Exposures festival, the annual film and moving image festival dedicated exclusively to showcasing the work of students, returns this Tuesday 16 November to the Cornerhouse. This year it will feature a line-up of evenings with established directors and screenwriters sharing their experiences of the industry as well as previewing screenings of films competing for several coveted awards.
We need the Right to Recall Porter
The NUS’s anti-cuts strategy is absurd and its proposals for funding reforms regressive. It’s time students regained control of the debate.
Refugee Charity to Celebrate Paul Robeson
Local human rights charity RAPAR and writers group Commonword Press will be hosting an evening in celebration of American singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson on Wednesday 10 November.
BBC disrupted as NUJ strike over pensions
BBC services in Greater Manchester were disrupted as the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) conducted a 48-hour strike over pensions reforms which they say will cause members to lose tens of thousands of pounds.
MULE congratulates Clare Sambrook
MULE contributor Clare Sambrook is the winner of this year’s Paul Foot Award for investigative and campaigning journalism for her work on the detention of children asylum seekers. Clare spoke to us about her work and reaction on winning the prestigious accolade.
Phil Woolas ejected from parliament
Oldham East MP and shadow immigration minister Phil Woolas was ejected from parliament today after a court ruled that he had broken election laws by falsely claiming Muslim extremists were supporting the campaign of his Liberal Democrat rival.
Proposals threaten Children’s hospital with massive funding cut
Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital could lose up to a third of its funding as part of a nationwide cut to children’s hospitals, Department of Health proposals have revealed.
Theatre Review: ‘Plain Jane’ at the Royal Exchange Theatre
‘I want to break her’ are the words uttered by the imperious Becki, in a work that explores teenage female bullying set against the background of divisions wrought by social class. Mohsin Iqbal reviews for MULE.
Review: Apollo: This is For All Mankind performed by Icebreaker and BJ Cole
The ethereal soundscape of Brian Eno’s 1983 ambient album Apollo: Atmospheres and Landscapes was brought to life by Icebreaker last Wednesday, as the the Royal Northern College of Music hosted a one-off performance as part of the Manchester Science Festival.
Fight to Save South Manchester Law Centre gains momentum
With a week to go before the next hearing in the ongoing legal challenge to restore funding to South Manchester Law Centre, campaign organisers have called for people to join them in front of the court next Monday, 8 November, to continue the show of community solidarity.
Protesters target Vodafone “tax dodgers”
Protesters claiming that Vodafone owes the public £6bn in unpaid taxes shut down the phone company’s store in Manchester City Centre on Saturday as part of a nationwide day of action, during which shops were also closed in central London, Brighton, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hastings, Liverpool, Oxford and York.
Comment: A total innocent has been sentenced to death while the criminal flees the courtroom
What a difference a year makes. Back in 2009, finance was public enemy number one. The lunatic expansion and under-regulation of dodgy financial services had precipitated an economic crash that destroyed tax revenues and stretched dole queues. The bailouts transferred tens of billions of public money into the black holes of bank balance sheets. If [...]
Review: Richard Herring’s ‘Christ on a Bike – the Second Coming’ at the Frog and Bucket
Following his critically acclaimed Hitler Moustache Richard Herring resurrects his Christ on a Bike show from 2001. As ever Herring’s performance is sharp, witty and intelligent, and was warmly received by a full house at the Frog and Bucket on Tuesday 26 October.
The cuts and the North West: provisional implications
However much the Conservative Party paid Rooney to divert everyone’s attention over the last few days, it has been money well spent. The Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) announced this Wednesday in parliament is the most strident attack on the welfare state in a generation, but there has barely been a hint of protest as yet. [...]
Students Union boycotts RBS
The University of Manchester Students Union (UMSU) has passed a motion to boycott the Royal Bank of Scotland. The motion, passed on 20 October, included a resolution to “cease all relationships with the Royal Bank of Scotland” for being in breach of the Union’s ethical policy. The policy states the Union shall “not operate in [...]
Review: ‘Enron’ at the Lowry
“There was a warning – and its name was Enron.” So runs our understanding of the energy giant’s collapse in 2001, which is now recognised as one of the corporate world’s largest ever accounting frauds. Rupert Goold’s masterful production of recent history leaves you both brilliantly entertained and ominously haunted at the same time.
MULE link up with Dissident Island Radio
Earlier this month MULE linked up with London DIY radio crew Dissident Island. You can listen to what they got up to here.
Manchester TUC issue call for action against cuts
With the long awaited Comprehensive Spending Review now upon us, the Manchester Trades Union Council (TUC) has organised a series of protests in opposition to cuts that it describes as “the biggest attack on working class living standards in living memory”.
Council Chief Clings to Cash
As Manchester prepares for the Government’s Spending Review MULE tried to speak to Sir Howard Bernstein, the Council’s Chief Executive who recently dismissed calls that town hall chiefs should take pay cuts.
Interview with playwright Alistair McDowall
Alistair McDowall’s newest play, Plain Jane, is set to open at the Royal Exchange Theatre on October 19 and runs until October 23. MULE caught up with the playwright for a chat about bullying, male-centric society and his influences.