r—

lETTERS

Ride in the whirlwind

So the government may. or may not. introduce a ‘student’s charter’ and may. or may not. consult with student representatives in drawing it up (The List Student Guide). How interesting.

Over the summer break thousands ofstudents have been unable to get work. With absolutely no benefits available to them. those without parents who can support them have literally been going hungry. Many will have been forced to drop out of college altogether. It‘s worth spelling out students are not entitled to any state benefit. either during term time or in the holidays. A student's annual income (ifthey get a full grant) is less than that of someone on supplementary benefit. and unlike those on supplementary they do not get their rent paid by the housing benefit.

In the light ofthis. a document not even drawn up yet. which may possibly assert a few frankly insulting ‘rights‘ (such as giving students the choice whether or not they join the union) hardly deserves a paragraph let alone a full page article.

So it‘s going to be a ‘document which may change the face of university and college education forever‘ and a ‘major transformation‘ is it? I should think that by now everyone must recognise this as yet another Tory PR gloss over yet another rotting system.

Sian Bayne Sciennes Edinburgh.

Easy Rider

Anyone else noticed the especially nauseous line in the new McDonald‘s TV advert? The bit where the piggy-faced chap sits down to his nouvelle cuisine as the voice-over goes ‘I could murder a Big Mac‘. Well. Bub. they‘ve murdered one for you.

While we’re on the subject of getting away with murder. has anyone else noticed the especially nauseous guitar line in the new Happy Mondays single? The bit where the piggy-faced chap plays the Burger King jingle over the tune to ‘Come Clean' by our very own BMX Bandits? Next time it‘s on. marvel at

cuscow mo EDINBURGH m

GOT IT , COVERED

/

Who will the Chancellor blame next? Is there life after the Lemonheads? Who is this Bob Roberts person anyway. and where can you vote for him? If you like to be heard. tell it how it is in an epistle to the trendiest letters page since St Paul left

Corinth. Who knows. you might even win a bottle ofJose Cuervo Gold Tequila.

how ‘Asthey say. At BK. . .‘ sticks in your head for days afterwards. We think Shaun and Bez should ‘Come Clean‘. How much are they getting from the corporate cow killers for that one? And how much are BK paying for the video? And. is Mr Bandit even getting a spicy beanburger and coke for the melody?

Douglas Liddle and Alan Kirk

Bank Street

Glasgow. av. JOSE .V.

'os‘

. BUERVI] -

Sterling work there. Douglas and Alan. Yes, your quite pithy enough for us, and yes. rush yourselves up to

our Glasgow Office, where a bottle of

the very wonderful Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila awaits.

Tommy

Tommy Sheridan is over optimistic in his belief that a mass non-payment campaign will stop the privatisation ofthe Scottish Water industry (The List 185, Agenda). Non-payment of water bills is a very different proposition to non-payment of the Poll Tax. Unlike the councils. who were unable to disenfranchise people from council services. the privatised water authorities will be able to cut off people‘s water supply and they will not have to employ Sheriff Officers to do it for them either. Not being able to flush the toilet. bath the children or make a cup of tea will be a massive disincentive for those who might otherwise be in the ‘can pay. won‘t

9 pay‘ camp.

Ifit ever reaches the point that Hands Off Our Water have to ‘physically block the installation of water meters'. then the campaign will have already been lost. We need to persuade the merchant bankers and small business people that selling Scotland’s water is not a good idea. Given the vast tracts of countryside. glens. mountains and lochs. which will also be sold. this should not be too difficult. The significant factor in defeating any water privatisation proposals will be opposition from Tory supporters. As the article pointed out. less than 10 per cent of them support water privatisation in Scotland.

Stan Baker Kersland Street Glasgow

The last detail

Has any other reader noticed the similarity between last issue‘s letter headings and the films ofJonathan Demme? Are they by any chance related and why are there so many letters from bleeding-heart vegetarians? I think we should be told and I should be given the tequila for being so perspicacious!

Ann Douglas

Warrender Park Road

Edinburgh

Broadcast news

I was disappointed to read in your review of the new Paisley-based radio station O96 in the Student Guide. a derogatory statement about our coverage of ‘local pop groups‘. I was particularly upset as I present a show solely for Scottish

NEXT ISUE our THURSDAY 22 OCTOBER

bands. I have done this show since the birth of 096 on 1 September.

The show airs on Monday nights at 7pm and features rareties from ‘known acts’. a weekly gig guide. new music news. interviews. up-coming sessions and. primarily. puts the spotlight on new bands.

As I have just moved to Scotland from California. I am tenacioust trying to acquire new music from managers. record labels. and the bands themselves. A little support from such a prominent magazine as yours would not only be extremely beneficial for the show. but also would be appreciated by me!

Thea D. Newcomb

O96 FM Ltd.

PO BOX 96

Paisley PA1 ZNS.

Consideryoursel f supported Thea. And don 'tforget. pop producers. there are Paisley punters panting for your product. so get your best tracks ofro Thea at Q96. Pronto.

Terms of endearment

I. for one. can live with ‘mockumentary‘ to describe the very wonderful Bob Roberts as Trevor Johnston has it in the most recent issue of The List. But while I do not have a problemperse. with his ‘era ofmall-rat movie mulcherama‘. I wonder if it might not be useful for you to provide a lexicon with future editions of The List?

Simon Shaw

Marlborough Street

Portobcllo.

Post Script

Address your letters to:

The List Letters at:

14 High Street.

Edinburgh EI-II I'I‘E.

Of

Old Athenaeum Theatre.

179 Buchanan Street.

Glasgow G l ZJZ.

Of

Fax them to: ()31 557 8500.

We will not print your full address or phone number. but you must include them. Deadline is the Friday before publication. Keep them pithy. as long letters may be cut. The best letter next issue will win a bottle of J ose Cuervo Gold Tequila.

Brace up: Chekhov torn apart by The Wooster Group Fry up: World torn apart by the Jeeves and Wooster groupie Bottoms up: 30 years of Scottish Opera

UP, UP AND AWAY AS Cliff Richards and Tom Jones come to town, plus The Temptations, French Film Festival, Julian

1 Hits videos and albums to be won! -- ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!

Cope, Trisha Brown, Punt and Dennis, European Dance Festival. Peta Lily and a whole load of Simple Minds Greatest

80 The List 9 - 22 October 1992

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