Gair Rhydd 1036 - 3 Nov 2014

gair rhydd

In this week’s issue: Russell Brand and politics, journalistic ethics for the lay-person, the future of digital learning, and how your organs are being harvested by the Welsh government

Cardiff thieves “targeting pre-drinks”

Taxi drivers also linked to rise in break-ins while students on nights out

EXCLUSIVE:

Georgia

Hamer

There is a rising trend in Cathays of ‘predrinks burglaries’ believed by police to be a result of communication between burglars and taxi drivers.

In recent months a number of student houses have been broken in to shortly after residents have left for a night out. is has led to speculation by police that taxi drivers are acting as informants, letting networks know when student houses will be empty for the night.

Further concerns have been raised

by the on-going campaign to remove ‘to let signs’ from houses in Cathays. e signs identify houses as student houses and increase the risk of them being broken into over Christmas whilst students are away.

Second year Dentistry student at Cardiff University, Jess Elliot, and her three housemates were broken into a week before Fresher’s week when they went out for the night.

£700 cash, phones, jewellery, designer clothing and laptops were stolen from the property.

Speaking to Gair Rhydd, Jess said that the burglars had “taken time to raid every room and empty cupboards and drawers to locate valuable items.

One of my housemates even had money hidden in the pages of a book which they managed to find.

“Police suggested that it was a planned burglary as it was clear that those involved knew that we would not be returning for a long period of time.”

Students have been warned by authorities to avoid ordering taxis

to come directly to their houses and instead meet at a local convenience store.

It is also advised that mobiles are used to call taxis as opposed to landlines where the call can be traced back to an address.

In a conversation with Gair Rhydd, Student Liaison Officer, PC Tim Davies, stressed that the link between taxi drivers and burglaries is merely conjecture and at present no one has been arrested in connection with aiding and abetting a robbery.

Continued on page 4

Pictured: A pre-drinks session in Cathays (Photographer: Gair Rhydd)

THE FREE WORD

EDITOR

Michael O’Connell-Davidson

DEPUTY EDITOR

Georgia Hamer

GAIR RHYDD CO-ORDINATOR

Elaine Morgan

NEWS

Georgia Hamer

Katie Evans

Alexander Norton

Anna Lewis

COMMENT

Anne Porter

Olivier van den Bent-Kelly

Zach Hughes

COLUMNIST

Jason Roberts

POLITICS

Carwyn Williams

Lauren Boyd

Rhiannon Tapp

SCIENCE

Shanna Hamilton

Meryon Roderick

SOCIETIES

Hannah Sterritt

TAF-OD

Steffan Bryn Jones

Morgan Owen

SPORT

David Hooson

Rory Benson

Joe Atkinson

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Sum Sze Tam

Steffan Thomas Amin Rali

Lauren Johnson

Want to join the team?

We hold editorial conferences each Monday on 5PM in the student media office on the Third Floor of the union, so come along with any ideas you have.

Write us a letter

Send letters to letters@gairrhydd.com. Letters are subject to publication, and may be edited slightly for readability or because of production constraints

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At Gair Rhydd we take seriously our responsibility to maintain the highest possible standards. If you believe we have fallen below these standards, please email editor@gairrhydd.com

You can view our Ethical Policy Statement and Complaints Procedure at www.cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/ complaints

On Journalistic Ethics

Gair Rhydd is a flawed product by its very nature. It is equal parts retrospective and prediction - a snapshot in time that’s out of date before it even goes to print. Our conferences on Monday are such that the ideas we have are woefully out of date by Thursday morning, and the ideas we have on Thursday are sometimes out of date on Friday.

This isn’t our fault, though. It’s just the way it is when it comes to weekly papers. Indeed, you’ll find the scenario is exactly the same at the Observer, the Mail on Sunday, and probably even most of the weekly current affairs magazines. We produce the view from our newsroom and we hope that people appreciate it; we have seven days to reflect upon achievements and mis-steps in equal measure.

We get a lot of people who see it both ways. For every email we get that says we’ve produced an excellent report or investigation, we get a snide comment about typos (SHOCK! People make mistakes), or we get told that that we’ve misrepresented something or somebody. I welcome this, because you don’t provoke conversation by telling people things they already know. You don’t provoke conversation by reassuring people. If something’s not controversial, or, rather, deliberately uncontroversial, it’s probably not worth saying. It’s not our job to run press releases on the front page - that’s the job of this institution’s communication departments. And god bless them, because they work hard to bring this institution’s research to the world, and that’s a vital part of attracting both the talent and investment that make this university worth attending.

But promotion isn’t our job, and nor is it to show only positive experiences. Sometimes we might report on stories that affect 5% of students - perhaps even only 0.5% of students - and those experiences might portray certain departments or this university as a whole negatively. I might

have a vested interest in the reputation of my degree being the best it can be, but it’s my responsibility as an editor and a journalist to tell the stories that are being ignored. Mark my words: if we only ran positive stories, we’d be misleading the majority and letting down the minority. This paper would become a battleground of student brand ambassadors and vested interests, and for want of better terminology, that’s not really my thing.

That isn’t to say that it’s my intention to create conflict where there is none. There’s no justice in manufacturing grievances, and there’s no point creating a culture of fear when there’s no reason to be scared. Journalism doesn’t have to be inherently adversarial, and I hope we get the opportunity to prove that without simply toeing the line of the organisation at large. Equally, I hope that we get to prove that to those that are afraid of journalism who’re kind and honest at heart. Because, realistically, our interests should align. They don’t always - both Gair Rhydd and the university have blind spots, and organisations that large are going to be rough around the edges - but promoting “the truth” as far as it can be established is the most . And the truth is really all I’m interested in - I would not print a lie, and that means that I genuinely believe everything I’ve written above, and everything that I’ve sent to print as editor.

With that in mind, I want to turn this conversation around. Since taking this job, I have endured ruminations of cover-ups and conspiracy theories, and Gair Rhydd has been at the heart. I consider journalism to be a sort of detective work, which means that when it comes to stories, I’m primarily concerned about one thing: evidence.

I won’t comment on anything directly (partly because that would afford said rumours unwarranted legitimacy, but also because this editorial is not aimed at anybody in particular), but what

I will say is this: during my time as Gair Rhydd editor, not one person has given me the impression that they want to see this publication censored. Further, in my three years in the office, I have never seen or heard of a story being spiked (journo lingo for ‘cancelled’ or ‘binned’) because it would risk the reputation of either the University or the Students’ Union.

I have seen plenty of stories get spiked because there was no evidence, or because there was no story, or because publishing said story would break the law or violate an injunction. There are those that find the above hard to understand, and think that not reporting on every conspiracy as though it was fact is implicit proof that we’re covering something up. But the reality is that we do investigate every conspiracy theory, every tip-off, and every weird story from Talybont. When we’re this hungry for exclusives, why wouldn’t we? We want Gair Rhydd to be Cardiff University’s newspaper of record in both form and function. With that in mind, I challenge the conspirators and contrarians to produce evidence or hold their peace. If there’s something we’re missing, email me proof. Tell me a story, or give me what it takes to help my team tell the stories in our blind spots. If all you have are half-baked theories and legally dubious conjectures, then whatever you think you might have, you don’t have a story. In the clearest possible terms, it’s my job to establish the truth to the fullest extent I can from this poorly air-conditioned office. I do that on top of my studies and the mundane obligations that come with modern life; neither myself nor my team have much of a budget, but I think we do a damn good regardless. So I’ll say it again: if you think we’re covering something up, or we’re deliberately ignoring a story that needs to be told, get in touch with us. I’m always happy to explain my decisions, because a decision I can’t explain is a mistake.

We’re bringing a new section to Gair Rhydd

This year’s newspaper is probably one of the most transparent iterations of the Gair Rhydd ever. We’ve opened up our editorial meetings to the public, so that anybody can set the news agenda if they’ve got an idea. Anybody can see what we consider news and what values inform our decisions. There are no pre-requisites to visiting us and raising issues that affect them or those they know, and what has resulted are some pretty amazing stories.

But not everybody is a writer, and not everybody has the time to attend an editorial conference. So with that in mind, we’re bringing letters back to Gair Rhydd. If you’ve been effected by a story, or you feel like you’re part of a group or community that isn’t being represented, I encourage you to write in and tell us what we’re doing wrong. Provided we have the space, we’ll endeavour to print the best letters we receive.

I know that there have been concerns raised in the past that Gair Rhydd is something of a walled garden, and I’m doing everything I can to tear down those walls. I know that there have been

some concerns that Gair Rhydd is very much dominated by a “British” view, particularly when it comes to Welsh politics and this country’s ongoing narrative of devolution. Equally, I know that there has been a sense that Gair Rhydd tends too far to the left and marginalises students who are right-of-centre politically. That’s largely down to writers, and, while I can’t change their views, I can field questions and queries from those who don’t have the time to write full-on editorials or would perhaps feel too intimidated to come to one of our meetings. Letters allow me to do that in a transparent manner - so email letters@gairrhydd.com with your comments, and, from the next issue, you’ll start seeing the praise and pejoratives we receive in equal measure.

We can do more than that, though, so I’m also bringing a section in to contextualise the news. We talk about shoddy landlords, mould, bedbugs, but we’ve largely neglected the opportunity we have to educate people on how to avoid those problems or prevent issues that damage their experience at university. Is it the responsibility of

news editors? Probably not. It doesn’t fit in comment, either. So it is, then, that we’ve recognised a need for a demarcated advice section.

This content will sit alongside our letters and be a part of a wider initiative to produce more two-way content in Gair Rhydd. Some of the best publications in the world are built on this sort of content, and, while it’s not news, it will assist in making Gair Rhydd even more useful as an independent product written and put together by students.

I have a very talented editor who’ll be joining the team to look after the section, and I think it’s a super exciting time to be part of Gair Rhydd. This publication has an exceptionally strong journalistic tradition that I’d love to continue. This move will assist in making Gair Rhydd a more complete product - hopefully, we’ll conclude this year as not only the most transparent Gair Rhydd team ever, but also the best. The competition is pretty stiff, but looking at the names on the left hand side of this page, I’ve got full faith that we’re already on the way there.

Alexander Norton

Campus In Brief

Construction has begun on the new £44m Cardiff University Brain Imaging Centre, with the discipline having outgrown its existing Cathays Park base. The development marks the first phase of a planned £300m investment in a new world class research park adjacent to the Hadyn Ellis building.

Xpress Radio is to launch a new flagship debate programme, airing once a fortnight on Wednesdays between 5-7pm. The first show, scheduled for 5th November, will feature guests including former Students’ Union president Cari Davies and Women’s Association chair Rachael Melhuish investigating sexism in university sport.

Last week’s Welsh BAFTAs, held at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay, featured an award sponsored by Cardiff University. The ‘Best Factual Series’ category was won by BBC3’s ‘The Call Centre’, which narrowly beat competition from ‘The Hill Farm’ and ‘Taith Fawr y Dyn Bach’.

The newly renovated Y Plas hosted one of its biggest gigs to date last week, with twenty-one year old singer-songwriter George Ezra selling out the venue on the evening of 30th October. The artist, preceded by former Smiths member Johnny Marr earlier in the month, is set to be followed by the likes of Kids in Glass Houses and The Kooks in the coming weeks.

Google executive Alan Eustace has broken the world record for highest free fall after jumping from a height of over 135,000 feet.

Cardiff Business School has played host to the tenth annual ‘Superwoman’ conference, which welcomes women who have carved successful careers in finance and other disciplines. The event was opened with a speech by 2008 Olympic gold medallist cyclist Nicole Cook MBE, who recently received an MBA from the institution.

The universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter have launched their new ‘GW4 Alliance’ at an event at the House of Commons in London. University vice-chancellor and chairman of GW4’s council Colin Riordan said the group’s collaborative efforts were capable of “powering innovation and driving growth” in the local economies of South West England and Wales.

NATIONAL

This week saw jogger Dean Farley collide with Prime Minister David Cameron as the Conservative leader was on a visit to Leeds. Farley, a hospital worker, was tackled by police and taken into custody for over an hour before being released. He later claimed that he had no idea who he had run in to.

The Royal Air Force scrambled two Typhoon fighter jets in response to erratic movements by a Latvian cargo plane above southern England, with the Antonov An-26 – due to fly to Birmingham –quickly escorted to London Stansted airport. The RAF later Tweeted an apology to local residents for any alarm provoked by the resulting sonic boom.

British number one Andy Murray, 27, qualified for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals at London’s O2 arena following a run of four consecutive titles. Murray’s participation in the season finale, reserved for the top eight ranked players in the world, had been in doubt after an inconsistent campaign yblighted by recovery from back surgery.

Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones has travelled to India to promote ties between the two nations. Having met Finance & Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, spoken to representatives of leading technology firms and visited the Taj Mahal, the Welsh Labour leader returned home on Thursday.

The father of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne has been founded dead at his home in Kent. Fortyfive year old Michael Payne came to prominence following the abduction of his daughter in 2000, which attracted a prolonged period of national media attention. The former airport worker was reportedly struggling with alcohol.

The clocks went back one hour in the United Kingdom on Sunday morning, with British Summer Time coming to a close as the seasonal darkness closes in. Greenwich Mean Time will

now be in effect until 29th March, on which date the clocks will move forward once more.

WORLD

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has announced his homosexuality in an interview with ‘Bloomberg Businessweek’, telling the publication that he is “proud to be gay”. The fifty-three year old, who succeeded Steve Jobs in 2011, has challenged his home state of Alabama to enshrine LGBT rights in law.

An unmanned NASA rocket exploded just six seconds after take off from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia after engineers opted to abort the malfunctioning Antares craft. The rocket had been due to take supplies to the International Space Station.

North Korea has announced that it is to quarantine all visitors for a twenty-one day period over Ebola fears. The infamously secretive communist state currently welcomes an extremely limited number of outsiders - but the government has now moved to prohibit travel by all tourists and business visitors in the wake of the epidemic.

Google executive Alan Eustace has broken the world record for highest free fall after jumping from a height of over 135,000 feet. The fifty-seven year old beat the record set by Felix Baumgartner and Red Bull in 2012, achieving speeds in excess of 820mph in his fifteen-minute descent back to Earth.

The military government of Burkina Faso have announced a series of emergency measures as civilian protests intensified. President Blaise Compaore, who has ruled the west African nation for twenty-seven years, is aiming to extend his stint in office.

Two of Formula One’s eleven teams have declared themselves bankrupt in the space of a week. Caterham and Marussia - who both joined the grid in 2010 - are likely to miss at least two of the season’s final three races.

Pictured: Cardiff University Main Building (Photographer: Gair Rhydd) Got something to announce? Anything interesting happen to you? Have your say: letters@ gairrhydd.com

Burglaries in Cathays linked to crooked cabbies (cont’d)

Davies commented that students generally make a lot of noise before going out and in many cases it is not hard for burglars to identify which houses to target.

He did note, however, that a trend has been appearing in recent cases.

A number of students have reported to have ordered taxis to their houses on the night they were burgled and recalled the driver asking them questions about where they were going and how long they would be out for.

When asked what his advice would be for students, Davies said: “If you’re going out make sure that you leave a light on or a radio and pretend that someone is in. If anyone asks questions about where you are going and for how long, don’t answer them.”

“If students are suspicious of a taxi driver it is vital that they take down the licence plate number and alert the police.”

e majority of burglars gain entry through back doors and open windows. Davies stated that police are currently working with landlords to change door handles and put restrictors on windows so that they will not open far enough for someone to gain entry to the property.

In a continuing partnership with Cardiff Council, South Wales Police visited over 100 student houses in Cathays over the summer as part of a crime prevention exercise.

e primary aim of the project is to prevent burglaries by working with landlords to ensure that multioccupied rented accommodation is made more secure.

Each of the properties were checked for security, fire safety and waste issues. 135 properties were surveyed, of which a staggering 49 were deemed to be unsafe.

In a statement, PCSO, Fran Richards, said: “ is partnership work is about ensuring students are as safe as possible while they are living in Cardiff and keeping burglars away from the area.”

“Burglary can be an extremely traumatic experience and South Wales Police is committed to preventing break-ins and arresting those responsible.

“Burglars don’t want to force entry so as always we would ask people to fit good quality door locks and to keep them locked.

“In general landlords have responded positively and have even made improvements to their other properties outside of the streets we have checked.”

In addition to this, South Wales Police and Cardiff Council have created a film offering helpful tips and advice for students living in rented accommodation.

e film highlights the ways in which student accommodation may become vulnerable to possible criminals and what can be done to make their term-time homes secure.

PC Tim Davies said:  “We have been working in partnership with Cardiff Council to make students more aware of the need to be vigilant and to take care of their possessions.

“ e arrival of students into the city for the new university year tends to see a spike in burglaries and we

Petition launched against ‘lad’ Vine star’s Union appearance

hope this film will make students more aware of their surroundings and take appropriate measures to keep their homes secure.”

Ben Moore, third year Engineering student at Cardiff University, and his eight housemates were burgled over the Christmas period.

Speaking about the incident Ben said: “We got broken into over Christmas, the police said that they must have used some relatively heavy duty equipment to break through the doors. It was clear the burglary was premeditated, they knew we wouldn’t be living in the property at the time.”

“ ey stole a 32-inch flat screen TV, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Go Pro Camera box. Fortunately they left the Go Pro and my Xbox 360.

“ e whole experience made me much more conscious about security.”

One of Ben’s housemates also commented that: “Our house wasn’t very secure, the back door was easily broken and accessible through the back garden.”

Another said: “After being burgled I often felt unsafe when alone by myself in our house. It was unnerving to think someone had been through my stuff.”

A campaign to take down to let signs has raised concerns that the boards indentify houses as student houses, making them more susceptible to being burgled, particularly over Christmas and Easter.

Earlier this year Cardiff Central MP, Jenny Willott, told Gair Rhydd that she has been working “for a long

An online petition calling for the Students’ Union to cancel a planned appearance by ‘sexist’ comedian Dapper Laughs has gained over five hundred signatures in fortyeight hours.

The petition, organised by Cardiff University students, condemned the comedian for his “trivialisation of rape, unprotected sex and dehumanisation of women. ”

However, the petition summary emphasises that it is not an attack on the former cruise ship entertainer - but on the Students’ Union for its poor judgement on the matter in light of its ‘anti-lad culture’ stance.

Union policies, introduced last year, are designed to fight against “gender, sexuality and rape-based humour.”

Yet despite measures such as an oncampus ban on Robin Thicke’s controversial song ‘Blurred Lines’, Cardiff University is the only institution in the country to host the controversial figure.

The comedian, real name Daniel O’Reilly, describes himself as “ a proper lad” and is due to bring his ‘Socially Unacceptable’ tour to the Students’ Union in February. He first rose to fame through online videos posted to social

time to tackle the problem of the excessive number of to let boards” and that “houses with letting boards on display are twice as likely to be burgled.”

Historically an area with a high crime rate, in 2011 Cathays recorded the seventh-highest number of crimes in England and Wales.

In reference to burglaries in particular, recent statistics show that 262 were recorded between September 2013 and August 2014.

Break ins tend to become more frequent at the beginning of the academic year. A spokesperson for South Wales Police said: “Unfortunately, the arrival of students provides rich pickings for criminals who know that most students will have valuables such as laptops and iPods that can be easily carried and sold on.”

Crime statistics show that figures for last year are significantly lower than the previous year in which 304 burglaries were reported in the area.

In reference to this, Councillor Daniel De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Safety, Engagement and Democracy said:  “ e Cathays Burglary Project has achieved a dramatic reduction in the level of burglaries in the five streets selected and the project will be extended into other areas.

“ e hard work of the partners in this project, and in particular the Neighbourhood Policing Team, has enabled a strong engagement with the student population.  As a result a variety of advice and a number of messages designed to promote the safety, security and wellbeing of students has been communicated.”

media, which have attracted widespread criticism for using sexist and explicit language towards women.

He currently hosts a programme on ITV2, which has also been condemned for its perceived misogyny.

According to Students’ Union President Elliot Howells, Dapper Laughs had been booked by an “external promoter” , and had “not been vetted by the organisation”

Speaking to WalesOnline, Elliot said:

“We didn’t choose to have this person come to our venue and this situation has highlighted a gap in our policies. As a result we will be reviewing them to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.

“We operate an anti-lad culture policy at our events and are committed to making the University a safe place for all students”.

He added that the Union is also looking into options “to address the petition.”

The Students’ Union have confirmed that they are currently “giving consideration” to their policies in order to co-ordinate how they work with third party promoters with regards to Y Plas.

Unfortunately, the arrival of students provides rich pickings for criminals “

Have you been effected by any issues raised in this story? Have your say: letters@ gairrhydd.com

SU President, Elliot Howells “

“We operate an anti-lad culture policy at our events and are committed to making the university a safe place for all students”

Anna Lewis

Pictured:

A still from a Dapper Laughs Vine in which he approaches a female passer-by

Alexander Norton

Bronwen Weatherby

New university digital initiatives changing online learning

Two upcoming developments promise to enrich the online learning environment offered to Cardiff University students.

e competing platforms have been announced in response to a National Student Survey (NSS), which earmarked accessibility to electronic facilities as a key area of improvement for academic institutions.

Cardiff Student Union’s Vice President for Education, Rhys Jenkins, announced a new facility named ‘Learn Plus’, which aims to build on the services offered by existing platform ‘Learning Central’.

‘Learn Plus’ aims to help students “balance their work, home, academic, and religious commitments“ by providing “a more flexible learning experience“.

e Union has committed to new

features including class-based and mobile recording capability, webcasting utilities and a central media library for the storage of multimedia learning materials.

In addition, a privately funded initiative called ‘Cloudents’ has been rolled out across Cardiff University ahead of its introduction at fifteen other British universities later this year.

e service, which is now available for use by students and already contains a collection of study materials, course notes, summaries and quizzes for a variety of subjects, will reportedly allow students and lecturers alike to share relevant content.

‘Cloudents’ is being developed and promoted by Seed marketing, a well-known company who are best known for their collaborations with

Students unaware of their inclusion in Welsh ‘opt out’ organ donation scheme

Welsh legislation, the first of its kind in the UK, will be rolled out next year

Changes to organ donation in Wales will affect students and residents when it comes into force next year.

As of 1st December 2015, the Welsh NHS will introduce an ‘opt out’ system. This means that the NHS in Wales will ‘presume consent’ to donate the organs after death of anyone over the age of 18 who has lived in Wales for over twelve months The Welsh Government confirms that this will include ‘people studying or working in Wales for a settled period.’

Ministers hope the legislation shake-up will increase transplant rates by 25 per cent and encourage open discussion on organ donation.

The Welsh Government’s website clarifies that ‘by doing nothing it will be as if you have no objection to being a donor and an individual will be treated in the same way as if they had chosen to be a donor. If an individual doesn’t want to be a donor they can register a decision to opt out.’

Students may have noticed posters around campus and on Arriva Wales trains that appeared over Freshers week as part of the Welsh Government’s ‘Time to Talk’ campaign, which aims to publicise and

Breast Cancer Research, Spotify and energy drinks giant Red Bull. eir official website describes the service as “a place to work together on assignments, find the study material you need, test your knowledge and discuss ideas and texts.”

Laura Stupple, a Cardiff University student, welcomed the developments.

“I think it’s a really good idea, it will help students like me stay focused, stay in contact with course mates and help each other with work outside of contact hours.”

inform students from over the border and further afield of the upcoming changes in Wales.

Many Cardiff University students settle in Cardiff following graduation, but those students from outside of Wales who decide to continue to live here may unwittingly be subject to this new legislation unless they actively ‘opt out’ of the organ donor’s register.

The new system will be introduced under the Human Transplantation (Wales) Act 2013, a piece of legislation passed by the devolved Welsh Government that will not affect organ donations in Scotland or England, although organs donated by residents of Wales could be received by anyone in the UK.

The legislation is the first of it’s kind in the UK, which has one of the highest rates in Europe for the number of families refusing to donate a loved one’s organs.

First Minister for Wales, Carwyn Jones, described the new system as “the most significant piece of legislation passed by the National Assembly for Wales since it acquired full lawmaking powers in 2011.”

Statistics revealed that 36 people died whilst waiting for an organ

transplant in Wales last year.

“Many people will wait years for a transplant but sadly, many die waiting on the list”, announced the First Minister last year.

“The shortage of human organs continues to cause otherwise preventable deaths and suffering.”

The new system may raise some concerns within religious circles. However, the Welsh Government is confident that the new ‘opt out’ sys-

tem will accommodate religious and minority ethnic groups by allowing community and religious representatives to make a decision on an individual’s behalf after death.

The First Minister is confident that the new legislation “will not only help reduce the waiting list, but will also help save lives by reducing the number of people who needlessly die waiting for an organ transplant.”

A campaign poster aiming to inform students of the upcoming changes.

Students from outside of Wales who decide to continue to live here may unwittingly be subject to this new legislation

Pictured:

Katie Evans

tweet us @gairrhyddnews

Student activists counter ‘fascist’ protestors

Cardiff University students were amongst around fifty people who turned out to demonstrate against a gathering of a small number of Islamophobic protestors.

The ‘Welsh Alliance’, a splinter group of the far-right English Defence League (EDL), had organised a march between Cardiff Central station and Cardiff City Hall on Saturday, 24th October.

The event was co-organised by members of the aforementioned EDL, as well as being promoted by groups including the ‘Welsh Volunteer Force’ and the ‘South Wales National Front’.

TThe groups used their various social media presences to declare themselves “concerned with the REAL threat from Muslim Extremists within our own Country” and intent on “stop[ping] the eradication of our British traditions”.

However, student journalist Xavier Boucherat claimed that only “around thirty” nationalists were present – and were outnumbered by counter-protestors led by anti-nationalist group ‘Unite Against Fascism’.

“S everal of their members shouted loud, Islamophobic abuse, ” said Boucherat. “ Many joined in with what I’d say was

extremely offensive chanting. I was a little surprised the police allowed it. “

“ The few who were around, including one or two counterprotestors who police blocked outside the Angel Hotel, were also subject to abuse,” he added.

Counter-protestors gathered at the foot of St Mary Street, and swelled in numbers as the demonstration reached the Civic Centre, boosted by the presence of dozens of students.

“It was important for us to come out and make a statement,“ said Ben, a student at Cardiff University. “I don’t think there’s any room for that kind of senti-

ment in this day and age.”

Despite the emotive nature of the protests, there were no arrests made. In a statement, a police spokesperson insisted that campaign groups “have a right to peaceful protest.”

Boucherat, who observed the protest from a distance, claimed that “not many [people] saw“ the day’s events”, and added that the lack of “a single, coherent group” was probably the result of a “national call-out“ designed to boost attendance.

Neither the Welsh Alliance nor the Welsh Volunteer Force responded to Gair Rhydd’s request for comment.

Student Senate announces agenda

he agenda for the Student Senate’s first meeting has been released, outlining the student body’s concerns with issues such as homelessness, drinking policies and the representation of LGBT+ women.

Issues to be discussed in the meeting, which will take place on Tuesday November 4 th , also include the decision to keep the position of VP Media and Marketing vacant for the remainder of the academic year, following previous officer Tom Eden’s resignation from the role on October 21st

In response to recent controversy surrounding the installation of an alleged ‘anti-homeless’ cage on the university campus, a motion has been submitted by Lowri Pritchard to implement increased co-operation with charities helping the homeless. Several potential campaign ideas have been outlined to help tackle the issue, including establishing a food bank system.

Other subjects in the agenda involve an assessment of last year’s decision to introduce a Welsh Bilingual Policy within the Union, in line with NUS Wales’ national

language charter. The agenda notes that progress to implement the policy has been ‘slow’, and suggests that officers should be ‘mandated to draw up a plan of action’ to meet the requirements.

In addition, the role of LGBT+ Officer has come under scrutiny, as Sam Cook highlighted the demanding responsibility allocated to one officer to represent numerous identities ‘including, but not exclusive to, lesbian, gay, bi*, trans*, asexual, aromantic, intersex and queer.’

In order to resolve the problem, the agenda has proposed splitting the role of LGBT+ Officer into both an Open Officer position and a Women’s Officer, with both roles

acting as co-chair to the LGBT+ Association.

Changes are also proposed to the title of VP Societies and Campaigns, as the agenda described the allocation of all campaigns solely to one officer as ‘misleading’.

Furthermore, despite recent changes within the union to prevent the promotion of irresponsible drinking, most notably with the controversial renaming of Union night The Lash, the issue of alcohol awareness has remained on the senate’s agenda.

Proposed improvements to the policy include the development of a ‘substance abuse policy’, and additional control to ensure that the

Student’s Union marketing does not promote ‘excessive alcohol consumption’.

The need for increased networking opportunities have also been featured on the Senate agenda, with students proposing networking events for smaller groups of ‘high achievers’ in order to encourage academic progress. Further university scheme suggestions include an online student pairing system to help integrate foreign students into university life.

The document concluded by voicing concerns over the University’s investment in fossil fuel companies, and called for the Students’ Union to release a statement publicly supporting People and Planet’s ‘Fossil Free’ campaign.

The Student Senate is the Student’s Union’s highest regular governing body. During the upcoming meeting, located in Room 4J in the Student’s Union, policies will be agreed upon before being submitted to the Annual Members Meeting. All Cardiff University Students are welcome to attend the meeting, which starts at 6pm, to discuss the items on the agenda.

It was important for us to come out and make a statement “ ”

Anna Lewis

Alexander Norton

Pictured: Nationalists protest in Cardiff on Saturday. (credit to Xavier Boucherat).

Maria Mellor

Roath residents vote for independence

Roath, an area in the North East of the city, held a vote on Saturday 18th October to decide whether the suburb should split from the city and gain independence.

e vote, while fairly informal and not recognised by the city council or Welsh government, ended in a resounding ‘yes’, with over 90% of the 250 participants voting in favour of separating from Cardiff.

It seems, however, that the vote was somewhat satirical. e organiser, who goes by the name of ‘Sir Alfred Street’, told Cardiff newspapers that ‘some [residents] would like to see a communist style regime installed, others have called for the Roath monarchy to be reinstated’.

Independence in the UK has been a much discussed topic recently, most obviously with the referendum

for Scottish Independence. ere has been speculation as to whether Wales will do the same and formally decide to stay or leave.

ere has even been attempts of devolution within England itself, with calls for a specific ‘English parliament’ or even local governments for large segments of the country.

City suburbs, however, appear to have been overlooked so far, and while the Roath independence vote may be fairly unreliable, with ‘yes’ voters over the age of two eligible to vote and offered a reward of a ‘free lollipop’, the turnout perhaps calls into question whether further separation is needed. is view was held by Sir Alfred who added: ‘now perhaps Westminster, Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Council will take notice of Roath, the mouse that roared for democracy’.

Students critical of ASSL renovation

Concerns voiced about disruption caused by delayed refurbishment

Jamie Smith

Students have provided a mixed response to the overdue renovations to the Arts and Social Science Library which are currently nearing completion, over a month later than planned.

Work began in summer and was scheduled to be complete in time for the start of the current academic year.

Changes to the library include: the introduction of new self-issue machines to free up study space on the Law floor, 40 new power sockets, a new carpet, replacement toilets on the first floor and a new entrance to SCOLAR (Special Collections and Archives) on the ground floor.

Speaking to students around the university it would appear that few are enthusiastic about the changes.

A number have expressed particular annoyance that building work has been taking place during term. One such student is Law student, Sarah McKain, who commented that: “ e timing is awful. ey should have done it in the summer”.

To accommodate the renovation work, ground floor seating was removed reducing space for study and short loan books were moved to other locations “making them difficult to find.”

Students have raised concerns about the disruption caused by construction work taking place whilst people are trying to study. For many the fact that these changes could not have been completed during their three- month summer holiday is hard to stomach.

ere has also been a general

dissatisfaction with some of the new seating. e tables are far lower than the ones that they replaced. Comments were made that ‘they would be more useful as coffee tables, rather than for doing work on’. It has been reported that students have resorted to leaning against their knees when making notes.

Others noted that little has been done to resolve traditional criticisms of the library such as its lack of seating, computers and plug sockets on the top floor.

Some students did demonstrate a degree of support for some of the changes. Most agreed that the redecoration has improved the library’s look which History student, Hugh Walsh, described as “modern, active and engaging”.

In response to criticism a Cardiff University spokesperson said: ‘ e work could not begin until the end of the semester because of the disruption that would be caused. is provided a very limited window for the contractors for the amount of work involved.’

In reference to why the work has overrun they added that ‘unforeseen problems with the flooring’ had a ‘knock-on effect on the flitting of the installation of furniture and equipment’. As a result, the project was delayed by 3 weeks, even though the ‘contractors worked over weekends’.

‘We are sorry that it was not quite ready for the start of term, but hope that the considerably improved study environment will soon make up for it’ they said.

‘During the whole of the period

the Library opened as normal, with a full range of services.’ e spokesperson added that a number of ‘major changes’ have been made to the library, some ‘more visible than others.’

Have you been effected by any issues raised in this story? Have your say: letters@ gairrhydd.com

Photograph: Areas of the library remain closed due to the delayed reburbishment work

Pictured: Roath Park

FOR: Em Gates

OBrand appears more of a person to us and more relatable, rather than the well dressed, policy driven robots currently seated in the Houses of Parliament

FOR & AGAINST A NEW BRAND

OF POLITICS

Does Russell Brand’s rejection of the British political system add up?

ver recent years, it has been hard to ignore Russell Brand’s impact on our society. Ever since Brand’s infamous Newsnight interview with Jeremy Paxman in 2013, the comedian’s views are being taken seriously not only by the British public, but also by governmental officials. Lately, thanks to his YouTube channel labelled ‘Trews’ (a portmanteau of ‘true news’, self proclaimed by Brand), his opinions are being broadcasted weekly for anyone to watch.

Personally, I couldn’t agree more with Brand. As someone who has been eligible to vote for almost two years now, I am still yet to exercise my right to vote. Why? Because as Brand has directly stated, I am disenchanted with politics. Brand argues that the ethos of the three major parties: Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat is, in reality, very similar. is is in spite of the fact that they are meant to represent different interests and have different policies. No wonder we feel disenchanted from politics when we feel like no one is truly representing our issues.

What’s more, I know I am not the only one who thinks like this. Politicians do not aim their policies at the under 25’s, whereas through his use of social media and his position as a cultural product of modern society, Brand knows how the younger generation think. Brand’s past is less than squeaky clean but he has completely held his hand up to his past indiscretions. Brand appears more of a person to us and more relatable, rather than the well dressed, policy-driven robots

currently seated in the Houses of Parliament. Young people need this connection in order to be passionate or driven to something, and we are not currently getting it from this government that ignores the underclass and benefits the wealthy.

It is certainly fair to argue that our politicians represent a select proportion of our population. is often privately educated elite differs from Brand in many areas and has certainly experienced more of the negative aspects of our society than the Eton educated, homogenous politicians in power today.

To solve the political problems that we currently have, it has been suggested that Brand runs for London mayor, ousting Tory Boris Johnson from his current position. A recent survey boasted 63% support for Brand to run for the position in the next election. ough I am unsure whether he is the right man for this specific position, all you need to do is tune in to a few of the comedian’s ‘Trews’ videos to understand how passionate this man is about our current situation.

Ultimately, Brand’s political hopes are for a society that serves 3 main ideals; a political presence that doesn’t leave our planet in ecological turmoil, that doesn’t create an economy where debt is not only existent but also impossible to eliminate, but most importantly, that cares and protects for the people that it serves. Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t think it seems like too much of a bad idea, does it?

Celebrity politics is an increasingly important phenomenon in modern democracies. e rise of Russell Brand, however, is the rise of a pseudo-intellectual egotist devoid of political content.

Celebrity politics comes in two forms and is not solely negative. e first form is politicians styling themselves as celebrities. e second is celebrities using their status to discuss political issues, such as Emma Watson’s ‘HeForShe’ gender equality campaign which recently went viral.

Neither of these forms are necessarily harmful. Trivialising celebrity politics fails to consider its massive potential as a force for good. It can engage our politically apathetic generation, and can bring new issues onto the political agenda.

So why is the Russell Brand cult a bad thing? e answer is that his politics contain no substance. It is a vague form of anarcho-communism that he cannot be bothered to define. Brand makes sweeping statements, refuses to engage with facts and uses big words to hide his little ideas. Arguably what is missing from Brand’s work are his solutions to our political problems.

He is praised for engaging young people, so to run with this theme, in the 2010 general election only 44% of 16-24 year olds voted, in comparison to 76% of the 65+ category. Is it a coincidence that tuition fees have trebled while pensions have expanded? Power is exercised at the ballot box. A more effective protest would be the widespread spoiling of ballots, imagine an

election in which all who would not vote instead turned up but refused to vote for anyone.

He is left-wing politics at its worst, content to shout about the ills of the world from the side-lines ensuring he has to make no difficult choices. Power resides within the system so it must be changed from within. ere is no denying that Brand’s diagnosis is at times accurate, he emphasises the dangers of climate change and widespread inequality, but he offers no solutions to such issues.

As he happily admits, if there is one thing Russell Brand knows about it is drugs, so unsurprisingly this is a rare area where he makes sense. He calls for decriminalisation, believing drug usage should be treated as a medical issue rather than a criminal one. is is a position adopted in parts of mainland Europe and is becoming increasingly mainstream in Britain. Brand has appeared at a Select Committee on addiction and has made valuable contributions to the discussion. is is his area of expertise, perhaps he should stick to it.

Celebrities should not be excluded from politics, but their viability depends on the coherence of their beliefs. Ronald Reagan, a successful actor before becoming President of the United States of America, helped create an economic paradigm that dominated American politics for thirty years. Russell Brand is not a viable political voice, not because he is a celebrity, but because his political views are lazy and lack substance.

AGAINST: Louis Urruty

Brand makes sweeping statements, refuses to engage with facts and uses big words to hide his little ideas

Pictured: Russell Brand, New York Photographer: Jessie Essex, Flickr

COMMENT

Michael O’Connell Davidson

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email us comment@gairrhydd.com or visit us online at gairrhydd.com/opinion

Let’s face it: nobody won in Afghanistan

As the last British troops move out of Camp Bastion, Gair Rhydd looks at the impact that the War on Terror has had on the world

One of my earliest memories - at least, one that’s still clear - is coming home from primary school on the September 11th, 2001. ere were no cartoons on television, with most scheduled programs cancelled and replaced with static shots of the various World Trade Centre buildings in flames on continous loop.

I probably shouldn’t have watched that as a child, but I couldn’t look away, and neither could the adults in the room. Neither they nor I could really grasp what had happened, but we all understood that it was massively significant.

It may be that 9/11 is looked back on as the defining moment of our era. I’m not qualified to make a statement either way. But I can say with confidence that it’s one of the defining moments of my lifetime, and, since that moment as a child, I’ve been fascinated by that event and everything that followed. I can’t get my head around the fact that, at least at that moment in time, there wasn’t really anything that could have stood in the way of “the bad guys,” and I think I knew that, even as a child. Shortly after-

wards, I started to think of evil very differently; I wasn’t afraid of monsters under the bed anymore, but monsters in human form, who were capable of not just killing me, but thousands at once.

While the preconditions of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had been fulfilled to various extents before 9/11, the terrorist attack itself was, I think, the tipping point for the wider public. And if 9/11 wasn’t, then fierce political rhetoric from both radical clerics and right-wing demagogues was. Before anybody had time to grieve for the lives that were lost, another horrible choice followed for both politicians and ordinary people: did we let “the bad guys” get away with killing thousands of civilians, or did we go to war in the hopes of righting a wrong?

The trouble is, this was based on the false assumption that war could right wrongs. Those who died deserved justice, but if the past thirteen years have been an illustration of anything, it’s that wars don’t lead to justice. This is not your standard liberal “I told you so,” because I probably

would’ve wanted a war too.

But it wasn’t supposed to be like this. What started off as a black and white conflict quickly became quite grey; 9/11 and 7/7 were acts of evil, but videos such as Collateral Murder (in which two Reuters journalists and a number of civilians are killed in a US airstrike) showed scenes that were equally abhorrent. Many died on both sides - including good men and women from the UK and allied nations - and many more died who were never given the opportunity to pick a side.

And for what? We declared and fought a War on Terror, but looking at the state of this nation, we’re more scared than we’ve ever been. As the war in Afghanistan winds down, and Iraq becomes a distant memory (except for those who’ve had their country torn up, of course), it’s hard to see what we’ve really gained. True, Al-Qaeda is now largely irrelevant, but not because of any US or UK Airstrikes - because something worse has risen in their place in the form of ISIS.

Meanwhile, we’ve lost crucial liberties in the name of counterterrorism. Privacy is effectively a thing

of the past, and our governments have begun treating us with a sort of criminal contempt reserved for dictatorship nations. Boris Johnson (whose sole function appears to be talking absolute nonsense) even suggested presuming guilt in some terrorism cases earlier in the year, reversing hundreds of years of legal tradition.

If the War on Terror really was a war on terror, then ‘terror’ won. You cannot fight fear with bullets, bombs, and drones. As nations, it was a fool’s errand for us to even try. We are no closer to defeating terrorism or preventing perverse interpretations of the Qu’ran. Neither those in the West nor those in Afghanistan are any safer, and we have somehow replaced conventional enemies with abstract concepts - monsters in the shape of human form, who we’ve convinced ourselves are lurking everywherewith no measurable impact except loss of life and national dignity. If we don’t learn our lesson now, we could spend the rest of eternity fighting abstract concepts. We’ve already wasted the past twelve years.

What do you think? Have your say: letters@ gairrhydd.com We declared and fought a War on Terror, but looking at the state of this nation, we’re more scared than we’ve ever been

He’s a new breed of misogynistic pest with laughs as cheap as his morals

Potty mouthed princesses

For-profit company

FCKH8 release provocative video attempting to empower women

So what is more offensive: a little girl saying fuck, or the fucking unequal and sexist way society treats girls and women?

Not my question, but the question asked by girls aged as young as six in a video for FCKH8 which went viral this week. In this case, the immediate answer to their question seems to be “both are quite irritating actually, could you please stop shouting and leave me alone for a bit now thank you?”

My first of many issues with the video is misleadingly petty: it’s really annoying. For some reason, the creators appear to have decided not to choose any normal little girls, but have just cycled the cast of Mean Girls back to childhood and given them the script from a rejected episode of ‘ e Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’.

A particular low point is when one of the girls orders the viewer to ‘pay up motherfucker’, as if she’s playing the pre-pubescent female lead in a budget remake of Die Hard. e girls just CANNOT STOP SHOUTING above the generic funky background

music. Seriously guys, use your indoor voices.

is is irritating, but not fatal. e video is designed to be brash and confrontational, and judging by the comments section, it succeeds. Is it immoral to encourage children to swear for shock value? Possibly, but ultimately the message is deeper than bad language. It isn’t really until you reach the end of the video that you get to the core motive. In a twist straight out of the ‘Kony 2012: How To Make A Disingenuous Viral Video’ handbook, the campaign is not as noble as it claims to be. e ultimate objective of the video is depressingly predictable in an age where the internet is becoming closer and closer to a massive, unskippable advert: they want you to buy their t-shirts. is isn’t even the first time they’ve done this, with a previous video (entitled ‘Hey White People’ with all the subtlety of a Keith Lemon innuendo) being criticised for exploiting the crisis in Ferguson, Missouri for the same ends. Exploitation seems to be FCKH8’s

COMMENT

go-to technique to drive sales figures, which is a sentence you’d hope would be difficult to write about a company supposedly aimed at doing the right thing.

Despite sexist trolls online twisting it out of proportion, this child exploitation argument is a fair one to make; the campaign has a discomforting stench of propaganda and indoctrination about it, no matter how upbeat it pretends to be. Most of the girls featured in the video cannot have made an informed decision about appearing in it, and the disheartening abuse they’ve been subjected to on Twitter and elsewhere this week is evidence enough that children should be left out of this.

A particular sequence stands out as being in incredibly bad taste. Midway through, the girls cite a statistic that one in five women will be raped or sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. ey then proceed to count themselves from one to five, before asking the viewer directly: which one will it be? It’s shocking, it’s frightening, and it needs to be cut

down; does this make it acceptable to reel these little girls off like a body count, especially considering they’ve just been handed a script and haven’t really made the informed decision to be there? I don’t think it does, and it tips the balance so far over that FCKH8 comes tumbling down from whatever moral high ground it had previously held.

ere are, without a doubt, some positive intentions behind the video. e fight for an end to sexism must go on, and FCKH8’s campaign makes a decent stab of keeping the topic on the table. Ultimately though, you can’t help but feel that maybe the company’s questionable practices have done more harm than good to the cause they’re supposedly supporting, and it would have been better not to speak out at all than to give the sexists ammunition for their hatred.

ere’s a lesson to learn from all of this: when you call someone a motherfucker, they tend not to listen to your argument. Who knew Tarantino could be so wrong?

The joke falls flat with Dapper

Laughs

Outrage at Vine star Dapper Laughs SU booking

If you are reading this article and are an averagely intelligent human being, then you probably already know which direction it’s heading in. e misogynistic, lad culture-endorsing cretin that is ‘Dapper Laughs’ has somehow managed to wangle his own stand-up comedy show at our very own Students’ Union.

I’ll begin by trying to find something nice to say about Mr Laughs. Firstly, I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t laugh at some of his videos – I did. He makes people jump, he talks to inanimate objects, he laughs at himself. It’s the basic level of comedy that you hate yourself for laughing at, but is perfectly acceptable if you’re hungover or have got yourself into a k-hole of cat videos on YouTube and need a change. Sadly though, his strongest talent is reducing women to their sexual organs whilst disguising it as banter. As far as I’m concerned, this is not okay.

‘Show her your penis! If she cries she’s just playing hard to get’. Bril-

liant. From Kavos to Cardiff, this guy will stop at nothing on his quest to degrade women, and warp the view of young impressionable men. As a society, we have failed at drawing the line between harmless banter and completely derogatory slander and the result is Dapper Laughs. His videos are so blatantly degrading towards women, with one particular sketch involving him insinuating a threesome with two elderly ladies who are completely unaware. ere is no wit in this kind of humour, and certainly no charm – it’s cheap and tasteless. I would love to believe that he is a satirist, and that his character is merely a spoof – however it strikes me that he doesn’t have the intellect nor imagination for that. is man is just the class clown who never got caught. Inevitably, people have decided that there is money to be made from Dapper Laughs’ sexist and degrading comedy. ese people include your Students’ Union. Cardiff Stu-

dents’ Union has a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards sexual harassment. is seems hypocritical since the policy is supposed to be in place to prevent misogynistic values and laddish pressure from entering university social life. However, this is exactly what Mr. Laughs promotes. Last year a football player at Cardiff was suspended for making degrading remarks about women. Remarks that are incredibly similar to those made by Dapper Laughs in his ‘com-

Still from the provocative FCKH8 video featuring several young girls endorsing profanity

Source: YouTube

edy’. How then, can it be logical to endorse and make money out of this ridiculous man? How can a Students’ Union that debated whether to play the song ‘Blurred Lines’ promote Dapper Laughs as a form of comedy? It seems an extremely hypocritical and a rather damaging message.

A petition has been started to prevent this gig from occurring, and it is on point. e Union should listen to the students that it represents. Dapper Laughs wants fame, and your Students’ Union are letting him have it for five minutes. He’s a misogynist pest with laughs as cheap as his morals. Given the Student Union’s supposed commitments against sexism, the booking seems to be a hypocritical mistake. How can an institution that aims to expand and stimulate the mind of young intelligent people support such an idiotic ‘comedian’? It is a mistake. e death of comedy begins with Dapper Laughs; and only you can decide how long and painful it shall be.

The campaign has a discomforting stench of propaganda and indoctrination

Vine star Dapper Laughs

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Jamie Williams

Laura Stupple

Pictured:

Pictured:

13 JASON ROBERTS VS THE WORLD

Mind the culture gap

An NFL team in London? You’re going to need to make some changes.

Jason Roberts

OAmerica has made its riches through exporting things that nobody really wants, like napalm and Type 2 Diabetes, but I think they may have bitten off more than they can chew here

n Sunday, I took a trip to London to soak up the sights and sounds of the NFL’s International Series at Wembley, a now triannual event where the Land of the Free showcases the best it has to offer by returning to the country that they were so happy to leave almost 350 years ago. But whatever. Truthfully, I quite like American things. Their food may be as nutritious as toxic waste, but it’s as tasty as it is life endangering. Their TV shows are generally funny and even when they’re not, there’s a choice of 49295836 others. And their sense of patriotism may be nauseating, but you can’t deny they care about where they live.

Out of all America’s cultural offerings, I probably prefer its sports the most. The sports themselves are generally quite entertaining (except NASCAR, and I won’t listen to a single dissenting opinion on that) but it’s the added hype and pageantry that I appreciate. The three hour pre-game shows, the players constantly telling their opposite man how fat their mother is, the fact that there’s a billion dollar industry solely concerned with fantasy sports. It all seems wonderfully extreme for what is essentially doing different things with a ball, albeit really really REALLY well.

There’s been talk circulating for a couple of years that the NFL will consider moving a team to London permanently, after seeing the success

of the International Series. This is a terrible, terrible idea. Forget about issues like logistics, fan demand and everything else. Culturally, American sports and British sports are totally different. Americans have made their riches through exporting things that nobody really wants, like napalm and Type 2 Diabetes, but I think they may have bitten off more than they can chew here. If they want their beautiful game to succeed here, they’re going to have to make some serious changes to it.

For starters, stop calling your teams ‘franchises’. The idea of a sports team existing primarily for commercial benefit is a very American idea, but I’d like to think that over here we prefer our capitalism with a little more subtlety. Yes the Premier League is obscenely wealthy, yes you may have to take out a payday loan just to get a restricted-view seat to a game, and yes sports have gradually become something for the working-class to watch the in pubs rather than in stands, but we do not call our teams ‘franchises’. That totally divorces sports from their main purpose, which is to distract us from our empty and meaningless lives. For shame, Corporate America.

On a similar note, if you decide to put a team in London, do not give us an enforced nickname. Not the Monarchs, not the Beefeaters, not the Sillynannies, NOT ANYTHING. American sports are full of teams

with enforced nicknames, and it smacks of plasticity. Sports nicknames are supposed to be organic, a link to the history of an institution. The American formula for creating a nickname seems to be “name of place” + “vaguely menacing animal/ thing”. This is how you end up with team names like the San Diego Chargers. What is a Charger? What/ who/why is it charging? Eternal mysteries. The worst thing is, there are loads of teams with cool organic nicknames that were then become accepted into the mainstream. The Green Bay Packers got their name because in 1921, their founder solicited funds from his employers (the Indian Packing Company) who agreed on the condition that they got to sponsor the team. Just wait for a team to develop its own identity, rather than pushing one onto them. Then there’s the issue of chanting. For a nation that has stolen loads of ideas and passed them off as their own -- er, given the world so many great inventions, the Americans can’t do chanting. I don’t know why. Again, what they do have is pretty formulaic. A simple “LET’S GO (TEAM NAME)!” *clap clap clapclap-clap* seems to do the trick. If you tried to do that on a terrace in England, you’d be rightly ridiculed. I sat near an American couple at a Chelsea game a couple of years ago, and about five minutes into the game, the woman turned to her husband and muttered disapprovingly,

“Why do they have to say those AWFUL things?” And I thought the Americans had the whole freedom of speech thing mastered. The last time I checked, the right to freedom of includes the right to take shots at Arsene Wenger’s cheeky smile and slightly creepy disposition. I don’t want to live in a country, and nor I do I want to go to a game, that doesn’t let me do that.

There’s so much more. They’d have to lose the cheerleaders because British people find sex uncomfortable. They’d have to shorten the game because nobody wants to spend three hours enduring the British weather. They’d have to start pronouncing jaguar correctly. Ultimately it’s a losing battle for the NFL. If a team made London its permanent base, the atmosphere wouldn’t even be the close to the same because the game is primarily a product of American culture. Just look at soccer football in the United States. Does the experience come close to going to a game in Europe? The principle is the same. The games in London remain appealing because of the chance to see different teams, the fact that the sport is still growing in the United Kingdom, and because most importantly there are still only three per year. A permanent team in London would become a horrible, tacky, watered-down imitation of the real thing. NFL, please keep coming over, we like having you. But don’t stay too long.

What do you think? Have your say: letters@ gairrhydd.com

Pictured: NFL @ Wembley Oct 2010

(Photograph: Mark Botham)

TTIP: Should we be worried?

Katja Bertelsmann

Chlorine-washed chicken, hormone-enhanced beef and genetically modified food are the recent nightmare scenarios in the media whenever there is a discussion about the TTIP. Over 750,000 people have already signed a citizen’s initiative to stop TTIP. But what exactly is TTIP and what impact could it have on our lives?

e Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a bilateral trade agreement between the European Union and the United States which is currently being negotiated. e negotiations are mostly conducted under highly secretive circumstances, although the European Commission officially has to keep the European Parliament and the EU Member States in the Council informed. e official justification from the European Commission for these secret trade negotiations is that “you need a certain degree of confidentiality, otherwise it would be like showing the other player one’s card in a card game”.

If TTIP is approved by the European Parliament, the EU Member States Council and the US Congress, it will have a huge impact on our daily lives

Apart from public concerns about non-transparent negotiations, many people are afraid of a decrease in customer protection, health and environmental standards. One popular example is hormone-enhanced beef. While it is common knowledge that supermarkets in the United States sell meat from animals fed with hormones, the European Commission claims that “the negotiations will not be about compromising the health of our consumers for commercial gain”. erefore European supermarkets will not be allowed to sell products that do not meet the requirements of European health standards, including hormoneenhanced beef.

e most controversial part of TTIP still has to be considered: e Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). is allows multinational companies to sue governments over decisions that

might reduce their profits. Including such non-governmental arbitration bodies in an agreement is relatively commonplace in international investor agreements. Indeed, ISDS systems are included in more than 1300 bilateral investment treaties signed by EU Member states. But recent events have increased concerns about ISDS. After Phillip Morris Asia, a tobacco company, sued Australia for compensation for lost profits because of the tobacco plain packaging rule in 2011, the Australian government decided to discontinue the practice of ISDS in future agreements. It said that “in the past, Australian Governments have sought the inclusion of investor-state dispute resolution procedures in trade agreements with developing countries at the behest of Australian businesses. e Gillard Government will discontinue this practice.” Philip Morris is currently suing Uruguay under the terms of a bilateral trade agreement between Uruguay and Switzerland, where Philip Morris is based, after Uruguay increased the size of health warning on cigarette packs. Silvina Echarte Acevedo, a legal adviser leading the Uruguayan ministry of public health, told e Independent: “ ey are bullying us because we are small. is is like David and Goliath. But we will fight because it is our right and duty as a government to protect our citizens’ health.” Until today neither of these two conflicts have reached a settlement. ese events have led to the conclusion that ISDS systems undermine democratic principles. Opponents argue that the threat of investor state claims may prevent governments from passing legislation that concerns legitimate issues such as consumer rights, health and environmental protection and public safety. e European Union has recently begun to negotiate improvement in ISDS systems in the trade agreement with Canada. ese

negotiations are seen as a model for the negotiations between the EU and the US. e reason why the EU has such a keen interest in a well-elaborated ISDS instead of no ISDS systems between two democratic states are future agreements with Asia. It seems impossible to persuade China to include ISDS in a trade agreement if those investment protections are excluded from the TTIP.

Karel De Gucht, incumbent European Commissioner for Trade writes in e Guardian that “EU investment agreements will explicitly state that legitimate government public policy decisions – on issues such as the balance between public and private provision of healthcare or ‘the European ban on chicken carcasses washed with chlorine’ – cannot be over-ridden.”

One should also focus on the benefits of an agreement. First of all, both sides, the EU and the US, want to keep their own regulation of environmental and health and safety issues. e agreement aims to reduce the regulatory barriers of trade. For example, the tariffs for European imports of blue veined European cheese like Roquefort and Gorgonzola to the US are 25%, for chocolate 20%. Abolishing these tariffs would open a new growth market to European companies. As the Londonbased Centre for Economic Policy and Research (CEPR) found, the TTIP Agreement would increase the size of the European economy by around €120 billion or +0.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the US economy by €95 billion or 0.4% of GDP. Although the researchers admit that they cannot quantify the number of jobs created as a consequence of TTIP, they predict a rise in wages of roughly 0.5%. ey justify this by saying that “growing industries will pull away workers from other sectors by offering higher wages”. e boost of total EU exports will include benefits of

sectors such as motor vehicles (+41%) and metal products (+12%). Increasing imports and more competition lead in general to lower prices due to an increase in supply and offer more choices for consumers. Nevertheless, the CEPR advises the EU and national governments “to be prepared to support people who need to move between sectors” due to adjustment processes. All together, a European family of four would benefit from the TTIP by an increase of their annual disposable income by an average of €545 per year the CEPR estimates.

e Transatlantic Trade Agreement Partnership may bring benefits and economic growth, but it may also causes increased competition between American and European companies. is tougher competition could lead to better allocated resources, followed by price decreases and a wider choice for consumers. But it could also cause losses of jobs in certain sectors.

If TTIP is approved by the European Parliament, the EU Member States Council and the US Congress, it will have a huge impact on our daily lives. ISDS systems might undermine democratic principles or offer opportunities to protect European investments in the US. Competition could cause unemployment or it could lead to decreasing prices and widen the choice of products.

Reducing regulatory barriers could change European health and safety and environmental standards, although the European Commission says that they will remain the same.

ere are many uncertainties concerning TTIP. To establish whether TTIP will bring more benefits than costs, awareness of this issue must be raised. It’s not just an economic question of growth or recession. It’s a question of how we protect our values - our environment, our health, our safety and our democracy.

What do you think?

Have your say: letters@ gairrhydd.com

Pictured: A protest in London against TTIP

Livi Sinclair

Who will account for Nauru?

Australia’s refugee children suffer on island of Nauru

On Sunday, four unaccompanied refugee children between the ages of 15 and 17 were physically attacked and received death threats from locals on the small Pacific Island of Nauru.

Two boys were hospitalised in the attack. e children, originally from Afghanistan, had intended to seek asylum in Australia but had been resettled in Nauru by Australian authorities. Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has claimed that the protection of the attacked refugee children is not Australia’s responsibility.

An asylum seeker is defined as somebody who is outside their country of origin and has arrived in another country seeking protection; it is a universal human right to do so. A refugee is somebody who has been granted that protection. In 2001 an agreement was made between Nauru and Australia; Nauru would host an Australian detention centre in return for financial aid.

Asylum seekers who are applying for entry to Australia are indefinitely detained in this centre while their claims are processed. ose who are

granted refugee status may then be given the right to remain in Nauru but continue to be barred from entering Australia.

Morrison’s refusal to accept accountability for the attack on the refugee children last week led to accusations that Australia’s resettlement policy allows him to ‘wash his hands’ of responsibility toward refugees. e violent attack came just one week after an agreement was made involving the provision of $35 million from Australia to Cambodia if Cambodia receives 1000 refugees from Nauru. e legality of the deal has been questioned by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who described it as a ‘worrying departure from international norms’.

e Nauru detention centre itself has been a focus for criticism from international human rights organisations. Reporting in a 2013 investigation of the centre Amnesty International described cramped conditions and high rates of physical and mental illness among detainees.

ey concluded that the Australian government was breaching international law by its use of arbitrary de-

tention. In the same year detainees took part in a hunger strike, stitched their own lips together in protest at their living conditions, and started a riot at the centre in which 80% of the buildings were burnt.

e detention centre was initially set up to house 438 Afghan refugees who were rescued from distress in international waters in 2001 as they made their way toward Australia’s Christmas Island in a fishing boat. e crew of the Norwegian container ship which rescued them was recognised with an award from the UNHCR, whereas Australia was derided for its refusal to allow them entry to Australian waters after their rescue. e ‘Tampa affair’, so called after the name of the Norwegian vessel, was a catalyst for the creation of a set of hostile border policies known as the ‘Pacific Solution’. ese included minimising the territory on which asylum could be claimed, legitimising the military interception of asylum seekers travelling to Australia by sea, and creating offshore detention centres in Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Christmas Island, and Manus Island.

Australia’s Pacific Solution is broadly recognised as a policy of deterrence which aims to discourage persecuted groups from travelling by boat to claim asylum in the country. While its offshore detention centres are unique, increasingly hostile border policies are being adopted by EU countries. Since 2000, the UK has detained newly arrived asylum seekers while their claims are processed. In July of this year, the High Court of Justice ruled that the use of detention in this way was unlawful, but the practical ramifications of the ruling are as yet undetermined. Meanwhile, reports that the UK will no longer rescue drowning migrants in the Mediterranean were published last week. e secretary general of the European Council on Refugees has described the decision as ‘morally reprehensible’.

Cardiff ’s branch of the national network Student Action for Refugees (STAR) provide weekly English conversation classes to refugees and campaign for migrant rights. Find the society on the Student Union website for more information on how to get involved.

British troops leave Afghanistan

On the 26th of October 2014 the Union flag was lowered in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan and thus Britain’s thirteen years of military involvement finally ended. Shortly after the final ceremony, the last UK troops were transported to the city of Kandahar, where they will be finally repatriated to Britain.

is marks the end of an intensive repatriation of British soldiers and tonnes of military equipment that took place during the last months, in order to meet the deadline of ending all combat operations by the end of 2014. Britain’s definitive withdrawal from Afghanistan will undoubtedly spark many questions within the British population, and also raise the need to recap our role in the Afghanistan war.

British involvement in Afghanistan started in October 2001, when Britain joined the international military coalition, led by the Americans. e coalition was originally formed as a quick reaction to the 9/11 ‘attack on America’

in New York and Washington.

e initial objectives were to eliminate terrorist organizations responsible for the attacks, to prevent Afghanistan from being a safe haven for these terrorists, and to dislodge the Taliban regime from power. e last of these military objectives was rapidly met as the Talibans were overthrown only five weeks after the initial beginning of fighting, with the British playing a key role by participating to the liberation of Kabul, the capital.

From this moment on, the role of coalition forces became to secure the conquered territory, developing Afghan military infrastructures and training its military forces while facing permanent harrassment by the Taliban.

Britain played an important role in fulfilling these goals by providing the coalition with up to 9, 500 soldiers (second most important military contingent behind the Americans).

Britain’s troops’ major contribution to the war effort inclined in 2006, when

they were given control of the Helmand province, considered the most dangerous and lawless of Afghanistan provinces. e British paid a heavy price in trying to pacify the region, with more than 350 soldiers killed. e heavy casualties suffered by the army during this period deeply affected the civilian population. From 2006, the public opinion began to shift from supporting the war effort, to slowly demanding the repatriation of all troops. is evolution within the population ended with 68% of British citizens stating the war was futile in a poll last week, proving the British people no longer supported the war effort.

Nevertheless, British troops’ actions in Helmand province did bring many positive changes, by developing transportation and communication infrastructures, and by providing security for local populations. e number of children attending school increased to 6.7 million, nearly half of them being girls who were not allowed into school

by the previous regime.

However, the main military objectives of the British and the coalition forces were never met. e Taliban were never completely defeated and continue to threaten a takeover of Afghanistan after the departure of US and British troops, and to infiltrate its fragile institutions. Some territories have already been recaptured by the Taliban.

At a cost of more than twenty billion pounds, and the devastating loss of 453 soldiers, many will wonder whether the war was worth it.

International described cramped conditions and high rates of

and mental illness among detainees “

This marks the end of an intensive repatriation of British soldiers and tonnes of military equipments that took place during the last months

Pictured: Refugee Rights Protest at Broadmeadows, Melbourne (Photographer: Takver, Flickr)

Amnesty

physical

Victor Degorce

Luke Brett

POLITICS

Carwyn Williams

BILLION bill from Europe

Treasury urged to pay by 1st of December or risk future rebates and our relationship with other EU nations

David Cameron is preparing for a face-off with the European Commission (EC) as Britain’s EU contribution is proposed to rise to an estimated £8.6bn a year in the next six weeks, due to Britain’s economic performance improving in recent years.

Despite having larger economies than the UK, France and Germany were the main beneficiaries of the financial changes with France reducing its membership fee by over £800m and Germany by £641m.

e Netherlands and Italy also lost out, being called to add an extra £506m and £268m in contributions, though with significantly less government opposition than that of the UK.

e Prime Minister has reacted angrily, describing new funding proposals as “an appalling way to behave”. Cameron then went on to say: “if people think I’m going to pay that bill they’ve got another thing coming”.

e announcement comes following increasing pressure on the Prime Minister over Europe whilst the

Rochester and Strood by-election is approaching.

New commission announcements could give UKIP daylight to go onto gain a second Member of Parliament in quick succession, with the latest ComRes polling figures showing a UKIP surge in support from 15% to 19%. Leader Nigel Farage capitalised on this Cameron embarrassment, describing the UK as being “hammered again” by the “thirsty vampire” EU.

A government spokesman has called the demands “unacceptable”, gexplaining that “it’s not acceptable to just change the fees for previous years and demand them back at a moment’s notice.”

Labour also challenged the Commission on a ‘backdated bill’, stressing the importance of Brussels reassessing their request. Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Ed Balls criticised the treasury, claiming they must have known about the request for “weeks and weeks and weeks”, while criticising Cameron for playing to his party’s Eurosceptics, leaving Britain with a

bad deal in Europe.

Catherine Bearder, MEP of the self-proclaimed party of ‘IN’, the Liberal Democrats, criticised the timing of the Brussels bill as “senseless”. Citing polls that Britain nears its highest pro-EU sentiment in nearly 23 years, she took to Twitter to express that the Commission had “clumsily allowed Eurosceptics an open goal”. e European Commission defended their decision. EC chief Jose Manuel Barroso felt the reforms were necessary in order to ensure that the EU’s budget was balanced, despite the UK’s annual budgetary deficit still being around £100 billion.

is firm commitment from Barroso follows last week’s commitment that the EU would not comprise on the free movement of people within the bloc, something the Conservatives are attempting to restrict and renegotiate on before a potential in or out referendum in 2017.

David Cameron will struggle to negotiate with the likes of Lithuanian President and former EU budget Commissioner, Dalia Grybauskaitė.

Dubbed the ‘iron lady’ of Eastern Europe, she is standing firm in her belief that the recalculations are reasonable as European leaders meet in Brussels, with Cameron being the sole leader condemning the fiscal rearrangement.

Overall the EC has put Cameron and the Conservatives in a vulnerable position in the run-up to a crucial and tight by-election, where a once safe seat looks set to be lost to UKIP defector Mark Reckless.

Expecting to be amongst Europe’s leaders discussing aid to combat Ebola, sudden announcements see Cameron now facing a monumental challenge in convincing the EC to drastically alter its funding plans before early December when the bill is expected to be paid.

If the PM can stand up to Europe, he could tame UKIP’s progress. However, if Britain simply cannot legally escape this demand then more defections may be on the way and a second spell as PM could be highly unlikely with the 2015 elections around the corner.

Welsh Ambulance Service misses September target

South East Wales has the worst ambulance waiting times of anywhere in the UK, with this trend continuing after disappointing figures for September were released last Wednesday.

For Wales as a whole, 58.9% of Category A calls (life threatening) were responded to within 8 minutes, lower than the Welsh Government’s target of 65% for yet another month, having only achieved this target once since May 2012.

Every health board failed to meet this target, but some much worse than others. Monmouth is currently at the

bottom of the table with 44.8% of calls responded within 8 minutes, a massive twenty percent below the target. Here in Cardiff the figures were somewhat better, with ambulances reaching these life-threatening patients within 8 minutes on 59% of occasions and three quarters by 11 minutes. ese are the best figures we’ve seen in 10 months, but it is still worse than last September. Furthermore. 40 calls in Cardiff in September that were classed as life-threatening did not get an ambulance to respond for over half an hour. is proves that the Welsh Government’s strategy may not be

working within the service and adds to the current stresses of the health service to Labour’s government in Cardiff Bay. In June, Welsh Health Minister Mark Drakeford announced a major shakeup of the Ambulance Service with health boards being directly responsible, but it may be a while longer until we see an improved service. is comes at a critical time for the Health Minister following massive criticisms towards the NHS, and missing this target is yet another worry for ministers and the public who want to have confidence in the service.

If people think I’m going to pay that bill they’ve got another thing coming David Cameron “

Have you been effected by any issues raised in this story?

Have your say: letters@ gairrhydd.com

Pictured: David Cameron speaking to the EU

Rhiannon Tapp

Hopes of Independence, Influence and Change at Plaid Cymru Party Conference

The possibility of influencing the results of next year’s General Election and the need for Wales to be given more recognition from government were just some of the matters discussed by members of Plaid Cymru during their annual Autumn party conference last weekend. e issue of equality was one which dominated the main talking points of the two day conference in Llangollen as esteemed members of the party expressed their views on how and why Wales should be treated as equals to their Scottish counterparts following their Independence referendum. e most vocal of these were outlined by Dafydd Wigley, the former party leader, who claimed there needed to be a series of “conditions” put in place that would “ensure Wales receives equal treatment with Scotland, both politically and economically”. He addressed the gathered representatives of issues such as the “deliberate, chronic underfunding” of Welsh pub-

lic services, going as far as to accuse those in Westminster of doing so, and arguing for a more viable way of achieving independence immediately- or take drastic measures to do so.

Baron Wigley, Honorary President of the Party, put forward the case in the conference’s closing speech, saying that Wales “needs to aim for more than just Devolution- more a partnership between the nations of the United Kingdom”. It is the issue that must “dominate” political discussion to polling day. “We have, for 15 years since the opening of our national assembly, suffered from the chronic underfunding of public services in Wales”.

Plaid’s campaign for the General Election in 2015 however will be without their outgoing Parliamentary leader, Elfyn Llwyd. In his final speech before standing down as MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd next year, Mr Llwyd also drew heavily from the Referendum, claiming it had “left everything

in the balance” in terms of Wales’s future. Parity of power and parity of resources was reiterated, while some compromises were assured, such as a referendum on income tax powers- a bone of contention for some time- but also reiterated that certain measures were not far enough, and hoped that in the coming year new legislation would look at Wales in the post referendum context in terms of equality.

Perhaps the most interesting comments came from Leanne Wood, the party leader, who highlighted the significance Plaid MP’s in deciding the outcome of the election. In her keynote speech, Ms Wood said votes for Welsh and Scottish nationalists, as well as Green Party, could decide who holds the balance of power at Westminster following the election and in turn “re-balance the wealth and power within the UK”. She claimed that the Independence Referendum brought about the “demise” of what

she sees as the “two party dominance” of the Conservatives and Labour. Ms Wood also condemned “a cruel and damaging coalition” government at Westminster for having “no mandate from the people of Wales”. Events at the conference were of great interest to Daniel Rhys Roberts, Director of Campaigns and Policy at Plaid Cymru Ifanc, who echoed the points made by Ms Wood. “At a time when a coalition government is likely, the group of Plaid, SNP and Green Party MPs will have a big say in the UK’s future direction”, the Cardiff University Student said. “Plaid’s policies of fair funding gives Wales parity with Scotland, a living wage for all workers, and continues the fight against the austerity that all three London parties have committed to”. Evidently, the topics discussed at this year’s conference will breed both optimism and scepticism regarding opinions on Wales’ immediate political future.

David Cameron refuses to wear Feminist T-shirt

The question of whether someone calls themselves a feminist has become a contemporary mind field. Some people hear the term feminism and are turned off by it. This has been demonstrated by David Cameron who in recent weeks has refused to wear a T shirt with the words, ‘This is what a feminist looks like’ across it. Some statements on twitter have commented on the ‘absurd’ fallout over Cameron not wearing the T shirt. They argue ‘he is not a communal board’ and ‘dignity matters’.

Others, like me, think that wearing such a T shirt would be hypocritical anyway since arguably he is not ‘what a feminist looks like’.

Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and many celebrities have agreed happily to wear the T shirt as equality is not a difficult concept for most people to get behind.When quizzed on the issue by Red magazine last year, Cameron replied that he wasn’t sure what to call himself and ‘that it was up to others to attach labels’. He later claimed to Channel 4 that he hadn’t understood what the term ‘feminist’ meant.

Feminism has largely been warped in the public’s view by the few percent of feminists who isolate men by wishing ‘women to be superior’ to men or

‘for all men to die’, hence the surfacing of campaigns such as ‘women against feminism’. Such campaigns have had damaging effects to the important work done by the feminist movement across the world and the more fundamental aspects of what it stands for, namely, for women and men to be equal within society.

The concept of feminism has become polluted because of false understandings on both sides.

‘Extreme feminists’ as well as ‘Antifeminists’ should remember that you can’t apply convictions indiscriminately to all circumstances. In other words, feminists should remember that only some men are oppressive or violent towards women within society. This idea has been missed by a small number of feminists who are more aggressive in their approach towards putting feminism into practise. Alongside this, those women and men who claim to be ‘against feminism’ and who are dismissive of feminism because of those few extremist feminists should also remember not to apply convictions indiscriminately. Most women would like to see women’s issues addressed but this does not mean they should be patronised or humiliated for advocating the concept of feminism, which is now synony-

mous with forms of ridiculous behaviour. Equally, men should not feel isolated or under attack from feminists for just being men. We need men to want to be on board otherwise feminism by definition will be a failure. This means less of the Gloria Steinham style rants which quite often isolate men who initially are quite happy to call themselves an advocate of feminism.

Quite frankly it appears that Cameron does agree with equality between the sexes, but below the surface has a mediocre understanding and interest in gender related issues. Despite his party’s token attempts to promote women in a cabinet reshuffle and to show he does not have a problem with women’s issues it would appear, in fact, he decidedly does. Problems including the pay gap, the ‘glass ceiling’, sexism and violence are dealt with by both men and women in varying cases throughout society. Indeed, statistics show that domestic violence against men, for example, is increasing. Unfortunately, however, the large majority of gender discrimination and sexual and domestic violence is experienced by women. The UK is not among the top 20 most gender equal countries for the first time. The country is still, by and large,

run by men who seem completely unaware of the nation’s misogynistic psyche. One incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute. Statistics show that on average, 2 women a week are killed by current or former male partners. Women are paid 15% less than their male counterparts. We have only 148 female MPs, compared to 501 men in the House of Commons. And The Sun, our best-selling newspaper, has topless women on page 3.

So far the Conservative government has demonstrated a fairly redundant attitude towards policies which may have otherwise reduced these experiences for many. So while Cameron shouldn’t necessarily be slandered for not wearing the T shirt, he should realise that the whole episode has simply highlighted his absence of care on the subject.less women on page 3.

So far the Conservative government has demonstrated a fairly redundant attitude towards policies which may have otherwise reduced these experiences for everyone. So while Cameron shouldn’t necessarily be slandered for not wearing the T shirt, he should realise that the whole episode has simply highlighted how little he cares about the subject.

We have, for 15 years since the opening of our national assembly, suffered from the chronic underfunding of public services in Wales.

Lord Wigley, Plaid Cymru

Wearing such a T Shirt would be hypocritical since arguably he is not ‘what a feminist looks like’ “

Pictured: Leanne Wood speaks at conference

Dan Heard

Shanna Hamilton

SCIENCE

email us science@gairrhydd.com or visit us online at gairrhydd.com/science

First dead heart transplants in live patients a success

Donation of your heart is limited by the circumstances of your death – you must be brain-dead with the organ still beating, your body kept functioning by life support systems.

But now Australian surgeons have introduced new techniques that could lead to a “paradigm shift” in organ transplantation – they have successfully transplanted “dead” hearts that had completely stopped beating into two patients, who are now on the road to recovery from end stage heart failure.

If we can now take organs from people who have officially reached ‘circulatory death’, this could dramatically increase the number of potential donors available

Doctors at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney have developed pioneering techniques to preserve organs after death, enabling them to transplant a heart that hasn’t been beating for up to twenty minutes. Once a donor’s heart stops it is removed and placed in a special portable device, designed to resuscitate the organ, keeping it warm and beating in a special solution.

Coined “heart in a box’” this device allows surgeons to perform more long distance organ retrievals, as well as easily assess any damage and whether the heart is suitable for transplant.

Kumud Dhital, the cardiothoracic surgeon who performed the transplants, commented on this device: “ e incredible development of the preservation solution with this technology of being able to preserve the heart, resuscitate it and to assess the function of the heart has made

this possible. He also mentioned he “kicked the air” when the first surgery went smoothly.

Professor Pete MacDonald, Medical Director of the St Vincent’s Heart Transplant Unit, said, “In many respects this breakthrough represents a major inroad to reducing the shortage of donor organs… this is a timely breakthrough. In all our years, our biggest hindrance has been the limited availability of donor organs.” is technique could clearly have implications on organ donor registration in the UK and particularly in Wales, where consent for donation will be presumed unless you have ‘opted out’ from the new system, coming into action December 1st 2015.

Although over 20 million people are registered on the UK Organ Donor Register, only a very small proportion (as low as 3%) will be able to donate. Organs are usually required to come from people who have died in hospital, as they need to be transplanted very quickly before they are inviable. is means donors have often suffered in a major accident, had a fatal brain haemorrhage or a stroke.

If we can now take organs from people who have died in other situations, from those who are not just ‘brain-dead’ but have officially reached ‘circulatory death’, this could dramatically increase the number of potential donors available.

According to the British Heart

Foundation, there were 198 heart transplants performed last year with a further 275 people still on the waiting list. Maureen Talbot, a BHF Senior Cardiac Nurse, said, “ is is a significant development that will hopefully increase the number of donor hearts available for transplant in the future. We need the rest of the UK to follow Wales’ lead by introducing a soft opt-out system of organ donation where everyone is considered to be a donor unless they opt-out.”

e Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, who developed the

special preservation solution credited for this medical advance, released a statement suggesting, “…30% more lives will be saved using this new technique.”

James Neuberger however, associate medical director of the NHS Blood and Transplant Service, erred on the side of caution, suggesting it was too early to predict how many lives could be saved. “We look forward to more work being carried out to determine the impact of this technology on increasing the number of organs that can safely be used for transplant.”

Google executive jumps out of space

James Griffiths

Google executive Alan Eustace has broken the world record for the highest skydive in history after jumping from 41.4km (135,890ft) up. He reached a top speed of 1323kmph (822mph) during the descent, which lasted around four and a half minute minutes, before landing safely in the New Mexico desert.

In terms of distance fallen the event on the 24th October surpasses that of Austrian stuntman Felix Baumgartner, who travelled an estimated 39km in his record breaking effort two years ago, yet his project with Red Bull Stratos still retains the world record for vertical speed reached in freefall.

Mr Eustace, 57, who has been a pilot for 25 years and is an avid skydiver, told the New York Times, “It was amazing. You could see the darkness of space and you could see

the layers of atmosphere, which I had never seen before.”

“It was a wild, wild ride. I hugged on to the equipment module and tucked my legs and I held my heading.”

Eustace’s jump was no PR stunt, however. e build up to the event received very little media coverage in comparison to Baumgartner’s 2012 leap, which was publicised heavily for years and was finally watched live by over 8 million people on YouTube. e Google senior vice president even went as far as to refuse support from his own company, in what was much more of a low key endeavour.

Jim Hayhurst, director of competition at the United States Parachute Association and the event’s official observer, said: “ is was a bunch of quiet engineers doing the job. is is a scientific endeavour. is is a stepping stone to space.”

e stunt was part of a project named StratEX, coordinated by Paragon Space Development Corporation, a company specialising in life support systems for extreme or hazardous environments. e project’s goal was to develop a self-contained spacesuit and recovery system that could allow wearers to explore the stratosphere above 100,000 feet, which would allow scientists to carry out much more in-depth studies of stratospheric science.

Mr Eustace went on to affirm his commitment to scientific endeavour through the project: “I always wondered: what if you could design a system that would allow humans to explore the stratosphere as easily and safely as they do the ocean? With the help of the world-class StratEx team, I hope we’ve encouraged others to explore this part of the world about which we still know so little.”

heart (Source: TransMedics)

Pictured: e ‘heart in a box’ apparatus that can preserve and resuscitate a dead

Pictured: Alan Eustace just after his 135,890 foot jump (EPA)

Meryon Roderick

Pope declares Big Bang and evolution to be real

Famously liberal Pope Francis announces that theories of evolution and Big Bang do not exclude Creation

Pope Francis has declared that the theories of Evolution and the Big Bang are real and do not conflict with Creation as described in the bible whilst speaking at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences last week.

Pope Francis has not gone as far as to discredit creation as described in the bible, but has said that “Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.” is appears to support a view of integration between traditional Christian theories of creation and Darwinian evolution, a view already held by many liberal Christian groups worldwide.

However, the adoption of this position by the spokesperson and leader of the Catholics marks a huge step forward for one of the most conservative branches of the modern Church. e Pope declared that God should not be viewed as “a magician with a magic wand” but instead created human beings with internal

laws that let them develop and reach their potential.

Francis’ predecessor Pope John Paul II was also known to endorse a scientific view of the world, saying that evolution was “effectively proven fact”. However, this progress was largely undone by Benedict XVI who claimed that natural selection alone could not explain life on Earth.

Pope Francis, is known for his widely liberal approach to Catholic theology when compared to his predecessors and has made huge strides in reconciling the Catholic Church with its critics. is announcement is another move in the same direction with experts hailing an end to the “pseudo theories” encouraged by Pope Benedict XVI.

Whilst his thinking isn’t hugely out of keeping with historical Catholic dogma, which has evolved markedly since Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species”, Pope Francis’ willingness to accept science and new ideas certainly suggests a hopeful and progressive future for the Catholic Church.

Student Science: Which cheese is best on pizza?

It’s a question that every student ponders at least once a day: which cheese works best on Pizza? Do you like the stringiness of Mozzarella or the rich flavour of Gruyère? Or do you just like to bomb Tesco value pizzas with a thick layer of Cheddar and then devour the greasy, doughy aftermath hunched over in a mixture of shame and self-loathing?

Luckily for you Student Science is here to help with a rigorous examination of what makes a cheese perfect for everyone’s favourite Italian export and which variety of cheese best fits the bill.

It turns out that the attributes of cheese are a very well studied subject area. Aspects that food scientists tend to consider are transition temperature (the temperature the cheese melts at), rheology (how a cheese tends to flow when it melts) and water activity (how much water is in the cheese and how much can it move around?).

...that’s a situation that can send a hangover into a dark pit of despair

When a pizza goes in the oven the water trapped between the protein and fat heats up and begins to evaporate but it can’t escape into the surrounding air. Instead it begins to inflate the cheese like a delicious, fattening balloon and the cheese begins to bubble. How this process occurs depends on the type of cheese. More moist cheeses create big bubbles and

less moist cheeses produce smaller bubbles.

All these things affect a cheese’s ability to brown in the oven, which is arguably the greatest part of the greatest food known to man. e bubbling and steaming causes free oil to be released from the cheese and cover the surface, this oily coating prevents the cheese from browning but big enough bubbles can break through the grease and go deliciously brown.

is means for a cheese to work well on pizza it has to have a high water content and a low fat content. If a cheese is low moisture and low fat, then it won’t produce any free oil and will simply burn before the pizza cooks; that’s a situation that can send a hangover into a dark pit of despair. If a cheese is high moisture and high fat it will simply stay an amorphous greasy blob (looking at you Cheddar).

rough extensive research the scientific community have come to some solid conclusions aside from the fact that they have way too much time on their hands. ese include the fact that Edam and Gruyère don’t brown well at all, only cooking properly in a small ring around the edge of the pizza. Mozzarella on the other hand browns incredibly well which links to the fact that it has been

found to be amongst the cheeses with the highest water activity. High water activity means the water in the cheese can break its protein bonds more easily which means the cheese melts more quickly and browns more evenly.

Mozzarella also has a very high moisture content unlike Emmental which has a very low water content but is incredibly elastic so it produces large bubbles that don’t brown. Cheddar, Colby and Edam cheese do not blister because they have low elasticity and so their gas bubbles burst at an early stage and do not become blisters. Combine this with the very high fat content in cheddar and you have an explanation of the

sweaty mess presented whenever you’re foolish enough to allow this commoner of cheeses onto a pizza. So current research stands to confirm what we all already knew which is that Mozzarella is the king of pizza cheeses due to its stretchiness and its perfect balance of fat content and water content. However, a slightly lesser known tip is that Gruyère or Provolone, which don’t really brown at all, can be used in combination with Mozzarella to give a perfect golden brown colour and a scientifically perfect texture. You heard it here first, you can now choose your pizza cheeses with impunity knowing that science is behind you.

Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve

What do you think?

Have your say: letters@ gairrhydd.com

Pizza, the main source of sustenance for thousands of students across

Pictured: Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church.

Meryon Roderick

Pictured:

the nation

November

Time Flies Presents...

Halloween Masquerade Ball 01/11/14, £20 ADV

Asking Alexandra

02/11/14, £16.50 ADV

Twin Atlantic 02/11/14 - SOLD OUT

Rixton

07/11/14, £13.50 ADV/£27 VIP

The Blackout 11/11/14, £13.00 ADV

Lit 13/11/14, £17.50 ADV

Passenger 16/11/14 - SOLD OUT

Courteeners 17/11/14, £19.50

Suicide Silence 20/11/14, £12.00 ADV

Treatment ft. Annie Mac 21/11/14 - SOLD OUT

All tickets subject to booking fee

The Kooks 22/11/14 - SOLD OUT

Pop Punks Not Dead ft.

New Found Glory 23/11/14, £18.50 ADV

Tonight Alive 27/11/14, £12.50 ADV

December

Echo & The Bunnymen 04/12/14, £26.50 ADV

Embrace 09/12/14, £19.50 ADV

January

Neck Deep 26/01/15, £10.50 ADV

February

Enter Shikari 17/02/15, £19.50 ADV

Chelsea Grin 17/02/15, £10 ADV

Dapper Laughs 22/02/15, £15 ADV

March

The Stranglers 10/03/15, £23 ADV

Barney Willis VP Societies & Campaigns

SOCIETIES

Barney’s Note

Hello again! This week has been a busy one here at Societies! We have been having forums with our societies to discuss, among other things, tweaks to our tier system, feedback from the Fair and the (hopefully few!) unaddressed needs of

What’s On

Monday 3rd November

Act One

Variety Night

7.30pm – 10pm CF10, Students’ Union

Maths Society

Careers Talk: Sainsbury’s

4.10pm - 5pm

Cardiff School of Maths, Room

M/0.40

Art Society Life Drawing

7.30pm – 9.30pm 4D, Students’ Union

Tuesday 4th November

Healthcare Music Society

Orchestra Rehearsal 7pm - 9pm

societies. Although these sessions have kept me working until after seven, I have loved the chance to talk to committees about what they want! If you have any feedback you haven’t been able to voice, make sure you let me know. In other news, society signups

Wednesday 5th November

Horse Racing Society

Wednesday Racing - Chepstow Racecourse 12:45pm - 5pm Chepstow Racecourse

Student Minds National Stress Awareness Day

Students’ Union reception 12 - 4pm asking people how they de-stress. We will also be giving away free head massagers!

Student Minds - Yoga

(Session 1) 4.45pm - 5.45pm (Session 2) 6.15pm - 7.15pm

Sessions £1, or as part of our ‘Look After Your Mate’ campaign, bringing along a friend only £1.50 for two people. Sign-ups on a first-come, first served basis, select £0 ticket to reserve a place, pay on the door. Sign-ups https://www.cardiffstudents.com/events/6911/4015/ and

tweet us @gairrhyddsoc email us societies@gairrhydd.com or visit us online at gairrhydd.com/societies

are stronger than ever before. Over 7500 unique students have joined societies! This is fantastic news and testifies to how much societies are raising their game. We are also seeing more society applications, with the total number approaching 200. New to the family are a new Anglican society and a group just for Omani students! As much as this growth represents more work for me, I am thrilled to bits to see Cardiff soci-

https://www.cardiffstudents.com/ events/6911/4016. CF10, Students’ Union

Thursday 6th November

Psychology Society Staff vs. Students Ultimate Frisbee! 3pm - 5pm Pontcanna Fields

Surgical Society

All Wales Surgical Final Revision Series 2/2 6pm - 9pm

Michael Griffiths Lecture Theatre

Athletic Union The AU Presents Dodgeball 6pm - 10pm Great Hall, Students’ Union

Healthcare Music Society Choir Rehearsal 7pm - 9pm

Friday 7th November

Asian Society

CHANDNI - Diwali and Eid Ball

eties continue their sector leading tradition.

As ever, do get in touch if you need any support. You can find me in person on the third floor of the SU or, failing that, on VPSocieties@cardiff.ac.uk.

Oh and, if you like a laugh, I will be featuring in an E4 prank show on November the 11th after our delightful President saw fit to stitch me up on national television. So that’s nice. See you around!

7pm – midnight

National Museum, Cardiff

Chemistry Society

Cardiff Chemsoc vs Bath Chemsoc

Joint Social 8pm - 3am The Taf

Saturday 8th November

Optometry Society

The Boots Varsity Challenge Cup 10am - 8pm Talybont Sports Centre/FLUX

Global Health Student Network

Maternal Global Health 2pm - 4pm

Small Chemistry Lecture Theatre, Main Building

Sunday 9th November

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Society Interstellar Cinema Trip 8pm - 10pm

Asian Society present Chandni: Diwali and Eid Ball

Cardiff University’s Asian Society is a dynamic group which aims to promote Asian culture at our university and to the wider community. We aim to be the biggest and best society in Cardiff, showcasing the best of Asian culture through our busy calendar of social and cultural events. As a society we strive to be as inclusive as possible and appeal to the large majority of students, giving them a sense of community in a faraway city and the chance to keep in touch with their culture, as well as to meet new people and make new friends.

This year so far Asian society has held two events for their members. Initi-Asian was our first event of the year involving a treasure hunt courtesy of our sponsors Koko Gorillaz and Katiwok who provided a prize, drinks and a night out on the town. Our second event was Garba, held during Navratri which consists of nine nights filled with Garba and Dandiya – dancing and music - in honour of the goddess Durga. This is one of Asian Societies’ more traditional events, held at the Sanatan Dharma Mandal and community centre.

Our next big event is Chandni 2014

– Diwali and Eid ball on the 7th November. This will be held at the National Museum and marks one of the biggest events in the Hindu and Islamic calendar, therefore a major event for our members. With a sit down meal to enjoy some of the traditional foods from the Eastern culture, Bollywood/Asian music and cultural performances, it will be an event that will really bring our members together! The night will be filled with light, colour and showcase some amazing traditional outfits worn in the Eastern side of the world. It looks to be a sellout event!

Events that we plan to hold in the future are our Christmas social and of course Asian society’s biggest event every year – ELEMENTS!

From traditional dance to salsa, Tamil melodies to indo-western remixes, vintage Bollywood to unforgettable love stories, and from strangers to friends, Elements has it all. Held during Cardiff University’s Go Global week, it is a show that illustrates perfectly the diversity of the Asian culture, and has seen an increase in popularity since its birth in 2011. This year we’ve also entered

an Inter-Uni dance competition called Just Bollywood, as we are aiming to put Cardiff on the map and didn’t do anything similar last year. This is due to take place on the 13th December at Imperial College, London. The standards for this competition are sky-high and we’re yet to face our first round, however with all the hard work that the dance team are putting in we’re eager to go a long way.

As a committee we are very

excited for the coming year and aim to put on the best events for our members to both socialise and get in touch with their culture. If you’re interested, please do join us in our journey of the arts, culture, and tradition, and of course finish it, full of colour with HOLI at the end of the year. Everyone needs a little colour in their life! For more information, visit https://www.facebook. com/AsianSocCardiff and @CardiffAsianSoc on twitter.

Have an event you want covered? Have your say: letters@ gairrhydd.com

Gargi Pandey

Pictured: Asian Society committee

Duke of Edinburgh Society celebrate success

As former winners of the Best Small Society 2012-13, Best Medium Society 2013-14 and NUS Wales Society of the year 2014, we are a well-established society offering Cardiff University students the opportunity to take part in and complete the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. This prestigious award takes young people on a journey of personal discovery through many new and enjoyable experiences helping them each develop important life skills highly sought after by future employers.

Running for over 10 years, our society mainly focuses on organising and running expeditions in areas such as the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia and the Lake District. These weekends away provide great opportunities to meet new people whilst exploring amazing new areas of the UK’s countryside. These trips are partly subsidised by the Union

which help ensure they remain at low, affordable costs whilst free kit rental is provided, ensuring members are not required to dip into their own pockets to purchase long lists of expensive equipment. For people already highly active in other societies, this award provides recognition

for all their hard work and personal attributes, with weekly training sessions and socials.

As a society, we assist our members with route planning for their expeditions, kit training and carry out team building exercises in order to create a strong bond between our

All events must be signed up to in advance at cardiffstudents.com/ giveitago

Spanish Language Taster 4th November at 7.30pm

Transform your travel experience with our free language class for Español! All abilities welcome, sign up and turn up for this very fun and easy going Spanish taster class. Definitely not an opportunity to be missed! Meet in the Students’ Union Reception

Athletics X-Country Training 4th November at 6.30pm

Ever wanted to try x-country? Come along to our pre-race training session and you could experience it for yourself in Llandaff fields the following Sunday. Right on your doorstep it’ll bge a fun beginnerfriendly race and you can be part of

one of the best teams. Meet at Front of the Students’ Union

Sci-Fi Scavenger Hunt

5th November at 1pm

For the brave of heart and quick of wit we present Sci-Fi and Fantasy’s Scavenger Hunt! An adventure around the City Centre with numerous challenges! Meet in the SU Lounge and then in teams of 4-5, you will be presented with a map and clues then let loose in the nearby area where various riddles must be solved, questions answered, and items of interest documented. The winning team is the one who comes back to the SU with the most points. Meet in the Students’ Union Lounge

Sales Skills Workshop

5th November at 5.30pm

Come along to this amazing free workshop and refine your ability to

society members. We also help provide support, advice and assistance in completing the other necessary sections required to pass the award (volunteering, service, skills and residential).

Social weekends also occur at various points within each term and last June, 10 of our members successfully completed the Three Peaks Challenge. This is an event where participants attempt to climb the highest mountains of Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours. This year we have a strong team of individuals volunteering their time to help others achieve the award, so particular praise must go to each and every one of them.

You can find out more information from our Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/groups/cardiffunidofesociety1415/ or the Students’ Union website: http://www.cardiffstudents.com/activities/society/dofe/

close a sale! This unit focuses on the customer journey and how the seller must adapt their style and approach to different customer personalities. A very useful session. At Room 4I, Students’ Union

SHAG C-Card

6th November at 12pm

Did someone say FREE CONDOMS?! You heard it here first – SHAG has teamed up with the YMA to provide Cardiff students with access to free condoms and sexual health signposting. Come along and sign up for your free C-card every Thursday in the Students’ Union. Students’ Union Boardroom

Enterprise - How to Find your Market

6th November at 6pm

Come along and find out more from a successful entrepreneur, and get tips to turn your business into a success. Somewhere between getting a business idea and setting up a successful business, there’s a process that needs to be carried out to determine who your market is. Come along and find out more from a successful entrepreneur, and get tips to turn your business into a success. If you have any queries please contact: Enterprise@Cardiff. ac.uk. Room 4J, Students’ Union

Women’s Football

7th November at 8pm

Whether you have never tried football or have played it regularly, come along and join in with a great group of girls. We love our football and enjoy playing in a friendly atmosphere. The Friday sessions give you the opportunity to shine and potentially make it into our

teams. Come and join in! Meet at Talybont Astro Pitch

BBC Orchestra: The Dream of Gerontius 7th November at 6.30pm Exclusive Students’ Union tickets at Saint David’s Hall. Elgar was always fascinated by the poem by John Henry Newman, depicting the journey of Gerontius from his deathbed to his judgement before God. In this masterpiece, the Chorus play multiple roles in the story - as angels, friends, souls in purgatory, and even demons. English tenor Andrew Kennedy sings the role of Gerontius and Swedish soprano Anna Larsson plays the Angel, guiding Gerontius on his journey. If you have any queries please contact: Giveitago@ Cardiff.ac.uk. Meet in the Students’ Union Reception

Heath Park Event - Where’s Wally Playzone Trip! 7 th November at 7pm

You will need your... Where’s Wally Outfit & spending money! (And to prebook your ticket).

For one night only Heath Park Healthcare students takeover Playzone! What could be better after a hard day on placement than an indoor adventure centre complete with vodka slushies?! Join us for this Where’s Wally Adventure night followed by a Wind Street splash, before being whisked safely back to Cardiff on the SU bus! Your £14 ticket includes Playzone entry and return SU coach to Swansea! This is definitely not a night out to be missed! If you have any queries please contact: Giveitago@Cardiff.ac.uk. Meet in the IV Lounge

David Glencross

Pictured: Committee members David Glencross, Emma Longman, Ashley Yates, Sam Taylor and Nia Rees at the Freshers’ Fayre

Abhishek Mohan

Cardiff RAG Spotlight

Cardiff University students stage the first ‘Undie Run’

for Stand Up To Cancer

As part of RAG Week, Cardiff University students are saying ‘pants to cancer’ as they stage one of the first ‘Undie Runs’ in the UK to raise money for ground-breaking research.

Boxer shorts, bikini briefs and bras of all shapes and sizes will be on display as 100’s of students get ready to host their very own Undie Run at Talybont Halls on the 9th of November. At 3 pm, the 1 kilometre run will go through the biggest student halls in Cardiff.

This event is one of 31 Undie Runs taking place at colleges and campuses

across the UK to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer. A joint national fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4, Stand Up To Cancer aims to raise money to get new and better treatments to cancer patients faster, saving more lives, more quickly. The cause unites scientists, celebrities and communities across the country to generate funds, raise awareness and bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

Cardiff RAG President, Eliza Walwyn-Jones said: “We are delighted that so many students have joined the first ever Undie Run in Cardiff and are

tweet us @gairrhyddsoc email us societies@gairrhydd.com or visit us online at gairrhydd.com/societies

striping down to their smalls in the name of charity. This event is fantastic fun for a very serious cause. By raising money for the Stand Up To Cancer campaign we will be funding life saving research so that more people will survive this terrible disease.”

Stars supporting Stand Up To Cancer 2014 include Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, Gillian Anderson, Eddie Redmayne, Idris Elba, Anna Friel, Steve Coogan, Davina McCall, Alan Carr, Dr. Christian Jessen, Sharon Osbourne, Christine Bleakley, Una Foden, Greg

James, Henry Holland, Jack Whitehall, Jake Humphrey and Blake Harrison. Stand Up To Cancer took place for the first time in the UK in 2012 and raised over £8 million for ground-breaking research.

For more information on how to support Stand Up To Cancer visit standuptocancer.org.uk. If you would like to join the Cardiff run, you can sign up now at theundie. co.uk. Join the facebook event at bit. ly/undcf. Keep an eye out for all the other exciting events that Cardiff RAG are putting on throughout the week.

Society profile: Comedy Society

Emily Broad

What makes the Cardiff Comedy Society totally unique is its all-inclusive nature. From those who love watching comedy to those who love performing it, the Comedy Society offers an extensive range of opportunities and experiences to every Cardiff student.

Laughter is a gift. It unites people. Comedy isn’t about being pressured to be funny on stage or trying to force a cheap laugh. It’s about appreciating each other’s social values, observations and life experiences and embracing the funny behind it. When you watch a comic perform you’re not laughing at them, you’re laughing with them and the audience. Like a hysterical 3 way love triangle in which everyone keeps coming back for more.

The society comprises of fans of stand-up, sketches, improvisation, radio and TV comedy, and every else

between. It is a friendly platform in which students can experiment with or discover their ‘inner funny’ in the knowledge that their efforts will be always be appreciated and received positively.

Although this is the society’s first full year as part of the Students’ Union, the Comedy Society already have experience in organising comedy nights for students towards the end of the previous academic year.

Having been set up officially in March, the society has since helped develop individual performances through our stand up and sketch workshops, and in turn showcased some fantastic live performances.

The next upcoming gig is raising money for the Kenyan Orphan Project, with all the acts performing part of the society. It’s on the 12th November in CF10. Membership costs just £4 and gets you half price to all our gigs, including the one on the 12th, plus access to various workshops throughout the year, as well as the chance to perform, write and direct. We seek to discover and celebrate hidden comedic talent and share the hilarity with our student counterparts – so come and get your funny on!

Find us on http://www.cardiffstudents.com/activities/society/comedysoc/

Think there’s something your society does that needs publishing on these pages?

Celebrate the brilliant things you do by promoting yourself: writing an article, including an upcoming event in the What’s On section, a review, or featuring in the Society Profile.

Email: societies@gairrhydd.com

By raising money for the Stand Up to Cancer campaign we will be funding life saving research so that more people will survive this terrible disease

and a

Pictured: The Undie Run

Pictured: Paul Smith

pineapple, Cardiff Fringe Festival

Gwenno Williams

TAF-OD

trydar @taf_od

ebost tafod@gairrhydd.com ar-lein gairrhydd.com/tafod

Gair Golygyddol

Steffan Bryn Jones

Morgan Owen

AAmrywiaeth eang o gyfraniadau sydd i TafOd unwaith eto’r wythons hon. Rydym yn dechrau gydag ymateb myfyriwr Fferyllaeth sydd yn rhannu’i hargryffiadau o’r gwawdio cyhoeddus a fu yn ddiweddar o gyflwr y Gwasanaeth Iechyd yng Nghymru. Diolch i Gwenno am dyrchu y tu hwnt i’r gwleidyddol, wrth godi llais dros y Gwasanaeth, y gweithwyr iechyd a’r cleifion maent yn eu gwasanaethu.

Rwy’n hynod falch o allu cyflwyno darn gan fy nghyd-olygydd, Morgan, yn adrodd hanes criw’r Wyddeleg a gafodd y fraint o gael mynd i’r Bae yr wythons ddiwethaf i gwrdd ag Arlywydd Iwerddon. Eleni, mae criw bychan yn dilyn modiwl yn y Wyddeleg. Daw rhai o’r myfyrwyr o Ysgol y Gymraeg, ond serch hynny, deallaf y daw un o’r myfyrwyr o Efrog Newydd! Yn aml clywn ragfarnnau am astudio drwy’r Gymraeg megis culni a’r angen i fod yn “rhyngwladol”. Fe fyddwn i’n dadlau mai’r gwrthwy-

neb sydd yn wir. Mae’n braf gweld y pontio yma rhwng yr ieithoedd bychan yn cyfoethogi’r profiad i fyfyrwyr a bod ein myfyrwyr yn cael y cyfle i brofi gwahanol brofiadau dysgu drwy’r fath gyfrwng- boed hynny’n grwpiau bach neu mawr. Nos Lun ddiwethaf, cynhaliwyd y cyntaf o nosweithiau Cymraeg misol Clwb Ifor Bach. I’r rhai ohonom a fynychodd, roedd yn noson lwyddiannus iawn ac rwy’n ffyddiog y bydd yn bwrw gwreiddiau dros y misoedd i ddod. Mared Roberts, Ysgrifennydd y Gym Gym sy’n crynhoi’r cyfan i ddarllenwyr TafOd.

Ar nodyn personol gen i fel Swyddog y Gymraeg, mae’r wythnos hon yn un dyngedfennol. Byddaf yn cyflwyo Siarter yr Iaith Gymraeg a baratowyd gan Bwyllgor Iaith Gymraeg Undeb Cenedlaethol y Myfyrwyr Cymru i aelodau o Senedd Undeb y Myfyrwyr. Gallwch ddod o hyd i’r agenda ar wefan yr Undeb ble mae fy nghynnig i’w weld ynghyd â

chopi o’r Siarter. Nod y siarter yw ceisio cysoni’r ddarpariaeth Gymraeg ar draws undebau myfyrwyr prifysgolion Cymru. Pe bai’r Siarter yn cael ei chymeradwyo, ac rwy’n mawr obeithio mai felly y bydd hi, mae’r ymrywmiadau yn lled-chwyldroadol o safbwynt Undeb Prifysgol Caerdydd. Bydd gofyn i glybiau a chymdeithasau gyfathrebu’n ddwyieithog, bydd gofyn i’r Undeb bwyso a chadarnhau statws neuaddau preswyl penodedig Gymraeg ynghyd ag argymhelliad ynghylch cael Swyddog llawn amser yng ngofal y Gymraeg. Mwy am yr olaf o’r rhain yn fuan ar ol nos Fawrth gobeithio…Dim ond y Senddwyr all bleidleisio ond gall unrhyw fyfyriwr ddod i’r cefn a’u hannerch. Bydd yn dipyn o her i mi gael cymeradwyaeth i’r cynnig felly byddai unrhyw gefnogaeth o du’r myfyrwyr Cymraeg yn cael ei werthfawrogi’n fawr. Nos Fawrth, 4ydd o Dachwedd yn Ystafell 4J Undeb y Myfyrwyr felly! Am y tro, Steffan.

Gwirioneddau’r GIG?

finnau’n fyfyrwraig fferylliaeth sydd yn y pendraw yn gobeithio gweithio i’r Gwasanaeth Iechyd Gwladol, siom pur oedd darllen ‘exposé diweddaraf y Daily Mail yn sarhau ein hysbytai cenedlaethol.

Drwy gydol yr wythnos ddiwethaf bu’r papur yn rhedeg straeon yn ddyddiol, gyda thair o’r rheiny’n cyrraedd y clawr blaen.

Mae’r mater hyd yn oed wedi sbarduno dadleuon yn Nhŷ’r Cyffredin, gyda’r Ysgrifennydd Iechyd Prydeinig, Jeremy Hunt, yn datgan bod trigolion Cymru yn derbyn gwasanaeth ‘ail ddosbarth’. Wrth gwrs nid yw’r Gwasanaeth Iechyd yn berffaith, na chwaith gweddill gwasanaethau iechyd gwledydd Prydain, ond teimlaf fod nifer o’r cyhuddiadau yn gwbl annheg.

Er enghraifft, dyfynnwyd ffigurau yn dangos nifer y cleifion Cymreig sy’n ‘ffoi’ dros y ffin er mwyn cael triniaeth mewn ysbytai yn Lloegr, gan ein harwain i gredu mai achos yr ymfudiad sylweddol yma yw safonau truenus ein Gwasanaeth Iechyd ni.

Ond rhaid cofio bod Powys gyfan heb yr un ysbyty cyffredinol, gydag ardaloedd o’r Gogledd hefyd yn brin, felly, yn naturiol, yr unig fodd i dderbyn triniaeth angenrheidiol yw teithio i Loegr.

Mae hyn hefyd yn fwy ymarferol i drigolion sy’n byw yn agos at y ffin.

Rhaid hefyd ystyried arbenigedd ysbytai. Er enghraifft, mae Ysbyty’r Frenhines Elizabeth ym Mirmingham yn gartref i’r ganolfan trawsblannu arennau fwyaf yn Ewrop, ac ystyrir Ysbyty Treforys yn Abertawe yn un o’r canolfannau gorau i dderbyn triniaeth am losgiadau ym Mhrydain.

Felly pwy all feio cleifion Cymru am fynnu derbyn triniaethau yn yr ysbytai gorau?

fur, mae’n rhaid i’r Torïaid gamu i mewn i adfer y sefyllfa, gyda Cameron nawr yn addo arbed toriadau ariannol i’r gwasanaethau iechyd, fel petai hynny’n mynd i wella’r cyfan. C

Ond chwarae teg i Carwyn Jones, sydd am unwaith wedi amddiffyn Cymru a llwyddo i wrth-droi bron pob dadl a gyflwynodd y Daily Mail.

icach fyth, eu hannog i adfer ffydd y cyhoedd.

B 

Felly rhaid codi’r cwestiwn o beth nesaf? Pa fath o ddyfodol sydd gan ein Gwasanaeth Iechyd?

Credaf y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithredu i sicrhau nad yw unrhyw ysbytai yng Nghymru yn gorfod cau er mwyn osgoi gwaethygu’r straen ar y gwasanaeth.

Pe bai’r Siarter yn cael ei chymeradwyo, ac rwy’n mawr obeithio mai felly y bydd hi, mae’r ymrywmiadau yn lledchwyldroadol o safbwynt Undeb Prifysgol Caerdydd

Ond wrth gwrs, nid safonau’r Gwasanaeth Iechyd yng Nghymru sydd wedi cythruddo’r gwleidyddion yn San Steffan er bod y broblem yn bodoli ers nifer o flynyddoedd bellach.

Na, un dyddiad sydd wedi cynnau’r cyfan; 7 Mai 2015. Mae’r amser wedi dod unwaith eto am yr etholiad cyffredinol, a’r tro hwn rheolaeth Cymru sydd o dan y chwyddwydr.

Penderfynodd y Daily Mail, a nawr David Cameron, fod methiannau’r GIG yn adlewyrchiad arbennig o allu arwain Ed Miliband a gweddill Llafur, ac felly’n rheswm gwych i’w atal rhag dod yn Brif Weinidog.

O ganlyniad i ffaeleddau Lla-

Teimlaf ei bod hi’n gwbl annheg i’r wasg ddefnyddio enghreifftiau o ychydig unigolion i bortreadu’r 72,000 o weithwyr sy’n cael eu cyflogi gan y Gwasanaeth Iechyd fel pobol esgeulus sy’n anwybyddu lles cleifion.

Mae Jones a’r Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol, Mark Drakeford, wedi anfon llythyr i weithwyr y GIG yn eu canmol am eu gwaith caled i’r gwasanaeth ac am gadw morâl uchel er gwaetha’r cyhuddiadau yn eu herbyn.

Braf oedd darllen y llythyr caredig yma, gan ei bod hi’n bwysig sicrhau nad yw gweithwyr yn colli hyder yn eu gallu na’u dyletswyddau – byddai hynny’n beth trychinebus.

Gyda’r system o dan straen enfawr ac yn ceisio osgoi sarhad pellach, credaf fod ychydig o eiriau o gefnogaeth yn gallu adennill ffydd y gweithwyr yn y GIG, ac yn bwys-

Byddai agor ysbyty newydd i wasanaethu’r canolbarth hefyd yn lleihau’r pwysau ac yn cywiro’r anghysondeb o ran darpariaeth gwasanaethau iechyd ar draws y wlad.

Rhaid hefyd hysbysebu’r gwasanaethau priodol i ddelio ag afiechydon yn dibynnu ar ba mor ddifrifol ydyn nhw, er enghraifft Cynllun Afiechydon Annifrifol mewn fferyllfeydd ar gyfer afiechydon pob dydd, ac apwyntiad gyda’r meddyg ar gyfer afiechydon mwy difrifol.

Y gobaith yw y byddai hyn yn lleihau nifer y cleifion sy’n diweddu yn yr ysbyty’n ddiangen o ganlyniad i sefyllfaoedd y mae modd eu hosgoi.

Does dim modd gwadu bod yn rhaid i’r GIG newid er mwyn adfer ffydd y cyhoedd yn y gwasanaeth. Diffyg arian sydd wrth wraidd y broblem ac, yn anffodus ond arian all ei datrys.

Rhaid hefyd ystyried arbenigedd ysbytai. Er enghraifft, mae Ysbyty’r Frenhines Elizabeth ym Mirmingham yn gartref i’r ganolfan trawsblannu arennau fwyaf yn Ewrop, ac ystyrir Ysbyty Treforys yn Abertawe yn un o’r canolfan-nau gorau i dderbyn triniaeth am losgiadau ym Mhrydain

Cyfeillion Celtaidd yn Cyfarfod

Ar yr wythfed ar hugain o Hydref cawsom ni fyfyrwyr y Wyddeleg yma yn y Brifysgol y fraint o fynychu derbynfa am arlywydd yr Iwerddon, Michael D Higgins, yng Nghanolfan y Mileniwm. Dyma oedd y tro cyntaf i arlywydd y wlad honno ymweld yn swyddogol â Chymru, ac yr oedd yn anrhydedd nad anghofiwn fod yn bresennol ar yr achlysur hanesyddol hwn. Braf oedd clywed cynifer o Gymry yno yn ymddiddan yn Gymraeg, ac bid sicr, byddai’r Gwyddelod wedi sylwi ar hwn a chanfod mai iaith fyw yw ein hiaith ni. A sôn am ieithoedd, siaradodd yr arlywydd Saesneg a Gwyddeleg bob yn ail, gan swyno’r gynulleidfa â goslefau gorllewinol ei famiaith. Tebygwn i nad oedd mwyafrif o’r rheiny oedd yn bresennol wedi clywed iaith frodorol yr Iwerddon o’r blaen, a gobeithio y byddai cyfaredd clywed iaith anghyfarwydd wedi bod

yn ysgogiad i’r Cymry di-Gymraeg a'i clywodd i werthfawrogi’n fwy ein heniaith ninnau. Soniodd yr arlwydydd yn huawdl am Dylan Thomas, a hithau’n ganmlwyddiant ei enedigaeth, gan gymharu gallu ein beirdd Saesneg eu hiaith i droi iaith estron ein gorchfygwyr yn gyfrwng mynegiant tra unigryw sydd yn adlewyrchu ein canfyddiadau ni o’r byd o’n sefyllfeydd hanesyddol anodd. Ac aralleirio, dywedodd eiriau tebyg i ‘brofiadau Celtaidd mewn termau Sacsonaidd’ yw hanfod ein beirdd Saesneg! Da y siaradodd, ond yn ddiau, dim ond trwy gyfrwng ein hieithoedd ein hunain y byddwn yn mynegi’n ddiffuant gwir natur ein gwledydd. Ac yntau’n gyn-weinidog y Gaeltachtaí (yr hyn sy’n cyfateb i’r Fro yn yr Iwerddon), rwy’n siwr y byddai’r arlywydd yn cytuno â’r gosodiad hwn. Hir y parhao’r ieithoedd Celtaidd.

TWRW’n Tanio

os Lun, y 27ain o Hydref, roedd yn bryd twrio yn ein cypyrddau am ein tei ysgol a pharatoi at lansiad Twrw yng Nghlwb Ifor Bach. Dyma ddechrau ar draddodiad cwbwl newydd a chyffrous yn y ddinas. Yn debyg i ddigwyddiadau Clwb Cymru ym Mangor a Sŵn yn Aberystwyth, cyfle ydyw i ymgasglu fel myfyrwyr Cymraeg a gwerthfawrogi cyfoeth cerddoriaeth gyfoes ein gwlad. O anthemau'r saithdegau i'r tiwns sydd i'w clywed ar lwyfan Maes B heddiw, rhoddodd DJs Elan a Mari wledd i ni wrth inni lowcio'n vodka a coke yn ein gwisgoedd ysgol. Bu cryn dipyn o drafod Twrw ar Twitter yn ogystal, a'r her a roddodd Clwb Ifor Bach oedd creu enwau diodydd allan o enwau bandiau Cymraeg. Cafwyd ymatebion digon diddorol... Ale Symudiad, Buck's Frizbee, Yws Gwinedd; a Huw Stephens hyd yn oed yn rhoi tro arni a chynnig VodKandelas. Wrth i'r noson ddod i'w therfyn am ddau y bore, a Cheidwad y Goleudy'n atsain dros furiau'r castell, roedd hi'n argoeli'n llwyddiant ar gyfer digwyddiadau Twrw yn y dyfodol.

a gobeithio y byddai cyfaredd cly-wed iaith anghyfarwydd wedi bod yn ysgogiad i’r Cymry diGymraeg a'i clywodd i werthfawrogi’n fwy ein heniaith ninnau

Yn debyg i ddigwyddiadau Clwb Cymru ym Mangor a S n yn Ab-erystwyth, cyfle ydyw i ymgasglu fel myfyrwyr Cymraeg a gwerth-fawrogi cyfoeth cerddoriaeth gyfoes ein gwlad.

Mared Roberts N

Morgan Owen

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BUCS Results: Wednesday 29th October

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First Medics Varsity to be held in Bristol

The Welsh Varsity is a sporting contest between Cardiff University and their arch rivals Swansea University. However, this Autumn will see a very different instalment of the Varsity fixture.

The Medics Society are set to have their first ever version of Varsity, but this time the opposition will not come from South Wales, but across the English border from the city of Bristol.

Bristol University will host the inaugural Medics Varsity event at Coombe Dingle (Bristol University’s sports ground) on Sunday, 23rd November.

Similar to the Welsh Varsity, the day will include a variety of sports, some of which include football and both men’s and women’s hockey. However, the main event is set to

be the men’s rugby. The Medics rugby clubs from Cardiff and Bristol have never played each other before, so it is set to be a competitive match.

As with many one-off games, the form books go out of the window and it’s a level playing field.

Tickets for the day out in Bristol range from £7.50, for travel and a hog roast, and £10 for travel, hog roast and a Medics Varsity Cardiff t-shirt.

Claire Blakeway, Vice President at the Heath Park Campus, believes that it will be a closely-fought encounter when the two respective rugby teams meet: “I can’t wait for this fierce Varsity competition to commence.

“It’s such an unpredictable event as Cardiff Medics have never played Bristol Medics before, therefore it’s really anyone’s game!”

As with many one off games, the form books go out the window and it’s a level

Mantej Mann

Continued from back page

Preview: Wales’ Autumn Internationals (cont’d)

consecutive weekend clashes with Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa. Wales, normally slow starters against Southern Hemisphere sides, need to try and match the speed and intensity of these teams, particularly the Southern Hemisphere’s big three. Spacing in particular will prove crucial in these games, as this has been an area which has led to continuous defeat for Wales against their Southern opponents.

During Gatland’s era he has suffered a total of 22 defeats against the big three with his only victory being against Australia way back in 2008. Although he has stated that his focus remains on the World Cup next year, Gatland has also admitted that to end a twenty match losing streak would make a huge psychological difference to the Welsh team ahead of next year’s campaign.

It is not unthinkable that Wales could hold off and win any of these test matches, with a year of near misses and close calls behind them. In June, Wales led for most of the match against South Africa and were only defeated after succumbing to a late penalty try.

With the Aussie’s previous eight victories only being by single figure margins, the time has come, according to Gatland, for the senior members within his squad to voice themselves and take lead. This particularly applies to his captain Sam Warburton, who on occasions has taken criticism for playing better for Wales when not in the position of captaincy.

There is worry for Wales however as recent injuries caused by a brutal weekend of European rugby have left them short on centres, with Lions international Jonathan Davies suffering a blow to the shoulder whilst playing for Clermont Auvergne against Sale. This situation has been exasperated as back up centres Scott Williams and Corey Allen are also injured leaving Jamie Roberts as the only fit player in that position in Gatland’s selection.

Wales do have the option of playing winger George North at centre though, a position from which he scored four tries for his Northampton side against the Ospreys. North certainly has a point to prove following a string of sub-par performance during the summer test matches.

The loss of the pairing of Davies and Roberts, British and Irish Lions teammates, is going to be a particular blow to Gatland as this is a partnership that has proved itself time and time again.

The big decisions for the Wales team during these test matches will also be seen in the selection of scrum half, as Rhys Webb has demonstrated himself as another strong and consistently performing Osprey’s player within the Wales selection, and is challenging Mike Phillips who has so far spent most of this season on the bench for Racing Métro.

Despite issues in their central position there is still confidence that this Welsh selection have the potential to finally win against the

Southern Hemisphere and, although Warren Gatland has stated the focus of his side is the World Cup next year, he’s also argued that these Autumn Internationals and the Six

Nations come next spring will serve as perfect preparation for the tournament, showing that his side will be taking every game in the build up very seriously.

Cardiff continue to squash the competition

There is still confidence that this Welsh selection have the potential to finally win against the Southern Hemisphere “

Rees Herrod

Cardiff University Squash Club’s 2014-15 campaign got off to a flyer in the first fixtures of the BUCS season, as both the men’s and women’s first teams were triumphant in their opening two games.

The women stormed to two 4-0 victories, the first of which came against Southampton’s 1st team, before they followed it up by brushing aside Bath 1sts a week later.

Shailee Morjaria secured the first success of the day for Cardiff winning 11-2, 11-5, 11-1.

Next up was Rach Farquhar, who started off slowly, losing the first game narrowly, 9-11. Farquhar quickly stepped up her game though, clinching Cardiff’s second victory of the day (11-5, 11-7, 11-7).

Despite having recently suffered an injury, Anna Johnson bravely retained her place at number two and, true to form, she prosperedwinning 11-4, 11-4, 11-5.

Natalie Machin, who has become a regular on the men’s team in the South Wales League, was played in the final match of the day.

Despite the talent of her opposition, Machin proved why she is rightly regarded as one of Cardiff

University’s most talented sportswomen, securing a comfortable 3-0 victory over Bath’s number one (117, 11-0, 11-1).

So convincing was Machin’s performance that she even polished off her second game 11-0.

With the likes of UWE 1sts and Exeter 1sts still to play, it’s important for the girls to keep working hard.

But, with a maximum 32 points and currently sitting top of their league, it’s a promising start for Cardiff University Squash Club.

The men’s team achieved similar success through their opening fixtures and battled through two close matches, demonstrating their class at the right times.

The first, against UWE, proved the easier of the two, with victories from Rees Herrod, Dan Caylor, Angus White and Keiran Collinson securing a 4-1 win. Adam Doran played some inspired squash at times, but unfortunately fell short of securing the whitewash in his 1-3 defeat.

A closer match however came the following week as the side travelled to Swansea, where our opponents were out for blood following last year’s 5-0 drumming by Cardiff

Men’s 1sts at Varsity last year.

The opening games were too close to call as Keiran Collinson battled valiantly before eventually succumbing 1-3 to the Swansea 5th string.

He was followed by Angus White, in perhaps the most nail-biting match of the day, who outclassed his opponent, finishing off the fifth game with a majestic cross-court drop shot which rolled off the side wall to claim what would be a crucial 3-2 victory at number four.

Jason Matthews then landed the next punch, one that would prove demoralising for Swansea, as he tore apart the number three string swiftly in a very convincing 3-0 win, despite it being just his first game back from an ankle injury.

At 2-1 up with two games to play, the atmosphere was tense. The 1st and 2nd strings, playing side by side, would decide the outcome of the match. Adam Doran drew the short straw, coming up against a Swansea 1st string ringer, with experience in Premier League squash, who had been brought in specifically to take the match to Cardiff.

Despite some excellent rallies and some world-class shot execution at

times, Doran fell in straight games, leaving the overall score tied at 2-2. It was then left to the club’s president, Rees Herrod, to settle the matter in dramatic fashion.

He took the first game convincingly but stuttered in the second as the pressure looked like it might get to him. Falling behind early in the third game however proved a devilish tactic, as he courageously fought back, winning 12-10 to regain his initial advantage and shatter the Swansea 2nd string’s confidence.

A series of precise serves and well-executed driving, then settled the game as Herrod, for the second game in a row, recovered from a 9-6 deficit to take the final game 12-10, and the match 3-1.

Coming away from Swansea with a well-deserved victory, nobody now looks better placed than Cardiff University men’s 1st team to take the league title this year.

Men’s squad: A Doran, R Herrod, D Caylor, J Matthews, A White, K Collinson

Nobody now looks better placed than Cardiff University men’s 1st team to take the league title this year.

Women’s squad: N Machin, A Johnson, R Farquhar, S Morjaria

James

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Team Talk: C.U.F.C. 7ths

C.U.F.C. 7ths captain Matt Cheesman talks targets, strategies and rivalry with Medics

Any team fielded by Cardiff University F.C. is a strong outfit. Their 7th team are no exception to this, and their presence in IMG makes them one of its most formidable sides. After losing their first game against Inter, they are looking to get back on track towards their goal of winning this year’s competition.

What are your responsibilities as a captain?

I have to run training, organise the match-day squad and run socials. I delegate a lot of it by organising a social secretary and someone to keep the kit. I am also a leader on the field but I am starting to work roles out for other people.

How do you think IMG differs from normal leagues? We play against other societies so

Whilst it appears to be going well for the Cardiff Blues in the European domain, with another bonus point victory notched up against Rovigo 33-18 in the Challenge Cup, the question remains as to whether this form can be replicated and translated into the Blues’ Pro 12 campaign.

A dash of perspective is needed as well however with Cardiff’s last opponents, Italians Rovigo Delta, semi-professional part-timers who Mark Hammett would have expected no less than a bonus-point victory against.

Indeed fellow group opponents London Irish put 9 tries past Rovigo in a 70-14 triumph earlier on in the group, and so how much Hammett will have learnt about his side from

that’s the main thing. We play down at Pontcanna so it is all local and there are no away days. It’s not totally different rules – there are no yellow or red cards, the refs are not official, as the teams who don’t play that week provide the refs. It’s still 45 minutes each way and a very good standard. We beat the University 6th team last season, which shows the standard that we’re at.

What are your targets for the year?

We have a very strong team, so ideally we want to win the league. We are an ambitious team but we lost our first game 3-1 against last year’s IMG winners, Inter. We did manage to get into that game and we’ve got a lot of new freshers who are all very good players.

If you could be any sports person, who would you be and why?

If I could be any sports star, I would be Usain Bolt because he is basically the face of the Olympics, which is the greatest sporting event and I think that is incredible. He’s a funny guy, he’s got character, and he can just turn up and win the 100 metres and set world records.

Who is the Gareth Bale of the team?

The Gareth Bale of the team is Sam d’Souza. He has a lot of pace and a lot of goals in him. He has played for a few years now, but he needs to learn to pass the ball more!

What were the highlights of IMG from last year?

The best parts are the games against your rivals. For example last year we

their latest European victory remains open to interpretation. The Kiwi will know that the double-header to come against Brian Smith’s London Irish in December will be crucial in determining who takes a strangle-hold of the pool, with both sides picking up the maximum points on offer to date.

Elsewhere the injury to Cory Allen, who sustained a strained muscle in his back during the warm-up in Italy will be a major concern for the Blues’ coaching team. Allen has been a bright spark to a poor start for the Blues, and his powerful performances from outside-centre had seen him rewarded with a place in Warren Gatland’s Wales squad for the forthcoming Autumn Internationals. Hammett stated that it would take

played Medics as they weren’t in the BUCS league and that was just a great occasion as we beat them 2-1. It was probably the best game I have ever played in, it was such good fun. The whole football club is known to have a rivalry with Medics on the pitch.

What are your team tactics?

We like to keep it on the deck and play it around with a bit of pace and high pressing. We work in training on keeping it on the deck. The other night, there was not one long ball so I was really happy with that.

Which professional team does your playing style replicate?

As a Liverpool fan, I’d like to say we play like the Liverpool of last year –high pressing, good counter attack, quite dynamic with a couple of mavericks in the team, like the Suarezes of IMG.

What is your most memorable moment on the pitch?

48 hours to inspect the extent of Allen’s injury, also confirming that Rhys Patchell picked up a shoulder knock making him an additional doubt for the Blues’ next game at home to Munster. What will be intriguing for Blues fans however, is that Argentinian international Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino is in line to make his long-awaited debut against Munster. Amorosino should provide some much needed cut and thrust to the Blues backline, as he is able to play at full-back and on the wing and has accumulated 38 caps for the Puma’s to date, impressing at the 2011 World Cup. Hammett will desperately hope that the Argentine can turn around the Blues’ Pro 12 fortunes.

It has to be the Medics game. We went 1-0 up inside five minutes and then I had the chance to put us 2-0 up but I missed a penalty so that was a bit of a shocker! I had to get my head down for the rest of the game. It was 1-1 with 10 minutes to go and we had a free kick, which came to me, and I scored. We were literally defending for 10 minutes; it was like ‘parking the bus’. After that 2-1 win it was an ecstatic feeling.

What is your balance between socials, training and matches?

The balance is more towards socials. As part of IMG it’s good to have a bit more fun than the BUCS teams generally do. It’s serious at the same time, but the socials play a big part in getting to know each other as a team. The more socials we have, the better the communication is on the field and the more fun we have at training. We have one hour of training a week and one social every two weeks, which keeps us ticking over nicely.

Socials play a big part in getting to know each other as a team

Michael Cantillon

Pictured: Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino

Pictured: Luis Suarez, to whom Cheesman compares his team

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Sport’s Pitch: Bridging the gender gap

Great strides towards increasing the number of women involved in sport and the amount of attention they receive have been made in recent years. However, in a modern age that increasingly champions equality and condemns discrimation, the world of sport has in general appeared to remain a microcosm of inherent sexist attitudes. The size and persistency of the gender gap that remains is shocking.

It has been estimated that stories on men’s sport outnumber those on women’s sport by as much as 20 to one, with many of the women’s sport stories focusing on this disparity itself, or sometimes on controversial comments made by individuals, as in the recent prominent cases of PGA President Ted Bishop, county FA official John Cummins and former Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay.

The Olympic Games always sparks a peak in media coverage of women’s sport. This reflects the lead the Olympics has taken in attempts to achieve gender parity. The 2012 Summer Olympics in London marked many first-time achievements for female athletes, with female representation on every single team and the United States having more female competitors than male.

Women’s boxing was also included as a sport for the first time in 2012, with women’s ski jumping introduced at the following Winter Olympics in 2014.

However, even in the Olympics, equality is an ongoing and gradual process. In London, just 44 per cent of the participating athletes were female and 46 per cent of the competitions were either mixed-gender or for women only. There is clearly still work to be done here, but these numbers continue to increase with every Games.

Other sports and their governing bodies have failed to make as much progress as the International Olympic Committee. The recently established FA Women’s Super League features 18 teams playing across two divisions, in contrast to the 20-team, single-division Premier League. Furthermore, the Super League does not pay its clubs, even in prize

Everyone’s got a bit excitable at Cardiff City in the last two weeks. A new manager in charge, back to back wins and a place in the top half, so I guess I can only apologise for bringing everyone back down to earth.

money for the champions – by stark contrast, the winners of the Premier League receive £24 million. This trend continues in football, with the winners of the men’s World Cup receiving prize money around 35 times greater than their female counterparts.

Football is not alone in this disparity. BBC Sport revealed last week that men still receive more prize money than women competing at the same level in 30 per cent of sports. Cricket, golf, darts and snooker were found in this report to follow football as some of the worst offenders.

Squash, which continues its campaign for inclusion in the Olympic Games, will this month pay the winner of the men’s World Open more than double the prize money of the women’s champion.

Another pertinent issue is the lack of women in positions of authority in sport. The stale attitudes of overwhelmingly male-dominated board rooms have bred a lack of impotus for change at the top-level of the sporting world, which is where this change can really be affected.

Gender discrimination in sport has provoked comments from many prominent individuals, from Olympic Champion Nicole Cooke to Prime Minister David Cameron. Money is most commonly pointed to as the central issue, but it is sponsorship deals, rather than prize money, according to many, that holds the answer.

However, the world of lurcrative ensorsement deals has proved to be a veritable minefield of sexism. Champions such as Maria Sharapova and Jessica Ennis-Hill have secured big-money deals with sportswear manufacturers, cosmetics brands, airlines, banks and others, but the advertisements in which they appear are often sexually provocative and emphasise their physical appearance.

This has led to suggestions that, in order to make money that comes close to rivalling their male peers, sportswomen must succumb to being objectified for their looks. This sad reality was perhaps best exemplified when BBC Sport’s John Inverdale commented that Marion Bartoli would “never be a looker”, after she

Russell Slade, now a few weeks into the job, has started extremely well with successive wins against Nottingham Forest and Ipswich, before a narrow defeat away at Millwall last week. And given Cardiff’s form prior to Slade’s appointment, the former Leyton Orient boss would have snapped

had just won the Wimbledon singles title in 2013.

This issue, and its particular relevance to women’s tennis, resurfaced at this year’s Wimbledon Championship, as up-and-coming talent Eugenie Bouchard was continually asked about how much money she might stand to make from her appearance.

En route to becoming the first Canadian-born player ever to make a major final, Bouchard insisted upon only discussing tennis in her press conferences and maintained that she would continue to focus on developing her game rather than capitalising on media interest stemming from her appearance.

Tennis has, however, been a trail blazer in the area of equal prize money, which it has continued make a priority for the last 40 years –though women continue to play just three-set matches at the highest level, as opposed to the five sets that men play.

Similarly, athletics pays equal prize money to its competitors, but female track and field athletes throw significantly lighter weights, run over significantly lower hurdles and compete in the seven-event heptathlon, rather than the ten-event decathlon, at championship level.

At university level, the picture is scarcely any better than in the wider

your hand off for six points out of the first nine. But these opening weeks are nothing other than a honeymoon period for Slade. It seems to happen when any new manager takes over, and Cardiff is just another example of this bizarre psychological tradition in football.

City’s performance against Millwall in their 1-0 defeat was a clear message that Slade has not yet clicked everything in to place. There is still a lot of hard work ahead for the team, and that needs to start with their form away from home.

The Bluebirds, who have not won an away game since their visit to Southampton in April, fell to a Danny Shittu header, which gave hosts Millwall their first win in nine league games and Cardiff’s fifth defeat this season. Slade immediately came out after the match demanding a reaction from his side. The new boss criticised his team for being slow to respond and force their way back into the game after Millwall took the lead,

“It took a little bit of time to get a reaction when we went a goal down,

Pictured: Wimbledon

world. There are more men’s events than women’s in the Welsh Varsity and, although there is an IMG netball competition, it has far fewer teams than its football equivalent, which includes only all-male teams.

While some might question the demand for a women’s IMG football league, Gair Rhydd has recently been approached by students asking why there is not a commitment to women’s recreational sport beyond the IMG netball league. The recent case of a female student who wanted to compete in the men’s football IMG, but was not allowed to do so, also told of potential demand.

Again, the under-representation of women at the highest level in the Union is a notable element in the decision-making process. Only one of the six current Elected Officers, and only three of the eight current Campaign Officers are female –including the Women’s Officer.

Champions of women’s sport must hope that the IOC continues its leadership in this area and that other bodies at every level follow suit. With this encouragement, hoepfully the crucial influence of advertising and the media will begin to portray women’s sport on an equal footing with men’s, as well as with a similar level of respect and admiration for their skills and abilities, not simply their appearance.

but in the future let’s hope it’s an immediate reaction.

“Even when you go down and it’s tough. You’ve got to be mentally tough to deal with those situations.”

There is some good news for City though, after fan favourite and former caretaker-manager Scott Young was announced as Russell Slade’s right hand man in the week that the former Leyton Orient boss announced that Martyn Margetson, James Rowberry and Kevin Nicholson would also join the Bluebirds backroom staff.

finalst Eugenie Bouchard has condemned the media’s interest in her appearance The world of sport has in general appeared to remain a microcosm of inherent sexist attitudes “

Jim Harris

David Hooson

Wales set for Autumn Internationals

With Wales kicking off their Autumn internationals this weekend against Australia, Kimberley Martin takes a look at Warren Gatland’s selections and previews the series

Kimberley Martin

Warren Gatland’s squad choices for the Autumn International series always cause controversy; this year is certainly no different. The squad named late last month saw high-profile former Lions being omitted with international heroes such as Adam Jones, Ian Evans and Mathew Rees all missing out on the Autumn tests.

The dropping of such experienced players from the squad is all the more

surprising with the World Cup imminent. Prop Adam Jones, with ninetyfive caps for Wales, misses out to the likes of Samson Lee, Rhodri Jones and Aaron Jarvis. The decision to axe the Cardiff Blues star has led many fans to question whether this is the end of his international career.

It is not only the omission of Jones from the side that has caused controversy; James Hook, being a regular in the Gatland squad over the past few years and a reliable replacement, has

also been dropped. Players can find some reassurance however, as Gatland stressed in his announcement that, “the door has not been closed to anyone not selected.”

Wales’s thirty-four man squad encompasses both experience in five Lions in the back row and also young talent sourced from the Rugby Regions, examples being Dragons duo Hallam Amos and Tom Prydie, Wales’ youngest international.

Also finding a place in Gatland’s

side was twenty year old Nicky Smith, the only uncapped player this series for Wales. His call up is unsurprising for a player who has excelled in the first few games of the season. Gatland commented that Smith had been “playing exceptionally well for the Ospreys” adding that he had “been impressed with him and it’s a great opportunity.”

Wales’ first game of the test series is against Michael Cheika’s Wallabies on November 8th and is followed by

on page 29

Continued

Pictured: George North