Arts p18 Features p17 Fashion p26 Cambridge student Olly A. C. Grayling on not Laid-back style on the Rees on his nostalgic keeping the faith banks of the River Cam project When I Grow Up FRIDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2010 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1947 ISSUE NO 727 | VARSITY.CO.UK Graduate Union Union member banned for life ANDREW GRIFFIN ■ Peterhouse student facing disciplinary action for nominees alleged verbal abuse against Lauren Booth ■ Societies question decision to invite Gabriel announced Latner to speak at the controversial debate CATHY BUEKER and the wider world watching. His Nominees for the Graduate Union NATASHA PESARAN decision to verbally abuse one of our (GU) upcoming elections were The Cambridge Union Society is female guests using sexual language announced on Wednesday. embroiled in controversy after has done enormous levels of harm to The positions to be filled are President James Counsell banned the reputation of our Union, as well Academic Affairs Director, Envi- a member for life for allegedly ver- as crossing all boundaries of basic ronmental Director, Events bally abusing a speaker at a debate. human decency. Director, Family Director, Interna- Gabriel Latner, a second-year Law “I should remind our members tional Director, Secretary, Treasurer, student at Peterhouse, was handed that our speakers participate for and Welfare Director. the ban after he refused to apologize free because of our reputation, and The current GU President is to fellow proposition speaker Lauren that anybody personally connected Amina Rai, who was elected in the Booth for making a comment that was to Lauren Booth will now almost spring. deemed inappropriate last Thursday certainly avoid us like the plague. The nominees for each position at the Union debate, “This House This includes, amongst many others, are running as joint candidate pairs, believes Israel is a rogue state.” Cherie Booth and Tony Blair. with the exception of Environmen- According to Latner’s account, “Any member who behaves in tal Director. The nominee for that the incident began when he told this way will be punished, let alone position, Fran Boait, is running Booth that he was Jewish and had who does so whilst representing the alone. All candidates are running volunteered with the Israeli Army. Union as the President’s personal unopposed. Latner believes this information guest.” There were no nominations for the contributed to Booth’s unease with In response, Latner has decided position of Families Director, which him speaking for the proposition. to appeal Counsell’s decision with entails addressing issues for student On Booth’s request, Latner was the Union’s Review Committee. The parents at the University, and co- moved from fi rst to second speaker substance of Latner’s appeal hinges ordinating resources for students’ for the proposition. Before getting on his contention that his actions in children and spouses. up to speak, he turned to Booth and no way disrupted the event, do not Arash Moavenian and Ankita said, “I am going to nail you to the constitute verbal abuse, and were Kankani, standing for International fucking wall up there.” not suffi cient grounds for a lifetime Director, seek to introduce programs Booth later complained about Lat- ban from the Union. to help international students, who ner’s comment to Counsell, who then Moreover, Latner believes that make up half the graduate popula- confronted Latner, and requested Counsell lacked the authority to ban tion, become acclimated to the UK. that he apologise to Booth. When him and did not follow the procedural They propose a Heathrow and Latner refused to do so, Counsell requirements for disciplinary action, Gatwick pickup scheme for new had Latner escorted off the prem- as laid out in the Union constitution. grads, as well as a bicycle orien- ises and told him he was banned for In particular, Latner contends tation “to help students become life for disrupting a Union event and that Counsell failed to conduct a familiar with the UK road and traf- verbally abusing a guest on the Soci- “Presidential investigation” before fi c rules”. ety’s premises. imposing a penalty, as the Union’s Online voting will begin on 1st Speaking to Varsity, Counsell said, Constitution stipulates. Counsell, on November and fi nish on 3rd Novem- “Gabe had ten minutes to address an the other hand, argues that an inves- ber. Paper voting will commence at audience of 800, during which time tigation was conducted, since he the Graduate Union the next day. he was representing the Union and spoke to all parties involved in the Results are due to be announced at all its membership to our guests incident, CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Gabriel Latner outside the Cambridge Union Society 4pm on 7th November. Uni development Luke Hawksbee loses News Interview: Ridley Hall denied Protests at funding The Essay p12 under fi re out to RON new accommodation cuts Three Faiths Forum Browne changes Plans for a major new Luke Hawksbee has failed to Debbie Danon, Education Ridley Hall fails to receive Following on the heels of last development site in North secure suffi cient votes in the Manager of Three Faiths planning permission to extend week’s comprehensive spend- help Cam: West Cambridge have by-election for the position of Forum talks about encourag- its buildings to accommodate ing review, which outlined Vernon been criticised as unsafe CUSU Coordinator, despite ing dialogue and confronting a growing community of stu- a 36 per cent cut in the uni- Bogdanor and unprofitable by Cam- running unopposed. The turn- prejudice between those of dents. Plans to provide new versities’ budget, Cambridge bridge academics. The site is out for the election was only Christian, Muslim, and Jewish bedrooms and auditoriums students are expressing con- intended for student and staff 2.6 per cent of the student pop- faiths through educational have been rejected following cern about what the cuts will 43 > accommodation and research ulation, with only 583 votes programs in both faith and a number of objections from mean for the University’s facilities. ❯❯ p3 cast. ❯❯ p3 non-faith schools. ❯❯ p8 nearby residents. ❯❯ p4 access schemes. ❯❯ p7 9 771758 444002 29th October 2010 Something to say? 2 EDITORIAL www.varsity.co.uk [email protected] Online this week Established in 1947 SPORT Issue No 727 All the latest scores from Old Examination Hall, Free School Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3RF university as well as Telephone: 01223 337575 Fax: 01223 760949 college sport. FASHION Go behind the scenes with the Varsity fashion team. The Union’s Israel debate he Cambridge Union Society exists to provide screwed things up straight away by asking – of all people an open forum for students and experts to – an Israeli former soldier to speak for the anti-Israeli Texchange ideas. This is an admirable goal; but proposition. The Union is not guilty of bias, but of folly. when controversial issues are discussed, the Union must If they had performed a rudimentary check, they would VARSITV tread very carefully. There is no issue more controversial quickly have realised that Gabriel Latner was the wrong than the Israel-Palestine confl ict; last week’s debate speaker to invite. The consequences were disastrous but Bored of Come Dine With Me? Let Cooking Matters was always going to be diffi cult to handle. Yet the Union predictable. We hope they will have learned their lesson. show you how to throw the ultimate dinner party. King’s has long since stopped one don’t think this was the Le ers to the Sir, hosting). Keeping our only strongest argument made. communal space open late Your editorial on the 22nd of gives us somewhere to meet Finally, I truly doubt that we Editor October seemed to miss the up and relax post-essay crisis. are “guilty of indulging our- point of the King’s bar debate. Going to a May Ball gives selves too much”, as you seem Sir, Disappointingly, you failed to people somewhere to pretend to imply. King’s College has Inside this week grasp the important difference to be a character in an Evelyn formal halls only once a week Last week Varsity published between the bar itself serv- Waugh novel and throw up and drinking societies are Ben White’s ‘informed’ piece, ing alcohol, and the JCR-bar oysters. The two seem unre- strictly forbidden. In any case, MAGAZINE “Israel’s apartheid demands room remaining unlocked lated to me. how is having our JCR open a response”, adding to his col- and available to students. I until 2am a matter of indul- Charlotte Runcie on being lection of myopic, anti-Israel wonder if your piece was well- Chad Allen gence? I don’t get it. I could spooked by Hallowe’en, diatribes. The complexities of researched; the fact that you KCSU Welfare and Academic work all day until 1am and plus your weekly dose of V the confl ict were reduced into got the current bar serving Affairs Offi cer want to socialise for an hour Good versus V Bad. a cosmic battle of good and evil hours wrong suggests that it before going to bed. That’s not in which he played the type was not. Sir, even about leisure; it’s more of “inconsistent human rights about staying sane. COMMENT activist” with the power to Your point that “other colleges I am writing this in response ignore anything that doesn’t fi t have much earlier closing to your article about the We are unfortunate enough Reuben Binns suggests that into the anti-Israel narrative. times and their students don’t closure of King’s Bar, since to have our bar as our JCR, Polymathia may be dead, seem to feel deprived by I believe the article makes in the same place, which is an but the need for collaboration This is the same Ben White who this” demonstrates the root an askew interpretation of a unusual problem for a college across the not only endorses an obstructive of your confusion.