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Written by Joshua Roberts
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Saddam Hussein’s cousin, advisor and chemical weapons expert Ali Hassan al-Majid has been put to death for crimes against humanity and genocide, just eight days after The Iraqi High Tribunal sentenced him to death for the fourth time.
Al-Majid, or Chemical Ali as he was known for his chemical warfare expertise, was a close ally of the ex-President and was undeniably one of the most prominent figures in Hussein’s tyrannical regime. Chiefly tasked with exterminating all of Iraq’s Shia and Kurdish citizens, he also played the role of kingmaker or powerbroker in the bitter rivalry between Saddam’s two sons.
His political career began in 1987 when he was appointed to govern Iraq’s Northern provinces and the border with Kuwait. It was soon after taking office that Al-Majid sanctioned the annihilation of Kurdish and Shia peoples living in northern provinces which was later named the Al-Anfal Campaign. “The armed forces must kill any human being or animal present in these areas”, a decree signed by Al-Majid stated. Over the coming months a multitude of techniques were used to carry-out the killings, including the aerial spraying of nerve agents such as Sarin, an odourless gas which, when inhaled, causes the slow and excruciating disintegration of all nerves in the body. However, the Al-Anfal Campaign accounted for just one of his four death penalties. Other atrocities for which were handed down death penalties were: the savage gas attacks on the city of Halabja in 1988 which killed 5,000 people; the brutal crushing of the Shia revolution in 1991; and the slaughter of hundreds more in the province of Sadr in 1999.
It was this notorious cruelty and his seemingly comprehensive grasp of weapons of mass destruction that put Al-Majid’s name at the top of the CIA’s most wanted list. He was captured four months after British intelligence officers reported that he was dead by US soldiers in June 2003. From the moment his trial began on 21st August 2006 it was clear to all that it would be long and controversial. In particular Iraqis and the international community were angered by Al-Majid’s refusal to enter a plea which not only elongated the length of the trial, but also sent out a final message of defiance. He told the court, “I am not apologising. I did not make a mistake.”
Although almost all Iraqi’s seemed to approve of the trial in principle, both the direction of the trial and its eventual verdicts split public opinion. On one side some people felt that Al-Majid should have been tried for a single crime which would have allowed a quicker passage of justice, whilst on the other, people wanted the court and the international community to bear witness to the true hideous extent of his crimes.
The death penalties themselves were also a considerable cause of contention. Some felt that it was only right for him to suffer the same fate as his victims; others saw hypocrisy in hanging someone for killing; and more still thought that life imprisonment would have been more appropriate. One such advocate of incarcerating Chemical Ali was Freshta Raper who had herself lost family members in the Halabja attacks. Talking to the BBC she said, “I hoped that he wouldn’t be executed, but instead put in jail and visited every month by victims of the Anfal Campaign. For me staying having him in jail, rotting in jail, reminded every day about the pain he caused would be far better than hanging.”
News of the hanging, which came shortly after three suicide car bombs shook the capital city of Baghdad and claimed over twenty lives, was met amongst most Iraqi communities with a sense of jubilation or, at the very least, subdued relief and a sense of closure.
On the international stage, however, Al-Majid’s hanging seemed to rekindle fervent aversion to the death penalty. In particular, the human rights group Amnesty International made known its anger at the hanging with their Middle East Director Malcolm Smart describing it as, “the latest in a mounting number of executions, some of whom did not receive fair trials, in gross violation of human rights”. Perhaps more worrying was the emergence of some supporters of Al-Majid: one inhabitant of Tikrit (Al-Majid’s hometown) said, “ I give my condolences to the Iraqi people on the death of Ali Hassan al-Majid, who was killed by traitors and hooligans.”
Regardless of whether the trial and execution were just or not and regardless of whether it was approached in the wrong way, it is certainly true to say that with Al-Majid’s death Iraq and its people are one step closer to moving on from their horrific past. The suggestion of many commentators is that the burial of Chemical Ali and his confederates will usher in a new age of political and cultural unity and with it bring stability and hope for the Iraqi people. One thing is certain – they need it. |
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Written by Debra Wigglesworth
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On 2 February 2010, the Obama administration launched the first serious attempt at confronting discrimination against gay people in the US military since the Clinton era.
This came in the aftermath of President Obama’s State of the Union address in which he committed to addressing the politically contentious issue of the existing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (DADT) policy which allows gays to serve as long as their sexuality remains hidden.
“This year,” Obama said, “I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are.” US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen have publicly supported the proposed review of the policy but ultimately the decision will come down to Congress in which a strong body of opposition is apparent particularly among Republicans.
Admiral Mullen told a Senate Armed Services Committee that allowing openly gay people to serve was “the right thing to do”.
He said, “No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.” He told the hearing that the issue “comes down to integrity, theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.”
Admiral Mullen said he believed fellow service members “can and would accommodate such a change” to the law which was passed by Congress in 1993. He added that he had learned never to “underestimate their ability to adapt” and that he himself had been serving alongside gay soldiers since 1968 and believed it was time for a change in policy.
Nearly 11,000 people have been dismissed from the US military over the last decade after outing themselves or being outed.
Mr. Gates said the committee review of the policy would look at whether reform could be carried out with minimum impact at a time when the US was engaged in two wars. He also wanted to review the potential impact on military effectiveness, in particular the cohesion of units. Republican Senator John McCain has expressed opposition to the proposed review and believes it would be “clearly biased” because it presumed the law should be changed. “Has this policy been ideal? No, it has not,” he said. “But it has been effective.”
The year-long review of the possible effects of the policy change is to be carried out by the Pentagon’s highest-ranking lawyer, Jeh Johnson and General Carter Ham, who leads army forces in Europe. General Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State and the first African-American to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also gave his support to the review of the DADT policy even though he strongly opposed any change in the 1990s. In a statement he said that “attitudes and circumstances have changed” and that he fully supported the new approach presented to the Senate by Mr. Gates and Adm. Mullen.
Under the present policy, soldiers don’t have to answer questions about their sexual orientation and they are not allowed tell others about their sexual orientation. Any soldier found to be homosexual is discharged from the military.
Air force pilot Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbrech is currently in the process of being discharged from the air force. Fehrenbrech has served his country as a pilot for the last 17 years, he flies F-15E jets and has been decorated with nine medals for distinguished service in flight and for heroism the night US forces captured Baghdad International Airport in 2003.
However he says in May 2008 his world ended when he was outed by a third party and reported to his military superiors.
In April 2009 he faced a military discharge board that recommended him for an honourable discharge and came to the conclusion that his continued service was “detrimental to good order, discipline and morale”. He maintains that this law is a violation of his constitutional rights to privacy, due process and equal protection.
He also believes aside from the financial impact of discharging soldiers with critical combat skills, that this practice also has a detrimental effect on national security. He says that he was heartened by Adm. Mullen’s support of the review and believes that it is a small step to real reform of this discriminatory policy.
Lesbian service women are often overlooked by the policy but enforcement of the policy against outed gay men is strict.
Soldier’s views on the issue vary. Some see it as ironic that these soldiers fight and protect the freedoms and civil liberties of so many and yet their own freedoms and civil liberties are violated by this law. Other soldiers still see homosexuality in the service as a very taboo subject and rather than view it as a “don’t ask, don’t tell” matter they view it as a matter about which they “don’t want to know.”
The United States is quite slow in re-examining this policy when compared with Israel, Russia and most European Union countries where gay men and women are allowed to serve in the military. Following the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in Smith and Grady v The United Kingdom ten years ago, the UK changed their laws and allowed gay men and women to serve openly in the armed forces. Fears of a breakdown in discipline proved unfounded.
In Russia, however, given that hundreds of new conscripts are killed each year by hazing and bullying, it would be almost unheard of for a gay man to be open about his sexual orientation.
Although liberals in Washington are a far cry from the close living quarters of an army unit there has to come a point where the US military will at the least entertain the idea of accepting openly gay people in the military. Real progress and real evolving change in this area will make the military stronger in the long-term.
One calls to mind the scene in The West Wing when Admiral Fitzwallace schools a couple of lower ranking service men in the ways of the world. Explaining that he agrees homosexuals serving in the military would pose a threat to unit discipline and cohesion he continues. “I also think the military wasn’t designed to be an instrument of social change.
“The problem with that is that’s what they were saying about me 50 years ago. Blacks shouldn’t serve with whites. It would disrupt the unit. You know what? It did disrupt the unit. The unit got over it. The unit changed. I’m an admiral of the US Navy and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Beat that with a stick.”
In other words, DADT is beyond the realms of credibility. |
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Written by Manus Lenihan
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The quake shook buildings and roadways for ten or fifteen seconds, smashing infrastructure and ending lives. An early estimate put the death toll at three hundred. However, roads and homes had been unusually empty due to a baseball match between two local teams, and it was later concluded that the dead numbered sixty-three. While it caused devastating loss of life and left thousands injured and thousands more homeless, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in Northern California did not cripple a nation.
The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for the earthquake which struck twenty-five miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city, several weeks ago. Though the dead are still being counted, and the deaths are ongoing, their number is being expressed in six digits, not two. The fact that both earthquakes measured 7 on the Richter scale points to a vast gulf, not between the natures of the disasters themselves, but between conditions on the ground. If anything good could come out of such a catastrophe, it would be that the effects of this earthquake might show the world just how dire the situation is in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country.
On the 23 January, Haiti’s government, meeting in a run-down police station, officially called off the search for survivors. The previous day, the UN had noted that the emergency phase of the relief operation was over. This earthquake, however, has simply been one extremely low point in a long and ongoing emergency for Haitians. In the words of one survivor, “This country was bad long before this. But now the earthquake has exposed the true face of Haiti.” The staggering statistics for the death and destruction caused by this catastrophe are well-known, but it’s vital to look at the situation in Haiti before the quake as well.
Haiti is a country in which three-quarters of the people are unemployed and 80% live in poverty. It is a haven for sweatshops and cheap labour, and its cities are home to an estimated 225,000 household child slaves. It is home to extremes of inequality as well as poverty, over half of its wealth resting in the hands of a mere 1% of its population. The IMF cancelled 80% of Haiti’s massive foreign debt last year, but only once the government agreed to open up the country’s markets and labour to increased foreign exploitation. Soaring rice prices caused food riots in April 2008, and 2009 saw the staple grow even more expensive. While poor, Haitians used to be able to feed themselves, but the scrapping of tariffs on foreign rice in 1994 drove farmers out of business and into the already packed slums of the cities.
These same cinder block slums collapsed during the earthquake, killing tens of thousands and leaving millions in need of aid and shelter. As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has said, “[Haiti] does not have the resources or the money to respond to an emergency. What capacity it did have was knocked out. This earthquake hit a country that was already barely functional.” The 2010 Haitian earthquake ranks as a more terrible disaster than the Indian Ocean tsunami, the Pakistan earthquake, and the Burmese cyclone, not due to the scale of the disaster itself, but due to where it hit. Port-au-Prince had two fire stations and no quake-proof housing, despite having been devastated by natural disasters in the past, as recently as 2008 and 2004.
While Haiti has seen several governments in the last 20 years who have tried to tackle poverty, none, it seems, could afford stable housing for this disaster zone. These are the consequences of economic inequality and private monopolisation of wealth.
The UN, who had to feed 1 million people before the quake, lost 300 of its staff in the disaster. Oxfam lost 90% of its emergency kit. 48 hours followed in which landlines and mobiles alike were useless. The difficulty in coordinating response was mirrored in the attempts to bring in aid. The port and infrastructure were crippled. The airport’s only runway was bottlenecked, and the road to the Dominican Republic clogged with refugees. Aid agencies found no diesel in the city, and only three days’ worth of petrol.
Another process which slowed relief efforts was the deployment of some 20,000 US troops to Haiti to maintain security and protect aid convoys. Haiti’s government signed over control of Toussaint L’ouverture Airport to Washington, provoking complaints from France, Brazil and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) that in such a congested airport, giving priority to US warplanes over much-needed aid was impeding relief efforts. Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Cuba, meanwhile, have all accused the US of attempting a military occupation. Considering the presence of over 10,000 UN troops, besides Haiti’s own army and police, the need for so many US troops is indeed hard to understand. Furthermore, the years since the Haitians overthrew the second Duvalier dictatorship have been punctuated by US-backed coups against elected leaders, and that is leaving aside Haiti’s more remote history of colonial and neo-colonial exploitation.
The terrible consequences of the earthquake in Haiti cannot be understood in isolation, but only as part of a long and ongoing history of poverty, inequality and exploitation. Neither can the flow of aid and relief money be appreciated out of context. Citigroup have generously donated $250,000; however, they have been even more generous to their top managers, whose bonus pool this year will amount to over $5 billion. The $100 million pledged by the Obama administration only sounds impressive if one forgets that the US spend $165 million in Afghanistan every day. Paul Collier and Jean-Louis Warnholz, two experts on Haiti, have explained that while initial relief and aid following disasters is generally impressive, reconstruction is a more important area that is usually ignored. They argue that a “Marshall-type plan”, involving billions of dollars, is needed to put Haiti back on its feet. However, between wars and bonuses, this is clearly something the developed world can’t afford. |
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Written by Peter Henry
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THE CLOCK above the entrance to the Dining Hall was once the only public clock in college. It’s not particularly remarkable to look at, but it once eschewed standard timekeeping for the nobler, and slightly tardier, college time. College time was 15 minutes later than regular time. After hearing the bells of the city ring the hour, the unhurried undergraduate had a quarter of an hour to attend to his varsity duties before college time caught up with him. The first record of Trinity’s rugger club, in the Daily Express in December of 1855, mentions the university’s way of keeping time: “A match will be played in the College Park today between original and new members of the club. Play to commence at two o’clock college time.” College time was kept until October 15, 1870, when the Dining Hall’s clock reverted to regular hours. But does a submerged memory survive among those students who are always late for everything? The unpunctual undergraduate, ten minutes late for his tutorial, can mischievously insist that he’s five minutes early – college time.
I MENTIONED in February that two DU Football Club men are to be found on cigarette cards of the 1920s. Here they are – Mark Sugden and Denis John Cussen. The former was famous enough to feature three times. Trinity supplied men to the Irish rugby team for much of that decade, with both of these players receiving many caps. Sugden was Ireland captain for a number of years, and became famous as an expert of the “dummy”. Cussen was a formidable sprinter who, as well as playing rugby, won many prizes with the Harriers, and represented Ireland in the Olympics in 1928.
THE HERALDIC theme of the last Old Trinity column reminded me of the badges used by some of the sports clubs. It is sometimes forgotten, even by their members, that some clubs do not use the college arms on the traditional St Patrick’s blue field, but on different colours. Four clubs, to my knowledge, use these badges. The Boat Club uses the college arms on a royal blue shield; its colours are black and white. The Football Club uses a red shield, its colours being red and black. The Hockey Club’s badge is green, the club’s colours being green and black, inherited from its predecessor, the DU Hurley Club. The Ladies’ Boat Club’s constitution specifies a black shield, and its colours are black, white and pink. The DU Cricket Club uses a black shield on its blazer and flag – but, having not read the club’s rules, I cannot say for certain that the cricketers’ badge must always be black. The teams play in black and gold. Lamentably, some other institutions have attempted to poach these clubs’ emblems. The swimmers, for example, brazenly display the Hockey Club’s badge on their website. The Swimming Club’s colours are bottle green, emerald green, and silver, but the badge ought to be St Patrick’s blue. |
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Written by Maeve Casserly & James Kelly
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James Kelly:
Last week in the United Kingdom, equality watchdog the Equality and Human Rights Commission backed the plans of the Labour government to stop forcing workers to retire at the age of 65, and to give them more flexible working hours.
These sentiments echo those of Labour’s deputy leader Harriet Harman, who earlier in January announced plans to fast track a report on retirement age. Now, while these radical plans have been met with almost universal approval thus far, few have stopped to look at the possible negative side effects it could have on those over 65 and society as a whole.
In Ireland, youth unemployment has been spiralling, hitting a shocking 28.4% in October 2009. These youths who choose to sign on to social welfare must survive on ninety euro per week. The situation is similar across the EU and the United Kingdom in particular. The question that must be asked is whether jobs and opportunities that could go to these youths will be retained by older people who choose not to retire if these radical plans get the go ahead?
Many of those choosing to work beyond retirement age will have solid pension schemes to greet them when they deign to retire, but what will the youth have? The teen years of this century have already been dubbed a “debtcade” by some, and it will be the young who will be left footing the bill, but how can they expect to do so with potential opportunities and jobs being occupied by those working past retirement?
While some of those nearing retirement age cannot imagine a life not centred on work, many retirees have found a new lease of life they never thought possible after quitting work. By not working after the age of 65, people gain the time to discover new interests and experience new tastes.
Retirees have become a huge market for travel, and by retiring they have given themselves the opportunity to see countries they never thought they would visit. After retirement, gardening and cooking can be truly embraced, new languages learned and new books read. The list is literally endless. By retiring at the age of 65, people can discover, if you’ll pardon the cheesy line, a new world of interests and experiences. If they are allowed to continue working indefinitely then these opportunities become closed off.
The idea that those over 65 are “past it” is not what this argument is about, but surely some kind of competency criteria must be laid in place. At the age of 65 many employers are not able to perform or work to the same standard as younger people. Thus, if they are not up to the job, they shouldn’t be working and it’s as simple as that. While it may sound harsh, a competency test is necessary should a person choose to work past retirement age. Not only may such a test be seen as being insulting to these people, but they would be very expensive to administer. In the current economic climate there is just not enough money to use these competency tests.
If the review of retirement age in the United Kingdom manages to change working practices, it may well have widespread repercussions. Already in Ireland sectors of the civil service are trying to extend the retirement age of their employees. I’m not saying that the review shouldn’t happen.
What I am arguing is that, rather than greeting the news with universal praise, the Labour government and the different workers group involved in the review should look at the facts objectively. If they do so they will see that while working past retirement may be a positive thing for some people, it comes with a lot of negative side effects.
Maeve Casserly:
Firstly let us establish a fact that should be patently obvious: people do not wake up on the morning of their 65th birthday and suddenly become wholly incompetent at their jobs. So why is it that they can be forced into retirement in their “golden years”?
This debate has been raging in Westminster since early last year when former Secretary for the Department of Work and Pension James Purnell was approached by Lord Mandelson’s Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR), gauging his interest in bringing in a more flexible retirement policy to help prevent a future pension crisis. The deliberation continues as the government is facing increasing pressure from all sides to revise the law.
In a recent statement, the deputy chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission demanded that the cabinet scrap the “out of date bill which discriminates against people who want to carry on working.” As it stands the enforcement of retirement at the age of 65 is at the discretion of the employer.
In the latest survey carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), 60% of small companies do not think that the government should set a default retirement age. John Wright, National Chairman of the FSB, argued against the unfair policy in recent a interview. “We understand understand the valuable contribution and skills that older workers bring to the business … [O]ver 90% of small firms would consider an employee going into part time or flexible working, rather than retiring.” However, this still does not protect the older employee’s right to work.
For most people it is not simply that they want to continue to work, they have to. In the UK the Basis State Retirement Pension for a single person is £90.70 a week. Unlike their Irish counterparts, British pensioners do not receive government subsidies for essential amenities like electricity and home heating. The cost of living requires people to keep working.
Thanks to improved social and medical conditions, people are now living longer. But there are fewer younger people to work and pay taxes. This will create a major problem for governments in the future. There are now 10.5 million pensioners in the UK. This is expected to rise to 12.5 million by 2025 and to 14 million by 2050. While there are now 4.5 working people to every pensioner, by 2025 there will only be 3.5. The current legislation is therefore completely impractical and should be immediately revised by the government if there is any hope for future economic recovery.
In a recent survey by the Equality of Human Right Commission of 1,500 people, 62% of women and 59% of men indicated that they wished to continue to work beyond pension age. How can we simply ignore the wishes of all these people? Elaine Stritch, current guest star of the hit television series 30 Rock, has just opened a new Stephen Sondheim show in New York to rave reviews. She turns 85 this week! Stories like this are inspiring example to us all that older people still have a lot to This debate is not however about glamorous stars of stage and screen.
With the cutoff age for the state pension set to rise to 66 in 2024 and 67 a decade after this, retirement law is simply impractical and outdated. If we have learned anything from the massive economic crash of the last few years, it is that we must deal with future economic problems now. The inflexible fixed retirement age is one of these problems. Let us hope that the government sees this before it is too late. |
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Written by Sorcha Pollak
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An Arts Festival in Trinity? Up until five years ago the idea was unheard of, but now it is one of the highlights of the academic year, a week to brighten up the dull February days. Why have I decided to write about it for this column? Is it because it will be all around us for the next week? No. Is it because it’s an opportunity to learn a new skill? Not necessarily. It’s because I’m somewhat annoyed that I never got fully involved.
When I was in first year I made a pathetic attempt to join in with the festival’s activities but was scared away by the fact that I didn’t know anyone. Being nineteen years old in a room full of confident, older students, I was daunted by the undertakings of TAF. Also, in the throes of first year enthusiasm and wanting to be involved with everything at the same time, I realised that time constraints and other commitments would not allow to me to take part.
But now, four years down the line, the time has come to sit up, take action and learn how to make origami and customise clothes. This time it isn’t about getting involved in the organisation but instead, simply enjoying the activities they offer. The reality is that, four years later, working in the arts is something that really interests me, and for that reason I am kicking myself for not having been more involved to date. But if you can’t join them, you can always write about them!
The sheer number of activities for this year’s festival seems challenging yet impressive. There’s something in it for everyone. Two days ago, when I logged into my Facebook account for my “brief” daily check-up, I was surprised to see that I had eleven event invitations. Now, as much as I would like to count myself as someone with a comfortably wide circle of friends, I had never been so popular as to receive eleven invitations in one afternoon.
By taking a quick glance at these events I was slightly disappointed to find out that they weren’t personalised requests for my presence but a wide spread of invitations to this weeks Trinity Arts Festival. This fleeting disappointment was quickly replaced by interest and excitement in the activities which were on offer. Being the young lady that I am, customising clothes jumped out at me instantly. Despite the fact that I refuse to recognise that I can barely thread a needle, I was immediately signing up for an afternoon of creating my own fashion masterpieces.
Next on the list was a photography workshop. Once again, this is not an area in which I am an expert, but my thinking was if that I can hold a camera, a more knowledgeable person in the area could explain the rest. The list continued: jewellery making, origami workshop, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” in the Samuel Beckett Theatre, film writing and something called “Circus Spectacle”. I realised that this week of activities could be the break from academic work I was searching for and I set about discovering more about this year’s Trinity Arts Festival.
Having been originally set up by Art History and Architecture students, it is understandable that the primary focus of the original festival was on art in its pure, visual form; art exhibitions, studies of architecture on campus, and drawing and painting workshops. For the events of this week to become a truly rounded festival, encompassing the full spectrum of the arts, the vision of its organisers needed to be somewhat broadened. In an attempt to get a better understanding of what was being done this year to reach a wider platform and audience, I spoke to the secretary of the festival, Katy Dobey.
Dobey informed me that the organisers of the festival were striving towards creating a more comprehensive week of events this year by featuring not only the visual arts but by bringing in aspects of theatre, music and comedy.
With the help of societies like Players, Singers, Comedy Soc and Orchestral Soc this week of festivities is shaping up to the be the most impressive and ambitious yet. In addition to this, Dobey explained to me that this year a full printed programme of the events would be provided to give the students of Trinity a greater understanding of the festival itself and its events. There was no doubt about it, this week of artistic enjoyment had been laid out to suit my needs.
The idea of a Trinity Arts Festival was revived in the mid-2000s, with the idea of making the arts in their widest sense accessible to all the students on the campus. It was created as an opportunity for the students of Trinity College to embrace arts and culture within the walls of this university. With the topic of the funding of the arts still very prominent in the news headlines, this year’s college arts festival is probably more important than ever.
We are living in a world where there is constant discussion of business, finance and the economic future of our country, a discussion so powerful that it has drowned out other aspects of life which are also important to the future of the state. Ireland is a country steeped in culture and we, the younger generation, need to recognise the importance of its survival. The Trinity Arts Festival celebrates the character and the beauty of the arts, whether it be through painting or song, dance or theatre.
This week is for us to enjoy our culture, so let’s make the most of it. |
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Written by David Barrett
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If Democrats had any doubt that the Party is in dire straits, they were set straight by the Massachusetts Special Senate Election for Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat that saw a conservative Republican unknown defeat the highly popular state Attorney General by a 100,000 vote margin. What made the defeat even worse was that the entire campaign was fought on the issue of healthcare, which Kennedy called “the cause of my life”, a battle which the Democrats lost in a state in which Democrats outnumber Republicans by a margin of three to one.
The troubles in the Democratic party are confirmed by the generic ballot, a poll that simply asks whom voters would be more likely to support in their congressional district, the Democratic or Republican candidate. Republicans currently lead by an average of about four percentage points across the board. This is actually much worse than it sounds. Democrats have traditionally dominated in this category, due to the fact that there are more registered Democrats than Republicans, who balance this at the polling station with higher turnout from their supporters. The only years in which the Republicans have led in the generic ballot were 1994, when the party took control of congress for the first time since 1952, and 2002, in the wake of the September 11th attacks.
The “intensity gap” has completely reversed since the presidential election, when Democrats were fired up on a brew of “hope” and “change” while Republicans were never truly convinced that John McCain was one of their own. Now, liberal Democrats are disillusioned with Obama’s more practical and less ideological approach and his seeming inability to get anything done despite nearly unprecedented congressional majorities. Republicans on the other hand see Obama’s very limited reforms as the first step towards a form of state-socialism that will bankrupt the country and destroy the American way.
Republicans are practically salivating at the prospect of winning the “trifecta” in the Senate elections. For maximum symbolic value the party wants to steal seats in Nevada, Illinois and Delaware from the Democrats, a feat that would be as mentally scarring to the Democrats as Massachusetts.
The worrying thing for the party is that the chances of the Republicans managing this are better than evens. The reason why this would be so devastating for the Democrats, aside from just simply losing three crucial Senate seats, is what the seats represent. The sitting senator for Nevada is Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic Leader and one of the most powerful men in Washington. He is consistently trailing in opinion polls to unknown Republicans.
Illinois and Delaware are both heavily Democratic states, but more importantly these seats are the ones once held Barack Obama and Joe Biden and the mere fact that these seats even need to be defended is a bad sign. While there is still hope for Illinois, the White House appears to have given up on Delaware, where the likely Republican candidate is the state’s only congressman, a position he has held for eighteen years, before which he was governor. To top it all off he is a direct descendent of Benjamin Franklin.
However these are not the only seats looking vulnerable to a Republican takeover. North Dakota – whose sitting Democratic senator is retiring after eighteen years in office – is considered nearly a write-off at this stage.
Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, a centrist Democrat, is having serious difficulty highlighting to her constituents the (considerable) differences between her and the Obama White House, while Senator Michael Bennett of Colorado is trying to avoid his election bid being characterised as a battle between a generic Democrat and a generic Republican in a typical swing-state.
The cases of Lincoln and Bennett manifest a clear issue for the Democratic Party that the Massachusetts election made painfully obvious. If being associated with Obama in one of the most liberal states in the nation is a bad thing electorally, then it must be pure poison in Arkansas and Colorado.
However even if one considers all of this, the obvious conclusion is that it doesn’t really matter. The Democrat’s Senate majority is eighteen seats and their House majority is seventy-eight. Both of these majorities are extraordinarily large by historical standards. The problem is that of internal party loyalty.
The Democrats have a quite considerable conservative Southern wing historically and part of the party’s policy to retake the House and Senate in 2006 was to nominate conservatives and centrists who could win in swing districts over ideologically pure liberals (who could be, and almost always were, nominated in safe areas). This means that the party has considerable internal differences.
By contrast, the Republicans have had two horrific elections in a row that tended to disproportionally claim members of the party’s liberal north-eastern wing as casualties, making the party much more united and homogenous, even if it is much smaller.
This is actually likely to get worse before it gets better as it is the conservative Democrats who will be disproportionally hit by the likely bad election – moving the Democrats to the left and making compromise between the two increasingly polarised parties less and less likely.
Since, according to Senate rules, sixty votes are needed to shut down a filibuster and actually get to a vote this makes America potentially unable to do anything at all – which is the worst of all possible worlds. |
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Written by unsigned
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Education committee unearths hidden gems of information
This month saw the Provost, alongside his fellow university heads, sit before the Oireachtas Education Committee, as reported on page one of this issue. The information extracted at this meeting was quite considerable: the admission by Hugh Brady, for example, that the use of the student charge amounted to fees by another name, or, perhaps of more interest, that the charge has been applied to areas that the casual student would never have thought could possibly be considered a student service. The information that the committee received was, first and foremost, news to them. In addition, there were allegations from the seven students’ unions that the information presented to the committee was different to that presented to the student body. In the end, the power of the committee on Education and Science unearthed some truths about the allocation of funding, but the process could be best described as murky. It was more akin to sifting through mud for nuggets of gold than the quick, easy, and simple access to information which many of us assume is the case with public bodies. The university now faces a potentially difficult challenge in justifying its categorisation of expenses to a government body. As was suggested by members of the committee, less effort should have been expended on balancing the books, and a more honest statement of financial difficulty should have been made. Only by recognising that the universities cannot afford to run a library, or repair roads or run an animal resources unit can the government and its agencies begin to even consider increasing financial support. This column has written before on the culture of secrecy within Trinity, though these latest developments demonstrate that it is a trait common to most, if not all, institutions of higher education in the country. While we do not wish to suggest any kind of illegal action on the part of this or any other institution, the need for transparency in all our public bodies is crystal clear. A well-run, efficiently managed institution may still hold the burden of a large deficit; conversely, an appalling shell of a university, which can barely afford to run its basic facilities, might conceivably manage to balance its figures by not holding any large capital debt. It should not require the intervention of elected officials and the sustained efforts of student groups form all over the country to tell one from the other. Less complexity is better– information should be easy to access, simple enough for the common man to understand, and adhere to a standard format.
Election promises and a pinch of salt
For the last number of years, this paper has made the same plea to the student population when the time comes to elect the sabbatical officers of next year’s Students’ Union: beware of election promises, which are all too easily forgotten. In an institution such as ours where everyday undergraduate stays only four years, the turnover between one year and the next is enormous. Of those who remain, many are apathetic in regard to student politics, and those who are enthusiastic about the topic are all too often friends, or closely associated with, the elected officers. Students’ Union sabbatical officers are paid a salary for their time. Staying within the comfortable confines of a university, and being paid for the privilege, is an attractive proposition to many, and doubtless we will see ludicrous claims from some corners as to what will be achieved should one person or another be elected. To older students, this will be a familiar experience; but to the younger population, take with a pinch of salt the promises of laser tag in front square and 24 hour library services (both of which were promised by past candidates, and which they had zero power to enact). This paper has, over the last few years, made a habit of re-examining the election promises of elected officers approximately half-way through their term of office: you can find the relevant piece on this year in our election special of this issue. Let the current candidates be aware, then, that there is a need to remember promises made once election day is long gone, and let us hope that the student body uses common sense in determining which goals are achievable, and which are nothing more than an elaborate wish which will never come true. |
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Written by Jonathan Wyse
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It has been a particularly harsh winter this year in Ireland. Although most of us enjoyed the snow, some two thousand homeless people in Dublin must have found it tremendously difficult. If you’re feeling charitable, what’s the best way of manifesting this desire to help. Should I give a homeless man cash or a coffee? Because if you’re going to try and make a difference, it’s rational to maximise.
It’s true that there are support services provided by the government to help homeless people, including shelter at night. There are probably many reasons that potential candidates may be excluded from such services though voluntarily or involuntarily – drug use, mental illness, ignorance or behavioural problems.
So who do you give your money to, to begin with? Signaling theory allows us to distinguish between fraudsters and the truly needy. Since not everyone is equally desperate, this author has taken to only donating to homeless in the early hours of the morning where possible. This policy has both costs and benefits.
Sleeping rough as an indication of genuine misfortune is pretty effective, because it’s costly to fake if you have shelter to sleep in. Thus, it’s a credible signal in the same way that expensive engagement rings are a credible signal of a suitor’s long-term commitment.
On the other hand, such opportunities arise less frequently than the chance to donate to someone sitting in the street during the day. No doubt that all such individuals are worthy of some charity, but the rational donor wants to direct his funds to the most needy location. If you restrict yourself to donating during the night, you might direct funds to the most needy but total individual donations may fall.
Given the impossibility of determining how many fraudsters solicit charity on street corners during the day, the optimal response is to consciously donate more money at night that you feel that you otherwise might have. Rather than give spare change occasionally to the drug addict who approaches you at the Luas machine, it makes sense to give a decent contribution (albeit less frequently) to someone genuinely sleeping rough at night.
So if given the choice between food and cash, what do you give the person? Let’s assume that the effort involved in purchasing the food is negligible, and that you consulted them for advice on the sandwich’s contents. If you provide the individual with cash, they can use it to purchase whatever they want – including the food that you could have chosen on their behalf. Of course, they might equally spend it on cigarettes or alcohol.
Many might consider these less pressing or more frivolous needs. They might feel uncomfortable with financing such activity – perhaps even out of concern for the individual in question. This leads them to give the sandwich rather than the cash. But the cash is the more generous gift. To let your only judgement of another individual’s preferences interfere with the efficacy of your charitable act meanwhile, is hardly altruistic.
Maybe the homeless person is making a poor choice by buying cigarettes or alcohol? Not from his perspective. If you recognise that the person is in such severe need that you are willing to provide them with charity, then your only concern should be to make them feel as happy as possible given your donation.
If the homeless person spends the cash on alcohol and cigarettes, then these goods must contribute more to their happiness than food. There’s no reason to think otherwise. By (potentially) overriding their choice and giving them food instead, you’re assuming that you know what is best for them – despite not ever being in their situation or having to ever make such a choice yourself personally.
If you give them cash, they spend it in such a way to make themselves as happy as possible. If you give them the sandwich, you’re precluding the possibility that they would be made happier by something else. Might such choices be not in the longer-term best interests of the individual? Unlikely. Since future health isn’t a pressing concern for someone on the street, you might as well make them as comfortable as possible for the time being.
Alcohol and cigarettes are also products that you’re unlikely to see yourself starve to afford. When we use the term ’starve’ here, we mean it in the most literal sense. Of course they’re likely to cut back on their food expenditure elsewhere to buy them, but why should that be any concern of yours? Give them the cash.
Of course, if we’re talking about extremely addictive drugs or serious alcoholics, this argument against cash may be stronger. For example, a crystal meth addict may seriously jeopardise his health by spending all additional income on drugs. Their short-term interests may be served by doing so, but they would clearly be better off if they took marginally better care of their health – even to the extent that this meant they could stay alive longer to consume crystal meth.
The alcoholic may find it easier to get back on his feet, or engage with public support services, if he finds it impossible to obtain alcohol. It may be painful in the short-term, but potentially good in the long-term. Does a policy of providing food and not cash make any difference in these cases? It’s pretty unlikely in the case of the alcoholic. If you meet an unhealthy-looking drug addict though, it might be worth giving them the sandwich.
Luckily, such individuals are at least somewhat identifiable. For everyone that looks like they have at least some control over their various addictions though, just give them the cash. You might feel less noble financing their cigarettes and alcohol, but they will be happier. If you’re a truly charitable person just looking to help, that should be your only concern. |
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Written by John O’Rourke
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John O’Rourke interviews the newest addition to the college chaplaincy, and his former school priest, Fr Peter Sexton.
Fr Peter Sexton SJ is a formidable man. My own earliest memory of Trinity’s latest recruit to the burgeoning chaplaincy team is of him in his role as music coordinator for Mass in my secondary school. On my first day in boarding school, I remember him at the pulpit intoning the arcane words of a Latin hymn for us to chime in and repeat. Nervous looks darted around the church as the new brood of overwhelmed twelve year olds wondered how much enthusiasm could be feigned without looking too “uncool,” before Fr Sexton launched into what we were soon to realise would be his trademark move. Moving swiftly down the aisle, he roused the entire congregation to a boisterous chant by energetically conducting the singing walking up and down the centre of the church, making us quickly realise that resistance would be futile. Our voices soon boomed out in echo, awe-struck and half afraid. As the months and years went by, these feelings were soon replaced by a deep reverence for this man of the church whose passion and commitment left a deep impression on me and my contemporaries, not least in the strange attachment to many of his favoured hymns to which quite a few of my contemporaries would still to this day confess.
Having swapped the cosy environs of secondary teaching last autumn to take on the challenging role of his new position as Catholic Chaplain for this university, Trinity News features Fr Sexton here not only to introduce him to the wider college community but also to raise awareness of the work of the chaplaincy as a whole . When asked to describe his new position, he affably responds; “My role in Trinity as chaplain? No one seems able to define the role of a university chaplain very succinctly! The full title of the University dating from 1592 is of course The College of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity - Collegium Sanctissimae Individuae Trinitatis. So I think the first role of a Christian chaplain, Catholic and Protestant, is to witness to the mysterious presence of the Trinitarian God - of Christ, of the Gospel and of the Church. How that witness is to be done is the daunting bit!
“Often I think in the simplest human way of supporting and befriending students and staff; of being available and willing to listen to people’s struggle for meaning and relationship in their lives; of being there when serious crises occur, such as the recent death of a student, not necessarily with an answer - no real crisis has an easy answer - but with a supportive and compassionate presence. Of course, the celebration of the Eucharist is central to the role of the priest, however marginal that seems at stages in the lives of many people in and out of university. I remember a wise priest psychologist onetime in a talk to parents worrying about the quality of their presence in the lives of their children recommending that their presence might be one of ‘alert indolence’! It was a creative and consoling way of looking at their role that, in my opinion, could be a useful description of a chaplain’s daily posture!”
Coming from a deeply committed religious family in Limerick, Fr Peter had been educated by the Jesuits in the Crescent for 11 years from the age of 7. “Because of the faith of my parents and the profound and daily part that faith had in our lives, the idea of becoming a priest came in and out of my mind during my secondary school years. However, in terms of career I also thought of going for Foreign Affairs and doing a BA, BL degree with that in mind. But in my final year at school I eventually decided to apply to join the Jesuits at the tender age of 18!”
As a Jesuit, he belongs to one of the most prestigious orders of the Catholic Church, renowned for their excellence in education around the world. But for him the choice was an easy one. “Why the Jesuits? Well, I had spent 11 years with them ! I never thought of joining “the clergy” as some group distinct from “the laity” - but rather of joining a community with a particular way of life. I was impressed by some of the Jesuits who had taught me and was attracted by the kind of people they were. Priesthood was not uppermost in my mind as it was a long way off as part of Jesuit formation. In fact I was ordained priest 13 years after I had joined the order, which was the norm.
The Jesuit’s remit seriously involves scholarship and learning, but teaching wasn’t one of Fr. Sexton’s motivating factors in joining the order. “Was I always focused on education? No. But I experienced the Jesuits as educationalists and once I joined probably thought I would also be in that field. Apart from an awareness of Jesuit missionary work, I had little realisation at the age of 18 of how diverse Jesuit apostolates were, even in Ireland, not to mention in countries across the world.
True, from the beginning of the order in 1540 Ignatius Loyola had always seen the key role of education at all levels and so education and scholarship have always had a major focus in our tradition. In fact, having done a BA in Classics in UCD and two years of philosophy, I have spent most of my Jesuit life in secondary education in three of the five of the Jesuit schools in Ireland - Belvedere, Gonzaga and Clongowes. So it was a very agreeable and timely change to come to Trinity this year as a chaplain!”
However Fr Peter’s career has not just restricted him to Ireland, but given him scope to visit several other countries. “It is part of the Jesuit tradition to have a global perspective and not to be limited to one country or ‘province’. Part of my formation, as that of many of my companions, was out of Ireland, particularly the nearly four years I spent in Canada for theology, during which I was ordained. Before Canada I had spent a year at Birmingham University doing an M. Ed. And then I worked for 3 years in Zimbabwe in the early 90s, teaching and accompanying young African Jesuits in formation. I’ve always felt it is good for us Irish to spend time outside Ireland and get a broader perspective on things. Living in Africa broadened my horizons considerably. Indeed I found it very difficult to return to live in Ireland after those years – life on return seemed to be much more confined and the weather didn’t help after the great open skies of Africa! It took me some time to adjust back.”
Members of the clergy have undergone a time of difficult ordeals and great upheavals in recent years, but many might still fail to recognise some other issues that affect them; “Biggest challenge in my time in the priesthood ? Probably that dark time already referred to in my adjustment back to Ireland after Africa, when I felt I had lost the sense of vitality and even meaning in my vocation or in my faith. Neither seemed to offer much consolation and the tunnel seemed endless - but it wasn’t ! The support of my brethren, family and friends enabled me to limp through that period. I don’t think I lost faith, but I had lost the sense of it for a time - and that distinction was important for me.
“Of course, dark periods in the history of the Church, such as recently in Ireland with the Murphy and Ryan reports, have been a severe and humiliating challenge also - but not to my faith, as anyone with any sense of Church history realises - unlike many journalists who have been writing about these scandals. Scandals in the Church have occurred since the very beginning of Christianity as even the slightest familiarity with the New Testament will make plain. Why ? Because the Church is a Church of mostly sinners as well as a good few saints. The Church in Ireland, and indeed worldwide, needs to be challenged vigorously on the use and misuse of authority at all levels, including of course and by no means least its exercise by the Vatican. But this critique and challenge, if it is to be valid and just, has to be done from a perspective that is balanced and historical. One of the hard things about being a priest in this country right now is that perspective seems glaringly absent. The best of human institutions have strengths and weaknesses. It is a very foolish thing to throw out the baby with the bathwater!”
This latest placement in Trinity has led to a more ecumenical environment than perhaps he may have been familiar with before. How’s he getting used to the change? “I think one of the attractive things about chaplaincy in Trinity is how closely the four of us (Julian Hamilton Methodist, Darren McCallig Anglican, and Fr Paddy Gleeson and myself Catholic) work together. We pray together once a week and formally meet after this. We run the one chaplaincy, not separate ones, and are in constant and easy communication with each other. Even the free soup and rolls on Tuesdays is an ecumenical project! Of course there are denominational differences that reflect the larger Church. I was surprised when I came on hearing of the denominational backgrounds of students today with 10% or so Protestant, meaning mainly Anglican, Methodist or Presbyterian, and over 80% Catholic background. I might have realised that Trinity reflects the national pattern.
This is not my first ecumenical experience however. When I was studying theology in Toronto the ambience there was very ecumenical - the Toronto School of Theology was made up a number of Catholic and Protestant colleges, and students took courses from the different traditions. One of the most influential persons in my own life was a Minister of the United Church of Canada, Bob Giuliano, under whose tutelage I did a 3 month clinical pastoral course in two Ontario prisons. He was a powerful and most perceptive man of God, one of the best preachers I have ever heard, who affected hugely my way of understanding ministry and has been a life-long friend.” |
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Written by Shane Quinn
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DRAIN IN NORTHWEST CONCERNING
It’s emerged that more young people leave counties Derry and Tyrone than anywhere else in Northern Ireland to attend universities on the mainland.
The figures were provided to Foyle MLA Martina Anderson by Employment and Learning Minister Reg Empey as part of an answer to an Assembly question on the future expansion of Magee.
The Minister indicated he is exploring proposals for expansion at Magee. Ms. Anderson says the limits being imposed on Magee at the moment constitute a brain drain which is affecting the economy of Derry.
CASH INJECTION FOR BORDER REGION
A major funding package has been announced for a cross border project on the Donegal–Fermanagh border.
The Special EU Programmes Body has allocated €8.3 million to the Termon Project in Pettigo and Tullyhommon. The project marks the completion of over three years work by the planning departments in Lifford and Enniskillen.
Cllr Barry O’Neill is Chairperson of the Donegal Electoral Area: he says this will significantly enhance and regenerate the village of Pettigo.
JESUIT ABUSE APOLOGY
The head of a Catholic order in Germany has apologised for the systematic sex abuse apparently committed by two priests at a prestigious Berlin school.
Fr Stefan Dartmann said students at the Jesuit-run Canisius College had complained in 1981, much earlier than the order had previously admitted.
The Jesuit said he was ashamed that the college and the order had left the complaint unanswered.
The number of victims was greater than originally believed, he added.
“I apologise that those responsible at the time did not investigate and react as they should have done,” said Fr Dartmann.
He said he was aware of 25 cases not just in Berlin, but at two other Catholic schools in Hamburg and in the Black Forest, where the priests had been transferred.
Most of the victims had been boys aged around 13 or 14, but young girls were also targeted for abuse.
SAUDI CHILD DROPS DIVORCE PETITION
A 12-year-old girl in Saudi Arabia has withdrawn her request for a divorce from her 80-year-old husband.
The girl, from Qaseem province east of Riyadh, was married last September in return for a dowry of $22,600 (£14,174) paid to her father.
She and her mother had asked a court to annul the marriage on the grounds the girl had been raped.
But now the girl has withdrawn her petition, saying she wants to respect her father’s wishes.
“I agree to the marriage. I have no objection. This is in filial respect to my father and obedience to his wish,” she was quoted as telling the court by the Okaz newspaper.
The girl’s situation was made public in January when a journalist from the Al-Riyadh newspaper encountered the girl, and she begged the reporter to save her.
The lawyer appointed to help the girl said her mother had not informed him of her child’s change of heart, it was reported. |
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Written by Orla Donnelly
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Prospective students are told that Trinity College has the largest research library in Ireland.It has unparalleled resources of 4.5 million printed volumes, almost 300,000 electronic sources and an extensive collection of literary, historical and political manuscripts being accessible to its students; CAO applicants could be in no doubt that the library is a force of knowledge to be contended with. But what do these facts actually mean to the current students?
To deduce the value of the facilities and in true amateur boxing fashion: introducing in the red and black corner, Trinity’s big five; and in the blue corner (because their other colours are irrelevant), the UCD Library challengers.
Round 1
The struggle for longer hours has been contended since the beginning of time; prospective SU Presidents can win and lose a campaign if they fail to moan about the inequalities of access provided by the two institutions. But on closer examination, the two systems are relatively equal. In the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences weight class Trinity’s Ussher, Lecky and Berkeley are confidently defeated by the Stillorgan Road contender, the latter outshining with a formidable nine and a half more entry hours each and every week. However the combined force of our very own John Stearne Medical and Hamilton libraries stomp on the meagre attempt of the UCD counterparts with a splendiferous display of 26 and a half extra hours of access to fantastic and fun materials. Given that the accommodation of vampires and those inexcusable early birds is equally neglected by the socially acceptable hours maintained in both institutions, it would seem the first bout is tied.
Round 2
As our mighty intervarsity battle continues it is fraught by inner turmoil as students continue to reject authority and baulk in the face of the fines and rules imposed on them. However one should not be too quick to remove many of our rules as they may prove decisive in our battle.
While UCD and Trinity reserve the right to charge students 50 cent per day for late returns and both introduce Superfines to ensure that book hoarders and forgetful students do not prohibit other users from access during exam times, and given that both operating kindly prompt reminder emails, there seems little between the contenders.
Both reserve the right of eviction for mobile phone usage, food consumption and blatant disregard of noise limits; UCD however takes a hard right hook by enforcing a €20 fine for seemingly nonsensical matters, such as bringing lab coats into the library, trailing cable and the use of ceiling sockets (which could be heightist).
A popular rumor circulates and threatens to sway the bout in the challenger’s favour, namely that the proceeds of the fines do not go to replace books (lost or defaced) but rather fund a Trinity staff party. It is my pleasure to quickly dismiss such idle gossip and announce that Trinity takes the round on points.
As the fighters take a well deserved breather, the commentator would like to assure staff that as a middle of the range student, I relish the fact that the assigned reading of the hundred plus pages is made considerably shorter when a previous and more knowledgeable student has taken the time to highlight the most important passages. I would prefer if the money went to drinks rather than removing my crash course guide to study.
Round 3
Rocky would still be collecting debts without his trainer Mickey, as such our match also relies on the performance of the managers. In other words let’s weigh the staff. The stereotypical seventy-odd bespectacled librarian, who is detached from reality is, unfortunately, only confined to novels now, so we must content ourselves with the modern versions. (But if a specimen of the former is produced the referee would happily hand victory to its institution.)
Returning to the contest; the young staff of Trinity definitely start strong in the field of customer service even before admittance. The understanding ladies and gentlemen at Trinity’s admissions counter do not judge you, even the fifth time your student card has mysteriously sauntered from your possession and the accepting security guards will readily allow you to pass through the gate when you feel unable to tackle the swipe system.
Having lived in both camps, (a short flirtation with UCD in 2005) I should try to describe the terror (alien to Trinity folk) when approaching the counter in UCD. The unhappy creature that barely glances from the mountain of returns under which it is buried will wearily agree to place your request with a grunt or a snap, before returning to its original task.
Job satisfaction appears a distant thought; happiness is neatly ordered in accordance with the Dewey Decimal System for outside of work.
A benefit of lesser student numbers and an apparent camaraderie amidst staff places Trinity on the brink of success.
The quantity of sources is approximately equal in both institutions, as both are endowed with the privilege of legal deposit (meaning all publishers and distributors in the UK and Ireland must deliver a copy of the publication to the libraries), but the swift uppercut of UCD having the space to store their volumes directly on campus throws Trinity off centre.
As Dublin City enclosed our College the libraries were forced to look outside the walls and develop an Argos-style system for many obscurer subjects. Trinity’s library website appears to mitigate this discrepancy by maintaining that stack requests will usually be delivered within 24 to 48 hours, depending on location and, of course, traffic.
But at present there seems to be no equating UCD with the substandard service of the mysterious gatekeepers of knowledge who reside in the mythical land of Santry. A student who shall remain nameless was informed that the material was not available “as the shelves it is kept on are broken and it cannot be retrieved.” The friendly face at counter services was not enough to quash the disappointment and the offering of a pen to sign a petition to fix said shelf, was more than inadequate.
It seems that service with a smile does nothing to balance Trinity’s footing as UCD’s prompt albeit unlikeable facilitation goes unequalled.
Round 4
As Trinity was floundering towards the brink of failure; it pulls a secret and final bonus library from its corner. The old library stands magnanimous as one of Ireland’s greatest buildings (the proof being that it has a feature role in Star Wars), but it is not this feat of architecture and the brilliance of George Lucas that hands the victory to our dear Provost’s hands. UCD libraries, hold your industrial-estate-looking heads in shame for your failure to promote student enterprise.
When a Trinity student is in need of an extra few euro for lunch one need look no further than the queue of photo-loving tourists that our Oldie provides. Strike a bargain with up to three of these people and – hey presto! – they get in for less and you may get enough for a Spar lunch deal! (These transactions should remain private contracts at all times.)
Due to budgetary constraints some research must inevitably be confined to the World Wide Web. But the next time a Danish, engineering or medical source cannot be provided, try to remember that in Ireland the power of the Red and Black is insurmountable.
As one of the greatest philosophers once said, “always look on the bright side of life.” And thank Kells that we’re not in UCD. Although Monty Python’s works are only available in stacks so you might prefer to try Xtravision. |
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