Gair Rhydd 1038 - 24 Nov 2014

gair rhydd

In this week’s issue: Gair Rhydd news bring you a housing special in time for you to rent your

property, UKIP secure a second seat, and advice on managing your mental health

“Cardiff Student” sighted in ISIS video

Police are currently investigating the identity of jihadist thought to be former Cardiff resident

Amedical student who was set to enrol at Cardiff University, Nasser Muthana, was thought to have been included in the latest propaganda video released by insurgent group ISIS.

The video, which contains a number of disturbing scenes, appears to show the former student beheading a Syrian soldier with a knife. This is the same video which made headlines on Sunday, in which London-born “Jihadi John” was shown taking the life of aid worker Peter

Kassig. The Foreign Office and the U.S. State Department have confirmed that the video is legitimate.

A large number of news outlets have incorrectly reported that Muthana was a current student at Cardiff University. However, Gair Rhydd has sought clarification and can confirm that while Muthana lived and was educated in Cardiff, he was only offered a place on a medicine degree.

Muthana left his parental home in the Welsh capital to join ISIS

Nasser Muthana

earlier this year. It is thought that he travelled to Turkey and crossed the border into Syria from there. Muthana was later joined by his younger brother, Aseel. They are 20 and 17 years old respectively.

He first appeared in a video earlier this year in which he and two other British-born insurgents invited Muslims to join ISIS and establish a self-styled “caliphate” under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. A number of communications followed, including one which boasted that

he was “getting good with these bombs” and showed a demolished Iraqi army installation.

Muthana was positively identified in the video by his father earlier in the week. Speaking to the media, he said: “It looks like him.

I can’t be certain because of the quality of the picture and you can never be sure. But it could be him.”

Speaking to local news outlets, he said that his son deserved the death penalty if his involvement could be confirmed.

Michael O’ConnellDavidson

Pictured: The jihadist thought to be Nasser Muthama, who received an offer to study at Cardiff

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

ADVICE

Kirsty Fardell

COMMENT

Anne Porter

Olivier van den Bent-Kelly

COLUMNIST

Jason Roberts

POLITICS

Carwyn Williams

Lauren Boyd

Rhiannon Tapp

SCIENCE

Shanna Hamilton

Meryon Roderick

SOCIETIES

Hannah Sterritt

PARK LIFE

Tim Nagle

TAF-OD

Steffan Bryn Jones

Morgan Owen

SPORT

David Hooson

Rory Benson

Joe Atkinson

SNR. EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Sum Sze Tam

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 or questions you might have.

Write us a letter Send letters to letters@gairrhydd.com. Letters are subject to publication, and may be edited slightly for readability

Tweet us: @gairrhydd Online at: gairrhydd.com

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

Page 2 editorials are written by Michael O’Connell-Davidson, the editor of the newspaper, and are only reflective of his individual opinions, rather than the opinion of the newspaper or Cardiff Students’ Union, who act as a publisher. The same applies for all named editorials throughout the paper unless otherwise marked.

A short note on journalistic sources

Or, a letter to Cardiff’s letting agencies

Ifind myself increasingly exasperated by Cardiff’s letting agencies. Don’t get me wrong, the entire housing market in the Welsh capital is rotten, with house prices in Cathays being aggressively driven down by pools of vomit and smashed bottles. But from my perspective, I find dealing with Cardiff’s letting agencies to be borderline torturous.

Katie Evans has produced a solid piece of work on pages six and seven that I am overwhelmingly proud to be a part of publishing. This announcement is somewhat bittersweet, though, as I find that it’s important context to add that we received effectively no help from the various letting agencies who might have been concerned.

Allow me to clarify that this does not mean that the ones we have quoted are any better or worse. Indeed, there are some which made it effectively impossible to reach for a statement, with one letting agency sending us a one-thousand word response and asking us not to print it unless we ran it in full. For reference, one thousand words is approximately a page of editorial.

The day that anybody allows letting agents write editorials about themselves unchecked is the day that this newspaper should be pulped and shut down. I’m really not too sure what these people expect, but having spoken to previous Gair Rhydd editors, this happens again and again, year in and year out.

Worse still are the ones who operate in contravention of European human rights laws. That sounds super serious (unless you read the Daily

Express, in which case I imagine you would perceive that everything violates some PC-gone-mad human rights act), but actually, the European Court has ruled multiple times in favour of journalists and journalist practice, and the European Convention on Human Rights recognises journalistic materials as protected speech.

Let me clarify with a quote: “Protection of journalistic sources is one of the basic conditions for press freedom [...] Without such protection, sources may be deterred from assisting the press in informing the public on matters of public interest. As a result the vital public-watchdog role of the press may be undermined and the ability of the press to provide accurate and reliable information may be adversely affected.” Violating that confidentiality would constitute a breach of a citizen’s article 10 rights to freedom of expression.

So you can imagine my supreme irritation when I receive emails from Letting Agents who want the names of tenants who have come to us with their concerns. You can imagine my irritation when they want me to forward on peoples’ personal details so they can resolve complaints themselves.

Let me state in the most emphatic terms that Gair Rhydd is not a lettings ombudsman, and if you want somebody to handle your complaints for you, hire more receptionists and desk staff rather than haranguing us. (Note that letting agencies of repute uniformly tell us that they cannot and will not comment on individual properties or tenants, so there is basically no reason to try and draw that information from us.)

We are under no obligation to reveal sources or provide any information that identifies them, and doing so without their express permission is not only ethically problematic, it’s also against the law as far as the Data Protection Act is concerned. You may want time to respond to complaints, but for god’s sake, if even half of these stories are true, you’ve had more than enough time to head off complaints for your clients. I won’t allow you to approach your current and previous tenants to try and get them to stop speaking to us.

And I don’t believe that any of the stories we’ve received are untrue, either; we take great care to weed out stories that are even slightly anomalous or embellished, and have been provided with an absurd amount of photographic evidence and corroborated testimony.

Honestly, do you genuinely believe that students are out there, conspiring in a big bad mob against poor little letting agencies? Or do you think that we’re so stupid that we’d play your game in a way that would allow you to absolve yourselves of blame?

For too long, certain letting agencies - and I will not name them, because I actually have a respect for the law - have operated in a manner that systematically ignores the complaints of their tenants, or allows rogue landlords to operate basically unchecked without so much as feigned sympathy for people in rotten housing. Let me offer you some pro bono advice: if you don’t want people reporting that the service you offer isn’t very good, then there’s only one defense. Offer good service.

The promise

I am of the opinion that this is one of the strongest issues of the year, and, potentially, in recent memory. I will not devote too long to speaking about recent events - the strike, the union politics, and the associated drama - but what I will say is that I believe that both the newspaper and the team who are involved in putting it together have earned theirplace on campus. Tom Eden believed he left the paper in good hands, and I think that we’ve vindicated that belief. I know our broadcast colleagues as well as Quench Magazine certainly have.

This issue went to print a bit late this week (Sunday night), and so it may be that it arrives on campus a little later. But at the same time, it’s so, so strong. There’s the aforementioned Katie Evans housing investigation, Rhiannon Tapp’s hour with Owen Jones, and a debunking of the media’s narrative that Nasser Muthana was or is a Cardiff University student.

I’m friends with lots of people who either are or were student newspaper editors, and they’re agreed with me that Gair Rhydd this year is a stellar newspaper (second to their own, of course). But neither they nor I have lost sight of the fact that it would be nothing without the people who contribute to it or are involved in the production process.

We no longer have a sabb looking over the newspaper, and, depending the way the AMM goes, we may not have a sabb looking over it again. I’d consider this to be an advantage -- I’m still on the payroll, but I’m not wearing one of those horrible

t-shirts, and I’m not part of the horrible cult of personality that the sabbs are complicit in establishing each year. Unfortunately, I do not receive that “hot sabb dollar,” but I guess that’s the trade off for existing outside of the system.

The reason I can call those t-shirts horrible and take potshots at the sabbatical system (with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek, I might add) is because I’m not a part of it. And the fact that neither myself nor my team are means we have a newfound freedom to hold everybody else to account.

I understand there are concerns about what this future might look like. There is a perception that journalists will go wild if left unchecked, something which recent developments (the Leveson Enquiry, etc) have not helped.

But I hope that our recent issues have proven that this isn’t the case. Even if they haven’t, I’d like to offer that media law in the UK is notoriously strict. We have our right to free speech, but we don’t have a right to libel or defame anybody we choose. This means that our investigations have to be watertight, and, to be honest, I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.

Equally, the concerns that Gair Rhydd may turn into a partisan paper during a general election year may be mismanaged are reasonable, but reasonably easy to allay. We have open-door editorial conferences where you can ask each member of the team with editorial control about the decisions we’ve made and why we might have made them. But

there’s also a Lobbying Bill passed recently that means we’re subject to the same law other charities are, and we can’t urge people to vote for any one party.

While I might have previously expressed fleeting admiration for Douglas Carswell (and thus been dubbed “Mr. Ukip” by one or two close-minded individuals), what I’ve just described means that we will not be encouraging immigrants or international students such as my long term partner to go home. We will not be running campaigns to leave the EU, and we will not be running front page stories urging anybody to vote in favour of any single party. It was not the Gair Rhydd wot won it, nor is it the Gair Rhydd wot will win it.

This publication is the collective efforts of nearly a hundred people who have contributed (and continue to contribute) their editorial and expertise. But it exists only with the permission of the 28,000 students who study at Cardiff University. I am willing to answer any questions you might have for me, and, to the fullest extent of my ability, will tell the truth. I know that goes for everybody on my team, because if it didn’t, they wouldn’t be on my team. It’s a whole different era for us here, but I want to make it clear to the students that make this possible that there should be nothing other than improvement noticeable to those reading it. If you think that we’re receding in quality or ignoring our duties, then email me or come along next Monday. After all, we’re here to serve you. Tell us what you want. We’re listening.

Campus In Brief

The Board of Trustees met on Tuesday and voted in favour of leaving the position of VP Media and Marketing vacant. As a result Cardiff Student Media’s strike came to an end and with a heavy heart Xpress Radio stopped its John Farnham ‘You Are the Voice’ marathon.

Meanwhile, the marking boycott instigated by the University and College Union is still in motion and is now in its third week. However, the University has announced that it will not be docking pay from those involved despite previous threats of a 25% pay cut.

The UK’s leading human rights campaigner Shami Chakrabarti gave the university’s annual Hadyn Ellis Distinguished lecture. Drawing on her extensive campaign work, the Director of Liberty proposed that following the post-9/11 era we are now living in a period of exception from human rights norms.

Two men have died following an infected kidney transplant at University Hospital. An inquest has revealed that the donor was a homeless alcoholic who suffered from meningitis alongside other alcohol-related illnesses. The organs were rejected from hospitals across the UK before being used in Cardiff.

The petition to ban ‘sexist’ comedian Dapper Laughs from Y Plas started by Cardiff students snowballed over the last few weeks and lead to the cancellation of his ITV2 show and his ‘Full Length’ tour. The character’s creator Daniel O’Reilly appeared on Newsnight and was mauled in the process, and serves to demonstrate the power of the student voice.

NATIONAL

In the wake of hosting the NATO summit, Newport also played host to the UK Investment Summit last week. Welcoming back David Cameron and First Minister Carwyn Jones for the second time this year, Celtic Manor saw international business leaders come together to discuss a long term economic plan for Wales in terms of future investment.

Mark Reckless became UKIP’s second MP following the Rochester and Strood by-election. Reckless had previously served as Conservative MP for the constituency before defecting to Nigel Farage’s party and prompting the by-election. Upon victory Farage predicted more success for his party and has targeted a strong showing in the 2015 general election.

Labour front-bencher Emily Thornberry took aim and with deadly accuracy shot right through her and her party’s foot, when on the subject of the Rochester and Strood by-election she tweeted a photo of a house with a white van in the drive and St George’s cross flags adorned from the windows, along with the message ‘#Image from Rochester’. Thornberry was accused of snobbishness and subsequently resigned from the front-bench.

Phone-hacking guru Andy Coulson was released from prison having served five months of an eighteen-month sentence for the heinous crime of being News of the World editor (and some other stuff ). Coulson will have to wear a security tag, which will presumably alert the authorities at the sound of an answerphone machine beep.

Disgraced former Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay was given a route back into football by Wigan Athletic. Mackay, who sent a series of racist, sexist, homophobic and anti-semitic texts during his tenure in the Welsh capital will be hoping for redemption, but Wigan chairman Dave Whelan’s alleged racist comments in the wake of his appointment have muddied the issue even further.

Also in football, Sheffield United FC removed their offer to allow convicted rapist and former player Ched Evans to train with them following his recent release from prison, following pressure from celebrity fans, including Olympian Jessica Ennis-Hill, who stated her intent to have her name removed from one of the club’s stands should Evans be resigned.

The future arrived on our shores this week in the form of a new bus service running between Bristol Airport and Bath. It’s a UK first insomuch that it is the

country’s first shit-powered mode of public transport - the ‘Bio-Bus’ runs on a biomethane gas generated by treatment of sewage and food waste, and can travel 300km on one tank of fuel.

WORLD

Humanitarian worker Peter Kassig became the latest Western beheading victim at the hands of ISIS. Kassig, an American aid volunteer, was shown on video along with eighteen Syrian soldiers being beheaded.

President Obama announced plans to give citizenship to over four million immigrants currently living in the USA illegally. Obama’s plans have bypassed Republican controlled Congress and have upset a fair number of his critics.

At the G20 summit in Brisbane, the much-maligned Vladimir Putin was first to leave, citing a need for sleep and praising the conference’s “constructive atmosphere”. The Russian president held talks with leaders including David Cameron who outlined their concern over the current stand-off in Ukraine.

FIFA continued to be a complete and utter shambles, as a report released implicating the English F.A. in bribery claims that simultaneously cleared Qatar of more serious allegations in the bidding process for the 2022 World Cup were immediately dismissed – by the man who compiled the report.

A woman in Portland, Oregon opened a ‘professional cuddling shop’, prompting over 10,000 emails to the business’ owner Samantha Hess, who offers an hour of ‘safe hugging’ for a $60 charge. Apparently the demand has been so great that Ms. Hess has three new huggers in training.

The latest Band Aid ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ charity single was released, with proceeds going towards preventing the spread of Ebola in West Africa. In a Sky News interview, organiser Bob Geldof insisted that presenter Jayne Secker’s accusations over the ethics of Band Aid were a “complete load of bollocks,” despite being warned over his “colourful language”.

Joe Atkinson

Pictured: Shami Chakrabarti (Photographer: Liberty)

Continued from front page

Note: in the interests of impartiality, we commissioned Johannes Laubmeier, who is not a Cardiff Student nor directly involved in Cardiff Student Media, to write this piece. Johannes recently graduated from Cambridge with an MA in Anthropology.

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“Cardiff Student” sighted in ISIS video

However, he later approached media outlets and said that he no longer believed the man in the video was his son. Regardless, their father has disowned them, claiming that in his mind, he “no longer had sons.” He had previously expressed a desire to see them return home.

British police are currently investigating the identity of the jihadist. Identifying Muthana is particularly difficult as he has lost a great deal of weight since travelling to Syria. e identity of “Jihadi John” is still unknown.

Nasser Muthana worshipped at the al-Manar Centre, located adjacent to the Students’ Union and the school of Mathematics. e mosque has emphatically denounced ISIS on multiple occasions, and those who attended appeared to have no reason to believe that Muthana was a target of radicalization. A trustee said that Muthana was “just like any other guy,” and was shocked to see him in ISIS propaganda materials.

It is the responsibility of this publication to clarify that the views espoused by ISIS Jihadists are in no way representative of the wider Islamic faith, nor the Muslim community in Cardiff. ere is no evidence that suggests the al-Manar Centre plays any

role in encouraging or training potential ISIS recruits, and, indeed, representatives of the Mosque have repeatedly spoken out against extremism.

A considerable amount of concern has been generated by the media and opinion leaders that Cardiff has a radicalisation problem, and the Western Mail reported earlier in the year that this was a view expressed by police and the welsh government, as well as some local muslims.

But a member of the local Muslim community spoke to Gair Rhydd, and said that they did not believe Cardiff had a particular problem with extremism. ey claimed to have never witnessed anybody who might constitute an extremist or who might be acting as a gateway to extremism.

“It’s a city with a Muslim community like any other. I think the reason Cardiff is mentioned in the news, and not any other city, is that the only western jihadists they can really identify are [the Muthana brothers].”

Current estimates say that around 500 muslims have left Britain to join ISIS. “If that’s the case, then Welsh Muslims are more than likely going to be in a minority.”

Abdul Azim Ahmed, a PhD student and member of the Muslim Council of Wales, agreed. “When they talk about Cardiff having a radicalisation prob-

lem, reporters fail to look at the wider picture. e Muslim community in Wales has been here since the 1850s, working alongside local residents in the docks, and is well integrated into the local community.”

“Terrorism and extremism are political problems with political solutions. By its nature, radicalisation is a process, not in the realm of Mosques, imams or theologians.” Ahmed added that conservative mosques such as the Al-Manar Centre were actually some of the most vocal when it came to decrying organisations such as ISIS, as their actions are considered ‘bi’dah’, or heretical, under Islam.

“If you look at the rhetoric used by ISIS and other insurgent groups,

you’ll find it isn’t dissimilar to the sort of language used by rebels in Donetsk or politicians in Kiev. e situation in Ukraine is viewed as a political problem, and I think that if that people looked at the situation in Syria through that lens, with sober eyes, as opposed to approaching it as a specifically religious problem, they might come closer to understanding it.”

Analysis suggests that a more potent threat is the internet, which ISIS continues to use successfully as a propaganda tool. “Radicalisation takes place on the internet and within the context of personal relationships,” Ahmed said. “ ey [the extremists] are on the fringes of the Muslim community, not the centre.”

Union Trustees end media dispute

The position of VP for Media and Marketing is to stay vacant until the end of the year, the board of trustees of Cardiff Students’ Union decided last Tuesday, overruling an earlier decision by Student Senate to hold a by-election to fill the position which had been vacant since late October. e decision put an end to a series of events that saw the members of Cardiff Student Media going on strike for a week and lead to a series of heated discussions online and on social media.

is follows the resignation of Tom Eden, the elected officer for media and marketing. Only four months into his second term of office and 23 days into the new academic year, Eden left  “for personal and professional reasons,” according to Rhys Jenkins, the vice president for education and acting president of Cardiff Students’ Union. With the post of VP and Gair Rhydd editor vacant, plans were made to run CSM without a full time officer for the rest of the academic year.

e by-laws of the Students’ Union, however, state that in the event of an elected officer resigning mid-term, a by-election for the vacant position is to be held. Because of this, a motion was brought before the senate on 4th November not to hold said by-election. e motion was defeated by the senate in a 15-9 vote, with 9 voting to keep the position open. ere were two abstentions.

is was a significant cause of dissatisfaction within student media.

e Head of Broadcast Media, Josh Edwards, and Michael O’ConnellDavidson, Head of Print Media and acting editor of Gair Rhydd, as well as its editorial team wrote letters to the board of trustees voicing their concerns about the senate’s decision. In their opinion, the time it would have taken to elect and train a new head of Student Media–something that is normally done towards the end of the academic year and over summer–would have negatively impacted on the quality of student media output. To underline their concerns, the teams of Gair Rhydd, Xpress Radio and CUTV went on strike. Due to this, one newspaper issue was not published and Xpress broadcasted a strike message in English and Welsh, accompanied by the John Farnham’s 80s classic “You’re the Voice” for almost a week. e Gair Rhydd team threatened to walk out should the byelection be held.

On the other side, students voiced their concerns about what they perceived as a lack of respect for democracy within Student Media. At its boiling point, this difference of opinion led to a series of heated arguments offline. e clash, which has mostly been taken offline since, included members of the student senate openly describing CSM–among other things– as “North Korea 2.0”, “posh kids” and “idiots”, and members

of Student Media alleging that political student groups were pushing their own candidates in anticipation of the upcoming general election.

e board’s ruling has put an end to the dispute. In their review of the senate’s decision, a routine procedure, the trustees decided that it was not in the best interest of the student population and the Union to go ahead with the by-election and the decision was taken to overrule the senate. Rhys Jenkins, acting as

president in Elliot Howell’s absence, expressed his satisfaction. “CSM are functioning well. ey are doing a very good job and they do it effectively,” he stated in an interview. Asked about the concerns about a lack of student representation within CSM, he pointed out that this overruling did not make the student media less democratic, since instead of answering to an elected Media officer, they now answer directly to the elected president.

the views espoused by ISIS

are in no way representative of the wider Islamic faith, nor the Muslim community in Cardiff

Pictured: Nasser Muthama, centre, in an earlier jihadist propaganda video

Johannes Laubmeier

Pictured: The media office during the shutdown (Photographer: Will Francis)

Jihadists

Alex Norton

5 NEWS

Cardiff students join protest against tuition fees

Thousands of ‘Free Education’ protestors take to the streets of central London

Asmall group of Cardiff University students were amongst those campaigning against tuition fees as a fresh wave of ‘Free Education’ protests hit central London.

Thousands of undergraduates from institutions across Britain congregated in the capital’s streets for a day of action as they sought to return the issue to the top of the political agenda.

However, just twelve of those present were part of the official Cardiff delegation – a figure that Politics Society treasurer Alex Seabrook acknowledged as “very disappointing”.

He described the low turnout as “a consequence of the increasing apathy surrounding student politics”.

The issue of tuition fees for higher education has long been a contentious one, but came to real prominence a little over four years ago as the coalition government announced plans to raise the upper limit from £3,000 to £9,000.

The increase, which occurred in spite of the Liberal Democrats’ preelection pledge not to vote for a rise in fees, sparked huge and well-publicised protests in late-2010.

Smaller protests have occurred periodically since, but Seabrook spoke of a desire to put the debate “back on the political map” ahead of next year’s general election.

“I know it might not change whilst I’m at university, but I’m campaigning because I don’t want my kids to

grow up amidst a state-sponsored class divide,” he added.

The largely peaceful nature of the protest was marred by small outbreaks of violence as students made their way to Parliament Square, and later to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Witnesses described seeing riot police, who were “unprepared” for such a large demonstration, retreating from the areas of most intense activity as they were surrounded and egged by angry students.

Crowd control barriers outside the Palace of Westminster were quickly toppled, whilst a small amount of damage was reported at Conservative Party headquarters.

Eleven arrests were made.

Seabrook was quick to emphasise that whilst the Politics Society “does not condone the use of violence”, he felt that government policy had “incited” such a response.

He insisted that the charging of tuition fees was “costing the government more money, costing universities more money and costing students more money”.

The protests come in the wake of reports that less than a quarter of students will fully repay their loans, which are subject to a rate of interest that is three percent above the Retail Price Index.

Further events are planned in the run-up to next May’s election.

Infected Kidney transplant kills two University Hospital patients

Two men have died after receiving infected kidneys from an alcoholic organ donor at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, an inquest has revealed.

Robert Stuart and Darren Hughes, both from South Wales, underwent the transplant at the University Hospital last year.

According to the hearing, the kidneys used in the operations belonged to a homeless alcoholic donor who died from meningitis. Drinking over eleven times the recommend weekly alcohol consumption level, the donor known as “Mr. Z” also suffered from cirrhosis of the liver.

Post-mortem examinations found that the donor’s kidneys were infected with parasitic worms, causing

a fatal inflammation of the brains in both men. Although rejected at hospitals in Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds, the kidneys were approved for use in the university hospital despite knowledge of the donor’s medical condition.

The procedure was given the green light since the 39 year old donor received five days of antibiotics prior to his death. However staff at the hospital failed to check an electronic offering system (EOS) detailing his character and social background.

At the inquest, Consultant transplant surgeon Argiris Asderakis explained that such “fast track” kidneys are “frequently” used at the University Hospital. Fast track offers only take place when 5 other hospitals have re-

jected the organs.

Mr. Asderakis added that although organs from donors with suspected meningitis are no longer accepted, NHS figures show records of 52 donors with undiagnosed meningitis or encephalitis, resulting in 159 transplants.

However, Cardiff Coronary Court heard that such kidney infections following meningitis are “incredibly rare”, with only five recorded cases globally.

Mr. Asderakis apologized to both families affected and explained that it was not possible to have predicted the outcome of the operations. The surgeon added that after the transplant both patients were expected to make a full recovery.

During the inquest he added that although the donor’s kidney showed symptoms of “dysfunction”, it was considered normal in a new host body. He said: “I am terribly sorry for what happened. I wish I could turn the clock back – hindsight is a great thing.” Due to disability, transplant victim Darren Hughes was not eligible to receive 90% of organs due to specific antibodies in his blood. This was his third kidney transplant since suffering from kidney failure at age 19. In light of the findings, both families of the victims have declared that they would not have given consent for the transplant had they known the full extent of the information.

According to the hearing, the kidneys used in the operations belonged to a homeless alcoholic donor who died from meningitis. “

Anna Lewis

Pictured: The University Hospital

Pictured: Cardiff Socialist students involved in the protest (Photographer : Katja Bertelsmann)

Pictured: Protestors outside Big Ben in London (Photographer : Katja Bertelsmann)

Katie Evans

The mouse problem was so bad, at times I wasn’t able to sleep in my room as I’d wake up with mice in my bed and in clothes that I’d put on!

Students all pay the same amount.

Whether or not the house is livable shouldn’t come down to luck

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Gair Rhydd housing investigation: students rank best and worst letting agencies in Cardiff

Asurvey conducted by Gair Rhydd has revealed over twothirds of respondents felt pressured into signing for a property early and less than half would recommend their letting agent or landlord to peers.

e survey’s respondents highlighted a range of housing issues, from damp and general uncleanliness to wider, over-arching issues of poor customer service and feelings of frustration that students aren’t taken seriously as tenants.

e findings of the survey may fail to surprise readers given the growing concern surrounding the living conditions of student housing in the Cathays and Roath area.

One respondent described how their house was in such a ‘bad state of disrepair’ that they ‘hated living in it.’

‘ e roof leaked to the extent that it had to be completely repaired […] e mouse problem was so bad, at times I wasn’t able to sleep in my room as I’d wake up with mice in my bed and in clothes that I’d put on!

‘I think that most students put up with it because they know they have no other choice if they want a roof over their head’, added the respondent, voicing a frustration many others appeared to share.

A third year student who wishes to remain anonymous told gair Rhydd of his experience of renting from Cardiff Students Lettings. When moving his belongings into his rented property, he reported that windows and skirting boards were covered in ‘fungal growth’, bags of rubbish and several broken items were left in the front and back garden and the front door’s glass plane was broken, posing both a security and health and safety risk. It took around a month for the repairs to be carried out. ey told Gair Rhydd that maintainence was handled by Cardiff Student Lettings on behalf of the landlord.

ird year student, Laura Sargent, rented a property last year with Kingston and claims that, amongst other problems, the house had mice, no working fire alarms and mould so extensive in one bedroom her housemate fell ill.

Around Christmas time, Kingston notified Laura and her housemates that an extension built by the landlord didn’t comply with building regulations resulting in Laura and her housemates being asked to move out half way through the academic year.

Numerous students have also expressed dissatisfaction with CPS Homes, believed to be the largest lettings agent in the area based on their large portfolio of properties. Economics student, Jack Ward, spoke about the poor service he and his housemates received from the lettings giant: ‘We signed the contract

in January, we then got notice in May during our exams that the house had been sold and the new landlord had already started renovations’.

Jack and his three housemates were told they would not be able to live in property as it was being renovated into an eight-bed house. Having failed to provide the group with a suitable replacement, they were forced to cut ties with CPS and look elsewhere for housing despite having signed a contract, describing the lettings agency as ‘rude’ and ‘extremely difficult to contact.’

Unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness among students of where to turn to for advice when things do go wrong.

In an interview with Gair Rhydd, VP Welfare, Faraz Alauddin, spoke about how “students don’t know their rights and what they can and can’t do” when faced with housing issues. He advises students to make use of the services available to them across the University, including Student Advice Centre (formerly ARC), who run two Housing Week events throughout the year and offer a contract-reading service for students before signing with a lettings agent.

But Housing Week is an area of contention for some. When asked why Housing Week is held so early on in the academic year, Faraz explained that it is because lettings agents begin advertising even earlier - CPS Homes began advertising and offering free food to students as early as mid-October, less than a month into freshers’ time at university, in a bid to begin renting houses.

“It’s already in [students’] minds to get a house” explains Faraz, which puts the Union under pressure to inform students on their housing rights and expectations before letting agents begin encouraging people to rent early. Faraz wants to make the Union the first point-of-call for prospective tenants, not letting agents.

However, some students believe Housing Week only adds to the mountain of material out there on renting, inadvertently promoting the idea that students should begin looking for properties to rent. To this, Faraz replied: “Ideally, we’d like to make housing week later, but because of external pressure […] we have to hold Housing Week earlier.”

Aware that there is pressure on students to organize next year’s housing early, Faraz is keen to tell students that there is no rush to rent: “What many students don’t know is that Cardiff is a buyers market –there are more houses than students […] that pressure, that rush to [rent] a house, is manufactured.”

e main priority is to inform students of their rights and engage

them with the services currently on offer at the Union. To do this, VP Welfare along with community–led housing organisation, Home Sweet Home, plan to produce a booklet providing information and advice on housing to be included inside freshers’ packs.

The hope is that, in educating freshers on housing matters, the Union will instigate the first contact with students on the issue of housing rather than leaving it to lettings agents, who may falsely encourage the idea that students need to find their housing early.

Students from the School of Social Sciences recently undertook a research project into the living conditions of student housing in Cathays, which identified the need to standardize living conditions across the board and safeguard students against poor renting practices.

‘The state of campus research week has highlighted the fact that many students have serious problems with student housing’ said sociology student Jack Grimshaw, ‘and this can affect their well-being and academic performance.

‘The introduction of ‘Student Housing Charter’ would ensure that students have a standardized state of living, meaning that every house under the charter has to fulfill certain needs that are deemed appropriate for basic student living. A housing charter is the way forward in ensuring that students have a good standard of housing.’

Whilst speaking to tenants, sociology student Ross Goldstone discovered that ‘many felt “disempowered” by the whole system, and wanted regulatory practices implemented, which would at least provide some form of representation.’

In the mean time, dismayed local and student renters have found an ally in Home Sweet Home, a community-led campaign that’s mobilizing local support in targeting Cathays’ rogue letting agents.

Speaking to Home Sweet Home’s community organizer, Ewan Moore, it became apparent that rental issues are a serious concern to a number of locals and students alike, remarking: “People were frustrated about lack of information. When things go wrong, where do they turn? Who do they talk to?”

Whilst hosting coffee mornings and events for residents, Moore noticed that the issues that crept up time and time again centered on disrespectful landlords and unresponsive letting agents.

Moore shared stories of students who had experienced their own housing horrors. He spoke about

Results:

30% reported not to feel pressured to sign for a house early on in the year and the remaining 5% reported to have ‘no opinion’.

Results: Rankings are based on the results of an online survey conducted by Gair Rhydd. Methodology: Letting agencies are ranked based on satisfaction ratings provided for us by survey respondents.

It is important to note that we were unable to gain information on all letting agencies in the area. e letting agencies included are those for which we recieved a significant number of responses.

Elsie, a student forced to leave university due to a lung infection caused by the mould in her bedroom. He also described how a fire in a resident’s kitchen, caused by faulty electrics, failed to set off their inactive fire alarm.

Another case involved a group of students who, upon moving in, discovered the majority of kitchen appliances were broken and “mould so bad it was peeling off wallpaper”, as well as discovering bed bugs in one of their beds, for which they

had to wait weeks before action was taken.

But Moore is keen to defend good landlords and letting agents, remarking: “we’ve had a few that have really come out and shined. It’s funny because there always seems to be people commending landlords”, but expressed frustration at how people consider themselves lucky to have a good housing experience, adding: “you are paying the same amount, it shouldn’t come down to luck”.

Letting agency responses

Imperial: ‘Cleaning of properties is a major bone of contention as any person who is moving into a property would expect it to be clean. As a result when tenants move out of properties their idea of clean will most likely be different from the person who is moving in.

‘Quite often the person moving in will expect it to be clean under the bed however the person who has moved out will not have cleaned under the bed. Some tenants are even particular about dust on skirting boards or light fixtures but I am sure not all tenants leaving a property clean all the skirting and light fixtures.

‘With regards to severe mould or poor building work, Imperial prides itself on having the best portfolio of properties in Cardiff. We stand by this statement and can assure you we have the fastest maintenance team.

Mould can often be confused with condensation. On many occasions I have been to a property where the tenant has reported mould and it turns out to be condensation because the property is not being aired. A simple test for any tenant is to see if they can wipe the affected area with a wet tissue. If the area wipes off it is not mould but condensation.’

Cardiff Student Letting: ‘It is important to firstly point out that Cardiff Stu-

Student comments

‘Students just aren’t taken seriously - it’s like we’re not real people. I’ve reported everything from inconveniences to pests to serious health and safety issues over the last two years, and been completely ignored nearly every time. Just because I’m a student doesn’t make it any less important.’

‘My experience with my house has been fabulous, but I think that’s probably down to my landlord, who has always been so helpful. [...] I’d recommend going through a private landlord - not having the middle man makes all the difference!’

‘Told we needed to sign and pay deposit immediately after viewing otherwise it was ‘probable’ this property would go very quickly. No time to converse with parents etc or deliberate over night. I’m very happy with our flat, but at the time, we were quite apprehensive about having to pay and sign for what was our first experience with a letting agent.’

‘After we signed for a house back in January, we received a phone call in May, telling us we couldn’t live there anymore due to the house being renovated from a 4 bed to an 8 bed. We then had to find a new house and luckily found a private landlord in time for the next year! After paying an extortionate £70 each on agency fees, we were certainly not expecting such poor service!’

‘I have not spoken to 1 person who hasn’t had problems with their house. Whether it is mould, damp, or infestation, everybody seems to have some sort of issue. It just begs the question whether Cardiff landlords feel this is acceptable for their tenants to be living in.’

‘Two years in a row I have moved into my student house after the allotted ‘cleaning period’ to find mould on the desks and showers and food left in the fridges.’

‘All of the letting agencies are shit but some are a bit less shit than others.’ ‘I have had friends who have had really bad experiences with letting agents. I have found a private landlord cares more about the house and is not trying to con you out of your deposit.’

dent Letting do not own any of the properties. Tenancy agreements are only ever between the landlord and the tenant. is means that we must have the landlord’s consent in order to authorise any maintenance quotes. e landlord is entitled to use their own contractors and arrange any work themselves.’

If work is not completed quickly there are usually contributing factors which are out of either our or the landlord’s control. In these instances, we would be at all times acting to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

CPS: CPS provided Gair Rhydd with a series of “standard responses” and requested that we only print them if we printed them in entirety. is was too long for us to print here. However, the letting agency asserted a number of points that were raised in the accompanying article, which have been paraphrased here.

Firstly, they acknowledged that while damp is the responsibility of the landlord, condensation can be prevented by tenants, and CPS provide information on how to do so. Secondly, CPS stated that they will do their best to ensure compensation is provided where building works cause significant disruption to tenants, acknowledging that some times, things do not go to plan. Finally, they made clear that a tenancy agreement is legally binding, and would hold in the event of a house sale.

Student housing review site Move’m goes national

Move’m, a website providing reviews and advice for student housing, landlord, estate agents, private accommodation and halls, went nationwide last month, providing a platform for students all over the country to review their landlords, agencies and properties.

e free service, set up in summer 2013, allows students to visit the website and fill out a form on their accommodation and letting agency or landlord. In the interest of remaining unbiased, all letting agents are approached for a response.

Peter Ramsey, Managing Director, described the site as running in a similar manner to ‘TripAdvisor for student housing’.

Speaking to Gair Rhydd, Ramsey stated that he believes the site to be ‘a solution to a problem which has been plaguing student cities for years – poor student housing’.

‘I set up Move’m in 2013 whilst studying at Bournemouth university. My landlord ripped me off and I wanted to share my experiences with other students, I couldn’t so I build this platform that allows everybody to.’

Since its launch the site, which also works in collaboration with a number of Students’ Unions across the UK, has received thousands of reviews and attracts tens of thousands of visitors each month.

At the time of writing, no reviews have been submitted from Cardiff students.

In reference to this, Ramsey added that , ‘Move’m is open to all students in all cities, the reason why Cardiff is not currently online is because we haven’t had any reviews there yet. We target specific cities per week and there’s a lot to go through!’

Comments: Taken from student survey, respondents could not be personally identified. Responses: Letting agencies were contacted and provided with a summary of complaints recieved and asked to provide their response. When contacted Horizon and Kingstons refused comment.

How to review your accomodation: Simply visit Move’m online at: http://movem. co.uk/

Georgia Hamer

Kirsty Fardell

ADVICE

Welcome to our new advice section, where we bring you tips for surviving cardiff university life email us: advice@gairrhydd.com

How to recognise mental health problems

Signs to look out for in yourself or your friends

The definition of ‘health’ according to the World Health Organisation is ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’ It is clear, then, that the condition of our mind is just as important as the condition of our body, and we should make sure that they are both well looked after.

Statistics show that 1 in 4 people experience mental health problems each year in the UK, and 75% of mental health problems emerge before the age of 25. The most common problems are depression and anxiety, and 9% of the population meet the criteria for diagnosis of a mixture of the two. As students we are at an age when mental health problems are most likely to surface, and as the end of the year approaches the winter season can bring these to the surface for a lot of people. Therefore, it is important to be able to recognise when your own health isn’t 100% or even that of your friends.

Depression affects everyone dif-

One in four people experience mental problems at each year in the UK

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

ferently. You may feel constantly low and tearful, restless and irritable, have no pleasure in the things you used to enjoy (including less interest in sex) and feeling completely isolated. Being forgetful or having trouble making decisions are also common, concentrating can become difficult and negative thoughts seem to take over. These symptoms are straightforward signs of depression but the physical signs may not be as easily recognised. Some people experience difficulty sleeping or sleep a lot longer than usual, and whilst some are losing weight others are gaining weight – so it is not a case of one set of symptoms for all. Whether it is in yourself or a friend, the important thing is that you recognise the change in behaviour and address it, by seeking advice or encouraging someone to do so.

Anxiety to a certain degree can be perfectly normal and even useful – feeling anxious before an exam can make you more alert. The problems arise when a high level of anxiety persists for a long time and everyday

activities become difficult. Feeling out of control or powerless can overwhelm you, and a prolonged feeling of fear may lead to a panic attack. The symptoms of a panic attack include feeling nauseous, pounding heartbeat, sweating, feeling faint, rapid breathing and shaky limbs. It may feel like you’re having a heart attack and could die, making it a terrifying experience. You could live in fear of having another panic attack - which may in turn cause one. They often seem to strike at random and usually last from 5-20 minutes. Anxiety can manifest itself in quite a few ways. Phobias, obsessive compulsive behaviours, stress, witnessing traumatic events and a general fearfulness will contribute to the onset of anxiety. During the year we all experience stressful situations like coursework deadlines or exams and anxiety around these things is normal. However if it has a particularly negative effect on your performance and continues after the stressor has been dealt with then this is a sign you may need to seek specialist advice.

As the winter begins and the days are getting shorter many people find themselves in a different state of mind. This may be for the first time or a full relapse into depression. The lack of light is largely to blame for this, and while it is normal to slow down, sleep and eat more during the winter, some people get this in an extreme sense and their mood and energy levels drop with an effect on their day to day life. This is called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and most commonly begins at this time of year. Sometimes it is the end of the year that causes people to reminisce and contemplate what they have achieved during the year, and those who have experienced depression previously are inclined to think negatively about this, in turn bringing on symptoms of depression. Therefore, it is important to help yourself to feel better by minimising your stress, exercising and eating well, and easiest of all – spending more time outside in the daylight or just opening your curtains.

Never jump to conclusions about your own or a friend’s mental health – self-diagnosing is only going to have a negative effect, and diagnosing your friends is more likely to do much more harm that good. It is not abnormal to experience many of the symptoms of mental health problems but still be perfectly healthy, but if you are concerned about yourself or someone else it is important to talk about it. This could be with a friend or family member, but if you feel that you need some kind of help you should always talk to your GP about your symptoms. There is also the Student Support Centre who offer quick help with coping strategies and counselling services. They have daily drop-in services where without appointment you can talk to someone about your worries and get some guidance for self-help or get information on the support they could offer you.

There is always support available for anyone affected by mental health problems. In the same way you would seek help with your physical health, so you should with your mental health –they all contribute to a healthy wellbeing and it will ensure your university days are not ones you will be quickly wanting to forget.

You may feel constantly low and tearful, restless and irritable, and have no pleasure in the things you used to enjoy “ ”

Pictured: The Cardiff University Student Support Centre sign (Photographer: Sum Sze Tam)

Pictured: The waiting area inside student support (Photographer: Sum Sze Tam)

Kirsty Fardell

Responding to the mental health needs of others

What to do when you need to get help for yourself or your friend

Whether a mental health problem arises in you or a friend it is vitally important to consider the services available and how they might be able to help in the circumstances. Recognising that there is a problem can be difficult as you may feel you can justify the symptoms as normal given your circumstances, but if they persist for a long time and start interrupting day-today activities it is important to acknowledge the possibility that you may require additional support.

If you notice problematic thought patterns or anything that may constitute a mental health problem, then the first and most important thing you should do is decide to help yourself. In the same way that an addict is unlikely to recover if they do not want to, it is unlikely you will feel better unless you are willing to make a significant effort to do so.

Escaping from cycles of negative thinking can be difficult, and replacing those patterns with positive, constructive thoughts can be even harder. But there are ways.

Many studies show that exercising can

help to elevate your mood and energy levels and it will naturally improve your appetite and sleep pattern. This doesn’t mean you have to fork out and join a gym – it could be a good walk or spending a fiver on an exercise DVD and doing it in your bedroom, so you don’t even have to leave the house. Looking after your diet is also important – try to eat healthily but allow yourself treats every now and again. Reconnecting with your friends will help to break that cycle, or finding a self-help group for people with the same problems. The mental health charity Mind show local groups on their website, or your GP will be able to introduce you to one. Student Minds also offer support sessions.

The university’s Student Support Centre offers a range of services to help you get back on track. You can request an appointment by filling out a form online, and then receive a 90 minute therapeutic consultation which can then lead on to regular counselling. This can be done face-to-face or even online through Skype or instant messaging. They also offer specific workshops to help students to

improve certain areas of concern that you can book online. Wellbeing walk-in sessions are available without appointment daily during specific times, in which you get to speak to someone for 15 minutes for specific advice or to borrow a selfhelp book. All of their services are completely confidential and your information will not be passed on to anyone else unless you specifically ask them to or the law requires them to (for example, in the unlikely scenario that you pose an immediate danger to yourself or anybody else).

Going to your GP when you are feeling vulnerable will give you targeted help. There are a range of ways your problems can be dealt with, including therapies designed precisely to improve your state of mind. On the NHS website you can search what services are available in your area directly so you have an idea before you speak to your GP. During your appointment take your time to explain what you think your symptoms might be and if you are aware of local services then ask about them – get the most out of your time and be assertive if there is something you want. Remember, your information will not be passed on to anyone, as we are adults your parents do not need to be informed of any treatment you receive.

There is also a great range of self-help available just by visiting some mental health charities’ websites. Mind outlines detailed ways you can help yourself for specific mental health problems and will also show you their local self-help groups, one of which is in Roath (a ward adjacent to Cathays). They even have a button on the website saying ‘I need urgent help’ that will ask you a few questions and direct you to the right phone line to call for

instant help. The Mental Health Foundation website offers online courses that introduce techniques for controlling your problems and making you feel better. The NHS website will give information on strategies for dealing with mental health problems as well as informing you what is available through your GP in your local area.

If you think a friend is not coping with their mental health there are things you can do. The most important thing is to encourage them to get help, and if they choose to use the Student Support services you can even go along with them to give support. Being a listener is also vital – by getting them to explain how they feel, you may be able to see solutions and proactive steps that they just can’t see, so offer your advice. Be encouraging with small steps and challenges that will gradually build their confidence and make them feel more in control. Find a way to let them express their feelings without alienating them; if they’re angry, let them be angry, and if they’re sad, let them cry. If they need to have a good time organise something fun you know they’ll enjoy. Be supportive, give them the time they need and never criticise or question them. Treatment doesn’t work overnight, and it is likely to take some time before they start to feel better, but encouragement will keep them on the right track.

Having good mental health is such an important part of student life, because you need to stay healthy in both mind and body to get the most out of your studies as well as enjoying this time. So don’t ignore any problems – whether in yourself or a friend, seek advice so that you can make the most of your university life.

If they’re angry, let them be angry, and if they’re sad, let them cry

support stairway (Photographer: Sum Sze Tam)and the entrance to University Hospital of Wales (Photographer: Michael O’Connell Davidson) Student support will keep all your information confidentialit will not be passed on to anyone

Pictured: Mental health charity Mind logo (Source: mind.org.uk)

Pictured: Left to right: Student

Cardiff has a long history of promoting Welsh - both as a city and a university. It’s one of the things that makes it unique “

FOR & AGAINST IS CARDIFF UNI TRULY BILINGUAL?

Is Welsh just a second language at Cardiff, or is it truly equal?

The fact that Welsh is spoken and used at Cardiff University is somewhat of a novelty outside of the student bubble. Some have referred to Welsh as a dying language. A slight chuckle at that long train station we all have heard of is the extent to what most people will be exposed to Welsh. But actually start at Cardiff and you are suddenly immersed into a world of ATMs asking your language preference, translated signs and a university that actively promotes the use of Welsh. It is undeniable that there is a significant presence to confirm that Cardiff is truly bilingual and that Welsh holds equal standing to English.

Cardiff has a long history of promoting Welsh – both as a city and a university. It’s one of the things that makes it unique. I remember the first time I heard it after a night out in Chippy Alley – two guys deep in discussion about what to order, I almost squealed in excitement when I heard it. On a serious note, the Union and University have a wide range of existing policies on bilingualism.

Take last year’s Student Senate motion that gave the languages equal standing, or the fact that all letters you receive from Cardiff will be in both English and Welsh – it’s hardly ridiculous to say that there are two languages in use here.

Only two weeks ago I was in a meeting where a student exercised their right to speak in Welsh to the table. A translator was called in, and interpreted to us through

headphones what they were saying. Yes, it was rather exciting and a novelty experiencing this for the first time (and obviously made all feel rather official), but it highlights a key point. A student does have the right to use Welsh, and for the University and Students’ Union to accommodate that with appropriate translation methods.

Anything that the SU publishes is done in Welsh as well as English. It’s social media scene is extremely active too – there may be a few students that are dissatisfied with the level of people engaging in Welsh, but the University and the SU are doing as much as they can to promote it.

We have a dedicated Welsh language officer, translators, Welsh social media, all the signs are in Welsh and have recently adopted the Welsh Language Charter. The question is how can you not see that we are a bilingual university? Cardiff students are completely surrounded by the Welsh language –you literally cannot get away from it.

Of course there is room for improvement within the University and the SU on promoting bilingualism – but that is the case on education issues, tackling lad culture or any other policy that has been approved in Cardiff. There can always be ways to make it better enforced and improved. But Cardiff can be proud to be one of only a handful of universities that actually is officially bilingual – and I have to say, that’s a pretty damn cool status to have.

Among friends I am known as the most English person alive. No, I’ve not been accused of xenophobia, nor am I a member of UKIP, but my nationality is definitely a large part of who I am. Moving to Cardiff from the Home Counties meant that I was surrounded by the Welsh language for the first time in my life, having only been to Wales twice, and briefly at that, in my entire life. Despite moving to a country where the Welsh language both originates and is, therefore, meant to flourish, I feel that we are not the bilingual University that we should be. Welsh is being forgotten and we should help to keep it alive. At a Student Senate meeting two weeks ago, a motion was passed that allowed Welsh Language Officer Steffan Bryn Jones to speak in Welsh at University meetings - for the first time ever (!) This was just one part of the NUS Wales’ national Welsh Language Charter. How this hadn’t already happened in the entire history of the University is beyond me. We need to do more than simply rename our nightclub ‘Y Plas’ and use Welsh signage around campus to keep the Welsh language alive.

The Annual Members Meetings at the University in 2013 saw support for the creation of a Bilingual Policy for the University. I have seen very little change in the provision of Welsh or the use of it around the University. I see Welsh-speaking students as being segregated from others. Living in halls

in first year showed me this. Welsh students were grouped together in flats and rarely socialised with English speaking flats. Even those who were bilingual rarely ventured into the Welsh flats. The two languages rarely crossed paths and the students were rarely integrated with one another.

As an English-speaking student I felt as though I should at least attempt to learn some Welsh (…my parents gave me the hint by buying me ‘Welsh for Beginners’ for Christmas). However, the University did not promote the opportunity to do so. Welsh-speaking and Englishspeaking students would undoubtedly struggle to integrate with one another without the chance to learn Welsh.

Within the free ’Languages for All’ programme, there was no opportunity to learn Welsh. This made no sense to me whatsoever. French, Italian and Japanese are just some of the languages available, but not Welsh.

The fact we’re not actively encouraged to learn Welsh in the capital city of Wales seems idiotic to me. Pledging to keep the Welsh language alive, but not encouraging people to study it, seems contradictory. The second biggest University in Wales should be a stalwart for the Welsh language and doing all that it can to keep it alive.

As students of a Welsh University, we are arguably the next generation of Welsh speakers, and our University simply isn’t doing enough to make us bilingual. So let’s do more to keep the Welsh language alive.

We need to do more than simply

rename our nightclub ‘Y Plas’

FOR:

Olivier van den BentKelly

AGAINST: Anne Porter

Pictured: Welsh and English flags

Source: Chris Brown, flickr

Although it may seem like we are in a bubble sometimes, we as students are part of a society that systematically discriminates against women

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

COMMENT Why we need women in leadership

Cardiff Students’ Union’s Womens’ Officer talks about the importance of having women in student politics

The statistics speak for themselves. Gender inequality is evident in all aspects of society. It was recently stated in the news that from November 4th, women in the UK would effectively be working for ‘free’ to the end of the year due to an increase in the pay gap. Likewise, the UK recently dropped out of the top 20 for gender equality worldwide. To top it all off, women make up 51% of the population and 59% of all university graduates but yet just 23% of MPs in Parliament and 14% of university Vice Chancellors. To say that the status quo is based on merit alone is an insult to women everywhere.

In an ideal world, attainment and success would be based on meritl, but we have a long way to go before we reach that stage.

So why does this matter to me, you may ask? It matters a great deal. Although it may seem like we are in a bubble sometimes, we as students are part of a society that systematically discriminates against women.

At Cardiff, only 1 of the 7 current full time Sabbatical Officers are women and 3 of the 4 current women Campaign Officers either ran

unopposed or against other women. Only one female President has been elected in a decade. All this stands in contradiction to the fact that 55% of students at Cardiff are women. is article is not aiming to answer the question of whether there is a problem with the representation and position of women. ese facts stand plainly before us and the issue is clear to see. What needs to be addressed is why we need to elevate the position of women students in Cardiff.

Change is already taking place. Last year only 20% of students on the Senate were women and this year it’s 55%. We didn’t even need to apply the gender balance policy that was passed last year. In the main elections last year, more women put themselves up for nomination than ever before, comprising 28% of candidates. Likewise the Cardiff Women’s Association this year has dramatically expanded with 11 members on our committee (up from 4 last year) and membership of nearly 100 students. But we mustn’t stop here. Developing women students to become leaders isn’t a box-ticking exercise. Student Unions, including

Feed the world: can Band Aid 30 work?

Gair Rhydd discusses the new charity single released to help the ebola crisis. Is it time for Band Aid to end?

Cardiff, have a responsibility to prioritise liberation issues and to equip women students with the skills they need if they are aspiring to become leaders in later life. Being at Cardiff University now is the optimum time to realise the leadership potential amongst students as it may be the first time that students recognise that they are part of a community that can they can influence and lead. Similarly we have a responsibility as a Students’ Union to champion liberation and diversity and set an example to the rest of society. If the current perception of the Students’ Union is that of a ‘boys club’, what kind of message are we giving our women students about their place in society as whole?

It’s not just about telling women students that they need to do ‘x, y and z’ in order to succeed in University and in life. We also need to realise that the student bubble that we live in is affected and shaped by the same structural issues that prevent women from attaining leadership roles. It’s about actually challenging what leadership is and our perceptions of it. We need women in student leadership to prove that leadership isn’t

synonymous with hypo-masculinity. Leadership is just as much about listening as well as speaking and it’s just as much about working together as a team as it is being an individual.

Having women in student leadership positions also means that issues that are seen to be mainly affecting women are more likely to be addressed. at’s not to say that a woman in a student leadership role has to champion women’s issues but they are more likely to be aware of them. is can take place in many ways: from a student academic rep raising the issue of why the works of female academics aren’t on reading lists, to sports club committees not hosting degrading initiations, to Heath Park students (who are 70% women) lobbying for a better Union presence at the Heath Park campus.

Taking everything into consideration, having women in student leadership seems necessary, not just a token gesture. Once we realise the benefits of having women in student leadership, we can steps towards getting a fairer deal for women, both at university and then in society.

Anne Porter F

irst came Band Aid. en Band Aid 20. Now we’ve reached Band Aid 30. My first thought when I heard of the latter was ‘How has it been 10 years since Band Aid 20? I’m ageing fast’. Moving away from the poverty relief of the first two singles, Band Aid 30 is focusing on raising money for ebola treatments. However, Band Aid 30 has not been created without criticism.

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

e main problem I see with the concept of Band Aid is how patronising and belittling it is to Africa as a whole (and Africa is the main subject of the song, because apparently poverty doesn’t exist elsewhere). e song includes lyrics such as ‘No peace and joy this Christmas in West Africa/ e only hope they’ll have is being

alive’. Musician Fuse ODG refused to be a part of th cause because he felt that the concept portrayed Africa in a negative light. ese lyrics are sung by a whole gang of wealthy singers, who are largely western and white, despite the best efforts of Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. Surely these lyrics patronise the population of West Africa, homogenising them into a group of poor and suffering people who can only be lifted out of poverty by people in the west. e first Band Aid single was released to ‘feed the world’ (or, more correctly, the victims of Ethiopian famine) as the lyrics tell us again and again. e concept did not change with the release of Band Aid 20, you guessed it, 20 years later. However,

Band Aid 30 has insisted on changing the original concept entirely. Instead of raising money to end famine, it is now raising money to prevent the spread of ebola (‘heal’ the world instead of ‘feed’ it, as one Daily Telegraph reporter put it). Ebola is not a new disease, so I do not see why Band Aid 30 treats it as though it is. Not only is Band Aid 30 suggesting that ebola is a new disease, the lyrics have also been updated as a result of the new aim. ‘Well tonight we’re reaching out and touching you’ sits on the last line of a verse, having replaced ‘Well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you’ (I never liked that line, but its replacement is no better). ‘Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears’ has

become ‘Where a kiss of love can kill you, and there is death in every tear’ - referencing how ebola is spread. e former lyrics were far more poignant, at least in my opinion, instead of the latter which tug at the heart strings and could dangerously infer that many people in West Africa are infectious when they are most likely not. at said, I don’t disagree with the fact that Bob Geldof is attempting to raise money for people in need. Charity is no bad thing, it just needs to be conducted in a way that is not patronising to the people it is trying to help. Perhaps creating a new charity single would work better, instead of flogging the old horse that Band Aid has become. We could certainly ‘feed the world’ in a different way.

The main problem I see with the concept of Band Aid is how patronising and belittling it is to Africa as a whole “

Pictured: Bono and Bob Geldof (Photographer: Matthias Muehlbradt via Flickr)

Laura Carter

Anne Porter

How to deal with someone on drugs: a response

Following Gair Rhydd’s advice last week about how

to deal with someone on drugs, a reader shares their view

The thing that really attracted my attention to this article was the photo of Ewan McGregor passing some suppository opiates in “Trainspotting”. e reason it caught my attention is that, to my knowledge, there was little to no problem with students becoming heroin addicts while at university. I then continued to read the article to see what it was really describing and there are several points that were made that I find to be misleading. Firstly, the perception of the drug user as presented in the article only works to increase the stigma related to those who take drugs. Referring to them as “these people” who will try and “corner you in the smoking area” demonises the person being referred to and makes it seem as if they are some kind of mindless zombie whose only intent is to prey upon unsuspecting bystanders. By grouping all drug users into this single group it separates “them” from “us”. is ingroup/outgroup segregation is an inherently dangerous thing

to do in any society and encouraging it through this article is irresponsible.

Secondly, the article is based on many assumptions which are entirely unsupported. e inference that drugs are the cause of the “anti-social behaviour” that “makes up more than a quarter of all reported crime in Cathays every year” is fallacious and using a fact (source not quoted) about anti-social behaviour in an argument against drug use is completely unjustified. e percentage of crime that is classed as anti-social behaviour in Cathays is, as stated, almost exactly a quarter of all crime reported in Cathays in the last year whereas drug related crimes takes up just 3.18% of that number. ere is no mention in the article of the correlation between the anti-social behaviour reported and drug use that occurs in Cathays, nor with drunkenness. In fact when you consider the number of pubs, clubs and bars offering cheap alcohol to the masses it would be more logical to assume that the anti-social behaviour is caused by drunken students making

their way home at the end of the night. irdly, the article seems to be intentionally ambiguous to entice the reader into assuming the worst. e article tells the reader that it is “best to avoid them” but tells no reason of why or what “they” intend to do. Phrases like “ignore their advances” and “shake off the person” makes the drug user appear to be demented and immediately assumes that the person is crazy and irrational. e article does not even allow for the consideration that the person might be in trouble or be in need of help. e list of “obvious signs” is also deceptive as it describes behaviours characteristic of several different drugs, however “bloodshot eyes”, “being talkative”, “restlessness”, “slow response” and “erratic behaviour” are all typical of someone who has been drinking therefore it is not justified to place this person under this label that has been created. In fact, for an “Advice” article, this offers very little real advice on how to “deal with people on drugs” but instead gives tactics for evading

them (the very same tactics could be employed just as effectively in avoiding a persistent drunk person, however there is no mention of alcohol in the article). In reading an advice article entitled “How do you deal with someone on drugs?” I would hope to attain some advice on helping someone if they had taken too much of something and genuinely needed help.

I am sorry if the writer has had a bad experience with someone who they thought to be on drugs on the way home from a night out, but that is no reason to write a desultory article whose only intent is to alienate the drug user and simply stigmatise them yet further within our society.

In my opinion, publishing this article was highly irresponsible and careless. With the state of the British media as it is we should surely be encouraging young journalists to try and report on the whole picture rather than just allowing them to submit articles whose only aim is to simply achieve denouncing and defaming members of society.

Is my degree worth less than yours?

Are all degrees created

equal? Or are some degrees not worth the paper they are printed on?

DI have always seen passion for your subject as being more important than the subject you study “

espite being at a fantastic university, my degree is still regularly brought into dispute over its value. As a student of sociology, I have to regularly defend my choice of degree to other people. I constantly ask myself this question: why is my degree worth less than yours? People often ask me what sociology actually is. Studying societies is now what I do on an everyday basis. People MAKE sociology constantly – societies are a great part of who we are, there is no doubt about it. Degrees are worth the passion that you put into them. Nothing says you don’t care more than being half arsed. Let’s face it, £27,000 is a great deal of money to spend on anything, so your degree really isn’t the time to be continuously half arsed. £27,000 is the minimum that any degree costs at Cardiff University. So surely it matters a great deal that you are passionate about what you study, no matter what that is. I have always seen passion for your subject as being more important than the subject you study. Make it worth your while.

My degree is not vocational. I am not planning on becoming an academic with it. And let’s face it, a degree in sociology won’t make me capable of being a doctor, will it. However, I do see the value of my degree in any future career that I plan on having. I am not at university to waste time or money. Instead I am here to look after and learn about myself. at’s one of the great things about university. You meet a great variety of

people with a vast skillset, who would otherwise never come together. People with differing interests, abilities and capabilities are all studying a variety of subjects. My house last year was a perfect example of this. In a house of 11, there was: me, the sociologist; a mathematician; a physicist, a city and town planner; a computer scientist; an environmental and geoscientist; two engineers and two lawyers (and that’s not even including the Mas-

ter’s student who lived upstairs). Why should we evaluate the value of our degrees on what other people study?

So often we simply see the differences between people and criticise them for their subject of choice, instead of seeing them as studying something they care greatly about and have chosen to study.

When the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition raised tuition fees to £9000 per year, people expressed outrage at how little contact time they were receiving in exchange for their money. People need to see that your tuition fees pay for more than the contact time you receive. Tuition fees help fund everything that your university experience entails. at society you joined in freshers’ week that you haven’t been to yet? e cheap alcohol in the Students’ Union? All paid for and maintained by the Students’ Union, which is partially funded by your tuition fees. So make the most of your time at University, no matter what you study. Despite our degrees costing us an arm and a leg we have the potential to learn a great deal while we are here.

Pictured: A graduation ceremony (Photographer: Tony Shertila, via Flickr)

Charlie Mackrill

15 JASON ROBERTS VS THE WORLD

Is Ed dead?

e Labour leader has 6 months to save his job. But can he do it?

Jason Roberts

Iam so sorry. It’s politics again. I thought I’d be able to leave it at Farage and we’d all move on happily with our lives. Oops. I promise that this will be the last one for a while. Next week I’ll do something on, like, balloons. Or emojis. Or I’ll rank every Christmas song ever written (spoiler: Fairytale of New York is coming dead last). I don’t know. It won’t be politics though (Ed: or, for that matter, that column you keep pitching me about Stevie Wonder not being blind. It’s not going to happen, Jason.) I understand if you feel betrayed. Turn the page if you want. I won’t think any less of you. Here we go.

Firstly, full disclosure: I am a leftwing voter. I believe that poor people shouldn’t starve, that immigration generally makes our country a better and more interesting place, and that the NHS shouldn’t be sold off to BIG CORPORATIONS who only get excited over money and deforestation. Little things. Basics. Now with that out of the way, I have no interest in voting Labour for the foreseeable future. Not even a tiny bit. I’d rather give David Cameron a reach-around. After all, he’s spent the last five years shafting the entire country so I sort of feel obliged to give something back to his shaft. My main gripe with Labour is not a new or original take but one felt by many people, namely that they

haven’t been a party of the left for as long as I’ve been alive.

But in 2010, there was hope. And they called him ‘Red Ed’. And while I’m not an advocate of Marxism, I was excited to see if Ed Miliband would push Labour back over to the left. His performance as leader since then has been, erm… interesting. What was once a manifesto of change seems to have evolved into, “Vote for us because we’re not the Tories.” Just last week Jason Cowley, the editor of the New Statesman, wrote a damning editorial calling Miliband an, “old-style Hampstead socialist who has failed to find an authentic voice to connect with the electorate”. Basically, Miliband doesn’t understand the working-class. Whether or not you agree with him, it’s not a good sign for Miliband that the publication that so heavily championed him for the party leadership in 2010 has lost faith in him so spectacularly. It’s not hard to see why either.

For the last five years, Britain has been run by one of the most detestable governments in recent memory. People are poorer, hungrier, yet at the same time working harder than ever to keep themselves afloat, all whilst the rich have managed to get richer in a time of supposed austerity. Now Cameron has just lost two seats and two MPs to UKIP, and is quickly los-

ing voters too. Yet somehow, this election is going to be close. After five years of austerity, after five years of growing income disparity, after five years of David Cameron’s looking like someone’s face in the back of a spoon, the fact that this election is even going to be close is a damning indictment the state of the Labour party. If you can’t win an election when the incumbent party is despised by over half the country, you’re not just doing something wrong, you’re doing everything wrong.

Poor Ed literally cannot do anything right. He can’t eat a bacon sandwich. He can’t give the right change to homeless people. He can’t stop looking like a character from an Aardman animation. It’s no wonder that in the last week rumours have been circulating regarding his resignation, with his personal rating at an all-time low. Lower than Nick Clegg, who spends most of his time in a gimp suit in a Downing Street basement. In a way Miliband is the perfect leader for Labour, as he embodies everything that his party represents: absolutely nothing at all. Who better than Miliband to lead a party that stands for nothing? He’s a total void of a human being, you’d be forgiven for thinking that his personality was stolen from him as a child and given

to his brother David.

All isn’t lost for Miliband, or Labour. The likelihood of the Tories winning an outright majority at the next election is pretty slim, considering that they fell 20 seats short of a majority in 2010 without having to contend with UKIP. Unfortunately for Labour, the rise of the SNP in the wake of the Scottish referendum has decimated a previous stronghold for them. There’s every chance that the 2015 election will result in another hung parliament, and another coalition. If Miliband can negotiate a partnership with the Liberal Democrats or even the SNP, he’ll be in a strong position in May. But there are two variables standing in his way. Firstly, nobody knows how many seats the Lib Dems will lose and nobody knows how many UKIP will gain. Then, if the numbers add up, there’s the prospect of a potential Conservative-UKIP coalition. But when you take into consideration the last five years of government, Labour should be winning an overall majority. The fact that they will struggle to do so speaks volumes about the present state of the party, and their leader. There’s little doubt that Ed will lose his job if Labour don’t get into power come 2015. The real question is, can they convince his brother to come back?

A true man of the people

If you can’t win an election when the incumbent party is despised by over half the country, you’re not just doing something wrong, you’re doing everything wrong

Pictured:

tweet us @GairRhyddPol mail us politics@gairrhydd.com or visit us online at gairrhydd.com/politics

Fighting terror with terror e problem with drone warfare

“Ino longer love blue skies. In fact, I now prefer grey skies. e drones do not fly when the skies are grey,” Zubair told congress, or at least the five congressmen who bothered to show up. Zubair is a thirteen year old Pakistani boy whose grandmother was killed in a drone strike whilst she was gardening. Nobody seems to want to hear about drone strikes.

On the 11th of November between four and seven people were killed in a drone strike. Two Al Qaeda leaders, two children, three unknowns. Last ursday between five and eight people were killed in Pakistan by CIA drones. Despite the frequency of these attacks and just how recent they are, if you were to search for drones on Google News you would find reports of drones flying too close to planes and amazon parcel delivery, rather than a swathe of actual deaths.

It recently came to light that a US drone operator had Osama Bin Laden “in his crosshairs”. He bemoaned the fact that this was before Predator drones were equipped with hellfire missiles. He “knew” it was Osama Bin Laden because he was tall and the people around him were deferential. When there is a narrative about the use of drones it is this: targeted killing is a necessary part of the war on terror. It is misleading to describe drone

strikes as “targeted killing”. e video gamers the US Air Force tends to recruit are certainly good with snipers in first person shooters, but the way drone strikes work is not directly comparable. Firstly, there’s no HD display: a drone operator in Afghanistan admitted that they couldn’t be sure they were attacking somebody carrying a weapon and not somebody with gardening tools. Suppose then that the picture quality was good, are modern fighter drones such as Reapers or Predators fitted with the drone equivalent of a sniper rifle, capable of delivering a clean shot to the intended target? No. Military drones are equipped with hellfire missiles and regularly attack houses or cars as opposed to identifiable people out in the open. at’s how a thirteen year old boy died in a car in Yemen. e drone operator couldn’t have been expected to know he was there. Even when a house has been monitored for a long time it’s difficult to know who is inside. Women can be confined in houses unbeknownst to the surveillance operation. One charity placed giant photos of child victims on the roofs of houses in Pakistan to remind drone operators that they are endangering children. ose who come to the aid of drone strike victims are regarded as militants. is leaves those nearby powerless to help even when they are in earshot of people dying. Victims are charred and

difficult to identify which doesn’t stop the UK and US militaries from considering their operations to be a success. US drone strikes are killing innocent people in countries the US isn’t even at war with.

e use of drones allows for a state of perpetual war, an Orwellian nightmare. One drone operator in the US said she would rather be deployed overseas. If her daughter is sick she has to go pick her up; she deals with war and everyday life simultaneously. Obama’s plan to tackle ISIS utilises drones rather than boots on the ground. When governments don’t have to put their own citizens at risk they could be all too eager for military action.

War can only legitimately be waged by a government against a sovereign state. e war on terror should only be a metaphor. e US and UK have adopted a policy of combatting terror with terror. How else can drone strikes which leave people afraid to leave their homes be described? e policy is misguided as civilian deaths only lead to more radicalisation.

Terrorism should really be dealt with as a police matter. e US is not at war with Pakistan or Yemen but is killing their citizens. Many of those killed are entirely innocent; even those who are not are killed without trial. Some of the 7/7 bombers lived in my area. If the police had had intelligence before-

hand I’m sure they would have been arrested. Armed flying robots would not have hovered above the area until one day they fired missiles at the terrorists’ houses, hoping that no women or children were inside. If it would be absurd and unethical to deal with terrorism in this way at home, why are we not outraged that this is what is happening in Pakistan? Obviously home-grown terrorism is easier to deal with, but that does not mean we should deal with suspected foreign terrorists in a morally reprehensible manner.

e US government presumably knows that this hypothetical scenario is morally comparable with their overseas operations. Instead, however, of regarding both scenarios as morally abhorrent, a lawyer working for Obama has created a legal justification for the “targeted killing” of US citizens.

Drone operators could be charged with war crimes as they are attacking people who cannot be regarded as imminent threats. However, the international community has not established proper guidelines for the use of drones. us far drones have developed as weapons and changed the nature of war without much fanfare. We shouldn’t let drones change the nature of the modern world without us even paying attention, never mind asking questions.

A drone operator in Afghanistan admitted that they couldn’t be sure they were attacking somebody carrying a weapon and not somebody with gardening

Lauren Boyd

Pictured: military drone

(photo from Bureau of Investigative Journalism)

BNationalists could hold balance of power in 2015

Nicola Sturgeon and Leanne Wood take to the stage at SNP conference

eing on the losing side isn’t great; you might feel down, unhappy and angry that you didn’t win. In the Scottish Referendum, we all know the results show that ‘Team Westminster’ had won, and Scotland will remain as part of the United Kingdom.

Following the result, David Cameron stated ‘ e people of Scotland have spoken. It is a clear result...So now it is time for our United Kingdom to come together, and to move forward.’ How wrong could he be? Two months on and at the SNP conference it is obvious who the real winners are, this is a party and a movement going from strength to strength, not only having an effect in Scotland but also being heard across Britain calling for a change in the politics of the whole of the United Kingdom.

20 months ago, in March 2013, Alex Salmond welcomed the 25,000th member of the SNP, as of last week, the numbers are now exceed 85,000, and growing, an increase of 240%, an astonishing achievement for a political party in the UK. Put this together with the fact that SNP membership has been on a steady rise since 2003, whilst remembering that the ‘traditional parties’ memberships have declined by around 30%, and this fact is even more substantial.

Sturgeon emphasized her anger at not being involved in next year’s

TV debates using the evidence that the SNP has more members than the UK Lib Dems and UKIP combined, showing they have a much stronger voice now than in the lead up to the 2010 election.

e nationalist movement in Scotland will not rest, will not accept the status quo, and will fight to get delivery on what they were promised.

In her first speech as leader of the SNP, Sturgeon emphasized that the ‘referendum has revitalized this country’ and pledged the SNP will not ‘let Westminster drag us back to business as usual’.

Following an inspiring speech, Sturgeon will be eager to get down to work, and has even already stated she will openly consider policy from any member of the Scottish Parliament, to make a stronger Scotland. Scottish or not Scottish she had a vision for a better Scotland, and even a better Britain, delivering her speech extraordinarily well. It’s simple; if I lived in Scotland I know where my vote would go.

e main points of her speech were simple; “We were elected first as a minority in 2007 and then as a majority in 2011 to improve our health service, to provide better education for our children, to keep our communities safe from crime.

“As long as I am First Minister of this country that is what we will do each and every day.”

e new SNP leader also held Team Westminster to account on the vow they made, stating “Make no mistake - I want the Westminster parties to hear this loudly and clearly - with a strong team of SNP MPs at Westminster there will be no hiding place. at vow, that promise for more powers will be delivered – it will be delivered in full.”

As for the Welsh nationalist party, Plaid Cymru leaders and members also visited the conference in Perth, with Leanne Wood and Nicola Sturgeon seemingly getting along very well. Potentially, this may lead the way for an alliance of some sort should there be another hung parliament.

Ms. Wood stated in the conference: “It is the peoples of the nations of the UK who are sovereign, not Westminster. at reality must be reflected as the relationships between our countries are reconstructed in the coming months.

“Reserved powers should mean shared powers and let me make clear that a Plaid Cymru government from 2016 will insist on major decisions at a UK level requiring consensus between the governments.

“ e people power that grew from a grassroots movement in Scotland during the referendum campaign I’m sure will result in power being delivered to the people.

“A new state was not born in

September but you’ve built a new democracy and no party, no government can disestablish that.”

Usually, it is fair to say what happens in Scotland will not have much of an effect on the rest of the country and us down here in Cardiff, however Scottish Politics has gotten very exciting indeed, and is making the Politics of the UK more exciting getting more and more people involved.

UKIP takes Rochester, while Labour loses touch

A new state was not born in September but you’ve built a new democracy and no party, no government can disestablish that Leanne Wood, Leader of Plaid Cymru

Rhiannon Tapp

The Rochester by-election has caused a stir. Unlike Clacton, Rochester was not considered UKIP territory. Mark Reckless, a recently defected Tory MP, will now take his seat in the Commons representing the constituency. e campaign was dominated by the issue of the NHS, local schools and battles over immigration. UKIP stormed into fi rst place, with

opinion polls before the election suggesting a win. is has certainly now caused a rumble in British politics, as UKIP has fought off an expensive time consuming Conservative campaign, after Cameron stated he will ‘throw the kitchen sink’ to win. Mr Cameron also vowed that the Conservartives will take this seat back in May, as this election was not about forming a government but rather a protest against the parties in power.

Mark Reckless joins Douglas Carswell in the house of Commons, and will try to prove that they can make a difference before next year’s General Election to show they deserve their seat.

Nigel Farage, leader of UKIP, claimed that, “all bets are now off ” regarding success in next year’s General Election. is situation begs the question of whether other Tory members will now consider defecting. David Cameron had visited Rochester five times during the byelection campaign and several thou-

sands of pounds had been invested. e Lib Dems, on the other hand, suffered a brutal defeat, coming fi fth place overall behind the Greens who won, 1,692 votes. ey received their worst ever election result, polling an bysmal 349 votes, losing their deposit with only 0.87% of the poll.

Looking forward, Nigel Farage has already stated that there will be further UKIP successes, with the party suggesting there could be further defections, from both the Conservatives and the Labour party.

Meanwhile, the Shadow Attorney General of the Labour Party, Emily ornberry, has resigned following a tweeted during her visit to Rochester. Ms ornberry tweeted a picture of a house draped in an English fl ag with a white van parked outside and captioned it, ‘image from #Rochester’. Many have now accused her of looking down on the house occupant. Whether Ms ornberry meant to be sneering, the tweet demonstrates a misunderstanding of work-

ing people’s culture in Rochester, it has caused a backlash on twitter, as people question her understanding of the English working man.

One critic wrote: “Somebody fl ies England fl ags and drives a van? And Labour wonder why the working class are deserting them en-masse...”

With the upcoming General Election, any damage to Labour’s reputation evidently won’t be accepted by the leader of the Labour party, Ed Milliband who agreed to Emily ornberry’s resignation following just two phone calls.

Many in the Labour Party, including John Mann, the Labour MP for Bassetlaw, said ornberry had insulted voters. “It is the juxtaposing of the white van and the England fl ag. It is normal life for many of us. It is normal Labour values”, said Mann. Labour and the Conservatives will now be feeling the pressure of UKIP’s potential for success in many of the areas they perhaps, prior to this event, took voters for granted.

Carwyn Williams Pictured: Left, Sturgeon, leader of the SNP, right, Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru

Pictured: Mark Reckless, UKIP candidate in Rochester and Strood

We had ‘Benefits Street’ but we didn’t have ‘Tax Dodgers Street’ and we didn’t have Bankers Street’ either Owen Jones

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Owen Jones: the Gair Rhydd interview

Should students vote? “Absolutely. Yes, they absolutely should.”

Recently I got the chance to interview Owen Jones, a left-wing political commentator, Guardian columnist and national TV presence. His book ‘ e Establishment: And How ey Get Away With it’, is now on the shelves. Jones argues that “future generations will surely look back with a mixture of astonishment and contempt at how British society is currently organised.” His book outlines the ‘the ideas and mentalities’ that govern the way certain people behave. e Establishment is made up of ‘powerful groups that need to protect their position in a democracy’. To hear of the deep inequalities in our society ignites a feeling of shock in the conscious reader.

Before I scare off any readers who expect to hear a typical left-wing spiel, don’t worry: these ideas are applicable to us all. We’ve all been failed, in one way or another, by British politics in the last four years and even beyond that. is interview isn’t just about left wing or right wing politics, and I’m not trying to force everyone to embrace the idea of a democratic revolution. Owen Jones presents ideas that should resonate with how students are feeling and should inspire a need to stand up for ourselves and exercise our right to vote, because politicians simply have no reason to care about us otherwise.

Jones spoke about the rise of the far right, the failure of the Left, Russell Brand, and the abandonment of young people in politics.

ers to hammer messages out to people on a regular basis, the parties on the left have leaders who fail to do so, and suggested that this is what we need to see any success on behalf of those who want to fight against social injustice. “So it’s partly up to people who actually believe in social justice to offer an alternative to all of those problems - housing, jobs, wages, living conditions, communities, kids who will be poorer than the last generation. “He claims that this anger and disillusionment, “unless this is answered with the politics of hope, not envy, then the likes of the far right and the populist right are going to continue to prosper and prosper even more than at the moment. e vacuum has to be filled and the issue is who fills that vacuum? At the moment it’s the likes of the populist right that are doing it.”

A prevalent idea in Jones’s book is ‘the Establishment,’ which Jones claims consists of ‘powerful groups that need to protect their position in a democracy’. e populist media elite, are politically motivated and continue to warp societal perspectives of British problems, directing anger away from the real problems; according to Jones tax dodgers, bankers and an unrepresentative, elitist political authority.

should stand up to the powerless, not the powerful.” He carries on to say that for the issue of who we should stand up to, regarding the powerless or the powerful, “to be in any way controversial is the damning indictment of where we’re at at the moment.”

When asked what he makes of the rise of far right groups such as Ukip, Britain First, the Welsh Alliance, and the EDL, Owen responded and argued that “I think, partly it’s [because of] lack of hope. As Britain and working people are going through the largest fall in living standards since Benjamin Disraeli was Prime Minister”, and “there’s not any sense of that there is an alternative which will change lives.” He suggested that these far right groups gain popularity when the media and political elites promote “the politics of envy”. People start to think, “you can’t get that job because that immigrant is going to get it” or “that person on benefits down the road is living in a house that should be mine.” e media is claiming that immigrants are taking everything from wages, jobs, housing and benefits. is scapegoating, which Owen points out is an age-old tactic, is being exploited by parties. “Of course”, said Owen, “Of course, you’re going to get parties exploiting that anger. ere is ample desperation out there, there is ample disillusionment.” While the rise of the far right hinges upon society’s desperation for change, Owen pointed out the failure of the left. “And partly it’s the failure of the left for not providing a coherent and inspiring alternative that resonates with people’s experiences, that actually offer convincing answers to these problems which make people’s lives hard.. Life for lots of people is really, really tough.”

Later, he pointed out that while the parties on the right use charismatic lead-

So I asked him whether he would agree there’s a gap between what the media presents as British problems, and the reality. “Well, we had ‘Benefits Street’ but we didn’t have ‘Tax Dodgers Street’ and we didn’t have ‘Bankers Street’ either. And what we’ve had from the media is a relentless focus on the misdemeanours of those at the bottom of society, to scrutinise, to criticise, rather than focusing on those at the top.” Using statistical evidence from government polls to show the effect the media has on society’s beliefs about these issues, Owen points out that, “ e polling shows what this leads people to believe. ey show that on average people think 27% of social security is lost to fraud. e government figures say it’s 0.7%. People believe that there are far more immigrants than there actually are. at, you know, teenage pregnancy is far more rampant than it is. All of these things, are inflated because the media hunt down often the most extreme and unsympathetic examples, stories guaranteed or aimed at making their readers’ blood boil.”

“Instead of showing the reality of most social security spending actually going on pensioners who have paid in all their lives; the millions of workers who have to claim benefits because their bosses won’t pay them properly; disabled people and countless unemployed searching for jobs. If you don’t get that reality shown then of course that helps to skew people’s attitudes.”

“Who are the real villains, is it the polish fruit pickers, is it the Lithuanian nurses, is it the Nigerian cleaner, or is it the bankers who plunged us into economic disaster, the bosses who pay poor wages and the tax dodgers?” His overall sentiment on this matter is best expressed by the statement, “We end up thinking we

With the General Election coming up next year many students will be wondering who to vote for, some will be wondering if there’s any point in voting for three inapplicable, not dissimilar political parties. Some will vote UKIP believing in Farage’s fresh, beer drinking TV-genius and populist approach, and some will vote Greens so they can look in the mirror with dignity the following day; some will grit their teeth and vote Labour, and some might vote Conservatives; people will think twice about voting Lib Dems, and some will not care or even know there is a general election to be had beyond what the unavoidable media furore. To quote my hungover housemate on the day of the European Elections last year, when asked if they would be coming to vote, she replied “No, because a) we’re still drunk b) we don’t know or care about politics.” What a profound indication of apathy. Many young people and students in particular have had their faith trashed by politicians, while others simply don’t see politics as relevant to them. As Owen goes on to say, “ e blame lies with the smug, self-satisfied politicians who couldn’t care less whether young people voted or not and make no attempt to speak in a language, or on issues which matter to them.” On this topic Owen talks about Russell Brand, the political elite and why young people absolutely need to vote. I asked him what he advised students to think about when it came to voting in the general election, and asked him outright whether young people should bother voting at all. “Absolutely. Yeah, they absolutely should. And actually the irony is that, it would suit politicians quite well if young people stopped voting, as I’m afraid, politicians would feel they can get away with policies that hammer young people as they’ll think ‘well, they’re not going to vote are they so we’re not going to suffer.’” Owen identifies the issue by explaining that, “Young people have got so much understanding, actually, of the world around them, they’re not stupid, they’re really bright, and they’re savvy, but the problem is they don’t see politics as relevant to the problems they face, it seems like another planet, politicians don’t speak in a language they understand.” He seems able to pinpoint a general attitude among the youth masses, “Young people are not exactly sympathetic about the sorts of people that go into politics and represent them, and politicians don’t seem like people like them and so they see politics as just ‘something that attacks you occasionally’.” I wondered if listeners would think this response was an attack on young people so I asked what his stance on the idea that it’s not necessarily the youth who don’t care about politics, but poli-

ticians who don’t care about the youth. To which he replies, “Yeah, I mean, look, they’re not responsible. It’s the political elite which has sown cynicism. You know, the Lib Dems, it feels ridiculous to say now, but they inspired a lot of young people it 2010 because they said they would get rid of tuition fees, their core, key, absolute pledge. Young people were queueing in ballot boxes and polling stations to vote, and those young people, in many cases, will never trust a politician again. Given that their faith in democracy has been trashed by the Lib Dems, it’s no wonder you get that cynicism.”

Such cynicism has led to very vocal activist groups such as ‘Occupy Democracy’, who camped in Parliament square for two weeks in October, and those protesting in the ‘Masks March’ on Guy Fawkes night and an opening of debate following comedian Russell Brand’s rhetoric regarding not voting and not paying bills as a form of protest and the need for revolution. Jones shares his thoughts on Russell Brand, saying, “well, I don’t agree with not voting. Democracy is a lot of things, and voting is part of it: the history of this country, the gains and all the rights we have. e powerful didn’t give them out of generosity, they gave these things because they were forced to, and they feared the people so much that they had to be accepted, would they be the welfare state, workers rights, women’s vote, and so on.”

“So voting is part of it, as is protesting, as is civil disobedience, which can put tax avoidance on the agenda, as is using social media. ere is a multi-pronged way of looking at democracy, there are lots of different things you can do to put issues on the agenda. And I think what I’m frustrated about is a lot of his critics

Most social security spending actually goes on pensioners who have paid in all their lives

Pictured: Owen Jones and Politics

Editor

Rhiannon Tapp

Rhiannon Tapp

The idea of young people and others are not voting because a comedian with big silly hair told them to is one of the most absurd things I’ve ever heard

who I regard as the smuggest, most cynical, self-satisfied people I’ve ever come across… ere’s a lot to criticise Russell Brand on, there’s lots to have a go at him at. But I have to say, the idea that young people and others not voting because a comedian with big, silly hair told them not to is one of the most absurd things I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s both the political and the media elites, they’re the ones who’re responsible; they’re the ones who’ve sown cynicism and disillusionment. I have some sympathies for Russell Brand. Because he gets people who aren’t engaged in politics talking about politics, talking about democracy, talking about issues. How many people can do that? And how many of the critics of Russell Brand have had their articles or their interviews posted on Facebook walls of young people with people debating, you know, people from council estates, dispossessed young people, discussing what they’ve said? I welcome the debate he started, even if obviously I don’t agree with lots of the things he says, because that’s not the point. I think a lot of what he’s done has been a force for good. at’s my genuine feeling on the matter.”

Speaking for quite a few people here I believe that many of us know we should vote, but can’t face voting for any of the three major parties, and don’t really feel happy about the idea of the Greens in power. Leading me to ask Jones whether he thought we needed a left-wing alternative to Labour. He replied saying that, “the thing is our electoral system makes that very hard because we’ve got First Past the Post. And what that means is even if you’ve got 20% nationally, you end up with not a single parliamentary seat because you’ve got to concentrate on individual constituencies in order to win. Because of the trade union link with the Labour Party it’s the only justification in my view for engaging the Labour Party because it gives a link to millions of working people whether it be care workers, lollipop ladies, bin collectors, factory workers, engineers, whoever; that link there is why the labour party was founded and every time there has been an attempt to set up a new party in Britain on the left they’ve always failed without exception, because it’s always done very poorly.”

“But I’d add a very strong caveat to that. People are clearly changing, and

even though we have First Past the Post, the electoral system is disintegrating. e whole point is to create a secure majority government which can then introduce various measures without the problems ensuing when you end up with coalitions, which people are often frustrated about because you end up with government who no one has voted for, and they can put all these promises to the electorate and not deliver on them, by having to make these compromises, as we saw with the Lib Dems.”

“I don’t think that anyone’s going to win the next election, realistically. It’s about who is going to lose the least and therefore be able to form a coalition or a minority government. I think despite the AV [alternative vote] referendum — I voted against AV by the way — I could see how proportional representation could end up on the agenda, and then we’re better off.”

“Also I’d look at it from this perspective. Take Greece and Spain, where social democratic parties came to power off the back of their supporters and then destroyed themselves. e case in Greece and in Spain is that they have been supplanted with more radical and anti-austerity parties, SYRIZIA in Greece which is leading polls; by contrast, PASOK, which is their version of the labour party is on 5% in the opinion polls now. In Spain as well, Podemos, founded in January, got about six MPs into parliamentary election and now they’re leading the opinion polls in Spain. en take Scotland and the SNP’ I don’t think they are genuinely a left wing party, but their posture has been to the left and people are flocking to them, so when you have in theory an alternative, then people will end up walking into their arms. So the issue for Labour is: either you offer an inspiring alternative or as we’ve seen in Scotland, as we’ve seen in Greece, as we’ve seen in Spain, you will destroy yourselves and you’ll be supplanted by someone else. I’ve said before that if the electoral system changed then I think there would be a desperate need for populist, left wing parties, as we’ve got in Greece and Spain, and that could happen much sooner than we think.”

Jones’s responses to these questions seem quite profoundly accurate to me. However, in response to what he thinks we should actually do (such as his suggestions about a multi-pronged demo-

cratic system in which we must vote, engage in protest and organise), we must ask, does Jones’s overall rhetoric stand up to scrutiny? Later, at his talk, a member of the audience asked him what criticisms he thought were the most damaging to his message.

He responded to this light-heartedly by joking about some of the most common criticisms, which seem to mainly consist of suggesting he ‘looks like a baby’. e Spectator recently included a review, written by Paul Staines, also known as blogger Guido Fawkes, of Owen’s new book, writing that Owen comes to the ‘uninspiring conclusion that we should have a democratic revolution’ and his book should be called ‘ e Consensus: And How I Want to Change It’.

Other critics have pointed out that Jones shows bias towards anyone in a position of power, when in his last book, Chavs, he pointed towards such prejudices as being one of the establishment’s deadly sins. I feel that is fair enough. It is not hard to see why many people think Owen Jones is misunderstanding the real nature of humans when he asks for a democratic revolution, whilst ironically partaking in systems and benefiting from social hierarchies which he himself condemns. He said later on this point that he believes that “humans are not necessarily innately greedy. We are malleable. We have to draw on our compassion.”

Owen is undeniably one of those people actively fighting for social justice by his writing, speaking and inspiring commentary which can be understood by everyone. ose who have already heard this interview, not having heard of him before, said they felt as though he was speaking for them, that how they felt was being put out there on their behalf. And

despite criticisms that Owen’s call for democratic revolution has no substance, and only ‘uses old routes’ as ideas of how to get there, questioning from me, and other members of the audience at this later talk, has proven this to be untrue. Owen talked a lot about how we can utilise social media, the largest networking tool at our disposal, to group together and organise; his ideas are substantial. is does not have to mean ‘Organise! Get your fire bombs ready for another Newport Rising!’ which many perceive to be a dated and unrealistic approach. It can instead, simply mean finding people who are like minded to you, on an issue that isn’t voiced in government, or ignored by elitist representation and organising a way of getting that issue on the agenda. A fairly local example was brought up: people protested against the coalition’s proposal to privatise and sell off large areas of the forests After organisation throughout social mediums and local gatherings, the people of the Forest of Dean have won their case using petitions, protests and standing up for their cause. While a small example, it demonstrates that if the people do not speak up, they will never gain and they will never be heard. is goes for us as students too. We may all feel that politics is not relevant to us and many may not have considered the idea things could be different, however distant that prospect might be. What would society be like now if the Chartists, Suffragists and countless civil rights movements of the last century had thought like this?

Perhaps we can agree that democratic revolution seems like a far-flung possibility, and perhaps might not even be wanted by everybody reading this. But regardless of your creed, it’s undoubtedly true that it’s in your best interests to vote.

Proportional representation could end up on the agenda

Pictured: Chart showing voting intentions for students in the UK, source: youthsight.com

Note that national parties are underrepresented, as these figures factor in the entire UK. They are included in other. There are no specific figures for Wales.

Pictured: Russell Brand, “silly haired comedian”

Shanna Hamilton

Despite eventful comet landing, Rosetta mission gets results

Landing a washing-machine sized lander on the harsh landscape of a comet 514 million kilometres away from Earth was by no means going to be easy, but last week’s dramatic events left scientists glued to their computers and the European Space Agency biting their nails.

e Philae spacecraft, having travelled for over ten years with its mothership Rosetta on a mission that has cost an estimated £1.1 billion, had a very close call during it’s historic touch-down on comet 67P/ Churyumov-Gerasminenko.

e night before the muchanticipated landing, the drama unfolded with computing problems. en came a second issue with the thrusters, which were to push Philae onto the comet’s surface. ey failed completely. Pressing ahead with schedule anyway, at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, the team was celebrating a successful landing, unaware that harpoons had failed to securely attach the lander to the ground. Philae was bouncing.

Philae rebounded off the surface twice, bouncing 1 kilometre above the comet’s surface, before settling at an awkward angle, one leg in the air, hidden in the shadows of a rocky cliff. In this precarious position, the

lander received only 1.5 hours of sunlight in every comet rotation. It did not have enough power to charge its secondary batteries and is now in a deep sleep with little chance of revival. e mission lasted only two days instead of several weeks as anticipated, potentially a huge blow for the European Space Agency.

However in the brief 64 hours of activity, Philae managed to haul in a wealth of data. “We’re extremely happy with how the mission went,” said lander control team member Valentina Lammatsh. Matt Taylor, project scientist behind the Rosetta mission gushed, “Beyond words.” All 10 of Philae’s instruments managed to take readings in an attempt to calculate whether life on Earth first began with comets.

Icy collections of dust and rock particles, comets heat up as they pass the sun, producing a visible atmosphere and sometimes the iconic tail. ey are leftover material from clouds of gas and dusts that formed our Solar System 4.6 billion years ago.

Studying comets in detail may give us an insight into the first building blocks of our planet.

Philae may one day be joined by its mothership Rosetta on comet 67P. e ship will run out of fuel by the end of 2016 and the European Space Agency is yet to decide its fate – whether to

Student

We’re all familiar with the five second rule. Most of us adhere to it quite strictly and we all know that one guy who follows a particularly lenient variant like the “ten second rule”, the “five minute rule” or even the “it doesn’t look like it’s been rained on so it probably hasn’t been there much longer than a day rule”. Maybe you are that guy, I’m not here to judge you. at burrito cost me £7 ok, what was I going to do just leave it behind?

But, is there any scientific basis for the five second rule or indeed any of its variants? If Student Science has proven anything so far it’s that professional scientists have way too much time on their hands so you can be sure they’ve looked into this question. Until earlier this year, pretty much all research suggested that there was a decent chance of bacterial contamination from the second your food hits the floor unless it’s a kebab from Salis-

put it into hibernation or land it on the surface. Until then it will study the comet as it travels around the Sun and back into space. So aside from the social media storm surrounding ‘that shirt’ (which somewhat clouds this extraordinary feat of space exploration), although dramatic, the landing of Philae has yielded information that may help our quest to explain the origins of our

planet, and indeed life on it too. All the events reinforce just how difficult it is to land a comet and how Philae has done space scientists proud.

“Let’s stop looking at things we could have done if everything had worked properly,” Andrea Accomazzo, Rosetta flight operations director said.

“Let’s look at what we have done, what we have achieved. is is unique and will be unique forever.”

Science: The five second rule, fact or fiction?

bury Road in which case the food has more bacteria on it than the floor. is is more or less the result you’d expect if you have any understanding of how bacteria work so the five second rule became thought of just an old wives tale.

However, in March a research group at Aston University released the results of a study they carried out on whether time is a factor in bacterial contamination. eir results were, for those of us who enjoy pizza à la carpet fluff, utterly groundbreaking. ey dropped various types of food such as toast and sticky sweets onto various types of floor and found that time is indeed a significant factor in transfer of bacteria from the ground to food. ey found that the type of material the floor is made of is also an important factor.

It’s important to note that they only tested Staphylococcus and E. coli bacteria and also only tested indoor

flooring materials, but their research suggests that when dropped on carpet for less than 5 seconds, the chance of significant bacterial transfer is negligible. Transfer when food is dropped on laminate flooring or tiles is quite a bit higher but still less the quicker you pick it up which shows there is some wisdom to grabbing that gummi bear back up as quickly as possible.

e man who led this hugely influential piece of work, Professor Anthony Hilton, was quick to stress that “consuming food from the floor still carries an infection risk” and obviously they only tested two species of bacteria on a couple of surfaces so the results are hardly exhaustive.

Another interesting part of their study involved a census of which people adhere most strictly to the five second rule and it yielded some unexpected results. It turns out 87% of people who were asked admitted that they had eaten food off the floor. is

is hardly surprising considering that as a nation we have no shame. What is surprising is that 55% of those who admit to eating off the floor, a clear majority, were women!

So there we are ladies, you can eat your floor snacks with impunity in the knowledge that you’re in the majority and also that, as long as the floor is a carpet, it’s completely safe to do so!

...the team was celebrating a successful landing, unaware that harpoons had failed ...Philae was bouncing.

e epitome of sadness

Pictured: e first images of the comet taken by Philae, its badly landed leg in the lower left corner (ESA)

Meryon Roderick

Pictured:

Meryon Roderick There has even been attempts to predict which songs people are listening to, by tracking brain activity whilst they listen to Pink Floyd

e EU must stop anti-science agenda

On the 12th of November the robotic spacecraft Philae landed on the surface of a comet. is moment represents a huge step forward for science and particularly the European Space Agency. However, whilst the world’s eyes and hopes were all on a comet millions of kilometres away, the European Union swiftly and quietly axed the role of Chief Scientific Advisor. Professor Anne Glover of the University of Aberdeen has filled the role from its conception in 2012 but the post has been made redundant this month by President of the European Commission JeanClaude Junker.

Surprisingly, Professor Glover’s removal was largely based on pressure from so called “green” groups including Greenpeace, who supposedly support scientific endeavours, because of her support for the use of genetically modified (GM) crops. In the end her cardinal sin was “repeatedly claiming that there was a scientific consensus about [GM crop] safety”. Which is odd because there kind of is.

A paper published in 2001 in the peer reviewed journal “Nature Biotechnology” concluded that labelling of GM food is unnecessary because “these foods are substantially equivalent to their conventional counterparts.” e paper partially bases these conclusions on the fact that the US had been using GM crops for 10 years and no one had suffered any kind of negative consequences. at was in 2001, when I was in Year Two. A full 13 years later and almost no progress has been made. e main issues surrounding GM crops are that they might not be safe for human ingestion and that they could lead to the emergence of “super weeds” by passing their genes to the wild plants that surround fields. As mentioned in the previous

paragraph there is no strong evidence at all to suggest that GM crops can be harmful to humans or animals that eat them. ere’s also no strong evidence for a GM crop ever passing genes to surrounding plants or indeed bacteria. e only example of a super weed I could find was a subspecies of Palmer Amaranth, a serious pest of cotton fields, which became glyphosphate resistant.

Glyphosphate is a widely used pesticide because it’s fairly nontoxic but can kill a broad range of weed species. e cotton trees in the field had been manipulated to be glyphosphate resistant so the farmers used glyphosphate very heavily for several years. Unfortunately the Palmer Amaranth evolved to be glyphosphate resistant too and began taking over the field. Whilst linked to use of GMs this is clearly not transfer of genes from one species to another, its simple natural selection at work which has been going on for about 3.6 billion years. erefore it’s more a fault with the farming technique rather than the crop. Both sides of the debate are unequivocal about one point: more research needs to be done. It is important that the potential risks of genetic modification are rigorously studied to protect people and the environment but it also needs to be recognised that GM crops present a real opportunity to feed the 870 million people in the world who are chronically undernourished. ey also present the only realistic option for feeding the ever swelling human population which will be 9.6 billion by 2050.

Neither the costs nor the benefits of GM will be properly understood until the EU and organisations like Greenpeace move on from their head in the ground approach to science. e axing of the Chief Scientific Advisor is just the latest

in a long line of scientifically questionable moves by the EU, perhaps most notably this year’s emissions cuts. At first glance the commitment to cut emissions by 40% by 2030 seems bold and ambitious until you notice that it’s a 40% cut based on levels in 1990. We’ve already achieved 20% of that, mostly by outsourcing heavy industry to developing countries who aren’t in the EU which is also known as sweeping the problem under the rug. is means the reduction is really only 20% which in itself is only a net reduction across the whole of the EU. is means that as long as some countries reduce their emissions enough, others can increase theirs. Poland in particular produce almost all of their power through burning coal and they were promised they would be allowed to continue doing this more or less indefinitely if they signed up to the bill. is will probably be offset by the UKs commitment to cut emissions by 50% which we were already

committed to anyway so that doesn’t really mean anything either.

In response to Professor Glover’s dismissal, President of the Society for General Microbiology Professor Nigel Brown said that “many of the major challenges facing Europe - climate change, food security, healthy ageing, and disease control - require scientific input to policy at the very highest level.” is is something the EU seem to have thoroughly ignored as they forge ahead with no formal scientific advisor of any kind. You only have to look at the EUs major projects such as TTIP to see that commercial and financial interests trump science every time in European policy making. is is something that needs to stop if the EU is to truly help to push the world towards a better future. Only when science and politics cooperate can progress truly be made. In the words of Leonardo Di Caprio in his UN address: “[We] can make history or [we] can be vilified by it.”

Pictured: Genetically modified crops being grown in a laboratory.

Pictured: Coal plants such as this currently supply almost all of Poland’s energy.

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Pictured:

e “masterslave robotic system” that can induce the feeling of a ghostly presence. (EPFL)

It’s behind you: Ghostly presence explained by brain in conflict

Shanna Hamilton

Wraiths, ghosts and apparitions have been described throughout the centuries, terrifying creatures filling the literature of fiction, divinity and the occult. Whether it be Hamlet’s father in Shakespeare’s play, the troubled child in the latest horror flick “ e Babadook”, or the outlandish old mother in a child’s pantomime, “It’s behind you” may not just be a mainstay of fiction and science might explain.

In 2005, Reinhold Messner, just shy of 60 years old, in fine shape and sound mind, was descending from the snow-capped summit of Nanga Parbat, a beautiful yet colossal mountain, one of the world’s highest. Hailed as the greatest mountaineer of all time, he is renowned for making the first solo climb of Mount Everest without oxygen tanks.

Whilst enjoying the breath taking landscape with his brother, a fellow mountaineer, Messner became disconcerted, frightened and shivering in the cold. He felt a third climber “descending with us, keeping a regular distance, a little to my right and a few steps away from me, just outside my field of vision.” He “could not see the figure” but “was certain there was someone there”, sensing “his presence”.

e sensation that someone is

there, this “feeling of presence” has not only been reported in literature but also described by real people just like Messner. Although people never see the presence, they may describe its spatial location and will frequently turn around, in some cases (perhaps where they’re not so terrified!) offer the presence food.

Some people with illnesses such as schizophrenia, epilepsy and rare types of brain injury also widely report these hallucinations. ese are very different to other hallucinations; out of body experiences, where you feel as if you are outside your body looking at it, or the doppelganger effect, where you see and interact with your double (something merry students might experience more often).

e feeling of presence is “more mystical” says Olaf Blanke of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. “You are convinced that there is something, but you don’t see anything, you don’t hear anything.”

Finally, some light has been shed on why we might experience these spooky sensations. Regions of the brain have been identified as pivotal in the feeling of presence and scientists have even managed to induce the ghostly feeling in healthy volunteers.

A study involving a dozen patients, published last week in Current Biology,

suggests that the brain may fail to properly integrate the different signals it receives from the limbs – those generated by touch and their position in space for example.

Using multiple types of brain imaging techniques, the research team of neuroscientists and roboticists identified regions of the brain that were injured who had a tendency to report the feeling of presence. ey then compared their findings to control patients who experienced other types of complex hallucinations that should not stimulate the same region.

One region of the brain was uniquely associated with the feeling of presence: the frontoparietal complex. e parietal lobe integrates sensory information, including spatial sense and navigation. Two other regions, were also damaged in both the study and control patients: the temporoparietal cortex and the insula. All of the regions are associated with body-selfconsiousness.

is research shows that hallucinations emerge from different pathways in the brain. “ ey show that the neural networks involved in the feeling of a presence are not the same as those involved in outof-body experiences or in seeing a doppelganger” says Blanke, lead author of the study.

Taking this a step further, Blanke and his team designed experiments to see if it was possible to induce the feeling of presence in healthy volunteers. He suspected that the hallucinations could be a result of the brain becoming confused, misunderstanding the source and identity of signals generated by touch and movement.

e group set up a ‘masterslave robotic system’ to test their hypothesis, recruiting participants who were completely unaware of what they were about to experience. ey had to move a handle on the master robot in front of them with their index

finger – at the same moment or a brief half second later, a slave robot would touch them on the back.

Participants were blindfolded and wearing headphones during the experiment – the only sensory information they received was the gentle touch on the back. If the robot touched the person immediately, participants felt like they were touching themselves despite reaching forward.

However, when there was a half second delay, they felt that the touch was coming from something else. Many later spontaneously attested that they felt an eerie presence behind them had touched their back, and that their bodies were very close whatever was behind them. Two of the twelve participants were so disturbed by this experience that they asked for the experiment to end.

“Our experiment induced the sensation of a foreign presence in the laboratory for the first time. It shows that it can arise under normal conditions, simply through conflicting sensory-motor signals,” said Blanke.

e robotic experiment also shows through the delayed response of the slave robot that this hallucination occurs when people have an altered sense of “agency” - the sense that they are initiating movements of the body.

A disturbed sense of agency has previously been implicated in schizophrenia and why suffers may attribute their own actions to other people, leading to paranoid delusions and hallucinations.

ere is hope that this research could eventually help patients suffering this mental illness. “ e same way you can trick the brain into creating an alien presence, you could train the psychotic brain to relearn the difference between self and other,” said team member Giulio Rognini. “ e dream would be to down-regulate psychosis. But we are far from that.”

Two of the twelve participants were so disturbed by this experience that they asked for the experiment to end

Thomas Firth

...the Voyager spacecraft have escaped what is called the heliosphere, exiting the boundaries of our solar system

What would an alien think of the human race?

If you’ve been watching Brian Cox’s latest television series, Human Universe, then you will have seen him speculating on the possible existence of extraterrestrial life. is has been a constant question, ever since we first looked out beyond our planet. Could there be alien life hidden somewhere in the endless reaches of the Universe? When will we meet them? Well, about forty years ago, we prepared for just such an occasion.

Two spacecraft known as Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, were launched back in 1977 on a special mission. ey were sent to travel further than any other spacecraft we have ever created. During their journey across the solar system, these Voyager spacecraft have been emitting electromagnetic radiation, which is their form of communication with possible closerange intelligent life. Because their range is so small, and eventually their emissions will cease, the chances of them ever contacting intelligent life is minimal. However, in addition, the spacecraft have been installed with golden records that contain a variety of information on human existence.

Any aliens (if they exist) who come across these spacecraft will find a rich, if eclectic, content of knowledge inside. Among other things, the record

contains an official statement from President Carter: “ is is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings.” You may be surprised to note that in its “Greeting in 55 Languages” audio section, the list includes a greeting in Welsh stating “Iechyd da i chwi yn awr, ac yn oesoedd.”, which roughly translates to “Good health to you now and forever.”

You may be sceptical about the existence of aliens, or you may stop and wonder why aliens would want to listen to the sound of volcanoes, frogs and footsteps, but even if the records don’t reach others in our universe, they will benefit our future generations. Once the human race begins its inevitable spread across space, many hundreds of years from now, it might be of interest to our descendants who will surely be very different to us. Whilst Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode might still be played over and over again, other songs might have been lost in history. So, ironically, it may not be a gift for neighbouring life, but a gift to ourselves.

In the last year, the Voyager spacecraft have escaped what is called the heliosphere, exiting the boundaries of our solar system. Soon

it will pass through the hydrogen wall and enter the interstellar medium, which is the space between star systems in a galaxy. It is estimated that between 2025-2030 both

spacecraft will cease all transmissions and power, but will continue on their journey deeper and deeper into space. It has been stated that the spacecraft will continue to wander through the

New evidence supports genetics behind homosexuality

The strongest evidence yet has been provided to show that being gay may be biologically determined. “It erodes the notion that sexual orientation is a choice”, said study author Alan Sanders. is adds to the mounting scientific evidence that suggests homosexuality may be genetically inherited, rather than a lifestyle choice. Historically research in this area has caused a storm in the media and a dilemma for gay rights activists as to whether this helps or hinders their cause.

This koncks another nail into the coffin of the ‘chosen lifestyle’ theory of homosexuality.

Simon LeVay, Neuroscientist

In 1993, Dean Hamer, a geneticist at the US National Cancer Institute in Washington published a study in journal Nature Genetics, receiving the first blaze in publicity.

Studying the family history of over 100 homosexual men, he suggested that being gay tends to be inherited, with 13.5% of the brothers of these men also being gay, as opposed to just 2% of the population. Maternal uncles and cousins were also more likely to be homosexual than chance alone, suggesting the inherited component was likely to be transferred through the maternal line, implicating the X chromosome that we receive from our mothers.

Conducting detailed molecular studies of the X chromosomes of 40 pairs of gay brothers, Dr Hamer’s team found 33 co-inherited genetic markers in the

same region of the X chromosome, Xq28. Since this discovery, many attempts to replicate the findings have been unsuccessful and opinions mixed. Another region of DNA known as 8q12 has also been linked to homosexuality, found on chromosome 8.

is latest study, led by Sanders at the NorthShore Research Institute in Illinois, has looked at a much larger number of gay brothers, taking saliva samples from 409 pairs. Looking at single changes in the genetic code called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, the researchers found 5 SNPs that were commonly shared within the Xq28 and 8q12 regions. is doesn’t mean that ‘gay genes’ have been identified – both regions of DNA contain many genes, but “through this study, we have the potential to narrow down to fewer genes” said Sanders.

Neuroscientist Simon LeVay said, ‘ is knocks another nail into the coffin of the ‘chosen lifestyle’ theory of homosexuality. Yes, we have a choice in life, to be ourselves and to conform to someone else’s idea of normality but being straight, bisexual or gay, or none of these, is a central part of who we are, thanks in part to the DNA we were born with.”

A story published in New Scientist this week highlights the positive and negative implications of this work: “To

socially liberal and tolerant people, this new knowledge will be entirely unchallenging. It is in circles where homosexuality is still considered problematic – of which there are many – that it could have implications.”

Sexual orientation remains a contentious subject, where in some countries homosexuality is criminalized, and where some religious groups believe that gay people can be “treated to make them straight”. After publication of the first study in 1993, e Daily Mail famously published

the headline “Abortion hope after “gay genes” findings”, outraging gay rights activists worldwide.

New Scientist outlined concerns about how some groups may try to use this research: “ ere is no way to change people’s sexuality, but if key genes are found, it might be possible to detect homosexuality before birth, or to “cure” people by altering those genes. Even the threat of this could be used to persecute… it is no wonder that some activists see in such research the “seeds of genocide”.”

Pictured: A vinyl record containing many common sounds from our planet that NASA stashed on board the Voyager spacecraft.

Shanna Hamilton

Pictured: Scientists have looked in detail at single changes in the genetic code that may be linked to sexuality.

Rents starting from£230 per person per month

Barney Willis VP Societies & Campaigns

SOCIETIES

Barney’s Note

Hello all - it’s interfaith week! Hooray! By the time you are reading this, the events will be over and I hope you got involved – we had debates, panels and socials and it was a rather marvellous time.

What’s On

If you missed out, don’t worry – you can’t attend everything and there will be many more chances to get stuck in.

Looking forward, we have Christmas! We will soon be releasing a cal-

Monday 24th November

Fashion & Beauty Society Workshop: 1920s beauty!

6pm – 7.30pm Room 4G, Students’ Union

Krishna Consciousness I want to break free!

6:15pm - 8pm Room 4H, Students’ Union

Bioscience Society

Safari Social 7pm - 3am Koko Gorillaz

Tuesday 25th November

Anime Society Let’s all draw comic strips 6pm - 7:15pm

Howard League Talk from Network Rail Offenders Programme

6pm - 7pm Room 1.50, Bute Building

Maths Society Comedy Night!

8pm - 11pm Tucker, Salisbury Road

SAWSA - Architecture Society SAWSA Christmas Ball

8pm - 2am Zero Degrees

Art Society Watercolours 8pm - 10pm Room 4H, Students’ Union

Wednesday 26th November

Fashion & Beauty Society 1920s SOCIAL 7am - 27th November 3am Cafe Jazz

Student Enterprise How to Prepare and Run a Market Stall 2:30pm - 4:30pm Training Room 2 - CSEV, Students’ Union

Graduate Centre Postgrad Quiz Night 8pm - 11pm Graduate Centre

Thursday 27th November

CoppaFeel Society Christmas Boobie Bake Sale 10am - 4pm Students’ Union Reception Bright Futures Costain Group Insight 1pm - 3pm

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

endar of all society activity open to all students so keep an eye out – if you are looking to take a chance and jump into something you have never done before, this is a great time! As ever, get in touch should you need any help getting involved. You can reach me on VPSocieties@cardiff.ac.uk or just by walking into the third floor of the SU.

South Building 1.22.

Cardiff University Students’ Union

Cardiff Student Members’ AGM 5.30pm - 9pm Great Hall, Students’ Union

Student Enterprise Speaker Session: Confessions of an Entrepreneur

6pm - 8pm

0.13, Sir Martin Evans Building

Friday 28th November

Student Enterprise Enterprising Researcher 10am - 4 Hayden Ellis UGC

Saturday 29th November

Boardgaming, Roleplaying and Wargaming League

All Day Magic the Gathering 29th November 9am - 10pm Rooms C/D, Students’ Union

Ancient History

Roman Baths Trip 9am - 6pm

SIMA - Medics Revision Society Suturing Workshop 9am - noon 4th Floor Cochrane Building

Global Health Student Network Global Health Links

29th November 11am - 4pm Main building

Computer Gaming Society

24 Hour LAN

29th November noon - 30th

November noon 4th Floor, Students’ Union

Music Society

Vivaldi Gloria - The Aria Orchestra and Palestrina Singers

The Aria Orchestra’s debut concert performing one of the great choral works of the Baroque period. For this milestone of a work, the orchestra will be joined by The Palestrina Singers of Cardiff University and soloists Anna Moreton and Molly Garfoot. They will be joined in the first half by Kieran Jones and James Chitham to sing some well known arias and ensembles from the Baroque and Classical periods. 7pm - 9pm Concert Hall, School of Music

Sunday 30th November

Erasmus Society Cadbury World and Birmingham Christmas Market 10am - 6pm

Wilderness and Expedition Medicine

Waterfall Walk 10am - 4pm Students’ Union

Harry Potter Society Yule Ball

7:30pm - midnight Y Plas, Students’ Union

The Ahlul Bayt Islamic Society are Hungry for Justice

The Ahlul Bayt Islamic Society are passionate about raising awareness of the dire situation of poverty in the UK. They ran a campaign called Hungry for Justice during inter-faith week between 17th-21st November which involved collecting food items for Foodbanks in order to tackle food poverty. In previous years they’ve hosted events to feed the homeless, but this year they decided to initiate a campaign which will be more effective in tackling food poverty. It was a chance for societies to work together, and to share with the wider public values

we all hold such as those of justice and helping the needy.   They collected non-perishable foods from students, stored in a food bin which is the same size as a domestic wheelie bin. This was very successful and due to combined efforts students managed to get the bin nearly full! We took the bin around Talybont halls, and were surprised to see how generous students were. Every flat the society visited donated food items, even if it was the last tin left in their cupboard. Furthermore, the bin was left in the SU all week and people went

out of their way to come and drop food off. In doing this, we aim to raise awareness about the local poverty people are facing, as well as giving students an opportunity to contribute to fighting against it. We will donate the food items to the local Cardiff Foodbank (http:// cardiff.foodbank.org.uk/) It’s been a great campaign overall, to see how students donate generously despite some being hard up on money themselves at times. For more information on what the Ahlul Bayt Islamic Society do, search for them on Facebook.

Have an event you want covered?

Email: societies@ gairrhydd. com

Hannah Sterritt

Pictured: The food bin in Talybont

Hannah Sterritt

Harry Potter Society present the Yule Ball

Calling all Harry Potter fans! If you’re a die-hard fan or have only watched the films, the Harry Potter Society is proud to present the first Yule Ball at Cardiff University in four years. This fabulous event will take place on Sunday 30th November and will feature live entertainment and a three-course meal.

The ball will be the first of its kind to be held in Y Plas since its refurbishment, which will be beautifully decorated with festive delights. Numerous societies have agreed in the spirit of festive goodwill to perform entertainment for all attendees - the likes of A Cappella Society, FAD, Expression dance and the Comedy Society. To top it all off there will also

be a disco until late.

Currently we have confirmed attendance of: Miss Hermione Granger,

Professor Sybil Trelawny and Professor Herbert Beery - Former Hogwarts Herbology Professor, and currently

All events must be signed up to in advance. To sign up and for more information about all of these events, go to cardiffstudents.com/giveitago

Monday 24th November

Dealing with Presentations’ Anxieties Workshop

2pm – 4pm, Room 4I, Students Union

Give it a Go - volunteer with ‘Going home for holidays’ Advice campaignCathays 4.45pm, Students’ Union SVC Office

Give it a Go Anime Libraries 6pm, The Lounge, Students Union

Give it a Go Sci-Fi & Fantasy 7pm, Meet at the Front of the Students’ Union

Tuesday 25th November

Give it a Go Recycling Volunteering 11am – 3pm, Students’ Union Reception

Sustainable Travel Project 11am , Michael Griffiths Building

Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral Choir 1pm – 3pm, St David’s Hall - The Hayes

Student Cinema - Pompeii 2pm, Student’s Union Lounge

Give it A Go CHIPS - Cardiff healthy people workshop 5pm , Sir Donald Walters Boardroom Students’ Union

Give it a Go DanceSport Salsa 6pm, Great Hall, Students Union

Give it a Go Creative Writing 7pm

teacher at the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts. There will also be a few surprise guests on the night. This formal event is the perfect opportunity to don your best dress robes, as you never know who you might meet under the mistletoe and nobody wants to look like a house elf!

Tickets are only £15 for members and £20 for non-members; everyone is welcome and the more the merrier! Doors will open at 7.30pm with the first course to be served at 8.

For more information visit the event page at: https://www.facebook. com/events/264417550348689/ or like their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ministryofmuggles

Give it a Go Student Minds Quiz 7pm, IV Lounge, Heath Park Campus

Give it a Go Latin & Ballroom 7.30pm, Great Hall, Students Union

Japanese Student-Led Taster Session 8pm, 0.52 University Main Building

Give it a Go DanceSport Technique Class 9pm, Great Hall, Students Union

Wednesday 26th November

Give it a Go Mountaineering 2pm, Meet at Magic Wrap

Christmas Boobie Bake Sale 10am, Students’ Union Reception

Thursday 27th November

Give it A Go - Sustainable Travel Project 11am, Outside Bute Building

SHAG C-Card 12pm, Students’ Union Boardroom

Student Cinema- Titanic 2pm, Student’s Union Lounge

Give it a Go - volunteer with ‘Going home for holidays’ Advice campaignCathays 4.45pm

Briefing at the Students’ Union SVC Office

Time Management Workshop 5.30pm Room 4I, Students Union Friday 28th November

Give it A Go - Plasnewydd Litter Pick 12pm, Meet at Shelly Gardens

Give it a Go Mens’ Cricket 5.30pm, Talybont Sports Centre

Give it a Go: Special Effects Makeup 6pm, 4D, Student’s Union

Give it a Go Anime Screenings 7pm, Large Shandon Lecture Theatre

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra 7.30pm , St David’s Hall- The Hayes

Give it a Go Ladies’ Football 8pm, Talybont Astro Pitch

Saturday 29th November

Global Health Links 11am, Main building

Give it a Go Healthcare Basketball 2pm – 4pm, Heath Sports Centre

Sunday 30th November

Give it a Go Mens’ Cricket 10am – 12pm, Talybont Sports Centre

Give it a Go Ladies Cricket 2pm – 5pm, Talybont Sports Centre

Give it a Go Medics Men’s Hockey 2pm – 4pm , Talybont Astro

Give it a Go Medics Ladies’ Hockey 4pm – 6pm Talybont Astro

Pictured: The Yule Ball in Harry Potter

Tim Nagle

PARK LIFE

Nurse dies in UHW crash

Tributes pour in for Anecito Roa Obsioma, aged 55

On the morning of 12th November a nurse, Anecito Roa Obsioma, 55, originally from the Philippines died after being hit by a vehicle outside of the Accident and Emergency department. Before moving to Cardiff ten years ago to work in the University Hospital he worked in Llanelli for a long period.

Anecito was a well-liked and respected nurse and heartfelt tributes have been paid by his colleagues, friends and family. Ruth Walker, Director of Nursing at UHW said, “He was greatly loved by staff and patients and had such a kind and compassionate way with those he cared for. He’ll be greatly missed.” e Royal College of Nursing, through their Wales di-

rector Tina Donnelly also expressed their condolences to his family.

A lot of traffic passes through the UHW site each day, including a large number of emergency and delivery vehicles. Students are advised to be aware of their personal safety when crossing roads on site, travelling to placements and in general. As winter sets in, days are darker and the weather gets, worse driving conditions are less favourable and accidents may be more likely to occur.

South Wales Police are investigating the tragic incident resulting in the death of Anecito. Any witnesses are asked to contact 101 or Crimestoppers quoting reference 1400423279.

Healthcare students raising money as part of 14 challenge series

Want to get involved? Gemma and Sophie Wheeler tell you how

2014 has seen us take on some of the biggest challenges of our lives. We had a crazy idea in November 2013 that we would like to dedicate 2014 to raising money for a worthwhile cause.

Picking a charity to fundraise for was barely a challenge. Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a relatively unknown charity, set up in 2010 by an Army widow, and aims to make life a little easier for the children who have lost a parent in the army by providing gifts, treats and short breaks away. This is an absolutely fantastic cause and one close to our hearts, especially after having a Father, Grandfather, uncles and friends all serving in the military. Watching the Poppy Girls sing The Call on the Royal Albert Hall Remembrance Service 2013 definitely touched a nerve, especially when one of the young girls was reunited with her Father after months of being away. It was clear to us that Scotty’s Little Soldiers was definitely a charity we both feel passionately about and motivated to support, especially as it could so easily have been us that lost a parent.

So far we have completed 13 challenges; the first challenge saw us swim 10 miles each, and for the most recent challenge we completed our first duathlon. In between, we

climbed the Welsh 3 Peaks in 13 hours, we raced in the London Triathlon, we ran in Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest, and we dragged ourselves through the mud at the Cowbridge muddy run known as “The Burn”.

This year has required sacrifice and planning. Our social lives took a bit of a knock as we spent hour after hour in the pool, gave ourselves saddle-sores out on our bikes, and numerous blisters from hours pounding the pavements out running. We learnt a lot too, especially about what to eat in preparation for the bigger challenges.

Our final challenge is a 24 hour cyclothon. We will alternate on a static bike to cycle for 24 hours straight. A second bike will be available for family, friends, and passersby to also help us reach our target of cycling the distance of Cardiff to Scotty’s HQ and back – 476 miles. We’d like to invite YOU to join us, and by taking part you’ll be in with a chance of winning one of three prizes including a sports massage at Agile Therapy. Come and pop into the union on Saturday 6th or Sunday 7th December to help cheer us on, and give the 5 minute challenge a go! We look forward to seeing you on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th December.

Pictured: Floral tributes to Anecito Roa Obisoma

Tim Nagle

HEATH PARK

Two Cardiff students running in RCN election

It is frequently said that it is difficult to engage Heath Park students in activity that takes place outside of the Heath campus due to the time demands of studying a healthcare course. It may be that with recent record numbers of Heath students running in the Students’ Union by-election and the Heath ‘Give-it-a-Go’ event being the best attended that this is changing. is may be further evidenced by the fact that two Cardiff nursing students are seeking election to the Royal College of Nursing student committee Wales seat.

e RCN is a Trade Union and professional body representing nurses to employers and lobbying organisations such as governments and health boards to improve the nursing care that patients receive. As well as representing qualified staff, many nursing students will be members of the RCN and the students’ committee ensures that students have a voice in making decisions that will impact the future of their profession.

Emily Gould and Tim Nagle are both mental health nursing students, Emily is in her second year at Cardiff while

Tim is approaching the end of first year having started in March 2014. Emily is very concerned in working to banish the stigma attached to suffering with a mental health condition and hopes to be a strong voice for all students in Wales if she is elected.

Tim is keen to ensure that the voice of student nurses in Wales reaches all levels of staff to ensure that students are not considered an ‘extra pair of hands’ on placement or are constantly ‘the student’. Both candidates are student academic reps and sit on the Students’ Union student senate. Tim is a member of the Wales Health Student Forum and has previously been a workplace union rep while Emily is on the committee for NurseSoc, both have experience of representing students’ views in a range for forums. As well as competing against each other for the one seat, a third year nursing student from Swansea is also contesting the election.

Eligible student members of the RCN should have received an email inviting them to vote and have until 28th November to make their choice.

First ‘Give it a Go’ Heath Park Trip a Success

It would be a difficult sell to say that the experiences of our healthcare students based at the Heath Park campus are not significantly different from our Park Place and City Centre students. e Students’ Union is committed however to ensuring that the vast array (it’s pretty vast trust me) of opportunities that are available students are available to ALL students.

e Union’s new flagship engagement project – ‘Give it a Go’ was very much launched with that in mind. Offering students the opportunity to take up something new – play a sport, learn a language, gain some skills, do something creative or go on adventures and day trips with us – all with no commitment, membership or fuss. We pretty much define ‘oh that’s a good idea!’.

You could think of us like the Students’ Union taster menu. ‘I think I’ll try a bit of that, with a little of this, but none of that thank you very much… Of course I’m going to hate myself in the morning if I try that…’ ree months on from it’s creation, we’ve launched an exclusive Heath Park section, reached out to most Heath Park Societies/Sports Clubs and we’ve just taken 100 Where’s Wally healthcare students to Playzone in Swansea! We’re currently planning the next big exclusive Heath trip and we’re in the process of recruiting a ‘Give it a Go’ Heath Student Committee lead by the wonderful Robyn Milne. e one thing you can be sure about is that if you’re a Heath-based student you’ll be seeing more of us in the future! Check us out with the hashtag #Igaveitago

Cardiff Women’s association Heath Park Rep elected

The most beautiful creature created by the Almighty on earth is “Human Being” and each of us was born with some innate rights presented by God. Equality is one such right.

This association works to provide the women of Cardiff University a safer world. We campaign against sexual harassment, violence aimed directed towards women and equality at all levels between men and women. We do this through our campaigns and social events.

A couple of weeks ago CWA announced elections for a variety of positions on its Committee, with a vision to reach out to and include

more students. The elections ran smoothly giving the committee new representatives one of which is the CWA Heath Park Rep; I am proud to have been elected to this position.

Heath Park, home to 3000 healthcare students, is a vast campus in its own right. Being distant from the Students’ Union it is difficult for the students at the Heath Campus to get involved in the activities of the Women’s association. This new role is important to ensure the welfare of women studying at the Heath and to encourage their involvement with the association by promoting its work.

The Heath Park Representative is a link between the CWA and Heath students, spreading the word about upcoming events and helping to bring campaigns to Heath Park. I will also convey the thoughts and suggestions of Heath based students to the association, ensuring that their needs are not neglected.

Cardiff Women’s Association Officer Laura Carter says, “I think it is really important to have Heath Park Representation, as the majority of Heath Park students are women! We need to make the CWA as inclusive as possible.”

I am a postgraduate student in the school of dentistry and chose to

run for the position as I understand the issues affecting women studying at Heath park campus. I believe that this role is important within CWA and will enable me to work closely with, and for healthcare students. I am pleased that CWA created this position and look forward to addressing issues which directly impact women, especially those affecting us studying at the Heath.

If you would like to become involved with the association you can join for free through the Students’ Union website or, if you would like more information please contact me or Laura Carter.

Josh Gibbs

Hina Sadh

December

Echo & The Bunnymen

04/12/14, £26.50 ADV

LEGENDS

The Bob Marley Experience

05/12/14, £13 ADV

Embrace

09/12/14, £19.50 ADV

Funeral For A Friend

18/12/14, £16 ADV

January

Neck Deep

26/01/15, £10.50 ADV

KERRANG! Tour 2015

13/02/15, £16.50 ADV

Enter Shikari

17/02/15 - SOLD OUT

Chelsea Grin

17/02/15, £10 ADV

The Jesus And Mary Chain

27/02/15, £25 ADV

March

Stiff Little Fingers

08/03/15, £18.50 ADV

The Stranglers

10/03/15, £23 ADV

Sleaford Mods

10/03/15, £10 ADV

April

Limehouse Lizzy vs Livewire AC/DC

17/04/15, £20 ADV

House Hunting Tips

brought to you by your Students’ Union

Student Advice

Cyngor i Fyfyrwyr

Don’t rush. A housemate is for a year, not just for fresher’s week

There are plenty of student houses in Cardiff so take time to decide who you want to live with and look at a variety of houses.

Find out how much you will need to pay upfront

Letting agencies and landlords may charge administration fees when you have chosen a house. These are usually non-refundable and the amounts vary. Cardiff Student Letting does not charge agency fees.

Beware of promises

If the landlord or letting agency makes promises (e.g new furniture, redecoration), make sure this is written into the tenancy contract. But beware...if this promise isn’t met it doesn’t mean you can automatically get out of the contract.

Tenancy Documents are legal contracts

Read through the contract carefully and seek advice from Student Advice before you sign. After signing, you can’t just change your mind. When you sign as a group, you all become legally responsible for paying the rent and keeping to the contract. If you have signed a contract and are worried, visit Student Advice.

Check that your deposit

is protected

Your landlord or letting agency must protect your deposit within 30 days of receiving it and tell the tenants which protection scheme is being used (including any reference numbers). If you don’t receive this information within 30 days, contact Student Advice.

If you would like a Welsh copy of this leaflet, please visit: cardiffstudents.com/advice to download a pdf version or visit Student Advice, or Heath Students’ Union. and The Hub at Heath Park campus

TAF-OD

trydar @taf_od

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

Gair Golygyddol

Steffan Bryn Jones Morgan Owen

Gyfeillion. Ymddiheuriadau gynta’i gyd am absenoldeb TafOd dros yr wythnosau diwethaf. Ar ôl seibiant dros yr wythnos ddarllen, daeth y newydd o streic yng Nghyfrynau Myfyrwyr Caerdydd yn sgil anghydfod ynghylch penderfyniad Senedd y Myfyrwyr i gynnal is-etholiad i lenwi swydd wag Is-Lywydd y Cyfryngau a Marchnata. Ers dechrau’r flwyddyn academaidd mae’r swydd hon wedi bod yn wag gyda golygydd Newyddion y Gair Rhydd yn camu i mewn i fod yn gyfrifol am y cyhoeddiad cyfan. Mae’r penderfyniad i gynnal is-etholiad bellach wedi’i wrthdroi gan Fwrdd Cyfarwyddwyr yr Undeb. Dydw i ddim am fynd i mewn i wleidyddiaeth y penderfyniad, ond ddyweda’i nad ydw i’n credu o gwbl fod angen Is-Lywydd penodol yng ngofal Cyfryngau’r Myfyrwyr gan fod bob adran unigol o wirfoddolwyr ymrwymiedig yn fwy na chyfrifol o redeg eu hunain. O safbywnt TafOd a’r Gymraeg, yr un yw’r angen

am sefydlu strwythurau ehangach a fwy cynhwysfawr ,yn yr achos hwn, fel yn achos gweddill yr Undeb parthed y Gymraeg a’i diwylliant.

Oherwydd y streic, dyw’r erthyglau sydd gennym ddim mor gyfoes ag y byddant wedi bod ar amser eu hysgrifennu. Serch hynny, maent yn haeddu cael eu cyhoeddi a dyna a wneir.

Mae gennyf i un datblygiad arwyddocaol i’w adrodd. Ddechrau Tachwedd, cytunodd Senedd y Myfyrwyr yn unfrydol i gynnig gennyf i, fel Swyddog y Gymraeg, i gymeradwyo, a derbyn yn llawn Siarter yr Iaith Gymraeg. Dogfen yw hon a ddatblygwyd gan Bwyllgor Iaith Gymraeg Undeb Cenedlaethol y Myfyrwyr Cymru gyda’r nod o sicrhau cysondeb ieithyddol yn undebau myfyrwyr prifysgolion Cymru. Mae’r argymhellion, fel a soniais eisoes, yn lled-chwyldroadol o safbwynt Caerdydd. Gallwch ddarllen y cynnig, y Siarter a’r datganiad i’r wasg cyfatebol gan

yr Undeb yn nodi’r garreg filltir hanesyddol hon, ar wefan yr Undeb. Mae’n werth sôn am un o’r argymhellion yn benodol ynghylch yr hawl i ddefnyddio’r Gymraeg mewn cyfarfodydd democrataidd. Gwta fythefnos ar ôl cymeradwyo’r Siarter, roeddwn yn hynod falch o allu cyfrannu at Bwyllgor Craffu’r Undeb yn Gymraeg a hynny gan fod cyfieithydd yn bresennol. Cyflwynais fy adroddiad yn uniaith Gymraeg hefyd a doedd dim llawer o oedi i’w gyfieithu’n ddi ffwdan. Mae’n hynod arwyddocaol ac yn rhywbeth sydd i’w groesawu’n fawr bod yr Undeb yn cydnabod yr hawl i ohebu â’r Undeb yn unrhyw un o ieithoedd swyddogol y wlad hon. Drwy hyn, maent hefyd yn cydnabod bod gan swyddogion yr Undeb yr hawl i weithio drwy naill ai un neu’r llall neu’r ddwy o’r ieithoedd swyddogol hyn. Mae’n ymddangos bod ewyllys i wireddu’r Siarter; fe fanteisiwn ar hynny.

Gwylio dathliadau dymchwel Wal Berlin Cyfarfod

Mae Elin yn astudio Cerdd ac Almaeneg ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd. Eleni, mae hi ar flwyddyn allan ym Merlin.

Mae Berlin wastad wedi bod yn brifddinas egnïol a chyffrous, ond roedd y penwythnos yma yn wirioneddol anhygoel.

Wrth weld y paratoadau ar gyfer ddathliadau dymchwel Wal Berlin 25 mlynedd yn ôl, roedd yna densiwn a bwrlwm arbennig yn adeiladu, a mwy a mwy o bobl yn cyrraedd i weld beth fuasai’r penwythnos hanesyddol yma yn ei gynnig.

L

Cafodd y syniad o’r Lichtgrenze (neu ffin o olau) ei ddyfeisio gan y brodyr Christopher a Marc Bauder.

O 7-9 Tachwedd cafodd Berlin ei rhannu gan 8,000 o falwnau gwyn disglair ar hyd 15km, o Bornholmer Straße, heibio cofeb y wal, y Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, ac yna’n gorffen wrth yr enwog East Side Gallery. Es i draw at gofeb y wal yn Bernauer Straße i weld y goleuadau yn cael eu troi ymlaen am bump o’r gloch ddydd Gwener. Roedd yn brofiad rhyfedd gan fod y balwnau yn edrych mor brydferth, ond roedd eu hystyr fel rhywbeth sinistr hefyd yn glir.

Ar hyd llwybr y Lichtgrenze roedd mannau gwybodaeth bob 150m fel rhan o’r arddangosfa “One Hundred Berlin Wall Stories – One Hundred Times Berlin” a gafodd ei ddatblygu gan gymdeithas Robert Havemann. Roedd rhai yn dweud storiâu doniol neu am sefyllfaoedd dydd i ddydd y bobl, a’r lleill yn cofio’r rheiny a gafodd

eu lladd wrth geisio croesi o’r Dwyrain i’r Gorllewin.

Roedd yna nifer o bethau gwahanol ymlaen yn ystod y penwythnos gan gynnwys teithiau tywys, ras redeg o un pen o’r Lichtgrenze i’r llall, a Trabiparade.

Un o’r pethau y gwnes i fwynhau fwyaf oedd cyngerdd awyr agored gan aelodau llinynnol Cerddorfa Ieuenctid yr Undeb Ewropeaidd yn Mauerpark.

Fe wnaethon nhw chwarae amrywiaeth mawr o gerddoriaeth o Tango i gerddoriaeth Roegaidd. Gwnaeth pawb fwynhau eu perfformiad o St Paul’s Suite gan Holst yn enwedig, gan ddawnsio wrth yfed eu cwrw Almaeneg.

Ar fore Sul fe es i draw at gofeb y wal unwaith eto, i weld amgueddfa newydd am y wal yn cael ei agor gan Ganghellor yr Almaen, Angela Merkel – profiad anhygoel yn ei hun.

Roedd cymaint o bobl yno, a chafodd Merkel ei chyfarch gan gôr ieuenctid yn canu caneuon traddodiadol Almaeneg.

Roedd y cyhoedd yn sefyll tu ôl i ffensiau metel ac wedi i Merkel adael cafodd y ffensiau eu hagor wrth i swyddog o’r heddlu ddweud “Mae’r ffin wedi’i hagor” ac wedyn chwerthin gan sylwi eironi ei eiriau ei hun.

Roedd gweld y tyllau yng nghofeb y wal wedi’u llenwi â rhosod hefyd yn hynod bwerus.

Yn y cyfamser roedd gŵyl mawr

awyr agored yn cael ei chynnal wrth y Brandenburger Tor (giât Brandenburg) ers dau o’r gloch yn y prynhawn, gan gynnwys Peter Gabriel yn perfformio ‘Heroes’ gan David Bowie sydd yn cael ei gysylltu gyda’r wal yn cael ei dymchwel.

Fues i’n ddigon ffodus i gael lle gwych i weld y balwnau yn cael eu rhyddhau wrth ymyl yr afon Spree wrth y Reichstag.

Cafodd y balwnau cyntaf eu gollwng ychydig wedi saith o’r gloch wrth i gerddorfa’r dref chwarae’r ‘Ode to Joy’ gan Beethoven.

Roedd y teimlad o fod yn rhan o’r dorf yn gwylio’r balwnau’n codi i’r awyr  yn rhyfeddol. Ynghlwm i bob balŵn roedd nodyn gan y person wnaeth ei ryddhau, a dw i’n edrych ymlaen at glywed ble y gwnawn nhw gyrraedd.

Mae’n hynod arwyddocaol ac yn rhywbeth sydd i’w groesawu’n fawr bod yr Undeb yn cydnabod yr hawl i ohebu â’r Undeb yn unrhyw un o ieithoedd swyddogol y wlad hon

Mae’n anodd meddwl mai dim ond 25 mlynedd sydd wedi bod ers i wal Berlin gael ei dymchwel. Anodd dychmygu peidio byth gweld aelod o fy nheulu neu ffrindiau eto oherwydd ein bod ni’n byw mewn gwahanol  rannau o’r un ddinas.

Ond alla’i wir ddim credu bod pethau erchyll fel hyn yn dal i ddigwydd heddiw. Dwi’n gobeithio bod pobl  ledled y byd wedi bod yn cymryd sylw o ddathliadau Berlin, a’r Almaen. Yn ei haraith ynglŷn â’r wal fe gyfeiriodd Merkel at yr Wcráin, Syria ac Irac gan ddweud “Wir können die Dinge zum Guten wenden, das ist die Botschaft des Mauerfalls” – gallwn bob amser newid pethau er gwell, dyna yw gwir neges y wal yn dod i lawr.

Wir können die Dinge zum Guten wenden, das ist die Botschaft des Mauerfalls Gallwn bob amser newid pethau er gwell, dyna yw gwir neges y wal yn dod i lawr Angela Merkel, Canghellor Yr Almaen

Elin Wyn Erfyl Jones

Cymysgedd o Ganlyniadau i Hemisffer y Gogledd

Bu llawer o obaith yn Stadiwm y Mileniwm ar ddydd Sadwrn cyntaf y mis, gyda Chymru ymhlith y timau fu’n agor Gemau Rhyngwladol yr Hydref. Ond ar ôl i’r ddau dim sgorio ochr yn ochr yn erbyn ei gilydd, yr Awstraliaid a enillodd a sgôr o 28-33. Bu methiant tebyg i Loegr yn erbyn De Affrica a’r sgôr 21-24, ond ceid sawl llwyddiant i wledydd Ewrop – Enillodd yr Eidal 24-13 yn erbyn Samoa, Ffrainc 40-15 yn erbyn Ffiji, ac efallai mwyaf addawol oedd perfformiad y Gwyddelod yn erbyn De Affrica, â sgôr o 29-15.

Roedd y dorf eisoes ar dan ar ôl canu yr hen ffefrynnau – ‘Sosban Fach’ a ‘Bread of Heaven’ yn eu plith. Ar ôl Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, cais cynnar Rhys Webb a throsiad Leigh Half-penny, bu awyrgylch gwefreiddiol. Er i Awstralia oddiweddyd y tîm a ddau gais a ddau drosiad, roedd Cymru’n barod i herio’n gyson a chais George North. Parhaodd y tyndra hyd di-

wedd yr hanner cyntaf gydag anaf a diflaniad Halfpenny o’r maes yn weddol hwyr, a chais Alun Wyn Jones. Felly, ar ôl bod yn gyfartal erbyn diwedd yr hanner cyntaf, roedd chwaraewyr Cymru’n awyddus i gymryd y blaen – roedd y Wallabies eisoes wedi ennill naw gwaith mewn rhes yn erbyn y tîm cartref. Ond ni chyflawnwyd y disgwyliadau – er i Gymru ymladd yn ôl, yr Awstraliaid oedd ar y blaen bob tro â chyfres o giciau llwyddiannus gan Bernard Foley. Ychwanegoedd Rhys Priestland at sgôr terfynol Cymru â’i gais 66 munud i mewn, ond yn y diwedd nid oedd yn ddigon. Wrth i gefnogwyr y tîm oddi cartref fanteisio ar y cyfle i ddathlu, roedd y rhan fwyaf o’r gynulleidfa mewn hwyliau drwg. Dynwared ymdrechion Ffrainc yn erbyn Ffiji fydd her nesaf tîm Cymru wythnos nesaf, ond yn sicr bydd y degfed colled yn erbyn hen elyn yn brifo am sbel i ddod.

James Eul

Roedd y Wallabies eisoes wedi ennill naw gwaith mewn rhes yn erbyn y tîm cartref

BUCS Results: Wednesday 19th November

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Remember, we’re always looking for match reports. Email sport@ gairrhydd. com with your team’s progress!

Wales secure impressive Belgium point

Continued from back page

dying moments of the match came dangerously close to crushing Welsh hopes of a valuable point, but Bale’s clearance secured the crucial result.

With all 22 total shots denied, it was of course the inspired defenders whose efforts were most important. e contributions of goalkeepers Hennessey and ibaut Courtois arguably outweighed those of any other players on the pitch, and both looked relieved and exhausted in equal measure after the full-time whistle blew. Hennessey is only the second keeper to achieve a clean sheet against Belgium in 2014, after Sergio Romero did so for Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals.

While this defensive display was commendable, another low-scoring encounter may not actually play into Wales’ favour in the long run. ey have scored only four goals in their four games so far, which have now included

two goalless draws and a brace of 2-1 wins against group minnows Andorra and Cyprus. In what is shaping up to be a tightly contested qualifying group, goal difference could prove to be a crucial factor in deciding which two teams qualify automatically, as well as in the complex ranking of the thirdplaced teams from all nine groups –one of which will also qualify for the tournament proper in 2016. Discipline is another factor that needs some consideration from those in the Wales camp for the remainder of the qualifying campaign. After Andy King’s straight red and bookings for four other players in the home game against Cyprus, there were another four bookings in this match to bring the tournament total to 13.

While this situation does not pose an immediate threat to Wales’ qualifying chances, it must not be allowed to

escalate. eir recent success has been built around a core group of key players and they cannot afford to lose any of them due to ill discipline.

e point won from this draw kept Wales at the top of Group B for a matter of hours before Israel beat BosniaHerzegovina 3-0 to push the Dragons into the second automatic qualifying place. However, the current rankings are somewhat skewed by the fact that both Israel and Belgium have a game in hand over the other teams – an anomaly that will be ironed out when the two teams face one another on March 31st.

Wales will travel again to face the current group leaders in their next game when their campaign resumes on March 28th, followed by a home tie against Belgium in June. By then, we will have a clearer picture of Wales’ chances of qualifying for a major international tournament for the first time since the

1958 World Cup.

For now, Wales can be content with their best start to a qualifying campaign in ten years and a crop of players who have proven they have the potential to match one of the world’s top teams. Optimism is a characteristic rarely associated with Welsh football, but it must surely now be the order of the day, however cautiously, for manager Chris Coleman and Wales fans alike.

Snowboarder Collier collects gold in Edinburgh

Cardiff Snowsports made their annual trip to Edinburgh on Remembrance Weekend to compete at the British University Dry-Slope (BUDS) Championships.

As the largest student dry-slope competition in the world, BUDS sees over two thousand participants from UK universities compete in several categories including slalom racing, boarder cross and freestyle, with several medals up for grabs.

Cardiff ’s Laura Collier started the weekend with the eleventh fastest female snowboarder giant slalom time, qualifying for Saturday’s boarder cross with ease. Friday also saw freestyle captain Gareth Allcock finish with the twelfth fastest time

Bryn Griffiths VP Sports & AU President

in the UK in the male giant slalom category.

Saturday’s boarder cross event had racers navigating a series of poles acoss the dry ski slope and onto the freestyle slope, with both riders hitting the big kicker before returning to the main slope in a straight knockout race. Seven Cardiff snowboarders qualified for the event, but tough pairings meant that only Ned Bayles and Laura survived the first round.

Despite a memorable second round victory against rival Rob Vilage Wagner, Ned lost in the third round to the racer who would eventually take fourth place.

Despite early exits by several snowboarders, Cardiff ’s only female

We’ve had a fantastic week in the Athletic Union. I was lucky enough to meet Wales Football coach Chris Coleman who kindly came down to Llanrumney to cut the ribbon and officially open our new 3G pitch. He was also fortunate to catch the first half of what became a thrashing by our Ladies’ 1st team who beat Aberystwyth’s 1sts 7-0. Having received a footballer’s stamp of approval, we moved on to rugby and had some of the New Zealand’s rugby union players visiting our new foodcourt on ursday after their session in the University Strength and Conditioning Centre.

BUCS Wednesday Team

entrant had little trouble despite some tough pairings. Victories in the first three rounds resulted in an exciting semi-final pairing between Laura and the overall winner of the giant slalom, but Laura was the quicker out of the gates and the Leeds boarder never looked like recovering the lost ground. Sadly the winner of the other semi-final injured herself on the finish line and was unable to compete in the final, giving Laura her first gold medal for snowsports.

A perfect weekend was almost completed by Allcock whose attempt at the first ever double cork 1440 in BUDS history gained him 5th place despite breaking his snowboard in the process.

Cardiff enjoyed a plethora of topclass performances including Men’s Basketball defeating table-topping USW by ten points. USW continued to have a bad day as Team Cardiff ’s men’s Hockey Club showed its strength-in-depth as their 6th team defeated USW’s 2nds. e Medics’ Ladies were also firing on all cylinders coming away with victories against Aberystwyth’s 1st team in both Hockey and Netball, not to forget a crushing 12-0 defeat that CMLHC 2nd team handed to Swansea. Overall we saw a huge 69% win percentage from the results received by the end of play on ursday.

In other news we’ve been working with Claire Blakeway, VP Heath Park, putting the finishing touches in place for Medics Varsity which by the time this hits the printing press will have hopefully been a great success.

Hoping not to have jynxed them, the officer team submitted predictions of the scores and there was a unanimous forecast of a Cardiff whitewash.

Finally, there is a new ladies-only gym session in the Fitness and Squash Centre on ursday mornings 6.45 till 10.00 which will run as a trial up until Christmas.

Best of luck to all teams competing in the next round of cup fixtures this week!

On BUCS Wednesday Team Cardiff enjoyed a plethora of top-class performances

Pictured: Wales players applaud the 2,500 supporters that travelled to Belgium

Pictured: Cardiff University student and snowboarder Laura Collier

Phil Kenny

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SPORT Team Talk: Law B

Law B captain David Penwarden talks to Sport’s James Lloyd about his side’s chances, as well as Manchester United and Welsh football

What is your role as the captain?

James Lloyd

Luckily, because we have two law teams, the Law A captain has already organised a lot of things like sponsorship, but as B captain I still have to do things like pick the team and organise additional training sessions to replace postponed games. I would say my main role is - because we have eighteen members in the squad and nobody is guaranteed to play ninety minutes, every week - to try and keep everyone happy and telling them that they will get at least half an hour. Keeping the squad happy and trying to rotate is the big role to be honest.

Is it difficult to keep everyone happy, as you are trying to win and have fun at the same time?

I try to get a balance of trying to get our best team out but also making sure that everyone makes use of the afternoon. I like to start the best team but give everyone at least half an hour, usually the morale is pretty high in the squad.

Do you have to organise socials?

We have social secretaries, but as captains we help them out - I actually live with the social secretary so he runs a few ideas past me. Because we have two teams socials are usually really good, with thirty five in the combined squad, half usually turn up to socials which makes it really fun.

What is the standard like in your league?

We have been given the group of death; there are some really great teams in there like MoMed, Pharmacy, the Cardiff Uni IMG team and Inter Minan. Phase one will be about gelling as a team because we have got so many new players. When the groups are seeded in phase two that’s when we will hopefully come into our own.

How well do you think your team will do this year?

Because our group is so tough, we think we can get into division three. We have to be realistic with what we do, we are the Law second team, but I think we can be really competitive after Christmas.

Finally, after weeks of sub-par showings from the Blues in the Pro 12, they mustered up a performance against Munster last time out which was worthy of a top 6 position in the league. e Blues can count themselves unlucky not to have picked up a victory from their fixture against the men from omond Park, with only a last-gasp Paddy Butler try denying Mark Hammett’s men what would have been a morale boasting triumph. e last couple of weeks has also seen Cardiff defeat Newcastle Falcons and Scarlets in the LV=Cup, a tournament

What are your team tactics? is is something we are trying to work on - keeping the ball more would be good; in the past we have had some quick strikers and we have been tempted to play it long, so keeping the ball on the floor, passing and moving. We are improving as a team and it’s not always worked but we are aiming to pass and move - we want to be less Stoke City and more Chelsea.

As a team what is your best moment on the pitch?

In my first year for Law B, I remember playing against Chemistry and we were 2-0 down with two minutes to play in extra time and we then scored from two penalties, so that was the most amazing game. We sort of robbed them that day, the penalties were definitely deserved but I bet they would disagree.

If you could have any ticket to any past football match and relive it, what game would you choose?

at’s a difficult question, as a Manchester United fan, I am going to have to say the 1999 Champions League final, coming from 1-0 down to beat Bayern Munich 2-1, the atmosphere would have been special, so that would be the one to see.

As a Man United fan, if you pick any current player to put into your Law team, who would you pick?

We have been shaky at the back so I am tempted to say a defender, but United’s defence isn’t much better!

I think the best player at United is Angel Di Maria - he’s better in the centre than out wide so I would put him in the hole and get him creating things behind the striker.

Who is the most skilful player on the team?

Our goalkeeper from last year has become our main centre forward, he has already scored four goals this season and has even started to call himself ‘ e Dragon’ - he can call himself whatever he likes as long as he keeps scoring. Another of our good players is Ali Harper - he’s a fresher, plays left back/left wing and has added flair to the team.

viewed as a chance to try out up-andcoming players, with flanker Ellis Jenkins really catching the eye.

Of course there are negatives, in that it was a severely depleted Munster team due to international commitments and yet another home loss at Arms Park. Nevertheless, Hammett will have been encouraged as new signing Lucas Amorosino scored a try on his debut and there were improved performances from Adam Jones and Matthew Rees, as the Blues scrum had the better of the exchanges, at one point forcing three successive penalties at close-range

Who are your rivals in the league? After that Chemistry game I have always enjoyed playing them, but we played them a couple of weeks ago and it didn’t go too well for us; we had three shots cleared off the line by defenders and ended up losing 5-2. It was a bit of a choker to lose that to be honest.

If you could be any sports star who would you be?

I think I’m going to have to go for Cristiano Ronaldo. To play for Manchester United and then Real Madrid, setting the transfer record and winning all those trophies... I think he has the perfect life at the moment.

Who is the biggest character in the team?

Without doubt I’m going to say James Wells; everyone thinks he’s a bit of a clown, but I reckon he’s

before Munster escaped off of their own line after a fourth; a passage which was to ultimately prove critical.

Manoai Vosawai claimed the man-ofthe-match award after a devastatingly powerful display and but for a barrage of seven penalties conceded by the Blues, all of which converted in an immaculate display from Munster’s J.J. Hanrahan, Hammett’s men would surely have been victorious.

Rhys Patchell worryingly limped off with a hamstring complaint, but his void should be ably filled by new signing Gareth Anscombe. e New

interesting. He’s a bit off the cuff at times, and is a great laugh.

As a Welshman, what do you make of the Wales team at the moment?

I am extremely confident, now that the Euros has expanded to twentyfour teams I think that this is our best chance for decades to qualify. We have some great players like Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey and of course Gareth Bale, but we still have to play Belgium and Bosnia who are tough teams. This is as good of a chance that we have had in a long time, so fingers crossed, it would be great for the city, as well - we’ve been starved of top quality football so we had to take games away from the Millennium as we couldn’t fill it, so hopefully if we get back to a bit of success we can return to the Millennium Stadium and start filling it out a little bit more.

Zealand-born back arrived on a longterm deal earlier this month and has this week said he would be “proud” to represent Wales internationally at some point, something Blues chief executive Richard Holland has stated he would also like to see happen.

Finally, the Blues have announced the signing of Argentina international utility back Joaquin Tuculet for cover, with the Argentine stating: “My international team-mate and friend (Amorosino) told me all about the passion of the supporters and the quality of the staff and the players.”

We have to be realistic with what we do, we’re the Law second team, but I think we can be really competitive after Christmas

Michael Cantillon

Pictured: Panwarden would have loved to be at Manchester United’s 1999 Champions League final triumph

Hannah Thomas (Introduction by David Hooson)

How do you balance university study with elite sport?

Hannah omas is a postgraduate student in the Cardiff Law School. Last year, she graduated with her undergraduate degree in English Literature, also from Cardiff University. In the last year, she also won gold at the BUCS indoors, competed at the Commonwealth Games and was named Cardiff University Sportswoman of the Year. She is well versed in endeavouring to balance the pressures of university life and training and competing in elite sport.

Last week, along with other members of the University’s High Performance Programme, omas attended a talk with Wales international rugby player and Cardiff University alumnus Jamie Roberts about how to balance these pressures. Gair Rhydd asked for her thoughts on this talk and how it helped her outlook.

Last Tuesday evening, Wales international Jamie Roberts was kind enough to give up some of his time ahead of Wales’ match against the All Blacks to come and speak to Cardiff University Sport High Performance Programme athletes about how to handle the pressure of completing university while being an elite international sportsperson. It was one of the most comforting, confidenceboosting talks I have ever listened to. It is quite common for younger sportspeople like myself to gain access to motivational or informative talks from older, more experienced athletes. ey often talk about how important it is to train smart and eat well, along with having a positive mental attitude and choosing to do the little ‘one-per centers’ to ensure you are unbeatable. e only problem is, not all good sportspeople are equally academic.

Getting through school while training is fine – A levels are tough, but the real problem arises when university

starts. is is when questions and concerns about balancing academic pressures with the pressures of elite sport come to the fore. How am I going to complete all my work and train at the same time? What if I have exams during competition season? What if I have to attend a training camp for a few weeks? What do I really want to be in life – an academic or a sportsperson? ese, I am sure, are the questions frequently asked by any serious student-athlete.

Hearing Roberts promoting a clear, healthy mind in combination with a healthy body was extremely refreshing and reassuring

After what can only be described as a miraculous and hugely impressive display in securing a draw in Belgium, Welsh football is beginning to stand up and be noticed. Unbeaten and secondplaced in their Euro 2016 qualifying group at this stage in proceedings has surely exceeded the expectations of Wales players and fans alike.

For Cardiff City, there is an onus to help this success grow; while the Bluebirds’ impressive squad boasts players from all corners of the globe, Wales boss Chris Coleman selected just one player from City’s ranks to join the

national squad, who then did not play a minute in the 0-0 draw last Sunday. It is arguable that City player/coach Danny Gabbidon was called up to act more as a wise old head in the dressing room rather than to compete for a starting place. So, is the capital’s major footballing side producing enough home-grown talent? e short answer to that, is no.

It remains an ongoing issue in modern British football that clubs, often supported by wealthy owners such as Cardiff ’s Vincent Tan who desire immediate success and profit,

Jamie Roberts spent eight years studying at Cardiff University before graduating with a medical degree in 2013, sitting his finals on the ursday before Wales’ monumental 30-3 win against England during the deciding match of the 2013 Six Nations. After signing his first contract with Cardiff Blues in 2007, his coaches told him he would have to choose: rugby or medicine. ey said he could not do both, but he defied them and excelled in both areas.

In his talk, he discussed the same things as I have heard about at other talks I have attended — the healthy eating, the time management, the oneper centers — but he also told us all we could enjoy ourselves too. He assured us, “it’s alright to have a social life”, having himself apparently once told his mum to “do one” when she said he could not.

“Live your life in thirds – one third sport, one third education, one third socialising” was another great piece of advice to hear from someone who can speak with experience, having been there and done it. For me, the most comforting message of the talk was hearing Roberts say that it does not matter if it takes you a bit longer to achieve your ultimate goals – and if it

often neglect the development of academy players when overseas imports can come in and do the job at a fraction of the cost and time.

While Cardiff do boast a number of English players, including Peter Whittingham, Ravel Morrison and Craig Noone, the Welsh club can only claim to own two players of their own nationality in the first team squad: twice-capped Declan John, and veteran defender Gabbidon. Compare that to bitter rivals Swansea City, who, despite competing in the biggest and best league in the world, boast five players

does, this does not make you a failure. ankfully, I have already completed my undergraduate degree but I just could not get enough of Cardiff University so now I am back studying for a Graduate Diploma in Law. I have recently requested to change from the full-time course to the part-time, to the surprise of most of my friends. I am currently managing to cope with the formidable workload and fit it around my training commitments, but I know that as soon as the athletics season starts this will change and my time will no longer be my own.

With this in mind, hearing Roberts promoting a clear, healthy mind in combination with a healthy body was extremely refreshing and reassuring. He stressed the importance of taking each day as it comes, having a flexible approach and, most importantly, enjoying every step of progress that you make. It was very evident from his talk that he loves what he does and that he regards this as the most important thing to bear in mind while training and studying.

Qualifying and then training for this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, while simultaneously studying to get a first class honours degree was absolutely hellish. I managed to do this by pushing myself almost to breaking point, and I do not intend to put myself in that position again.

It was great to be reassured by Roberts that I do not need to feel guilty about this approach because, as he said, it is alright not to be able to do everything at once. It’s all about finding the right balance because, after all, elite athletes are only superhuman to an extent!

who have represented Wales at some point in their career - City are clearly lagging behind. is is not to say that Swansea are leading the way in the development of young, up-and-coming Welsh talent, but while the national side are performing so well and football’s popularity is on the up, now is the time to be driving young Welsh footballers through the development process and towards first team opportunities. Cardiff City has a responsibility to Wales. After all, Gareth Bale won’t be here forever!

Jim Harris

Pictured: Wales international Jamie Roberts graduated from Cardiff University in 2013 (above); Hannah omas, second from the right, at this year’s Commonwealth Games (left)

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Wales maintain unbeaten Euros run

A goalless draw against World Cup quarter-finalists Belgium gave Wales a crucial point in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign

Wales have continued their unbeaten start to their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with a nil-nil draw with Belgium. It is unlikely that any of those in attendance had ever witnessed a more gripping goalless encounter, with Chris Coleman’s men forced to produce a superb defensive display in order to shut the Belgians out. e away tie at King Badouin Stadium in Brussels was touted by most as the toughest of the Dragons’ entire qualifying campaign, against the

team ranked fourth in the world by FIFA courtesy of a run to the quarterfinals of this summer’s World Cup. However, in the wake of victories for Iceland over World Cup semi-finalists the Netherlands and for Slovakia over two-time defending European Champions Spain, Wales were no doubt feeling optimistic ahead of their journey across the Channel. e 2,500 Welsh fans who also made the journey might have been anticipating some impressive goal scoring in a game that included not

only Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, but also Chelsea’s Eden Hazard as his opposite number. While Hazard looked the more dangerous of these two star names, Spurs’ Nacer Chadli had perhaps the best chance of the day, being denied only by a superb effort from Wales goalie Wayne Hennessey. Chadli’s chance was part of a first half that was dominated by Belgium and provided a stern test for the Welsh defence, who were forced to come up with some of their best play for the occasion. e second half was more

evenly matched, with Wales having decent chances of their own, including a Bale shot that sailed agonisingly wide. Players at both ends of the pitch were practically queuing up to challenge the score line, with Hal Robson-Kanu and substitute George Williams backing up Bale’s efforts and Aaron Ramsey providing support in his usual style for Wales, while Belgium saw Nicolas Lombaerts, Divock Origi and Christian Benteke among those stepping up to threaten the Welsh goal. Benteke’s effort in the

Team spirit was the order of the day as Wales held Belgium to a draw

Continued on page 37

David Hooson

Pictured: