A n)5^ NEWSPAPER of the LSE STUDENTS' UNION No. 151 MARCH 2nd, 1976 FREE THE CHOICE IS YOURS Use your vote Tuesday and Thursday THE yearly Executive Election extravaganza is now upon us. Today, Tuesday, 2nd March, you will or should be voting for the Sabbatical posts of General Secretary and Senior Treasurer and Thursday, 4th March is election day for the non-Sabbatical ordinary Executive members, involving ten posts. In both cases voting will be by Single Transferable Vote, so do not mark your choices by an "X" but rather indicate your preferences (i.e. 1, 2, 3 etc.). In an attempt to increase participation in this election, two polling booths are to be set up; one on the ground floor of St Clement's Building and the other on the ground Boor of the Main Building. So hurry along, with your admissions card, and indicate your preferences on Tuesday and Thursday. Prove that this union still has some relevance by turning up to vote. Here we include a brief description of each of the candidates standing which is continued on page three. General Secretary (Sabbatical Post) Five candidates are standing for this post. Jackie Gladden, who has just been elected to the current execu-tive (Shop and Florries), and is standing as an Independent. She is opposing education cutbacks, and increases in O/Seas Students' fees, and places an emphasis on "student welfare, not ideological politioe". In her private capacity she is a member of Con. Soc., and claims association with the Women's Group. Wanda Gold wag is an Independent Socialist, and has an impressive list of qualifications; she is a member of Welfare Committee, Nur-s e r y Management Committee, Women's Group, a Gay Rights Activist, NUS delegate (1975), and worked at the last three Freshers' Conferences. She promises efficient Union Organisation. Julian Ingram is only a first-year student, but he is certainly in the thick of it all! Member of Grants Action Committee, Student Participation Committee, Film Soc. Com- mittee, Grimshaw Club, Millenium Board, SRP, and delegate to NUS Conference (Easter '76). He even attends UGMs, and, the ultimate dedication, contributes to "Beaver" —on a somewhat infrequent basis! He has talked at length about a "relevant Union". Simon Lubin, a fourth-year student, is standing on the National Organisation of International Socialists' Societies' platform. Hence he sees the Union as part of a much broader spectrum—"politics is not confined to the class-rooms of LSE". What is lacking, he claims, is direct action, and this, though its form is not exactly specified, is what he promises. Dick Sales, who has been the executive member for Ents throughout this year, and was the main, organiser of the Festival last term. In the absence of a manifesto tr an appearance at the hustings, you will all have to make your own guesses about his policies! Candiclates for Senior Treasurer John Cruse is a non-aligned Socialist in the Broad Left and has served on finance, executive and constitution committees. He stresses the administrative function of the Senior Treasuvev, and wants to focus attention on specific issues particularly affecting the LSE:' hall fees, refectory prices, ¦ the language dept., overseas students and union services. O/SEAS STUDENTS UNITE I The London School of Economics ancJ Political Science ON the 19th February the Director spoke to a packed meeting in the Old Theatre about overseas student fees. He put forward a typical, paternalistic view and said that he vould do all he could to ensure that overseas students continued to enjoy the academic facilities of the LSE. At this meeting he was presented with a petition signed by 1,500 staff and students protesting ibout discriminatory fees. The Overseas Students Action Committee (formed by the National Societies, the Students' Union Committee on Overseas Students and other overseas students) held a meeting on Monday 23rd February where it was decided that a letter would be presented to the Director »sking him whether he intended to increase overseas student fees to E416 or not. In the light of his speech on the 19th it was felt that she Director was sympathetic, at teast verbally, to the fight of overseas students against discrimina-aon. DAHRENDORF SHOWS HIS TRUE FACE! On Thursday 26th February over iifty overseas and home students unassed outside the Director's )ffice causing the School to go on t "red alert", the House Manager ras alerted in case of "trouble". Seven students went into the Wrector's office and presented him with a short explicit letter "Will you increase the fees or not?". When talking to the seven overseas students Dahrendorf used precisely the same arguments he had previously used when talking about the closure of the Language Department. He said "no definite decision has been reached on overseas student fees" and "no exact sum has been fixed" and finally "the decision will be made by the Academic Board on lOth March." Members of the Overseas Action Committee pointed out that obviously some definite decision had been reached as they had seen a duplicated letter which has been sent out by the LSE Registrar's department to prospective overseas students. This document informed students that fees would be at least "£416" and warned them to expect further increases. Dahrendorf denied all knowledge of this document. Thus it would seem that our poor Director is entirely ignorant of what goes on in the rest of the LSE! Obviously a shrewd politician as he is, Dahrendorf plays many games, the most frequent ploy is to express ignorance of any final decisions. However, when pressed by members of the Overseas Students Action Committee, Dahrendorf reluctantly said "Yes — the fees will be increased." He reasoned that if he did not implement the 30% fees increase, the £130,000 gained from this increase would have to be found from somewhere else thus affecting the academic standards of the LSE. It should be noted that to the LSE this amount of £130,000 is a mere pittance and does not even represent two per cent of the LSE's annual turnover of five million pounds. SYMPATHY NOT ENOUGH — WHAT WE NEED IS ACTION We cannot rely on vague words of sympathy. It's only by uniting with home students together with students from all universities and colleges and with the Trade Union movement that we can succeed in our fight ag'ainst discrimination. Cuts are not only in education but are spread throughout the public services. Only by taking definite action shall we succeed in our fight against discrimination. This letter signed by Rosemary Nixon, of the Admissions Dept., has been sent to all prospective overseas students. These letters have obviously been sent out while the Director is still claiming that no decision had been reached on an increase of fees for overseas students. (Univcrsitv nt Houghton Street, London, WC'2A 2AE Tili'phom-: i)l-4'>5 48/12.75 You will "be glad to hear that we have received j'cur application for admission to the School in 1976. The next stage in our adi.^ssions procedure re^uiresthat you send us a medical certificate and confirnation that funds are available to cover the cost of your course,. Suitable foms are enclosed and I shall be glad if you '.nil arrang-e for these to be completed and sent back to me as soon r.s possible. A v/ord of explanation nay be helpful en Hhe question of funds, since in our experience niariy overseas students come to this country without a clear understanding of the expense involved, I'he cost of living in London is hi^h; a student needs at least ^11500 for each full year to maintain himself, ^ In addition, tuition fees for 1976/77 are expected to be £416 and the total sun needed for that year alone will therefore be about £1920. Further increases will undoubtedly arise before the end of any course be(^ in 1976. It is, then, nost inportant that you should now be sure how you .will meet thi^ expense. Students who have in the past enbarked on courses with inaaequate flmds have tended to find thenselves in serious difficulties that have proved beyond their powers to overcome® Further, students cannot count on augmenting their incone on arrival in this coimtry. • This ia the reason why v;e req\dre you to provide confirmation that funds are available. If you will Idndly arrange for the enclosed fom to be completed by your parent or guardian, and by his bank, and then returned to me along with the medical certificate, we can proceed further with your application, Youre sincerely, (l>!ias Jit Nixon) Assistant.Registrar, Admissions ROMAN POLANSKI COMES TO LSE se< m page BKAVFR, March 2nd. 1976—Page Two LETTERS Sabbatical ENTS DEAR EDITOR, — In recent weeks quite a lot has been written in Beaver and bandied about the Union on the issue of more sabbaticals. I would like to add to the debate by making some points on what has already been said and also outlining the possible role of an Entertainments Sabbatical and the reasons why we need one. I would like to start by totally agreeing with Dick Sales' view of the Bntertainmente Committee as put forward in your last issue ... I have no doubt that Entertainments Committee members do put in far more effort than any other organized body within our Union. Anyone who disagrees can come along and do some work for us, such as putting up posters around London Colleges, and humping equipment in the small hours of some Sunday mornings. So what can a Sabbatical Entertainments officer offer to LSE Students Union? Well, the basic function would be to carry out the work of a social secretary, a role currently split amongst three persons, Mike Stubbs, Andy Comwell and Dick Sales. He could also expand on current activities, and take over or become involved in other aspects of social life at LSE which take part without the involvement of Entertainments. The extension of cuiTent activities could include the organisation of regular discos and other social events, folk nights, bam dances, etc., that do not take place at the moment. He could also become involved with the • running of the bar in conjunction with the bar manager as the Three Tuns is the focal point of social life at LSE for many people. He could also take over the running of the film'Society by becoming chairperson of its committee and bring its financial side under union control. In this way a Sabbatical Entertainments officer would be able to provide a far better social side' of things within LSE. On a financial level; I believe the position could be virtually self-financing. With the profits from the Film Society and the more professional running of other events and no profit hopefully made as a result, the position should be able to get close to paying for itself. That's the case for the Entertainments Officer . . . Now what about the proposals for other Sabbaticals. Firstly, there is the idea being bandied about for a Sabbatical Publications Officer. As I understand it, the idea is to change the method of printing Beaver to a litho process and use the saving and advertising revenue a sabbaticaV would be able to bring in to pay for the post. What'11 we end up with? In my opinion a Beaver which will look far worse than it currently does. Furthermore where is all this advertising going to come from? With advertisement rates that are very high and a circulation that is very low, advertisements are hard to come by now. Sennet and the new National Student cream off all the advertising going, and can even a sabbatical editor get advertising revenue for Beaver against such competition? I very much doubt it. Finally, will Beaver's editorial content improve if we get a sabbatical editor. The answer must be no, as it wiU still be the same "hacks' who'll be contributing^ All in all whilst feeling the role of Beaver within LSE Students' Union to be very important, the idea of a sabbatical is, to me at least, laughable. Secondly a few words could be said about the proposed Welfare Sabbatical outlined in Beaver's January 20th issue by Robin Cooper. Whilst I do have genuine sympathy for the plight of Robin, I would point out that the role of the proposed Entertainments Sabbatical is currently undertaken by three people — the Entertainments Executive member, the Social Secretary and his assistant. All of these roles take up an enormous amount of time, and undoubtedly affect the academic work of the three people involved. (Dick Sales, the Executive member, recently wished to resign due to pressure of academic work.) Ask them a'oout it, you'll get an answer citing all the problems outlined by Robin in his letter. There you have it. I contend that the need for an Entertainments Sabbatical is far greater than the need for one in any other area of activity within our union. I'm sure action will be taken to ensure this priority is recognised. RICHARD REES ZIONIST INVADERS DEAR EDITOR,—I have the following comments to make regarding Mr Robert Brager's letter. First, I do not agree with him that the Palestinians are not a race. "Beaver" changed the content of my article without consulting me. The Palestinian Arabs are an integral part of the Arab Nation. Secondly, I never said that a war broke out between Palestine and Israel. In 1947 a war broke out between the Palestinian Arabs and the Zionist settlers, later in 1948, the Arab States intervened. Thirdly, the Zionist Invaders tried and are still trying to destroy tjhe identity of the Palestinian people. Moshe Dayan said to the students of Haifa Technique "there is no Jewish village in this country that has not been built on the ruins of an Arab village." Fourthly, if we agree that Israel is democratic, then how could anyone justify its racialist character ? Finally, I would like to point out that Mr Brager's letter did sound reasonable and rather moderate, and this is why I am replying to it. S. YOUSIF (CHAIRMAN OF THE ARAB SOC.). B. L. aims? DEAR EDITOR,—From what I have gathered from the national press, the student press and LSE politics, there seems to be a major debate with, and campaign against, the Broad Left. The iiational press seem to delight in a "student bashing" campaign. Even to those students who have only had a peripheral contact with student politics, the dialogue between the NUS and the Daily Express is hard to miss. The fact that the Broad Left has a hold on the NUS executive is the link between the above meander-ings. What I would like to do is to select a few passages from what the Broad Left says are its aims, and how it operates; for instance in the February 3rd issue of "Beaver", the BL states "... the BL is in no sense a membership organisation or a political party. There is no "line ' which people disobey at the peril of expulsion.. it is a political alliance which will vary in strength and size depending on the amount of agreement existing around any given mea- sure ..." If what the above says is true, then I would think such an alliance most sensible and laudible. What really happens within the ranks of the LSE Broad Left does not relate to this "statement of goals". It seems to me that the BL cannot act as a forum where different opinions can be debated, if at the same time it wishes to use itself as a political machine in order to have members elected on to committees and posts in the Union and NUS. The problem arises because candidates do not stand as independent, albeit sympathisers, within an alliance of progressive opinions, but actually as members of a group, which means a political party. And once you have a political party you are overcome by narrow-minded dogma and a party line. Thus BL is not what it states it is and does have a party line, as it recognises it must if it wishes to compete in politically based elections with other parties. When one's feelings are in sympathy with what the BL "goals" article says, it is disappointing to find that this is just more political propaganda. DAVID LOWRY 0/S students' reply DEAR EDITOR, — Following your article last week on overseas students, I think some points need further consideration. Leaving aside for the moment the financial questions, does it not seem completely-unfair that a small percentage of students should be discriminated against solely because of their nationality ? The very idea seems repugnant and clearly there is no real justification for this form of blatant discrimination. Dealing with the financial matters, the Department of Education Statistics show that over three-quarters of all overseas students are self-supporting. Contrary to popular belief, most of these students find it very difficult even now to make ends meet. The proposed 30 per cent increase in fees will make their position far worse. There will be many who will be forced to leave their courses mid-way and return home. Those who manage to continue will face increasing financial hardships. Further, there will undoubtedly be a considerable drop in the number of new overseas students coming here. This overall drop in numbers will mean that there will be little net benefit accruing to any particular establishment from the increase in fees. On the national level, the increase in revenue will be negligible. For example, the loss of four or five thousand overseas students who might have come to Britain following the 1967/65 fee increase, meant that the gain from the increase was almost entii'ely offset by the loss of foreign revenue equivalent to about £700 per person. The Overseas Students' Action Committee has been very active in highlighting these issues and exploding some of the majoc myths. Let us hope all students will continue to give it their full support so that effective action can be taken against the fee increases and this barbaric discrimination can be stopped. MANMOHAN SINGH Election thanks THE job of returning officer taken on by Glenys Thornton is the least rewarding the imion has to offer. Not only does she have to work as hard as any of the candidates, but whereas the latter bask in the sunshine of fame and publicity the Returning Officer receives no thanks and often a great deal of criticism. It is with this in mind that I would like to pay tribute to Glenys. Although, a third year student she has extended vast time and effort in doing all within her power to ensure the maximum number of students vot«. For the first time in union history there will be two polling stations and notice boards are to be cleared so that candidates posters can be clearly displayed. These arrangements compare most favourably with those of two years ago when voting was at a union meeting from four to five. Candidates were limited to 200 leaflets each. One hopes that the Returning Officers efforts will not go to waste and the students will use this opportunity not only to vote fofl their representative on thei Executive but also to show by a large turnout that interest in uniom is still alive. This is essential if union is to have the requisite backing over the difficult period lying ahead; the transfer to LEA, the closing of departments and tha raising of overseas students fees etc. ¦ Our thanks must also go to tha Deputy Returning Officer Gilt Hibbart, those manning the pollinf stations and those counting. S. K. ADAUA Swan song DEAR EDITOR,—Friday was, in my view, a sad day for the corporate body of students at the LSE. Due to the over-enthusiasm of the Secretary of the Borneo Club, who inadvertently put my name on the bottom of a hand-out, I have been Struck off the list of executive candidates. I view this action, and the comments against Dr Sansui Wong (in Freepress), as two blatant examples of the political manoeuvring which epitomises the activities of both the left and the right at LSE. PHIL D. SWAN THIS BEAVER was produced by Sheree Dodd, Nikki Tait, Anton Chapman, Clare Lynch, Martin Peacock, Richard Blackett, Mary Butterworth, Mungo Deans, and Michael Cleary with inspiration from Paul Brown. All opinions expressed in this paper are those of tl;e writers. @ London School of Economics and Students' Union. -i ..-s UNION NEWS AND VIEWS Candidates continued SENIOR TREASURER Colin Robinson is a member of the I.M.G. He emphasises the political rather than the administrative aspect of Senior Treasurer's post in the face of Healey's cuts. He urges the breaking of the information monopoly at L.S.E. Secondly, participation in a broader national campaign against public expenditure cuts. Thirdly, the building up of a strong campaigning body within the union. CANDIDATES STANDING FOR ORDINARY EXECUTIVE John Anderson. He is standing on a semi-Labour Club slate along with Sheree Dodd. He is an Inde-•pendent Socialist (Labour), being |3oth a member of the Party and the Fabian Society. Not too well inown in hack circles which could fie a definite vote-catcher. Jim Armitage. Jim's campaign seems to have so far concentrated on. getting the position of Executive member for the Bar—a popular position for Conservatives, and Jim is one albeit a moderate. Amongst his many qualifications is London ViceTChairperson of Young European Federalists. Anton Chapman. As a present member of the Executive, he has some experience of its workings. An independent Socialist believing in pragmatism not dogmatism. He be-heves firmly in mass participation and in the usefulness of "Beaver'' as a weapon of the Union to cross-fertilise ideas. Julia Davenport. Not surprisingly after all her good work in Welfare she is primarily interested in this post. It is a shame that a lot of her valuable work is behind the scenes and goes unrecognised by all but a few. She is standing as an Independent and believes in practical help and actions. Sheree Dodd. As mentioned be^ fore, she "is an Independent Socialist (Labour). An industrious worker especially as editor of "Beaver'', she would like the Publications post. She has an impressive ti-ack record as a member of the Labour Party and was recently elected to the Court of Governors. Michael Fisher. He stands as an Independent and believes there should only be the barest minimum of politics in the Union. He advocates a less international outlook and more concern for the problems at home. He wants to "represent students as a student—not a politician". Roger Galloway. He has the dubious claim to fame of being called "a greasy-haired, uncouth, dirty traitor'' by a National Front member. Roger is a member of NOISS and is publications organiser of L.S.E. I.S. Soc. A revolutionary socialist who wants a Union on the streets and of the streets. James Gee. James is a member of IS and on his nomination form he states he is running his "campaign wishing to be judged on the basis of my revolutionary politics." Rather an unknown quantity in hack circles and along with Roger Galloway is not standing under the I.S. banner but under that of N.O.I.S.S. Stephen George. Independent;— wants O S post^ as concerned by exploitation of overseas students. Organisational experience in India and member of L.S.E. O/ S co-ordinating Committee. Founder/President of L.S.E. Debating Soc.- Stands also for improving academic standards by student assessment of lectures. Jackie Gladdden—see under General Secretary. Russell Gray. Ind. Lab. Mod. Soc. Dem. . Junior Treasurer for Bar. Finance Committee. Union Accommodation Committee. ¦ Julian Ingram—see under General Secretary. Achmed Kariem—is now an Independent Socialist and a former student of the University of Cape Town, where he played an active role in student politics. He advocates a Students' Union which is SEP COMMENT 1 J ]MANY students at the L.S.E. will now have heard of the widespread disgust amongst students concerning the blatant and zealous loyalty with which the Communist N.U.S. leadership panders to the Moscow line. This anger was consolidated by moderate students who, last Friday, protested by occupying the headquarters of the National Union of Students in Endsleigh Street. The occupation was planned by an organisation called Students for Representative Policies. S.R.P. exists for moderate students who are dissatisfied with the continuing domination of the N.U.S. by the Par Left and their fellow travellers. S.R.P. is organised on a national basis and, since its inception nine months ago, has attracted overwhelming support from sympathetic students. The membership consists mainly of "social democratic'' members of the Labour Party but also has great support from non-Marxist Liberals and progressive Conservatives. 'We 'exist also as a means by which non-aligned non-Marxist students are able to participate actively in student political affah-s without feeling linked to a vote-catching, 'jSureaucratic, electoral machine. At the European Meeting held in Bucharest, Rumania, in December, 1976, national students' unions met to discuss matters of mutual interest. Last week, the N.U.S. released the report of this conference, having suppressed its publication until after the final date for N.U.S. Conference motions to be submitted. Shrouded in secrecy and mystery, the publication of the report revealed a white-wash of the pro-Soviet Hne followed by our delegation at the Conference. hfe-orientated rather than death-orientated and supports armed struggle and guerilla activity in order to overthrow capitalist and racist systems. Jean Kennedy — Broad Left/ Labour. Four years' experience in D.H.S.S. and former branch secretary of C.P.S.A. Active in Anti-Apartheid and Grants Action Committees. Supports B/L aim for a living grarit for all and would campaign for extension of vacation grants and reduction in nursery fees. Barry Kirkman — Broad Left, wants Academic Affairs. Hhas had 13 years' experience in industry and two as a teacher. Member of Grants Action, O/S students, External Affairs and Building Committees. Supports pegging Hall fees and re- fectory prices, prepared to fight in defence of education, especially Library, general and academic vacancies and the language department. Jacky Rushforth—a present Executive member with responsibility for Overseas Students, Jacky is also a Broad Left candidate. She is active in the Chile and Spanish Solidarity Committees; she has also worked in a French community centre and was involved in a Lisbon student newspaper. Christine Rutson—Broad Left; is very active in Halls circles, being President of Passfield and a member of the Inter-Halls Negotiating Committee. Under her qualifications she seems to have a preponderance of those connected with human rights—N.A.C., Gay Culture Soc and Women's Group. Manmohan Singh—a very politically aware and participating Indian and this is reflected in his being President of L.S.E. and U.L.U. India Societies. A Broad Left supporter, he is taking what some would say is a foolish step of standing for the Executive which will be in his third year. Graham Wildridge. Graham is Broad Left, a first-year and a Liver-pudlian, with all the humour associated with the latter. He gave a very creditable performance at the hustings regardless of the chairperson's tendency to forget him. He is secretary of the Chile Support Committee and along with many of the candidates he is on the Grants Action Committee. Our own eye-witness sources inform" us that several other delegations were dismayed by our delegates' pandering to the Soviet line. (Bjorn Sundstrom of the Swedish student delegation at one point intended to walk out of the conference in protest.) In their speeches A1 Stewart I N.U.S. Deputy President) and Trevor Phillips (Vice-President)—both members of the Communist-dominated Broad Left—took great pains to spread anti-British propaganda. This was lapped up by the Eastern Press. Specifically, A1 Stewart insisted that women are "totally oppressed" in the West. He alleged that abortion and contraception were restricted in Britain, but made no mention of the illegality of abortion in the host country, Rumania. Trevor Phillips gave delegates the ' impression that no-one in Britain could rest secure whilst fascists roam the streets beating people up. Our delegates relished criticism of western imperialism and interference with other countries but were silent about the Warsaw Pact and hobnobbed with the' Russians and their puppet Czech Union (CSUV). Why an occupation? For too long student politics has been dominated by the antics of the Far Left and Further Left. The time has come for moderates to use the same tactics as our opponents for our own ends. The occupation has succeeded in winning large-scale new support for S.R.P. We intend to channel this support into active participation and will be starting an S.R.P. group at L.S.E. Your support is urged! For more information, contact Tony Bro\Vn through U/G pigeon-holes. Would you like to work in television? LONDON WEEKEND TELEVISION is undertaking a widespread seorch for two suitable candidates to start work in the autumn as trainee researchers. Those appointeci will be given the opportunity to familiarise themselves with all aspects of television. After the successful completion of their training they will be assigned to research posts on particular programmes. The successful canciidates are likely to be (but are not necessarily) in their early twenties. They will already have proven academic ability. They will already have demonstrated some originality in theatre, film or journalism and they must appear to have the potential in the long term to rise to senior creative positions in television. Applications, accompanied by a typewritten curriculum vitae, should be sent to ; Controller-Staff Relations LONDON WEEKEND TELEVISION Kent House, Upper Ground London SEl 9LT The envelopes must be clearly marked "TRAINEES" in top left hand corner, and all applications must be received by April 15th, 1976. m London Weekend Television BEAVER, March 2nd, 1976—Page Four STUDENTS AND THE LAW 1 EASTER VACATION THE prospects for the Easter vacation are bleak indeed. Students have several options which clearly must be kept in mind. 1. They could have applied for a Vacation Study Grant from the LSE Registry by February 27th. The amount of money received depends on the total number of applicants. On the application form, however, students may declare travel expenses to and from a library. In addition to travelling expenses, daily rates for students living away from the parental homes are about £2.30 per day. If you elect to work at home, then travelling costs are not included. 2. Students can also apply to their local authority for a Vacation Hardship Award. This is usually less than option 1. 3. Students can still claim Social Security for this Easter. According to the House of Commons debate on February 23rd, Michael Foot announced that from this March adult students who register for vacation employment will be separated from the unemployment statistics. It is from the next academic year, how ever, that the proposals to discourage students from claiming unemployment benefits would take effect. In the present confusion students will no doubt find it even more necessary to persevere at their D.H.S.S. offices than ever before. (A leaflet on the procedure is available from the Welfare Office SIOO.) 4. There is also the alternative of looking for work. Offices of the Employment Services Agency (new name for the Department of Employment) are of two types. The Job Centres are flashy self-service places where you can browse and look at the index card notices usually about long-term employment. Other centres are trying to build up information on short-term vacation work, interview students and keep a waiting-list on a first-come-first-served basis. Both types of offices exist throughout the City and around Holbom. For all their efforts, however, their main source of vacation work is to replace government agency staff who are on holiday. But, according to them, Easter is not a very popular time for holidays. ELANA EHRLICH Social security MR. MULLEY, Secretary of State for Education, has recently announced changes in the vacation maintenance element of the students' grant. The present amount in the grant intended for vacation maintenance is £2.65 (£3.18 London) per vacation week. The proposed change would increase this notional element to an amount equal to the minimum supplementary benefit rate (at least). At present rates this would be £9.70 per vacation v\ eek, applying to the Chi'istmas and Easter vacations only. The summer vacation is no longer to be covered by the maintenance grant, but this is not significant as the right to claim supplementary benefit during the summer is to be upheld. Students will no longer be able to claim at Easter and Christmas, however. At fii'st sight then, the changes seem to be just a straightforward transfer of resources. Instead of the D.H.S.S. having the responsibility of paying the maintenance benefit, the responsibility is ti'^insferred to the local authority grant-awai-ding bodies. However, the operation of the paiental means test and how it comes into effect here, shows this proposed change to be yet another education cut. The Government will save money by this change, at the expense yet again of the standard of living of students. The scapegoat for the cut is again the student whose grant is subject to the parental means test. The new vacation maintenance element will be subject to the means test just as the rest of the grant is. This means that in most cases the student will not receive the assumed equivalent of the minimum supplementary benefit rate. Instead this will be subject to the means test, and a parental contribution will be expected to make it up to the minimum supplementary benefit level. This is totally different from the present system. At present, during a vacation, a student can claim this minimum supplementary benefit rate (at least) and THE BENEFIT IS MEANS TESTED WITH RELATION ONLY TO HIS OR HER OWN INCOME NOT PARENTAL INCOME. In most cases tlie only income deducted from the benefit is the notional £2.6-5 vacation element in the grant. The Goverrmient will doubtless save money by changing this procedure. The new proposals are clearly then a further eduction cut. The cut will sa^the Government money, but will also be an effective cutback of educational opportunity. This extension of the parental means test to vacations as well as term-time, can only further discourage lower-income families from sending their kids to university. So Mr. Mulley's change is acceptable only if he also abolishes the means test and establishes a living grant as a right for all students. The fight against the means test and for a realistic grant is therefore vital to prevent these changes further eroding the living standards of students. N.B.: These changes are not due to come into operation until the 1976-77 academic year, so students are still entitled to claim supplementary benefit during the forthcoming Easter vacation. JEAN KENNEDY BOOKS COOKED THE Government's announcements via Messrs. Foot and Mulley regarding students not being figured among the unemployed during vacations. and ending supplementary benefits for the Christmas and Easter holidays, should give us cause for concern. Michael Foot is distorting the figures by excluding students from the number of unemployed in a style which befits Sir Keith Joseph and the Tory Centre for Political Studies. Barney Hayhoe (Opposition spokesman on employment) said that many have pointed out that the inclusion of students in the figures had long been absurd. He clearly thought that further reductions in the figures could be made when he called for more wide-ranging reviews of the figures. This is the beginning of another Tory-Labour front bench bi-partisan policy. The Government-inspired distortion emerges because students are not an homogeneous bloc, but include a wide variety of the population. In L.S.E. and many other institutions of further education we have witnessed a substantial increase in proportion of matm-e students. These students usually have considerable work experience and often have craft, trade, or professional expertise. In periods when the economy is less crisis-ridden than at present, and with relative full employment, it is quite usual for there to be work available for four or five weeks at a time. This is particularly true for mature students with training who need to work due to family and financial commitments, rather than apply for inadequate social security payments. It is not unheard of, in better economic climes, for students to return to their previously held jobs during vacations. If these students are forced to sign on and are not counted in the total jobless figure, albeit for periods of four or five weeks, tlien it is "cooking the books". One reason why many more students are signing on, apart from the impetus given by the N.U.S. campaign, is that previously vi'hen work was available it would be menial and poorly paid. So it was "Hob-son's Choice", either sign on and get a lousy job or don't sign on and go skint, which many found preferable. Skinflint employers quite happily accepted student labour available during the vacations. At the moment there is no work available either for the qualified, or for those willing in the right circumstances, so we are not even fit to be statistics. As far as the withdrawal of supplementary benefits is concerned, this is another "rip-off" to make students shoulder part of the burden of the economic crisis. The statements made in the House of Commons on Monday, February 23rd, amounted to this—there will be incorporated in the grant in future the equivalent of a single person, non-householder supplementary benefit. So, those students who rely on parental contribution, and their parents default on pajTnent (about 50 per cent) we in an impossible trap. No money from parents, no supplementary benefit and no job. A question arises—are mature students with families and additional commitments able to claim benefits for dependants for Christmas and Easter? This remains unanswered. These proposals do not allow for a general grant increase to cover the difference in the present grant and the proposed single person, non-householder level. There • will be no summer vacation allow- ' ance (a good move, which meanj t supplementary benefit can be ^ claimed in full) and this will be a ' balancing factor between the pre- , sent Christmas and Easter allow-: ance and the proposed amount for ' the future. Therefore, the Government tii no need to increase the grant ti compensate. "The Times" on Tuesday, February 24th, noted;— "The revised arrangements maf even save the Government a modest amount of mone.y. All students will now be assumed to be receiving an income at least equal to supplementary benefiU level, although, in fact, many will receive less because of their parents' failure to make the necessary contribution." This situation highlights the need, as Charles Clark said, to ensure that this year's grants review abolishes the parental means test. "The Times" also accuses students of exploiting social security by registering for employment but failing to find jobs. This is an insult; it is not the fault of students that work is unavailable and, as the D.H.S.S. pays benefit as of right, by what stretch of the imagination caa this be exploitation of the social security? The N.U.S. needs to re-emphasise the campaign for closer links with the trade union movement. There is a crying need to change the direction and leadership of this Labour Government. We can expect even worse attacks from a Tory government if Geoffrey Howe's recent ramblings ai-e anything t« go by. It will only be by iiTesistible pressure of masses of people in action that we will change the minds and personnel of the present Government. MIKE POWER, LEGAL CAREERS FOLLOWING last Friday's Careers Seminar for Law students it was thought that it might be valuable to take a brief look at the branches of the legal profession. Unfortunately the Law Society were not very co-operative and I was unable ta arrange an appointment with a member of that elusive body. The Bar Council on the other hand were most helpful and I wish to thank Mr Gaudin for giving up some of his valuable time to answer my questions. One of the first problems facing a student hoping to be called to the Bar is the availability of places in Chambers and the limited number of places available in the four Inns of Court. This is acknowledged by the BC as one of the biggest difficulties facing the Inns. It stems from the rapid growth of barristers in the past sixteen years; in 1960 there were 1,919 practising barristers in England and Wales. Today there are a little over twice that number. Chambers accommodate on average twelve barristers, although they are being forced into accepting more pupils. They are also having to . convert annexes into Chambers but there is clearly a limit to the extent to which they can follow this policy. Quite clearly demand is greater than the facilities. Nevertheless whilst the Inns plead poverty are they not very valuable properties? Can they not raise second mortgages to finance new buildings? The B.C. say that three Inns, Grays, Middle Temple and Lincoln's applied for planning permission to build extensions in Theobalds Road which would have created 100 new places but were refused on environmental grounds. However there may be a light at the end of the tunnel if the example set by Lord Gifford is followed. He was given permission to set up Chambers outside the centre of London, in Lambeth, where properties are comparatively cheap. However the problem which arises is that senior counsels renowned for their reluctance to change the status quo, may well be reluctant to move out of their chambers in London in which they have been comfortably installed for many years. Lord Gifford has been called only eight years and in legal circles is a relative newcomer to the business. If senior counsels could be persuaded to be a little less reactionary it would go a long way to alleviating the problem. Another problem facing the student is that of finance. The answer is to offer scholarships but help is very limited. There are certain funds administered by the Inns to assist pupils who find themselves in severe financial difficulties but it is still.true to say that the average pupil is worse off than the average student because L.A. are reluctant to finance anyone for a further year's study. Solicitors being under no legal obligation to pay barristers tend to rely on the "gentleman's agreement" when dealing with young barristers. A friend of mine received a mere £90 for the first six months of his career. The financial plight of pupils has to a large extent been ignored; the popular but uninformed opinion being that those entering the legal profession are drawn exclusively from the middle classes and receiving a healthy allowance from "Daddy". This may have been the case as recently as twenty years ago but the profession is now much more open and it is a great pity that anyone is penalised because of initial lack of funds. Despite this increased "openness", lawyers still retain their "conservatism", (John Griffiths in his excellent article "Judges and a Bill of Rights"—New Statesman, 10 Jan. '75— calls them "the most conservative professional group ii society!")—a euphemism for the more emotive term prejudice, Women still find it difficult to find places in Chambers because they may decide to get married and have children. However it seems unlikely they will do this at a moment's notice and cause . any great degree of inconvenience. There is also "minor colour prejudice". However the term minor is relative to the number of coloured students who actually apply to the Inns as opposed to the number who wish to do so but feel the odds are against them and choose the soft option of becoming a solicitor. In a nutshell, if one is a coloured female, think very seriously before embarking on t career at the Bar; even if one does not face prejudice from the Bar itself, problems may arise with clients who, according to the Bar, prefer men. It is widely believed that, as a result of the Criminal legal aid scheme, young barristers "get oa fast". However, the B.C. accepts that because of this they art having to take on cases beyond their capabilities. This is due t« the shortage of experience4 juniors in the criminal field. This is particularly apparent in, for example, complicated fraud casei where counsel with experience is essential to do justice to such a case. The shortage is caused by the increase in the number of circuit judges appointed to cope with the increased volume of cases brought before the court. The purpose of this article is t« provide a synopsis of the problems facing a student hoping to go t» the Bar. A more comprehensive guide to the Bar is available from the Council of Legal Education, Gray's Inn Place, London, W.C.I. C.L. BEAVER. Mareli 2nd, 1976—Page Five INHOSPITABLE O/S students at LSE BRITAIN A SURVEY was carried out recently, sponsored by the Overseas Students Committee to investigate the relations between foreign and British students at L.S.E. This was done in the light of the mounting problems faced by the foreign stu-•dents in Britain, and further as an expose of the British treatment of foreigners. The results of the survey and Some of the relevant questions asked are given below. The replies were roughly classified according to area to distinguish whether reaction to a foreigner had racist overtones or whether it was peculiar to habits and background. Questionnaires received totalled 600 and the results were tabulated into the different continental areas, Asia, Africa, North America, South America and West Indies, and jEurope. These results showed that more than 40 per cent of the O.S. at the L.S.E. had been in Britain for about a year. Out of this 74 per cent of North Americans had been staying in Britain for less than a year. The largest percentage staying for more than five years were the South Americans and West Indians—23 per cent. A large percentage, ¦nearly 45^ of the O.S., stayed in private flats, which means getting to know British people was difficult. What did overseas students think of the British? Nearly 70 per cent of them thought they were polite but cold, and it was only a significant percentage of the Europeans —32 per cent who thought them relatively sociable., Again it was the Europeans and North Americans (45,7 per cent) who stated that they had many British friends compared to 18.8 per cent of South Americans and West Indians. On the composition of acquaintances, most O.S. had friends from their own country and other countries excluding Britain. 40 per cent of the Asians, Africans and North Americans and 73.6 per cent of the South Americans and West Indians and 57.9 per cent of the Europeans had friends from other countries. The majority of O.S.—60 per cent, felt that it was up to them to integrate themselves into British society and hence did not expect to be approached first even though 40 per cent of the O.S. were in a foreign country for the first time. More than 60 per cent of those from all continents had invited Britons out. But it was a large percentage of the Europeans and North Americans who were invited by the Britons to their homes and other places of interest. Any one looking at the questionnaire can readily ascertain that it is far from academic, and it is far from exhaustive, and therefore one might tend to disregard its relevance. But take a look at the replies. At a college in which more than 40 per cent of the students are from overseas, one detects that a foreign student finds himself alienated in an unconducive student atmosphere. The backbone of student activity stems primarily from the Union and related groups. On issues confronting foreign students, policy is sometimes made by solitary O.S. groups, and these are filed to the Students' Union as motions debated at weekly meetings. Paradoxically, at meetings in which African and Asian issues are debated the number of black and coloured students are, of course, seldom more than twenty. Moreover these issues are championed by leftist groups at the L.S.E. of which the majority are British students. One politically motivated foreign group at the L.S.E. is the African S. America & Asia Africa N.America W.Indies Europe Total No. of questionnaires 600 38.9 22.1 16.3 5.5 17.2 No. of years in the U.K. 1 37'5 35.3 74.0 53.0 56.9 3 40.0 32.4 20.0 23.5 32.7 Under 5 8.3 10.4 4.0 11.3 Over 5 14.2 22.0 2.0 23.5 5.1 Residence ' L.S.E. Hall 24.8 25.0 36.0 41.2 21.1 Intercollegiate 35.2 13.2 10.0 17.6 15.4 Private Flat 23.4 45.6 44.0 35.3 50.0 Otherwise 16.6 16.2 10.0 5.9 13.5 Are you friendly with YES 60.0 55.9 46.8 66.7 72.9 your neighbour ? NO 40.0 44.1 53.2 33.3 29.1 Most of your friends Own country 43.8 46.7 43.4 21.1 33.3 come from— Britain 10.4 11.1 17.0 5.3 15.0 Other countries 45.8 42.2 39.6 73.6 57.7 Is this your first time in YES 62.4 59.7 42.8 44.4 34.6 a foreign country ? NO 37.6 40.3 57.2 55.6 65.4 Have the British invited YES 44.9 44.9 59.2 37.5 65.4 you to their homes ? NO 55.1 55.1 40.8 62.5 34.6 Have the British invited YES 33.9 34.8 51.0 35.3 42.0 you to places of interest ? NO 66.1 65.2 49.0 64.7 58.0 Do you find the British— Friendlv 20.3 19.4 28.6 13.3 32.7 Polite 53.7 40.3 57.1 46.7 49.1 Cold 25.2 32.8 12.2 26.7 16.4 Inimical 8.0 7.5 2.1 13.3 1.82 Collective, representing black students from Africa, America and the West Indies. As a highly organised closed group they are themselves sceptical of affiliation to the Union and have not so far filed a single motion at the Union meetings. The Afro-Asian Society (a Marxist oriented and very organised academic group) have chosen their own means of reaching students, publishing a magazine instead of using the available Union newspaper—''Beaver". The maintenance of a leadership clique (those nominating people for committees use christian names only) means that there are no new ideas and outlets for embracing and expressing foreign student opinion. The Union itself last term in a pamphlet, "The Union is Your Union", implicitly gave cognisance to some of these criticisms. Overseas students' committee THE OSC working with the Welfare Office is the only functioning student group at the LSE which represents the social interests of the foreigners. They serve the double role of being the outlet for foreign .students into British life and also of helping to alleviate some of the problems the latter face in society, such as accommodation where there has been discrimination against some ethnic groups, with older and married couples suffering the most, financial problems and regulations making it impossible for a foreign student to earn his keep. The structure of the OSC is nebulous, with no fixed executive and the only elected officer being the president who represents the OS at UGMs. These interests are determined at weekly committees to which all OS are invited, although there are no more than 5-10 people at any one meeting. However, the \mion is well represented in the persons of the Welfare Officer and the General Secretary. The OSC Is funded by the union and so could not be termed an independent group with any viable power base. As a Social unit the OSC is functional, in that most of the events organized have had some sort of response, including cultural trips and parties. In the Annual General Report of the SU there was a four-line summary of the OSC activities for that year; "The OSC has been fairly active, meeting regularly and holding an International Evening to try to get foreign students to mix more with other Overseas Students . . . the Committee hopes to do more work in this field." Apart from providing some sort of social life, how does the OSC help, Firstly, help on an individual basis is provided. Secondly, at a more general level, attempts have been made to inform foreign students of their status in England, as regards immigration, employment and their social position. Thirdly, financial assistance is provided with a fund of £3.000 of which up to £85 per person may be granted. Over 50 OS apply to the fund and so it is not quite as inadequate as it seems. Criteria for qualification to the fund are very vague. With the present structure, the OSC appears to be no more than an arm of the SU. Executive and as such it is superfluous. The present organization must recognize that the function of its body transcends mere political harangue. On a national level, there is an upsurge of opindon against the number of overseas students in British Universities. The pretext for this Is that Britain is selling "edu- cation on the cheap." It is said that the cost of subsidising the education of foreign students has increased to £75 million per year and in view of the British economic position the Government should review its policy towards OS. Proposed steps include substantial increases in the tuition and hostel fees, greater stringency in employment and stricter qualifications for British Universities. The rationale is that some of the foreign students are assisted by their governments. There are 100,000 foreign students in the NUS at present. What percentage are from third world countries? These are some of the problems to which the NUS and the SU have addressed themselves in a vague and non-analytical manner. If this were done, it would be seen that the £75 million is not in fact spent in subsidising foreign students — this figure is directly correlated to how much Universities are in the red. Increases in fees and stricter measures against foreign students cannot be \'iewed as an attack by the LSE authorities, but rather as an attack by the British Educational Authorities against OS. It is hoped that this article will be instructive primarily to the Union and the OSC, and generally to any Briton's understanding of foreign students. HARRY P. MUNGALSiNGH J. PILLAi Questionnaire on overseas students' fees CONFIDENTIAL (do not put your name) WHERE ARE YOU FROM ? ....................................... (country) Q1 : ARE YOUR STUDIES AT THE LSE FINANCED BY : 1. Grant of subsidy ..................................................................YES NO If yes, does this cover (a) tuition fees and living expenses YES NO (b) tuition fees only YES NO (c) neither totally YES NO 2. Money from parents/family ....................................YES NO 3. Personal savings ..................................................................YES NO 4. Paid employment ..................................................................YES NO Q2 : How muclrdo you pay in fees? Q3 : Did you expect your fees to go up from £250 to £416 ............................................. YES NO Q4 : Do you expect that other members of your " family or friefnds will come to the LSE if the fees were increased again to £2,000 per year? ........¦............. YES NO Any comments .......................................... Q5 : As you probably know, Overseas Student fees are being increased to £416 per year from October, 1976 : Where will you get the extra money to pay for this increase ? (1) Grant from your government ............ YES NO (2) Parents/family .................................... YES NO (3) Personal savings ................................. YES NO (4) Paid employment (a) in Britain ...... YES NO (b) in your country YES NO Q6 : Will you be able to continue your studies at the LSE with the increase of fees to £416 ? YES NO Q7 : Will you be able to continue your studies at the LSE if the fees were increased again in ' ¦ 1977 to the "threatened" amount of £2.000 per year ? ..........................................!..... YES NO Q8; Would you appi'ove of means testing for Overseas Students studying in Britain ? ...... YES NO Q9: Would you approve of a quota system of Overseas Students studying in Britain ? ...... YES NO QIO ; Do you feel that these increases in Overseas Student fees ar€ a form of racial discrimination ...................................................... YES NO Any comments ? ....................................... Qll : Do you feel restrained in your activities by the Immigration Act 1967 ? ..................... YES NO If yes, please comment................................. Thank you for filling in the questionnaire. Please put questionnaire in boxes provided around the LSE or return to ; Emma Hamilton-Brown, Room SlOOa, St. Clement's Building (Students' Union). BEAVER. Maicli 3Jid. 1976—Page Six They Came, The The Sabbaticals PETER TIMMINS SENIOR TREASURER "THE Spai-tans are complaining about the delicious food, the comfy beds and the incredibly easy working hours." So who are these Spartans? The Sabbatical Officers? Surely you jest..... At the time of writing, this is the second year the Union has had two Sabbatical Officers, a General Secretary and Senior Treasurer^ In the first year of their existence they defined by their practice what Iht^y were meant to do. Maybe the\' weren't successful but the intention was there lor thereabouts). In the case of the Senior Treasurer this definition process during this second year has been further refined. What it does now is to prepare two budgets every year, present the Union's case for more money, an increasingly complex and time-engrossing task, run the Overseas Students Fund, get a Finance Committee elected, control the Union's transactions to see they keep to budget and guard the long-term financial health of the Union isee its reserves will always be adequate). Otlier jobs it "naturally" finds itself doing, is the preparation of the Union handbook, stocktaking, appearing on School committees, touring the halls and dealing with ad hoc problems (e.g. the move on to a different system of financing the Union) . . . on top of this comes tlie political work. Unfortunately, the job cannot be too easily cribbed from the above lists. The Senior Treasurer works in concert with the full-time (permanent i Union staff. On the finance side there are two of these, one a recent acquisition, and the relationship between them and the Senior Treasurer should change. The "lower" of the two permanent staff should take over much of the book-keeping functions fulfilled up to now by the higher "perm". This higher -perm" should now take over from the Senior Treasurer much of the management functions that have been introduced this year. The budgets, the research and arguments for the presentation to the School, much of the control and the long-term planning should be mainly done by the higher -'perm" with the Senior Treasurer giving guidance on points of policy. This would have two effects: the work of the Union would not be materially affected when a bad Senior Treasurer came to power, it would only be affected when a good one arose. Secondly, the Senior Treasurer could devote more time to the long-term planning of the Union and helping out the other ten ordinary executive members, who are not sabbatical. I still consider the job to be a dedication, not a sinecure. Any Senior Treasurer who does not complain of over-work should be made to resign! After all, it should be a Spartan. CRISPIN O'BRIEN GENERAL SECRETARY I FIND it difficult to be a Secretary of a General nature. The word "general" suggests uncertainty and "secretary'¦ is hardly any more comforting. Anyway I would like to move on to a few of my own thoughts as to where the S.U. should go. Firstly, our constitution: 1. It is virtually unintelligible: 2. It does not work. 3. It is rarely obeyed. The fundamental problem is that it is out of date. The S.U. should have a council which represents as wide a range of interests as possible. This council would be empowered to take decisions when and only when a U.G.M. could not take them (e.g. during the. summer term examination period). Secondly, staffing arrangements: 1. There are no job definitions. 2. Staff are unsure as to whom they are responsible. 3. Sabbatical officers need their responsibilities clearly defined. I think there is a need for three Sabbaticals in our Union, one of whom should be the President. There should be a group of responsibilities divided up each year to suit the officers' various abilities/ disabilities, including Welfare, Finance, Administration, Publications and External Affairs. The full-time staff of the Union should be run on the lines of a Civil Service, providing continuity, research and keeping a complete filing system as well as handling the day to day business of the Union. It should be quite clear to staff who allocates their work and to whom they are responsible. Thirdly U.G.M.s: 1. They are too long and boring. 2. No one understands the procedure. 3. There is never anyone there. U.G.M.s should be less frequent and shorter. The whole Executive should attend all U.G.M.s and produce a monthly Executive Report stating how they have handled mandates, and what they have been doing. U.G.M.s should be simplified and far less formal—perhaps held in Florries Extension. What have we achieved this year? A more professional attitude to union affairs and negotiations has lead to the signing of staff contracts, the changeover to the L.E.A. system and the highest ever increase in per capita grant. Accountability has been increased by more written reports from the Executive and delegations to Conferences. Union committees have met more frequently than in recent history, leading to a smoother running of the Union. The Trading Enterprises have shown a remarkable upturn: the shop is almost unrecognisable after the work put into it. My advice to the candidates for General Secretary in the forthcoming elections is to withdraw. The job as it stands at the moment is impossible unless you have a touch of the crusader in you. I did but it became rather worn at the edges. SIMON BERESFORD JUNIOR TREASURER WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOCIETIES AS the Executive Member for Societies, my main work this year has been setting up an efficient system for each society, attempting to get as large a budget as possible and in dividing this total amount between the societies in the most equitable way. On a more general level, I have given advice to people who want to form societies about the procedure involved, and taken up certain points of dispute with certain societies, notably the Wine & Food Society and the Film Society. The most interesting and controversial part of' my work has been the allocation of the societies' budgets. This involves making decisions on the relative merits of. for example, the Celtic Culture Society and the Hellenic Society. Certain criteria such as the number of members and the activity or otherwise of the society during the previous year provide general guides but the very different nature of the various societies precludes many general judgments. I have tended to give preferential treatment to overseas students' societies as opposed to departmental societies because I feel that they are perhaps more in need of the facilities which a reasonably well-off society can provide in terms of a social framework. To end on an administrative note —could all societies which haven't yet given in a budget for 1976-7 please do so NOW, and annual lists of officers and accounts are also needed as soon as possible. In view of the fortlicoming elections and prospect of new Mtiic members vying for particular positions. Beaver thought it would bre-sentative Committee. AtilMame time I have tried to cot'.j|B to the National movement tjiHting forward the policies S5 experiences of the L.S.E. I«#ure that informed policies (Sljfri developed w'ith other unions f.iiues that concern us alL I«nal affairs liowever extends beti^the British student movementct. an integral part of student at least since the late '60s li teen involvement with the via and students from overseas, serially tliose who have suffered sliiilial and fascist domination. Those who argue tlal nter-national issues are irrelend and do not concern students fii k lac-count, firstly, for 11 perceit the national membership, anii i the case of L,S.E., 43 per Mt. and secondly, for the importatcoii-trlbution made by Britain I the under-development of the (iner colonies. Thirdly, our Uniisalicy is both anti-fascist ani »nti-imperialist—a perspective 1 have tried to bring to the forefct to ensure the continued aiittity with those nations partloiT the under-developed ones of »uth America, Africa and Asutiose national sovereignty is coEaally undermined by members of HfT.O. By bringing these matters i»'ard to the Union, I have to develop and build an actiseam-paigning union, relevant :i Its members. However such srt to be successful, requires WHi^ion from other executive meata as well as this commitment tofeelop-ing our union—which I M has been greatly lacking. JACKIE RUSHFORTH OVERSEAS STUDENTS SINCE I have taken o£8tt:a the Executive in charge of saseas students, the whole quesa of Overseas Students fees is exploded. The proposal t« i» the fees to £416 is an attempttaiake Overseas Students scapefSs for the government's policy of iduca-tion cuts. In order to SjKthese policies and organise ovens and home students against tteduca-tion cuts and the fees Incnia, the Overseas Students' Action Cnmit-tee has been formed. Wes coordinating our activities K the Grants Action Committee is jrder to mobilise more effectively fr our common objectives. Tlie Overseas Students iction Committee's present actiiits in- BEAVER, Maicli 2nd. 1976—Page Seven Saw, They Went Well, this is the collection. Whether you think they answered the question ver.v clearly or not we leave up to you. What is clear, however, is most of them worked reasonably hard, with the exception perhaps of that "hard-working Independent" (S. George). Mungo Deans, which points to the need for the various committees of the Union, which they chair, involving or generating involvement amongst the general student body. At the same time it was thought a good time to include a job description written by the present editor and ask Rmma Hamilton-Brown to explain her relationship with the Union and those of the other employees of the S.U. ANTON CHAPMAN GRADUATES ti K •f t( I HAVING been elected to the Executive a few weeks ago and all set for a quick course in hackology, I was sadly disappointed to find mild-mannered discussions with barely a hint of dogma. I was quite disillusioned but realised that Executive members were after all human and nobody can keep up a hack pretence all the time. Having reconciled myself to the fact that the Executive was a positive cohesive unit, I approached my duties with trepidation. This piece may turn out to be one long piece of self-gratifying verbiage which might be construed by the more cynical among you as a piece of sublime electioneering in order to preserve my position on the Executive. This I refute as being totally against my purer than pure ideals and that to reach such a conclusion is more a reflection of you than any comment I might make will be of me. In a more serious vein. I am glad that the campaign against the closure of the language department is receiving such widespread support from students as is the Grants Campaign. It is a bit difficult to quantify the effect I have had in furthering these causes and I prefer to think of the Executive as a united body working together for" the good of students and not as the cover hiding a gang of potential megalomaniacs. I am in the enviable position of being very closely involved with "Beaver", the mouthpiece of the L.S.E. It has the vital function of informing, something which is an invaluable machine in the armoury of every self-respecting Executive member. May I put in a plea for more people to use me; although my position places an onus on me to contact people, there should be a two' way cross-fertilisation between you and me and so break down the us and them syndrome. DAVE ROBERTSON BAR THIS year the bar has functioned more successfully than last year. Turnover has risen by 60 per cent over the year and last year's" trading loss has been converted into a trading profit. The success has been due to several reasons: firstly, the new bar manager, Ted Cater, has worked extremely hard this year and this has meant that a community has been built up aroimd the bar, with more regular clients than last year. Secondly this term's regular bar socials have also added variety to the bar and kept up interest. However, there are still problems and possibilities with respect to the bar. As to possibilities, the likelihood of a transfer when the Strand House move occurs in 1978, to a more central and more attractive site, offers many opportunities for new facilities to be provided, e.g. real ale. As to problems: the need for a new lift to service the present bar (costing £900) comes at a time when the School and the bar are hard pushed for funds and it would only be used for another two to three years. If you want to see something done about this and other "needs", please come along to the next BAR MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING tsee Union noticeboard >. elude the printing of a newsletter to inform students on the progress of the campaign. Groups of students are also being formed in the Halls. It is imperative to get mass support for the Committee in its endeavour not to implement the fee increases, which have been definitely, confirmed. Students — overseas and home alike — must realise that this discriminatory attack on overseas students is just the first of many attacks on the student body as a whole. Already, it has been announced that students will be unable to claim Social Security during the Christmas and Easter vacations, and at the LSE the language department is threatened. Unless we fight against this racial and discriminatory attack on the most vulnerable section of the student population we will be severely weakened in our fight against further attacks. There are proposals to raise the fees for Overseas - students to £2.000. which would clearly eliminate all but a handful from higher education. Tlie issue of Overseas Students fees is a question w^hicli affects all students directly. 'We must organize to fight the Government's vicious policies — NO'W! Support the Overseas Students Action Committee (meetings on Monday 1-2 pm in S.IOOA — Emma's Room — are open to all). Support the Grants Action Committee ! ROBIN COOPER WELFARE WELL folks, lots of tilings have happened in Welfare in the last two terms at L.S.E. We started the year with the appointment of Elana Ehrlich as the new Welfare Officer and we must thank her for her enthusiasm and good work which she has done since September. A notable achievement was the final appointment of a matron to run the Nursery which after a long long history has finally begun and is well worth a look at if you are stumbling past the White Horse pub. Students' children have also been looked after by running a play group for them at half term. Overseas trips and conferences have been organised and from these have .sprung ideas for more trips, to Scotland perhaps, and talks like the recent one on the rise in Overseas Students' fees. Money has been raised for charities through the Chanties' Week which I hope will continue in coming years and we have given financial support to such organisations as Niteline, C.E.S. Nursery and the Whitfield Playcentre. Reading sessions have again been organised for blind students and informative sheets have been prepared on vacation unemployment benefits and on overseas visa requirements. The Welfare Office has been busy disseminating information on a variety of topics from pregnancy advice to addresses of vacant accommodation. Committees on a variety of topics including School Safety, Student Health, and the Refectory have been attended and pontributions made. A questionnaire on whether you think the Refectory should become a Chinese Take-a-Way or a Kentucky Fried Chicken House is to be run by the School from Monday, and we have been involved in the compilation of the questions. These are only the main things that have happened in the past year. Welfare' has seen a great expansion in the last few years in the Students' Union and I hope that steps are taken to continue and to improve the help which we should be able to give to students. JACQUELINE GLADDEN SHOP & FLORRIES HAVING been on the Executive for only three v\eeks T am hardly qualified to give a comprehensive report for the year, especially since two out of the three executive meetings had been infected by the disease attacking Union meetings at the moment and were inqiiorate. However I can report that the Shop has continued to make a profit this term and has increased the variety of goods, sold 'we will soon be stocking peanuts). Further expansion is difficult owing to the lack of storage space, but if there is sufficient demand a freezer may be installed or stocks of new books bought. Florries retains its character of cheap and simple but very edible food with value at a premium and comfort at a miniuuan. although no doubt the forthcoming elections will obviate the need for tablecloths or napkins. Among the proposed plans for Strand House is a refreshment area under the same management as Plorries and the mone.v necessary for this has to be borne in mind when considering improving the facilities in Florries. I am very anxious to hear your views on the runnmg of the shop and Plorries so please don't grumble to yourself but have a good moan to either Kate or myself in the shop and if your suggestion is within practical possibilities we will try to do something about it. SHEREE DODD BEAVER EDITOR AFTER the brouhaha of the Executive elections has come "to an end. the Publications Committee will be opening nominations for the post of Editor of "Beaver". This is a gruelling task, and anj'one taking on the job next year must have a great deal of patience, particularly if you have Paul Brown as Junior Treasurer. Joking apart, Paul Brown and all the other faithful workers of "Beaver", particularly Nikki Tait. have worked extremely hard and been of invaluable assistance. We have tried our best to include articles that will be of interest to the student body as a whole, and at the same time carry out our role of being a campaigning Union newspaper, the voice of L.S.E. The Publication Committee's doors are ever open for those of you who want to help or even criticise, that includes friend. David. Please do not think it too late to pop along now: the final "Beaver" of this academic year will be produced at the end of the Easter Vacation, so if you are in London and are at a loss as to what to do . . . What would I like to see happen next year to "Beaver"? I still believe that there is a need for a Sabbatical Publications Officer: if this were the case. "Beaver" could be produced at least throughout the first half of Summer Term, a greater effort could be made witli regard to advertising and a more efficient information gathering would be achieved. Financial considerations make it probable that we shall have to change to a litho process, although we could possibly retain the tabloid format, and this should provide us with a challenge. Anyone with experience .of a litho process will be very welcome in the Publications Committee. Content. I cannot pass comment on, that will be the prerogative of the new Editor. EMMA HAMILTON-BROWN ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER AT six thirty on a calm Thursday evening whilst typing with the Overseas students action committee a leaflet and an article for Beaver. I was asked by a member of the Beaver staff to write something about what I do and for whom I work. Actually I am hired by the Students' Union as an administrator and to act as a co-ordinating link between bouts of Sabbatical Officei's and Executive Committee members. For example if you are elected General Secretary you are immediately faced with the history of precedence and routine, information which cannot be passed over in a matter of hours — passing over such information when needed is part of my job. This also applies to members of the Executive Committee elected on such posts^as Academic Affairs. Overseas Students', Postgraduates, Societies, etc. You have probably seen my smiling face taking endless minutes at Union Meetings and believe it or not these are typed- up and put in a big black book called Union Minutes. I also take minutes of all Executive Committee Meetings and at meetings with the School on such matters as the Students' Union Budget, Representation on Committees and on specific issues which crop up like the closure of the Language Department. This is beginning to sound like a job delineation, which actually in my job is difficult to put down in black and white. It's a very rewarding job and one that is full of surprises and I like it. Ideally I imagine my position as one that is someone who will act as a channel between the political or clique unit of the Union with the majority of students. Tom Bruin works as the Financial Secretary of the Union and is responsible for the book-keeping, the running of the Union's businesses and in fact anything connected with finances. Cheryl Younson is the Union Secretary and handles the Union General Office. In real terms this means she answers the telephone, deals with enquiries for NUS cards etc and also types and duplicates everything that is needed for the Sabbaticals and the Executive. The LSE Staff apart from the Finance Secretary are all members of ACTS Union and their acting "shop-steward" is Emma Hamilton-Brown. BEAVER, March 2nd, 1976—Page Eight CHILEAN EXILES NOBODY knows exactly how many prisoners there are in Chile. But, it is certain that the vast majority of the 6,000-plus are ordinary workers and Students whose only crime was to have been supporters of the democratically-elected government of President Allende. Their conditions are appalling. They can remain for months and even years without any charges being brought against them. The case of Sheila Cassidy brought to the attention of the British public that these prisoners are being tortured with electric shocks and subjected to sexual perversions of all kinds. The families of the prisoners are left without any support and suffer more than any in the deep economic crisis raging in Chile at the moment. The actions taken against students have been particularly severe. Many thousands were rounded up immediately after the coup and imprisoned or shot. (Student supporters of Allende were not hard to find, since student leaders were . known in the media as national figures, and student campaigning and work were widespread.) It is not surprising, therefore, that over 150,000 people have left Chile since the coup. Refugees have tended to concentrate in neighbouring Argentina and Peru. But in both countries they live in a state of great insecurity. They are not allowed to work. And in Argentina, the death squads of Isabel Peron's faltering regime choose the refugees as prime targets. Other refugees have left Chile directly for Europe. Many did so by taking asylum in foreign embassies in Santiago, although the British Embassy at the time of the coup, to its eternal shame, steadfastly refused asylum to all who asked for it. It was only with the election of a Labour government in the February 1974 election that the doors were opened to the refugees. There are now 1,300 in this country. In May 1974 the junta issued Decree 504, under which prisoners who have been tried and condemned may have their sentences commuted if they choose to go into exile. Britain gives preference to these persons since at least they have had some sort of trial, and have chosen exile. Our Union must help one of these unfortunate people (probably a student like ourselves) by the adoption of a political prisoner. This scheme is run by the Chile Committee for Human Rights. It involves taking on the case of one of these prisoners and fighting for his/her release and fair treatment. The final aim is to see all political prisoners in Chile set free, with their rights restored to them. Releases usually involve the person leaving Chile. This is not a policy that this Union should support. It is un- m acceptable that people are forcibly exiled from their country. In practice, however, it is obvious that the junta has no intention of restoring human rights, and we must work to save as many as possible of those suffering from the repression. What we must insist on is that no prisoner should be exiled before receiving some sort of trial, and that his basic legal rights be respected. To date there have been 150 prisoners adopted in this way by organisations in Britain. Many are now settling in this country thanks to action of this kind. Typical is the case of Manuel Rosales, a Chilean trade unionist, who finally was allowed to come to England with his wife and family. A municipal worker in Santiago, he had been tortured and held in the concentration camp. Tres Alamos, for 18 months. His release was secured by the "Adopt a Prisoner Campaign". This action does work ! Make sure it becomes part of Union policy at the next U.G.IM. GRAHAM WILDRIDGE Covent Garden Proms "50p: pay at the door, take your friends and sit on the floor" Five performances by The Royal Opera Monday 29th March at 7.30 pm Fidelio {Beethoven) Tuesday 30th March at 7.30 pm La clemenzadiTito {Mozart) Wednesday 31st March at 7.30 pm Carmen {Bizet) Thursday 1st April at 7.30 pm Fidelio {Beethoven) Monday 5th April at 6.30 pm pie Frau ohne Schatten {Strauss) Two performances by The Royal Ballet: Friday 2nd April at 7.30 pm The Dream {Mendelssohn/Ashton) Apollo {Stravinsky/Balanchine) - . — The Concert {Chopin/Robbins) Saturday 3rd April at 7.30 pm Berewdide {Tchaikovsky/Balanchine) Afternoon of a Faun (De6wssj/i?o66ms) Twilight {Cage/van Manen) Elite Syncopations {Joplin & Others/MacMillan) 70&Stalls Promenade places available on the day of performance one hour before curtain up. 50p each, including VAT. Seats: £1-10to£11GG. Furtherxletails; 01-2401911 (24-hour information service) Royal Opera House rn association with •••• Midlami Bank The Royal Opera House Covent Garden Limited receives financial assistance from The Arts Council of Great Britain. Midtand Bank L BEAVER, March 2nden Hackney Maryl6^e Shoredttch Southail/'^ Acton Holtj Ffiern Barnet Finchley Edmonton / Waitham Forest Hafjngey Tottenham Chlgwell (D Woodford / Redbridge Walthamstow*_ llford Newha/n Pinner Harrow % Ruislip Acton _2iiUW*^ Westminster Hammersmith Kensington ¦ « . Chelsea Southward* _ _ _ Lambeth Hounslow Isieworl enham Fertham TeddingtonAKinBslon Merton __Bromley " zm ^edere ^ Welling \ Bexleyheath r Bexiey Woo Greenwich Oeptford Camberweli Brentford (Barnes y Wandsworth Wimbledon Lewlsham^^ Sidcup Chksiehurst Mitcham Y^JJ^Beckdn^ To collate reviews in previous "Beavers", hopefully this map and key will be useful. KEY 1. Wembley — Sunday 8.30-4.30. 2. Camden Lock — Saturday and Sunday. 3. Church Street — Saturday 9.00-5.00. 4. Brixton — Monday-Saturday 9.00-5.30 (Wednesday half-day). 5. Balham — Tuesday-Saturday 9.30-5.30 (Wednesday half-day). 6. Berwick Street — Monday-Friday 10.00-4.30. 7. Covent Garden — Monday-Friday 9.30-3.00. 8. Petticoat Lane — Sunday 8.30-2.00. 9. Chapel Market — daily, half-day Thursday and Sunday. 10. Barnet — Thm-sday and Saturday all day. 11. Farringdon Book Market — Monday-Saturday 10.00-1.00. CHURCH STREET MARKET THIS market has sadly declined over the past few years. No longer can one rummage through piles of junk, and unearth an optimistic "bargain"; the bookstall, which used to sell secondhand copies at under lOp, seems to have vanished; and even the old lady, who habitually took her place outside one of the pubs, armed with her basket of fresh herbs, is there no longer. The best stalls remaining seem to be those selling plants, fruit and vegetables, and fresh fish, in particular shell-fish. It is advisable to get there earl/ for the best of all these, -but unless you live nearby, the market is not worth visiting. Saturday 9.00-4.30. BARNET MARKET AGAIN hardly exceptional in its variety of stalls, but this market does have two outstanding features. First, the fruit and vegetables are both abnormally cheap, and good, and second, there is a Women's Institute stall that must sell the best value home-made jams, preserves, cakes, etc. Thursday 10.00-4.00, and Saturday (same time). FARRINGDON BOOK MARKET FARRINGDON Book Market is only 15 minutes walk from LSE, and worth a visit. It consists of a few stalls piled with dusty volumes, most of which are leather-bound — which says something for their age. They cover many obscure, but interesting topics, but a search for course books will probably end in disappointment. Cheap ti' tasty The continuing story of the "Beaver" herbs and spices chart. MARJORAM , Powerful, a r o m a t i c i Wild (Oregano) bitter ifii-spicy, goes a long j voui-, for meats, , pastas way. and Italian cooking. Sweet Marjoram, soups, stews, fish, sausages, pork, roasts, spinach, turnips, buttered carrots. ROSEMARY Acrid tasting, strong. I Roast veal and lamb. NOT j for soups, stews, or gravy. SAGE Stringent, bitter leaf. Stuffing, with Uver and veal, roast pork, sea bream. SAVOURY Peppery, more subtle than sage. In onion stuffings, for duck, pork, goose, sprinkled on new potatoes. Coating for cream cheese. TARRAGON Elusive, delicate flavour, goes a long way. French cooking, chicken, veal, cream sauces, sauce verte, sauce bearnaise, stocks, aspic, vinegar. THYME Aromatic, dries well. Wine stews, to scent roa,st meats, casseroles, stoctes ALLSPICE Warm, spicy, pungent, aromatic. Mixture of mace cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Cakes, biscuits, puddings, stews, stuffing, sausages. ANISEED j Liquorice flavour. Pastry, bread, biscuits, custards. CARDAMOM Fiery. Curries, pickling, bread and pastries, on melon, in black coffee. CAYENNE Pungent red pepper, hottest of all spices. Fish, shelltish, curry, poultry, meats, barbecue sauces. CHILLI POWDER Peppery, bitter blend of paprika, cumin and hot peppers. USE VERY LITTLE. Mexican food (Chilli con Carnej meats, sauces, stews, hamburgers. iOflNCfiieirf foil m Up to 40% off for parties-and the leader could go free! 40% off for parties of 10 or you a month's unlimited more full-time students and travel in 19 countries under2rs. v * You travel completely free 30% off the return fare for ^s the leader of a party of 15 undergraduates travelling to o"" "^ore fare-paying a holi(jay course at a French passengers. , University, subject to certain Budget Holidays in Paris conditions. and the French Riviera. Ask 30% off too, for everyone in a these 'all-in' party of 25 or more: 20% off run in conjunction for 10 or more. with French Railways. Into- M forget, midweek travel 91 means extra comfort. under 21, £65.00^^ will buy 'Price correct a, time of going to press. 1 Please send me details of the following: Tick brochure required. | I General Timetable and Fares List, including students reduced ¦ 1 Tares ?Inclusive Holidays nWotorail Services ? I I » I Name __I I Address | III I [FMNCH^U^ 179 Piccadilly, London WIVOBA | BEAVFR. March Znd, 1&76— i'age Ten C0/HIIN© S©€N »»*»<» AT ISE fllL/H see BARRY MACKENZIE 2nd March Barry Humphries, Spike Milligan POMMIES are invited to a real roodinger film with plenty of Bruces and Sheilas. Tie yer Kan-geroo down early sport, observe rules number five and seven, and don't throw yer tubes of Fosters over the balcony, please. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER 4th March Sean Connery as James Bond 007 Sean's last scene as James Bond has perhaps seen better days. This story involves satellites, oil rigs and cremation of living people. Catchy single theme track from Shirley Bassey. THE PRODUCERS 9!'h March Gene Wilder. Directed by Mel Brooks. A really funny film by Mel (Blazing Saddle;) Brooks involving an attempt to lose money, by promoting a sure fire loss-making Broadway show. Unfortunately the plan backfires and Springtime for Hitler and Germany becomes an overnight success. Many regard this as an even greater example of Brook's talent than Blazing Saddles. HARVEY 11th March Jimmy Stewart Anybody who was lucky enough to see the recent London stage revival with Jimmy Stewart will know what a classic example of the Stewart style is embodied in this film. Harvey is a white rabbit who is human size. Enough said ? CLAW IN RETROSPECT A considerable time elapsed between the first mention of Claw at LSE last September and the performances on the 18th and 25th February. It speaks well of the ability and tenacity of the cast and the director that they managed to bring their work to a successful conclusion. The magnitude of tlieir achievement is emphasised when one considers the sterile environment at LSE which usually stifles any non-political community action. It was a good idea to take an unknown play by a contemporary playright rather than perform a typical amateur production. Claw was particularly suitable with little scenery, a full cast and some in-telectual content—or be it hackneyed "in parts. The scenery was perhaps the only weakness in the production but under the direction of Paul Ballatt. the cast all performed creditably. Beaver guide to PLANNING to work over the Easter Vacations? Here are some credible alternatives, beginning with a run-down on some exhibitions open during March and April. BLACK GOLD—MARCH The Geological Museum, Exhibition Road, SW7. An exhibition on British Energy resources. Its main feature is a multislide programme with sound commentary giving the basic facts about our present and future energy resources. "THE ROKEBY VENUS" VELAZQUEZ—MARCH & APRtL National Gallery, Trafalgar Square. This exhibition, which focuses on the place of the Rokeby "Venus in Velazquez art, takes a look at its origin as a composition and discusses its history. JEAN-FRANCOIS MILLET 1814-1975 CENTENARY EXHIBfTION— tst-7th MARCH H a y w a r d Gallery, South Bank. The exhibition consists of 150 paintings, pastels and draw- ings from European and American collections, and includes such outstanding works as the Angelus and the Gleaners. THRACIAN TREASURES FROM BULGARIA— 1st-27th MARCH In this clean orderly,disciplined world, who needs guys like McMurphy? Everybody! JACK NICHOUOK ONE FLEW 0VER1HE cucKCd^iNesr 7'antasy'yilms presents AMIWSFORMANFILM JACKMCHOLSONin'ONE FLF:WOVER THECVCWO'SNEST" X Starring IODISE FLFJCHER and WILLIAM REDFIELD ¦ Screenplay LAWRENCE HAVBENanJ BO GOLDMAN Based on the novel ly KEN KESEY- Director of Photography HASKELL WEXLER-Music-JACK NITZSCHE ProducedbySAVLZAENTZ and MICHAEL DOUGLAS ¦ Directed(y MILOS FORMAN ^ United ArtlStS lOBiGiNAL SOUNOTR*CK ALBUM AVAILABLE ON fANTASY RgcoRDsl A Transamenca Company NOWSHOWiNa OPEON LEICESTER SO. TELEPHONE: 9306111 Cont. Progs. 12.10 (NOT SUN.), 2.40,5.25,8.iC, La(e Night Show FRI. S SAT. 11.45p.m. - vacation venues British Museum. About one thousand objects in gold, silver and bronze are on display, dating from the Bron?e Age. Many pieces are exhibited for the first time in this country. JOHN CONSTABLE- BICENTENARY EXHIBITION— 1st MARCH ¦ 25th APRIL Tate Gallery, Millbank. More than 350 paintings and drawings will be shown, ranging from such well-known masterpieces as the Hay Wain, Flatford Mill, The Leaping Horse to many unfamiliar works some never before seen in public. IDEAL HOME EXHIBITION— 9th MARCH - 3rcl APRIL— Olympia. Claimed to be the world's most spectacular exhibition of its kind held under one roof, the theme this year is the White House, symbol of America's .... INTERNATIONAL BREWING. BOnUNG AND ALLIED TRADES EXHIBITION From the 15th April. No details on this but I'm going. At Earls Court. AMERICAN BICENTENARY EXHIBITION— 14th APRIL-2nd OCTOBER National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. SHAKESPEARE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION— 19th-25th APRIL South Bank. On Easter Sunday there's the famous Battersea Easter Parade which can attract as many as a quarter of a million people. That's on April 18th. There are also a few sporting evnets worthy of note. In Rugby Union, England are playing Ireland at Twickenham (March 6th) and there is a Women's Hockey International: England v Scotland at Wembley on March 13th. While for the Conservative Cambridge will win the Boat Race on March 20th. It starts at 16.00h at Putney Bridge. FORTHCOMING GIGS IN LONDON FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT AND DELIGHT Diana Ross — New Victoria — March 18. 19, 20. Maddy Prior and June Tabor — Sadlers Wells — April 11, 12, 13. Bob Marley and the Waiters Hammersmith Odeon — June 16, 17, 18. Joni Mitchell" — Hammersmith Odeon — May 27, 2S, 29. Gong — Hammersmith Odeon March 27 (£1). Osibisa — Paii-field Halls, Croydon — April lU Orover Washington — New Victoria — March 16, 17. A1 Green — New Victoria April 21. Esther Philips — New Victoria April 1, 2. Three Degrees — Palladium — April 12-17. NEW ALBUMS TO LISTEN TO OVER EASTER Kinks — Schoolboys in Disgrace — RCA. Genesis — A Trick of the Tail Charisma. Wishbone Ash — Locked In MCA. Eagle's Greatest Hits — Asylum A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson — Island. Inner Worlds — Mahavishnu — CBS. Boxer — Below the Belt — Virgin, Paul Brown's Greatest Laughs — I've got Dirty Habits Label. Alberto's single — Natty Dread Jaws (cheapest at Re\'olver Records). 10 C.C. — How Dare You. CLJ- Courtesy of MIKE ENT»4EWS Saturday 6th March — 7.45 p.m. FRUUPP PRUUPP are a Belfast band formed in 1970 who have been gigging and producing albums ever since. Through sheer hard work, they have earned the respect of promoters and audiences. Their growing following was reflected by the healthy sales of their debut album "Future Legends^ on the Dawn label in 1973. After another lengthy tour their second album, "Seven Secrets" was released. In 1975 their third and best album was released called "The Prince of Heaven's Eyes". The concept was a fantasy based on Irish folklore, simple but intensely powerful, using the considerable skills of Stephen Houston (piano, organ, mellotron), Peter Farrelly (bass and lead vocals), Vince McCusker (guitar), and Martin Poye (dfums) to the full. Their honest approach gained no critical acclaim; they were described as pretentious, over-esoteric, and so on, by the music press, but the album sales were the highest yet and the growth in national popularity enabled them to play the New London Theatre. However, later in 1975, keyboard player, Houston, left to devote his life to religion. After playing for a while as a three-piece, they were fortunate to find a r^lacement, John Mason (also from Belfast). At the end of 1975 "Modem Masquerades". was released' (also on Dawn). It has been their greatest commercial success, surjiassing the total sales of their other albums in its first ten weeks of release. Produced by ex-King Crimson Ian McDonald it is but another. stage In their dei-elopment. Still retaining mysticism and romance, their earlier musical influences are evident. The new show hit the road in early '76, culminating in a sellout concert at the Roundhouse. We present a one-oif appearance of Fruupp and the "Modem Masquerade" show on Saturday March 6th. It will be Fruupp's last performance in the UK before they go to the USA until 1977. They should be worth seeing with a professional show, of dramatic lighting and special effects, net to mention Irish humour! As a friend remarked recently, "I saw "Man" blow "Fruupp" off the stage at Birmingham University in 1973; they should be bloody amazing by now". For both Fruupp and Horslips we have held ticket prices to an absolute minimum of £1 and 90p respectively. Come along and enjoy yourselves. MIKE STUBBS AND ENTS. CREW HORSLiPS — Friday 5th March f1 — • O.K. Y'ALL, it's Irish Ent's Week at LSB. First off — "HORSUPS", Eire's number one band. Formed in 1970, Korslips are Ireland's answer to Steeleye Span. They are the prime Exponents of true Irish folk rock based on humour, dancing and beer (not violence and atrocity). Their first album "Happy to Meet, Sorry to Part" was released on the "Irish Oats" label in 1970, and was recorded in the Rolling Stone's mobile studio in Tipperary. Their second album "The Tain' and the subsequent "Dancehall Sweethearts" established them as an international success and Ireland's top band. Other albums in elude "The Unfortunate Cup of Tea" and "Drive the Cold Winter Away." We were very lucky to secure the first major London date of Horslips on their current national tour. It is a certain sellMXit, so do try to arrive before 8.30pm if possible, (Doors open 7.30pm). FRUUPP Marx and Engels: The German Ideology. Edited by C. J, Arthur THIS is a new edition of an old classic which came out in Januai-y. The book is a must for those who really want to know what Historical Materialism is all about. The introduction by C. J. Arthur is brilliant and useful, saving us from having to plough through the works of Hegel, Fuerbach and Stirner before being able to appreciate Marx's critique fully. This basically philosophical work reveals Marx's approach at its starting point. As Marx slices through the fuddled thinking of previous philosophers, his own ideas develop clearly and naturally, making this probably Yasir Arafat one of the easiest expostulations of intellectual theory to read and understand. Marx's approach is like a breath of fresh air, ringing of common-sense backed by advanced knowledge. Yet so well written in a simple, anti-intellectualist style, incorporating sarcasm and a lively sense of humour. If you believe in reading Mars chronologically, this is an excellent starting point, and will put paid to any ideas that philosophy has to be boring. MICHELLE OOOO By Thomas Kiernan THIS is the first biography of the mysterious young leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation to be written with some co-operation from Yasir Arafat himself. This alone is enough to make it an interesting book, and one cannot help but be fascinated by the various legends which have grWn up around Yasir's birthplace and early background. The author draws to our attention- the contrast between the PLO version that Arafat was born in the old city of Jerusalem, and most family accounts of his birth in Cairo, He explains in detail the early influences, both psychological and political, of his family, and his connections with Haj Amin and the al-Husayni family on his mother's side, which must certainly have had a profound effect in later life. In addition to providing such an insight into Yasir Arafat's psychological and political background (for those who wish to leam more about the history of the Arab struggle in Palestine), this boot provides a readable way of acquiring seme unbiased information. G.S.S. Somewhere like this By Pat Arrowsmith THIS novel is hardly new, but like most of its kind, has been conspicuously ignored by the media. Pat Arrowsmith, the dedicated pacifist, bringing together the experiences from eight prison sentences, paints a vital and touching picture of society's outcasts. The inmates of "Collingivood" (Hollo-way?) are mainly ordinary but exploited and ignorant womer^ prostitutes, shoplifters, abortionists, blackmailers, who know that their only real crime was getting caught. The most central theme of the novel, however, is the love that develops between the various women, as different and touching as the women themselves. For those who were gay before imprisomnent "(^ollingwood" pre- sents a paradox—a haven where persecution and sexual bigoti-y are the exception, and homosexuality the norm—but still a prison with its despicably degrading world of screws, drudgery and bad food. Those who considered themselves, "normal" on entering the prison, soon discover the sapphic desires which had lain dormant in them, and suffer tortuous conflicts between the "outside" and "inside" realities, causing "gate fever'' before release. Those who think that the function of prison is rehabilitation, also come under fire—the "untouchables" neither want, nor need to-be changed—only the sick society that pvfts them there. MICHELLE DOOiD FAREWELL MY LOVELY (AA) Leicester Square Theatre ^S is a marvellously atmospheric thriller based on the Raymond-^ fi? I f re-issued by Penguin. However it is best the film firet because there are many discrepancies between tlie two, and not all suaphfy the complexity of Chandler's plot. This version the 1945 film which starred Dick PoweU, and although every attempt has been made to recreate a period atmosphere timrand Xoe creating a sense qf Robert Mitchum wlio plays the constantly beaten up private-detective aptures very well the sardonic wit and the narrative interpolations throughout convey the unique feel of Chandler's books. Every scene oozes wito seedmess, squalor and disiUusionment with life, and each set is a perfect recreation of life in 1941. Richards has taken a few liberties with the story; an example of this IS that m the book there is a character caUed Jules Amthor who IS a q^ck. In the film he turns into a she; Frances Amthor, a madame m a high-class brothel. There are numerous other incidences of what appear to be totally gratuitous changes which do not heighten dramattc effect and only leave viewers with a knowledge of Chandler witli the feelmg that the scriptwTiter had not read the book. Apart from this grouse this film is recommended. It is a very accomplished piece of work and some of the editing is superlative, especially in the tenser sequences. Charlotte Rampling for once keeps her clothes on and she acts competently and provocatively, yet the only real actin<' onus falls on Mitchum who figures lai-gely all the way through. He canies it or Tell, even though he is a bit old and the superbly lit final scene rounds off a very enjoyable and professional film. RKAVER. March 2nd, 1976—Page Twelve Polanski comes to LSE ROMAN POLANSKI is to Honour LSE with his presence-- WHEN I talked to him last Thursdaj- in Paris he told me,he is finishing his latest film, ''The Tenant" on March 10th and will be able to be in London on March llth/12th. He promised to bring some clips of 'The Tenant' and say something about his Art and its Polishness. POLISH FILM WEEK (Dates to be announced, all films free). ASHES AND DIAMONDS: A genre classic, always on at the TCA. TEARL IN THE CROWN : A miner's strike. THE PROMISED LAND ; Jews, Germans plus Poles in conflict in a Tsarist mill town in Poland. Gold prize in Moscow. THE STORY OF SIN ; By Borowczyk. Naughtiness. British premiere. IMMORAL TALES : By Borowczyk. Paloma Picasso in the nude. Refused censor's certificate. British premiere. psychological tension will screw you. By Polanski. HUBAL ; Rough and tough. Story of the first Polish partisans in 1939. POLISH WISDOM WEEK Ralf Dahrendorf is chairing a lecture by Poland's number one Sociologist, talking about "Consumption." A problem at the heart of Marxist-Leninism and developments. Wednesday, 3rd March. Old Theatre. POLISH POSTER WEEK One hundred Polish posters on exhibition in St. Clements. Specially flown from Ealing Broadway. POLISH COMPETITION WEEK KNIFE IN THE WATER : The crucial to E. European political First Prize : An Air Holiday in Poland as guest of the Polish Union of Students. Second Prize: Dinner at a Polish Restaurant in London \vith two Polish girls/two guys/ two Polish gays. Don't worry if you can't an^ swer all the questions. We know they are tough. e.g. ; Que.stion 7 : Ralf Dahrendorf was one of the makers of the OSTPOLITIK and Brandt's deputy foreign minister when he knelt in homage before the Wai'saw Ghetto Memorial.-What have Germany and Poland gained thereby ? Question 10 ; Name one Polish academic at LSE and his field of interest. POLISH BORSHTCH'N TEARS WEEK The Refectory having refused to organise a proper Polish meal, we are holding a Borsh-tch'n Tears, with the tears flowing from 80° proof Polish Vodka bottles. We have 20 litres to give away free (but you'll have to pay for the borshtch : 20p). Venue to be announced. JOHN ZYLINSKl AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL DESPITE the appearance of various notices around the School advertising the meetings ©f the L.S.E. Amnesty International group, it is highly likely that most people haven't got the faintest idea of what it's all _about. So here for the first time, in "Beaver" print, are the full details! Firstly, the L.S.E. group is just one of many scattered across the country and throughout the world. Amnesty International is a truly 'international' -organisation dealing with a matter of international importance. In spite of the good intentions shown by all countries as demonstrated in unilateral agreements and in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, there are continual lapses where %y people are imprisoned or tortured because of what they believe ; be it religious, political «r otherwise. Amnesty's task is to restate the intention that every person has the right to •hold and express (non-violently) his convictions and that he or she has the obligation to extend like freedom to others. Am-aesty then campaigns for the . release of prisoners held because of their beliefs and demands fair trials for political prisoners. On a practical level this means that each group is allocated three "prisoners of conscience" from different countries. The .group then works for each prisoner in various ways. It tries to make contact with the prisoner or with his family to give help in any way possible. There are attempts to get amnesty by letters sent to the governments and embassies concerned and to make people generally aware of the situation. However, Amnesty members believe that the freedom of belief and conviction applies to everyone, therefore it can in no way be selective in its treatment of prisoners. It cannot be political, i.e. there is no preference shown to any political regime or party. The prisoners in each group are carefully balanced according to the ideology of their respective countries (one is taken from a Western nation, one from an Eastern country and the third from a non-aligned country). Similarly the balance is maintained by the fact that no group can be allocated a prisoner from their own country, and that all Amnesty operations are voluntarily financed. So if you want further information about Amnesty International or the L.S.E. group come to the meetings held on Wednesdays at 1 pm in Room 404 or drop a note in the U/G pigeonholes under "A" addressed to L.S.E. A.I. Secretary. Remember; whatever j'our own freely-held beliefs may be, let others be ffee to hold theirs too. N. GRAHAM YOU may be interested to know that there are no longer any prisoners in Britain recognised by Amnesty International as "prisoners of conscience". Possibly this is because this is really a liberal democracy after all. More likely, in my opinion, it is because the Government of Iceland has taken several cases of this country's violation of himian rights before the European Court of Justice in The Hague. Either way it is no reason for complacency. There are possibly a million people in prison throughout the world, purely for holding and expressing political beliefs that the government of the day finds unacceptable. Exact figures are impossible to get, as few governments are prepared to be honest about such things. (The Government of Indonesia, which has possibly 100,000 political prisoners according to Amnesty head ofiBce, recently claimed that there were none.) Torture is now a growth industry. More and more political "crimes" are being taken out of the hands of the courts, and dealt with purely by the police and armed forces by means of detention orders. Specific examples are only too common—and only too gruesome in many cases. Alvaro Balbi was arrested in Uruguay, and died of torture within two days. The reasons behind this, and the hundreds of other arrests in Uruguay, is ofiS-cially the Tupamaros guerrillas. However, the fact that all opposition is banned makes this unreason- able. Valentin Moroz, a Ukranian. has received sentences totalling 18 years' prison and exile for criticising Soviet policy. I could go on. One other thing needs to be said. Despite the impression they give of being monolithic giants, most governments are very sensitive to political embarrassment. They need to appear pleasant and reasonable to maintain trade links, and to gain support in pushing forward their foreign policies. They will respond if pressure is strong enough. Meanwhile, at L.S.E., there are a number of overseas students who face conscription into the armed forces if they return to their homeland, prison if they return and refuse to fight, and exile if they are "fortunate" enough to be allowed to stay here. Some, notably those from Iran, may face far worse if the Iranian secret police learn of their political bieliefs and actions. PAUL SEED AGITATE! THE message of International Women's Year was; "Don't just celebrate, agitate!" 'What celebration did take place seems premature in the light of recent events, especially the decision taken on February 9th to reconvene the Select Committee on Abortion. The existence of the committee, whose terms of reference are the James White (Amendment) Bill, on •fvhich women are in a minority, and whose pro-a^bortion members have resigned, in protect'pit the existence of a majority anti abortion contingent, cannot be considered a leap forward for the Women's Movement. In attempting to take away our right to control our own fertility, the M.P.s who voted to reconvene the committee are making nonsensical their attempts to ensure that we receive equal pay and equal opportunities. How can women saddled wi^ unwanted children and unable to find reasonable day nurseries apply for emploj'ment or further education? With this in mind, the L.S.E.' women's group have decided to introduce the element of agitation into our celebration of International Women's Day by making it a benefit for the National Abortion Campaign. We are sponsoring a performance of "Work to Rule" by the Women's Theatre Group and an appearance by Peggy Seegar, a feminist singer, at 7 pm on Monday, March 8th, in the Old Theatre. Come and support the event and put your money where your mouth is in the fight for a woman's right to choose. C. RUTSON Sennet scoop THINGS are stirring at "Sennet". First the resignation of the Executive Editor, John Dean, and now a fear that the powers that be at • U.L.U. are either to close it down or convert it, like Superman, into "National Student" (powee!). Apparently Trevor Phillips, President of U.L.U., has caUed for an evaluation of "Sennet" since its advertising revenue is not all that could be wished. The Editorial Board of "Sennet" are suspicious, believing that if Trevor Philhps were able to close down the paper, this would help him to win a post on the NUS Executive. In John Dean's view political motives are behind this move 'of Trevor Phillips, for in his words, " 'Sennet' walks a tightrope." Trevor Phillips denied these allegations. He explained that when he became President he was "politically committed to keeping the paper going" in spite of the fact that during the previous yeai-"Sennet" had created a deficit for the General Purposes Committee which has now increased. He asserted that no steps would be taken to move "National Student" into the "Sermet" offices. S.D. Classified ARGENTINA; The current situation and the way forward in the anti-impcrial-ist struggle plus film plus speakers (Stan Thorne, M.P.; recently freed poUtical prisoner; Christopher Roper, journalist), Thursday, March 11th, 19.00 hrs. S^ety Organised by Argentina Support Committee, Latin American * LOST : One wallet (black leather). I don't mind about money but documents are irreplaceable !—N. Roe (Soc. Psych. U/G). • , ? ? ? ENTS DISCO : Your financial opportunity. Ents Disco is available for hire anywhere tlw LSE or LSE Halls (not private parties), and to all societies. The fee is ^8 inclusive of disco, records and D.J. We wish to buv singles if anyone wants to sell some (good condition essential). We will offer a fair price for good commercial singles of any era. Also required is a disco manager ciR*o*^ (male and female). If you fancy being a D.J. look up Mike or Andv in S118 who will train you, pay you, give you a steady job, good piomotion prospects, travel opportunities, new spaces and good vibes man. BOOKS : Let's Look at the Figures. Bartholomew and Bassett Free An Introduction to Social Anthropology. Mair. 70p. Othp Cultures. Beattie. 65p. Please contact Pat Fewings, c/o Psvchologv Dept. Pigeonholes. j oj Prmted by Ripley Printers Ltd., Ripley, Derby. Published by London School of Economics and Political Science, Students' Union, St. Clement's Buildings, Claremarket, London, WC2A 2AE.