Issue 1135, Monday 25 March 2019 by Cardiff Student Media

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rhifyn 1135 issue 1135

25 mawrth 2019 25 march 2019

gair rhydd Cardiff University’s student paper | Established 1972

Over 1,000 protestors brought streets to standstill R

Veganism, Vegetarianism and me by Sam Saunders

ounding off Advice’s focus on fiid this week, resident columnist Saunders discusses the world of vegtarianism, veganism, and his experiences. Questioning the cultures behind food consumption, turn 22 to page 22 for more.

Is it time to reform gun laws? by Lowri Pitcher

n the wake of the New Zealand and Utrecht attacks, Gair Rhydd analyses gun control around the world and whether banning guns actually 18 works.

Prifysgol Caerdydd yn dathlu Mis Hanes Menywod by Mali Llyfni

Marching: The UN Stand Up To Racsim March saw over 1,000 people take to Cardiff ’s streets to protest. Photo Credit: Mustakim Hasnath by Mustakim Hasnath

n the day of Wales’ Grand Slam, traffic was brought to a standstill when over 1,000 protesters took to the streets of Cardiff for the UN Stand Up To Racism march. The event was the sixth annual march of its kind and saw participant numbers more than double since last year. The procession, organised by Stand Up To Racism Wales, was led by the charity’s committee members, local councillors and community leaders, consisted of representation from both local and national trade union groups. Logan Williams, speaking on behalf of one of these trade unions, Unite Wales, told Gair Rhydd the march was ‘a day for all sorts of trade unions, progressive parties and communities to come together and show our solidarity to communities facing racism’. He added, ‘racist attitudes are starting to come up in our workplaces and we need to stamp them out, especially here in Wales’. Phil, who was chief steward for the march, told Gair Rhydd ‘particularly at a time when there’s a growing threat of racism, it’s an incredibly important time to be standing up to

those dividing us’. Crowds gathered outside the city hall before marching to Grangetown, passing Cardiff Castle and the city centre. Before the march began, local councillors, Assembly Members and event organisers delivered speeches centred around the theme of equality and inclusion, as well as observing a minute’s silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks in New Zealand the day before. One of the speakers at the mass congregation before the demonstration began was the imam from Cardiff ’s Dar Ul Isra mosque. Speaking to Gair Rhydd, he said ‘attacks such as what we have seen in New Zealand, because we are human, naturally fuels hatred and division’. ‘This is the act of the Satan’, he added,’ we all have a duty to be opposed to racism, fascism and terrorism at all times and especially now’. Common chants made were ‘Refugees are welcome here; say it loud say it clear’ and ‘Hey, Theresa May, Migrants are here to stay’, whilst others shouted ‘brothers, sisters - we are one’. With the use of numerous megaphones throughout the procession and a band of Sikh drummers,

it was clear the city had the march’s attention. Among those in the march was Cardiff University Students’ Union’s newly elected Black and Ethnic Minorities Officer, Cincy Skie, who told Gair Rhydd ‘racism is something which affects everyone, whether you are black, white, Asian or from any different race… race is a very complex thing and that’s why we should stand up for who we are’. Amr Alwishah, the Students’ Union’s current VP Welfare and Campaigns also attended and commented, ‘It’s really important because we go to a multicultural university and race isn’t something we decide, it’s who we are and that’s something which should be celebrated’. A key speaker throughout the event was Wales Trades Union Congress’ president, Shavanah Taj, who shared with Gair Rhydd her personal experiences with racism and the importance of the event for her. She explained, ‘I am the mother of two young children and this is the first time myself as a person of colour and my Nigerian husband are having to consider a plan B. When the right-wing media and politicians normalise the reference to people such as myself as “tinge” and

the extent of Islamophobia today, I think it’s shameful for our country to be in this position’. As well as political organisations, local business representatives were also in attendance. Speaking to Gair Rhydd, Tarek Majid who is the chair of the Cardiff Taxi Alliance reflected on the widespread problem of taxi drivers across the city being targets of racial abuse: ‘…it’s verbal hate and often physical too. ‘These drivers are often in a very vulnerable state, being on their own and often picking up people where the issue of racism is fuelled by the consumption of alcohol and drugs’. Tarek hopes the march’s success will lead to better coordination of trade unions and local government with the community to fight this kind of abuse. As a march which brought the community together to stand against hatred and the recent terror attacks in New Zealand, many view it to have been a successful day of activism. For others though, the event highlighted the extent of racial abuse and how truly stamping out its forms such as institutional racism requires a lot more work in all aspects of our society.

rwy gydol fis Mawrth, mae Prifysgol Caerdydd yn cynnal digwyddiadau lu i nodi Mis Hanes Menywod. Un o’r digwyddiadau hynny oedd “Championing her story” lle cafwyd hanes rhai o’r menywod mwyaf nodweddiadol yn hanes Cymru fel cenedl. Mali Llyfni aeth i’r 8 digwyddiad ar ran Taf-od.

Research finds napping reduces blood pressure by Makenzie Katz

ew research from the American College of Cardiology has found that taking a nap can positively impact blood pressure, so perhaps that post-lecture snooze is more worthwhile than originally thought. Turn to page 25 for more on the discovery. 25

EDITORIAL

Gair Rhydd 2018/19 Coordinator Elaine Morgan

Editor-in-Chief Jess Warren

Deputy Editors Silvia Martelli Reece Chambers Michael Ash

Head of Digital Media Michael Ash

News

Gee Harland Indigo Jones Matt Tomlin

Campus Life Ashley Boyle Cerian Jones

Taf-od

Llion Carbis Tomos Evans

Comment

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word

the free

A letter from the editor

Freedom and Guns

Alys Hewitt Hannah Newberry Emma Videan

Column Road Karis Pearson

Politics

Charlotte King Silvia Martelli Lowri Pitcher Sam Tilley

Advice

Ashavari Baral Katie Lewis

Saunders’ Corner

Sam Saunders

Science

Daniel Brown Jonathan Learmont

Sport

Reece Chambers Rosie Foley John Jones Laura Price Jack Vavasour George Willoughby

Social Media Editors Indigo Jones

Digital Media Editors Maisie Marston Cadi Thomas

Copy Editors

Sofia Brizio Ilona Cabral Chris Colbourn Abi Dudbridge Elen Fflur Davies Gemma Hopley

Write to the editor editor@gairrhydd.com

At Gair Rhydd we take seriously our responsibility to maintain the highest possible standards. We may occasionally make mistakes, however if you believe we have fallen below the standards we seek to uphold, please email editor@gairrhydd.com. You can view our Ethical Policy Statement and Complaints Procedure at cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/complaints. Opinions expressed in editorials are not reflective of Cardiff Student Media, who act as the publisher of Gair Rhydd in legal terms, and should not be considered official communications or the organisation’s stance. Gair Rhydd is a Post Office registered newspaper.

Guns: The people will never be free until every American owns an assult rifle with a 30-round magazine - George Washington Source: Al (via Flickr) by Jess Warren fastest response by any government how many civilians are dying in these per minute.

he terrorist attacks at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand occurred just over a week ago, and yet huge changes in gun laws have already been instigated by the New Zealand government. In a prompt and determined crack-down, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has already announced that assault rifles and military-style semiautomatics (MSSAs) have been banned, along with parts used to convert guns into MSSAs, and highcapacity magazines. In an announcement made last week, Arden stated: “In short, every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned in this country.” As the country and world mourn the lives of the 50 dead and 50 injured, one thing can be certainly said; New Zealand have acted in the best and quickest way possible, delivering the

after a gun-related incident. Not only have sales been halted, but the government has launched a buyback scheme so that anyone with such weapons can hand them in, with some level of compensation. There are an estimated 1.2-1.5 million firearms in New Zealand, with an estimated 13,500 of these being MSSA weapons. Whilst the buy-back scheme will certainly cost the government economically, the decisiveness in which gun laws are being changed is something to admire. Compared to the US, gun ownership in New Zealand is low, with an estimated 265 million firearms in the civilian population of the United States. And this is where the problem truly lies. There are varying quoted numbers for how many mass shootings (in which four or more people die) the US has seen, and that in itself is worrying – even the country can’t keep track of

attacks. However, a study by USA Today found that between 2006 and 2017 there were 271 mass killings by firearm, resulting in 1,358 victims. Time and time again, the families of victims have called for a crack-down on gun laws, with the age old response: “You can’t take away our guns, it’s in our constitution”. For those that cry these words of injustice when harsher gun laws are posed, I condemn you. To think that constitutional laws, written and passed in 1787 still apply to modern life is ridiculous, and downright disrespectful to the families and friends of mass shooting victims. When the US Constitution was written, MAAS and assault rifles did not exist. In fact, very few guns existed at all, and they were muskets and flintlock pistols – most of which with a one-round magazine capacity, which could fire approximated three rounds

Modern assault rifles can fire 800 rounds per minute. The difference in usage and capability of firearms has drastically changed since 1787 and the constitutional laws surrounding firearm ownership need to reflect this. However, changing gun laws will not be as easy as the case of New Zealand. This is for one main reason. The American identity is so tightly bound around notions of freedom, independence and constitutional rights that to take away firearms from the population would be to take away their American identity. Surely there is a deeper issue when your national identity is embedded with violence. Whilst I hope that the United States learns from New Zealand in their bold crack-down on firearms, I know this will not be the case – at least not in Trump’s America.

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by Charlotte Raymond

Cardiff University Students’ Union: Senghenydd Road is where the first of five new cycle routes in Cardiff will be constructed. Photo credit: Matt Tomlin. Nextbike scheme that has been introduced within the last year, which he suggests “demonstrates how popular cycling can be in Cardiff ”. It is hoped that the cycle routes in Cardiff will not only improve travel for current cyclists, pedestrians and drivers, but that they will inspire more people to take up cycling as a

means of travel, bringing with it increased health and environmental benefits. The intention is also to improve safety for those cyclists who use the routes, with cycle ways having their own segments on roads to potentially reduce the number of clashes with vehicles.

Plans for new £500m scheme to be built in Cardiff Bay

The plans are in the early stages and still require an investor and developer backing, the council has revealed by Gee Harland

lans have been revealed for a new site to be built in Cardiff Bay which will include bars, restaurants and waterside apartments. In total, the 15,000-seater indoor arena is estimated to be £500m in value and could see the following for shoppers and tourists: 200,000 square feet of retail space, 50,000 square feet of restaurants and bars, 45,000 square feet of leisure space and a 12-screen cinema complex. The complex will also include 40,000 square feet of office space, a 350 bedroom hotel and a range of waterfront apartments. All of the above will be facilitated for by a 2,000 space multistorey car park. These plans come after the success of the Red Dragon Centre in the Bay, an indoor arena owned by the British Airways Pension Fund. The indoor arena includes bowling, a cinema and restaurants. The Red Dragon Centre was revealed last year by the council to be the preferred location for the new 500m scheme.

However, Cardiff City Council has been questioned over how it could finance acquiring the site and build the new indoor scheme. It was the revealed that Cardiff Council intends to move its headquarters just yards from the Red Dragon Centre, which if approved, provides an extra 15 acres of land alongside the centre. News of this move has boosted the financial stability of the scheme. However, this is not to be confirmed until May. Over the past few weeks, the leader of the council, Huw Thomas, has been taking meetings with potential investors. Though, it has been revealed that Cardiff Council could also generate a capital contribution towards the project. This contribution comes from the redevelopment of the existing 5,000 capacity Motorpoint arena in the centre of Cardiff. Mr Thomas claimed: “These are our plans to continue to develop as a world-class visitor destination”. “The opportunities for growth and to deliver a game-changing project

Cardiff Bay: The area could see an increase of tourism with new scheme. Photo Credit: Kate Bee via Geograph. are here. Cardiff is the fastest-growing city in the UK with the best quality of life in the country. We are an events capital with 22 million visitors every year. “£2bn of regeneration has already

been delivered in the Bay and this is the next half a billion project which we want to bring on stream.” Plans are still in development and Capita is advising Cardiff Council on the Cardiff Bay project.

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Churchill Way, as well as other locations. Councillor Caro Wild, the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport said: “We want to make Cardiff the best cycling city in the UK…making cycling safer, faster and a more comfortable experience”. He also highlighted the success of the

NEWS

ardiff is set to witness the building of separate cycle ways, with a project of the first of its kind already being developed in the city. The first route is currently within its first stages of development and is proposed to be finished by October this year. Building work is set to commence on Senghenydd Road. The road, which is located behind Cardiff University’s Students’ Union, will be segmented into three, with 2 routes for vehicles and one for cyclists. It is one of five cycleway routes set to be built in the city. The routes include St. Andrew’s Crescent to High Heath Level, Dumfries Place to Broadway in Splott, Cardiff Bay to Smart Way, Sophia Gardens to Llandaff Village, and the City Centre to Ely Bridge. Before being built, each route will experience a public consultation in order to address local people’s concerns about the routes, with this feedback to be taken into consideration before construction commences. Proposed plans have also been established for routes to be created within the city centre which, if implemented, would see cycle ways constructed in Central Square, Castle Street, Stuttgarter Strass and

NEWYDDION

The cycle way is the first out of five to be constructed around Cardiff

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Cycle way in development for back of Students’ Union

Your news desk Gee Harland Matt Tomlin Indigo Jones

NEWS

University Mentor of the Year awarded to Cardiff University Lecturer by Gee Harland

rofessor Roger Awan-Scully is the Head of Politics and International Relations at Cardiff University. He collected the prize at the National Mentoring Awards in London. The awards ceremony, which is dedicated to celebrating mentoring excellence, was attended by over 300 of the UK’s top mentors. Professor Awan-Scully was awarded University Mentor of the Year due to his: “years of dedicated and outstanding work with students of all levels, as well as with junior academic colleagues”, as recognised by the judges. Upon receiving the award, Professor Awan-Scully said: “I was deeply honoured to be given the award of National University Mentor of the Year. “It was also a privilege to attend the awards ceremony and hear about the inspiring work of so many amazing people mentoring others across all walks of life. “It was great to be a small part of such an extraordinary event”. Professor Awan-Scully has had a career involving a diverse range of academic work and has contributed to many aspects of political life in Cardiff. He is one of the UK’s experts in devolution, public opinion and party politics. For example, his analysis of the Welsh Political Barometer polls, carried out by Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre in collaboration with ITV Cymru-Wales and YouGov, is credited as having informed political debate and helped provide a deeper understanding of public opinion in Wales. As well as his analysis work, he has led the last two Welsh Election Studies, which are funded by the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK. His friends, family and colleagues have expressed their sense of pride at his work and believe it could not have been deserved more. A previous colleague Dr Einion Dafydd told Cardiff University that: “This award is richly deserved. “Ever supportive and considerate, Roger mentored me from my time as an undergraduate, through my PhD years, my time as a lecturer at Cardiff University, and we remain friends now that I work for the Welsh Government. “Scores of current and former students and colleagues will be forever grateful to Roger for his support – and this award is a special recognition of his long-standing commitment to mentoring those in his care.”

Professor Awan-Scully: Over 300 of the UK’s top university mentors attended the awards ceremony in London. Photo Credit: Cardiff University

“Flashy” spending projects draining Welsh universities

More information has emerged on the adverse finances of Welsh universities, with “flashy capital expenditure projects” blamed by Hallum Cowell

elsh universities’ budget problems continue to escalate as their costs and debts increase while their incomes decrease. In a report from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales it has been revealed that Welsh universities have collectively accumulated £16 million worth of debt. Brexit, economic uncertainty and global competition for students are among the factors blamed for this deficit. The spokesperson for Cardiff University College Union, Andy Williams, commented, saying: “These figures just confirm our current campaigning priorities. Cardiff University and others are spending and borrowing too much, in large part to fund flashy capital expenditure projects and bloated executive pay. To balance the books, they then cut jobs and downgrade our pensions.” The report covered all universities in Wales and found that some universities were operating at a surplus, such as the University of South Wales and Swansea University while Cardiff University,

operated at an alarming deficit, as previously reported by Gair Rhydd. However, this is not a problem only Cardiff is facing with the University of Wales: Trinity Saint David operating in a £25.530 million deficit and many more universities across the United Kingdom seeing their budgets enter deficits. Nick Hillman, head of the independent think tank, the Higher Education Policy institute said, “There is a perfect storm ahead, thanks to demographics, higher borrowing costs and shortfalls in pension funds [and] the biggest potential problem of all, which is the Brexit shenanigans. “The numbers in the report are an important and salutary reminder that universities are not guaranteed to thrive or survive in all circumstances.” Numbers of students attending Welsh universities fell by 6.3% in 2018 with less than half those studying in Welsh universities coming from Wales. This was largely blamed on the appeal of apprenticeships and the debate over whether university is value for money. The strike last year over staff pensions has also been mentioned as a

Centre for Student Life: Cardiff University’s multi-million pund investment. Photo Credit: Cardiff University Website. factor in this budgetary uncertainty for adding to economic disruption and misfortune. Currently, there the possibility of 2 more strikes by university staff in 2019 exists. Cardiff University has also blamed the fact that fees for university in Wales, £9,000 per year, are not allowed to be as high as those in

England, £9250 per year. This news comes soon after the controversial Transforming Cardiff plan was revealed, something which led to numerous students and members of staff resisting its proposed changes which ranged from mergers for academic schools and staff redundancies.

Group for disabled and mentally ill residents gains funding from Tesco

Student Volunteering Cardiff has gained a £1,000 grant from Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme, which will be put towards a weekly support group

by Matt Tomlin

supermarket charity scheme, Tesco’s Bags of Help, has aided a local Welsh charity by guaranteeing them a grant of £1,000 for the next year. The grant will go towards sustaining a weekly disability and mental health related social group organised by the charity. Grants such as this are funded through carrier bag sales in Tesco outlets in collaboration with the organisation Groundwork. Every year, the final product of Bags of Help’s fundraising is the awarding of grants to thousands of local community projects. The local charity in question here, Student Volunteering Cardiff (SVC), has been running since 1970, and funds activities such as its Whale of a Time Wednesdays for local disabled and mentally ill residents. Cathays Methodist Church is where the group’s activities will be held using the funding. It has been indicated that SVC have also purchased some resources to be used by both volunteers and participants in the longer term. Speaking of the grant, a Manager at SVC, Adrienne Earls, said: “Our

Cathays Methodist Church: The church will be the venue for the weekly social group. Source: Derek Harper (via Geograph.) volunteers create a fun, safe and supported environment where the adults can socialise and engage together. The funding has allowed us to continue the fantastic work our volunteers do making a difference to vulnerable adults’ lives.” “We were delighted to receive the funding as it has allowed us to offer more stability for the project.” Discussing the resources gained, Earls stated: “We now have a cupboard full of new materials, rather

than a few tired resources which had been bought for other projects and loaned to the Whale of a Time Wednesday group.” Tesco’s Communications Manager for Wales, Rhodri Evans, said: “The funding for Student Volunteering Cardiff is a great example of how Bags of Help can make a real difference in communities around Wales. “We’re really looking forward to driving forward new initiatives in 2019 as Bags of Help continues to

grow and help even more groups across the region.” Bags of Help awards can be allocated by Tesco customers, who vote for which projects should gain funding with blue tokens given to them at the checkout. Blue tokens are placed into see-through boxes, with descriptions of the differing functions of each project displayed next to them. After votes are collected, funding is given to three groups in each of Tesco’s regions. Bags of Help has awarded in excess of £56 million to over 16,000 UK community projects since the initiative began in 2015, with SVC’s grant being one of the latest in a growing number of projects aided by the scheme. If you are involved in a charity or community project which requires funding, you can visit Tesco’s Bags of Help website to apply for a grant. Student Volunteering Cardiff also has information on activities available for volunteers and those it supports on its website. Other ways you can enquire with the charity are by phoning 029 2167 6780 or by visiting their office at 5-7 Museum Place.

april 6th 2019 | 17.00-21.00

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BYWYD CAMPWS

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CAMPUS LIFE

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Your campus life desk Ashley Boyle Cerian Jones

Behind the scenes by Andrea Giani

With Alice Lintern: the director of ‘Carmen’ by the Operatic Society

ith 2 weeks to go until opening night of the Cardiff University Operatic Society (CUOS) production of Carmen, we had the chance to interview the artistic director of the opera, Alice Florence Lintern. Here’s what she told us: Hi Alice, how are you today? I am very good thank you, how about you?

could include some acting and interpretation. I believe that for as much as operas are about the singing, the interpreter needs to have the ability to act out what they are singing about in order to reach the audience. Casting, and especially choosing between all the people that auditioned, was really difficult. We had so many talented singers auditioning from Cardiff University and also from other music schools around Cardiff. I really

woman, and some have also given a fragile and subjugated interpretation of her role. What is your Carmen like? Ah, really good question. This has been a theme of discussion all throughout the rehearsing process where me and Robin (Carmen) decided how to shape our Carmen. I think that the depiction of the seducer has been hugely overdone and feel like it makes her unrelatable

Good thanks. So, I wanted to start us off by talking a bit about you and your relationship with music and theatre and what lead you to deciding to start working on this opera.

It was very interesting, but if I could go back and change something, I would probably try and explain my concept a bit more to the cast. The set building however is going to be the best part, and it will give a definite shape to the production. The set is going to be quite minimalistic as I believe that scenography should not try to be realistic, instead it should give freedom to the imagination of the audience to flourish. Where do you see the Operatic Society going after Carmen?

I was firstly introduced to music when I was little, through musical theatre and Disney, so performing was always something I have been fascinated by. Then I started learning the piano, which I really enjoyed and that was kind of when I started my classical training as well. I learned how to read music and soon after I started studying singing as well. At first, I was immediately attracted to studying more classical and operatic singing, which over the years has always been a central part of my life, even when I moved to more folk and singer song-writer music. In terms of directing, during my English studies I have always found theatre the most interesting part of the literature we studied and therefore when the opportunity came up to at the Operatic Society, I went for it because I knew it was going to be a very interesting experience.

I hope having produced such an important opera will fuel interest in more students to join the society. I have truly enjoyed being part of the CUOS during these three years and I hope more students will understand what an opportunity, for both music and non-music students, it is to be able to participate in the production of an opera, and, like in my case have cardinal role in the organisation of it. The society has already grown so much since last year, we have got a lot more male singers which we lacked last year, and I hope it continues to grow next year. Do you think Carmen challenges the stigma of elitism that opera has been portrayed with over the years? I mean, yes, definitely! Carmen is an opera about struggles, and more specifically about the people’s struggles in society, whether it being Carmen or any of the other characters – the opera is extremely relatable, and I believe it represents a lot more than a small slice of the society.

Out of all the operas that the society could have chosen, why did you pick such a masterpiece of operatic repertoire? Yeah Carmen is very different and a big risk to take because it’s very famous and lots of people might have higher expectations. But we were approached towards the end of last year by Dr. Clair Rowden from the School of Music who asked us whether we wanted to be involved in her study on different productions of Carmen throughout history and we decided that it could be an excellent opportunity for our singers to take part in.

idea of Carmen to the rehearsal and putting it into reality?

If you were to convince our readers to come and see Carmen what would you say to them?

How was the casting and what where you looking for?

wish we had more roles to give out, because there were so many talented singers that deserved a principal role in the opera, which I was extremely happy about. But we had to choose not only based on the talent, but also whether a voice fitted the role or not.

Well, for me as the director, acting was a very essential part of it. We asked the auditionees to bring in a piece which was operatic, or at least something that

The role of Carmen is a very interesting one, isn’t it? Some have depicted her as a figure of women‘s emancipation, a strong independent

and stops people from understanding her. I also think that it leaves an opening for the audience to sympathise with Don Josè, and I think that sympathy for me, is entirely misplaced. Therefore, our Carmen is fragile and shows the scars and marks that war, (a recurring theme in this opera), leaves on her. Her death at the end kind of a representation of society that crushes her. What was it like to bring your initial

It’s an amazing opportunity to appreciate the beautiful art of opera and you will get to see some of the best young singers in Cardiff perform. Also, Carmen is an extremely popular opera and I can guarantee most of the audience will recognise so many arias and chorus pieces because they are so well known and beautiful! The performances of Carmen by the Cardiff University Operatic Society will be performed at 7pm on the 5th – 7th April 2019 at the YMCA.

BYWYD CAMPWS 7 Why apply for a CUROP Your last chance to meet employers this academic year or CUSEIP by Cerian Jones scheme?

The Big Grad Fair

he final gradd fair of this year is coming up and it’s an amazing opportunity you can’t miss! It’s open to all years and it’s never too early to start thinking about your career after university and making connections will really help boost your chances when it finally comes to looking for a career. The event is on Friday, 29 March from 11:00 until 15:00 in the Great Hall of the Students Union. Over 55 employers will be in attendance, offering a range of opportunities, from internships to graduate roles. Attending is a great idea no matter what stage of your degree you’re

at. Even if you’re not ready to start networking with employers, or you’re not sure if you’re prepared enough, the careers team (FORCardiff) is in attendance and they can check your CV, and offer workshops and help in the world of work. There are also presentations running throughout the day on subjects such as how to enhance your career prospects using LinkedIn and Hays Recruitment are running a CV workshop too! Don’t go just to pick up pamphlets and let the recruiters sell you their pitch, ask difficult questions. If you think beforehand what you want to get out of this opportunity you’ll come up with some helpful questions

Image Source: Stan Zurek via Wikimedia Commons

that you can use later on to show you have researched the position thoroughly. But by all means help yourself to free pens! You might already know, or think you know, what career you’re interested in following your graduation and think the grad fair is pointless. However, it’s good to see all options you have in front of you if plan A doesn’t work out. You might find multiple firms that have careers which entail the kind of work you want to do, and you need to ask questions at all of these stalls to find out which business will suit you best. Remember right now you’re the customer. It also could be a good

idea to take a CV or two with you and hopefully start a rapport with a firm which might secure you a job before you even graduate! If stalls are busy, quickly ask if you can contact them via email - remember to keep emails professional and typo-free, every contact with the firm is giving them an impression of you. Maybe if you haven’t already, now is a good time to install Grammarly! Another great reason to attend is the abundance of prizes available to win if you’re one of the first 500 students in you’ll get a goody bag of awesome freebies and a chance to win £200 worth of shopping vouchers, free pizzas, and more!

Image Source: Kevinquickle via Flickr

by Ashley Boyle

re you a Cardiff University student? Are you available over the summer period? Are you interested in a career in research? If you’ve answered yes to all of the above, then you should definitely consider applying to the CUROP or CUSEIP schemes. CUROP (Cardiff Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme) and CUSEIP (Cardiff University Student Education Innovation Projects) give students the chance to work alongside university lecturers on a wide range of current research projects for up to eight weeks - whilst getting paid! Project applications were made available on the Careers and Employability portal on Monday the 18th, where each project is explained in detail. Currently, there are projects which explore Big Data, perceptions of teenage pregnancy, materials designed to reduce concussions in rugby, the British Press and even sheep. The eight week programme pays £9.36 an hour with an additional 12.07% of holiday pay. This works out at roughly £10.50 an hour, and £2,100 for the project. The research opportunity, whilst also paying pretty well, is a great addition to your CV. University lecturers are also happy to act as a reference at the end of the project - a great credible source to help boost your future endeavours, regardless of whether you choose a career in research or not. At the end of the project, when all theories are explored and all data is logged, CUROP and CUSEIP students are invited to showcase their work at a poster exhibition in City Hall. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the other student projects. If you’re really keen, there’s the opportunity to conduct a short three minute presentation to attendees, giving listeners a chance to understand how you underwent researching your subject and what you found. I was lucky enough to participate in an academic research internship last year and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. As a JOMEC student, I initially assumed I would be eligible for JOMEC projects only, but I soon found that this was not the case, having being accepted onto a CARBS project focusing on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Overall, it was a great experience that gave me several new skills. I was taken out of my comfort zone and it left me considering a career in research, and I would definitely recommend applying.

Poster Presentation: At the end of the programme, a poster exhibition is held at City Hall. Source: Ashley Boyle

taf od

Barn y Bobol

Gyda Chymru yn ennill ei thrydedd Gamp Lawn o dan arweiniad Gatland, Taf-od sy’n holi myfyrwyr Caerdydd am eu hymatebion i lwyddiant y tîm cenedlaethol.

Rhodri Davies

Myfyriwr blwyddyn gyntaf Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth Llwyddiant ysgubol i dîm rygbi Cymru. Pump allan o pump wedi eu hennill a strydoedd y brifddinas yn fôr o ganu. Mae’n diolch ni i’r bechgyn yn fawr ac yn fwy fyth i Gats. Cymro anrhydeddus bellach sy’n camu yn ôl o’i swydd eleni. Ond cofiwch, nid yw’r gêm ar ben iddo eto. Ar dabl safleoedd timau rygbi cenedlaethol y byd, Cymru sy’n ail. Rydym bellach mewn man llawer cryfach i fynd i Siapan a cheisio ennill Cwpan y Byd.

Aled Biston

Myfyriwr blwyddyn gyntaf Cymraeg a Hanes Mae Cymru wedi ennill y Gamp Lawn ond yn dod â gobaith ar gyfer Cwpan y Byd. Sioc, i ddweud y gwir, oedd ennill y Gamp Lawn ond bydd y momentwn sy’n dod â hi yn arwyddocaol iawn am Gwpan y Byd. Mae Gatland a’i ddynion wedi cael canlyniadau gwych ym Mhencampwriaeth y Chwe Gwlad sydd yn adeiladu cyffro ar gyfer y misoedd nesaf. Tybed a yw Cwpan y Byd ar ei ffordd yn ôl i Gymru ym mis Medi?

Sion Ford

I gysylltu â ni, e-bostiwch tafod@gairrhydd.com Am fwy o gynnwys, ewch i gairrhydd.com/tafod

NEWYDDION

Prifysgol Caerdydd yn dathlu Mis Hanes Menywod

gan Mali Llyfni

is Mawrth yw Mis Hanes Menywod a Diwrnod Rhyngwladol y Merched wedi digwydd ar Mawrth 8. Mis i hyrwyddo pŵer, llwyddiant a rhannu profiadau o fod yn ferch, yn ogystal ag edrych yn ôl i weld lle yn union ydym ni wedi cyrraedd heddiw. Mewn digwyddiad yn adeilad John Percival ar Mawrth 15 es i draw i ddarlith o’r enw ‘Championing her story’ a oedd yn edrych ar ddeg o ferched gwahanol mewn hanes dylid cael eu cydnabod fwy mewn cymdeithas heddiw. Ynghyd â nifer o siaradwyr a oedd yn adnabyddus i’r brifysgol megis Dr Marion Loffer a Lloyd Llewelyn Jones, roedd myfyrwyr, cyn-fyfyrwyr, a siaradwyr gwadd yn rhannu stori un ferch o’u dewis. Er imi fod yn astudio hanes, ac yn ferch fy hun, synnais ar y cyn lleied o wybodaeth wyddwn am ferched. Buont yn byw mewn cymdeithas oedd wedi’i dominyddu’n gymdeithasol gan ddynion, ond yn aml iawn wedi llwyddo i gyflawni pethau cystal â’r dynion eu hunain. Un o’r merched oedd yn sefyll allan i mi oedd Mallt Williams, Pan-celt, dylunydd a chefnogwraig ddiwydiannol brodorol, o Sir Benfro. Mae ei chyfraniad yma yng Nghymru yn aml iawn yn cael

ei anghofio. Bu’n awdures â diddordeb mewn gwleidyddiaeth ryngwladol, a chyfrannodd yn fawr i’r Gymraeg. Mallt oedd yr ail berson i ymuno â Urdd y Delyn a sefydlwyd gan O.M Edwards. Sefydlodd ‘The Women of Wales Circle’, un o’r ychydig bapurau oedd ar gael yn trafod gwleidyddiaeth ar y cyfnod hwnnw. Hefyd, gwnaeth gyfrannu’n ariannol er mwyn gwella adnoddau yn y Gymraeg, £130,000 yn arian heddiw, a chynnig cardiau pen-blwydd a hyfforddiant i ysgrifennu siec yn y Gymraeg. Er ni ddaeth byth yn rhugl yn y Gymraeg, mae’n bwysig cydnabod ei chyfraniad hynod bwysig. Defnyddiodd Mallt yr iaith, er nad oedd hi’n rhugl ynddi, ac mae modd edrych ar Mallt fel esiampl o rywun a ddefnyddiodd yr iaith gymaint a fu’n bosib. Ymysg y merched eraill a gafodd eu cydnabod oedd merched megis Miss Frances Batty Shand (1815-1885) a sefydlodd Sefydliad y Deillion yng Nghaerdydd, ac Enheduananna, mwy na thebyg y llenor cyntaf i gael ei chydnabod yn ferch, a mwy na thebyg dyma oedd cofnod o’r llais cyntaf i ferch. Bu’n byw yn UR, (2285-2250 CC) mewn byd nad oedd yn hawdd, er hynny llwyddodd i arddangos ei gwaith ac ysgogi eraill i ysgrifennu cerddi ac emynau. Heddiw mae dros 40 o’i gwaith hi wedi cael eu

Menywod nodedig yng Nghymru: Plaque porffor y tu allan i’r Senedd yn coffáu Val Feld, y cyn-AC Llafur. (Tarddiad: Tomos Evans). darganfod, wedi cael eu troi’n alawon ac emynau, a phobl yn troi at ei gwaith hi. Yn ôl Lloyd Llewelyn Jones, dyma oedd y ‘girl-power’ cyntaf. Er bod nifer o ddigwyddiadau yn digwydd yn ystod mis Mawrth, braf yw gweld pobl yn hyrwyddo ein llwyddiant, pŵer, hanesion a phrofiadau. Mae’n bwysig i gydnabod y pŵer hwn drwy gydol y flwyddyn.

Yn bendant, gellir diolch i’r brifysgol am drefnu darlith o’r fath, ond mae dal angen ystyried y nifer o bobl sydd yn ymwybodol o’r merched yn ein hanes, yn ogystal â merched sydd o’n cwmpas heddiw. Felly, gyda phythefnos ar ôl o’r mis ewch ati i ddathlu drwy ymweld â digwyddiadau, orielau neu hyd yn oed darllen am hanes merch o’ch dewis.

Pryd o Daf-od

Deio Jones

Myfyriwr ail flwyddyn Newyddiaduraeth Ar ôl tair Camp Lawn a phedwar pencampwriaeth, efallai taw’r un yma yw’r mwyaf sylweddol i Gatland. Does dim amheuaeth wnaethon ni ddim chwarae’r rygbi mwyaf deniadol, ond ar ôl blynyddoedd o golli gemau allweddol rydym nawr wir yn edrych fel tîm sydd wedi anghofio sut i golli. Mae’r fuddugoliaeth yma’n gallu rhoi hwb enfawr i ddiweddglo’r tymor ar gyfer y rhanbarthau. Dechreuodd cyfnod Gatland efo buddugoliaeth annisgwyl, ac fel ‘na mae’n gorffen - yn y Chwe Gwlad, o leiaf.

Eich unig gyhoeddiad myfyrwyr wythnosol trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Sefydlwyd: 2003

Deio Jones, myfyriwr Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth yn y flwyddyn gyntaf sy’n trafod arwyddocâd cefnogi timau rygbi lleol yn sgil llwyddiant diweddar Cymru yn y Chwe Gwlad.

Ar ôl llwyddiant diweddar Cymru ym mhencampwriaeth y Chwe Gwlad, dw i’n eithaf sicr o ddweud fod cynnydd mawr wedi bod mewn plant a phobl ifanc yn ymuno a thimau rygbi eu hardaloedd lleol. Rygbi lleol yw tarddle ein mawrion proffesiynol, ac yn onest, dw i’n synnu nad oes mwy o blant a phobl ifanc yn sylweddoli hynny. Mae gan bawb y syniad anobeithiol fod Alun Wyn Jones wedi dyfod i’r byd yn fabi gyda phêl rygbi yn ei law a chrys coch am ei gefn. Yn fy ngyrfa rygbi (byr iawn) i, nid ydwyf erioed wedi teimlo mwy o frawdgarwch ac ymdeimlad o fod yn

rhan o dîm ag ydwyf ar y cae rygbi. Ymunais a thîm rygbi Bangor yn 2014 am dymor, ac fe wnes ffrindiau oes. Ar ôl blynyddoedd o chwarae pêl-droed i dimau yn unig, nid yw rhywun yn sylweddoli faint yn fwy o gyfeillgarwch sydd i’w gael ar ôl gem rygbi leol, wrth i’r ddau dîm gymeradwyo a ffurfio twneli er mwyn dangos eu bod nhw wedi ennill parch ei gilydd. Un o brif nodweddion gwelwn mewn rygbi sydd yn wahanol i’r mwyafrif o gampau eraill hefyd yw’r ddisgyblaeth. O oedran ifanc iawn mae chwaraewyr rygbi yn cael eu gorfodi i ateb y dyfarnwr fel ‘Syr’, ac i beidio

ateb yn ôl. Anaml iawn y gwelwn hyn mewn chwaraeon ieuenctid eraill, ac felly rwyf yn teimlo fod hyn yn rhoi’r cyfle i bobl ifanc ddysgu disgyblaeth a pharch, ond hefyd i ddysgu nad yw pob dim mewn bywyd wastad yn mynd eu ffordd nhw. Mae’n deimlad annisgrifiadwy gwybod fod un o chwaraewyr proffesiynol wedi chwarae i’ch ardal leol chi, ac nid pob un sy’n cael y cyfle i brofi’r teimlad honno. Mae gweld chwaraewyr proffesiynol yn cefnogi’r clybiau lleol a ddechreuwyd eu gyrfaoedd yn dangos ein hundod fel cenedl ac, yn bersonol, mae angen gweld mwy o hyn.

Roeddwn i’n lwcus iawn o gael fy magu ryw ddeng munud oddi wrth Glwb Rygbi Llangefni, sef clwb cyntaf George North. Mae gweld y gefnogaeth a’r cyhoeddusrwydd mae o’n barod yn ei roi i’r clwb yn ddigon i sbarduno pob un o’r plant ifanc sydd yn aelodau i ddal ati. Mae’n hollbwysig ein bod ni’n cefnogi rygbi lleol, pe bai’n mynd i wylio gemau, neu’n peintio llinellau’r cae. Mae’r amser mae hyfforddwyr a chyfranwyr yn rhoi mewn i glybiau rygbi lleol yn aml yn mynd yn ddi-ddiolch, ac felly mae’n amser dechrau talu’n ôl. Heb rygbi lleol, nid oes rygbi proffesiynol.

TAF-OD CHWARAEON

Gorfoledd i Gymru yn dilyn Camp Lawn arall

Cymru’n clodfori eu cewri: Y dorf yn llongyfarch y chwaraewyr wedi buddugoliaeth gofiadwy yn erbyn Lloegr. (Tarddiad: Tomos Evans). gan Llion Carbis

dan arweiniad Warren Gatland, sydd bellach wedi hyfforddi Cymru ers dros ddegawd, mae’r tîm cenedlaethol wedi bod yn hynod gystadleuol ar y maes rhyngwladol. Mae teyrnasiad Gatland wedi bod yn gyfystyr â chyfnod o lwyddiant parhaus i’r Cymry, wrth ennill y Gamp Lawn yn 2008 a 2012, ynghyd â’r bencampwriaeth yn 2013. Heb anghofio, wrth gwrs, methu â gwireddu’r freuddwyd o gyrraedd Cwpan y Byd gan ond cwpl o bwyntiau, wrth golli o 8-9 yn erbyn Ffrainc yn rownd gynderyfynol 2011 (y tro cyntaf ers 1987). Er gwaetha’r holl lwyddiant yma, mae modd dadlau nad yw Cymru erioed wedi chwarae cystal o dan

arweiniad y gŵr o Seland Newydd. Sicrhaodd y fuddugoliaeth gampus yn erbyn Iwerddon o 25-7 y Gamp Lawn i Gymru am y trydydd tro o dan hyfforddiant Gatland. Hefyd, dynododd fod Cymru wedi ennill yr 14 gêm ddiwethaf yn olynol, gan ymestyn record hanes rygbi ein gwlad. Wrth edrych ar ffigyrau’r bencampwriaeth, Cymru a sgoriodd y lleiaf o geisiau, ar y cyd gyda’r Eidal. Yn ogystal, Cymru oedd â’r nifer lleiaf o fetrau wedi’u rhedeg gyda’r bêl, ynghyd â’r nifer lleiaf o linellau llwyddiannus. I fod yn fanwl gywir, mae tîm Gatland ar waelod mwyafrif llethol o ystadegau ymosodol y bencampwriaeth. Sut lwyddodd Cymru, felly, i oresgyn pob gwlad arall yn y gystadleuaeth; trwy ymyriad dwyfol?

Roedd cymeriad diffuant ac ymroddiad diflino’r Cymry yn deimladwy trwy gydol y bencampwriaeth, a chafodd hyn ei adlewyrchu yn ymddangosiadau amddiffynnol arwrol y tîm. Cymru a ildiodd y lleiafswm o geisiau yn y gystadleuaeth, yn ogystal â’r isafswm o bwyntiau a ildiwyd gan unrhyw wlad yn y gystadleuaeth. Yn amlwg, mae gwaith caled Shaun Edwards (hyfforddwr amddiffynnol Cymru) a Robin McBryde (hyfforddwr y blaenwyr) wedi dwyn ffrwyth. Thema gyson sy’n cymeriadu’r tîm presennol yw’r diffyg gallu i ufuddhau. Cafodd hyn ei amlygu yn ail hanner gêm gyntaf y gystadleuaeth, gyda Chymru yn gwrthdroi sgôr o 16-0 ar hanner amser, i ennill 19-24 gan fanteisio ar lu o gamgymeriadau gan y

Ffrancwyr. Nid oedd yr ail ornest, yn erbyn yr Eidal, yn meddu ar gyffro cyfatebol. Ond, trwy gywirdeb cicio Dan Biggar, llwyddodd Cymru i gofnodi ail fuddugoliaeth. Wrth ddadansoddi’r ymgyrch, mae’r ail hanner yn erbyn Lloegr yn aros yn y côf; ymddangosiad arbennig o ddealltwriaeth tactegol Gatland a’i dîm hyfforddi. Ar ôl rheoli hanner cyntaf yr ornest, ni lwyddodd Lloegr i gystadlu yn yr ail gyfnod, gyda Chymru yn dominyddu’r meddiant a thiriogaeth, a sgorio dwy gais gampus i drechu’r hen elyn. Dwyster amddiffynnol diwrthdro oedd allwedd Cymru at lwyddiant yn yr Alban, lle collodd Cymru yn ei hymweliad diwethaf yn 2017, cyn perfformiad ymosodol ac amd-

diffynnol tanllyd i gipio’r bencampwriaeth yn erbyn y Gwyddelod yn Stadiwm Principality. Dechreuad tanllyd ydoedd gyda Hadleigh Parkes yn trosi o fewn y 90 eiliad agoriadol. Nid oedd Cymru erioed mewn perygl o golli rheolaeth o hynny’n ymlaen. Ar ôl sicrhau ei drydedd Gamp Lawn fel hyfforddwr y tîm cenedlaethol, mae ffocws Gatland, a Chymru gyfan, yn troi at Gwpan y Byd 2019: y gystadleuaeth bwysicaf oll, y freuddwyd a drysorwyd. Heb os, mae Gatland wedi trawsnewid rygbi yng Nghymru, gan greu gwaddol heb ei ail. Tybed a fydd Cymru’n llwyddo i fynd un cam ymhellach ar ddiwedd y flwyddyn, gan goroni 11 blwyddyn Gatland gyda’r wobr fwyaf nodedig yn hanes rygbi?

Taf-od-iaith Gair Cymraeg yr wythnos Welsh word of the week

Camp Lawn/ Grand Slam

(camp la-oon)

Mae Cymru wedi ennill y Gamp Lawn. Wales have won the Grand Slam.

Camp Lawn: Enillodd Cymru’r Gamp Lawn ar ôl trechu Iwerddon 25-7 yn y gêm dyngedfennol. (Tarddiad: Tomos Evans).

Eich adran taf-od Llion Carbis Tomos Evans tafod@gairrhydd.com

TAF OD

Am fwy o gynnwys, ewch i gairrhydd.com/tafod

CHWARAEON

Perfformiadau addawol gan dîm rygbi menywod Cymru

gan Mared Jones

ra bod y sylw i gyd wedi bod ar fuddugoliaeth y dynion yn y Chwe Gwlad, ychydig iawn o sylw a roddwyd i ferched Cymru. Llwyddodd y criw ifanc i orffen yn bedwerydd gyda dwy fuddugoliaeth i ddiweddu’r tymor. Tra bod tri chynddisgybl o Ysgol Bro Myrddin, Ken Owens, Aled Davies a Ryan Elias wedi gwneud eu marc gyda thîm y bechgyn bu’r cyn-ddisgybl Bethan Lewis yn ddylanwadol iawn gyda thîm y merched hefyd ymhob gêm. Yn y gêm derfynol bu’n allweddol wrth gynorthwyo gyda sawl cais a thrwy sgorio yn erbyn Iwerddon. Ffrainc oedd gêm gyntaf y merched ac er iddynt frwydro yn ddewr bu’r golled yn drwm o 52-3. Yr Eidal oedd eu gêm nesaf ac er na lwyddwyd i gael buddugoliaeth, gêm gyfartal o 3-3 oedd y canlyniad gyda chic gosb Robyn Wilkins yn sicrhau nad oedd y tîm yn colli. Ymlaen wedyn i gêm bwysicaf y bencampwriaeth a’r hen elyn Lloegr. Er y gwelwyd gwelliant yn mherfformiad y merched, colli o 51 i 12 oedd canlyniad y gêm. Cafwyd dau gais yn y gêm hon gan Cerys Hale a Jess Kavanagh ac er i’r canlyniad fod yn siomedig roedd y merched wedi ymdrechu’n ddewr ac wedi dangos sgiliau arbennig. Yr Alban oedd y gelynion nesaf a’r tro hyn bu newid mawr yng ngêm merched Cymru. O’r diwedd cafwyd buddugoliaeth o 17-15. Yn yr eiliadau olaf llwyddwyd i ennill y gêm gyda throsgais y ferch o Sir Benfro, Lleucu George yn sicrhau bod y merched yn ennill eu gêm gyntaf.

Y faner goch fawreddog: Cymru’n canmol ymdrechion y menywod. (Tarddiad: Tomos Evans). Bethan Lewis a Siwan Lillicrap oedd sgorwyr y ceisiau a sicrhaodd y fuddugoliaeth haeddiannol. Buddugoliaeth gul ofnadwy ydoedd, ond dangosodd Cymru ddigon o gymeriad a’r dwyster angenrheidiol i gipio’r canlyniad: un hollbwysig i’r garfan. I gloi’r bencampwriaeth, daeth buddugoliaeth adref yn erbyn Iwerddon ar Barc yr Arfau o 24 i 5. Gan

fod tîm y bechgyn newydd ennill y Gamp Lawn, roedd hi’n allweddol bod y merched yn llwyddo ac roedd pwysau mawr ar eu hysgwyddau. Yn y gêm gafwyd ceisiadau gan y capten Carys Phillips, Jess Kavangh, Jasmine Joyce a Bethan Lewis. Ar ôl i Manon Johnes, sydd dal yn ddisgybl yn Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf, adennill y bêl, aeth Joyce ar rediad

campus i sgorio cais safonol tu hwnt. Yn sicr roedd yr hyfforddwr, Rowland Phillips wrth ei fodd gyda’r fuddugoliaeth gan i’r merched ddangos gwelliant mawr erbyn diwedd y bencampwriaeth. Er i Gymru orffen y gystadleuaeth yn y pedwerydd safle, mae poblogrwydd a’r sylw a rhoddir i’r gêm menywod yn datblygu ac yn

cynyddu’n flynyddol. Dangosodd y fuddugoliaeth olaf, yn erbyn Iwerddon, ddawn a chrefft y tîm. Gobeithiaf yn wir, bod y genhedlaeth nesaf o chwaraewyr wedi’u hysbrydoli wrth wylio’r sêr presennol, a bydd diddordeb yn y gêm yn tyfu. Ac, o bosib, mi fydd y tîm yn llwyddo i ennill ei phencampwriaeth gyntaf ynghynt na’r disgwyl.

Yn Trafod yr wythnos hon... Owain ap Myrddin 1. Pwy wyt ti a beth wyt ti’n astudio? Owain ap Myrddin ac yn astudio’r Gymraeg. 2. Pam dewis astudio yng Nghaerdydd? Y bwrlwm o fyw yn y ddinas. 3. Beth yw dy gàs atgof? Gorfod canu unawd yn ‘Steddfod Ffôr estalwm.

Eich adran taf-od Llion Carbis Tomos Evans tafod@gairrhydd.com

4. Noson hwyr neu fore cynnar? Noson hwyr. 5. Beth yw dy hoff fwyd? Steak a chips. 6. Ble fyddai dy leoliad delfrydol am wyliau? Gogledd yr Eidal. 7. Dyfodol neu gorffennol? Dyfodol.

8. Pwy fyddai’n dy chwarae mewn ffilm o dy fywyd?

12. Pwy yw dy ysbrydoliaeth?

Tecs C’mon Midffild.

Stephen Jones, wastad di bod yn arwr i mi.

9. Sali Mali neu Sam Tân?

13. Pe fyddet yn Brif Weinidog am y dydd, beth fyddet yn ei newid?

Sali Mali. 10. Beth yw dy hoff ddiwrnod o’r flwyddyn? Dydd Gwener/Sadwrn olaf ‘Steddfod. 11. Pa gân fyddet ti’n ei chanu ar yr X Factor? Swni’m yn canu.

Canslo Brexit a sortio digartrefedd. 14. Disgrifia dy hun mewn tri gair. Bywiog, siaradus a gweithgar.

15. Pwy fydd yn ‘Trafod gyda’r Taf-od’ y tro nesaf? Gruff Dafydd.

r e t n e ÂŁ10 to

Raising funds to support homelessness projects

SYLWADAU

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/comment

The dark side of fame

Should more be done about the mental health pressures reality stars face? by Alex Lambden ast week, news broke that former Love Island star, Mike Thalassitis, had taken his own life. He is the second Love Island star to have tragically passed, after Sophie Gradon is thought to have taken her own life nine months prior in June 2018. The unfortunate passing of these two reality TV stars brings up a fundamental question: ‘Should the producers of Love Island be doing more to protect their stars after the show?’ Since Mike’s death, it has been reported that all of the former Love Island stars were contacted and offered bereavement counselling as well as other mental health services. However, Jonny Mitchell, who participated in the show’s 2017 series, found this move to be

To contact our comment desk, drop us an email at comment@gairrhydd.com

COMMENT

The lack of aftercare for these young reality TV stars is worrying

Your comment desk Alys Hewitt Hannah Newberry Emma Videan Columnist Karis Pearson

“laughable” and “a little too late’” Jonny revealed that once the final of the show is aired, the stars are not contacted for any wellness support, only for work on other ITV projects. Fellow Love Island star, Zara Holland, spoke about the ef-

Do we need better support networks for TV stars to move forward? Source: Scott 97006 (via Flickr) fects of overnight fame and the nightmare of readjusting to regular life after the show. Fake friends, short-lived fame, internet abuse: these are all weights that these stars must carry after their departure from the show. The lack of aftercare for these young reality TV stars is worrying, and it is obvious that they are unaware of what their lives will be like after the show. Whilst some fans have been pressuring ITV to cancel the show out of respect for Mr Thalassitis and Miss Gradon, I believe that the best option is to follow the former contestants’ criticism and make sure that past and future contestants are given more extensive mental preparation and aftercare to ensure that they can continue their

new lives in a positive and healthy way. Mental health struggles are a huge problem among contestants from other reality TV shows as well. The Apprentice and Celebrity Big Brother star Andrew Brady has written in his blog about the pressures of stardom, such as paranoia about media lies, money worries and keeping up with a drug-fuelled party lifestyle. The pressure of sustaining fame can become overwhelming too, with some stars like Dom Lever and Jessica Shears signing seven-digit business deals, whilst other past contestants have had to return to their day job. The untimely passing of Mike has brought focus to the intensity of TV stardom, and it is impor-

tant to remember that every contestant faces a different experience. Some may feel that they need no support, whilst others may need lots, but the option of mental health support should be made available by reality television producers. Whilst we idolise these TV stars, it is important to remember that they are just as human as we are. Scrolling through Instagram, it is easy to think that each one possesses a perfect and ideal life, but they face mental health struggles just like all of us. It is important that TV bosses acknowledge the contestant’s humanity, rather than profit, and that changes are made to the system to ensure that reality television is able to create a healthy and sustainable launching pad for a career. Thankfully, this has not been another empty tragedy that piques our interest on social media for three days and then vanishes off the face of the earth. Love Island have undertaken a review and have extended support to ‘all contestants’ of the show as opposed to those who ‘just reach out’. Taking a proactive approach is the best way to protect these people from such a stressful experience, and while offering mental health services to those once they finish the show should have been considered from the get-go (as the pressure on stars can be psychologically pressing in the long run even after they’re back to ‘reality), it’s a move that has come better late than never and it will hopefully provide future contestants with the assurance they need.

Why didn’t people watch Comic Relief this year? This year’s viewing figures were down by 600,000 people

by Katie Lewis t has been revealed that Comic Relief 2019, which was broadcast on Friday March 15, saw a dramatic decrease in both viewing figures and donations. Donations fell by £8 million this year, accompanied by 600,000 fewer viewers. With the figures of Comic Relief ’s sister event Sport Relief also suffering in recent years, I think it’s important to question why public opinion toward the broadcast fundraisers has changed. This year’s Comic Relief was jam-packed with Hollywood royalty including appearances from Hugh Grant and Lily James, so why weren’t as many people tuning in? Is traditional broadcast fundraising problematic and behind the times? Comic Relief ’s lack of public support this year could be partly attributed to the criticism that the event attracted before the show aired that Friday night. During the run up to the charity broadcast, Labour MP David Lammy criticised Comic Relief for reducing the portrayal of Africa to ‘pov-

erty porn’. He requested that in future, Comic Relief should better represent Africa by promoting voices from across the continent - in turn creating a more informed and serious debate. Lammy claimed he, and other black Britons, felt that the celebrity expeditions to Africa, which are aired during the programme, create a distorted image of the continent and enforce negative stereotypes. Lammy then labelled Stacey Dooley a ‘white saviour’ after a picture was posted of her posing with an African child during the expedition. This implies that famous figures like Stacey Dooley use the expedition as an opportunity to prove their heroism. The backlash that Comic Relief faced could have definitely made viewers think twice before tuning in. Another reason why viewing and donation figures have suffered this year could be that viewers don’t feel as empathetic toward the cause. Unfortunately, I think the stories that we hear on the programme don’t hold enough shock value anymore. A

decade ago, seeing images of impoverished and sick children would have been enough to shock viewers into donating. However, with TV and social media being so saturated with images of famine, sickness and poverty, I believe that the viewing public have become desensitised. It is all too easy for western spectators to ignore a distant crisis, because if we change the channel on Red Nose Day, all the suffering disappears. Whilst studying the reporting of crisis in one of my modules, I have learnt that although spectators (like viewers of Comic Relief ) feel compassion towards distant suffering, it doesn’t always impact us long-term. For example, when Comic Relief aired, viewers may at first have felt passionately moved by the stories they were presented with. But after the programme finishes, our lives go back to normal and we forget about the suffering and become consumed by our own tedious problems instead. I think that the way forward, in order to boost donations and viewers, is

to revamp certain aspects of Comic Relief. The ethics surrounding the ‘celebs visit Africa’ stint are questionable and it has definitely been overdone so maybe David Lammy is right, and the charity should just focus on those at the heart of the crisis. Maybe then it would feel more real, and we would be compelled, by our human nature, to pick up the phone.

Does Comic Relief need a revamp? (Source: Brian Snelson via Flickr)

COLOFN

China’s Cosmetic Testing Ban: Better Late Than Never?

by Hannah Newberry nimal activists around the world have unified over social media to celebrate China, one of the world’s most notorious endorsers of animal testing. They have opted to ban the ‘post-market’ testing requirement for products that have already been imported, or created domestically. In a nutshell, this means that companies already celebrating their ‘cruelty-free’ labelling in most western countries will no longer have to worry about sacrificing the authenticity of this if they wish to sell their products in China by subjecting their products to these requirements.

China have deliberately ignored the gradually harmonising global move towards being ‘cruelty free’ up until now While I don’t doubt that this is a longawaited victory, it’s a questionable one too. Firstly, this does not mean to say that a complete ban on animal testing is likely to follow. China by nature are incredibly rigid in terms of their product tests, and still hold animal testing as purposeful enough to endorse its supposed benefits against the tide of fluctuating moral values in western cultures - that are often the actual consumers of said products. To carry on operating in such opposition to blatant

consumer interests is a risky move, so what exactly is the basis on which animal testing finds (slim) justification? Many customers feel that they can’t commit to an organisation that endeavour into the Chinese market with the knowledge that it compromises their ‘absolute’ moral condemnation of animal testing. But from a business perspective, with changing perspectives on animal treatment (e.g. the rise of veganism, the ban on circus animals), it would’ve made sense for China to follow suit sooner. It’s wholly more beneficial to comply with the demands of your market than to expect companies to abstain from huge profit opportunities. Small businesses that have a chance of doubling or tripling their profits while being able to maintain their ‘cruelty free’ ideals would struggle to say no – gaining Instagram and Twitter followers from hashtagging phrases synonymous with moral abstention is good for publicity, but will seldom pay wages. Even though the profits made are still sky-high, companies like L’Oreal have suffered from changing ethical attitudes, which is exactly where brands like Barry M, Collection, and Nyx have found their market gap. China have deliberately ignored the gradually harmonising global move towards being ‘cruelty free’ up until now, which is a strange stance to take when you consider that science has continuously disagreed with animal testing serving any relevant purpose, especially in the cosmetics industry, as it treats other beings as anthropomorphic to rebuff the idea that companies are willing to subscribe to such practices on the grounds of cost efficiency.

licate the exact properties of various ingredients) and standardised Quantitative Risk Assessments for allergens supports the argument that China’s move is not one worthy of moral advocacy but instead a defeatist opt-out as any plausible grounds for justification; whether legally, socially or culturally, become continuously outdated. China’s decision represents a stick in the mud against monotonous government practice, which is a type of regulation that’s often rather hard to budge and so worthy of commendation. But it’s important to remember that while this shows that we’re likely to see a decline in countries able to justify their endorsement of cosmetic animal testing anymore, that we need to consistently question the legal, cul-

Are countries reluctant to admit they resort to unethical practices for costefficiency? Source: Cerys Newberry (via Instagram) Their desire to research into ‘viable alternatives’ that included more cruelty-free methods is a true scapegoat - hasn’t this always been available given the ability of many companies under scrutiny to take the same steps many years before? China are more economically capable than most other nations and could have undergone this research and led the way with ethical cosmetics at the same time. States like Australia have had enough collective legislative encouragement to outright ban animal testing altogether, so it begs the question as to why a nation as developed, wealthy and proactive as China are satisfied being latecomers in one of the most revolutionary trends in the cosmetics market in the last ten years. The FDA has never been able to deem animal testing in cosmetics as

necessary for ‘safety’ reasons, but will permit it as a means of ‘substantiating’ the safety of finalised cosmetics. This goes to show that the reason cosmetic animal testing still finds support is that there is no singular body that wants to take responsibility for the rebuttal of an embedded practice that disfavours many wealthy bodies, such as Maybelline (who would likely be able to trump any animal rights organisation in a court proceeding due to the sheer resources and capital they hold, demonstrated in a similar capacity in the McLibel case which ended up being the longest course of litigation in English history - who has the time?). Would anyone really want to risk it, or is it easier being complicit? The advancement of technology such as in-silico models (able to rep-

Their desire to research into viable alternatives, that included crueltyfree methods, is a true scapegoat tural and scientific intricacies that endorse these outdated practices. An action as small as a tweet in support of a cruelty free company is not only indicative of our own individual morality, but actually serves a proactive purpose to give the government, cosmetic entities and legal bodies fewer legs to stand on for the next time the unwanted questions come knocking in search of effective social reform.

The immediate aftermath of the Six Nations finale

by Yana-Maria Milcheva

Who is responsible for cleaning up Cardiff city centre?

his past Saturday, Cardiff hosted one of the most exciting sporting events of the year. The final day of the Six Nations rugby tournament united fans from all over

Caroline Street, also known as Chippy Lane, is always the most littered area, especially after a big event like Saturday’s game the world inside of the Principality Stadium, to witness Wales triumphing over Ireland with a 25-7 victory, taking home the Six Nations title and their third Grand Slam under Warren Gatland. Despite the rain and the cold, an estimated 275,000 rugby fans trav-

elled to Cardiff to be immersed into the amazing atmosphere of the game. However, after a night of celebrating (or mourning) the result from the game, the elated rugby fans left more than their hearts on the streets of Cardiff, which were littered with rubbish in the form of takeaway packaging and plastic pint cups. Caroline Street, also known as Chippy Lane, is always the most littered area, especially after a big event like Saturday’s game. With takeaway restaurants open until late, Chippy Lane is a popular destination for partygoers, meaning that overflowing bins have become a common sight on the weekends. As the littering issue is becoming more prevalent with every big event held in Cardiff, the question arises of who is responsible for keeping the city clean and how are taxpayers’ money being utilised. To tackle the littering issue, Cardiff City Council has set up an event cleaning strategy, paying overtime to street cleaners working in the early

hours of the morning. These cleaning operations benefit not only the local residents, but also the businesses in the city centre. If the streets remain uncleaned following a big event, customers would inevitably be driven away, which would result in revenue loss for independent vendors. While local food vendors are not responsible for cleaning the city streets after a big event, they should try reducing the excess plastic coming with every takeaway meal, which would help keep the streets cleaner while also reducing the overall levels of plastic waste. Major events like the Six Nations drive thousands of visitors to Cardiff and can be used to showcase our multicultural, vibrant capital to the world. Therefore, it is in the council’s best interest to ensure that the city is presented in the best light possibl , which includes being responsible for the streets’ cleanliness and providing the right facilities to manage the amount of rubbish being disposed by tourists and event-goers.

Could more be done to combat littering in the city centre after sporting events? Source: Wikimedia Commons

COMMENT

Karis Pearson

COLUMNROAD

E-waste has a bloody history and a toxic future for the planet. Source: andreahuyoff (via Pixabay)

The truth about technology

The lifecycle of our tech is costing lives. alking out of your local Apple store, fresh from an upgrade, you may have a number of things preoccupying your mind, at least one of which is likely to be the sleek new device you’ve got burning a shiny hole in your bag, waiting to assist you with all your online needs. This is the way tech companies like it and it seems to keep most of us happy too. But, have you ever spared a thought for the 7-year old boy whose life is put at risk every time he is forced down a cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, tasked with extracting the minerals vital to the manufacturing of that very smartphone devices we enjoy?

At the heart of the smartphone is a humanitarian crisis covered with blood The DRC is a country saturated with blood, with conflict minerals like Coltan and Cobalt at the centre of funding warlords and armed groups, including government forces. Coltan is needed for its tantalum, which is extracted and used to make tantalum capacitors, an important component in modern electronics. Similarly, cobalt is a key component of batteries and is hence found in most mobile devices. These minerals, so crucial to technology manu-

facturing, are a natural resource extracted in a conflict zone sold to perpetuate the fighting. Although they fuel conflict and send children into collapsable mining territories, the big technology companies would not sustain their production model without them, and in big tech, profits are more important than peace. This harsh reality is illustrated in Blood in the Mobile, a 2010 documentary where filmmaker Frank Piasecki Poulsen directly relates the civil war in the DRC with smartphone production and purchasing. While this phase of mobile phone production is devastating and guilty of various human rights abuses, it is still just one phase of many damaging phrases. Phase two, the production process, see’s smartphone manufacturers carefully plan the lifespan of products around growing company profit. This is a process familiar to many by now, known as planned obsolescence. Planned obsolescence is a key contributor to global e-waste and involves products being built with obsolescence in mind. The more frequently our technologies fail us, the more often we have to replace them, simultaneously disposing of the old ones as e-waste in the process. Reducing waste, both in forms of energy and raw materials, is important for protecting the environment, but still plenty of smartphone producers design products unsustainably, with parts being heavily glued together and poorly designed for repair. Many of the guiltiest companies are in fact household names, with Huawei, Microsoft, Samsung, Google, LG and Apple all scoring poorly

on repair site iFixit. Now, while all this planned obsolescence is bad news, what isn’t is the upgrade downturn trend seen in recent years from UK smartphone users. Customers in the UK increasingly keep their phones for longer, of the view that innovations in technology have slowed and newer models of their phone will not have anything new to offer them (often very true), so they may as well wait until the old one breaks. This is a smart choice for the savvy consumer, but not one the smartphone company wants to make easy for us. Nowadays, upgrades are incentivised by intentionally developing apps which are compatible with the latest model of the device and the subsidising of these devices with contracts, allowing consumers to receive new models for free, or at a discount rate, roughly every 2 years. Eventually, all these old models will end up polluting the environment as e-waste.

66% of consumers would rather fix a broken phone than buy a new one A survey taken in Brussels found that people tend to replace their phone at varying rates, differing from every 1 and a half years to every three, but companies are still upgrading like there’s no tomorrow. It has become common practice for

Apple to drop a new iPhone every 12 months, a rate which is just not appealing to a lot of customers anymore. Despite this lack of responsibility towards both consumers and the environment from the big smartphone companies, consumers across Europe are increasingly committed to finding long-lasting products. Seventy-seven percent of consumers in the EU agree they would rather fix broken products rather than buy new ones, while ninety-two percent of EU consumers want to be better informed on how long what they buy will last them. Figures like these indicate that it is not consumers who are driving forward the speed of technological replacement rates. Entrepreneurs from countries such as Finland, Germany and the Netherlands have been searching for solutions to the planned obsolescence model for a few years now. One solution has been found in the establishment of Fairphone, a smartphone company from the Netherlands which manufactures smartphones which are entirely repairable and can be taken apart and fixed easily by the phone owner themselves. This saves a cost to both the consumer and the environment, as plenty of smartphones which are considered ‘repairable’ must still be sent off to the manufacturer, for a substantial fee, to get them fixed. A pple are infamous for their use of the pentalobe screw, a 5-point screw designed to be tamper-resistant, meaning phone owners cannot attempt to fix their phones themselves but must instead pay Apple for the privilege. Now, the scale of the e-waste problem is vast, with only 20% of the 50

million tonnes of e-waste generated annually being formally recycled. After tracking toxic hazardous electronic waste to various developing countries, the UK was found to be Europe’s worst offender in illegal exportations of e-waste. In fact, much electronic waste ends up in developing nations, with countries like India and Nigeria bearing the brunt as ewaste dumpsites for Europe, the US and Asia.

The global crisis of e-waste is growing and technology companies need to step up to curb it The environmental, not to mention the humanitarian disasters which occur globally as a result of smartphone production and purchasing are significant and more legislation is needed to stop the epidemic from growing. Technology manufactures need to show a greater level of transparency in how they source the conflict minerals, as refusing to publish details continues to push the disastrous humanitarian consequences under the rug. We as consumers can only make an impact so far, but by refusing to upgrade unnecessarily or even by purchasing a more sustainable and repairable device, such as a Fairphone we can reduce our individual contributions to hazardous global ewaste and help to build a safer, more sustainable future for the planet.

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POLITICS For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/politics

GWLEIDYDDIAETH

by Sam Tilley

We are fast approaching one of the most crucial periods in our modern political history. The next few weeks will largely decide how the United Kingdom chooses to exit the European Union and when this exit will take place. There are four potential outcomes of the next couple of weeks: a short exten-

sion of Article 50, a long extension, Parliament finally passing Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement or Theresa May opting for a ‘no-deal’ scenario. We try and decipher what each option would mean for Brexit, for the ever-fragile government and indeed, what it all means for the Prime Minister herself.

A short postponement

heresa May requested an extension of Article 50 up until June 30 when she set out her plans to the European Council last week. Whilst the UK retains some allies within the EU27, most notably Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, more Europhilic leaders pushed for a shorter extension date. In the end, a compromise was reached by which the UK would leave the EU on May 22 if MPs approved the Withdrawal Agreement at some point this week. There were a number of reasons that some of the EU27 wanted a shorter extension date. Chief among them are the upcoming European Parliament elections. Europe has recently seen an upsurge in populism in recent years, with right-wing populists winning local and national elections in Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Hungary, amongst others. Opposition to populists largely comes in the form of those parties who collectively push for a more integrated Europe; a Europe that comes together stronger after the UK’s withdrawal. These parties, Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche for example, are keen to demonstrate that the EU is strong enough to survive a ‘no-deal’ exit and as a result, have ramped up the no-deal rhetoric over the past few weeks. April the 12th marks the last day in which the UK can choose to partake in the upcoming European Parlia-

POLITICS

To contact our politics desk, drop us an email at politics@gairrhydd.com

Your politics desk Charlotte King Silvia Martelli Lowri Pitcher Sam Tilley

A final throw of the dice ment elections. Legally, under membership of the EU, the UK is obliged to take part in these elections if we haven’t already agreed a Withdrawal Agreement. The UK’s seats in the European Parliament have already been provisionally redistributed amongst the remaining EU countries and they would therefore need confirmation as to whether the UK intend to surrender these seats as a result of leaving. The idea of a ‘worst-case scenario’ for some on the British side is a long extension , but as a result of short-term organisational chaos, no seats at the metaphorical table.

he other possibility following the likely rejection of May’s Withdrawal Agreement is a longer extension to Article 50. This would prevent the UK from leaving the EU until at least December, possibly anywhere up to 2021. During Prime Minister’s Questions last week, Theresa May strongly hinted that “as Prime Minister”, she couldn’t support an extension that went past her red line of June 30th. This has led to much speculation that she would rather resign than countenance an extension into 2020. However, sceptics have noted that this would not be the first time that she would change her

The Final Countdown: Brexit will be decided in the next couple of weeks. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Third time lucky?

he deal that has already been rejected twice, by 230 and 149 votes respectively, could make a third, and final, return to the House of Commons this week. After the European Council summit last week, the House of Commons has to vote in favour of Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement in order to gain an extension of Article 50 until May 22nd. However, after her somewhat inflammatory speech last Wednesday, in which she blamed MPs for the current Brexit crisis, a number of potential ‘switchers’ (MPs who are thought to be considering throwing their weight behind the Withdrawal Agreement at the third time of asking) criticised the Prime Minister for her approach. Lisa Nandy, a Labour MP in a strongly leave-voting constituency, declared that the PM’s remarks would “cost her votes” and, only five hours after she indicated that she was prepared to support the deal, changed her mind again and remains opposed at the time of writing. In addition to opposition MPs, several Conservative ‘switchers’, including former Brexit Secretary David Davis, have now begun to question whether they can continue to support the Brexit deal despite choosing to back it during the second meaningful vote. Some political commentators have in fact begun to predict that the government might lose the prospective third meaning-

A longer extension

ful vote by more votes than the second. This would be some feat as the 149-strong loss a couple of weeks ago remains the fourth biggest government defeat in modern political history; behind only two government losses from the 1920s and the first meaningful vote itself. All this had led to renewed talk of potentially revoking Article 50. Whilst, in practice, Theresa May has strongly ruled this out, the fact remains that it may no longer be in her control come the beginning of April. After a January ruling of the ECJ (the European Court of Justice) the UK has the right to unilaterally withdraw their triggering of Article 50, effectively cancelling the whole Brexit process. An online petition to do so has reached over two million signatures at the time of writing but it is important to note that there is currently no majority to do so in the House of Commons. Many within the EU believe the Prime Minister’s deal to be dead in the water, a view shared by politicians in Britain as well. As well as Westminster, the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd have both voted to reject the deal with the added caveat of a second public vote to solve the Brexit issue. Similar to attempts to revoke Article 50, it is unlikely that there is enough appetite among MPs to trigger a second referendum and a vote to enact such a vote last week fell by over 200 votes.

mind on an issue, citing her pledge not to call an early General Election, before proceeding to call one in April 2017, as just one example. A long extension probably has the political support behind it to pass any test in Parliament with support from all sides of the House. However, just like no-deal, May would almost certainly lose the support of a sizeable portion of her cabinet. Cabinet Brexiteers have made it clear that they could not and would not sanction a long extension to the Brexit process. This position has been echoed by ERG hardliners, some of whom have also suggested that they would vote against the government in a no-confidence vote if such an extension was agreed upon. After the European summit last week, the Prime Minister has until April 12th, assuming her deal fails to go through, to decide whether to commit to a long extension or a nodeal exit on that date. A long extension would be toxic to those who supported Brexit in both the Conservative Party and May’s cabinet. The Leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, has been one of the most vocal opponents of a long delay to Brexit and is considered one of the Cabinet ministers most likely to resign in the wake of such a move. Nigel Farage, now of The Brexit Party, has threatened to tear the Conservatives “limb from limb” if they drive the country into another year of Brexit uncertainty.

The ‘no-deal’ scenario

or a no-deal scenario to take place, MPs would have to vote down any attempt by Theresa May to put her deal to the House of Commons for a third (or even a fourth) time. Following any other extension offers from the EU, MPs would also then have to vote to reject them and, with no extension of Article 50 and no withdrawal agreement, the default legal option would be to leave the EU at 23:00 on March 29 without any form of agreement. However, thanks to the agreement at last week’s European Council summit, the idea that Britain would leave on March 29 has been completely quashed. Instead, if the Withdrawal Agreement is turned down this week, and if May rules out competing in European Parliament elections, and by extension a longer negotiating period, the new default option would be to leave with a no-deal on April 12th. Certain European leaders, most prominently French President Emmanuel Macron, have suggested that if MPs fail to back the Withdrawal Agreement, the most likely outcome would be a no-deal scenario. This, the preferred outcome for Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Brexit-supporting faction, the European Research Group, would plunge Theresa May’s already wobbly government into chaos. A number of senior cabinet ministers, amongst them Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, Justice Secretary David Gauke and Business

Secretary Greg Clark, have already heavily hinted that they would resign from the government if the Prime Minister attempted to implement a no-deal Brexit. They would most likely be followed out of the door by roughly 20-40 junior government ministers, marking the single-biggest government exodus in modern history. A no-deal scenario would mean that the UK wouldn’t, as stipulated under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, be required to pay the £39 billion ‘divorce bill’. Whether or not the EU would resort to other legal mechanisms to recoup the money is so far unknown, however. The UK would fall back on WTO (World Trade Organisation) trading terms following a no-deal, with the government indicating it would slash import tax on the majority of goods; up to 87% of total imports. Tariffs on products such as poultry and lamb would remain in place to ensure that local producers could remain competitive in the new trading arrangement. The no-deal scenario is the preferred method of exit for hardline Brexiteers; amongst them formerUKIP leader Nigel Farage, the aforementioned ERG and Labour MP Kate Hoey; one of the few in her party to advocate such a move. Like the other options, there is no clear majority for a ‘no-deal’ exit. However, unlike the other options, it remains the legal default outcome.

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 17

Post-Brexit migrant salary plans “would hit Wales harder”

Post-Brexit Immigration plans to set minimum salary requirements at £30,0000 could negatively impact Wales by Suzannah Murphy

roposals set out by the UK government in a much anticipated White Paper intend to protect parts of the economy which are currently reliant on overseas labour once the UK has left the European Union. Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, stated how the newly proposed system would be based on the UK’s needs and show that the UK is “open for business.” Mr Javid stated that net migration would come down to “sustainable levels” as a result of the biggest shake-up of immigration policy the UK has seen in over 40 years A key point of the White Paper includes the consultation on a minimum salary requirement of £30,000 for skilled migrants seeking five-year visas from the European Union (EU). Although this provision already exists for migrants from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland, this threshold could heavily impact sectors reliant on EU labour, for example, the NHS and the manufacturing industry, which are major components of the Welsh economy. Economics Professor Jonathan Portes, of King’s College London, stated this proposal will “hit Wales somewhat harder than the rest of the country.” This would be because the average full-time salary for Wales is signifi-

cantly below the proposed £30,000 threshold. As EU migrants in the manufacturing sector would be below this threshold, companies would be required to pay higher wages to EU migrants, in order to sustain their workforce. A manufacturing boss based in midWales stated that 30% of his company’s staff are from EU countries due to there not being enough local workers to fill vacancies. Contrastingly, Professor Portes, calls for the Welsh Government and businesses to press for a lower threshold of £20,000 to modestly mitigate the potential impact. The body representing the NHS additionally states concerns regarding recruitment ability. Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, expressed that the Trust was “deeply concerned about what was going to happen.” Cordery highlights how many essential NHS staff are paid under £30,000 including nurses, paramedics, midwives, junior doctors, among others. The Shadow Home Secretary, Diane Abbott, said the government had “disgracefully labeled workers on less than £30,000 as low-skilled,” when “our economy and public services are kept ticking by this majority of workers.”

Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, Adam Marshall, said that “Employers are hugely concerned that the complexity and cost associated with new immigration rules will impact their ability to invest and grow at a time when many areas are facing near-full employment.” Further proposals, as seen in the White Paper, indicate scrapping the current cap of 20,700 on the number of skilled workers such as doc-

tors or engineers from the EU and elsewhere. Lower-skilled workers, from sectors such as social care and construction, can obtain 12-month visas (with a “cooling off ” period lasting 12 months in between each individual application). Additionally, EU citizens visiting the UK will not be required to obtain visas. Due to the substantial criticism following the release of this White Paper, it is uncertain whether this bill will be given legislative powers.

White Paper: Former Welsh First Minister, Carwyn Jones signing the Welsh Brexit White Paper. Source: CPRM (via Flickr).

Welsh Government report finds welfare cuts affect half of Welsh households

Are these changes responsible for pushing an extra 50,000 children into poverty? by Aliraza Manji

n October 2018, the Chancellor of the Exchequer boldly stated that the “era of austerity is finally coming to an end.” In 2010, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government, where a host of cuts and welfare reforms were implemented aiming to reduce the deficit after the 2008 financial crisis. These cuts came in many forms, mainly through the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and the Welfare and Work Act 2016. Despite the Chancellor’s bold claim, a recent report published by the Welsh Government found that the welfare reforms have had a significantly negative impact on households in Wales and that nearly half of all Welsh households will lose out through future welfare and tax credit changes. An impact assessment found that another 50,000 children will fall below the poverty line and according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), these benefit cuts will surmount to about £4 billion a year. This is increasingly troublesome as there are 47,560 working households in Wales which are on

Universal Credit: Many have criticised and campaigned against new welfare laws. Source: Roger Blackwell (via Flickr). Universal Credit; a social security benefit rolled out in 2013 to replace the six prior means-tested benefits such as housing benefit, child benefits and jobseeker’s allowance. Of households depending on Universal Credit, the area expected to be most affected is the South Wales Valleys as this area registers the highest number of working age ben-

efit claimants. However, in August 2018, some households had their benefits capped with up to £50 or less per week. 43% of the households in question were single-parent families and 57% were couples with children. To further the struggles of families with children, child tax credits will only be available to the first

two children in a family and that any other children who happen to be born post-April 2017 will not receive child tax credits. This will affect 3,000 households in Wales and the IFS expects that the full impact of these changes will not be felt until the mid-2030s, although as 2020, the levels of child poverty will increase by 0.6%. Additionally, people with disabilities are going to be harshly affected by the replacement of the Disabled Living Allowance (DLA) with the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which has meant that people who were previously given lifelong support will have to be reassessed. Furthermore, 58% of new PIP claims and 28% of DLA reassessment claims were disallowed. Although, as of July 2018, there has been an increase of 3% in PIP payments. The Welsh Government believes that these changes will disproportionately affect disabled peoples, ethnic minorities and women. They conclude that over the next few years Wales could see more people fall under the poverty line due to the vast welfare changes being introduced by Westminster.

UKIP calls for referendum on Senedd

by Greg Oxley

KIP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has voted unanimously in favour of campaigning against devolution in Wales. UKIP’s NEC proposed that a referendum on devolution in Wales should be held in 2024, 25 years since the Government of Wales Act was passed. The Government of Wales Act 1998 created the National Assembly for Wales and granted it power over legislation in areas such as education, health and the environment. If a referendum were to be held and the Welsh public voted against devolution, the Senedd and all of its devolved powers would be abolished. Explaining the party’s rationale behind its policy change, Gareth Bennett AM, UKIP’s Assembly leader, said that “devolution is a white elephant which has added nothing to the welfare of people in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales. The devolved assemblies are a waste of taxpayers’ money, and need to be scrapped.” “What the UK clearly doesn’t need is this tier of extra politicians who add no value to public life.” “Most indicators show that Wales’ performance has got markedly worse since 1999, when the devolved government began. We have to accept that devolution hasn’t worked for most people.” UKIP leader Gerard Batten, who has been accused of moving the party towards the far right, also supports a referendum, arguing that “devolution has failed Wales and it is time that the question is put back to the people in the form of a referendum.” Despite Bennett and Batten’s damning assessment of devolution, polling data suggests that public attitude is in stark contrast. BBC Wales’ St David’s Day poll suggested that just 13% of voters were in favour of abolishing the Welsh Assembly, with 46% saying that they wanted the National Assembly to have greater power and 27% stating they were content with the current arrangement. As well as lacking public support, prominent UKIP AM for South Wales East, David Rowlands has stated that he personally opposes the abolition of the Senedd but thinks that a referendum should be held as he believes that “the people ought to have a say after 20 years.” The proposal has also come under fire by several other leading Welsh politicians. Plaid Cymru’s Dai Lloyd said: “They [UKIP] are an irrelevant party with an irrelevant policy that is not representative of the people of Wales.” Paul Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives also stated that “after being voted for democratically, devolution in Wales has been proudly in place for more than 20 years and it’s out of the question to think of abandoning it now.” Welsh Labour assembly Chairwoman, Vikki Howells, further said: “UKIP has been laid bare for the inward-looking, opportunistic, English nationalists that they are.”

POLITICS

What they have said...

Is it time to reform firearm laws? In the wake of two shooting incidents, Gair Rhydd analyses gun regulations around the world

by Lowri Pitcher

O “He is a terrorist. He is a criminal. He is an extremist. But he will, when I speak, be nameless.” Jacinda Ardern 13/03/19 New Zealand’s Prime Minister has told MPs she will never use the name of the Christchurch gunman, stating that the public should focus on the victims of the attacks and their families rather than the perpetrator.

“The anarchist squatters’ ship has been seized. Now in Italy there is a government that defends borders and respects the law, and, above all, laws broken by people traffickers. Those who do wrong will pay.” Matteo Salvini 20/03/19 Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, wishes to stop illegal vessels from trafficking people to Italy “once and for all.”

n Friday 15th March, 2019, 50 people were killed and more than 50 were wounded after a terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand. A lone attacker visited two different mosques and shot dead over 50 innocent civilians, marking the deadliest mass shooting the country has ever witnessed. The Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has been highly commended in the media for her response to this event. Less than a week after the attacks the Prime Minister announced a radical change in the country’s gun laws stating “Every semi-automatic weapon used in the terror attack will be banned.” The ban, which should be in place by 11 April 2019, will prohibit all military-style semi-automatic weapons, assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. Gun laws in New Zealand have come under scrutiny during the last week for being some of the most relaxed rules in the world - these include not needing to register your firearm, being allowed to purchase a firearm at 16 and allowing 18 year-olds to purchase semi-automatic, military-style guns. This meant that in 2016, the New Zealand Police calculated that there were 1.2 million firearms owned by the general population, which equates to approximately one for every four people. On Monday 18th March, it was announced that three people had been killed during a shooting incident inside a tram in the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands. In contrast with New Zealand’s fairly relaxed laws on gun ownership, the Netherlands’ approach to firearms is markedly different. Only law enforcement, hunters and target shooters are permitted to own guns. Semi-automatic arms and all magazine types are available, but owners’ guns will be inspected annually by police and licensed owners may only possess five firearms at once. Worldwide Every day, more than 500 people are

El Salvador “I think it is right that the government should have passed legislation that requires relationships and sex education is taught in schools, but at the same time, I also agree that it’s right parents should be able to choose the moment that their children become exposed to that information.” Andrea Leadsom 20/03/19 Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House of Commons, caused controversy over her choice of the word “exposed” whilst discussing sex education on LBC radio station.

killed and 2,000 are injured from gunrelated incidents across the globe, and gun violence represents 44% of worldwide homicides. This is largely down to the chasm of international cohesion regarding gun law regulation and registration. Some countries, such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore, have implemented strict gun laws; others, such as Honduras, Namibia, South Africa and the United States, are more permissive. The wide availability of firearms in some countries allows individuals to steal a firearm from a licensed gun owner and smuggle firearms illegally to those who request a gun, which can then be sold on the black market and dark web. Europol calculated that almost 500,000 guns were lost or stolen from member states of the EU in 2014. Although the US is heavily mentioned in the British media for its high levels of gun violence, there are countries with far higher gun violence rates. South American countries have some of the highest rates of violent gun deaths worldwide. Whilst the US had 3.85 violent gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2016, El Salvador and Venezuela recorded 40.29 and 34.77 respectively. Even the Caribbean islands of the Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago have rates of 14.11 and 13.03 respectively.

Every day more than 500 people are killed and 2,000 are injured from gun-related incidents around the world The United Kingdom Approximately 3,260,000 guns were held legally and illegally by civilians of the UK in 2017, approximately 5.03% of the population. Civilian possession

In El Salvador, it is estimated that there were 737,000 licit and illicit guns held by civilians in 2017, approximately 12 guns per 100 people. In law, a citizen must be 21 to possess a gun, they must obtain a license to purchase handguns, shotguns and semi-automatic weapons, and the possession of fully automatic guns is prohibited. However, weak implementation and significant demand on the black market due to gangs and organized crime has led to this nation witnessing some of the highest rates of gun-related violence in the world. A notable proportion of the firearm problem facing the nation is illegal activity; in 2015 almost 1,000 weapons were reported stolen to the authorities. Furthermore, of all weapons recovered from crime scenes in El Salvador, over 45% came from the US. Stealing legally purchased firearms, modifying them and selling them on the black market is commonly practiced in El Salvador. Also, in 2013 a report published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that 360,000 military firearms were not seized after El Salvador’s civil war. This has contributed to the government having an incomprehensive understanding of the situation, rendering it incapable of dealing with the consequences effectively.

Singapore

Gun Reform: Thousands protest for gun reform every year. Source: Wikimedia Commons. of handguns, semi-automatic assault weapons and fully automatic weapons is strictly prohibited by law. As in Singapore, license distribution is carefully verified; prospective owners must declare a valid reason for ownership, must be 14 to obtain a license and 17 to purchase a firearm and background checks and third party references are required, as well as having to re-qualify for a firearm license every 5 years. In the UK, illegal firearms on the streets are mostly stolen or illegally modified guns which are sold through the black market. In the year to March 2017, there were 6,375 reported firearm offences recorded in England and Wales, constituting of an increase of 23% compared to the previous year. This rise is often claimed to be a direct result of austerity measures given that 21,000 police officers have been lost since 2010. However, Amber Rudd, Home Secretary at the time, responded that this increase was largely down to “improvements in police recording.” The Communities Secretary at the time, Sajid Javid, supported Rudd in saying: “We had much higher numbers of police ten years ago and much

Contrastingly to El Salvador, Singapore has one of the lowest gun crime rates in the world. There were approximately 20,000 guns, licit and illicit, held by civilians in 2017, equating to only 0.3% of the population. Before applying for a license, prospective gun owners must give a valid reason for applying, such as shooting or for self-protection, and each applicant requires background checks and third party character references before obtaining a license. There is also a limit to the quantity of ammunition each individual may own at any one time. The law is implemented far more efficiently and there is less demand for guns in Singapore; this is due to better economic stability and social harmony. Andrea McKenna, a journalist and author who lives in Singapore, describes that the country’s population simply does not feel the need to purchase guns and states that they are respectful of the tough criminal laws. She claims that “people want to be good, follow the laws and do the right thing.” The penalty for illicit firearm possession in Singapore merits up to 10 years in prison and 6 strokes of the cane, which is far more severe than that of El Salvador which threatens suspension of license and a fine.

higher numbers of violent crime.” Could outlawing guns save lives? There are conflicting views as to whether banning guns would actually save lives, although generally this is considered to be the case. In many cases however, it is feared that guns will simply be replaced by other weapons, such as knives and other sharp instruments. In Australia, after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, the Australian Government decided to transform gun regulation. This included buying back over 650,000 firearms and implementing some of the strictest regulations in the world. 7 years after the bill passed, the average firearm homocide rate declined by 42% and suicide by firearm declined by 57%. It should be noted that governments must look to the root causes of gun use, by improving social security and support networks, in order to divert individuals who may be likely to commit violent crimes toward a more productive path.

United States

Under the Second Amendment of the 1787 US Constitution, law-abiding US citizens have the right to bear arms. There is regulation at the federal level regarding the purchasing of firearms and minimum age requirements. States also have an independent say over increasing minimum age requirements and deciding whether their population may carry guns in public or not. However, for many, these regulations are simply not sufficient for a country which saw over 39,000 gunrelated deaths in 2017. Despite these regulations, guns are a common entity and whilst the US has 4.4% of the world’s population, it harbours approximately 50% of the world’s civilianowned guns. According to CNN, “the US makes up less than 5% of the world’s population but holds 31% of global mass shooters.” Last month, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill to extend background checks for gun owners. However, US President, Donald Trump, threatened to veto the bills when they came to the Republican-controlled Senate, claiming that they do not protect gun owners’ constitutional rights. Between constitutional rights, economic profits and an intrinsic belief held by many US citizens that guns represent independence and freedom, it is fairly clear that gun regulation in the US will remain permissive for the foreseeable future.

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Myanmar to probe Rohingya atrocity allegations An investigation has begun following accusations of genocide from international bodies, including the UN

by Charlotte King

or years, the Myanmarese military, the Tatmadaw, has been cracking down on the Rohingya Muslim minority population in Myanmar, resulting in over 730,000 refugees fleeing to Bangladesh for safety to date. Persecution of Rohingya Muslims has allegedly been ongoing in Myanmar since at least 2016, centralised in Rakhine State on the country’s western coast. Following years of apparent subjugation which has forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to flee for their lives, the Tatmadaw has created a new military court to conduct a probe into these accusations of genocide. Since 2017, Myanmar has been heavily accused of ethnic cleansing and carrying out genocide against its Rohingya Muslim population by international bodies such as the United Nations (U.N.), Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Following a string of allegations, the Myanmarese military court has announced it will be conducting an investigation into the events in Rakhine State from when the alleged genocide began, to determine the legitimacy of these claims. The Tatmadaw launched their attack in Rakhine State on August 25th, 2017 in response to coordinated violence conducted by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) at approximately 30 security posts near the Bangladeshi border. Ever since, allegations have arisen of escalating violence and tensions between the Rohingya Muslim minority population and the Burmese government

and security forces. In 2018, a U.N. operation alleged that military offensives orchestrated by the Tatmadaw following the ARSA attack were done with “genocidal intent”. The U.N. believes that Min Aung Hlaing, the Senior General of the Myanmarese Army, alongside five other generals, should be charged with conducting “the gravest crimes under international law”. The UN claims it also has further evidence of wide-scale human rights violations in Myanmar against the Rohingya population since August 25th, 2017, including proof of infanticide, gang rape and extrajudicial killings. According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, these atrocities are a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”. Amnesty International also allege that the Burmese government and the Tatmadaw have been complicit in crimes against humanity, breaking international law. It claims that Rakhine State has been “plunged into crisis” following the security forces “[unleashing] a campaign of violence” against the Rohingya Muslim ethnic minority. Amnesty International state that in August 2017, the Burmese military coordinated with the Border Guard Police and local vigilantes to kill Rohingya men, women and children, to torture women and girls through rape and sexual violence, to burn villages and to lay landmines. Human Rights Watch echoes these allegations, emphasising how the Burmese government’s actions have denied the Rohingya popula-

tion of citizenship and instead they have faced decades of repression and discrimination. It calls the Rohingya Muslim population one of “the largest stateless populations in the world”. The Burmese government says these allegations are exaggerations however, and whilst Hlaing admits “a number of security men may have been involved” in violence against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, the accusations are illegitimate. According to Southeast Asia and Pacific Director of Amnesty International, Nicholas Bequelin, this new probe is “another bad faith manoeuvre” and comes shortly after a previous investigation in 2017 which absolved the security forces of any responsibility for Rohingya persecution. Bequelin states that the military

“has shown no sign of reform” and believing that they could investigate themselves and ensure justice and accountability is “dangerous and delusional”. Whether these allegations of genocide and ethnic cleansing are accurate or not, it is evident that the Rohingya Muslims living in Rakhine State have been facing a persecution of sorts, clear through the hundreds of thousands of refugees seeking safety in neighbouring Bangladesh. However, Bangladeshi authorities recently announced they cannot accommodate any more Rohingya refugees coming from Myanmar. We can only hope tensions diminish and this population can find safety in Rakhine State soon.

Rohingya conflit: Persecution of Rohingya Muslims has been ongoing in Myanmar since at least 2016. Source: Wikipedia

Trump administration allegedly attempts to water down global agreements on women’s rights

A senior advisor for women’s empowerment claims the administration’s insistence to alter the gendered language of official documents is anti-woman

by Badara Jeng

arch 11th marked the beginning of the two weeklong UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). As per the draft documents acquired by the Guardian, the United States’ refusal to reaffirm their support for the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action agreement is being seen as a significant threat to international agreements on women’s rights. Shannon Kowalski, Director of Advocacy and Policy at the International Women’s Health Coalition, explains: “One of the first things they have tried to do is block the reaffirmation of Beijing and subsequent documents… trying to downplay the political importance of this document as setting out the vision for women’s human rights.” Despite the Beijing agreement being non-binding and therefore unenforceable upon any of the 189 countries that have willingly adopted it, the agreement is still viewed and treated as the blueprint for global

women’s rights. The agreement specifically tackles 12 key areas pertaining to women, ranging from fighting against female genital mutilation to promoting more equitable representation of women in mainstream media. The United States’ huge influence on the world stage has made people like Muadi Mukenge, Chief of Development and External Relations at reproductive health NGO, Ipas, fear that the decision to back away from this agreement could “set a precedent.” Muadi also highlights that there are a number of states that have been quite “hostile to the consensus they agreed previously” and therefore to have one of the most powerful nations in the world aligning with countries such as Russia on this issue is all the more worrying. This shift in US policy isn’t all that surprising as under the Trump administration, US negotiators have found themselves aligning with nations such as Iran and Saudi Arabia on a number of issues. This is significant because these

are countries that have consistently fought against agreements supporting women’s rights and issues around their reproductive health.

The US refusal to reaffirm their support for the 1955 Beijing Declaration is seen threatening women’s rights The delegations that are sent to these UN Committees on women’s issues have changed under the Trump administration, reflecting an overarching policy change at the Oval Office. One of the US delegates to the CSW this year, Valerie Huber, senior policy advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services,

is an advocate of abstinence-only sex education. She was accompanied by Bethany Kozma, senior advisor for women’s empowerment at the US Agency for International Development, who also happens to be an antichoice activist. In response, Shannon Kowalski stated that: “They [the US] are coming into the negotiations in a way that is very aggressive and that advances an anti-gender, anti-woman position from the very start.” She continued: “Similarly, in 2018, the US pushed to change the language used in documents in front of the United Nations Human Rights Committee.” In response to these allegations, a US official stated that the Trump administration “is against discrimination of any kind” and is “unwavering in its support for women’s empowerment.” They also added: “As the world’s largest bilateral donor to global health programs, the United States remains committed to helping women and children thrive, particularly in countries where the need is greatest.”

MPs oppose to Facebook’s ‘‘online wild west’’

Source: Stock Catalog (via Flickr)

by Maisie Marston

ocial media companies currently operate in what has been dubbed “an online wild west” by Chris Elmore MP, a lawless sphere without any regulation and accountability. With MPs even suggesting social media could be classed as a disease, they have suggested a series of new precautions to protect children and young people from the dangers associated with social media. In the same way that MPs want companies like Facebook to take responsibility for disinformation or ‘fake news,’ they now demand change in the way the industry seeks to protect children and young people who use their sites. This comes as no surprise after the discovery of the distressing social media accounts of 14 year old Molly Russell, a young teen who took her own life. After seeing the distressing material exposed to his daughter online, Molly’s father said that he had “no doubt that Instagram helped kill [his] daughter”. Whilst the report published by the Royal Society for Public Health accepts that there is still not much strong scientific evidence linking the use of social media and mental health problems in young people, it is clear that social media has been used to publicise and glamourise methods of self harm and suicide. Action has already been taken to ensure children are safe and healthy by the UK’s chief medical officers. In February they recommended a series of steps for parents including keeping devices out of the bedroom at bedtime and encouraging parents to police their own use of devices. More recently, in the Royal Society for Public Health’s report, recommendations have included a suggested tax of 0.5% on social media companies’ profits in order to create a Social Media Health Alliance. This alliance would fund research in order to fund research and produce better guidance for the public, reviewing the “growing evidence on the impact of social media on health and wellbeing”. Within the next few weeks, the government is expected to publish its own proposals in a White Paper from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. These will be informed by the inquiry carried out by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Social Media and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing. Whereas previously social media companies have regulated their users by limply insisting on a 13+ age limit, they could now be forced to police their younger populations much more rigorously or face legal consequences.

CYNGOR

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by Rosa Burston

Making veganism easy

here is no correct way to go vegan. Some make the change overnight after viewing footage of farming standards and practices, seeing a climate change documentary or learning about the scary effects of animal products on their health. Some gradually cut out animal products, slowly accumulating plant-based recipes and discovering that veganism is not what they expected. Most people are somewhere in-between. The thing they all have in common is compassion – whether for the animals, the planet or themselves – and that’s all you need to get started. The first thing I would say is go at your own pace and don’t aim to be perfect straight away. Addicted to cheese? That’s okay, start by switching from dairy yoghurt to soya caramel, vanilla, chocolate or fruity yoghurt and keep enjoying your cheddar sandwich for a while. Can’t imagine a morning without eggs? Ditch the dairy first and phase out eggs over time. Make small, sustainable changes which you’ll stick to and ease yourself into veganism. Alternatively, if you would rather go vegan immediately – go for it. You do not have to be a tofu-eating avocado snob to be a vegan; you just have to check ingredients as you buy cruelty-free versions of the foods you currently love. Do not beat yourself up for slip-ups and mistakes, they happen to everyone. You have chosen to value the lives of others above your own momentary satisfaction – the implications of this

for the oat milk instead (Cadburys and Galaxy hot choc powders are both vegan though). If you are eyeing up steak on the menu, think about the water and land which has been used to produce it, the CO2 emissions, the slaughter of the cow and the growth hormones you would be ingesting. Stroke your dog and question why his life matters more than the crying calf which became your burger. Suddenly, giving up animal products seems a very minor sacrifice in comparison to the horrific lives of farmed animals. It is easier to stay committed to veganism if you remember why you chose it in the first place.

Showing compassion through going vegan. Source : Brooke Lark (via Unsplash) are huge and are not diminished by a one-off mistake. Another thing to always keep in mind is that veganism does not mean deprivation. Try not to view the changes you are making as restrictions – it’s just altering your diet to reflect your morals and beliefs. There is a vegan version of everything these days, and you often can’t even tell the difference. You can indulge as much as you want; I would choose a mac ‘n’ cheese over kale any day. Lots of transitioning vegans worry about vitamins and protein, which is under-

standable considering the millions of pounds invested by meat and dairy farmers to convince us that cooked flesh and pus-filled milk are healthy. In fact, every vitamin required by humans is found in plants (B12 may need supplementation but most omnivores are deficient too). Albumin protein levels in vegans are no different to omnivores on average. It helps some people to focus on connecting their food to where it came from. If you’re craving hot chocolate, think about the suffering and pain which dairy cows endure and reach

Swap out boring dishes for a more exciting diet

Ashavari Baral Katie Lewis Columnist Sam Saunders

Veganism is not a massive scary change requiring an iron will and exotic foods. Explore it, learn about it and give it a go. Do not let the preachy vegans get you down – most of us are supportive, non-judgemental, donutloving people ready to challenge stereotypes and help people make changes. If the idea of veganism is still daunting, bake some Biscoff brownies and treat yourself to a Deliveroo Greazy Vegan – that should quell any doubts.

International food cooking guide by Imogen Smith

Your advice desk

It helps some people to focus on connecting their food to where it came from.

o quote a Disney favourite, Ratatouille, ‘anyone can cook’. More like, anyone can cook with a recipe in front of them. It can be tedious making the same things all the time and so a little international inspiration goes a long way in making cooking more enjoyable. Despite loving a good cookbook (LEON Fast Foods is a favourite), I often find recipes online on sites such as bbcgoodfood.com and deliciouseveryday.com. It also doesn’t hurt to have a healthy looking spice rack. The first dish I think you should try cooking is fried garlic, mushrooms and chorizo. This combo is pretty much the only way I can eat mushrooms, as usually, it’s an avoid at-all-cost situation for me. It can be eaten as tapas, with rice, or with pasta and red pesto, but personally, I think it’s best on buttery toast with poached or fried egg as a pretentious but easy Spanish inspired breakfast/ brunch. First, melt a generous 1 tbs of butter in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Second, add 1 chopped clove of garlic. Gently fry for about 1 minute. Lastly, add 6+ thickly sliced mushrooms and about 6 slices of chorizo shredded or chopped up. Cook until the mushrooms look done, roughly 5 minutes. And you’re done. It’s that

You won’t know until you try: Spice up your diet and experience new flavours. Source: Max Delsid (via Unsplash) easy. If you’re able to get hold of some proper chorizo sausages, dice 1 or 2 into 1cm cubes and add to the frying pan for roughly 5 minutes before adding the garlic and mushrooms. Lentil dahl is cheap, cheerful and one of my favourite Indian meals to cook. First of all, it’s delicious. Also, once you’ve bought all the dry ingredients you can make it again and again without really spending any money. You can customise it to how you like and if you’re missing a cou-

ple of the more obscure ingredients it doesn’t make too much of a difference. The recipe probably makes about 5 portions and keeps really well in the fridge or freezer as well as miraculously tasting better over time. Plus it’s healthy, vegan and gluten-free. First, You’ll need to heat up about 2 tbs of olive/coconut oil in a large pot on medium heat. Then add 1 diced onion and tomato, some grated ginger, 1 chopped red chilli (add more if you can handle the heat), and

if you’ve got fresh coriander; chop up a handful of the stalks and throw them in there. Add some salt and cook for around 5 minutes until onions are soft and golden. Then, add 2 tsp of ground cumin and 1 tsp each of mustard seeds, coriander, cinnamon and turmeric (also a few curry leaves are a nice touch). Add 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic. Cook until it smells really good- some would say fragrant. Next, add 1½ cups of red lentils, about a litre of vegetable stock (add more if it starts looking a little dry later on) and a tin of coconut milk. Let it start to bubble and then reduce the heat. Then let it simmer for roughly 25 minutes until creamy- which happens when the lentils start to break down. Finally, you want to put in some salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste and top with some of that fresh coriander if you have it. Serve with rice or naan bread and you have yourself a meal. If reading these recipes has left you feeling adventurous, I would suggest googling some of these dishes: Shakshuka- eggs poached in chilli and tomato sauce, Saag Paneer/Dhansak- both delicious Indian dishes, Curried Sweet Potato Soup, Chicken Paprikash- comfort food in the form of Hungarian stew or Fish en Papillote- it sounds fancy but it just means ‘in a bag’.

CYNGOR

Battling an eating disorder

Disclaimer: This is a triggering personal experience, please read with care

Try not to use food as a coping mechanism. Source : Volkan Olmez (via Unplash) by Angharad May

here are not enough negative superlatives in all the languages of all the universe to describe the tormenting hell that is an eating disorder. With an intrinsically complex nature and comorbidity with other illnesses, eating disorders do not discriminate. In the UK alone, around 1.25 million people have some form of eating disorder. This number is, lamentably, a staggering underestimation, with many sufferers battling alone, terrified and thriving on secrecy. This may be you, so it is important that you know this: you are worthy, you are cared for, you are resilient, and you deserve support to lead a rewarding life.

In the abysmal depths of anorexia, I would talk openly about my illness, even appearing in a Channel 4 mental health documentary. However, this is something I now seldom do, for a plethora of reasons. The disordered conglomeration of glamorisation, stigmatisation, misunderstanding, sensationalisation and self-fulfillingprophetisation will never equate to a successful recovery story, and this dark, grim world was something I wanted nothing to be part of. In a bid to refuse to give anorexia any more power than it already possessed over my life, I actively made the decision to take a back-seat from talking publicly about my illnesses, metaphorically divorcing myself from a relationship that incessantly led me to

death’s door. Instead, I poured all my energy into learning how to be alive. Eating disorders are severe mental illnesses involving disordered eating behaviours with serious psychological and physical consequences. Ludicrous as it sounds, they are rarely about food, but food-related behaviours are used as a copingmechanism. In my case, restricting intake and following irrational rules is a form of self-punishment, for others it is a form of control. As a result of suicide figures as well as fatal medical complications, anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate amongst all psychiatric illnesses, but it has acquired a high profile which unhelpfully overshadows other eating disorders.Eating disorders are mental illnesses and cannot be judged solely by physical criteria. Yes, some people with anorexia look emaciated, however, the majority of people with an eating disorder fall into the category of OSFED (“other specified feeding or eating disorder”). Sufferers of binge eating disorder may appear overweight; those with bulimia or diabulimia may be within a normal range; and those with orthorexia may appear the epitome of health, but all cases can be extremely unhealthy, mentally and physically. All eating disorders are equally devastating and severely affect the life of the sufferer as well as those around them. However, stigma, ignorance and misunderstanding have led to the unspoken formation of a harrowing hierarchy where anorexia has seemingly become something to strive towards in a world where anything less than skeletal is simply

not good enough. Even within the health service, many people who are undeniably extremely unwell are unable to access support due to not meeting ludicrous weight criteria. To be diagnosed with anorexia, one’s weight must be at least 15% below expected, or BMI of less than 17.5. Paradoxically, if one’s weight is above a certain BMI, sufferers will then be refused psychological treatments, which is one of the reasons why early intervention is key, hence I urge you to urgently seek help if this article at all resonates with you. You may not realise you have a problem, or struggle to admit you need help, but asking for support will be one of the bravest plunges you will ever take. Beat is the UK’s eating disorders charity and suggests that talking to your GP should be the first port of call, making a double appointment, having someone supportive to accompany you and writing everything down beforehand. Your GP should refer you to appropriate services for specialised treatment. Having been unwell for at least fourteen years, with over a decade dancing the hokey-cokey in-and-out of hospitals, I now have support to manage this lifelong battle from a specialised high-risk eating disorders team as

well as my incredible family, close friends and inspirational tutors. Although there is a long road ahead, I am more well than I have ever been and no longer feel hypocritical offering advice on eating disorders,

1.25 million people

have some form of eating disorder in the UK because day-in-day-out, I am striving to be the best I can be. I am not ‘an anorexic’, I am a student battling anorexia who refuses to be identified as a mere label. I am neither vainglorious nor manipulative, I am a warrior who has been extricated from the brink of death umpteen times. I am not obsequious nor weak, I am a young woman who refused to give up, now able to see the wonders of the world, ready to explore the adventure that is life. Anyone who is strong enough to succumb to the wrath of an eating disorder, is strong enough achieve recovery. Find what you love, focus on what makes you feel alive and do not ever look back.

Helpful resources: Call the Studentline on 0808 801 0811 or email studentline@beateatingdisorders.org.uk or visit https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk

Best student meals without breaking the bank Save your money without missing out on great food

by Hannah Penwright

t’s all too easy to fall into bad habits when it comes to buying food at university, but it’s never too late to make some quick changes to help keep that impending overdraft out of sight for a little longer. Eating in is always a good place to start, especially if you try and cook at least one bulk meal from scratch a week. One way to cut costs is to reduce your reliance on meat for protein. Try swapping half of the mince in your spaghetti bolognese with lentils to make it go further. As soon as you let food go off, that’s money straight down the drain, so keep an eye on what needs using up. If you’re stuck with loads of milk that isn’t going to last much longer, make a batch of cheese sauce and put it in the freezer for a quick macaroni cheese. Or, if the food can be frozen, put it straight in there! Store foods in reusable food bags rather than boxes so you can fit in as many as possible. Try and remember to get food out to defrost for lunch or dinner in the morning so you aren’t tempted to grab something expensive on your way home.

When shopping, avoid the snack aisles completely. If you don’t go down them, you won’t even have to look at the foods that aren’t a necessity. But you can treat yourself from time to time. Either bake something, or buy a multipack of crisps or biscuits and limit yourself so you don’t eat them all at once. And don’t forget to plan! You don’t need to know exactly what you’re going to eat for every meal for the next week, but have a rough idea so you know you’ve got enough food until the next shop. If you really fancy a meal out but can’t justify the cost, why not do it at home instead? The best parts of going out are the great food and company, so invite your friends round and cook something fancy. Ask them to bring a part of the meal like the drink or dessert, and for the main, make something that sounds impressive but won’t break the bank. Roasted butternut squash risotto, for example, is a cheap, easy crowd pleaser. If you do eat out, there are ways to cut costs and still have a great time. To save money on drinks, don’t be

Practice being frugal: Eating well doesn’t have to empty your pocket. Source: Kelsey Chance (via Unsplash) afraid to ask for tap water. It’s an easy way to cut down the bill and remember- you’re doing both your body and your wallet some good! Try and dine out on from Sunday-Thursday,

as this is when a lot of restaurants have the best student discounts. If you can’t help but eat something sweet at the end of a meal, skip the overpriced and often tiny restaurant

desserts and head to a local supermarket for something that’ll cost you around a third of the price- and will often give you more than one portion too.

COLUMN

Saunders’

Corner

Sam Saunders

Vegetarianism, Veganism and Me

ow, this isn’t going to be a tirade against Vegans and Vegetarians, they’re lovely for the most part. I can’t fault their life choices or their sometimes-selfless decision to forgo eating meat/animal products to save lives or the planet. Modern farming methods, as well as our increased knowledge of what our diets can do to the Earth are key factors in why so many people make these life choices, and it’s something that I myself have often wrestled with. I’ve written before about how I have recently tried to eat less meat, but what I want to explain to you all here is my personal dilemmas around being vegan or vegetarian, why I find the ideas very noble, but ultimately very difficult to consider putting into practice, and why I think it’s incredibly difficult to blame any of our generation who don’t choose to change their diets. First things first, I love food. That’s not to say I’m a foodie, who will search out the best restaurants and the most out-there places, but I do love finding new types of food that are delicious. As well as this, and I’ll get it out of the way early-on, I like eating meat. And cheese. And drinking milk. They’re great, an English breakfast doesn’t feel complete without bacon or a sausage, and even if I were vegetarian, a Christmas or roast dinner would still be incredibly difficult to ignore. Did I mention cheese? It’s amazing. There are so many different varieties, you can have it on pretty much anything and there aren’t too many dishes I could name that wouldn’t be improved by adding

cheese to them. In France last year it was just another world, as I’ve already described in these pages. Raclette, fondue and tartiflette will be amongst my favourite dishes for the rest of my life. Milk, and all the various forms that we’ve made it in to over the years; butter, yogurt and cream, to name but a few, also feels like an essential part of my food life, I mean, I’m drinking a cup of tea with cow’s milk in as I write this. What I’m trying to illustrate is that I use all of these things pretty much every day, and it’s as much because they’re nice and I like them as it is because that’s what I’ve always done, or what my Mum and Dad do or did. Or at least, it used to be, because recently, I’ve been feeling guilty about my food choices, and wondering if it behooves me to change the way that

I highly doubt that anyone in the UK wants to actually see an animal suffer during its life I see our relationship with animals or not. If you’re someone who has already changed their diet, you might be thinking to yourself, ‘Duh! Has this guy been living under a rock for the last few years?’, unless, that is, you haven’t already turned over after my vivid animal product descriptions. And if you’re someone who still eats

meat and is completely unconcerned with change, I may have caused you to spit out that cup of tea you were drinking. These thoughts have been troubling me since I’ve been at university really, which I think is because in my leafy middle-class grammar school life in Kent, there wasn’t really ever a challenge to eating meat, apart from a few people who were vegans. As I said, my Mum is staunchly against veganism and vegetarianism, frequently asking, ‘what would you eat?’ Her concerns focus mainly on a lack of variety than animal welfare. It was only when I came to Cardiff, met a wider range of people and started reading around the issues that our diets can cause for our planet that I sat up and took notice. I think this was for two main reasons. The first, which I’ve already alluded to, is the environmental cost of raising animals for slaughter, which is huge. I’ve already written a column which mentioned these costs, so I won’t repeat that point here, but the fact remains that raising animals requires a huge amount of water, agricultural land that could be used for crops, agricultural land that could be used to produce to feed humans instead used for soy production for animal feed, deforestation in South America to raise cattle and grow soy… The list is actually almost endless, and I didn’t even mention greenhouse gas emissions and concerns over environmental damage caused by fertilisers. Even worse news for me, raising cows is by far the most environmentally harmful activity, which wouldn’t exactly

Images: Debates about eating meat and dairy are rife in the UK (Credits: Left (Peter O’Connor aka anemoneprojectors via Flickr), Above (Rebecca Siegel via Flickr) make me feel any better for giving up I for one wouldn’t want our food meat and still consuming products market being flooded with American made with cow’s milk. chlorinated chicken. As a student, I The other reason, and it’s a big can’t really afford to buy free-range one, is animal welfare. I’ve seen everything, but I stick to that with many stories that have commented eggs and I have rarely bought meat on the shocking conditions that fac- that is not at least red tractor astory farmed chickens have lived in sured. As I mentioned in my previbefore being slaughtered, and I don’t ous article, I’ve also been trying to condone this at all. I highly doubt eat less red meat and meat in genthat anyone in the UK wants to ac- eral, which is partly due to the entually see an animal suffer during its vironmental damage that the meat life. Of course, slaughter will always industry causes, as well as my conbe a time when this occurs, but I cerns about animal welfare. It’s not don’t want to see a chicken or a pig the biggest step, I know, but I think in a space so tight that it can’t move. it’s an important one. My reluctance at the very thought It is difficult to know what sort of environment an animal was raised in. of giving up milk, cheese or meat is Red Tractor Assured Food Standards mostly due to the feeling that these are all home comforts and habits. I’ve always eaten these foods, and I associate them with happy childhood memories, dinner with my family, meals on family holidays, even just my Mum’s roast, which is the undisputed best in the world (as everyone’s is). It’s for this reason that this issue isn’t as black and white as diet change. What scientists are actually asking us to do when they propose the ‘planetary health diet’ is to change and other labels do give some assur- our culture too, as food is interances of conditions, but it can be of linked with culture in so many ways. little comfort when there’s no expla- I mean, most national dishes contain nation on the packet. products that damage the environThe Red Tractor website does set ment, particularly in Western Euout some facts about their farms that rope. I can’t say that it’s responsible reassure me, but it’s still a troubling to continue consuming as we have done for the rest of time, as there’ll thought. At least with this certification be no Earth left if we do, but I do consumers know that the food was think we need to recognise that diet produced/raised in the United King- change on a huge scale will involve dom, where food standards are high. much more than just a choice of for-

I for one wouldn’t want our food market being flooded with American chlorinated chicken

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Hundreds of thousands of students march in global climate strikes

The message from Downing Street was clear, ‘it’s your problem, not ours’

Inspirational: As Greta Thunberg said, we “must speak out in clear language, no matter how uncomfortable and unprofitable that may be”. Source: Pixabay (GoranH)

To contact our science desk, drop us an email at science@gairrhydd.com

SCIENCE

by Maisie Marston

Your science desk Danny Brown Jonathan Learmont

fter the first UK wide climate strikes on the 15th February, students were met with contempt. A statement from Downing Street was subsequently released which read; “It is important to emphasise that disruption increases teachers’ workloads and wastes lesson time that teachers have carefully prepared for… time is crucial for young people, precisely so that they can develop into the top scientists, engineers and advocates we need to help tackle this problem”, it was clear the message was ‘it’s your problem, not ours’. Activists like Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teen behind the ‘Fridays For Future’ protests, are acting uncompromisingly on the issue of climate change. Despite the 2015 United Nations Paris Agreement, where an agreement was made to keep global warming at “well below” two degrees Celsius, the current projection is that the planet will heat up by at least four by as early as the 2060s. The message shared by Greta, and many young activists alike, is that “our house is on fire” and whilst we as individuals do what we can to

14 million 2,200 128

More than students, from over towns and cities in countries took part in the strikes on Friday 15th March. (The Guardian)

reduce our carbon footprints, pressure has to be put on those with power and influence; “the bigger your platform, the bigger your responsibility”.

“The bigger your platform, the bigger your responsibility” As the inaction from governments have continued despite the strikes, with hundreds of thousands of students left classrooms again on 15 March. Over 2,000 cities saw these protests, from 123 countries including Uganda, New Zealand, and South Korea. Campaigners claim that around 1.4 million people took part. In the UK in particular, many protesting students are demanding the voting age be lowered to 16 in order to give them a say in decision-making on the topic. Scientists have agreed that tougher Ocean surface water acidity has increased by about since the beginning of the industrial revolution. A rate of change about faster than any time in the last years. (Coast Adapt)

30%

10x 55 million

measures are necessary to cut global warming, saying that it is the final call to solve the problem. In order to reach the targets which are set out by the Paris Agreement, there will need to be “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society”. The necessary changes include a rapid 45% decrease in CO2 emissions by 2030 from the levels recorded in 2010 levels; an increase in the use of renewable energy has to 85% of global electricity by 2050; a reduction of the use of coal to zero; the reservation of seven million sq. km for energy crops; and global net emissions should reduce to zero by 2050. It will be expensive, and scientists often struggle to make progress and balance the concern for the environment with politicians’ concerns of economics and living standards. On this topic, the message of student protesters is clear. As Greta said, we “must speak out in clear language, no matter how uncomfortable and unprofitable that may be.” The response from some politicians because of the recent strikes has similar sentiment to the statement issued by Downing Street in February. Aus-

tralian politician Rob Stokes, the New South Wales Minister for Education, said that anybody who wasn’t going to turn up to school would be punished and that they needed to stay in classes as “you can’t strike if you don’t have a job”. Greta Thunberg hit back that the statement “belongs in a museum”. Other politicians like Leo Varadkar, Prime Minister of Ireland, have welcomed the protests despite being aimed at insufficient government action. He said that he supported the students as they are “telling all the adults in all parties to get our act together and to do more about climate change because it is their future that is in jeopardy”. Advice from the Committee on Climate Change is due to be published in May. It will propose a national target for reaching the goal of zero emissions which are to be implemented into law. Climate activists and scientists are hoping that politicians act promptly on their guidance to curb the effects of climate change. At the current rate of progress, it’s probably safe to assume we will see more School Strikes for Climate soon.

UK households at risk of flooding, due to higher sea levels, will increase to more than in the (FriendsOfTheEarth)

4 out of 5 Europeans are

970,000

2020s.

currently exposed to heat waves, flooding or rising sea levels. (European Commission)

Pi smashing world record

by Sam Tilley

he concept of pi has enthralled scientists, mathematicians and astronomers since it was first uncovered. Whilst the first attempts at unravelling the mystery of circles date back to Ancient Egyptian times, Google employee Emma Haruka Iwao has calculated the figure to 31.4 trillion digits; largely thanks to the Google Cloud computing service. The previous world record, a mere 22 trillion digits, was calculated by Peter Trueb in 2016. The value of pi is calculated by taking the circumference of any given circle and dividing it by its diameter. Pi is used across the word in fields as diverse as space exploration and

supercomputing as the value can be taken to represent any one of waves, cylinders and circles. The record, certified by Guinness World Records, was calculated thanks to the program ‘y-cruncher’; one of a growing number of supercomputers that have been custom-made to calculate as many digits as possible. The Chudnovky algorithm, most used algorithm for calculating pi, is so complex that it becomes increasingly expensive to calculate more and more digits. In addition to this, the longer the calculations take, the more prone the computer is to crashes or hardware failure. Iwao has already stated that she hopes to break her own record and stated, quite correctly, that “there is no end to pi.”

Record Breaking: Google employee Emma Haruka Iwao has calculated the figure to 31.4 trillion digits. Source: Max Pixel

GWYDDONIAETH 25

Travelling for festivals in Stone Age Britain

Isotope analysis shows people moved livestock hundreds of miles by Makenzie Katz

ecently, archaeologists carried out an excavation that led to the discovery of the earliest

Chemical signals from bones were used to find their origin mass-held festivities in Britain. Dr Richard Madgwick of Cardiff University’s School of History, Archaeology and Religion; who led the investigation, stated: “This study demonstrates a scale of movement and level of complexity not previously appreciated.” Madgwick conducted an extensive analysis of 131 different pig bones from four complexes built during the Late Neolithic period, approximately between 3000 and 2500BC. These included the world-renowned monuments Stonehenge and Avebury, which attracted people from regions in Scotland, North East England and West Wales. Pigs were a primary food source

Surprising: Pig bones from across the country were found at ancient ritual sites. Source: Wikimedia Commons at these festivities; thus, researchers concluded that it must have been a tradition for attendees of the ceremony to bring local animals with them as contributions to the fete. This in turn, made pigs a viable indicator when tracing where people ventured from for these feasts. Results were gathered through isotope analysis; used to identify

the chemical signals transmitted by the ingredients digested by animals. This method is beneficial, as it has allowed researchers to ascertain the geographical locations where the pigs were brought up. Dr Madgwick declared that he was most perplexed by “the efforts that the participants invested in transporting the pigs across the country.”

Napping each day keeps high blood pressure away

Study suggests the extra sleep is as effective as cutting alcohol intake by Makenzie Katz

n recent research presented by the American College of Cardiology at their 68th Annual Scien-

tific Session, it has been determined that taking part in the daily, Spanish siesta seems to positively impact blood pressure.

Manolis Kallistratos, MD, cardiologist at Asklepieion General Hospital in Voula, Greece and co-author of this investigation, stated: “Midday sleep appears to lower blood pressure levels at the same magnitude as other lifestyle changes” and followed this with the example of “salt and alcohol reduction [which] can bring blood pressure levels down by 3 to 5 mm Hg.”

Even a small reduction can lower heart attack risk by 10 percent

Beneficial: Napping can provide blood pressure reduction similar to some medication. Source: Xiaobin Liu (via flickr)

It has been ascertained that taking a nap during the day results in a 5 mm Hg drop on average in blood pressure, and for every 60 minutes taken for an afternoon snooze the 24-hour systolic blood pressure

would then decrease by 3 mm Hg. Kallistratos further explains the necessity of taking a nap by stating that: “These findings are important because a drop in blood pressure as small as 2 mm Hg can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack by up to 10 percent.” She has also determined that “If someone has the luxury to take a nap during the day, it may also have benefits for high blood pressure. Napping can be easily adopted and typically doesn’t cost anything.” This investigation is the first of its kind to prospectively assess the impact of an afternoon’s rest. It involved 212 participants with a collective average of 129.9 mm Hg as their median blood pressure. They were all roughly 62 years old and just over half were female. The researchers involved assessed and recorded the participants’ blood pressure for 24 hours sequentially, including midday sleep length (an average of 49 minutes), lifestyle routine (workout methods/levels, alcohol consumption, coffee and salt in-

take), and pulse wave velocity. The members of the study were made to wear an ambulatory blood pressure monitor which was used to follow blood pressure rates at cer-

A nap lowers levels as much as alcohol and salt reduction tain intervals throughout the day. Based off this data collection, people who made time to rest during the day had improved blood pressure readings. Kallistratos concludes with the statement, “We obviously don’t want to encourage people to sleep for hours on end during the day, but on the other hand, they shouldn’t feel guilty if they can take a short nap, given the potential health benefits.”

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Marshman defeats Phillips in 'The Battle of Wales'

The Abertilley fighter edged out his compatriot in the first all-Welsh clash in UFC history by John Jones

here were jubilant scenes on one side of the octagon last Saturday night, as Jack Marshman defeated fellow Welshman John Phillips at UFC London, held at the O2 Arena. The clash, dubbed ‘The Battle of Wales’ by fans, was a hugely competitive contest, however, and Marshman’s triumph only came courtesy of a split decision, scoring 28-29, 2928, 29-28 to clinch victory. Both men went into the fight desperate for a win, having both lost their last two matches, but it was Marshman who appeared to struggle most in the build-up. Despite his best efforts, the fighter from Abertilley missed the accepted weight by 2lbs, forcing the match to be made at a catchweight of 188lbs, and for him to forfeit 20% of his purse to Phillips. Moreover, Marshman, who serves full-time as a Paratrooper, said postmatch that he had “packed [his] bags and run away” from the Army to fight on Saturday night, despite their disapproval. Such distractions perhaps explain Marshman’s shaky opening round performance, in which he was dropped to the canvas in front of a

raucous 16,000-strong crowd. From the off, Phillips appeared dominant, waiting carefully for the right time to punch, before landing two trademark big punches within the space of a minute, with the second catching Marshman in the jaw, and sending him sprawling to the floor. In a seemingly bizarre turn, however, Phillips held back from taking advantage of his stricken opponent, instead bowing before Marshman, and signalling for him to get back to his feet. An intriguing display of respect and showmanship certainly, but, with the benefit of hindsight, this was a missed opportunity for the Swansea fighter to perhaps end the fight within two minutes. Having been rattled by Phillips’ early onslaught, Marshman – nicknamed ‘The Hammer’ – got himself back into the fight before the end of the first round, utilising his fast hands to momentarily stun his opponent with a neat combination. After a cautious start to the second round, however, Marshman got himself back on top, patiently testing his range with probing kicks and punches, before unleashing a thumping kick to Phillips’ mid-section, flooring him in the process.

Shaken, ‘The Welsh Wrecking Machine’ Phillips attempted to change the pace of the fight, making it a far more technical than physical affair, stalking Marshman and waiting to unleash another big right hand. However, Marshman read this well, and increased his movement around the octagon as the fight reached the third round, successfully landing some clinical counterstrikes. In a comparatively tentative and upright contest, Marshman’s tactical savviness was ultimately enough to see him earn the split-decision victory and, with it, national bragging rights. "I think I got hit in the first round and so I adjusted” Marshman said after the fight. "I boxed well, I avoided his shots and landed ones on him, I didn’t hit him big but you’re not going to stand there and trade shots with such a big striker like John”. "I didn’t stick to the game plan completely in the first round so I adjusted in the second and third”. "I don’t think I got hit in the second round, I don’t really have a mark on me”. With this victory maintaining Marshman’s place in the UFC, the 29-year-old is already looking to the

future, and is looking to leave the Army in November to focus on his MMA career. "I am fighting at the highest level possible in MMA but I am doing it as a full-time paratrooper, that is my job, that is my profession” he said. “MMA is my hobby”. "Full-time training will make a big difference – I haven’t reached my 30s yet. I am learning every day”. For former BAMMA champion Phillips, however, it is a far bleaker picture, with his third consecutive loss perhaps leading him to contemplate that his career in UFC may not last much longer. Elsewhere at UFC London, the main event of the night saw Liverpool’s Darren Till suffer a shocking knockout loss – only the second of his UFC career – to the experienced

American Jorge Masvidal. Fighting for the first time since losing the welterweight title to Tyron Woodley in September, Till went into the fight as the hot favourite. However, Masvidal was quick out of the blocks, and unsettled his oppponent with a kick to the groin. Keen to exact some revenge, Till dropped Masvidal to the canvas with a solid right in an explosive opening. However, Masvidal recovered shortly, and gained momentum as the fight moved in to its second round,waiting for his time to strike. That time soon came, as an overhand left from Masvidal stunned Till, with the following devastating left hook instantly knocking him unconcious, and sending a seismic shock throughout the O2 Arena and the world of MMA.

Phillips' record

Marshman's record

Fights: 31

Wins: 21

Wins: 23

Losses: 9 (1 NC)

Losses: 8

Wins by KO/TKO: 18

Wins by KO/TKO: 13

McIlroy takes Players Championship title

A dramatic final day at TPC Sawgrass saw the Northern Irishman win by one stroke by Laura Price

ory McIlroy took this year’s Players Championship title after a tight final day at TPC Sawgrass. The Sunday was host to a dramatic finale, with 11 players within three shots of winning after the turn. It was anyone’s game, but McIlroy held his nerve throughout to finish on 16 under, and clinch a one-shot victory over Jim Furyk. A steady and largely flawless first round from McIlroy saw him finish on five under, two behind joint leaders Tommy Fleetwood and Keegan Bradley. Friday saw the Northern Irishman's best round of the Championship, as six birdies and an eagle took him to 12 under for the tournament. Now tied for the lead with Fleetwood, McIlroy had work to do over the final 36 holes. In the third round, the current world number four was slow to get going, bogeying the first two holes, but soon regained his composure to see out another steady round. He finished at two under, one shot

behind new leader Jon Rahm, who shot a stunning 64 - courtesy of seven birdies and an eagle - to leapfrog McIlroy and Fleetwood. On the final day, all the leaders started slowly bringing a cluster of players into contention. Late charges were undertaken by Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas, and Englishman Eddie Pepperell, who both holed monster putts on the 17th green to set the clubhouse lead at 14 under. McIlroy hit trouble on the fourth, struggling to a double bogey after his second shot found the water. However, despite bogeying the 14th, he recovered well on the back nine, with his bunker shot from 180 yards on the 15th, where he made birdie, the turning point for his final round. Furyk then birdied the 18th hole to cap a wonderful championship for the 48-year-old. Finishing 15 under, he set the precedent for what McIlroy had to do. With three holes to go, Fleetwood was the only player capable of catching McIlroy, but, trailing by four shots, knew that he would need to

produce something special to secure a comeback victory. The 28-year-old gave himself a chance by eagling the 16th, but his dreams of becoming the first English player to win The Players Championship were soon dashed, as his tee shot found the water on the infamous 17th. McIlroy took the lead as another birdie on the 16th edged him one shot ahead of Furyk, but the pres-

sure was on. Nevertheless, he held his nerve over the last two holes - arguably the two toughest closing holes in golf - avoiding the perilous water to secure pars on both. It was a solid close to a great tournament for McIlroy, who claimed his 15th PGA Tour win. After his best start to a season in years, finishing in the top six in his last six tournaments, he looks in

very good shape ahead of The Masters. The 29-year-old is the clear favourite with the bookmakers, after seemingly overcoming his putting woes of 2017. It will be interesting to see how he gets on at the WGC Match Play, just a week before the Masters - if his form continues, this might be the year that McIlroy overcomes Sunday at Augusta.

Perilous: The infamous 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, which McIlroy successfully overcame on his way to victory. Source: Maedi (via Flickr)

CHWARAEON

VAR discrepancies causing controversy once again

The inconsistency of VAR's usage is concerning as its presence in football continues to grow

by George Willoughby

ideo Assistant Referees are the future, there is no getting away from that. So, why is it being used so sparsely in British Football? VAR was agreed to be available in the FA Cup since the 2017-18 season where a tie between Brighton and Crystal marked its introduction. What followed in the proceeding rounds was what can only be described as a calamity. Granted, there was an expectation for a few teething problems, but there was so much confusion with a handful of incorrect decisions and even the debacle over the faulty lines. VAR was brought into football to try and eliminate mistakes, but it still does not solve the issue that officiating football matches is still very much a subjective process. But, moving on, VAR is unsurprisingly still causing controversy. The main issue this time is that it is being selectively used for specific games. The quarter-finals of the FA Cup took place over the weekend, and some highly entertaining football was overshadowed by VAR. There were two incidents deriving from the fixtures; Victor Lindelöf ’s overturned red card, and two Manchester City goals that should not have

stood. The difference? As Wolves play their football in the Premier League, VAR was present. Even though they were not the beneficiaries of the decision made, the fact that they had use of it is why it is so contentious. Victor Lindelöf was shown a red card, but the Video Assistant Referee decided to overrule Martin Atkinson’s initial decision resulting in just a yellow card for the Swedish international. Obviously, this would have complications for Manchester United as the defender would have to serve a suspension. The decision getting overturned, although some have questioned even if it should have, was nit the problem. Swansea City’s match against Manchester City is where the issue lies, as The Swans should have been in the hat for the semi-finals. An inspired first-half performance saw Graham Potter’s men race out to a 2-0 lead over the champions, but their efforts were in sadly in vein. With the score at 2-1 for the home side, Raheem Sterling went down in the area after a fair challenge from Cameron Carter-Vickers. Penalty given, and Sergio Agüero needed the back leg of keeper of Kristoffer Nordfeldt to convert from the

spot. In the 88th minute Bernado Silva crosses the ball in to an offside Agüero who headed home to clinch victory. So, these were two goals which would not have been allowed if VAR was at the game. It exacerbates the skepticism that already surrounds the use of the Video Assistant Referee. How can there be any consistency if it isn’t being used in every game? The ill-advised decision not to have it at the Liberty has subsequently resulted in Swansea being knocked out of the competition. Fans, managers and players alike are

still trying to figure out when and why VAR is used in certain situations. The most ironic thing is that there have been times where VAR has stepped in needlessly and given the wrong decision. The events that unfolded in the Swansea and Manchester City game made a mockery of the whole system. How the football governing bodies feel is not currently measurable, but the question remains, how can you bring this technology into football permanently when it is under such constant and justifiable scrutiny from several sectors of the footballing community?

Technological Change: Source: Ronnie Macdonald (Via: Flickr)

Opinion: English Champions League dominance? It's about time

by Sam Saunders

fter the all-English Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester United in 2008, four English teams qualified for the quarter-finals in the 2008/09 season. Since then, apart from Chelsea’s win in 2012 and a few final appearances, it’s been a relatively sparse European decade for Premier League teams, until now, when four English clubs have qualified for the quarter finals of Europe’s elite competition. This should not be unexpected however; it’s a mystery that it has taken so long for English clubs to stretch their muscles in Europe. As any football fan knows, the sport is not a level playing field in terms of money; in 2017/18, Deloitte’s Football Money League listed the Premier League’s ‘big six’ amongst the world’s ten richest clubs. Although Barcelona and Real Madrid still top the list, the financial dominance of the Premier League is startling, and it really does beg the question of why it’s taken a decade for it to tell. This financial dominance, which

has resulted from the hugely lucrative TV deals signed by the clubs in the top-flight, is the main reason why a ‘European Super League’ has been proposed by some of Europe’s elite clubs, particularly as the mooted idea has no relegation, thus ensuring a guaranteed revenue stream for a number of years. Part of the problem has been the loss of two of the game’s greatest managers, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, who were Champions League stalwarts. Chelsea have been in their usual boom-and-bust cycle, so it’s not surprising that consistency in Europe has eluded them, which is similar to Liverpool’s situation, as they have struggled to be consistent in the top flight, let alone the Champions League. However, this is no longer the state of play in the Premier League, as it attracts the world’s most coveted coaches and players. Guardiola, Klopp, Pochettino and Sarri are some of modern football’s most exciting managers, without mentioning that the league recently played host to Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho. Even lower down the league, the arrivals of Brendan Rogers and Ralph

Hassenhuttl at Leicester and Southampton respectively, show the attrac-

Champions: Source: Rayand (via Flickr)

tion the Premier League. The other limiting factor for English teams in Europe has been what makes the Premier League so eminently watchable, the competitive nature of the top-flight. None of the other four leading European leagues have six teams that aspire to win the title at the start of the

season, and there’s never an easy game in the league, except maybe one or two against a promoted team. It’s a factor that is also seen as the downfall of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League; that a lack of competitive games in domestic competition hurts these sides in Europe. However, this is now more of an advantage to English teams, as the competition in the league allows teams to perfect their gameplans and their attacking and defending, especially as the aforementioned TV deal has allowed these clubs to increase their squad depth. Therefore, the top teams have to be on top of their game every week to win, which stands them in good stead when competing against Europe’s best. However amazing, the progress of these sides must be taken with a pinch of salt. This will all mean nothing if the English clubs don’t progress to the semi-finals. Although there could be three Premier League teams in the semis, this achievement needs to be backed up with consistent progress and competitiveness in Europe for it to have any meaning in the long run.

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Your sport desk Reece Chambers Rosie Foley John Jones Jack Vavasour George Willoughby Laura Price sport@gairrhydd.com

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Is Alun Wyn Jones now Wales' greatest ever player?

Wales women perform well by Rosie Foley

oming into this fixture against Ireland, Wales were sat fifth on the Six Nations table. Ireland had the potential to finish third if they came away with the win, but Wales did not let that happen. Wales’ defence was phenomenal and did not let Ireland get through. The statistics and score say it all. Wales made double the amount of tackles (296) compared to Ireland (141) and came away with the win, 24-5. Ireland got the first points on the board with a try from Beibbhinn Parsons just 14 minutes in. However, Wales answered back straight away as wing Jess Kavanagh shot past the Irish defence to cross the line (18’). It was clear throughout that the Welsh pack were the dominant ones as they were making more positive carries and winning the scrums. However, a silly error from Siwan Lillipcrap meant that she was sent to the bin for a high tackle. This gave Ireland the chance to go into half time in the lead, but they did not capitalize on their advantage. Welsh defence held strong yet again. With Lillicrap back on just before half time, Wales had a line out on the Irish 22, the elsh maul was too much for the visitors to handle, which enabled captain Carys Phillips to go over the line with Lleucu George getting the conversion (37’). Leaving the score at halftime, 13-5 to Wales. Coming out for the second half it was Ireland’s time to fight back. The Irish attack tried to penetrate the Welsh defence, but they were getting nowhere. Hopes of a win for the girls in green were soon fading as the dominant Welsh pack allowed Bethan Lewis to crash over the white wash off a scrum inside the Irish 22 and George converting (69’). Welsh winger Jazz Joyce sealed the win as she sprinted down the pitch to finish the match with a bonus point try (77’). There were many outstanding performances from the welsh side. Jazz Joyce carried the ball 15 times for her team making 191 metres, more than any other player on the pitch and Alisha Butchers and Mel Cray were able to make 33 successful tackles during the match. Wales’ defence won them this match. Ireland Scrum-half Kathryn Dane made 120 passes but they still struggled to get a threatening attack. Wales No.8 Sioned Harries, who watched from the sidelines due to injury commented on how today they proved that their attack is as strong as their defence. ‘I think everyone’s been commending us on our defence throughout the campaign and it was nice to see that we are able to attack as well.’ Two back to back victories meant that Wales finished in fourth place above Ireland, only 5 points behind last years winners France. The 2019 Six Nations campaign has shown that Wales are improving and truly becoming a team that could be one to contend with in the future. This is the end of the international season for Wales but Harris believes that this winning streak should continue. 'Winning becomes a habit so hopefully it turns into one.’ There is hopes that they can follow in the men’s footsteps. Only time will tell.

The Welsh second row was a man mountain in the 2019 Six Nations by John Jones

ormidable. Talismanic. A gladiator. These were just some of the superlatives used by rugby fans and pundits alike to describe Welsh captain Alun Wyn Jones as he led his side to Grand Slam glory last weekend. Knowing that victory over Ireland would lead Wales to the most coveted accolade in Northern Hemisphere rugby, Jones never intended for the game to be anyone else’s but his. He cut a determined figure as he jogged out into the Cardiff drizzle, and rousingly belted out Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, and this passion was duly translated into his game play, throwing himself into every tackle from the off. It could have been so different, however, as, moments after George North was forced off with a wrist injury early on, Jones caught his left knee awkwardly in a collision with Cian Healey. Despite being left screaming in

pain, Jones soldiered on, and truly led by example as Wales blew prechampionship favourites Ireland away at the Principality Stadium. The stats showing that Jones made 16 tackles and 7 carries on effectively one leg are impressive in themselves, but his value lay in his enduring commitment at the breakdown, and his commanding presence that lasted until the dying seconds, even when victory was all but assured. It felt only right, then, to see Jones holding the Championship trophy aloft after a demanding 80 minutes of rugby. Being part a team that boasts the likes of Josh Navidi, Hadleigh Parkes, Jonathan Davies and Liam Williams, who all put in consistently strong performances throughout the tournament, it speaks volumes that all eyes are still placed firmly on Jones, who is one of four Welshman nominated for the Player of the Championship.

Those who have long followed Welsh rugby will know only too well what Jones can offer to a side, but may be surprised that he is continuing to do so. At 33 years of age, and 126 matches deep into his Welsh Test career, it is safe to say that his body has taken a battering during a 15 year senior career, in which the game has only got more physical, and the position of second row more demanding. And yet he keeps on going, seemingly unable to stop committing and stop winning. In terms of caps, he is joined near the top by only some very esteemed company, including Richie McCaw, Brian O’Driscoll, and former teammate Gethin Jenkins. Of course, with such a glittering career, the increasingly comparative nature of sports analysis necessitates comparison between Jones and the other greats of the Welsh game. There is not exactly a dearth of talent here, either. Mervyn Davies, Ga-

reth Edwards and J.P.R. Williams are all legends in their own right, whilst Gareth Thomas, Ryan Jones and Shane Williams are all considered heroes of the modern game. However, the tendency to decide who is truly ‘the best’ by turning to mere statistics here would overlook what makes Jones truly great. He is consistent, he is brave, and above all, he is a proud Welshman and a role model to children and adults alike. His touching gesture prior to kick-off, in which he wrapped his jacket around a shivering mascot, told you all you need to know about the real Alun Wyn Jones. Omnipresent on the field, and a thoroughly decent bloke off of it, Welsh fans have a lot to be proud of in Jones, and it is great to see him receive the praise that he so deserves. With the World Cup on the horizon, it is important to note that he is only getting better and better.

In numbers: Alun Wyn Jones' Wales career (to date) Caps

125 Forwards

rand Slam winners Rob Evans takes the number one shirt for his strong ball carrying and reliable scrummaging. Jamie George is our number two. His reliable line out delivery was a key ingredient in England's strategy. The fiery yet scintillating number three, Kyle Sinckler, makes the team for his strong ball carrying and unwavering passion. Ireland's lock James Ryan was one of very few shining lights in an inconsistent Irish side. Captain, leader, Alun Wyn. What is there to say about the man mountain? His passion and leadership was one of the most crucial components of Wales' fantastic Grand Slam winning team. Josh Navidi was a colossus for Wales throughout the tournament. 83 tackles in 5 matches tells you all you need to know. 20-year-old Tom Curry was one of the most impressive players of this year's Six Nations with a tournament-high of 86 tackles. Louis Picamoles was omnipresent for France despite an inconsistent tournament for Les Bleus.

Six Nations titles

Grand Slams

Age

Gair Rhydd's Six Nations team of the tournament 2019

Evans

Navidi

George Sinckler

Ryan

Jones (C)

Curry

Picamoles

Dupont

Russell

Parkes

Slade

May

Adams

Williams Captain: Alun Wyn Jones Coach of the tournament: Warren Gatland Player of the tournament: Hadleigh Parkes

Backs

he young French scrum half Antoine Dupont earns the number nine shirt for his ambition and creative influence in a disjointed French team. Despite performing in an inconsistent team this tournament, Finn Russell showcased his abilty to create something out of nothing, most notably in the second half of a pulsating match against England. Top try scorer Jonny May earns his place in the team after another tournament of relentless try-scoring. At 12 we have our player of the tournament, Hadleigh Parkes. His defence was equally as valuable as his attack in what was an impressive Welsh team. Despite England's underwhelming tournament, this was the coming-ofage of Slade who showed his creative flair on the international stage. That catch and subsequent try versus England single handedly gives Josh Adams a place in our team. It's difficult to picture Liam Williams having the number 15 jersey taken away any time soon. His strength under the high ball was worthy of particular recognition.

BUCS Highlights Women's fencing preparing for BUCS Final

by George Willoughby

air Rhydd has been speaking to Amy Radford of the Cardiff University Women's Fencing team about their impressive season and their cup final match against Stirling which is on the horizon. The women's team went a perfect sixfor-six in their regular season, coming away with the Western 1A title in convincing fashion. Here is what Amy had to say on their success; "There have been a few close shaves, but we've been dominant at home. The rest of the team picked up the slack and done really well, despite one or two going missing along the way. We've got quite a small team, but most of our opponents seems to dismiss us instantly". Consistency has been a very important factor to the fencing teams success, as piecing together an unbeaten season is not an easy thing to do. But, Amy highlights the importance of good camaraderie amongst the team when it comes to winning. "Banter is fundamental" - Said Radford. "Without banter there's no team spirit, and if you're going to spend eight hours every Wednesday on a minibus with these ladies you need to build up that rapport and trust with each other". As well as their success during the season, the women's team also have a cup final match against Stirling on 27

March. Preparation is key, but what is wellknown with most university teams, unwinding is also very important. "We'll just spending our nights in Yolo. We love the Students Union, and a week off with some VK's really helps us get in the mood. It can be a stressful time of the year for people, with exams looming, so letting loose a few times a week can make all the difference". Amy also recommends a dose of Tiki Fire before matches, but I would highly advise against that. If the team is to be victorious against Stirling, who play in the Scottish 1A di vision, it would cap off a remarkable season for all involved. Amy made it clear just how much that would mean. "We haven't done the league/cup double since 2016, so hopefully we can bring home some silverware for the club. We're pleased to have reached this far, and even if we don't win, it has been a season to remember. We're proud to represent the University and contribute to our overall BUCS success". As mentioned earlier in the article, a victory for the women's team would result in a completely unbeaten season. Combining that with a BUCS trophy would be a great achievement, so make sure you keep an eye out for whether the team can return to Cardiff as champions.

Unbeaten: Cardiff Women's Fencing team in training (Source: Cardiff University Fencing)

Cardiff University Futsal Team knocked out of BUCS Championships We spoke to Futsal captain Ryan Dabbs about his side's season

by Reece Chambers

utsal captain Ryan Dabbs was clearly disappointed with his side's exit from the Futsal BUCS Championships last weekend but insists that his side has had a successful season on the whole. After a second-placed finish last season, Dabbs and his side were hoping to go one better this year and lift the prestigious BUCS Championship title at St George's Park. However, the side came up short in a 2-6 defeat against the University of Nottingham last Sunday in Talybont Sports Village. In what was an important game in the BUCS Championships competition, the University of Nottingham visited Cardiff and came out as impressive winners. On the topic of last week's opponents, Dabbs was impressed with their overall quality. "I think we came up against a team who were well drilled and took their chances when they came and we didn’t... you could tell they train a lot because they were doing lots of different tactics we weren’t necessarily used to, and they’re

generally a good team," said Dabbs of the University of Nottingham's Futsal team. The defeat for the team finishes their season off rather abruptly with a quarter-final appearance and second-placed league position to their name.

For Dabbs, though, this season has been another one in which the side has overachieved "We are disappointed to not progress further but when you put it into perspective we’ve probably overachieved the last 3 season including this one," said Dabbs. "Only training once a week doesn’t help, especially when we play against teams solely futsal focussed so when you look at it like that generally we’ve done well to

finish 2nd and get a 1/4 final place." A sense of perspective is a useful tool after a disappointing exit in a cup competition, and Dabbs epitomises that very notion. His side's development over the season has not gone unnoticed and they have certainly reaped the rewards, most notably in the shape of a quarter-final appearance. As one of the Cardiff University's highest-achieving sporting teams, they will be eager to improve as a team next year in both league and cup. This proves most resonant with Dabbs who does not want to miss opportunities when the next campaign comes around at the start of next season. "Next season we will push for the league because we’ve started quite slowly the last 2 years. I don’t think Sunday will be thought of all that much, because most of us were thinking of getting to the final like we did last year. Having reached the final of the BUCS Futsal Championship in the last two

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consecutive years, the Futsal team will be looking to make up for this season's quarter-final defeat with a challenge for the title next season.

"It's disappointing but it'll still gives us some more experience to take away for next year"

The defeat is the end of a long season for the Futsal team. After 10 league matches, Dabbs' side finished with an impressive six wins, three draws and one loss. Nevertheless, a large portion of the Futsal team play in Cardiff University Football team. And, with Cardiff hosting Varsity in a matter of weeks, many of the players will be looking to defeat their fierce rivals Swansea on April 10.

Your sport desk Reece Chambers Rosie Foley John Jones Jack Vavasour George Willoughby Laura Price sport@gairrhydd.com

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Is Alun Wyn Jones Wales’ GOAT? - Page 30

BUCS Highlights Page 31

In action: Exeter and Cardiff reaching for the ball. Photo credit: BUCS Super Rugby (via Twitter)

CURFC narrowly lose against Exeter

Cardiff travelled to Topsham to face Exeter in their Championship Quarter Final but just missed out on a semi-final spot by Rosie Foley

here was a lot of talk leading up to this match due to the last time these teams played each-other. Cardiff won the first-half but Exeter were able to bring it back in the second. This was quite the opposite for their quarter-final match. Both teams started the game aggressively. Exeter pressured Cardiff’s defence, which showed in the three penalties given away by Cardiff in the first five minutes. Exeter were quick to get points on the board, with a try from a 5m scrum, but missed the conversion, 5-0 (13’). However, Cardiff were quick to answer back with a wide pass by flyhalf James Davies to fullback Owen Williams diving for the line, 5-5 (15’). A knock on from an Exeter player allowed Cardiff to have the scrum 30m out from their opponents try line. Cardiff cut apart their defence leading to a try from wing Marcus Ramage but no conversion, 5-10 (26’). Exeter kept the pressure up with Cardiff giving away even more penalties. Cameron Lewis was given a yellow card for collapsing

the maul and multiple infringements by the team (31’). Exeter immediately capitalised on this and were able to get over Cardiff’s try line from a maul, 10-10 (32’). Just before half time, with Cardiff still one man down, Exeter were able to breakthrough Cardiff’s defence and cross the white wash and get the conversion, 17-10 (38’).

Exeter immediately capitalised on Cardiff’s yellow card Cardiff restarted the second half with a full team just after 41 minutes. Immediately putting pressure back on Exeter’s defence, cutting through it with Cameron Lewis getting the ball down for their third try and second conversion, 17-17 (43’). Soon after from a smart cross-field

kick, Cardiff were able to score again, taking the lead 17-24 (48’). Exeter’s pressure in the scrum lead to multiple penalties against Cardiff and a try and conversion for the home side, levelling the score 24-24 (58’). Yet again Cardiff exploited the lack of cover behind Exeter’s defence and kicked the ball over with an Exeter player kicking the ball dead, resulting in a Cardiff scrum on the 5m. From the scrum, an inside pass from James Davies to George Thomas created another try and conversion for Cardiff, 24-31 (64’). Exeter were quick to answer with a well worked try levelling it with 11 minutes to go, 31-31 (69’). With the clock ticking down, Exeter were in Cardiff’s half. Exeter were given the penalty and went for posts. They kicked it through, 34-31 (78’). As one minute was left on the clock and Cardiff were awarded a penalty, but it drifted wide. The game finished, 34-31 to Exeter. Co-captains Tom Wilson and Owen Davies were gutted to come away with the loss but were delighted with the boys’ performance.

‘The game was 50/50 the whole way through and could have gone either way. We’re gutted to lose right at the end but

We’re gutted to lose right at the end but couldn’t be prouder of the boys couldn’t be prouder of the boys’ said Wilson. Davies even stated that it was ‘one of the best performances I’ve been involved in, everyone left everything out there and I couldn’t be prouder of the boys.’ The score wholly reflects Cardiff’s efforts, they put on an outstanding performance but just missed out. They can be proud of their efforts as it was not only improved from their last game against Exeter, but they have proven their right to have a place in BUCS Super Rugby.

Inconsistency in VAR causes concern

by George Willoughby

ince VAR (Video Assistant Referee was implemented in the FA Cup in the 2017-18 season, it has been a frequently debated topic. Currently, VAR can only be used in FA Cup games if the home side is in the Premier League. This rule has led to many controversial decisions. Two significant incidents determined by VAR emerged from last weekend’s FA Cup quarter finals. Victor Lindelöf was given a reprieve as his red card against Wolves was overturned, whilst VAR’s absence cost Swansea against Manchester City , who scored two questionable goals. Such inconsistency has reignited the debate over where and when VAR should be used. Read: Page 29