#FreeEducation

I'm heading off to London in a sec, to see the #FreeEducation demo and march.

For live tweets, pictures and thoughts, follow me at @patricvk

And I'll be uploading a blog on today's events either tonight or tomorrow morning!


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A Win's a Win

"Just catching up on the Welsh rugby reports... anyone would think we lost! #winsawin " @TomShanklin ex-Welsh rugby player



Wales vs Fiji is a fixture with an emotional history for both sets of fans. Their last two meetings at World Cups have been explosive affairs, resulting in a close-fought but resounding upset by the Fijians in Nantes '07, and in 2011 a cricket-like scoreline that set up a youthful Welsh side for their best showing in a World Cup, ever.

  It was with this history in mind that over 60,000 fans snapped up the cheapest tickets available in the "Dove Men's Autumn International Series", including a family price of £50 which enabled a huge number of teenage fans to see the game, and make all the noise that thousands of young boys and girls equipped with airhorns might be expected to make under the closed Millennium Stadium roof. 

 The scene was set for a game of explosive running, competitive forward play, and arguably most important for the young audience, points aplenty! 

 And for 35 minutes the teams obliged. The Welsh midfield may have stuttered against a physically imposing opposition (Jamie Roberts is not used to being the smaller Inside Centre, but against the 19-stone Nemani Nadolo, this was the case), but when called upon to execute a training ground set move from the solid base of a strong Scott Baldwin/Bradley Davies line-out, the back line performed skillfully, and Scott Williams perfectly delayed pass allowed George North to do what he does best, and finish well in the adjacent corner. 

 In the scrummage too, the pack continued to impress as they did against the Australians last week. Gethin Jenkins was solid, but Samson Lee was the outstanding Prop, and as he did seven days previously, convinced the Welsh public that perhaps leaving out the double Grand Slam winning Adam Jones was in fact a stroke of Gatland genius.  

 The Fijian back line also looked dangerous on a number of occasions. Talbula at 15 made impressive runs, and his aerial battle with the imperious (and deserving Man of the Match) Liam Williams was fantastic. For what it's worth, he also had the best hair on the field. A small, but important detail in modern sport. 

 The Fijians were let down by scrum half Matawala, who made a few bad kicks, only aiding Williams by giving the fullback the opportunity to show his prowess in the air, and in running at a broken field. If he had instead kept ball in hand, and given his own back line the chances they deserved, the halftime scoreline may have been closer than 17-6. 

 That was the story for 35 minutes, at least. 

The last five of the half were slow, and it was clear that the halftime whistle would be greeted with relief by both sides.

  Unfortunately, the half-time rituals seemed ineffectual in restoring energy to the Welsh. Instead of continuing their drive for points, as they successfully managed in New Zealand, the sloppy ball skills continued, and a breakdown in communication that destroyed what had been a solid line-out, and returned it to the dark days of the early 2000's. 

 Now, nearly every attempt at crashing through the centres was met with either a coughing up of 

possession or a ripping of the ball that, at this level, really shouldn't be allowed by those with the experience of Roberts and Williams.

  Fast forward to the Priestland pass on the Fijian 22, which should really not have been made at all, but was, and was then easily intercepted by Nadolo for a 60 metre try.

 The reaction was disappointment, of course, as the passage of play had looked like it would result

in Welsh points. But surprised? Certainly not. Priestland looked out of his depth all afternoon, and as well as inaccuracies in his passing game, he never truly controlled the game, and the incisive breaks he had previously won Gatland's selection with were entirely absent. 

The second half had started with the Fijian pack minus their loosehead Ma'fau for the collapsing of a maul (for which a Penalty Try was also awarded to the Welsh forwards) and midway through the second period, this yellow was transformed to a permanent exclusion, as he decided to drive at Bradley Davies' legs whilst he was still airborne after winning line out ball. An easy decision for dangerous, and frankly, stupid play.

  Surprisingly though, this was not the second half event that caused most uproar from the Millennium Stadium crowd. That came a few moments before, as Liam Williams seemed to break-free of a challenge and off-load to the charging Taulupe Faletau, who duly fought off his chasers to open the second half scoring. 

  However, the referee on the field, Garces, and his Televisual colleague Damasco decided that Williams had been effectually tackled (despite being able to stand up after hitting the floor), and called back the play for a Fijian penalty.  The crowd continue to show their vocal disapproval for several minutes.  

 Despite playing against 14 men for such a long time, the Welsh were unconvincing, and although they were sometimes unlucky not to extend their advantage, the little mistakes made in the Fijian half that didn't affect the scoreboard, suddenly did, as Nadolo made his clean heels seen. 

 There were positives. Liam Williams was the obvious one. The first half forward performance will only be enhanced by a return of Alun Wyn Jones for 80 minutes. And if North is given the ball more, he shows no sign of wavering from doing what George North does; score tries. 

 But with a week before the All Blacks visit, there's a lot to improve on. 

 Monday morning will hopefully be dedicated to keeping the ball in the tackle. 

Final: Wales 17 - 13 Fiji

A Recent Keele Graduate Walks Into a Bar...

Okay, so there are no Irishmen involved, and he does work in the bar, but he walks in nonetheless. It just so happens that this all takes place last Friday, the day after Marvellous was shown on the BBC.

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"Mate, did you see that thing about that Neil Baldwin fella? I think it was at your Uni!", exclaimed my colleague as I walked behind the bar.

As things to hear as you start a 10 hour shift go, that's not half bad. He went on to talk about the uplifting effect Nello's tale had on him, and how happy he was that it's all true. "I'd have loved it as a story even if it wasn't", he said, "but the fact that it's real just makes it incredible". I have to say that I agree.

It is perhaps lost on some of us who know Keele, and even know Neil, that his story is so widely heralded. For us, it's special to see our beloved campus, Student's Union, and even some of our friends on the screen. But for all of the 1.5 Million viewers on Thursday night, it was a story of compassion, joy and strength in the face of adversity. It was uplifting for millions.

To come into work, and be told that someone outside of our affectionately-known 'bubble' was able to love Nello's story in just an hour and a half shows the power of both Neil and Peter Bowker's work.

Of course, not all of Neil's story is joyful, and as the similarities to Forest Gump are pointed out, we must remember that his resilience in such times is absolutely part of what makes Neil so special.

However, as some have pointed out, the patronising tone with which some characters addressed Neil in the film is a serious issue to face, and one which is arguably extended by relating Marvellous to Forest Gump. Gump is a fictional tale, and one which takes the issues of disability to the extreme, simply for cinematic effect. Moment's of Gump's aloofness or straight-faced reaction to how others perceive him is often seen as funny. I don't entirely agree that this should be the effect, but humour is an effective tool in revealing the power of Tom Hank's character. 

 It is, however,  a world away from the true story of the Stoke City and Keele legend, quite simply because Nello's tale is true. When Toby Jones' Neil asks "Real Neil" what he thought of the Stoke City player calling him a "mong", there is no humour. Instead, Neil's honesty and strength of character are shown in his direct and sincere reply that "it's only banter". 

 I don't believe the two films should be conflated, and my colleague's sentiments explain why quite perfectly. "The fact that it's real just makes it incredible". We shouldn't forget that; it's what allows the story of one brilliant man to permeate the lives of so many, all around Britain. 

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When I decided to tell my co-worker that not only was I an extra in the film, but I have had the pleasure of knowing and speaking to Neil during my time at Keele, the look on his face was just, well, Marvellous. 

Conflict in Gaza has confirmed my Goal of Journalism

Over the past few weeks, Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip with heavy weaponry, and even a ground invasion. You all already know this. You all already know that over a thousand Palestinians have died, and the almost indiscriminate killing is set to continue, as at the time of writing, another ceasefire has broken down. You already know that the Gazan-Israeli conflict is hideously one-sided, and you already know that world powers such as the United States are almost certainly not going to step in, at least in any way that might be construed as criticising the government in Jerusalem.

So, why write this? What else is there to write? A quick review of the majority of British news sources reveals my answer. Last week, the BBC, Sky News, CNN and The Times all ran with a version of the headline "Israeli Soldier Seized by Militants". Not a word on the 53 Gazans killed, at least in the headline. It's not so much that these are inaccurate, though kidnapped is certainly the wrong term to use when a soldier is taken during combat, as pointed out on Twitter by Mehdi Hasan, but they are one-sided. They focus on an Israeli plight, which though tragic, should not be the biggest story today.

Certainly more worrying are the areas of U.S. media, such as the notorious Fox News, where the likes of Sean Hannity are not only spreading vitriol and opinion as fact, but frankly putting their own journalists in danger, for very little reward. As Yousef Munayyer (who you may remember from the Hannity vs Brand spat, as the victim of Hannity's "interview") puts it, "within Fox News there are journalists who are trying to do a far more professional job in covering this issue. They even have journalists on the ground in the Gaza strip who are risking their lives to bring the scenes and images and the reporting of what’s going on there to American viewers".

Instead of sources such as Fox, and even Sky and the BBC sometimes, I look at the efforts of The Guardian, Channel 4 News (especially the gallant and up-standing journalism of Jon Snow), and Al-Jazeera. I find here the same thirst for truth, justice and balance that makes me feel such a strong desire to join their ranks, to be a professional journalist.

However, even behind the clearly woeful reporting of Hannity and Co., there are journalists working for Fox News in Gaza, and as Munayyer reports, actually doing an honest day's work. It's an unfortunate reality, but once again shows the positive work that journalists do. Hannity is not a journalist. He is a mouthpiece for the Murdoch Empire. But there are those in Gaza, for whichever media outlet, with whichever stance, who are trying to report, and bring us news. This is the work I respect, and wish to do.

There are stories to be told, not only in Gaza, in Nigeria where Boko Haram still hold over 200 school girls, in Ukraine, where fighting continues even after the MH17 crash, and in Syria, where the Civil War has been all but forgotten by the mainstream, as it is overtaken  by conflict in Palestine. I have named only a few, but my point can be applied almost anywhere in the world. Even here, in leafy, suburban Chelmsford, there are news stories to be written, and documentaries to be filmed.

Change can be made, and information spread through journalism. And my early Sunday mornings watching the news, after returning from work in a bar till 5am, act only to prove to myself that this is the career for me, and all my continuing hard work will be worthwhile. 

Why I Haven't Watched the Commonwealth Games

Some might start an article like this by announcing that "on the face of it, these Games aren't problematic". But I'm not really sure which face of the Games these people have been looking at. On the smallest scale of problems, Usain Bolt, probably the world's most famous athlete has allegedly muttered that the Games in Glasgow are "a bit shit". On a larger scale, the Games deal with a Colonial legacy that Britain seems to have overcome. More accurately, perhaps, many of us have forgotten.

There are problems found as easily as looking at the name of the Games. The "wealth" that is said to be "common" is very far from being so. One only needs to look back four years, to the Games in Delhi to see how that particular Imperial lie has continued, and continued to fail.

 Those games were generally successful in the end, but the controversy leading up to the start of the Games cannot be ignored. Tales of corruption ran rife, as they always seem to do when countries outside of Western Europe and the US organise large tournaments or competitions. And athlete's portrayed what seemed to be quite understandable concerns regarding safety  and living standards in the Village.

Some might argue that this is simply bad luck, that India happens to be a post-colonial nation, and happened to suffer these setbacks when hosting the Games. But this is a lazy analysis. India was once again put in the position of the colonised nation, expected to reveal its wonders to the European powerhouses which came to visit. However, as a nation still struggling with some aspects of post-colonial life (as one might expect, due to the tyrannical nature of such regimes)these issues and failures resulted.

On a sporting level, these Games were a success, as I'm sure the Glasgow Games are proving to be. However, the nature of this 4-yearly event cannot be isolated as a solely sporting creation. They are linked horribly literally to the age of the British Empire, when we raped and pillaged our way to control of one third of the Earth.

Yet, instead of teaching in our schools and universities how this era of history was not something to be proud of, we hold a sporting tournament to bring together all those nations who experienced Colonial rule, from either side of the aisle. Except the United States, of course. They had the temerity to revolt, and declare independence. How dare they? 

We are treated to an awkward, not-quite-as-good-as-London-but-with-a-gay-kiss Opening Ceremony, and the Queen "photo bombing" some athletes. As if she knows what that is. (Yes, I may not have been watching the games, but I do read Buzzfeed every so often.) I'm afraid that doesn't quite cut it.

This is not just a sporting event. This is a living legacy of a Colonial period of history which should be regretted, and whose evils should be taught.  We should not celebrate, and we certainly shouldn't force the nations we occupied to celebrate alongside us, as though they were equal partners in this episode. They were not. It's time for Britain to stand up, and make amends. 

What's it Like, Being a Student Journalist?

This is a small, slightly less-than-serious piece I was asked to write about my experience as News Editor this year, as part of Concourse's 50th Anniversary celebrations. 

(If you picked up a hard copy at Graduation, you'll have read a version of this. However, it's not available online for some reason, and I also think the editing hasn't really done my piece justice. This version is slightly longer, but also much clearer.) 

As you read, Concourse began looking for sub-editors at the start of the year. I think it's fair to say that I 

was chomping at the bit for a piece of the action. I bloody love current affairs, me.

The most fun I've had this year has been the SU Elections. As some of you may have seen, I presented the live ConcourseTV coverage with Paul Sayers, and later took on the task of live-tweeting the election results (@News_Concourse for those interested). It was challenging, but great experience of live reporting. I also had the privilege of working with KUBE on our joint coverage of Varsity 2014. Live match reporting, post-game interviews with coaches and players, and a "roving reporter" style segment quizzing Staffs students on their (heavily drunken, pre-lunch) experiences was all great fun, and a great insight into the life of sports reporters. Never again will I laugh at a reporter being sworn at by a drunken fan whilst on air. Well, okay, maybe I'll still laugh a bit, but with the personal knowledge of how he or she feels!

At times there has been a shortage of communicable events and stories to write about, but through investigating wider global affairs such as the Ukraine Crisis on our KUBE Radio show, we have been able to combat this. Again, with writers investigating and reporting huge stories like the Accommodation Shortage whilst I was stuck in the depths of the archives of the Poetry Foundation, researching for my dissertation, we have been really successful this year!

Hopefully through our work with the University Marketing department this year, future News Editors will have a rich source of ongoing affairs to report on and write about.

Writing about and communicating all the exciting and important things happening at Keele has been a great pleasure, and being able to edit and help others write about news has been a privilege!

Who knows, it might even help me get a job! #EmployMePlease? 

Blowing the Bubble: When Concourse Took to the Airwaves

This is one of the final pieces I wrote for Concourse, during my time as Student and News Editor at Keele University!

There's a few editorial mistakes, but seeing as this edition was the first for the new team, we'll forgive them I think!


http://www.concourseonline.com/patricvk/concourse-and-kube-join-forces/