A BBITISH LIBRARY OF POlim & ECONOMIC SdEHCE NEWSPAPER of the L S E STUDENTS' UNION fioiNii, eoiNe.... Resignations from Executive mount up ANOTHER member of the Union Executive has resigned. Last Wednesday, Andy Milner, International Socialist, who carried responsibility for Post-graduate students, handed in a letter declaring that he no longer wished to hold the position, and explaining his reasons for his action. Milner's resignation means that four people have now withdrawn fi^om the executive since the elections last year, out of a total of twelve members—or ten if the two sabbatical officers are excluded. Jan Schling, representing Overseas Students' interests, handed in his resignation at the beginning of this term, Wyn Tolman (Shop and Florries) resigned at the end of last term, and Phillipa Langton was never able to take up her position. Of the four departures, two gave as reasons the considerable workload that the job entailed, and the conflict that inevitably resulted between executive responsibility and personal academic work. Andy Milner, on the other hand, felt the Union Executive, and the Union body in general, to be ineffective and moribund; in his letter, he complains of "general inertia in the Union", and states that the only student body worth having would be "a demonstrating, fighting union, a union of sit-ins and occupations, a union of the streets and on the streets ..." Both reasons bring to the fore crucial issues currently facing the student body, if there is to be any hope of successful fimctioni'ng of Union in the future. Mr Milner's criticism is linked to the ail-too familiar theme of student apathy. He chooses to find the cause of this in the "kind of •centre" politics" represented by the independents on the . Executive. They, however, point to the improving facilities that people at LSE this year enjoy—expansion in the shop, the bar and in welfare. Apathy resides not in the Executive but in the student body itself. The second issue raised is that of sabbatical posts. If the time and energy that serving on the executive takes up makes it impossible to keep up with academic work, then there is a serious case for making more Executive positions sabbatical—particularly those positions which caiTy a very heavy work-load. Robin Cooper (Welfare) has already suggested that his post should become a full-time job, for which the elected member should receive a full grant, as do the two cmrent sabbatical ofBcers. The objections from an already financially-squeezed union are obvious. In addition, Pete Timmins (Senior Treasurer) fears that asking for any more sabbatical posts will seriously jeopardise the Union's position vis-a-vis the LEA system. A further problem is that of dividing responsibility between the executive member, and paid Union staff if the welfare or "Shop and Plorries" member of the executive were to become full-time. At least one Union employee fears duplication of roles and a^ibiguity. Another suggestion is to make the publications member on the executive a sabbatical, and to expect that position to incorporate the jobs of editing "Beaver", producing the Daily News, and working on the SU handbook over the summer vacation. Most colleges now recognise the need for sabbatical editors of their newspapers, and the idea is not new at LSE. Last .year, as editor Pete Timmins sug- gested strongly that a full-time position be created, and "the result could only be a success." Furthermore, he convincingly argued; "As for when the sabbatical (editor) should be introduced, next academic year would catch the new LEA grant and the fit organisational strength that has been built up this year." (His fears as Senior Treasurer seem something of a volte-face!) A further ad- vantage would be that such a person could also co-ordinate advertising, thus in the long run perhaps not proving to be solely a financial liability. Such discussion of the Union's problems cannot be fully discussed here, so page three has been devoted to further arguments and analyses. N.T. S.D. f>vT /P Si-iOiM-X) _____ ¦' Do we really want a NATIONAL. STUDENTS third newspaper? ON 16th February, the LSE as one of 800 student unions affiliated to the NUS will receive "National Student", a free newspaper aimed at uniting and strengthening the student movement. Through it the NUS hope to awaken interest in student politics for the great number who are alienated from the executive hierarchy. However the production of such a newspaper gives rise to cjuestions concerning the financing of the project and whether we in London really need a third newspaper in an already crowded situation. The cost for this first edition is estimated to be about £1,150 plus £300-£400 costs to distribute it to the student unions. The appearance of this large sum apparently from nowhere is very interesting because only a month ago at the Scarborough Conference the Executive were bemoaning the fact that they had little finance and it was because of this that they opposed the reprioritisation of finance for the setting up of an ENTS department of the NUS. Considering that ENTS all over the country lost well in excess of £500,000 last year it is arguable that the sum allocated for "National Student" could have been better used. Doubtless if the venture is a success there will be further magical , conjurings of money to continue it. At the moment an issue will be produced once a term, although again if it is a success there will be further expansion with perhaps as many as three or four a term. The NUS hope that through this nationwide communication, student unions will realise that they have much in common and it can serve as a point of identification. A great many students could benefit from the NUS if a better relationship existed; it is not helped by the great amount of centralisation in London. The NUS can only achieve benefits for students if people are willing to participate in the campaigns and people are often unaware of them because of inadequate information. A constant and accurate source would be of immeasurable benefit to the NUS as a campaigning organisation. Charles Clarke has been appointed editor for this first issue «nd before you all groan that this is the kiss of death, it must be pointed out that an editor's role is dependent on the type and amount of material submitted. "National Student" could quite easily degenerate into a forum for the political hacks so it is up to you to publicise the events which you are interested in and which you think will interest others. Access to the columns is open to everyone and the NUS are stressing that this is a sincere attempt to integrate as many as possible into the movement because they are concerned about the politically apathetic as well as the active. Looking at it pessimistically "National Student" could pose a threat to student union papers all over the country; so many depend on advertising revenue for their survival and a newspaper that reaches all student unions could seriously place in jeopardy their viability; In London this situation could have disastrous consequences; at the present moment there is a dearth of adverts for the student press and any that there are, art creasned off by "Sennet". The result for "Beaver", might not be toe bad for we receive a hefty union grant but newspapers which are self-supporting could feel the pinch over the coming year: even "Sennet" might be seen to falter. Perhaps it is unfair to criticise a venture which has barely got ofl the ground but it is quite clear that a lot more thought is necessary before "National Student" becomes the newspaper NUS desire. It remains to be seen whether the excellent intentions bear fruit because if handled properly this paper could fill a gap; that is one of communication. Anyone interested in contributing to "National Student" should contact either Prances Beckett or Leslie Morphy both of whom are at NUS at Endsleigh Street. Copy deadline for the first issue is Friday, 23rd January which does not leave much time for writing. Remember the success of this venture relies largely on you as students. BEAVER, Jan. 20th, 1976—Page Two LETTERS China—free and democratic? DEAR EDITOR,—Miss Tilley's letter in the last edition of "Beaver" consists of two main sections; the first, maintaining that there is no such thing as a free press, and the second, claiming t^at even though the Soviet Union is a totalitarian state, China is truly socialist and a land in which democracy and econociic freedom prevail. I intend to reply to some of Miss Tilley's con- . victions. Firstly, by the term' "free press", I do not mean that all Western reporters are completely free to write whatever they like about whatever they-like. As a Conservative, I would nonetheless, argue that these constraints are in no way as rigid or stifling as those which affect East European, or, for •• that matter, Chinese reporters. Also, with a very limited number of exceptions, such as Spain and Chile, Western governments do permit newspapers ¦ to criticise their actions, to expose their corruption, and to campaign for their removal. Secondly, I really cannot imagine how someone as otherwise intelligent as Miss Tilley can actually believe that China is as she has described. Her attitude towards what must surely be the most totalitarian and undemocratic political system in the entire world suggests an absolute suspension of her critical abilities. If one considers oneself to be a Marxist, then surely a socialist government is, by -definition, one which represents the interests of the working class. This being so the Chinese Govern- . ment should enjoy the firm support of the vast majority of the people and so they do not need to be deprived of their freedom of speech. Yet in China, since 1949, some sixty million,;. people have been liquidated by the Chinese equivalent of the KGB on the grounds that they were "counter-revolutionaries", , "political and moral degenerates", "homosexuals", "speculators" etc. Like many Conservatives at LSE I believe that China is an even greater threat to the West than the Soviet Union, for it is the former that proclaims the inevitability and desirability of a thermonuclear war. In their propaganda, the Chinese leaders belittle the threat and horrors of a nuclear war, maintaining the atomic bomb is a "paper tiger". Sir Keith Joseph in his brilliant criticism of command economies, did not refer to either China or the Soviet Union by name. He simply said that we in the West do not need machine guns or minefields in order to prevent our people from emigrating. As far as I am aware just as many, if not more, brave individuals have lost their lives attempting to swim across the waters from mainland China to Hong Kong as have perished on the barbed wire of the Berlin Wall. I have attempted to answer the points raised by Miss Tilley in her letter. But insofar as this was intended as a criticism of my letter ("Beaver", December 1975), she.seems to have missed the main point entirely. The bulk of my letter was spent in attacking what I regard as one of the greatest threats to Western democracy, namely, the world communist movement. Noticeable by its absence from her letter was any comment oh this viewpoint which is held not only • by Conservatives such as myself, but also by a very large number of people who consider themselves- to be on the left of the British political spectrum. T. J. DONALDSON CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 No odds in half a horse at this period of the day! 5 Basic message in the mess 8 Issue that's hard to handle— don't drop it you might get mash. 10 One is in trouble—what a row! 11 Disruptive activities as good as rests. 12 Looking closely for this board. 13 Girl with hesitation for payment period. 15 Sounds like sleepers' medicines! 16 Shakespearian pouts. 18 Writes—or just edits in confusion. 20 You can look at this doctrine either way. 21 Motive force of an era—or is it simply a feeling of determination? 22 Siren leads to oxidation product. 23 Animal hesitates with kind of junction between beats! DOWN 1 The IS curve—lacking a bit—^but gives these values! 2 One-time rat goes wrong for surplus. 3 O, a rising nation—what turmoil ! 4 Old-fashioned calls when there's a toss-up. 5 Fashionable team gets the boot reversal. 6 Beings composed of tents, for instance—add one. 7 What you 'ave for breakfast? 9 Put together equator for instance—mass production. 13 US town from a shortened monarch's state. 14 Extinguish insect—go south with backward militai-y man. 17 Give the beasts a direction to weigh things up. 19 The composition of two articles —Macbeth, for example? NT. DEAR EDITOR,—A recent correspondent wrote that "China is a true socialist democratic republic wath a command economy.'' China may have a "command economy" and be a socialist republic, but can any country, where not only are the basic political rights of association, expression and assembly denied, but also where there is neither freedom of dress, nor occupation, and even a matter such as the location of one's residence is decided by the state, be referred to as a "democracy" ? Is not this loss of freedom too great a price to pay for a form of economy or type of republic ? MUNGO DEANS Library inefficiency DEAR EDITOR,—I recently received back an application slip for a book from the reserve stock with a written comment—"Sorry, can't be found." On being asked about this, library staff insisted that the book was not on loan to staff, nor on the missing book list, nor was there any record of it being borrowed and not returned to the library. It had just disappeared. So, when might a replacement be obtained? Well, it seems that three years must elapse before the book is accepted as missing, and only then—if it is still in print—will a new copy be obtained. Not really much use! Does the system strike anyone else as just a little inefficient? NIKKI TAIT DEAR EDITOR,—I believe that Chris Tilley^s letter on Press freedom missed a , fundamental point in T. Donaldson's thinking. The whole argument on whether or not we have Press freedom in this country compared with the Soviet bloc and China was too narrow in its approach. The basic point is not Press freedom in itself but freedom to hold and disseminate opinions contrary to those of the State. Press freedom may be restricted by such things as the Official Secrets Act and editorial policy. It should be obvious to all that certain papers tend to have certain views on politics and policies and understandably editors are reluctant to print anything that goes too far against this slant. I do not believe that this is desirable but there is nothing really wrong with it. If one disagrees with a particular slant one is free to buy another paper. Morning Star. Socialist Worker, Militant etc are freely available even if they are not available in the average High Street paper shop. The situation in Russia and the so-called Socialist countries is quite the opposite. The Government controls all the papers and other mass media and all must adhere to what the Govermnent lays down. Furthermore, an individual is not free to use any other means of expressing his views as the sale of paper is controlled, duplicating and printing facilities are not available and the KGB and their ilk are alert to arrest all who dare to disagree. This control extends to the prohibition of the import and distribution of unapproved foreign literature and the jamming of foreign radio broadcasts. (Have a look on one of the Left bookstalls on Thursday and see where most of the literature is printed). The Left advocates such a situation in this country (under the front of "workers' control"). In order to gain and hold the power they crave, they must have control over all the means of influencing peoples' minds. Those who care about freedom of speech have a duty to oppose those who seek to destroy it, whether extreme Left or extreme Right. ROBERT HAYWOOID Reply to Shah DEAR EDITOR,—May I impose upon your columns to make a reply to Mr Shah's comments on my article. Mr Shah's legalistic arguments concerning the status (recognition by UN members; US recognises Pinochet—sic!) prior to independence recalls Portuguese insistence that their- colonies were part of metropolitan Portugal! Legal status does not necessarily confer legitimacy. Mr Shah's suggekion that the people of Bangladesh, under their undisputed leader Sheikh Mujib, whatever their subsequent disillusionment with him (and, however, transitory their aspirations), did not genuinely seek independence is truly a "distortion of history." Nobody who followed the events in Bangladesh after Mujib's election with a 90 per cent majority can seriously question this fact. I do not know if the Indian army committed atrocities in Bangladesli, but that hardly exonerates the Pakistani army. All bourgeoi.se armies are alike in fundamental intent and purpose, which ultimately is repression at home. The Indian army has its mutilated skeletons too. I remain faithful to' the aspirations of the people of the subcontinent regardless of territorial divisions. The overwhelming majority have one common interest, transcending religion and national chauvanism, and this is food and dignity; and one common enemy: their respective bourgeoise and the characteristic attempts to contrive artificial antagonisms. The allegedly educated should, really be more honest about the utility of bourgeoise nationalism in protecting their class interests at home. Truly the poor have no country. G. SEN 0/seas students* fees DEAR EDITOR,—I. am a "moderate", yet I feel that the criticism levelled at the Broad Left—that it was exploiting the overseas students to bring support for the fees' issue —was not justified. Though all overseas students are entitled to request a grant, not everyone gets it—definitely not to the point of one-third of the fees as you implied. In the future, as the fees are being increased, more money from the School reserves will be required to cover it. The ensuing shortage of LSE funds will deprive more students of grants and hence more hardship. It is noticed that many overseas students restrict themselves to their own communities—so in refectories and halls usually one finds blacks mingle only with blacks, Asians with Asians, Chinese with Chinese and so on. Not many are willing to step forward and propose practical suggestions as to how one can achieve a better cultural integration among the variou# ethnic groups, or be a spokesman for some of the difficulties overseas students generally face. An* when a certain person does take the initiative—a person who may happen to hold radical views—he is chided for his efforts. Is it fair? As far as inviting overseas students to British homes is concerned, there are some practical difficulties. Notices were put up by the Welfare Office requesting British students to invite some overseas students. How many came forward? Only a fraction, if at all. Many are indifferent, but others, out of politeness, woulaniards possess the damnable consistency that a modem totalitarian state needs'. The patrons of Francoism without Franco seem to recognise this fact. However, as the Francoist system dismantles itself it will be impossible to prevent those who bore the heat and burden of the last 37 years from claiming what is theirs. The appetite for change increases with the eating. In Spain today there is a surging will that is grounded in reasoned optimism. Juan Carlos escucha! E pueblo esta en lucha! This year in Madrid, and Barcelona. Guernica. La Coruna, Sevilla .... T.B. Scotland — the way ahead )VENT ( le imme ive been [etables, lucted in i simply tig fruit ea by < ihe Marke it might t would g the a lother de irt of L) could le. Not the r irge an( jsidentia! IS also I tr redev( insion o le area. [ISTINl , tt is ! lichen the irket w )n of imber c ras aboui lusual i ire, hou llity ; a I per cer Ige, vi^ith louseholc ?arly 8i )useholc \der 15 11 p€ )n. Th i(here 'wb THE high-handed and naive manner which has continually accompanied United Kingdom involvement in Scottish domestic affairs was typified by the attitude of the recent NUS conference at Scarborough towards devolution and Scottish nationalism. The conference quite correctlj stated that the White Paper proposals fall "far short of the legitimate aspirations of the Welsh and Scottish people" and also very sensibly recommended that "Scottish Universities must be controlled by the Scottish Assembly'". My objection is that, like most of the rest of the United Kingdom, the N.U.S. has entirely missed the point in the devolution debate. Why should any particular geographical area of this British nation have a considerably different system of government to any other? Why should all English parliamentary business be dealt with at Westminster while some Scottish business is dealt with elsewhere although the English - dominated Parliament retains ultimate control over Scottish affairs? In 1707 Scotland entered, of her own will, an "equal partnership" to form Great Britain. If the devolution propovsals are enacted her status will be raised from that of an English colony to that of a dominion. The decision to give Scotland a different system of government to England is an important acknowledgement of the fact that even after over two hundred and fifty years we have been unable to consolidate the Acts of Union and remove the considerable differences between two originally separate countries. There are the obvious geographical and demographical differences between Scotland and England which naturally also vary from region to region within each country. Then there are the Scottish banknotes which are so often not recognised here, although English notes are readily accepted above the border. The legal systems are different. The Scottish educational system was proud of its uniqueness until very recently when the Westminster government decided that if the "new improved" English system was not going to work the superior Scottish one must not either. Scotland has her own national church, whose General Assembly (as the Kilbran-don report notes' has for hundreds of years considerably affected public opinion by commenting on affairs of state. Scottish growth Until 1970 Scotland was weaker economically than most of England. There was a traditional reliance on heavy industry, particularly coal mining, steel production and shipbuilding. The recent growth areas have been in industries such as oil, whisky, forestry, electrical production and tourism with fishing, wool and agriculture retaining some importance. Edinburgh is fast becoming a European financial centre. The structure of the Scottish economy as a whole is different to that of England. There are peculiar problems of population and transport in ' the north and stsignation in the industrial west. By the early seventies Scotland had slipped into the vicious circle of industrial decline whereby, because there was no industrial opportunity at home, the talented left, thus assuring that there was even greater decline in future. There are still more people leaving Scotland than entering her, although the reason for this is beyond my comprehension. Why should Scotland and. in particular, Glasgow (the erstwhile second city of the Empire) have so stagnated? The answer owes a great deal to the fact that economic policy suitable only for south-east England was thrust on to the markedly different Scottish economy. It is frequently stated that even after political independence comes (as it undoubtedly will) the economic links with England will be as strong as ever and. indeed, there should be inter-relation where mutual benefit is obtained. The Scottish government however will be able to apply specific solutions to specific problems and to encourage international trade in a manner beneficial to Scotland. It should be pointed out to those who argue that Scotland would be unable to harness multinational oil companies that the stubbornness of Shetland County Council initially achieved more than Whitehall's servile "begging bowl" manner. As a current example of differing interest, I quote the present fishing dispute with Iceland. Scotland, with her primary reliance on inshore fishing, would be better served by declaring her own two hundred mile limit and then negotiating reciprocal terms with other countries. There are those who used to say. and continue to say, that Scotland's economy is such that she would be unable to "survive" on her own. First, nations always "survive" in economic terms, albeit at a lower level. Secondly, Scottish oil may prove to be the elixir: possibly it will not. The Kilbran-don report, however, states quite categorically that there is no reason wiiy Scotland would not be a viable economic unit even without the presence of oil. Thirdly, is Britain going, to survive? Those supposedly sagacious economists who ten years ago dismissed Scottish Nationalists as cranks now see them as rats aesertmg a sinking ship—still contemptuous but now comprehensible. What of Scottish politics? Despite the fact that, without Scotland. England might never be burdened with a Labour government, the Scottish electorate is not necessarily enamoured with the dogma of the British Labour Party. The Labour majority was thrown up because of the electoral system and the dichotomy presented by the two basically English parties with their alien traditions. In urban Scotland there has long been a tradition (which is radical in British terms) of valuing independent thought and effort, the improvement of society on account of individual advancement through education and merit and the belief in "a man's a man for a' that". Consequently, there may be a chance of avoiding the worst of the damage being done by the "them and us with irreconcilable interests" attitude which is permeating all sections of British society. As for the present strength of the Scottish National Party, neither the government nor the opposition even dare to test it in the polling booths. Finally, what has prevented the integration of Scotland. England and Wales to form- an effective Great Britain? The answer is national consciousness whose existence is the ultimate criterion for determining the existence of the nation itself. This sense of nationhood is probably now greater in Scotland than it has been for two hundred years and, perhaps unfor-tiinatelj'. to be a Scottish patriot it is now becoming necessary to be a Scottish nationalist first. It is time for each of us tjo ask ourselves to whom we owe our primary allegiance: to Scotland, to England, or to Great Britain? We are now presented with the spectacle of Westminster politicians running round an ever-decreasing spiral in order to prevent the will of the Scottish people from mani-.' festing itself in independence. Having brought a temporary respite in the rate of English decline by . mortgaging the doubtful value of Scottish oil the Labour government' is still looking tearfully at its Scottish majority. The delay in establishing a Scottish assembl.v would appear to indicate that the Cabinet have accepted the inevitability of Scottish independence and are now seeking to postpone the evil moment. This postponement in itself may bring independence nearer. In any event, because of the conflict of sovereignty between < Edinburgh and Westminster the nationalist cause will be strengthened by devolution of any form. Scottish talking shop Devolution itself talis between two stools. Without full political control a Scottish parliament can be no more than a talking shop fatuously discussing routine administration which would be better dealt with by the Scottish Office. There is no long-term alternative to replace integration (which has failed) or independence. Independence will come. It will not be a child of the right (as some scare - mongering Scottish Labour politicians claim). The independence movement draws its support from all sections of the commimity and from followers of all political beliefs: (socialists, possibly, are rejecting "socialism in one country" in favour of socialism in two). It is not my wish that citizens of England should find it necessary to interest themselves in Scottish domestic affairs. Nevertheless, I hope this article has given an insight into them, not merely through the facts herein but rather through the bias inherent in their presentation. MUNGO DEANS mble; FOR any dai. or n of Bakerl Market ci while. It on Sundi [the tube 'a^e ent iWi couii Icj*" then route to t roiid is : hot-dog eten sellt lis It :ss and BEAVER, Jan. 20th. 197C—Page Five 'rogress tor Covent Garden 'ENT GARDEN—in the past immediate image might le been of bulging bags of etables. business deals con-ted in ribald Cockney slang, amply the stale smell of rot-! fruit pervading the entire I by afternoon. However, Market has now moved, and night be assumed that with tould go the life and purpose the area, leaving behind itlier desolate and devitalised it of London. In fact noth-could be further from the !, Not only has the removal the market unearthed a f and apparently active idential community, but it also given the opportunity redevelopment, and the ex-ision of interests latent in area. ilSTING COMMUNITY is seldom realised that en the decision to move the rket was taken, the popula-of Covent Garden (the liber of private households) »about 3,000. It was slightly isual in terms of age-struc-K, household size, and mo-ity: a high proportion, nearly per cent, were of pensionable with one and two-person Beholds accounting for liy 80 per cent of total tseholds, while children Jet 15 years numbered only II per cent of total popula-. Thus on the one hand, ire was a relatively small (less than 25 per cent), highly mobile sector of the community, composed mainly of young households, on the other, was a high proportion of elderly residents who had lived in the neighbourhood for at least 20 years. In addition to permanent residents, Covent Garden also had, and still has, a large "temporary" population; on average, another 3,000 people stay at night in the various hostels, hospitals and hotels in the area. The "doss-houses", Bruce House and Parker Street Lodging House, alone account for a third of this total, providing accommodation for men otherwise homeless. Many of these people are over 65, and quite a number (about 20 per cent in Bruce House) have now become "permanent" residents, staying for as long as 10 or 15 years. GLC POLICY Now that the market itself has moved, much of the burden of redevelopment has fallen to the GLC. Not only are they the local planning authority, but they are one of the three housing authorities, owning and managing a third of all homes (Camden and Westminster are the others), substantial owners of land, including the market area itself, and Covent Garden also falls within the jurisdiction of ILEA on such matters as education. Community in action. •lop Rohabil Redevelopment. Work under way or approved. 1 Odhams 102 GLC homes.® 2 MEPC offices.® 3 164 Shaftesbury Ave. Offices and 15 Camden homes." 4 Coutts Bank offices.* Proposed Redevelopment 5 Nev/ton St. 48 Camden homes: offices.® 6 Dudley House 126 Camden homes; offices, open space, etc.® 7 Royal Opera House extension.® 8 Peabody, Bedfordbury 76 new homes; commercial.® Possible Redevelopment a) Sites being examined by the GLC as opportunities for housing gain .through mixed use redevelopment. 9 Bell Hotel site housing, shopping, commercial.t 10 Nottingham Court housing with some commercial.t 11 Pouparts/Mercers housing with mixed uses, open space.t 12 Mercer St/Langley St. housing with mixed uses, open space.t 13 Long Acre/Floral St. mixed uses with housing.t 14 Langley Ct/James St. mixed uses with housing.! 15 Jubilee Market housing, commercial. shops.t b) Site where some redevelopment is expected. 16 Charing Cross Hospital to be decided. Rehabilitation Work under way or approved. 17 147 Drury Lane (formerly Nathans). 18 James St/Long Acre/Floral St. replace existing uses." 19 Central Market Building restoration for shops, studios.® 20 Flower Market basement Theatre Museum.® ,21 Wellington St/Catherine St. Mixed uses. 22 Duchess Theatre block. Mixed uses. Proposed Major Rehabilitation Scheme 23 Henrietta St/Maiden Lane new courtyards: more housing." ® Plans available to view at 1-4 King Street. WC2. * (Report in more detail available. t Report to be available at a future date. GLC plans for development in Covent Garden. On housing the policy has been two-fold; to improve the conditions for the existing residents, ensuring rehousing where absolutely necessary, and, secondly, to encoui-age a higher population by offering new housing, converting old commercial and ex - market buildings in particular providing new family units and better facilities for children. .Much is still at the proposal stage, but plans for Odhams site and Dudley House are almost complete, and work should start in June, "aiming to create new homes for 600 people. The Peabody Trust, owning various estates in the area, has also drawn up schemes for redevelopment, and plans to convert the Shelton Street warehouse are under consideration. It is also hoped that hostel accommodation will be extended, possibly to include student lodgings. RESIDENTS' ACTION As important as GLC planning is the emergence of action by the community itself. Attempts to provide open space and recreation ground, has resulted in individuals developing small areas of derelict land as "gardens" — notably a well-tended Japanese garden, sadly only temporary. To brighten the area up while it is under construction, children at St Paul's School have been painting the screens temporarily surrounding the Central Market Building, and while the road in front of the Church itself is closed, a lunchtime theatre is held under the Portico. The GLC is trying to aid community action by supporting expansion recreational facilities, such as the Oasis swimming baths, and by allowing the new Jubilee Market to be housed for the moment in one of the old market buildings. which they now own. Efforts are al.so being made to encourage new shops into the area, and to retain local shopping centres, like Drury Lane. Covent Garden is also in the centre of London's theatre district : besides- the Opera House, Drury Lane, the Fortune, and the theatres in St Martin's Lane are all nearby. The old Flower Market, therefore, makes an ideal home for the British Theatre Museum. It is of course still early days, and there is the real danger that plans will be sucked down into a bureaucratic quagmire, and never be enacted. However, at the moment, progress seems good and a genuine attempt to understand residents' views seems to be under way. It is worth paying a visit to the GLC offices in King Street, or just deviating from the daily path to LSE, and taking a look. NIKKI TAIT Down your market.. Hnbley Market anyone living in North Lon-or near a station on that end lakerloo line, a trip to Wembley tet can prove to be well worth-!f. It is easy to find—shoppers Sunday mornings surge out of tube station with much the t enthusiasm as their sports-counterparts, and if you fol-them down the well-trodden It to the base of the stadium the i is littered with the familiar stands, ice-cream vans. I sellers of hot roast chesnuts. ad the market itself? Fair-i. with a good selection of i, it has a serious air of busi-and respectability. Fruit and veg. fish, and other perishable goods seem generally reliable, though large savings come in clothes and household goods. There are some cheap "denim" stalls, an excellent crockery stall (not, for a change, devoted to complete tea or dinner sets, but selling separate bowls, plates, mugs, etci, and a wide selection of Icitchen equipment. Also notable—a stall specialising in electrical plugs, fuses, adapters—and it is extremely useful if old equipment breaks down, since the range of gadgets appears to stretch back to the time electricity was invented. Sundays—nearest tube, Wembley Park). Covent Garden Jubilee Market The Fruit and Veg market may have moved but in its place, and in line with the general Re- development Scheme, there .is a new limch-time market. It is only a short walk from LSE, so there are no fares to offset small price- savings, and it is worth going across just to pick up cheap greengrocery. One stall has a wide selection at very low prices: for example, large and not over-ripe pineapples were going at 35p last week apples were 21bs for 20p etc. Judging by the queues at the jellied eel stall, these too are very popular, though other fish seems to fluctuate wildly from day to day. As much as look at the clothes, and they fall to pieces, but don't miss the daily aufction at the Strand side of the market—worth just watching wary housewives battle it out. The rest of the stalls are fairly standard, but there are small savings in household goods, plants, etc. N.T. BEAVER, Jan. 2^0tli, 1&76—Page Six ENTSNEWS FIRSTLY, thanks to the Faith-lul Few who turned up to see the very fine Festival Ball last term — including such guest artistes as Bill Bruford and Co. To those of you who didn't make it, please come and tell us who you want to see, what sort of Ents YOU want—IT'S YOUR ENTS. Andy Cornwell, Ric Rees and myself, are always in the Ents room at lunchtime. Come and air your views. Anyway, there's a full and interesting term coming up. Not all the gigs are finalised yet, so watch out for minor changes over the coming weeks. Ents Reviews: (Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen Tates from the Ozone ANOTHER classic truck drivin album from the ol' Commander and the boys. As usual the material is a mixture of hoiiky tonk r'n'b and country music, all beautifully played with fine harmonies. Particularly notable tracks are the opener "Minnie the Moocher" with the Tower of Power horns; the chunky "Lightnin' Bar Blues'' and the album's closer "Gipsy Fiddle" which is just that—a remarkably fine album. VangeMs—"Heaven and Hell" A classical rock album from Vangelis, a Greek keyboard player who used to be a mainstay of Aphroditie's Child along with Dennis Roussos. Whilst Dennis is on his island in the. sun, Vangelis takes his 17 keyboards and the English Chamber Choir on a journey from Heaven to Hell, building up grandiose themes over ethoral vocabulary. Outstanding track on the album is undoubtedly the break in the "Heaven and Hell buite", "So long ago, so clear'', which was written with ^es's Jan Ander.son and features him on vocals. As a complete album I'm not sure it de- SAT., JAN. 31—HENRY COW, SAT., FEB. 7—ISOTOPE—Both with "Release" for Watch-field festival. FRL, FEB. 13(!)—NATIONAL HEALTH—London debut for this fusion of 'Hatfield and the North" and "Egg". SAT., FEB. 14—VALENTINE'S BALL—JESS RODEN BAND (First .UK appearance for many moons). FRL, FEB. 20—SNAFU ... IN AID OF CHARITY. SAT., FEB. 21—MUD ???¦>'? TO be arranged • . . serves the generous acclaim it's had from the critics.- Many parts of it are very beautiful whilst at other times the music is barely sophisticated. Promising .. . Snafu, "All funked up" Snafu's third album is unfortunately full of the faults that spoiled the first two. The problem is the production on some tracks, whilst with others, the material just doesn't seem strong enough. However, again Snafu have come up with some fine, funky sounds and. surprisingly it's the material they've written themselves that really stands out. The slide based "Bloodhound", a major feature of the live set seen twice at L.S-E. in the last 12 months; "Deep Water which is vaguely Steely Dan-ish and "Dancing Feet" are all magnificent Vv'hich makes "All funked up" worth its price if seen in Revolver Records review racks. Next time maybe they'll make the album they're really caoa'ole of. RICHARD REES Strange days "Nine parts to the wind" Although 1975 was not a very good year on the whole, one of the most brilliant new bands to emerge must have been SPORTING BEAVER In the issue before last, this column included a report of a meeting between some administrative members of the Athletic Union and myself. Besides the discussion already reported, one other important idea was forthcoming. It was felt that Beaver was somewhat unrepresentative, in that it did not cover one major aspect of student life — namely sport. However, the point was made that since Beaver ' comes out fortnightly, it would not be sensible or worthwhile to eater for a sports section. Instead, after considerable debate, it was decided that a more viable proposition ¦would be a twice-weekly sports news-sheet on the lines of the current Beaver Daily News. This, it ¦was felt, would ease administrative problems for the sports clubs' secretaries and could be distributed alongside the Daily News. However, no further advance has been made. Where are the enthusiastic members of the A.U.? I look forward- to replies or further sug- gestions and conclude that club secretaries do excellent voluntary work but could they not help themselves to help themselves? D. Lowiy THE "GREEN DALE" ROMPS HOME At the end of last term, a number of students took part in a three-cornered darts match against a porters' team and a team from Mr Paj'ne's (one of the porters) 'local' the Green Dale which generously donated a cup for the occasion. Nevertheless the team did not go home empty handed because they won the match convincingly. The director Prof. Dahx'endorf graced the occasion with his presence and presented the trophy to the winning team. The porters hope to make this a yearly event in the hope of promoting better relations with the students which they feel have been lacking since the 1968 Troubles. SAT., FEB. 28 — WIDOW MAKER . , . debut of Ariel Bender's new "mob". FRI., MAR. 5—FRUUPP. and SAT., MAR. 6—HORSLIPS—To celebrate Irish New Year. ALSO SOME GREAT FREE LUNCHTIME CONCERTS FRI., JAN. 23 — GUITARIST GEOFF BRADFORD. FRI., FEB. 6—The return of the AMAZING Strange Days see album reviews-There is a fine chance to see Country Joe McDonald at New Victoria on January 23rd. MIKE STUBBS plus ENTS CREW. STRANGE DAYS. Rooted firmly in English music, stylistically similar to Genesis, Fruupp, Yes, etc, with the right backing, they could fill the huge void left by the effective departure of Genesis. This debut album, may not be earth shattering, but is a good and worthwhile addition to anybody's collection. Eddie Spence plays powerfully, as he moves with exceptional fluency from piano to Hammond to Wurlitzer to synthesizer, with no loss of expression or feeling. As he exchanges lead phrases with Graham Ward (on guitar) the two work in perfect harmony. Ward's vocals do not protrude, and the lyrics are not as naive as they at first sound. For example : "Eighteen tons of indescribable filth, found in a cowshed yesterday. Hard core porn, of the dirtiest form; have you anything more to say?" Originating from "the unlikely region'' of Barnsley, STRANGE DAYS are a hard working, talented, honest group, with more than average charisma and ability. They deserve to be big, and maybe, quite soon, they will be. YOU can see them FREE in the Old Theatre on Friday, February 6th at 1 pm. fVlfKE STUBBS JAZZ: An alternative consumption FOR all of you who thought that British Jazz consisted of three-hour jam-sessions in the Shaw Library I or Kenny Ball's Jazzmen), the concerts on Fridays 16th, 23rd and 30 th of January should be a pleasant sui-prise. Despite almost total exclusion by the media, the London Jazz scene is one of the most fertile in Europe. The LSE Jazz Society concerts, featuring John Stevens' "Avk'ay" (16th January), Derek Bailey (23rd January), and Synthesis (30th January) represent music from the more avant-garde area of the Jazz spectrum. Last Friday's concert featured John Stevens' band "Away". John Stevens is one of the original exponents of the free-form idiom in Great Britain and although his band "Away" is equally influenced by rock music, Stevens' principal work has been in the avant-garde music field. ^ The second concert on the 23rd of January features the solo guitar playing of Derek Bailey and a reading from two Cambridge poets, John Wilkinson and Charles Lambert. Described by Anthony Braxton as the "most amazing guitarist on the planet", Derek Bailey's uncompromising and dedicated approach to- guitar playing has earned him a large following in this coimtry and in Europe. Disregarding conventional ideas on harmony and melody, Bailey is acknowledged as a leading exponent of progressive jazz Bailey's career has stemmed from an early association with John Stevens' "SME" to duo work with saxophonists Evan Parker and Anthony Braxton. His only other appearance at LSE was three years ago when he played with Lol Cox-hill and Henry Cow. An essential musician in British jazz, his solo approach to music should provide an enlightened evening for those interested in jazz and guitar playing in general. It is not often that there is a poetry reading at the LSE. However on the same bill as Derek Bailey are two modern Cambridge poets, John Wilkinson and Charles Lambert. Their previous readings include appearances at the National Poetry Centre in London and the Cambridge Poetry Festival. Samples of their work can be found in several poetry magazines and also in their forthcoming books. Their work is influenced not only by their Cambridge environment, but also by such modern American poets as Ed Dorn, John .-ishberry. Jack Spicer and William Brcnk. The third concert (January 30th) features "Synthesis'", a recently formed quintet featuring two saxophonists, a keyboards player, a guitarist and a drummer. All are highly proficient .musicians and they double on various instruments including bass guitars, flutes and synthesizers. The music composed by keyboard player Philip Hodge borrows lightly from such diverse influences as Miles Davis, Fred Frith, Schoenberg and Prank Zappa. The resulting sound is firmly anchored in a contemporary Jazz-rock idiom. The three concerts cfl'er an interesting alternative to the commercial aspects 01 that multi-faceted spectrum called "entertainment". These concerts on the 16th, 23rd and 30th January all start at 7.30 pm. Admission is at the lowly price of 70p *60p for Jazz Society members). We only hope that you choose to sample and enjoy the concerts. Cheapo n tasty ON returning to my flat after the vacation, I naturally found that the cupboards were bare, and being a little short of cash until my grant arrived, I could only afford a few very basic items, so I had to improvise; here's what- I came up with. VEGETARIANS SAVOURY PIE—serves two 2 eggs. 2 oz (min.) grated cheese. 2 cups milk. Onion powder/1 sm chopped onion (optional). 1 crust plus 1 large slice of bread. 2 large tomatoes. 3 medium sized potatoes/1 sm packet of instant mash. Knob of butter. Pinch of salt. 1 teaspn French mustard (optnl). 1 ovenproof dish. Slice the crust and ordinary slice of bread into eight triangles, and fry them (preferably in butterl until golden brown. Using the crusts first, use between 4 and 6 of the triangles to cover the base of the dish, put remaining triangles on one side. Now, mix eggs 1 cup of milk, cheese and onion together, and pour over the crusts in the dish. Place in a moderate oven until solid (about 15 mins). Whilst this is cooking, peel and boil up the potatoes ready to mash with 1 cupful milk, butter, salt and mustard (omit the milk if using ready mash). Now slice up the tomatoes, and arrange in rows on top of the egg mixture on removing it from the oven. Spread the potato over this until completely covered and furrow with a fork. Place back in the oven until the top is browned.. then remove and serve after arranging the fried bread in a "nice'' pattern. IF YOU MUST EAT MEAT, arrange three sausages on top of the potato before the final browning. Nice alone or with u, green veg or side salad. CHOCOLATE SAUGE 6-tablespoons icing sugar. 4 pint water. 3 tablespns cocoa (unsweetened). Place in a pan and boil (stirring) until it goes shiny and dark. Delicious hot or cold. CARAMEL COFFEE SAUCE 4 desertspoons sugar. 1 cupful ,water. 1 teaspoon coifee. Mix sugar and water in a pan, then heat until it goes sticky and brown, dissolve coffee m a little water and mix in. Serve hot or cold. M.D. BEAyEK, Jan. 20th, 1976—Page Sevea Reviews CC/HIN© SC€N AT lilE riLM SCCEIJy Scene from Zardoz MACBETH, Cert X. Thursday, 22nd January. Jon Finch, Francesca Annis. Directed by Roman Polanski. Don't be put off by the artistic ovei'tones, Roman Polanski and Kenneth Tynan have streamlined the old Shakespeare play into a 140 minute orgy of sword clashing, clubbing, kicking and all-in wrestling. The film opens gruesomely enough with ' the traditional three witches kneeling on a beach and fondling a fore-arm, a dagger gripped in its hand. From then on, it's action all the way until finally Macduff slices off Macbeth's head. A film buff movie with hordes of blood and guts thrown in for a bit of interest. DEATH WISH. Cert X. Tuesday, 20th January. Charles Bronson. ULTRA modern story of multiple rape and death which leads Charles Bronson to take on the whole of the New York underworld in an effort to avenge the death of his wife and withdrawal from reality of his daughter. Bronson is acclaimed a popular hero for killing off the New York muggers and the film became an instant box office success. MAGNUM FORCE, Cert X. Tuesday, 27th January. Clint Eastwood, Hal Hol-brook, Mitchell Ryan. Directed by Ted Post. Another blood and guts movie, with some really gory killings, crashes and shootings. This is a very recent release thriller ' in which individuals with overwhelming charisma and uncommon dexterity with firearms have more chance of tidying up society than the established forces of law and order. ZARDOZ, Cert X. Thursday, 29th January. Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling. Directed by John Boorman. It is the year 2293 in the post cataclysmic world. Sealed off from a polluted world of warring Brutals and Exterminators, the ever youthful elite, known as the Eternals, led by the beautiful Consuella, are concerned with the growing internal decay of their brave new world. When Zed, an unexpectedly resourceful leader of the barbarian Exterminators, is permitted entry into their vortex the long surpassed death wish takes over. This film is a compelling vision of the possible future with recurring echoes of the Arthurian past and the magical world of Frank Baum. Come back. Sir Arthur Sherlock Holmes's smarter brother (A) THIS is the sort of picture that is better to wait for at least until the LSE Film Society pats it on. Of course it might not come to the School, but you won't have missed much- Gene Wilder looks painfully bored as he meanders his way through the plot—plot, perhaps, is too strong a word. Marty Feldman is superb with his rolling eyes and self-conscious mannerisms. However he has been treated badly by a script, which was probably written in the back of a car on the way to the studio. The film does have its moments. When for example the two heroes join a polite society ball with the seats of their trousers torn away. It is rather difficult to explain why. but it involved rotary saws, prisons and breathing in ! At times it even breaks into song and dance routines, and these do provide some light relief. Could be the "bounce" that they perform will be the craze of the year, but I doubt it. The plot, as you might guess from the title, has something to do with the "real" Sherlock Holmes, although he does not even provide a good source of jokes. For instance "No my brother is not Sherlock Holmes—his christian name is Sheer Luck !" (You think that's bad, you should hear the rest). At times the humour verges on impressionism with the case of the fight on the roofs of racing carriages, the occasional shop sign looming out of the mist, to add its contribution to the chaos. But don't take my word for it; go and see the film at the Carlton, Haymarket, Old Vic presents Plunder' PLUNDER, I'm afraid, is one of those farces which instead of being revived, should have been given the kiss of death decades ago. Set in 1&28, with the usual crop of country houses, jewels, gentlemen swindlers, and boorish policemen, it's a play which your local amateur dramatic society would feel very much at home with. Frank Finlay (whom you can also see in "Bouquet of Barbed Wire") and Dandy Nichols (Alf Garnett's "silly moo") are frankly disappointing, though Trevor Ray manages to last the play well, with his single melancholic expression. The "hero" D'Arcy Tuck (played by Dins-dale Landen) positively shines as he stumbles and stutters his way through the play. The dialogue is trite, superficial and, at times, highly amusing. The mere appearance of D'Arcy with his slicked-back hair, parted down the middle and his idiotic grin sent even a Three Tuns-hardened LSE student into hysterics —even if he did afterwards denounce "the bourgeois nature of this status perpetuating crap." The Power of the Purse By David Coombes et al THIS book sets out to study the effectiveness of the control exercised by European parliaments in budgetary decision making and represents a response to a practical problem—the establishment of budgetarj- powers for the European Parliament. The approach to this problem adopted by the contributors, including political scientists, economists, public lawyers and parliamentary officials, is to study different aspects of parliamentary control of the budget in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland in the hope of discerning specific trends which may be related to the European Parliament. Although the theme of European integration is held firmly in mind by the contributors, they none the less discover fundamental variations in the control exercised by parliaments from one country to another. Nevertheless this does not prevent David Coonibes from making some generalised comments, applauding the publicity which is afforded to politics by some Parliaments' activities and stressing that in some cases Parliaments are able to assert themselves on budgetary matters. In spite of the fact that firm lines are not laid down for the European Community's constitution makers to follow, the book remains an excellent text for students of comparative politics. S.D. The Potitics of Communication By Claus Mueller IN "The Politics of" Communication", Mueller analyses the effects of a political system held together by promises of material benefits, and other coercive measures. When such a situation arises, it is imperative, or so he postulates, that the system has control of public information and communication. It is this control that has produced many of the problems of society in the modern capitalist world. He bases his ideas on work undertaken in various fields^—linguistics, social psychology, sociology, political science, communication research — but the interpretation and conflation of these studies is very much his own, throwing new light on currently expounded viewpoints. Indeed, in his introduction he himself recognises that many of his conclusions may be controversial. It is, however, unfortunate that much of the book is dominated by lengthy sociological jargon. For example, sentences like "Concepts such as plausibility structures, socialisation strategies, language codes, idealogical configurations, political impression management, and legitimating and counterlegitimating rationales provide a better grasp of political behaviour and its underlying motivational basis than an analysis that restricts itself to the usuai factors", may not have much meaning for the uninitiated. The book is, moreover, primarily concerned with issues arising in the United States of America, and thus somewhat limited m its general scope. Nevertheless, it is a positive and forward-looking study, and for those prepared to master the torturous style, a stimulating book- The Clayhanger Trilogy By Arnold Bennett PENGUIN BOOKS have recently reissued this famous trilogy to coincide with a new tele-epic, obviously hoping that the tele-watching market that catapulted sales of the "Forsyth Saga" and "War and Peace" into the millions will do the same for Arnold Bennett. The trilogy, which is already a modern literary classic, is based upon Bennett's own experiences of the Staffordshire Potteries in the late 19th Century, a period of extreme riches and soul-destroying poverty. The protagonist, Edwin Clay-hanger, fights to rise above this overpowering environment, but must struggle against a tyrannical father and the disadvantages of his class. At the same time his heart is ruled by the destructive and turbulent pas- sion for the emancipated, sensual Hilda Lessways. Bennett is hardly an unknown commodity and it is difficult to give any new startling review of the trilogy. However, despite the new "tele" connotations, I still feel that Bennett's trilogy, with its realistic and detailed insights into a now alien society is as readable now as when it was written. Indeed Walter Allen in "The English Novel" has written : "He (Clayhanger) is one of the most attractive heroes in 20th Century fiction, Bennett who believed inordinately in the interestingness of ordinary things and ordinary people was never more successful in revealing the interesting-nefss of an apparently ordinary man than in Edwin Clayhanger". p.B. BEAVKR, Jan. 20tli, 1976—Page Eight London under siege YOU may not have noticed it but London is under siege. All over the city restaurants, cinemas and retail cutlets are preparing for the next round of bombings. As in the Blitz, the siege is characterised not so much by heroism, but rather by bored indifference. Indeed, I met one restaurant owner la Greek) who had not even heard of the IRA. However, restaurant frequenters have . declined in numbers and the proprietors are certainly becoming more aware of the danger and its consequences. It does appear, though, that a great number of people seem unconcerned about the future activities of what Commander Healms of the Bomb Squad terms "the other side". However, you may have noticed the sandbag frontage of th the L'Opera in Great Queen Street. Mr Caterimo, the restaurant manager, provides a good example of the new security-consciousness of the restaurant owners. Within the last 'month the security measures such as the sandbag wall and wire-netting have been added to the front of his restaurant. As he says, these are "merely precautionary measures". The main stores along Oxford Street are all exceptionally tight-lipped about their anti-terrorist security arrangements; Marks and Spencer think that as a Jewish organisation they are perhaps more vulnerable to the threat. I can assure them that all the other stores take the threat as seriously as they do. It is difiScult to dismiss the threat of future terror campaigns for their effectiveness for the Provisionals cannot be denied. The English bombings can perhaps be seen as a factor in the destruction of Stor-mont and internment and at the same time the creation of the English people's desire to drop Northern Ireland. Certainly the Belfast Brigade (a more extreme Provo section) feel the time has come for a resumption of the English campaign, although the Army Council feel that the political timing is not right. Recent losses in the Republicans' cell-structure over here could soon be replaced, and actions such as the introduction of the SAS may bring about a response of the same ilk. The conclusion could be—don't go to too many 'West End restaurants unless they have sandbag windows and waiters who check under the table. Welfare reports: NURSERY SINCE the last article in "Beaver"', a group of students visited the CES Nursery. They were most impressed by the vitality of the children, the warmth and obvious commitment of the staff. On the way back, we stopped at the Parish Hall and ¦were amazed at the contrast between the two premises. However, the comparison was helpful in allowing us all to visualise what the LSE nursery could become. In area space and lighting, it is not dissimilar to how the CES nursery must have looked originally as a basement with one window. Although not all bills have come in yet, it is calculated that the Festival may have raised flOO for the CES nursery. This impressive amount will be most welcome and is further evidence of our gratitude tor the services provided for our students' children, especially the under two-year-olds who find the most difficulty in getting nursery places. The LSE nursery matron is now Miss D. Stewart, who will be joining the School on January 19th. Her assistants are presently being interviewed. It is now anticipated that the nursery will be open from. February 16th. ACCOMMODATION It is disturbing to note how many students are still in dire need of suitable accommodation. Although we have already spent the allocated budget sums on advertising for lodgings and do not expect to advertise again until the summer, we shall consider doing it if the present lists of available accommodation prove inadequate. OVERSEAS STUDENTS The autumn term ended with a successful party at Carr Saunders with food and drinks subsidised by the SU's Overseas Students' Committee and the Carr Saunders Hall Committee. Special thanks must go to Chris Wells and his helpers behind the bar, especially during the half-price drinks period. Many overseas students were invited to the homes of UK students for Christmas. It seems to have been a mutually enjoyable experience for the lucky ones. There have been enquiries about setting up a support group for Overseas Students to discuss some of the problems of adjusting to the LSE and London. The School nurse, Penny Rockley, and I would be very interested in - meeting any other students who feel they might wish to participate in such a project: PLAYGROUP We are prepared to run another playgroup during the next half-term, but must have some idea of dates when parents would want it and the extent of the demand. READERS FOR BLIND STUDENTS The response to the call for readers has been pretty encouraging. Unfortunately there are occasions when people do not keep appointments. It would be appreciated if they could arrange for a substitute reader when this does happen, since people do depend on having material read before certain classes. REST INSURED THINGS are happening at . Ends-leigh. Worried by the increasing administrative costs they are facing, our own insurance boffins have hit upon a new plan—the six-month motor policy. But you may well appreciate that this will mean two renewal procedures a year— surely more administration. However, this has not escaped their notice and so the renewal procedure is to be simplified. What may interest you, though, is that this new six-month scheme will, in most cases, be significantly less than half of the premium for the present annual policies. Endsleigh suggests that "in the present economic climate it must be attractive to policyholders only to have to pay half their annual premium at any one moment. Furthermore, the policy will also have advantages to the insurer as it avoids the necessity of guessing the inflation rate for more than six months ahead. If you are interested, the new motor policy is called Studentplan-6 and there is a corresponding graduate plan. Gradplan-6. Of importance also is the fact that they will have a loyalty bonus rather than a no claims bonus, with the added "bonus" that it cannot be lost should the policy-holder suffer the misfortune of being involved in an accident. At T TUeH TO >VU- \T i\jorslS" TUeM'> - *— I ' ¦Vvsayv^S'«.\o^ s rr\M ,<_r\CO« 'tVv«v_<~ SC-V\OoL 1 ¦Vci cx "oVoctivi c^vjvcVC \ I PQP*fcy4-NLVk«T MrtJSX \ -ro \ 'issar AAOCM. ¦ IN! 5tU- "I-Joe, foo. loMe -rowefJei4 1. Svx f ' I ^ For. Cf^ dp TKOS'e 7_ __ -pJot / . V' \M. / TUeflG ftUCST I pEoPUC" >d<.TH \ J'MScrXfcs (UAbfVsA, I \ ( TCivxC", tfiC Cto'-xJb rrsl ~ ^4® «sjCO€ ^ 1 c<=.ok_x> -mKS ITSJ TVME Ftaiv" ^isj ©FrJtJE-