k BRITISH LIBRARY OF POUTICAL S ECONOMIC SaENCE N5^ " ¦ r , - r -¦ -T 1 8J11N1990 NEWSPAPER OF THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS STUDENTS' UNION Price No. 101 November 12th, 1970 Reform of the B.Sc (Econ) The Economics Faculty has under active consideration the case for segregating B.Sc Econ. into two components: the specialists, i.e. economists, and the non-specialists, those geniuses who specialise in allied subjects. But it is not sure when, if at all, the Faculty will go through with the proposal. The general consensus of After interviewing a large papers, including one corn- opinion among the stafi is that the time has come when the 'boys should be separated from the men'. By this means they can upgrade and extend the scope of B.Sc. Econ. for those intending to specialise. Another of their reasons for doing this is that, in their opinion, non-specialists tend to hold back the specialists, who could otherwise do more of the course on their own. The dissenting voices are equally loud; their cry is that going through with this plan entails the end of the B.Sc. Econ. in its present form. They maintain that the present course is one of the best possible. However, the scourge of 'specialists versus non-specialists' plagues other institutions besides LSE. Which is a comforting thought in itself? 5 PAPERS To examine this controversy more fully, the Economics Department appointed a small committee about year ago, to examine the teaching and examination arrangements for students specialising in Economics. The committee consisted of Professor Hahn, Mr. Klapp-holz and Mrs. Kerrigan. number of students and members of the department, they presented the following proposals, requiring the approval of the School and University authorities. For all students intending to specialise in Economics, the Part I shall not be the present Part I of the B.Sc. Econ., but will consist of five papers as follows; (1) Compulsory subjects: either Economics or Introduction to Mathematical Economics; (2) either Statistics for Economists or Elementary Statistical Theory; (3) either Mathematics for Economists or Algebra and methods of Analysis, or introduction to Analysis and set-theory, or Introduction to Logic, or Introduction to Scientific Method. A-level Mathematics are required for I and 2, but students having A-level mathematics cannot choose 3(i). The two alternative subjects can be chosen from a wide range of subjects which are mainly political in nature. At long last, someone has had the sense to look into the system of examinations. The committee has sensibly proposed that the examination for Part II shall be in two parts. Four pulsory subject, should be taken at the end of second year, and the other four papers should be taken at the end of the third year. NO TUTORS Some findings of the Committee were quite interesting. It proposes no tutors for first year specialists in B.Sc. Econ. Members of the LSE academic staff are varyirvg.ly ire favour and against ithe proposal; however most of them seem to favour the existing system of having tutors. The committee ipoints out that most lecturers use more formal quantitative and diagrammatic techniques than most students with onJy O-levels mathematics and possibly Basic Mathematics can deal with. It goes on to say that the present course of Basic Mathematics is not suitable for the large numbers of students, who need' to acquire the minimum of mathematics for their later work: as it is designed to provide a foundjation for the study of further mathematics, not for the further study of economics. The ipresenit course called Elementary Statistical Theory is more mathematical than students with only OJevel mathematics can handJe. It also points out that the paper in Labour Economics is at present comibined with Labour Law and results in the student being required^ to take many more lectures and classes than is normally the case. It also admits that lecturers tend to be a little unadventurous and unwilling to stray into le.ss well trodden paths. The Commiittee's recommendations include 25 hours of supervision in Economics—in supervisory groups of five. Each of the compulsory papers will have forty lectures in Part I, comprising 25 hours of 'principles', and 15 hours of various 'applications'. In the second year students will toe given tutors and they will toe formed into groups of about twenty, meeting three times a week. In the third year essays will be discussed in seminars, and there will be 25 lectures and 25 classes in Problems of Applied Economics. Lecturers will not examine the economics paper, which will ibe more along the lines of the syllabus than on the lectures. Finally, the Committee suggests that Economics should not be made compulsory for students of other departments. It lays stress on ,the fact that non-specialist teaching should be regarded as of great intellectual importance by all members of the Economics department, it should also examine the case of developing a joint special suibject in Economics and Economic History. PART I RESULTS Results for the B.Sc. (Econ.) Part I examination of June 1970, show a failure rate of 9.6%. This is a rise of about 4^-% over 1969 results, and is not as bad as early rumours implied. Of the 293 people who sat the exams, 29 failed, and 17 are retaking Part I. NEW CONSTITUTION FOR UNION Friday, November 6, saw a victory that Guy Fawkes might have envied. It was all the more effective for being achieved without the use of gunpowder. At a brief, well-considered meeting, a peaceful revolution was achieved in the student state. The Council are to be congratulated for the cogent arguments put forward, and admirably outlined by the President. The issue was reform of the constitution, and two versions were presented, the first an orthodox redrafting of the present constitution, somewhat streamlined. This continuation of 'representative democracy' the case of the ancient regime put forward by the Administrative Committee was countered by the plans of the Constitutional Committee for 'direct participatory democracy'. The radical version, which was overwhelmingly accepted, proposed abolition of the present Union Council, and the setting up of a political and an administrative division, the second composed of elected chairmen of the political groups. Provision is included for the setting up of ad hoc committees. Officers would resign when censured. Other important features of the meeting included acceptance of purchase of a decimal till, and passing of a resolution to raise the pay of refectory staff, with parity for women workers. The ten students chosen at random by the School to sit on disciplinary panels, are to be asked to resign according to a previous resolution of the Union. This meeting will be remembered as about the briefest and most constructive of any. Friday, November 6 will go down as an exemplary pattern of revolution without violence, and of reason over crap. The new constitution demands active participation by students in their own affairs, policy for which should emerge from continuous dialogue. Union meetings will become a genuine forum for instant government. L.S.E. students now have a chance to prove, by intelligent self-government, that they can provide the cradle of good causes and the model for a radical 'system'. Page 2 BEAVER November'li, i970 COMMENT THE GEN.—SEC ELECTION It was, of course—fortunately or unfortunately—predictable; just as predictable as looking at the photographs on the nomination forms and realising who had posed to catch the voters' fancy, with a Colgate-confidence beam; While the dark glasses of Duffy at the Hustings gave that sickly sauve look, which when put with his revelation of external pecuniary beneficiaries gave the aura of an airline pilot offering free lifts to hijackers (which is perhaps not inaprops bearing in mind his "political beliefs do not have much relevance to L.S.E.) And the publication of an accumulated fantasmagonia of past apotheosis gave the nausea of someone publishing their Valentine cards. On the other hand Nic Marsh masochistically (in keeping) relinquished aspirations to elevation to Gen. Sec. with "I'm not particularly interested in paperwork" though Ihis "policy to ignore any concept of negotiation right from the beginning" did I suppose, sound more positive than Ches-worth's plea that he didn't "want to smash anyone." I suppose too the 85-Odd per cent who didn't vote agreed with him, that "the post could be abolished" probably due to his view that "L.S.E. ought to be ruled by the people who work here"—Though Duffy claims he will "work as hard as anyone else" he is not really Florrie's (write in candidate) type, though perhaps he would have more success at seducing her to wear a campaign badge than he apparently did with the bar steward. Accordingly his sycophancy that "the paid staff do a very good job" on the vague issue of the union staff and the typing out of minutes. Perhaps Chesworth got in on what he didn't say. He kept us guessing alright — where did the political committee he mentioned come from (and where's it going, is more important) and what was G.P. talking about when he aluded to the Union Handbook, efTiciency and questions of competence. Yet we did have intimations of answers from Chesworth and intimate is, I suppose, what a General Secretary should do after all. JOHN DAWSON. WELFARE FOR REFECTORY,? The L.S.E. Refectory must be unique in all of London. It must have the worst food at the highest price in the worst conditions with the lowest paid staff in the whole of London. Thanks to the efforts of the new Catering Manager, the food is improving and the Refectory staff have had a pay rise of 1/- an hour. Yet the food is still too expensive, the conditions are still very bad and the take-home pay of the staff, in some cases, is still only £8 to £9 for a forty hour week. Last year the student representatives on the Refectory Advisory Committee fought the School to prevent them from putting the price of food up and achieved a 10% overall decrease on the year, however the question arises of what now? To get anywhere we need the total support and ACTIVE help of the whole student body to press for certain basic demands. (a) (b) (c) (d) Equal pay for equal work for women. A minimum gross wage of £16.10.0 for a forty hour week which could be achieved, by the Catering Manager and his office staff being paid by the School instead of out of the Refectory Accounts. Better food at cheaper prices. One can still buy food nearly as cheaply outside L.S.E. in Cafes and restaurants which run at a profit so why do we make a loss? The Students' Union must be allowed complete access to the Refectory accounts. TREVOR G. JONES. (Welfare V.P.)_ WHITHER CANADA? by Barry Buzan and Chris Terry The recent events In Canada have severely jolted the com placent attitude which most Canadians hold towards their country. Canada, for so long almost a symbol of boring social stability, has suddenly become an issue. Reactions to the jolt have been varied. What we hope to do here is to present our p(»int of view on the matter, and to open up a forum ror discussion. We invite response. Our position is based on the feeling that Canada as a unity is worth niaintaming. Purely negatively, it is hard to im^ine any likely circumstances under which the weakening or disin tegration of Canada would improve life for Canadians. The elativelv loose federal structure of Canada is virtually the only barrier against the enormous cultural/economic drive of the - _ __^ t . ____1J 1___1 •____A A*-!r» Ito f /*\f tKr* TrQ OrtYlianfC Fo severely weaken or remove that barrier would lead inevitably to the rapid Americanization of the fragments r U.S. More positively, we feel that the concept of Canada is unique, and worthy of preservation for its own sake. It represents both an experiment in biculturalism that must not be lightly abandoned; and a synthesis of British, French and American culture quite different from any of its components. Simply because Canadian "nationalism" (an as yet inappropriate term) is very low key, it does not mean that it is either irrelevant or extremely weak. Rather, it is different, unusual, and potentially highly significant in world terms. A viable low key nationalism would go a long way towards solving many international problems. The current actions of the FLQ and the Trudeau government have together created an historic moment in the life of Canada. The issues have been made absolutely clear to the whole country for the first time, and, equally important, the political energy necessary to act on them has been created. Neither of these factors has existed before. QUEBEC SEPARATISM Quebec separatism is the central issue which the current crisis has brought into focus. The murder of Laporte by extremist separatists, and the subsequent imposition of the War Measures Act (WMA) by the government have brought home to Canadians everywhere the immediacy of the French-Canadian problem. Before this, French separatism was treated as a rather distant joke by most Canadians. That men are willing to kill over the issue, and that all Canadians have had their civil rights suspended because of it has transformed it into a truly national problem. As such, the first real opportuni- ty to solve it has been created. To anyone who cared to study the situation, there has never been any question of the legitimacy of separatist grievances. Economically the French-Canadian is more unemployed, less promoted and lower paid than his English-Canadian equivalent. Politically, he is served at the provincial level by a corrupt, non-representative and non-responsive system; and at the federal level by a system which takes almost no account of the alleged bi-cultural nature of the country. Socially, he finds himself and his language are second class, and that his whole culture is in danger of being submerged. He finds also that the entire system is unresponsive to his problem in terms of meaningful action. Facing this, it is little wonder that the newly educated and politically aware elite of French-Canadians have turned to separatism. In a sheer act of desperation, separation from Canada is seen as being no worse for the French-Canad-ian than the current system, and would give him at least the pride of self-determina-tion. However, despite the unquestionable validity of the French-Canadians' grievances, we feel that separatism would be a disastrous solution. Disastrous for Canada as a whole and for the French-Canadians in particular. Politically, geographi-tafly and temotionally, the fabric of Canada would be irreparably torn by the departure of Quebec. It is doubtful if the other provinces would stay together. With the federal barrier gone, American cultural and economic penetration would proceed unchecked. If the French Canadians are unable to check the relatively mild-mannered influence of English-Canadian domination, how much less able would they be against the huge and dynamic American presence. It seems clear to us that the very legitimate cause of the French-Canad-ians would be much wiser to fight its battle within the protection of the federal whole and against the weaker of its possible opponents. ATTITUDES Given this as ,a general position, the question remains what attitude one should take to the current series of events. The barbarous murder of Laporte by the FLQ extremists has deservedly lost the movement most of its support. The act itself, however, like many extreme acts has served as a necessary catalyst. By de-troying itself the FLQ may have enabled an enormous step towards a just solution to be made. Awareness of the problem has been made nation wide. Political energy has been generated. It requires only the correct political action in order for significant remedial reforms to be made. The Trudeau government's response thus far has apparently been purely negative. By outlawing the FLQ and imposing the WMA it has made only the initial, crude response to the issue. Crushing the FLQ is a legitimate government policy. Indeed, the integrity of the federal government requires that it do so. However, it would be wholly inadequate for the government simply to leave it at that. A simjdy crushed FLQ would rise again with redoubled ferocity. Since the government has taken both an extreme view of the FLQ's significance, and extreme action in the form of the WMA to counter it, it seems unlikely that it intends to stop there. Tru-deau's general awareness of the problem, and the danger of a backlash over the W^A (given that it was imposed on the whole country, not just Quebec) also indicate a broader intention. The imposition of the WMA not only sets a dangerous precedent, but also exacerbates other existing political tensions. The WMA has predictably been abused by local authorities in many places. Its powers have been misused for such diverse objectives as the stifling of the FRAP opposition party in the Montreal elections, and the general harassment of the organised underground. Trudeau may have grasped this when he invoked the WMA. He may have sensed that this crisis contained the potential energy for initiating broad reforms of the cumbersome and unjust federal structure. If he gives any indication of this, then the risks he has taken with the lives of Laporte and Cross, the relatively minor and temporary injustices of the small-minded under the WMA, the unsavoury precedent of the WMA itself, and the crushing of the FLQ are all acceptable. They become minor issues against a major and necessary reform movement. Trudeau is in the unique position of being able to provide the necessary leadership, and is in many ways ideally qualified for it. If he takes up the challenge, we feel that he should be supported in the interest of a continuing Canada. If he simply crushes the FLQ with no effort to remedy the injustices that gave it birth, then we all have much larger problems to debate than the minor iniquities of the War Measures Act. Responses, rebuttals, revisions, etc., to B. G. Buzan, c/o Grad pigeonholes. BEAVER EDITOR: Martha Greenyer BUSINESS MANAGER: Elisabeth A. Faulkner SALES MANAGER: John Andrews SUB EDITORS: Jennie, Home, Barry Buzan, Norman Bergel ARTS: Diana Villiers, (Theatre), Anabelle Cyprys (Exhibitions) Barry Buzan (Films) BOOK REVIEWS EDITOR: Mike Tuckett APOCALYPSE: John Andrews MUSIC: from Entertainments Committee SPORT: from the A.U. Reporters, Typists, Sales: Tariq Rauf. Barry Buzan, Liz Faulkner, Jennie Horn>. Thalia Marriott, Jennie Pitkin, Christ Terry, Anne Webber, Christina Lee, Nick Hall, Vivien Valzon, John Andrews. PHOTOS: John Andrews. Advertising Agents: J.E.P. and Associates, 107-111 Fleet St., S.C.4. Beaver Address: L.S.E. Students' Union, Clare Market, London. W.C.2. 2AE. Tel. 01-405-4872. L.S.E. CHOIR Graham Wallas Room Every Tuesday 6.30—8 p.m. Welcome back. Where are you going for Christmas? J'.'t London Dub'in £6 to P.iris CB.25 to Basel f!D 10 (!ays skiiiKj in SwitzGrliituI from £35 Get FREE details today. At these prices, you can't afford not to go somewhere, ¦ * BRITISH STUDENT TRAVEL CENTRE 231 Tottenham Court Road, London W1C 4Z2 Telephone: 01-637 1241 SI M MON DS University Booksellers Our shop is not the biggest in London, but it is annong the best. And it's a place where you will obtain individual attention. We stock most of the books on your syllabus. 16 Fleet Street, London, E.C.4. (opp. Chancery Lane) FLE 3907 Novemlfcr 12, 1970 BEAVER Page 3 The Roots of Apathy The problem of apathy, has by all accounts, been with the Students Union for a long time. Apathy is generally deplored, probably by the apathetic themselves, as much as by the politically involved. Apathy is considered as, on the whole, as being favourable to the left, although some of the biggest union meetings have hardly tended to bear this out, and accordingly the Right has been most resourceful in devising would be remedies for the problem (longer time lapses between the announcement and holding of meetings, referenda, etc.) But the Left too, despite the advantage it is supposed to have gained also sees apathy as something bad, and to be overcome if possible. During the last session, the problem became acute, with a plethora of in-quorate meetings and it remains to be seen whether this session will see an improvement. Most discussion has revolved around ways of decreasing it, without trying to look into its root causes. In this article, I shall try to explain what I believe these arc as a basis for later discussing possible remedial measures. RELEVANCE Apathy is the result of the irrelevance of the students' Union to students' real problems and pre-occupations. Union meetings spend most of their time in discussing questions of no direct concern to the L.S.E.—Vietnam, Rhodesia, Biafra, solidarity with students in revolt at other colleges and the like. These questions are usually debated on the basis of a left- leaning motion which. as many speeches, is overwhelmingly passed. In short, there is general consensus on these questions, but although we all feel upset by the sufferings of "our comrades" in the university of Shetland and Orkney, it is rather difficult to keep one's interest up, if similar sufferings at a simil-lar university had been discussed the week before. Harder still if one has a nagging feeling that much the same thing will be coming up next week. When not concerned with outside events the union is taken up with constitutional wrangl-ings and duels between the Left and Right. When the L.S.E. problems come up for discussion they are often as irrelevant as non-L.S.E. questions (e.g. investments in South Africa) or become bogged-down in argument over whether the President saw the Director alone or ac- Icurately reported union policy to him. Last session, union had become a combination of debating-society and circus, and very rarely indeed, did a question of real importance for L.S.E. students, such as Representation arise. IRRELEVANCE What is relevant and important to L.S.E. students? Most are here with a simple aim—to study and take a degree, as a first step to a secure and well-paid job. (Many are genuinely interested in their subject as well) What matters to them are haying working conditions which will enable them to achieve this, and as secondary aim, having a pleasant private life as well. Relevant and important problems are thus—conditions of study, accommodation, medical services and social facilities. Gaining some say over teaching methods, the content and emphasis of courses, improving library facilities and the chances of finding cheap and pleasant accommodation — these things matter to students and yet they are only dealt with by union in a very subsidiary way, if at alJ. Being careerists with a conscience, L.S.E. students will vote appropriately if their consciences are pricked, but since they are careerists first, they won't find the process particularly interesting or important. Hencc. most of them won't bother to attend union meetings or to participate in its other activities. The attempted sit-ins of last session, in which interest was so slight, that the cannon-fodder had to be imported from other colleges eloquent testimony to this. L.S.E. students are alienated from an organization which has proved irrelevant to their lives and working conditions. CHANGES To lessen the problem the first step would be to make constitutional changes which would exclude from union's agenda motions dealing with outside political events. A rejuvenated Debating society could deal with such questions. With the agenda strictly limited to questions directly concerning L.S.E. students endless discussion of motions beginning with phrases like "union expresses its complete solidarity with the peasants and workers (or students) of ..." would be avoided. This would however have the effect of removing some of the irrelevancies of Union activities. The most important change would have to be that the Students Union become relevant and this it could only do by beginning to concern itself with the questions of real importance for students. The attention of council and Union meetinas would have to shift towards pressing for things like greater power for the staff-student committee so as to give the students some say in the content and organisation of their courses; and a shift in resources by the L.S.E. and University of London authorities towards providing more accommodation for students and an effective University Lodging Bureau, and the other matters outlined earlier, which matter for students. A heightened tempo of activities in such fields would involve increased cooperation with other London student unions, and our demands on such matters may be no more palatable to the authorities than those concerning overseas investments.. It might not, therefore necessarily lead to a quieter life for Union, but the new spheres of action would be of a direct concern to students and hence more likely to cause their involvement in them. Apathy would not disappear—in every society there will always be apa-thetics, but it would be reduced. This change would make us far more like a Trades Union campaigning for direct improvements in its members' working and living conditions, than we have ever been before, and would go a long way to justifying the use of the word 'union' to describe the organisation which groups all L.S.E. students. T. MUNCH-PETERSON %-¦ % UNCLE TOMS OR STUDENT POWER? The Old Theatre has been the scene of many mock battles. The twin issues of student power and academic misgovernment have brought more doleful presidents to their knees as sacrificial victims than any other. The opening shot of the union meeting of Friday, October 30th was a 'state of play' analysis by Our Leader. Resort by the studentar-iat to direct action was condemned as 'short term, limited' strategy. So there remain 'participation' politics and atrophied acclimatization to Committee life. Accordingly the Student Body has been offered six places on the Court of Governors — among some ninety five. No seats have been offered on the Standing Committee or Academic Board, actual fulcrum of Empire. The glittering sextet was deemed about as useful as the Barberian's sixpenny trille, and equally contributable to a just society. The melodrama of power became a farce of disenchantment. The debate from the ffoor did nothing to define objectives. Parity was demanded; then criticiscd as 'legalization by use of their structure!' Some grabbed at the crust in the conviction that it would lead to the loaf. Others insisted that the 'irrelevant and inadequate' offer was as hungersating as hypothetical cake, and would have none of it. Demands for the he- Report on Gen. Sec. Election The resignation of Dave Rumble after the 1970 Freshers' Conferences vacated the union post of General Secretary, and, when nominations closed on Tuesday, 22 Octobcr, this alleged routine, though near paramount, administrative position was to be contested for by candidates Chris Chesworth. Nic Marsh and Alex Duffy. The points raised by Chesworth, opening the speeches at the Hustings on Monday 26th, covered the new constitution, the desire to see greater student involvement with the governing bodies of the University, and the nature of the General Secretariat, with, what he considered to be the main prerequisites; hard work, experience and dedication, points which were also embraced by the other speeches. Yet while Chesworth saw that possibly Union Council could be replaced by an administrative body. Alexander Duffy extended this to include separate political officers and solely administrative ones, the General Secretariat being put into the latter category by both Duffy and Chris CHRIS CHESWORTH Chesworth. Nic Marsh, though, could not envisage a purely administrative union council because, he said, that most matters that came before Council are of a political nature. The general line Duffy and Chesworth voiced on the subject of parity on university committees, a line emphasising negotiation and compromise, was contradictory to Marsh's track, that little could be achieved by such means, and, at the basis, it was necessary to disrupt the administration whenever possible. The questions raised by the audience showed that such abstractions, and the absraction of the new constitution, were not entirely the comments on present issues at L.S.E. that the electorate were really after from the candidates. On the two days of polling, 392 unspoiled votes were received and at the count on Wednesday, 28th October, just under half of them were in favour of Chesworth (C-185, M-128, D-89) with the redistribution of the Duffy voters, a majority of about 25% was finally mentioned by Chris Chesworth (C-243 M-137). .TOHN W. DAWSON. ginnings of a power base were countered by fears of 'Uncle Toms' and 'snivelling quizzlings' swigging sherry with The Masters. The chance of representation was 'now or never', said the president. And-we've-heard-that-one-before. The amendment demanding parity on the Court of Governors was decently carried. The battle for piecemeal tactics and teeny territorial concessions was lost. So was the quorum as the ranks drifted away, throatsore and weary, but with the integrity of ideals for genuine student participation and co-responsibility intact. L.S.E. FIRST A new centre to develop research and teaching in urban Economics has been started in the Economics Department of the LSE: and is the first such ccntre in any British University. It is financed partly by the Centre of Environmental Studies and partly by the School. The centre is intended to encourage postgraduate work particularly; among the possible areas of interest and research are: problems of local government finance and expenditure control; the causes of urban poverty; the economies and diseconomies of cities of different sizes as well- as an interest in urban transport problems and the problem of planning. Its Head—this is an appointment at professorial level—is Christopher D. Foster, MA. He was among the first in Britain to specialise in general urban economics. The Centre, at present, is offering urban economics, as an M.Sc. option. From next year urban economics will be offered as one of the regular options. The Centre is considering opening its doors to Graduates and possibly un-der-graduates as well: nothing definite has been worked out as yet on this score, as it still has to discuss the question with the Economics Department. Page 4 BEAVER Novembei- • rr^ I R#bir^ Morning coffee 1.00 a.m. Lunch 1.15 p.m. Tea 4.00 p.m. Supper 7.15 p.m. ENGLISH (ECONOMY) coffee "today's special" (lamb chops, veg. and chips) fresh fruits coffee Cup of tea and biscuit soup mushroom omelette and chips coffee 6/9 1/2 1/- 8/11 1/1 1/3 4/9 1/- 7/- Total expenditure for the day: 18/- ce© Late breakfast 10.00 a.m. Light lunch 1.30 p.m. Teatime filler 4.00 p.m. Supper 7.30 p.m. ENGLISH (DE LUXE) bacon, 1 egg and slice (buttered) toast toast and marmalade coffee i chicken curry and rice coffee cup of tea small "bandit" wafer biscuit soup grilled ham, pinapple and chips a banana coffee 4/3 1/1 1/- 6/4 0/6 1/- 7/6 8d 6d 1/2 1'3 6/-8d 1/- 8/1 Total expenditure for the day: £1/3/11 BEAVER restaurant nourishment suggested however. 12, 1970 BEAVER Page 5 is that other student to consider both up with these No responsibility. ) Brealcfast 10.00 a.m Lunch 1.30 p.m. Tea 4.30 p.m. Supper 7.30 p.m. Breakfast 10.00 a.m. Lunch 1.30 p.m. loo p.m. Supper 7.00 p.m. AMERICAN tinned fruit juice couple fried eggs, bacon and toast milk toast and jam cup of coffee soup "today's special" (with tomato side salad) milk yogurt coffee cup of tea fruit flan 2 (English) hamburgers, fried onions 2 pork sausages chips peas beer (lager) coffee and two digestive biscuits 1/3 6/9 1/-9d 1/2 1/- 11/11 8d 1/6 2/2_ 3/6 2/4 1/-1/-2/4 1/4 11/6 Day's total expenditure: £1/12/3 PRAIRIE VEGETARIAN coffee, toast and jam yogurt fruit and nut salad cheese roll and butter yogurt gaTeau and coffee Tea Vita-Weat soup tomato omelette green salad choc ice (with chocolate sauce) carton of milk coffee 2/1 1/2 3/3 3/6 1/-lOd 1/2 2/6 9/- 8d 5d 1/1 1/3 3/6 1/-1/3 6d 9d 1/- 9/3 Ependiture for the day: £1/2/6 K no«prf »<;vprvnnf» t uiic Page 6 BEAVER Novcmber'-i2, 1970 Structuralism By Ernest Gellner A Reader. Edited luid introduced by Mithacl Lane. Jonathan Cape. London, 1970. 456pp, 75/- A spectre is haunting the intellectual scenc — structuralism, or better, le structuialisme. It is important, it is fashion-able, but what the devil is it? It is indeed a new revelation, a key, a break-through to untold intellectual wealth, or on the contrary, have we all been structuralists ever, speaking structuralism as we speak prose. Is it just the latest Left Bank fashion, filling a gap left by the exhaustion of Existentialism? Or is there an element of truth in cach of these suspicions? For my own part, 1 should bet my money on the last of these suppositions. Le structuralisme is a cluster of attitudes, ideas, styles and people, ranging from portertous cafe doubletalk to some of the most exciting and promising developments in contemporary thought. No-one to my knowledge, has yet codified those" ideas with definitive and satisfying lucidity. Mr. Lane's effort in this direction, both through his introduction and his collection of articles, is gallant and genuinely useful. He does not finish the job — which would be too much to expect of anyone as yet genuinely useful to all of us who seek to clear our minds on this matter. its most exposed and in- quirv, speak in a human What, one may begin by asking, is the relationship of contemporary structuralisme to old, common-or-garden preoccupation with structure, which may be held to be virtually co-extensive with science itself? One of Mr. Lane's contributors, Maurice Godelicr, invokes as his motto a striking remark of Karl Marx's; "Science would be superfluous if there were no difference between the appearance of things and their essence." Indeed. And, one might add, science would be impossible if there were no underlying structure behind the appearance of things. The illustrious Mr. Locke, distinguishing between secondary and primary qualities, was in effect concerned with separating structure from mere appearance. In social studies the old distinction between structure and culture is an echo of the same Lockian insight: structure is concerned with primary social qualities (i.e. organisation), and culture with secondary ones, whose perception and whose very existence is more closely itied to the conceptual equipment of the observer than it is to the independent nature of the objects themselves. MANIFESTLY SQUARE In consequence, may one say that Lock and Radcliffe-Browns were, in the contemporary sense, structuralists? it seems implausible. Is this merely because Locke and Radcliffe-Brown were both manifestly square, and not with-it thinkers, and struc-turalisme is only too much part of the scenc? As the poet says, the world is too much with it. Is it just fashion — is contemporary structuralisme simply the dressing up of old ideas in current terminology — or is there more to it? I believe that there is a more genuine differentiation. Mr. Lane, in his very useful Introduction, lists three characterisitic theses of le structuralisme. It is not quite clear whether these are meant to be the defining doctrines of modern structuralism, for he introduces them as the theoretical assumptions that, according to critics, are "important and untested" and hence "are attacked". Hence it is possible that Mr. Lane is here identifying not the essence of Structuralism, but merely teresting flank. But I think not: these seem to me selected for attack because they are central, rather than simply because they are questionable. They are, roughly; 1. All social behaviour resembles codes. 2. Man has an innate structuring capacity which limits the possibility of codes and hence of behaviour. 3. Binary oppositions are crucial, or ultimate and exclusive, in the internal economy of these codes. This list of Mr. Lane's seems to me a most creditable attempt on his part to identify the central tenets of Structuralism. Personally I should be tempted to add some other characteristics, though admittedly these have an intimate connection with some of those listed by Lane. Those additions would further highlight the way in which Structuralism differs from good old-fashioned interested in underlying sitruc-ture. 4. Structuralisme has a special concern with what might be called (in no pejorative sense) the Appearance Sciences. 5. When dealing with their objects, it seeks structure where the ancients saw merely .'meaning' or appearance, and it seeks meaning where the ancients sought or suspected merely inert structure THE HUMAN VOICE This perhaps requires some elucidation. The old structure / culture distinction, or primary/secondary qualities distinction, saw scicnce as conccrned basically with the former element, with structure, because it was concerned with what is objective, universal, so to speak hard, and has explanatory power; by contrast, culture, or the warm qualities of sense, were consigned to the poet, to description, to documentation perhaps—but not to the hard area of explanation. Modern structuralism on the other hand seems inspired by the idea that it is Appearancc, that which is "lived" by the participants, which has a structure of its own, and conversely, that the hidden latent structures which are unearthed by in- quiry, speak in voice, are articulated in terms derived from the powers of the human mind. The natural home for this kind of Structuralism is of course the human sciences, or what 1 have called the Appearance sciences—those concerned with phenomena of whose very essence it is that they 'mean' something to participants. But language, myths or kin relations for instance, arc n.ade as well as perceived by our minds. For a tree or a planet or a particle, it lis quite incidental that it is perceived by men. The perception is a source of information about it, but it hardly figures in the explanatory theory covering it. On the other hand, it is essential and not accidental that a phoneme, a kin term, a legend, exists for someone. Modern structuralisme, on the other hand, seeks structure in the appearance itself, and in as far as it looks for an underlying sustratc, expects it to speak in something resembling a human voice. This, as far as 1 can sec, is the difference between Structuralismc and the old, common pursuit of underlying structure. This, if I understand it correctly, is also Levi-Strauss' account of the dilTcrence between neolithic and m o d c r n science. MYTHS AND LEGENDS What is novel and valuable in this approach, 1 suspect, is that it sensitises people to the question concerning how these meaningful worlds are, in the Chom-skian phrase, generated: instead of. as was the old way, naively taking these worlds for granted and then painfully seeking to identify casual sequences v, ithin them this insight leads one to try and identify the principles which alone can generate this or that given world at all. The insight — that this needs to be done — is in it-.self not new, perhaps, but what may be new is its persistent, concrete and rigorous implementation, at least among the best of those who may be called Structuralists. At their worst, on the other hand they seem merely to be men who have found a new style and jangon for re-arranging old materials portentously, without aenuine illumination. Like but, in the meantime, he is one of the critics cited by Mr. Lane, 1 am most doubtful about the value of the language of 'binary oppositions'. On one interpretation, the thesis of the universal presence of binary opposition may be a simple tautology, in as far as all distinctions; but otherwise, it is probably false. Moreover, some of these 'binary oppositions' do not genuinely explain or generate anything; they are just a kind of floral arrangement. In phonetics, it may well work; perhaps it can be shown how all the phonetic distinctions wc use and recognise can be generated by the application of a set of binary opposition, which then genuinely explains the structure of our phonetic world, of the range of discriminations of which we arc capable in making and identifying noises credited with meaning. But myths are different. The telling of a story, such as a legend, presupposes the prior existence of a world of meanings in which the story is articulated. Hence the analysis of the myth cannot exlain the generation of that world. Does it, then, by taking us to the very limits of that world, by conspicuously exhibiting its polarities, which arc the oppositions which arc highlighted in the story — does it so to speak teach us the hmits of that world? Are myths and legends the conceptual equivalents of beating the bounds? PRETTY PATTERNS Those who have indulged in structuralisme accounts of myths and legends have not faced or answered this question clearly enough. Until il is answered, structuraliste analyses will be open to the suspicion that they are just the pursuit of pretty and fanciful patterns, in a language which is sugges.tivc but which, like the various Hegelian and Freudian languages, is over-adaptable and hoi^lessly loose. They talk as if their pretty patterns explained the worlds in which they occur, when in fact they presuppose them, and explain nothing. Something of the same danger arises for the structuraliste. His bedrock concepts, far from explaining or generating a world, may be drawn from the same stock as many others in the world they are meant to explain, and pre-suppo.se that world. Nsie. SUPERTRAMP: A. & M. records If your copy of this record is faulty on the first few grooves then you will find that you have missed the first track, it is 30 seconds long. The next is, however, a more substantial 5.25 minutes. If this is treated as a clue to the nature of the L.P. it is revealing. Supertramp are obviously not afraid of length for music's sake, but fortunately do not avoid brevity for the sake of musical clarity, a factor of presentation that escapes some of their heavier brethren. The L.P. betrays influences in the nicest possible way, thus the sounds are reminiscent of other bands, but they are good ones and the end product is tasteful. The hne up is interesting. Supertramp offer a variety of instruments beyond the usual, including keyboards, flago-let. cello, balalaika and sax (Tenor and Alto), clarinet, trumpet and trombone. This line up may sound over ambitious but the sound is never messy, the instrumentation being used to great effect. But it is let down a little by the drummer who although competent is bound to have a much harder job of changing style so frequently than the multi instrumentalists. In the event of this review firing the imagination to the extent of a 10/- expenditure you can see them at L.S.E. on the 28th November or buy the L.P. now from the Union shop. JACK F. KRELL12 LED ZEPPELIN III: Atlantic It doesn't seem so very long ago that we were asked for 30/- when we purchased an LP. Unless you buy it in the union shop, there's a good chance that you'll have to pay 47/6 if you want Led Zeppelin's latest offering to a record-buying public pregnant with praise and criticism. And if the price doesn't get you the record cover will! It's a sleeve-note writer's drcani-comc-truc ... a sleeve you look at before you listen to the record! You may be easily gripped by nausea as you realise that you have just paid 5/- for the dubious privilege of being able to make Jimmy Page appear, and disappear in a hole in the sleeve, hotly pursued by the group's phallic symbol. There isn't a single solo on the album that stands up to any sort of critical examination. The songs are only mediocre. One, 'Since I've been loving you', is particularly poor, a long and tedious blues number that any one of a hundred bands could have been doing three years ago. Is Led Zeppelin just an over-priced load of rubbish? But it's topping the L.P. charts! ALAN KILKENNY CANDLES IN THE RAIN: Melanic Buddah Super 2318 009 A few years ago this record would not have stood a cat in hell's chance of selling except to a tiny esoteric minority. Yet now both the L.P. and the single from it 'Ruby Tuesday' arc in the 'charts'. So here in this record is the whole musical revolution of the Sixties. It is neither folk, rock, 'pop' or 'chansons' although it contains all of these and niore. It is today's music and most of all it is Melanie. Melanie has produced an incredibly beautiful album, ft starts off with the soaring and powerful 'Lay It Down" with the Edwin Hawkins Singers thundering out behind her It encompasses the gentle bitter-sweet 'Citiest People' and rolling Piaf-like 'What have they done to my song Ma'. 'Ruby Tuesday' and 'Carolina in my mind', written by the current darling of the 'in' sccne. James Taylor show Melanie's interpretive powers. 'Ruby Tuesday' is completely transformed. Comparisons are useless. The fact that the Stones have recorded it is forgotten. The song becomes completely Melanie's. She bends it. slurs it. slows it down and speeds it up until it takes on a sorrowful beauty which ¦ is the essence of Melanie. | DAN TAUBMAN i I 1 NoveilSfe^r 12, 1970__BEAVER __Page 7 APOCALYPSE TRIPPING ON MI6 Those of us who knew Tom VHliers will probably have heard about his arrest and subsequent conviction for selling Chinese small-arms to American G.I.'s, disappointed with the performance of their M-16s. This news has been suppres-^d by the news media in general as it would obviously be inconvenient if it became public information that the Viet-Cong were using a better weapon than the Americans. Tom, an American, had a varied career before graduating from LSE with a Ph.D. Having started his political career as a Tribune socialist, he steadily became involved in the more revolutionary wing of LSE politics. Whilst he was never actually arrested by the authorities, his wide circle of contacts was such that he was of great use to others in time of trouble. Tom was one of the more humane type of revolutionaries, in that he retained an understanding of both sides of an argument; he never fell into the trap of trying to categorize his enemies under such labels as "fascist". Whilst he was never a Maoist he was always sympathetic to the basic aims of the Chinese revolution. The mystery surrounding his arrest and conviction centres around the fact that it would appear unusual for him to be engaged in selling to the Americans a weapon with which they might be able to dispose more efficiently of their enemies and his true allies. There can in fact be little doubt that the charge is no more than a cover, for rumours emanating from the more radical wing of the American army in Germany, suggest that his actual crime was supplying hard drugs such as 'speed' to American soldiers. It has been known for a long time that the whole drug question has been causing a great deal of concern to the US high Command in Vietnam. At present Tom is in a US stockade in Vietnam. However, he will probably be shipped back to America as his presence, as an American officer put it, "is not conducive to the maintenance of a high level of morale amongst the troops". We hope that contacts in America will soon be able to provide us with further information on the case—however, if you have any more details, or perhaps knew Tom during his LSE career, please contact us. Africa Research Group Group formed at S.O.A.S. to produce radical pamphlets. Anybody interested help in a) production, printing, etc. b) doing detailed research, writing papers on contemporary Africa, please contact Africa Research Group, S.O.A.S. pigeon holes. Music Society Presents Gordon Kirkwood and Bill Cornish in piano duets by Stravinsky, Britten, Debussy and Milhaud. Founders' Room, 1.30—2.30 p.m. on 18 November. mi*! MEN'S LIBERATION Men, we must unite and fight evil influences before its too late! Remember, we are the only group in L.S.E. without a liberation front. Male heterosexuals, act now to free yourselves! The women are strifcmg out for their rights. This is fair enough, but remember! we are oppressed by women too! Have you ever seen a Men Only carriage, a Men Only waiting room, a Paternity Home? No! Who is usually the breadwinner? The male! We must not allow this state of affairs to continue! Then there is the G.L.F.—a determined group of individuals with a just cause. However, we must not let this go too far! While I disapprove of the rule of majority morals, I also disapprove of the rule of minority morals. Perhaps in time we can form an alliance with these other groups. We cannot achieve this unless we exist. Therefore, we must come together and raise the glorious standard of Man's Liberation. JOHN MORTON. lA FOLK CLUB ' L.S.E. lacks many clubs, not least a Folk Club. However tWs year Folk enthusiasts will be encouraged by the fact that the club is being reconstituted through the go^ offices of Geo Tallack and Marion Fitzpatrick. The club is a mixture of the traditional and modem, the emphasis depending on the membership. It is hoped to have both lunch-time and evening concerts along with evening gatherings where beer can be consumed and singers coming from the floor. The venue for the evening concerts will be the concourse area with the lunch-time affairs being conducted in the Shaw Library. A hopeful sign for the future is that membership has already risen above the 80 mark. Conservative Sockty M. Marshall from the Bow Group on overseas aid. 1 o'clock, 17 November. THE PROCESS OF EDUCATION Life is sureal people are real School is a hoax School is the means to the end of being able to live freely School is a processing station School strips away an individual's levels of consciousness School gives you a new identity Critical though, creative ideas. Self-determination, and interest are traded in for taking notes regurgitating bullshit being assessed School is a used thoughtstore li you fly scheduled airlines you're crazy. Or rich. Jet Lo/Klon to Dul)liti £6 to Paris £5.25 to Base;! £9 Get FREfc details today. At these prices, you can't afford not somewhere. ¦ ©s'TO ¦ BRITISH STUDENT TRAVEL CENTRE 231 Tottofihnm Court Road. London W1 E AZZ Telephone- 01-637 1241 CON-SOC Prospective members please contact Adrian Day or Alun Hicks via undergraduate pigeon holes in St. Clements Building. i I JEWELLERY AND WATCHES 20%-25% DISCOUNT to all NUS members and University Staff DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT KINGS DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RINGS Gold—Wedding and Signet Rings. ...Gold and SUver—Cigarette, Cases, Powder Boxes, Bracelets, Necklaces, Charms, Brooches Earclips, Links. Silver and E.P.N.S. Tea-sets, etc. 10% - 20% DISCOUNT to all NUS members and University Staff on all Branded Goods—All Swiss Watches, Clocks, Cutlery, Pens, Lighters, etc., and on all Second-hand Jewellery Remodelling and repairs to all jeweDory and repairs to watches GEORGES & CO. of Hatton Garden (Entrance in Greville Street only) 88/90 HATTON GARDEN, E.C.I Showroom Open Weekdays 9—6, Saturday 9—12 Special attention to orders by post or 'phone — 01-405 0700/6431 AFRICA RESEARCH GROUP Africa Research Group is being started at SOAS. People interested in doing research, printing, publicity, etc. to contact — THE AFRICA RESEARCH GROUP at SOAS STUDENTS UNION. MUSIC SOCIETY A Party will be held in the Founders' Room on Friday, 13th November from 7 p.m. to 10.15 p.m. A charge of 1/- will be made to Music Society Members and 2/6 to non-members. If you complain or ask why or ask for a change, you are told to be patient, to listen first and ask later—Besides, no one is forcing you to remain—^Free individuals have a choice School is a negation of freedom Students dropout of School Students re-enter school Students are niggers Niggers live in ghettos Schools are student ghettos School is a conspiracy Time works wonders So does starvation and boredom Exams are passed Credentials are gjven Students become teachers Teachers "teaCh" students Teachers are the school Teachers become the perpetuation Of the hoax—'Teachers are a hoax Students are a hoax School, What's that LEN UCHMAN. iPage 8 BEAVER Novcmbe'^??^, 1970 FASHION Posters! A large number of LSE students live in somewhat unexciting and uninspiring suburban rooms, and most of Die rest habitate stereotyped boxes in halls of residence. Normally the cost of decorating such surroundings lends to be prohibitive. But, thanks to Pail Mall Press, a new book of posters, priced amazingly at 42/-, can now do the trick. A mathematical mind tells me that a very colourful mural of 128 square foot ecjuivalent to a wall 10 foot by 12 foot can be produced by arranging the 96 posters in one of a million and a half permutations . . . Thus if all LSE students adorned their walls with murals of Cuban Posters the chances are that no two walls would be alike. Since Kensington Market stalls charge up to iwo pounds a poster the saving on 96 posters each one foot by one foot six inches would be . . . well, take it from me, you'd save a lot. The posters come in a soft back book called The Art of Revolution—96 posters from Cuba, and is published by Pall Mall. Price 42/-. Alternatively Academy Publications have just produced a book of underground posters that arc smaller, more expensive and less colourful than The Art of Revolution. NICK HALL Toltec Choker One of the crimes of industrial society is that to a large extent it has destroyed the tradition of handmade workmanship for all, except those capable of paying the high prices asked. However pockets of resistance remain, one of these being the examples of Toltec pendants handmade by Luis HI Clavo. These pieces are based on ornaments discovered by his grandfather when he excavated the Mexican city of Milta. Hence these pieces have the tradition of ccnluries behind them. Originally they were made by Indians who dived on to the Spanish wrecks olf the coast of Vera Cruz, who considered the nails symbols of Spanish power, holding as they did their galleons together. It was believed that if the nails could be turned inwards their power would then be trans-fered to who ever was wearing the pendant. The belief also grew up that these pendants were the way lo saving Mexico irom destruction. During the persecution of the Church, when ihe crucifix was banned, the pendants became the symbols of peace; the nails became the nails of the crucifixion, the symbol of Christianity without the cross. A more romantic legend held that the nails would straighten and pierce the heart of the unfaithful lover. It so happens that the metal used is the same as that u.sed for bullets, the perfect example of swords into ploughshares? There are three designs available, the Toltec choker. The Pueblo (which Jenny is wearing), and the Campo which is shown in the small picture. Any of these can now be bought at a much reduced rate through Beaver: the Campo for instance is 60/- in Regent Street and 27/6 (including postage) from Beaver. CHEQUES AND MONEY ORDERS ONLY, PLEASE made out to J. D. K. Andrews. These should be sent to: Beaver: LSE Students Union, Clare Market, London. WC2 2AG: please mark the envelope "INCA" and allow 10 days for delivery. Orders not sent by post should be handed in to Union or Beaver Office (SI 16). PUEBLO design: £1.2.6 inc. postage. CAMPO design: £1.7.6 inc. postage. CHOKER (black suede vv'ith Toltec pendant): £1.5.0 inc. postage. JOHN ANDREWS Graffiti "Great Graffiti! If you have something to say get it olf your chest! The silent protester!" How tempted are you by all these slogans? Your ambitions can now be fulfilled by purchasing Graffiti sweaters. You can have anything you want printed on your sweater from the bust of Enoch Powell to a very personal proposition. All frustrations, ambitions, desires can be visually translated into an attractive design on a royal or saxe shaded sweater. Mass production of this type of sweater reached its heights with Beatlemania; but now some ingenious capitalists are trying to bring back this forgotten fashion by personalising it, at your expense: They are taking the opposite direction of any fashion trend: with Graffiti sweaters you do not belong to the mass, your ego is boasted, your personality is revealed. As you'll probably know this is the kind of fashion that makes the "mas.s" what it is. Li any case they do have a good argument. The Price: according to size it ranges from 25s. to 37s. 6d. By writing to the following address you can have all the information required: Clarence and Co. Ltd., 47/9 Rylance Street. Ardwick, Manchester M11 3LX. ENTERTAINMENTS CTTE. CONCERTS THIS TERM November 14th MICK ABRAHAM'S WOMMET NUCLEUS DOWN IN THE FLOOD November 28th PRINCIPAL EDWARDS MAGIC THEATRE EVERYONE SUPERTRAMP December 5th GERONIMO BENEFIT ARTHUR BROWN HAWKWIND CLIMAX CHICAGO BLUES BAND ALL 10/- BAR Lights 8 p.m. Old Theatre D.J.: Andy Dunkley Exploding Spectrum THOR HEYERDAL Will be giving an illustrated talk on his new book: an account of his voyage across the Atlantic in -'Ra' his Papyrus boat. A few free tickets are still available for this and can be obtained from: Publicity Dept., BUSTA, 231 Tottenham Court Road, WIE 4ZZ. 8.00 ' 17th November at the Central Hall, Westminster A PERSIAN STUDENT Aged 21. and a student of St. Giles School, W.l, is interested in improving his spoken English by exchanging conversation with an English student of Persian (boy or girl) or someone else interested in Persian Culture. Please contact: A. Faafari, 39 Riffel Road, N.W.2. EUROPEAN CONSERVATION YEAR Public Meeting on a Free Family Planning Service for Britain. Speakers : RICHARD GROSSMAN DR. MALCOLM POTTS SIR DAVID RENTON RENfiE SHORT 7.00 8th December Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, W.C.I CONSERVATIVE SOCIETY Michael Marshall from Bow Group speaking on Overseas Aid. 1.00 17th November Noveml^" 12, 1970 BEAVER Page 9 i 'i\i m Shaw's Contribution To The Armaments Debate Shaw >vrote "Major Barbara" in 1905 the year of the Manchurian Crises; sixty-five years later the moi^ about selling arms is still one of the biggest political questions. The pleasure now lies in hearing the arguments expressed with verve and wit. Shaw, the Fabian and pacifist was renowned for his vituperative attacks on complacent bourgeoisie, religion, education, imperialism and capitalism. Barbara, a Major in the Salvation Army has the courage to fight against these conventions of her society, but she lacks the intellectual ability of her father, the canon-makcr Undcrshaft. With dramatic force and wit he demolishes her arguments of unsullied bread and treacle for the poor with proposals for money and gunpowder to radically change ihe world. It appears that Shaw had become disillusioned with charitable humbug to improve CONCERT REVIEWS by Paul Corfield Godfrey Royal Festival Hall, Tuesday 27 October. Roy^ Phil-hannonic Orchestra, Rudolf Kempe. The main item on the programme was a brilliant performance of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony. Kempe is more usually known for the fine line and even flow of his performances, but there was no lack of fire and plenty of dramatic forcc in this reading, with the RPO brass (certainly one of the most thrilling brass sections in the world) at their best. The one failing was a tendency to reach climaxes too soon, so that when the last ounce of strength was required it was not always available; but the fragmentary nature of the music was well conccaled. The evening opened with a performance of Haydn's London Symphony, with some really witty phrasing and lots of bounce, even in the slow movement; but it was hardly a purist account. Wigmore Hall. Thursday 29 October: Song and Obbli-gato Ensemble. Jenny Hill, T'hea King, Ifor .lames, John McCabe. These four young artists gave a generally excellent recital of music mainly of the 19th and 20th centuries. Thea King (clarinet) possesses a very sweet tone, which she exploits to the full, and while Jenny Hill (soprano) and Ifor James (horn) both suffered some awkward moments, John IVTcCabe was truly excellent as the accompanist, especially in the lovely Schubert scena "The Shepherd on the Rock". Altogether an evening both more varied and more interesting than the usual run of chamber recitals, only spoiled by the presence in the audience of two old ladies who . . . but I will not continue. All concerts reviewed in this column are those for which the Shaw library receives cheap tickets, which are available to members of ihe Music Society at up to 32 per cent reductions. the world and resorted to the realistic forccs of money, industry and arms. Both sides of the controversy are convincingly argued out, but when Adolphus Cusins, the professor of Greek and collector of religions persuades himself that selling arms is acceptable, you realise that the case of the armourer is too heavily loaded. For Cusins it may only amount to accepting yet another rcJigion, but for anyone who feels strongly about the current arms issue the conclusion is emotionally frustrating, and though rational, downright immoral. Nevertheless this EXHIBITIONS Kinetics : An exhibition arranged by Theo Crosby for the Arts Council. This exhibition at the HAYWARD GALLERY does not demand a great artistic knowledge, but simply an enthusiasm and a willingness to participate in art. It can be appreciated generally and at various levc<]s, at its face value or at a deeper more technical one. Exhibits consist of art forms, produced by the use of light, sound movement and colour. Sunple curved rotating poles make far more impact with their uncanny human sinuousness than the ingenious mechanical feats. Some are set in motion by the viewer who creates his own instant kinetic art, suddenly aware that he is just repeating the daily activities of his modern technological existence. The Delicate Imperialists The Delicate Imperialists of the East India CtMnpany (Victoria & Albert Museum) The merchants of the East India Company were highly impressed by the high quality of the Indian craftsmen and the fineness of their materials. However, fndian designs were loo alien for European decorative conventions. They thus developed an industry whereby Indian artists copied English designs, though seldom was the copy exact. The result is a collection of silk and cotton wall-hangings, liand painted or embroidered with silk of the most exquisite delicacy. Lightness of touch and detailed carc has produced cabinets inlaid with ivory and lx)ne, painted and lacquercd jewel caskets, revolving arm-chairs and teak bookstands faced with THE RETURN OF THE SPECTACLE -r, sham battle is most entertaining. The deep moral questions are presented in witty epigrams which in no way detract from the hard corc of wisdom. This is a play of pertinent remarks and pugnacious phrases. Director Clifford Williams has given this production the excitement of a formidable dual. Brewster Mason as Undershaft gives the play the distinction of really first class acting, magnificently supported by Elizabeth Spriggs as his absurdly matriarchical wife and Judi Dench as his courageous but vulnerable daughter, Barbara. With much fanfare, pomp and lavishness, the great historical spectacular has returned to dominate West End cinema. Battered and exhausted after the debacle of 'Qeopatra', the monster had dragged itself off into the nether reaches of movie-land. Most thought it would die in the dreaded swamp of costs, or be drowned by the incredible New Wave, but they underestimated the great beast's resilience. After a struggle of epic proportions, (which is of course another story) it has burst forth from the vast studio wastelands to compete again for the sacred box-office crown. This season offers the stoney countenances and massed legions of the past in astonishing diversity. Subjects vary from Roman decadence through Protectorate and Napoleonic agonies, to First and Second World War heroics. Likewise, direction ranges from Fellini's fantasy to the severe moralism of David Lean. Despite this diversity however, they are inevitably strangled into similarity by their overwhelming pursuit of the spectacle. Fleischer's TORA, ORA, TORA (Leicester Square Theatre) and Fellini's SATYR ICON (Prince Charles) illustrates the extremes of this. The Pearl - Harbour - revisited epic has considerable pretentions towards historical accuracy. It backs this up with a liberal presentation of both side's viewpoints; a great deal of labelling of persons and places; courageous restraining of the latent American chauvanism; an endless cast of well known (and loved) faces; and dead straight sequential editing. The film moves massively towards its inevitable climax, the ordered tedium creating an undeniable tension of anticipation. Finally we are rele^ised by the orgy of explosion, and can stagger out feeling satisfied that this was indeed a fair crack at historical representation. For the purists, the ship models are generally excellent, but keep your eyes open for the sequence in which an .'Kmerican Essex class carrier briefly impersonates tlie Akagi. Otherwise, the techniques are quite good, if a little too obvious. Fellini's film is quite the opposite in both intent and execution. Its advertisements describe it with out-landi.sh hyperbole as an silver of the highest quality. You can feast your eyes and cars with such exotic places as Coromandel, Pondichcrry, Vizagapatam and Murshid-abad, but tragically you must not expect to find original fndian culture. Even the great .Anglophobe, Tippu Sahib, Sultan of Mysore is painted to look like an Englishman! extreme of nearly everything extreme; and as an audiovisual presentation, this is itrue. The film has pretentions neither to historical accuracy nor to historical analogy. It doesn't represent, interpret, distort, evaluate, judge, moralise or question. It simply presents itself. Which leaves us with Uie visual experience. Interesting, of course. Also exotic, surreal, impressive and endless etceteras. Bad dubbing, shaky special effects and dismal acting seemed unnecessary given the obviously lavish intent of the film. Neither of these films managed to escape the terrible imposition of their "spectacular" format. The spectacle must grow, be successively more lavish, build suspense, hold attention. Fellini responded to this drive with a wandering succession of amazing visual fantasies, loosing himself and his audience in an infinity of possibilities. Fleischer fought bravely with his careful historical build up, but he lost. The whole audience knew what was in the final reel and the sense of their waiting for the blast was almost overpowering. The spectacle always rises to dominate these fiJms. It becomes an end in itself simply to create an enormous visual display. Audiences want it and film makers succumb to it. Only Kubrick has so far transcended it. Hedda Gabler Hedda Gabler, femme fa-tale and Ibsen's goddess lives in Maggie SmiA. She does not perform — she is Hedda the beautiful, enigmatic wife of Tesman. Class and century confined women's activities to the home. Their victim was General Gabler's daughter, bored beyond endurance. With a husband totally occupied with books, Hcdda's only distraction is her pistols. With these she broods over a past lover, Eilert Loevborg and practices at Judge Brack, the intriguing confidant of the family. Hedda lusts for power and achieves it in the end, though only at the price of destruction. Maggie Smith's performance is supreme. Her whole body expresses her emotions, wretch-ing in disgust of her pregnancy, later languishing on the sofa while she entices men into her grasp. Jeremy Brett as Tesman has regretfully adopted a tendency to caricature the fawning husband, an exaggeration not apparent when I first saw this play in June. fngmar Bergmann's production at the National Theatre is a chcf d'oeuvre. In my humble opinion it is the best performance on the London stage at the moment. D.V. Page 10 BEAVER November'^x2, 1970 Soccer Club Out To Win The pervading influence over the Soccer club at present is one of desire, not as in former years for members, since this season membership is somewhat substantial. Desire springs from the First M's desire for another victory following three successive defeats; probably the same applies to the S^ond XI, but the desire of Harold Collins' Third XI is for more victims. perience of playing together that are momentarily lost. Provided the will to play is maintained and in the lower sides, there is a marked improvement on last year, success will comc. Perhaps too late to save the present executive who resign office soon, but more of this interesting and exciting escapade in the next edition. For now, continue the example set by our esteemed A.U. President and read Roy of the Rovers weekly to pick up valuable tips. Remember you too could be the star of the 'Wizard' soon. As far as desire in the Fourth XI, astutely captained by Ray Potten, it is for a regular team devoid of the snares, of losing players on Tuesday and Friday evenings to the XI's. After a victory in thedr first league fixture, the First XI, though containing talent and experience, (the sex and age of some of the party we must admit is dubious) has failed to strike any understanding and force of conviction necessary to return to the high standards of the two previous years. The loss of N. McClelland, a prominent member for two seasons, due to injury is therefore unfortunate. The second XI under Roger Finch are probably in the same boat, a substantial degree of talent but a similarly unfortunate failing as the first XI, of not putting the ball in the opposition's net as much as they do in ours. Certain members in desperation have even taken to placing the ball in our net to visualise this phenone-mon. The third XI though deviating from their course occasionally, have a nasty habit of overcoming their opposition. Consequently the higher XI's are contemplating drafting in players true to the cause of kindness to all oppositions. The fourth XI deny any rational observation, but for the fact of being an economist I'd try. Returning to the theme of desires, perhaps improvement could be found in not fulfilling certain other desires. (Kindly read here drink and food . . . ). Training still occurs on Monday evenings but soccer players seem to have notoriously bad memories, in fact I'm surprised the golden rule of kindness is being so well kept. Though like all great teams, defeat is taken as a transient whim (any idea that tuted in the latter half of that sentence instead of defeat is unfounded) and undoubtedly the socccr club will soon astound by a string of victories for all its teams. The talent is there, it's only the will and the ex- You Only Get What You Want 99 Messing About Whatever preconceived ideas you have on the art of sailing forget them—we know nothing about it at all and if you have the sea in your blood then you'd be better off in the Navy. So here's what you have to do. Get yourself the oldest (and warmest) clothes you can find and join us on our weekly expedition to the Welsh Harp. Here you will find that the University has equipped you with a Clubhouse, housing excellent facilities comprising a tsar and a few other things. You will have up to a six "Firefly" dinghies (depending on how many are in need of repair at any one time) and a puddle of water just less than a mile long and considerably shorter in width. Having got yourself afloat it's up to you—if you haven't done it before you'll find it easy to learn and for those with a nasty streak in them there's plenty of racing to be done. We actually achieved a notable success recently beating the University ladies team and are looking forward to further such battles in the coming weeks. Our season's week-end fixture list is taking shape and we hope to get trips to Cambridge, Portsmouth and Essex amongst others. People with cars are especially welcome to solve our transport problem and finally, people with money are even more welcome, to buy the beer. — A.U. President Those of you who read the A.U.'s column regularly will remember that in the last issue of Beaver I wrote an article about the A.U.'s pending claim for financial and administrative assistance from the School. On the 2nd November tiic Standing Committee met to discuss our case but in view of the fact that a completed set of our accounts was not available the matter was referred to the ]6lh November for consideration by the Finance Sub-committee. Fortunately the A.U.'s members are not quite so sensitive and naive as some of the more active S.U. members, so that we do not regard this move as a deliberate delaying tactic employed to spread confusion and germinate conflict and distrust within the ranks of the A.U.'s membership. ] am convinced that the Budget Meeting on Friday 6th November (which at the time of writing is still to take place) will regard this 'delaying tactic' not as a political device, but as an unfortunate consequence of the fact that, for various reasons, the A.U.'s accounts could not have been finalized sooner. We have, remember, waited since 1965 for an increase in our grant and ano; ther 10 days will not seem very long. However the need for administrative/clerical assistance still remains an urgent priority, I personally believe that by appointing someone immediately, irrespective of the possible outcome of the meeting on the 16th November, we will not only begin to improve the day-to-day functioning of the A.U. but we will also be in a position of showing the School authorities—by grasping the initiative—how great an improvement in our organization can occur, thus perhaps forcing their hand. For those of you who think that the A.U. and its personification, myself, is completely apathetic about both student and national political issues (the confrontation between politics and sport having been notably apparent in the S.T.S.T. movement), I will attempt to draw a moral from this story in the hope that it will fall on attentive ears: "you only get what you want" (please note: "one only gets etc.) "by hard work, initiative and—dare I say it—cooperation." Would that Soc. Soc. adopted a likewise naive approach to life. ANDY WIGGANS (President A.U.) doing well in the ULU championships at the end of the term. The club has just returned from a successful, if somewhat exhausting, training weekend on the sand-dunes at Merthyr Mawr in South Wales. OCCULT EVENING Weird goings on in the L.S.E. gymnasium have been reported (writes our cricket correspondent Alan Wicket). Rumours of flimsily clad damsels, dancing to sensuous serenades have been rampant. Others tell of winsome witches writhing in the performance of Medieval magi-gal mysticism, whilst some say that the incidents concern some sort of military training for a Women's Liberation task force. Last Tuesday evening in order to determine the real truth, I attempted to join in one of these sessions, cunningly disguised as Danny la Rue. But alas, I was thrown from the foyer by a threatening throng of frantic females. I did, however, manage to hear the "ceremony", in which a curious stamping of feet was accompanied by an evil sounding piano-like instrument, and a viper-like voice, muttering some malicious mumbo-jumbo. When one of those evasive A.U. officials was finally tracked down he mumbled the following stereotype reply, "On Tuesday evenings, the gym is used for women's keep-fit classes, under the auspices of a Central London Institute Instructor." Obviously what he had been paid or coerced to say. It seems crystal clear that the occult occurrences on Tuesday evenings are mystical machinations made by subversive senoritas for pernicious plots. CROSSCOUNTRY The Cross-country Club made a good start to the season in the two big opening races. In the U.C. Relay in which they were competing against Universities and Colleges from all over the country, they finished 9th which is the best placing for several years. L.S.E. were also the first ULU College home and Doug Gunstone did the 7th fastest time of the day. In the 1st league race of the season which was a match against Cambridge. LSE finished 3rd team in the first division. Doug Gun-stone finished 2nd and was the first ULU runner home, clocking a time of 29 mins 15 sees for the six mile course at Parliament Hill. Newcomer to the team Andy Crompton from Lancashire, did well to finish in 14th place after going through a bad patch and came 6th from UL. 1st team, the LSE team have a good chance of ESSENTIAL READING FOR STUDENTS. Politics, WfVVVIV WBglgiMM M WlI From your college bookstall or newsagent every world events, social & economic affairs, new books, f ^ H AM B W1 am student concession details write NEW all the arts. EDITED BY RICHARD GROSSMAN. m^mMwW m9 A A AA mMW^mWrntM W STATESMAN, Great Turnstile, London WC1V 7HJ.