with "Life of Riley" and " Sense". Then came the lull.
JoUificationis another classic pop album. There is not a duff track on here. Working with his fiiends Terry Hall on the first single "Oh Lucky You", and touring with him now for the first time, the song just catches
you with that hook all Broudie's songs seems to have. He works with Mercury award nominee Ian McNabb on "Feeling Laz^' which is more Small Faces "Lazy Simday than anything Blur can ever try and do. McNabb's voice counter-points Broudie's dulcet tones but so too does Alison Moyet's who co wrote My Best Day which follows straight on from 'Teeling Lazy".
It is difficult to say which is the best track but I'd probably go with "Marvellous", because of the slow build up for almost 2-3 minutes and then it crashes in. The sweet smeU of success or just strawberriesandcream. We shall just have to wait and see.
"Jollification" is out now on Epic records and they are playing London's Shepherds Bush Empire on 5 October. Review Copy courtesy of Epic Records
^heReaver
3 October 1994
Music - 15
Fatima Mansions in iost album review sliocicer
m

Sim
"Which one of you bastards lost my album review!'
Photo: RBH
The Fatima Mansions new album "Live in the FormerWesf'is great. Don'ttake my word for it RBH, last years Music Editor raved about them and even The Independent made their last album "Valhalla Avenue" albvmi of 1993. You've probably never heard of them and as someone threw away RBH"s original epic review, youll justy have to be told that in the small hours at Pims the Fatimah Mansions get blasted out at top volume to rave comments. You can't pigeon hole them as no song is the same, eclectic is not the word. If you get the chance buy it. If you're still wondering what the hell I'm on about wait for the interview with lead singer Cahal Couglan (dont pronoimce the 'H') which is coming soon.
Barbarians,
Philistines.........
tliese animai men
Well there mother's like them any way
Harold Larwood MBE
Who would of thought it? 1993-Grunge rules, Pop is dead theories abound. Computer games are the new rock'n'roll. Comedy is the new rock'n'roll. Shit anjd^hing is rock'n roll except rock'n'roll itself and the band that is doing the most to prove this wrong is "These Animal Men".
Exploding into public consciousness with a flurry of Go-Faster stripes, songs and attitude, "These Animal Men" are the ultimate speedheads in more ways than one. The first British band to spawn a
style since The Mondays, T.A.M dressed the hipjsters of 94. Everyone from Michael Stipe to Take That soojn had a skintight sports shirt in their wardrobe. The Men threw a mean quote and a pretty pose. Suddenly a band cquld be colourful and vital again, with, shock horror, a sense of irreverence.
Then came the singles: both sold out in a week. 'Then came the mini- album which hit the top of the indie charts and the inevitable TOTP slot which just proved that you c^n steal the show with the intr^, never mind the performance;.
The real album had to follow and they didn'jt let us
Roslyn Gaunt
down. Classic albums are few and far between. But "Come On Join The High Society is just that. From the Sonic Youth inspired opening track "Sharp Kid" to the excellent "This Is The Sound of Youth", this album has more new wave energy, than many of the original new wavers of the seventies. Its twelve tracks are all classics in their own right and who else would put a debutante eating chips from a newspaper on the front cover; These Animal Men, who else.
"Come on Join The High Society" is on release now. They will be playing at the LA2 on 20 October. Review copy courtesy of Beatwax.
bbey RoadI, the album that caused EMI to change
hitting the news as it did the world 25 years ago. Tlie imniversaiy of it^s r«Jease» saw thousands of people
most fismpus cover ever in homage to what is still a truly classicalbum:theonethat, after the tortureofLetltBe,Paul wanted to njake " just like in the old days, no tricks."
Side one sees both JL andPM intheir elements, Lennon's Come Together anthem and rawlW^t You She's So Heavy both arehet^al. It's still Beatles play Lennon, then McCartney, then Harxison, but this time there's more give and take, you can hear tihat eveiybody's getting on OK and all are into what they^ doing.
The latter track, I want You, with ifs simple lyrics and cool jazz feel is the essence of the Lennon doctrine that was to come; if it feels good, leave it, warts and all. That's how comehis guitar (y^heplaysleadoftenontliealbum, as does
pauses - somethingstrictly taboo even for the most airogant
there until the tape cuts off suddenly, leaving tibuat bu2z echoing in your head.
Paul's contributions are just as good; only once does lie lurch into a children's &ntasy idea with IVfexw^lFs Sflyer
m
few weeks before the fboal take, and the performance is woithit.
You have to wait till the second side for George's
Soin^thing follow up are just so good. Althou^ not as prolific as the others his songs are excellent^ and ifs good that he develops lots of ideas into a few good pieces rather
in Ms leadwork on both of these tracks.
Which brings us to the medley on side two, Paul's You Never Give Me Your Money (another classic PM tradk) kicking of^ althou^ separate it is re\isit^ later in the album as the middle sectionfor another songso you feel like
each track eitherflowingseamlessly into anotherorused as a change of gear from the last. It all sounds so plannied and
it together but writing all the seemingly p«rfe<5tly suit^ pieces of track. That's all they are - snippets of music that gd somewheie else instead of being developed further. To my mind, Paul is the serious contributor and hk parts are the most touching, with Lennon's paiis a little ton^e in cheds? the fake Spanish ramblings on Here Comes The Sun King,
sidehasan almost Floyd-icfeel, andis ceiiaiiily whatpeople (me!) regard as the bc«it of the album, the side you play and rewind and play again all day - which made it all the sadder wben I read that L«nnon diatnissed the medley section completely, sayingit was just bits of nothing stuck together
The album ends with a track caUed Hie End; a swelling.
enough without the knowledge that it was the last album The Beatles ever made and the dream was truly over. Or so the cover says. Keep playii^ it and you will find an unlisted fcmck after about two minutes of silence - probably the first "^ret" track ever - a little ditty called Her Majesty from Paul and a nice sujprise for the listener stOl lost in gloiy.
staggering, showing considerable maturity and with none
of a decade of innovation both in and out of the studio: althoui^ this music sums up The Beatles and their time, it is not of that time and stands up as a masterpiece which is still inspiring people today.
Michael Goulding.
16 - Sport
TIte l^eaver
3 October 1994
Houghton

rHarry wojuld like to welcome all the new Inds to the finest educational establishment in the couniry. ^p^And what a start it's been with the usiual St;- 'class' acts in freshers week.	j
Tuesday night boasted the promising line V iap of 3 foam disco following the runner-up in the Perrier comedy festival. Smiley by name wank by nature, he forgot the golden rule of comedy - be funny. £500 seems a! bit excessive for a succession of wanking jo|kes as Smiley suffered the fate of Denjnis Russell, heckled by the mighty balcony and outshone by the burping orchestra. The night was still young though and the innovative foam disco was still to come.
^Cynics had suggested that Ents sabbatical Gary Delaney was abusing his power by arranging events to suit his personal hygiene requirements. 'fNo comment" said he, passing Harry on ithe Quad steps with a rubber duck and a loo'fah tucked under his arm. My shoes came up with a lovely shine on them though ^nd when the foam went in my pint of Coorls it at least gave the impression of fresh.la'ger rather than Jim Pagan's watered down Tuns variety. As an ice-breaker the event appeared to be working as many an innocent fresher was wooed by smooth-talking lotharios, although in true LSE fashion no-one seemed to succeed because it's getting quite late and the exams are -! only eight months away. Only the truly talented managed to pull, although Scouse Gardiner allegedly came very close .
Thursday and Friday saw the return of another bastion of LSE hypocrisy in the shape of the Fresher's Fair. Doing the rounds I was amazed at some of the toss that passed for stalls. I came very close to joining the Entrepreneurs Club until the last minute, when I realised the 'student' running it was the failed middle-aged stockbroker who ruined my Economics B -lectures last year by continually interrupting Hindley in mid-stutter with stupid questions. Does someone really count as an entrepreneur if they still haven't left school even after their kids have. And could the Socialist Workers please stop misleading evet'yone with their , name. "Worker" indicates that at some stage during their miserable soap-dodging lives they have managed to hold down a job other than newspaper sellers. It wouldn't be too much trouble to change the type-face to "Socialist Wanker" which would be far more accurate.
The only club tliat got Harry's pound was the LSE Racing Socioty , which boasted ^ innovative ideas and the opportunity^ to j sample the culture and splendour of |the . : 'Sport of Kings.' One would think that Societies such as this and Rag etc., whiich promote the idea of enjoying yourself wojuld get a greater allocation from the SU tllian ^craR like SWSS and the Entrepreneurs.! No^-i chance.	¦
It's a funny old game with no goalkeepers
- - --



If you want to make the team, shoot the opposition as ex -star player Pederson found out to his cost.
Photo: Steve East
Alex Lowen
It's that time of year again when LSE's footballing gladiators do battle on the halcyon tiorf of New Maiden against the finest that the University of London can offer. Legends such as Graveson, Pederson, Staples and Tallant are no longer with us as they take on the wide world with2.2'sundertheir belt, while starry-eyed freshers hope to emulate present day greats such as Gardiner, Coulcher and Thode.
No sooner has the year begun and already a crisis has developed jew to the failure of Guy Abramovitz to meet the strenuous first year exam requirements. Everybodypissed themselves laughing at the time but now LSE has been robbed not only of it's fattest player but also one of the few goal-keepers. With no sign of any competent freshers to put between the sticks, new club captain Mburu "Um Bongo" Kierini had taken the desperate measures of wearing a fetching Bob Wilson number around Houghton Street to encourage new talent. Meanwhile the five new captains are already licking their lips at the thought of honours this season. First team skipper Nick "Shandy" Charalambous is keen to shrug off criticism that he is merely the monkey to Jimmy Tree's organ grinder saying, "I'll be doing everything in my power to improve the first team in my style, provided Jimmy picks me
in the first place as course." Belindas graduation will certainly ease the in-fighting amongst the back-four although Charliechaplin-blossoms' lack of drinking capacity may count against him in the 3 Tuns Frriday night transfer market.
No such problems will be encountered by Chris "goals" Cooper as he attempts to continue the djmasty created last year by Nick Blunden. Promotion and cup victory vwll be hard to follow especially with Blimdens likely rise to first team colours and the loss of star striker Ian Davies who has moved on to Bath after rolling up his exam paper to use his exam paper as a spliff.
Last years joke team may well have the best chance of honours this time aroimd as Alex "Pie-eater" Lowen takes over the helm of the thirds. An easy division and the strength in depth of LSE football in general could see trophies winging their way back to Houghton Street, provided that Lowen can get used to new FIFA regulations forbidding pastry-based snacks in the goalmouth. He remains supremely confident of picking up silverware this year saying "If we win nothing this year I'll run naked down Houghton Street." Everyone is hoping that this doesn't happen as he hasn't got any slimmer over the summer.
Fourth team captain Simon "small penis" Gardiner has a tricky dilemma of his own. On the one hand he knows failure will not be tolerated, on the other hand, success is improbable with
him in the side. The number 12 shirt could hold the solution, especially now that the key centre-back position has been filled. "On Tuesday night I got what I wanted, a player who's hard as nails, big and never gives up lost causes," he said, "but I would have preferred a man."
As for the fifth team, a period of transition is waiting after last years near-promotion as many players have graduated, failed or moved up the ranks. New skipper Graham Bell has shown dedication to his difficult task by giving up his lucrative job on 'The Big Breakfast" and ending his relationship with Rachel Tatton-Brown.
So where are the freshers going to fit into the scheme of things? As with most colleges, it's not what you know but who you know and each team has different	. "entrance
requirements." Prospective first teamers may want to increase their chances with a shot of lemonade in their pints while third team hopefuls may help their cause by bribing the skipper with pies or kebabs.As for fourth teamers, the accepted policy appears to be to lick the captains arse until it bleeds, as this worked for him last year.
So, basically, the football trials are this Wednesday and Saturday and we're fucking gagging for goalkeepers. If you've signed up for footy then come along and have the time of your lives. If you didn't and you're a good player, especially a "keeper, then come along. If not then fuck right off.