Issue 1136 - Monday April 1 by Cardiff Student Media

rhifyn 1136 issue 1136

gair rhydd

1 ebrill 2019 1 april 2019

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Has Guildford Crescent been Saved? I

Moving forward with Brexit

by King, Pitcher & Tilley

f understanding what is going on in the Houses of Parliament has caused you some confusion, especially with the eight different Brexit options put forward last week, turn to our Politics Desk, who have laid out countless 24 Brexit possibilities.

Rhaid i Gymru weithio’n galetach gan Rhodri Davies

ewn digwyddiad a drefnwyd gan Brifysgol Caerdydd ar ddyfodol Cymru wedi Brexit, bu trafodaeth fywiog am le Cymru yn y byd. Yn y digwyddiad, dywedodd y gweinidog dros faterion rhyngwladol, Eluned Morgan, bod “Rhaid i Gymru weithio’n galetach nag erioed o’r blaen” er mwyn meithrin cysylltiadau rhyngwladol. Rhodri Davies aeth 28 i’r digwyddiad ar ran Taf-od.

Save Guildford Crescent March: The march that took place in January, demonstrated the dedication to Cardiff ’s music scene. Photo Credit: Michael Ash by Rhiannon Humphreys of its kind in Cardiff, and dates back tactics” and forcing those in power to overall lack of character and degree of

he Rapport family have decided to withdraw plans to demolish the buildings, following months of campaigning by the local people, primarily led by the group Save Guildford Crescent. This is as a result of talks with Cardiff Council with regards to the potential regeneration of the area. The businesses on Guildford Crescent, namely Gwdihw, the Thai House and the Madeira Restaurante, were forced to close in January when the landlords refused to renew their leases, with view to demolishing the Crescent and using the land for redevelopment. This caused widespread protest and outrage, resulting in a petition which boasted over 20,000 signatures and a protest march attended by nearly 2,000 people. The Rapport family agreed to delay the demolition plans by three months, after Cardiff Council intervened and suggested that the terrace be included in a regeneration masterplan, together with other parts of the city. An application was also made to Cadw to have the Crescent listed, as it is the last remaining historic crescent

to when the Bute Docks were built in the mid-19th century. The Masonic Church, also on the Crescent, is in no danger of being demolished as it was Grade II listed by Cadw in 1975. The buildings stood empty after the eviction of the local businesses until March, when the terrace was occupied by a group of squatters called the ‘Guildford Peasants’. They describe themselves as an “autonomous direct action group” and are not affiliated with any other group or organisation. Their reason for squatting was to restart the campaign that Save Guildford Crescent started and to encourage the people of Cardiff to take on a more active role. The group stated: “Wales used to have a strong tradition of workingclass direct action, but we’ve become very passive. We wanted to inspire people that we [the working class] have a great deal of power. “We need to remember that we are the class who does everything, so we can change everything.” In their opinion, the only way of triggering change is by gaining leverage, with the aid of “direct action

“concede at the negotiating table.” The Guildford Squatters were served with an eviction notice this month, which revealed that the landlords were planning to demolish “steel and wooden structures at the rear of the property”. These structures made up the beer garden behind Gwdihŵ and can be demolished without applying for planning permission. This notice came despite the fact that campaigners were assured in January by Counciller Huw Thomas, that he had confirmation in writing from the landlords that all demolition would be held off for three months. It is understood that the squatters have now been evicted and the Crescent is empty once more. To the further disappointment of campaigners, Cadw rejected the application for Guildford Crescent to be granted listed status. They stated that their reasoning for this was because “it is not a well preserved or good example of late C19 housing and has suffered from alterations and loss of original fabric.” “The criteria for listing buildings of this type are strict and only allow the best examples to be listed. Given the

alteration Cadw has concluded that it does not meet the criteria for listing.” The Save Guildford Crescent campaign plans to appeal Cadw’s decision. When Gair Rhydd asked Cadw for a comment on whether they might alter their decision on the site, they responded: “If new evidence emerges regarding the historic and architectural interest [of Guildford Crescent], then Cadw would reassess.” However, the Rapports have now cancelled their demolition plans while they focus on talks with Cardiff Council about the Crescent being included in a regeneration masterplan. In the light of this, Cardiff Council have made a press statement stating that if there is a breakdown between the landlords and the council in the talks regarding the masterplan, the Rapports would have to reapply for demolition. With regards to the businesses on the Crescent: the Madeira Restaurante has reopened on St. Mary Street as the Ty Madeira Restaurant, however, neither the Thai House nor Gwdihŵ have managed to relocate to a new premises as of yet.

‘Cardiff University is institutionally racist’

by Jess Warren & Indigo Jones

ollowing a variety of instiutional racism-based talks, Amr Alwishah, current VP Welfare claims that Cardiff University is institutionally racist, and that not enough is being done to fix the ingrained bias agaist 3 BME students.

Extremism, Radicalisation and Islamophobia by Mustakim Hasnath

air Rhydd have investigated the issues surrounding extremism, radicalisation and islamophobia in UK communities. With a range of exclusive interviews, this four-page spread is our longest and most 8 detailed Feature of the year.

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

Alys Hewitt Hannah Newberry Emma Videan

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com

word

the free

A letter from the editor

Can you separate personality and persona?

Column Road Karis Pearson

Features

Mustakim Hasnath

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.

by Jess Warren

Personality or persona: When a TV persona wins you £1.2 million in a tax deal. Source: Hybrid (via Unsplash)

eing in the public eye, you present a version of yourself to the world. The image you’d like people to see and judge you by. But is this persona we present to others a true reflection of ourselves? And if true in part, should it be considered as one of our many layers as a complex person? This is the question that I pose to Lorraine Kelly, who has just won a £1.2 million tax case for branding herself as a freelancing “star,” making her exempt from the tax she would have to pay if considered to be under direct employment by ITV. Her line of argument was simple, when she works on the Lorraine Kelly show, she is putting on an act, a performance, and her TV persona ‘Lorraine Kelly’ is the brand ITV desired when engaging with her.

Judges ruled that when on TV, Kelly is putting on the act of a friendly, chatty, personality, stating: “She may not like the guest she interviews, she may not like the food she eats, she may not like the film she viewed but that is where the performance lies.” But is this where the performance lies? Is it not part of her job as a TV personality to be amenable and engaging. If you cannot chat in a friendly manner to the guests on your show, are you simply not meeting the job requirements as a Talk Show Host? If Kelly is able to muster up her friendly personality on screen, argument stands that her television persona is just one aspect of her personality. Goodness knows we all put on false niceties when we are around

others we don’t necessarily agree with, especially in a professional scenario, or even with your great aunt. We all have the ability to put on an act, it’s a basic part of human interaction. We learn how to save face at a young age as it facilitates better interactions. So is Lorraine Kelly a performing “star” or is she simply fulfilling her role as a TV personality? She may not be the same Lorraine Kelly at work as she is at home, but aren’t we all like that to some degree? I know many of us talk about our fake personas in retail. I have no idea who I become when I work on the shop floor, but it certainly isn’t the Jessica I know. And yet I muster up that workplace personality from somewhere, deep down I know that my polite customer

service voice has come from a place within me. I will have learnt it somewhere. And it is a part of me, similarly in the difference in how I act amongst peers and grandparents, it’s not the same but it’s all come from me. Lorraine Kelly isn’t putting on a persona when she’s on screen anymore than the rest of the UK workforce are when they enter work on a Monday morning. Therefore, to grant her a tax break of £1.2 million as a result, seems to be a foolish decision by the Judges. Anybody being charged £1.2 million in tax should certainly be contributing significantly to national income, and to deny the rest of the taxpaying population a fair system of equity is a trend only to be followed by many more so-called TV personalities.

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Students’ Union

by Jess Warren and Indigo Jones

mr Alwishah, current VP Welfare has claimed that Cardiff University is insitutionally racist. He stated this at the ‘Anaphylaxis and Beyond’ event, on March 14th. He claimed that University staff were targeting him based on his race. He stated that “Senior staff members do not understand that racism is real, racism is deep, racism is an institution and if you try and challenge it if you are BME you face backlash.” At the event he also made references to the racism seen during his campaign for SU President. He stated that his posters were ripped down for reasons he thought to be racist. However, the motivations for this were unclear as many of the election candidates also had their posters ripped down. The VP Welfare was concerned that racism was allowed to enter the conversation during the SU elections. He believes that the Uni-

versity failed to support him in these circumstances. Alwishah’s accusation of the University’s lack of support was evident throughout his speech during the event, he stated, “As BME students there is no justice for us.” Alwishah also claimed that University security has previously interrogated him based on his race, and threatened to, in his words, “Take it outside”. Although, Alwishah recounted that when he mentioned the incident to the University, they had said there was insufficient evidence of this having occurred. When Gair Rhydd asked the VP Welfare about his treatment in University, he explained: “As a student and as an elected officer I’ve had to deal with a number of racist and Islamophobic incidents, for a number of reasons I have not always raised these as issues of complaints”. Alwishah also mentioned institu-

tional racism during the ‘Students or Suspects’ event. He believes there is an “unconscious bias” within the University , which means racism that occurs in the institution is not acknowledged. He claimed that senior members of staff at the university are bystanders to institutional racism, because they

have an unconcious bias. A University spokesperson responded to the claims by stating, “The option remains open to the individual to raise these claims formally. If he chooses to do so then they will be thoroughly investigated and, if upheld, appropriate action will be taken.”

#RevealRecogniseRestore: BME students and staff come to together to discuss three years since Anaphylaxis. Photo Credit: Mariyah Zaman

NEWYDDION

Amr Alwishah alleges racial targeting at Cardiff University

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/news

Cardiff University is instituionally racist, claims VP Welfare

n the 14th of March 2019, an open letter was posted on Twitter marking three years passing since ‘Anaphylaxis’, a medical school play. The play incorporated ‘Black Face’, as a student portrayed a black member of the academic staff. This portrayal offended numerous BME students, thus leading to several complaints in regards to the play. Natatasha Chilambo, a former medical student at Cardiff University, transferred Universities following the impact Anaphylaxis had on her life. She took to Twitter to share the open letter. Natasha told Gair Rhydd: “I think Cardiff University should reflect on how it treats BME students and staff”. “Does [Cardiff University] really value them in the same way it values other students?” The open letter discusses this lack of equality and institutional racism that BME students face in the University. They believe this is apparent after Anaphylaxis. Natasha continued to discuss that she felt that the University did not value her in the same way as other students, which became evident following the medical play. The letter called “for the University council to consider the following recommendations summarised as Reveal, Recognise and Restore”. This was emphasised by the hashtag #RevealRecogniseRestore. These recommendations included revealing the apologies of the 32 students involved in the play and also the progress which has been made since then. Unfortunately, due to Data Protection and Fitness to Practise regulations, the university is unable to publish the apologies of the 32 students who were

involved in the play, which the open letter originally asked to be revealed. The letter then asked the University to recognise the effect the event had on BME students and staff, as well as acknowledging that the actions of those who took part in the play were in fact racist. Lastly, they suggested restoring a sense of support for BME students, including a single point of contact. Chilambo explained: “I would like to know if the University is interested in really hearing what students are asking for concerning their BME experiences within the University” “It is my hope that no student or staff, who is like me, feels as undervalued as I felt as a student in the Cardiff Medical School”. At the time of the play, Gair Rhydd investigated Racism at University and the allegations made. Within the investigation they mentioned the recommendations made to the University outlined in the original internal investigation. These recommendations included increasing the diversity of University Staff and actively discouraging the stereotyping of any person, or group. They also suggested clarifying the structures of The Equality and Diversity Initiatives within the University and The Medical School, whilst also providing all university staff with regular training in diversity of race, gender and sexual orientation. Lastly, they suggested improving the complaints procedures, ensuring there are clear guidelines for someone wishing to make a complaint about racism. The Chair of Council, Stuart Palmer, responded to the open letter on the 20th of March. He stated: “I would like to take this opportunity to stress the Universi-

ty’s commitment to an ongoing dialogue about race “. Palmer then went on to emphasise the progress the University has made since Anaphylaxis, this includes the University appointing a Dean of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, “who has taken forward the race equality agenda as part of the role” . He continued by discussing how the Medical school: “worked with an external reconciliation organization, Wales Restorative Approach Partnership (WRAP) to develop a programme of support and reconciliation for the affected year group”. In response to the letter’s ‘Restore’ section, Palmer discusses the University’s work with the Vice President for Welfare, Amr Alwishah, and how they plan to develop a BME Student Support Plan. This would then include: “the convening of a peer support BME student focus group, with the aim of developing sustainable approaches that promote better health, wellbeing, mental health and transition to university” Although, Palmer demonstrated the University’s transparency whilst dealing

with such a sensitive issue as he stated he is on the other hand, “happy to make the full report on our actions available and would also like to reassure you that our commitment is ongoing”. The University’s response concluded with a quote from Professor Dinesh Bhugra of Kings College London, who lead the original internal investigation in 2016. The quote comes from 2017 following Bhugra’s original report: “The University should be commended for taking such a proactive step and its commitment to independent scrutiny, openness and transparency.” “It has been a complex situation which the School of Medicine and the University responded to in a fair and suitable manner…we are encouraged by the extremely positive way the University – at all levels – engaged with our work and its clear commitment to equality and diversity.” Palmer himself concluded the response by: “reassuring BME students that they are welcome and valued at Cardiff University. We constantly strive to be a diverse and inclusive community.”

NEWS

An open letter to the University was posted to Twitter addressing the issues of Racial Equality at Cardiff ’s School of Medicine by Indigo Jones

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

#ThreeYearsThreeAsks: Cardiff University responds to open letter from BME Students

Your news desk Institutional racism: Three years ago Cardiff University’s Medical School’s play ‘Anaphylaxis’ showcased a student in blackface Photo Credit: Anonymous

Gee Harland Matt Tomlin Indigo Jones

NEWS

New Cardiff Innovation Campus Opens Doors

Ruling: Carwyn Jones involvement in Sargeant case ‘unlawful’

Cardiff University has been engineering the genesis of a cutting-edge Innovation Campus

by Tomos Evans

ormer Wales First Minister Carwyn Jones making decisions on an investigation into the sacking of former Welsh Government minister Carl Sargeant was ‘unlawful’, according to a High Court ruling. Mr Sargeant, the former Assembly Member for Alyn and Deeside had served as a member of the Welsh Government for ten years until he was found dead at his home days after he was dismissed by the thenFirst Minister. Following Mr Sargeant’s passing, Mr Jones succumbed to pressure from his former colleague’s family and Welsh Labour AMs to call an investigation into his handling of Mr Sargeant’s dismissal. A press statement dated 10 November 2017, released on behalf of Mr Jones, claimed “that the arrangements for the investigation would be made separately from his office”. However, Mr Sargeant’s widow, Bernie, recently mounted a High Court challenge questioning the organisation of the inquiry. The inquiry into Mr Sargeant’s death had been placed on hold pending the result of Mrs Sargeant’s legal challenge. Mr Jones stepped down as First Minister in December after nine years at the helm, though he continues to serve as the Assembly Member for Bridgend. Speaking to Llais y Maes in last year’s National Eisteddfod, Mr Jones described the day he learned that Mr Sargeant had died as his “hardest day” as First Minister. Following the legal challenge, the two judges, Lord Justice HaddonCove and Mr Justice Swift, ruled that Carwyn Jones unlawfully had control over the inquiry’s rules. In a statement, they said: “In the circumstances of this case, those representations were legally enforceable and it was not reasonable for Mr Jones to depart from them”. A spokesperson on behalf of the Welsh Government thanked the court for “providing clarity on what has been a complex process”. They added: “We will now consider the next steps in light of today’s judgement”. It is expected that the inquest into Mr Sargeant’s death will reopen in July.

Carwyn Jones: Former Welsh First Minister was ‘unlawful’ in Carl Sargeant investigations. Source: National Assembly for Wales (via Flickr).

by Angharad May

ardiff University has been engineering the genesis of a cutting-edge Innovation Campus with the aim of propagating innovation and encourage its thriving. Even the choice of site for the new campus in Maindy Park is innovative in itself, given that an old railway yard is being metamorphosed into a campus abounding with state-of-the-art facilities. The Innovation Campus is to be a site for researchers and students alike to collaborate with partners to influence policy, as well as to build enterprises and ultimately pursue a career about which they are passionate. The Haydn Ellis Building houses experts in schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s and stem cell cancer, which was the first to be brought to life in this Innovation development. This was followed by the Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, a spearhead in the field of brain research imaging in Europe. There are two further buildings to be added to the campus, including the Innovation Central which will house SPARK, said to be the world’s first social science research park, and the Innovation Centre. This will provide a creative expanse for start-ups and partnerships. The other building will be the Translation Research Facility, in which two scientific research establishments, the Institute for Compound Semiconductors and Cardiff Catalysis Institute, will be located. The construction company used

by Cardiff University is Bouygues UK which took part in a national Open Doors event whereby construction sites, such as that of Cardiff ’s Innovation Campus, open to allow access to members of the public and schools. Bouygues UK opened 12 of its sites, and overall, during the Open Doors event, more than 250 construction projects were open to public access. Last weekend, visitors could embark on pre-booked tours of the site, with a forward-looking focus on a career in construction. Bouygues UK Operations Director, Justin Moore, stated: “The construc-

tion is technically challenging”. He hoped that “visitors to the Open Doors will be excited by what they see and moreover be encouraged to pursue joining the innovation industry”. Speaking to a Cardiff University spokesperson, Gair Rhydd was told that “Scheduled for completion in 2021, Cardiff Innovation Campus will act as a magnet for innovation across the Cardiff City Region and beyond. It will be home to worldleading researchers, giving them the tools to turn great ideas into realworld answers. Students may benefit in a variety of ways from research and

business opportunities in two new buildings. “Within the 12,000m sq building, there will be 2,800m sq of commercial units for potential student spinouts and start-up businesses. The ground floor will be a public space featuring a flexible auditorium with potential for Ted X style events. Spark – the world’s first social science park – will provide students with access to leading organisations and key researchers. “IC will also be home to external organisations that work directly with the University, creating opportunities for student employment.”

West Cardiff gains £1.65m for history developments

by Yasmin Begum

New Innovation Campus: It will be situated on Maindy Road. Photo Credit: Cardiff University.

community on the outskirts of West Cardiff has been awarded a fund of over £800,000 by the National Lottery for a project to unearth lost Celtic history, which now has a total cost of £1.65m. The Caerau and Ely Rediscovering (CAER) Heritage Project is based in the Cardifian suburbs of Ely and Caerau. The areas are also home to Caerau Hillfort, a site that goes back 6000 years. The Hillfort was once a busy site and is one of the earliest examples of human settlements within Cardiff city boundaries. Working in conjunction with organisations such as Action in Caerau and local schools in Cardiff West, the consortia approach has been successful in what will prove to be a once-in-a-lifetime archaeological investment into South Wales. Other organisations have also provided support working with cultural heritage partners like Amgueddfa Cymru and Cardiff Story Museum. The funding will go towards preserving the remains of St Mary’s Church in Caerau and towards redeveloping the old Gospel Hall on Church Road, as well

as other new conservation effofrts. The plan is multifaceted in that it includes the development of new green areas for West Cardiff and the redevelopment of buildings to support more community and engagement work. The aim is to boost the amount of engagement and visitors to the part of the city

while offering a huge range of different activities. Alongside the more public-facing elements, there’s a strand of research work included in the bid: the project looks to link the University with the local schools. Cardiff University will be offering a wealth of different workshops, opportu-

St Mary’s Church: The £1.65m project will involve conserving sites. Source: Jeremy Segrott (via Flickr).

nities, training and so much more to Ely. The history of the area is also going to be implemented into the curriculum. For more information, contact SHARE schools’s David Wyatt who is a lecturer in medieval history and is an engagement enthusiast. Ely also includes the regions of Caerau of Trelai in the Cardiffian imagination, and was a site of race riots in 1991 after a Pakistani-owned shop was petrol bombed, known now as “the petrol riots”. Ely also has high indices for poverty and multiple deprivation. Ely, like other areas in the city, is densely populated and embodies the changing face of Cardiff city itself in its culture, language and slang. The awarding of this heritage grant is unprecedented, with potentially longlasting effects for the local area, local residents and the local University alike. Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford commented on the announcement by saying “The archaeological work that is going on at that remarkable site will open opportunities for young people that have hitherto been very scantily available to them.”

NEWYDDION

Wales in a post Brexit world

Last week Cardiff University hosted a talk in the Temple of Peace which discussed the future of Welsh culture, language and economic development post Brexit

by Hallum Cowell

n Wednesday 27th of March, Cardiff University hosted a talk on the subject of potential changes Wales may experience as a country once the UK exits the European Union. The event had a panel of five experts from both Universities and civil society organisation, the Welsh Centre for International Relations. The event was a joint venture between the Welsh Centre for International Relations and The Welsh Governance Centre. After a short speech from the event’s chair, Susie Ventris-Field, in which she described the current political situation as “somewhat chaotic,” each other panellist was given a ten minute time slot to talk about Wales post-Brexit. First was professor Kevin Morgan from Cardiff University, who stated “no matter the outcome of Brexit, the UK will pay to play in some EU programmes”. These programmes included Horizon Europe, Erasmus +, which is the programme allowing students to spend time studying in universities in other EU nations, and Creative Europe. Professor Morgan mentioned that Wales could lose its structural funds from the EU and that Wales needs to focus on building better relations with other “sub-states” in similar positions to Wales, such as the Basque autonomous community, and other regional governments. Next was Dr Rachel Minto from the Welsh Governance Centre, who spoke about the “relevance and importance of including civil institutions”. She then spoke about how political actors from the UK have access to EU networks, and that this matters for three main reasons:

“capacity”, because we gain lots of resources and experience from other EU nations, “profile”, as Welsh actors are seen as independent rather than just UK actors, and “norms”, as in using and adapting to EU norms. Dr Minto finished by saying that “we need to acknowledge the importance of CSO in Wales post-Brexit”. Thirdly Dr Elin Royles from Aberystwyth University talked about how there had been much work done in an effort to secure Welsh international relations, and that a clear goal from Welsh institutions would help focus efforts on ways the country could retain and obtain secure relations post-Brexit. She said: “There is lots of ambition in Wales, we should applaud ourselves”. Dr Royles then added that intergovernmental relations are important, but the Government in Westminster needs to recognise Welsh agency and how Wales would benefit from following the same play book of grabbing Westminster’s attention that Scotland uses. If Wales and Scotland could get the same result out of the EU, as Scotland “normally does quite well”, then that would be a good thing. Lastly, Dr Chris Huggins of the University of Suffolk spoke of opportunities in the EU and how “regardless of what happens the opportunity will still be there”. However, he acknowledged that there would be less opportunity if we left the EU. Dr Huggins also talked about how a lot of political actors come from the bottom up in the political hierarchy and that we should be clear on what “brand” Wales is so that investment and tourism can be encouraged. Towards the conclusion of his speech, Dr Huggins spoke

Wales Post Brexit Talk: Minister for International Relations and Welsh Language says we “stand on the edge of a new world.” Photo Credit: Hallum Cowell. of aligning Welsh political, cultural and commercial goals. Following these speeches form the panel of experts, there was a round of questions from the audience. The first of these asked what the Welsh government could do to protect EU 27 citizens in Wales amid the rise in hate crime and xenophobia since the referendum. Ventris-Field replied that Wales wants to be a “nation of sanctuary”, but expressed that to do this Wales requires more than government policy, needing to also make sure the Welsh people share this notion. Another question related to the damage done to trust in the UK through Brexit; a major element of diplomacy in the eyes of the EU 27 member states.

The panel responded by agreeing that trust had been damaged but mainly to the UK Government in London.They expressed that the Welsh government could be seen as separate to that and retain some trust from the EU 27 post Brexit. Two guest speakers were present to partake in the event following this. The first of which was Samuel Jones Perry, who talked about how Wales “can’t avoid the outside world.” The second speaker, Eluned Morgan, Minister for International Relations and Welsh Language, talked of how Wales is “running towards the EU” and how we “stand on the edge of a new world”. A talk also occurred last week on campus on Friday 29th of March, the date the

UK was intended to exit the EU on prior to the short Brexit extension arranged in Brussels earlier this month. Titled ‘Brexit! The Urban and Regional Implications’, it was organised partly by Cardiff University’s School of Geography and Planning. The talk covered potential ways of limiting economic impacts on British regions and urban areas post Brexit. With multiple Brexit-related events occurring on campus, there are multiple opportunities for students to learn more here about the issue as the UK moves closer towards exiting the EU. To keep informed on Brexit, keep up to date with Gair Rhydd’s news, politics and comment sections, and check Cardiff University’s website for events similar to those mentioned.

Cardiff University explains Way Forward C by Hefin Rees Edwards

ardiff University recently unveiled a new five year strategy to boost its international reputation as a World Top 100 university. The plan, The Way Forward 20182023, sets out the University’s aims and ambitions for these years, encompassing five sub-strategies, each with a focus on a specific area. These are: Education and Students, Research, Innovation, a Civic Mission and International focus. Under Education and Students, the plan outlines the University’s wish to develop its student leadership skills and by 2023 aims to offer all undergraduate students the opportunity to embark on work experience in order to enhance their CVs and prepare them for the world of work. Boosting the University’s research capabilities is also a key strategic element of the plan, with a focus on securing £200m worth of annual research grants and research contracts by 2023. The aim from this is to break into the UK’s top 12 universities on research power. There are plans to develop the Cardiff Innovation System by ensuring more innovation and development occurs in the University. This will be done by aiming

to develop ten strategic long-term partnerships with organisations in order to foster economic growth and social progress. The University’s ‘civic mission’ is intended to ‘improve the health, wealth and wellbeing of the people of Wales’. This will be actualised through working with colleges and schools in Wales by supporting teachers and looking to improve pupils’s educational achievements.

ing from outside the UK to 25% and for an increase in UK students travelling internationally. It will do this by expanding its International Summer School programme and by developing five new academic partnerships with other institutions to raise the University’s profile among potential international collaborators.

The overall ambition for the plan is ‘to make Cardiff University an institution that is respected the world over, where students have a superb study and life experience, staff are proud and happy to work, and where alumni participate actively in our community.’ It is also worth noting that the Way Forward plan is to be implemented by

The overall ambition for the plan is ‘to make Cardiff University an institution that is respected the world over’ It also plans to boost cultural aspects of Welsh society, including continued support for the growth of the Welsh language, and to aid Wales economically by supporting the creation of 1,000 high value jobs in the Welsh economy. The plan also has an international focus by looking to increase the proportion of Cardiff University students com-

Cardiff University: The Way Forward plan is a strategy which would be implemented through the Transforming Cardiff proposals. Source: Jeremy Segrott (via Flickr).

bringing in the changes introduced in last month’s Transforming Cardiff proposals, which included 380 job cuts at the University over the next five years and the merging of academic schools. There has been some controversy about these proposals, with UCU members threatening strike action again and the SU President having voted down these proposals when given the opportunity. When Gair Rhydd contacted Cardiff University about how much consultation was and would be taking place with staff and students over these new strategies, a Cardiff University spokesperson stated “We are fully committed to open and transparent consultation with all of our key stakeholders. “The overarching ideas were discussed in open meetings with staff and students following publication. Through a variety of meetings and discussion opportunities, staff and students will have further opportunities to have their say. Academic proposals will be discussed at Senate which includes Students’ Union representation. In addition, we have given a commitment to meet Students’ Union officers to discuss how best to engage with students. Our trade union partners will also be consulted.”

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CAMPUS LIFE

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Your campus life desk Ashley Boyle Cerian Jones

Sexual Health Awareness Week How we deal with accessibility, attitudes, and embarressment

by Cerian Jones

exual Health Awareness Week has just passed and it has got me thinking about the attitude towards sexual health still being an issue for many people. Sexual Health Awareness Week was a collaboration with our Student Advice service and SHAG, the student-led service committed to supporting your sexual health and wellbeing. The group ran a condom stall at last Wednesday’s YOLO, where they handed out free condoms for all! I think this is a brilliant idea to help make club nights feel safer. A pop-up STI Clinic was set up on the first floor of the Students’ Union last Tuesday that was staffed by Cardiff and Vale University's Health Board's Department of Sexual Health. SHAG also held C-Card drop in sessions on tour across campus all week, offering information and advice. The C-Card

dents works closely with reputable charities and organisations with the same beliefs. You may have seen the Facebook event page for the pop-up STI testing clinic ran in the students union, and some well-known figures in the SU went, as a sign of solidarity, to stay safe themselves, or because they were involved in running and organising the events held that week. However I'm sure many of us would have chosen not to notify our entire list of Facebook friends that we were going, because it's still embarrassing to be open about your sexual health. Many of us have friends, family, and colleagues on Facebook and don't want them to know what we get up to in our time at university, even though it's responsible to be serious about our health, whether it be physical, mental, sexual, or otherwise. Of course the majority of at-

Sexual Health Awareness Week: The logo of a condom, is recognisable and colourful, making sexual health a less daunitng task for students (CUSU) Scheme provides free, quick, easy, and confidential access to Durex condoms and lubricant, as well as advice and help on sexual health and relationships. Sexual health is something that should be taken seriously and not treated as a taboo subject, the week was organised to raise awareness of the importance of sexual health and ensure that every student knows how to get

SHAG is here to protect sensitive and intimate areas of your wellbeing. sexual health treatment or advice if needed. SHAG strongly believes in talking about sex and sexual health to increase awareness. They claim that whether you're having sex, or not, it's good to stay informed, and prepared! The group of stu-

SHAG: The group created by, and ran by students for students and thier sexual health (SHAG) STI. Of those people who did recognise chlamydia as an STI 62% of men, and 83% of women knew that is doesn't always cause symptoms. In addition, only 46% of men, and 64% of women know that it can be easily treated with antibiotics. This shows how bad our sex education really is in the UK. It should not be our responsibility to learn what we can on the internet, we should be told these things at school so that we can stay safe and not let such issues be taboo at university, when it really matters. Having a week dedicated to Sexual Health Awareness helps to reduce the stigma associated with STI tests as well as educate sexually active individuals on the common signs of infections, symptoms, and precautions one can take. If you want to look for advice online ,SHAG reccomend Better2Know. It is a nationwide campaign aimed at supporting and encouraging people to get tested and treated to help prevent the spread of STI’s. They provide advice on local clinic locations, common symptoms, and provide a home testing set which can be used and sent back with a result. Projects like this are vital to help gain the support of the government and funding bodies, to provide services for local areas. An Office for National Statistics survey of women in Great Britain found that among 16–19 year olds in 2008–09 showed that 57% used contraception. Among these, 65% said they used condoms and 54% the pill (some use both). SHAG have already obliterated this issue among Cardiff University students with their condom dispenser on the

second floor of the SU which provides students with regular Pasante condoms. The awareness and publicity SHAG have within the union make it almost impossible to ignore, more students will practice safe-sex because of the work SHAG do! If you would like free condoms of all various sizes and types then why not sign up to C-card? SHAG run C-card (Condom-Card) every Wednesday 13:00-15:00 in room

People aged less than 25 years experience the highest rates of STIs in the UK. 3D in the Students' Union. For updates on events and other information you can like SHAG's Facebook page, follow their Twitter account, and look our for events on the CUSU website. SHAG's aim is to promote awareness and understanding of fundamental sexual health issues, from providing free condoms to signposting where to get STI checks. They claim that no topic is too shocking, no issue too remote, and no student will go without help. SHAG is here to protect your welfare when it comes to one of the most sensitive and intimate areas of your wellbeing. The taboo of sex is outdated, and as students, and young people it is our job to stamp out negative attitudes towards sexual wellbeing, for ourselves and future generations.

titudes towards sex, and hence, sexual health are changing. People are more open than ever about their experiences and in theory should be just as open about their consequential health. The pop-up clinic ran a self-test service which saves you a lot of potential embarrassment, and puts your mind at ease as you would receive a text to confirm your results. The Royal Infirmary offer the same test if you missed out! SHAG committee members were present on the day with C-Cards as well, and offered free condoms, lube, dental dams, and pregnancy tests! It's crazy how taboo sexual health still is, so much so that young people aged less than 25 years experience the highest rates of STIs in the UK. This is more than likely due to a lack of knowledge and accessibility to the correct information, contraception, and services. Sexual education across the globe is still poor, and the more closed-off teenagers are from the knowledge of safe-sex, the more issues rise. For example nine out of ten people aged 16–24 years knew that chlamydia is an Student Advice: The student advice team joined forces with SHAG to run a succesful week (Student Advice)

BYWYD CAMPWS

Your guide to Cardiff this week by Cerian Jones

It's a jam-packed week at the theatre

his week it is clear that the theatre is the place to be! Cardiff is fully established as a city full of culture and that includes the many theatres and therefore the myriad of shows that are always happening locally! The Sherman Theatre is always putting on interesting shows by local theatrical groups! This week, the New Theatre is putting on Agatha Christie's 'The Mirror Cracked' which promises to be a psychological drama full of mystery! This thrilling new play, explores how we all colour our own memories, our own truths, to disguise the darkness that lies within. With student tickets starting at £5 it's hard to resist! If music is more up your alley, at

the Capitol centre there is an evening of jazz at 'Miles Davis: The 1950s & Beyond'! Inspired by the music of Miles Davis, the Gethin Liddington/ Ian Poole Quartet will explore the rich melting pot of styles and influences that came together to help create the sound of jazz in 1950’s and beyond. At the Capitol centre is a night of laughter, at the 'Machynlleth Comedy Festival'. Welsh stand-up Robin Morgan is joined by surrealist, stand-up Stuart Laws. Followed by comedian Micky Overman with her devastating brand of honest humour and many more fill the night with a fantastic night of comedy! Last but by no means least, of course is our own Drama Society Act

Image Source: Stan Zurek via Wikimedia Commons

Dan's Angels make it to Austria for Jailbreak

by Emily Lotter

O The Mirror Crack'd: Performed at the New Theatre Tue 26th March - Sat 6th April. Source: newtheatrecardiff.co.uk One is putting on their rendition of 'A Small Family Business' written by Alan Ayckborn in 1988. Set in the 80s, it is an enigma for its time, contrasting comedy with morality. Think lust,

affairs, denial, and even fatal tragedy! You can find tickets on the Cardiff Students website at £6 for students, which is a steal for some good old fashioned drama!

Image Source: Kevinquickle via Flickr

n the 22nd to the 24th March 2019, myself and two housemates, Alice Cato and Dan Smith (team Dan’s Angels), competed in Cardiff University’s Jailbreak competition. We signed up back in November 2018 by filling out a simple form on the Cardiff Student’s Union website followed by paying a small entry fee; after which we were then required to fundraise £50 per team member. The rules were simple: starting at 14:00 on Friday, 22nd March we had to get as far away from our student’s union building and arrive back by 18:00 on Sunday, 24th March; without spending any of our own money on travel. We were allowed to prepare a plan for travel and arrange pledges for free transportation, as long as we did not receive any tickets etc. before the event started. A family friend of mine works for Eurostar, so about a week before the event I asked him for help and luckily, he pledged to sort us out with three free tickets to Brussels! We arrived at the Student’s Union at 13:00 on Friday, received our T-shirts, a fundraising collection pot, had a final briefing and then the countdown began. At 14:00, all teams sprinted off in different directions and the adrenaline rush hit us! We rushed to Cardiff Central station, stopping at Fusion Students Zenith apartments, where we won £100 for being the first team to arrive. We managed to quickly blag a free ride on the 14:26 train to London Paddington, then walked for an hour to St Pancras International to catch our Eurostar crossing. We arrived in Brussels at 23:35 local time and decided to explore the area before sleeping for an hour on benches in the station. We managed to talk around receiving another free ride, this time on a 6.30am train to Frankfurt, Germany. We spent 4.5 hours exploring and then planned to head back to Brussels at 14:30. We then came across some cheap flights from Salzburg to London, so spontaneously spent our £100 prize money, and money we had collected, to book train tickets to Salzburg and flights home! By 22:37 on Saturday, we were in Salzburg and bagged ourselves another free ride, on a night bus to a nearby town called Hallein, which ended up being our final destination – a total of 1250km from Cardiff University! We flew back to London Stanstead on Sunday morning, arriving at 11.30, and had managed to prearrange a couple of free lifts back to Cardiff, making it back to the student’s union at 16:30, just 1.5 hours before the deadline! Overall; it was the most amazing, tiring, adrenaline fuelled, weird and unexpected 52 hours! We all had so much fun, raised over £250 for charity and would all highly recommend the experience to anyone up for a challenge.

Angels in Austria: The winning team make it to Salzburg. Source: (Cardiff Volunteering)

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FEATURE

ARCHWILIO

Gair Rhydd Investigates: Extremism, Radicalisation and Islamophobia

ith the global terror threat being an increasingly pertinent issue for governments and security services, this week Gair Rhydd investigates the extent of the radicalisation of vulnerable individuals in the community. Recent terror attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand resulted in 50 dead and numerous injured. The attack has raised questions about state gun laws in New Zealand, as well highlight the problem of extremist views within the community. Following these attacks, mosques in Birmingham and London have experienced instances of hate crime, with stones being thrown at some Birmingham mosques and stabbings occuring in a London mosque last week. Exploring the problem of extremism, we also spoke to the mother of a radicalised ISIS fighter and anonymous sources who tell us they have seen extremist content and know in-

Mustakim Hasnath

Source: Wikimedia Commons

How big is the problem of extremism in our muslim communities?

by Mustakim Hasnath

air Rhydd interviewed two members of the Muslim community from Green Lane Mosque in Birmingham about their concerns relating to the extent of extremism in the community. It is in this mosque where Nicola Benyahia believes her son, Rasheed was radicalised (see page 9). We also spoke to one member the Muslim community in Cardiff about how easily accessible extremism content is. Both the sources spoke to Gair Rhydd near Green Lane Mosque and asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matters discussed. Whilst not disclosing his relationship to this individual, one explained how someone he knew had been meeting with a new friendship group and began to follow the religion of Islam strictly, before holding extreme views. ‘They’re not his friends, they just there to poison his mind and what’s worse is that people think they’re not here… they are and they’re right here in our community’, he added.

‘They’re not his friends, they just there to poison his mind’ Feature this week by

dividuals who have been radicalised. We also look at how current government provisions such as Prevent are contested by members of the Muslim community and university teaching staff for supposedly being discriminatory and Islamophobic. In light of allegations of institutional racism and Islamophobia being made towards Cardiff University by VP Welfare and Campaigns Amr Alwishah, Gair Rhydd also investigates the impact of Islamophobia with some academics suggesting it restricts chances of social mobility. As an emerging problem for the Prevent strategy’s critics, there have been very little alternatives preventative tactics proposed. This confusion, for organisations such as ‘Families for Life’ , is seen as a means of ‘scare-mongering’ and adding to the issue of extremism, by promoting further divisions. We investigate this issue, asking the crit- The day of the recent terror attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand was described by Prime Minister Jucina Adern as ‘one of New Zealand’s darkest days. ics of Prevent, what alternatives they

The other source, who also knew this individual, claimed that the community in the area consisted of ‘different isolated groups’ and that ‘there’s no common ground, if you’re feeling detached from one group, you can’t

just fall back and get some help, but there’s always that group who will constantly look out for the right moment to target you’. Both sources claimed that the increased police presence in the mosque, especially on the day of the Christchurch shootings made them feel safer, but were still concerned about the threat of being influenced by individuals from within the community. Gair Rhydd also contacted a member of the Muslim community at Cardiff University, who claimed that he had been easily led to see extremist content online and asked to remain anonymous fearing the nature of the content he had viewed could give rise to him being subjected to public scrutiny. This source told Gair Rhydd, ‘I was interested in the Black Flag nation and clicked on a random YouTube video to look for information’. Talking about how people can be easily misled by some videos, he explained, ‘nowadays, people really trust YouTube as a source of information, particularly with knowledgeable people creating content on it’. ‘When you watch these videos it makes a case for why so-called Kalifeit like ISIS would exist and many suggest it’s because of the Black Flag Nation’, he continued. The source also gave an example of a doctor he follows on Instagram, who works as a humanitarian aid worker, ‘If you follow him and go through the recommended people to follow, you’re bound to find accounts which

are linked to extremism… these accounts guilt-trip you as a means of promoting propaganda’. Commenting on how accessible the

‘These accounts guilt-trip you as a means of promoting propaganda’ content is he told Gair Rydd, ‘It’s very accessible. If you’ve simply got an in interest in learning more about your religion etc., it’s very clever how you end up finding these types of things’. He also mentioned some of the platforms where the content had appeared, ‘I’ve ended up seeing some of this propaganda on platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, but I’m

aware similar material can be seen on e.g. Facebook and Twitter’. This source also confirmed he knew one person affected by extremism. He said, ‘say a twelve year old female comes from a broken family with two very ill parents and is looking for a way to cope with the stress that she is feeling. As a means of coping, she researches Islam a lot and finds something which makes her feel important’. He continued, ‘This something tells her that if she fights for this cause and believes in it, she will get not only pleasure in this life but pleasure in the hereafter as well’. He also added, ‘It latches on to the fact that she has low self-esteem and evidently can really sway over people who are impressionable’.

^Green Lane Moque in Birmingham. Source: Wikimedia Commons

ARCHWILIO

‘My son was radicalised and died fighting for ISIS in Syria’

This week, Gair Rhydd spoke to the mother of a radicalised IS fighter, who, as a trained therapist, has made it her duty to support families who are impacted by loved ones adopting extremist views. A mother of five, Nicola was raised in a Welsh Christian family but converted to Islam at the age of nineteen before marrying her Algerian husband. Rasheed, her son, was brought up in a loving household and was popular at school with many friends. To the shock of his family, he had been radicalised and fled to Syria in 2015 to join the so-called ‘Islamic State’. Rasheed consequently died in a drone attack. Nicola shared her story, and why she feels determined to speak out.

by Mustakim Hasnath What was your son Rasheed like growing up? Rasheed was a really happy go lucky boy. He had a really easy-going temperament and was very humorous - incredibly funny. He loved to play pranks on his sisters and get them going quite often. He was incredibly happy and was never very serious at all.

The first thing that always comes to mind for me, was his dress sense. He came to me with a pair of jeans and he asked me if I could sew them up to make them shorter. Now, he wasn’t a very tall boy anyway and I remember thinking why would you want them turned up.

We’ve recently had an appalling act of terror in Christchurch, in which at least 50 were killed at local mosques. Media reports have suggested this was a well-planned attack, suggesting there are individuals in the wider community who have extremist ideas and links. How do we identify individuals with such intentions?

As a Muslim convert, how important is faith to you? My faith has always been incredibly important because I actually converted to Islam when I was nineteen. It was before I met my husband. I converted because I had a difficult childhood with my mother being an alcoholic and there being domestic violence within the home. Being brought up in those kind of circumstances makes you look at life differently and that’s what drew me to Islam - the prohibiting of alcohol and the rules and structure to it. My life has been quite dysfunctional before that and I never had those norms and those rules; it’s definitely helped me because everyone needs structure and rules but unfortunately they weren’t there for me. When I discovered the faith, I knew it gave me real peace. It seems Rasheed was your average teenager; what was school like for him? School was very good. He had many friends from different ethnicities. Because of his easy-going temperament he was a very popular boy in school. He loved sport, was incredibly funny and was adventurous so lads warmed him as well. He had a really solid group of friends as he grew up.

^Rasheed was described as funny, having an easy going temperament and not very serious at all.

of what’s really going on. For parents as well, it can be quite scary when you see these changes, but I would urge people to not block it off or show anger - invite them to express what they’re thinking and what is really going on. That’s the only way that they can really talk to you and feel comfortable enough to open up about these problems.

^Nicola described her family, even after Rasheed had left as a ‘close-knit’ one

It turned out to be because he wanted them above his ankles. I remember us getting into a bit of an argument because I love my fashion and he was quite a cool kid who wore a lot of hoodies and because of the parkour he used to do, but suddenly he wanted these jeans cut above his ankle. He then stopped wearing hoodies and wore more conservative clothing, like the thobe, which are the long Muslim garments. What are the signs or identifying features which suggest extremism in young people? I think it’s difficult because naturally teenagers rebel and they go through these funny phases. It’s incredibly difficult for parents or anyone to navigate through that, but I would say that particularly in Rasheed’s case, he began to see differences which he’d never seen before. I had come from a Christian family in Wales and my husband is from North African Muslim family, so my children had been brought up with both cultures and understandings. When he began to come home from work and start telling me about how people were treated differently because of their differences, that was strange for me he hadn’t seen them before.

Did these friendship groups change as he grew up?

Is the case of identifying radicalisation as simple as picking out signs of behaviour?

They didn’t actually. He always had the same group of friends and that’s why I never picked up there being something different. He had the same group of friends from when he was aged eleven in secondary school. However, what I didn’t know was that he had a second group of new friends as well. What was the first sign that things weren’t as they should be?

The notion of pointing out red flags is problematic because if I went to Prevent and told them my son’s cutting his trousers, they’re not going to do anything. What you need to be doing is finding the bigger picture. You will see these small pockets of changes, but they’re all isolated and don’t really mean anything. It’s important to see the wider picture and the connection

I think it’s important that we, in the community, talk about it. I’ve been doing this work now for a couple of years and I still find communities don’t want to talk about it. It’s quite often that when something happens, we like to finger-point and blame but what we really need to be doing is taking responsibility. It’s not just about world leaders, MPs and government taking action and doing things, but also on a community level we also need to be contributing something. When my son was radicalised and he joined ISIS and consequently got killed, it would have been easy for me to stay silent and just become another number but I chose not to. I chose to speak out, no matter what the consequences or impact would have been because I knew I had to. Enough is enough. Talk me through what happened the day Rasheed left.

‘I chose to speak out, no matter what the consequences… Enough is enough.’

It was a completely normal day. I woke up in the morning and I didn’t see Rasheed first thing because he always went to work early and left the house to start his shift at 7am. It was only until the evening when we had all came back from school or work that he just didn’t come back. So, within around half an hour, I knew something was wrong. Again, at that stage it was far from my mind that this was anything to do with extremism or radicalisation. In my mind I was worried something had happened to him, maybe an accident or something. Normally if he was going to be late, he’d always phone me, even if he was going to be ten minutes late. I didn’t get a text of phone call from him and remember thinking this really isn’t normal. We went to the police, but because he was over 18 and he’d only been missing for half an hour, there was very little they were going to be able to do. It was only a couple of days later when I got a

text message from Rasheed. The message was very scripted and warned me not to go to the media and not to go to the police and also talked about the hereafter. That rang somebells for me and it started to dawn on me that something really bad was going on. After that initial text message, did he begin to contact you further? Around two and a half months of hearing nothing from him, I got a call from him on Whatsapp. That’s when we started to have a relationship again talking about what he was doing there, what his life was like day to day. Obviously, I was trying to persuade him to change his mind and come back.

countries are involved. How vulnerable do you think young people, such as your son, are to be negatively influenced by extremist ideology? I don’t think anyone is immune to it. I see young people on a daily basis, whether it’s university stress or anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts etc. Any of those can be a vulnerable time for somebody and all you need is the recruiter to come at that particular time when somebody is going through something and then they can begin to influence that person. They don’t target any particular person, they have a

What was Rasheed’s life like in Syria? Initially when he contacted me, he’d been in a camp for over two months. That’s why he didn’t make any contact before he was released from there. The first impressions I got were, what I would call the honey-moon period. He was giddy and told me he had these amazing friends, who were like brothers. I was very careful not to challenge those friends. My gut wanted to say, they’re not your friends because no friends would have done this to you but I had to hold back and just said that yes they may be your friends, but we’re your family. It was a very difficult time for me. So that was when it seemed like he was in this very oblivious bubble. As the weeks carried on and he was sent fighting, after returning from fighting, he seemed clingier to me, not in the sense that he was desensitised, but seemed more emotional. I think that was a sign that he was beginning to change his mind and see grey. I think he saw things out there that were completely against what he signed up for. Who was it that recruited Rasheed? Through all my work with ‘Families for Life’, helping people across the country and across the world, it’s often the case that someone from within the community befriends people and builds a trust up in order to radicalise them, and they’re here and making those links and directing them towards online ideologies and narratives. Unfortunately they never found who recruited by son and it was really difficult because the day Rasheed left, the police took his computer and we were hoping they would find some sort of trail as to who he had been talking to and how it had all been planned. However, when they came back to us, they told us Rasheed had taken the hard-drive out of his computer so there was absolutely no trail to follow. At that point he’d already crossed over to Turkey and Syria, so it almost impossible to gather information because other

^The last picture Nicola has of Rasheed, taken 3 weeks before he was killed.

whole manual which is designed to psychologically hone in on different personalities so it’s very though out. Do you believe your son was brainwashed? When I hear this word ‘brainwash’ being thrown around, it feels like there’s no coming back and that’s it. It makes you think there’s no hope for an individual. I often say yes there are some very bad people out there who make these decisions, but there are also very vulnerable people who require the right intervention at the right time just turn them around. There has to be hope because sometimes that’s all you have. Yes, I think Rasheed was partly responsible, but he also wasn’t a very street-wise person and it’s one thing to book a one way ticket from England to Istanbul, but it’s another thing to get from Istanbul and get across from Turkey to the Syrian border and be able to cross over. That takes logistics. That takes contacts. He was certainly influenced and guided by other people. Do you think there’s a failure of our security and intelligence services to find individuals in our communities 10 who hold extremist views?

FEATURE

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Families for Life

emotionally incredibly difficult so I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be for them.

I think we really need to push against the stigma and the taboo, to really talk about this matter. It’s not going to go away. I know we’ve got the diash no falling and the Califet no collapsed, but that doesn’t mean there’s not going to be another one tomorrow. That’s the worry because often these groups and ideas are constantly evolving and changing. We, as a community need to be ready for them.

In light of the Shamima Begum case, in which the Home Secretary Sajid Javid has revoked her British Citizenship, if your son was in a position whereby he wanted to come back to the UK but the government declined him to do so, what would you say? All I can say as a mother is that my instinct would want him back. When he was over in Syria, I did have dialogues with the police about this matter that should he change his mind and return, so be it that he pays the consequences of his actions and face a prison sentence. As long as a I knew he was alive and was getting some rehabilitation, that’s what mattered to me. That was really what was at the fore-front of my mind. I understand it must be an incredibly difficult time for Shamima Begum’s family because they’ve been living this for four years. I’ve lived it for six months and it was

people were reffered to Prevent in 2017/18

of the 7,318 referred were under 20 years old.

of the 7,318 referred left the of the 7,318 referred to prevent of those who received ‘Channel’ programme with no further action were further processed into ‘Channel’ support were referred due to concerns about Islamist Extremism

I think there’s blanket of silence within the community and it’s really difficult to penetrate that sometimes. Unfortunately, the recruiters within the community know this silence exists and are very clever at being known in the community but sliding under the radar slightly. What are these tough questions we need to ask the community to rule our who has extremist views?

How has the events following your son leaving the UK and joining ISIS affected you and your family? As a family we have gone through it and processed it very differently. I wanted to speak about it immediately and wanted it all out. I didn’t want any guilt or shame carrying it around. My husband is a very private man and he was actually very numb after we got the news that Rasheed had died. My daughters were sometimes angry - not angry at anyone in particular but angry with the world - why Rasheed? Why us? Why our family? We’re a lot better now because we have each other. When Rasheed was with us we were an incredibly close-knit family and even though he is no longer with us, that’s remained and that’s what’s got us through this.

year after Rasheed’s death, in 2016, Nicola set up an organisation called ‘Families for Life’, to ‘support families who have been impacted by extremism or any part of the radicalisation process.’ Nicola’s experience as a BACP counsellor who specialises in mental health, brain injury providing therapy to young people aged 14 to 25 years old, with her experience with Rasheed’s violent radicalisation, was what made her want to empower families to combat the shame of radicalisation and provide them with a platform for their voices to be heard. The reason for speaking out to the media and actively supporting families like her own is driven by Nicola’s belief that society should repel the ‘stigma and taboo’ which extremism

often has attached to it, and ensure communities are having transparent discussions about the problem. She continues to speak and present at various international events and hopes in her continued efforts and work to create a humanistic understanding of violent extremism and begin to provide opportunities for families to engage and participate in future policy making.

7,318 57% 42% 18% 45%

*analysis Home Office counter-terror statistics

Students or Suspects?

Speakers at a number of events hosted by the Students’ Union, such as ‘Students or Suspects’ and ‘Anaphylaxis and beyond’, have suggested the UK government’s current anti-terrorism strategy within ‘Prevent’ encourages further hate and divisions in our communities. Gair Rhydd investigates the problem of Islamophobia in Cardiff University, speaking to VP Welfare and Campaigns Amr Alwishah who has accused the university as being institutionally racist, as well as interviewing a concerned member of the Muslim community. We also examine the current provisions in place for Prevent, and see whether those at Cardiff University are at all discriminatory as per these allegations. by Mustakim Hasnath

n Monday 18th March, Cardiff Students’ Union held a panel discussion event in Y Plas to address Extremism, Prevent duty and civil liberties. The talk was well-attended, particularly with members of the university’s Islamic community. Among the speakers, Dr Irene Zempi, who lectures criminology at Nottingham Trent University and Dr Rizwaan Sabir, a lecturer in criminology at Liverpool John Moores University, expressed their viewpoints that the responsibilities of the government’s prevent strategy requires university staff to look discriminatorily look for signs which imply the potential for violent extremism. Other speakers included as Asim Qureshi, who works as Head of Research at ‘Cage’ - an organisation which ‘strives for a world free of injustice and oppression’, and has been condemned by the media as a ‘terrorist apologist’ organisation. Most of the talks given by each speakers tackled the increasingly common problem of Islamophobia associated with certain signs and features suggesting violent extremism, which in a university setting, may be seen as compromising the feeling of protection for students, especially those coming from BEM backgrounds. Amr Alwishah, current VP Welfare and Campaigns hosted the event and spoke about his personal experiences of what he called ‘institutional racism and Islamophobia’ at Cardiff University.

Dr Rizwaan Sabir was detained by Nottinghamshire Police in 2008 for seven days after the then PhD student accessed an Al-Qaeda training manual for his dissertation. After being released without charge, in 2010, Sabir was paid £20,000 by the police force. Sabir’s talk at the event was heavily based on his responsibilities as a member of teaching staff at LIverpool John Moores University, who is required to adhere to the Prevent strategy and identify individuals at the university who

‘We can’t take over their (the police’s) role and act as tools of the state’ pose a threat or show signs which may infer the potential for violent extremism. A lecturer of Criminology at Nottingham Trent University, Dr Irene Zampi said in her talk, ‘it is not the role of the university to find people who may be linked to extremism, that’s a job for the police’. When asked about this comment to Gair Rhydd after the event, Zampi responded, ‘we at universities have a responsibility to ensure students feel safe and are fully supported... the police have an entirely different job’. She added, ‘we can’t take over their role and act as tools of the state’. When asked what intervention, if any, would be appropriate for university staff particularly in the case of support vulnerable individuals, Dr Sabir added, ‘we deal with people with mental health

problems and other support services as a means of cutting down the cost of counter terrorism costs to deal with these issues’. Currently, Cardiff Univeristy, as per the UK Government’s policy on counter terrorism intervention, has a Prevent Policy. In this policy, ‘Any member of staff, or student may identify concerns about a member of the University community who appears vulnerable to the risk of being drawn into violent extremism, based on information received or behaviour reported or directly observed’. When asked about what which behaviours ‘reported or directly observed’ may lead to ‘violent extremism’, a Cardiff University spokesperson did not comment directly but referred Gair Rhydd to the UK Government’s Prevent Duty Guidance for HEIs in England and Wales, which does not clearly address how such behaviours or signs should be found, or what they are. Commenting on what assurances the university can give to the Muslim community that its Prevent Policy is not discriminatory and Islamophobic, a spokesperson said, ‘Prevent is not about any specific group or faith’. They added, ‘It relates to the safeguarding against all forms of terrorism. We can give an assurance to our Muslim community that our policy does not in any way seek to create fear, hatred of, or prejudice against, the Islamic religion or Muslims generally’. At the ‘Students or Suspects’ event, Alwishah stated that using the ‘University’s Prevent Policy, which goes back to

the Government each year, Muslim students had been targeted’. Alwishah then stated that he was present in the meeting, in which the document was sent off, adding ‘it said that we have regular meetings with the Islamic Society but this isn’t the case’. A Cardiff University spokesperson told Gair Rhydd that the University regularly met with the Chair of the Muslim Council for Wales, as well as working

^Alwishah took part in the ‘Stand up to Racism’ march a few days before the event where he spoke to the mass crowds about the importance of racially motivated hate.

with the Muslim community through the Muslim Chaplaincy provision setup some years ago. The spokesperson added, through the Students’ Union the University also

‘receives representations from Cardiff University’s Islamic Society (ISOC)’.

I was called a liar, I had articles written about me, I was abused, cyber-bullied, social media-smeared Responding to claims that members of staff at UK universities are concerned about the responsibilities given to them in accordance to Prevent Strategies, a Cardiff University spokesperson said that the university was ‘deeply concerned’ that university staff members had addressed these issues, adding ‘Staff are able to raise concerns and we would encourage any member of staff to raise them through the formal University channels’. Speaking at the event, Alwisha said, ‘For me, my experiences was that when I was in student politics, I was called a liar, I had articles written about me, I was abused, cyber-bullied, social media-smeared... all these things’.

Continues on Page 11

ARCHWILIO

Continued from Page 12 He continued, ‘I think we need to understand that institutional racism is ingrained in society and what we are as BEM people’. Alwishah claimed that when he tried to mention instances of racism and islamophobia, the university replied claiming there was insufficient evidence for such allegations to be investigated. This is something Alwishah explained at the ‘Anaphylaxis and Beyond’ talk about institutional Racism at Cardiff Univeristy, which was shared on his YouTube channel shortly after the event. Alwishah’s talk consisted of a video of him being interrogated by University security staff, believing this was racially targeted. The VP also showed images of the word ‘liar’ written on a sticky note, which he believed was a racist attack on him, which, when reported to se-

‘Institutional racism is ingrained in society and what we are as BEM people’ curity, again lacked sufficient evidence on CCTV to find the preparator. During the elections campaign when Alwishah ran for President, Alwishah claims posts were made on his timeline and messages shared, which were not sent or seen by him. ‘They want me out of office and don’t want me to achieve’ he says in the video. He also commented on alleged

posts being made about his family, ‘ You go and hate on someone’s family because you want to undermine them and assassinate their integrity... why? Because I’m not white’. Speaking to Gair Rhydd after the ‘Students or Suspects’ event, Alwishah commented that ‘institutions are very much focussed on evidence’. The difficulty Alwishah faces is due to the complexity of reporting Islamophobia. There is no definition of what does and does not constitute as regliously or racially motivated hate. There have been concerns regarding Alwishah’s competence in his VP position. However, the criticism Alwishah has faced, in his opinion has been Islamophobic due to the ingrained bias of his critics. At the Anaphylaxis and Beyond event, Alwishah emphasised his ‘nineteen successes as VP Welfare’, and argued, ‘I am good at my job’. When asked to provide a statement to Gair Rhydd about these allegations of institutional racism, Alwishah failed to sufficiently answer for the points stated above and the comments made in the video. The video has since been removed from YouTube. Responding to these allegations, a Cardiff University spokesperson said ‘The University’s role in working with the Students’ Union to address inequality and promote equality is an absolute priority’. The spokesperson added, ‘Senior members of University staff are in direct contact with the individual. This remains an open and continued dialogue and is an effort to address concerns’.

Islamophobia and the truth behind its impact G by Mustakim Hasnath

air Rhydd has spoken to members of the Muslim community at the university to investigate the extent of Islamophobia for them. Fahim Ahmed, an English Literature student from Cardiff was one of them. Speaking about how extremism leads to a rise in Islamophobia, the 1st year student said ‘There’s a collective guilt that happens. Groups such as IS commit acts of atrocities, and for me, as an average British Muslim, we as the Muslim community unfortunately have to face the consequences of their actions’.

‘There’s so much that can happen, we’re so vulnerable’ Ahmed condones the attacks of terror and added, ‘average Muslim citizens suffer because of the acts that they commit’. He continued, ‘Last night, I played some Call of Duty and as it’s a Friday I was in the mosque today, sat there listening to the sermon and all I can think about is people who spoke about the video which circulated around social media online, as if it’s just a game’.

Ahmed said it was this which made him think ‘about all the things that can go wrong and I thought there’s so much that can happen; we’re so vulnerable’. Commenting how widespread Islamophobia is, Ahmed said, ‘I think it’s massive… It leads to us becoming outsiders looking in to the community’. Ahmed’s father is a taxi driver working in Cardiff. Ahmed says ‘ He’s had racial abuse hurled at him, simply for being brown, for being Muslim’. Ahmed added, ‘he used to go to work wearing an Islamic hat, which he then stopped wearing because people started targeting him. Ahmed also told Gair Rhydd his friend’s sister was ‘being called Shamima Begum at school’. According to the most recent Home Office statistics on recorded crime, there has been a 29% rise in hate crimes across England and Wales with religious hate crimes increasing by 35% between 2016 and 2017. In a statement, the anti-racism charity ‘Show Racism the Red Card’, said they had been contacted by teachings in 16 out of the 22 local authority schools in Wales, about incidents of racism. Particularly at higher education institutions, academics such as Professor Jacqueline Stevenson claim that Muslims are being ‘excluded, discriminated against or failed at all states of their

transition from education to employment’. In a statement, the Sheffield Hallam University academic said ‘these contributory factors have profound implications for social mobility. According to the 2011 census, 19.8% of the Muslim adult population were in full-time employment as opposed to 34.9% of the population being in fulltime employment. Further to this, only 6% of the Muslim population, according to the same census analysis, are in higher managerial administrative and professional occupations compared to 10% for the overall population. These warning signs have triggered concerns by numerous academics as well as Dame Louise Casey, about the social integration of Muslims in the UK and how islamophobia implicates this. Ahmed added, ‘Islamophobia not only impacts our ability to live a life free of fear, but it impacts our very being too’. Provisional Recorded Crime numbers, according to home office statistics indicate at times, more than a 120% increase in racially or religiously aggravated offences,. This was after the EU referendum result in 2016, as well as both the Westminster Bridge and Manchester Arena attacks.

‘They’re mixing religion and causing confusion’

sim Qureshi, Head of Research at ‘Cage’, was one of the speakers of the Students’ Union’s ‘Students or Suspects’ panel talk . Speaking at the event, he explained his role at the organisation entailed travelling around the world, ‘investigating my clients, who are often involved in violent crime, and finding out how they came to be the people who they are today’. He continued, ‘I do this by what’s called a multi-generational social history

so I go back sometimes more than five generations of a person’s family history to find out all the socio-economic, political, biological, historical that allowed this person to carry out an act of violence’. A key part of Qureshi’s talk was about the complexity surrounding what he called ‘political violence’. When questioned by Gair Rhydd following the panel event, Qureshi, like Rizwaan Sabir, did not recognise the terms ‘radicalisation’ and ‘extremism’. Despite being asked over six times, none of the speakers of the event gave an answer to the question ‘how do we find individuals in the community who may pose a threat to extremism if it is not via the current legislative strategies such as Prevent or Channel’.

Cage’s ‘About Us’ website page contains many frequently asked questions about the nature of the organisation’s position on extremism and terrorism, but, whilst the organisation condones ‘political violence’, it ‘does not recognise the terms ‘radicalisation’. Many have criticised the organisation’s stance on terrorism, with some media reports suggesting its advocates are ‘terrorist apologists’. Qureshi has been quoted calling Muhammad Ewazi ‘a beautiful man’ and willing to advocate for the rights of Osama bin Laden. The organisation also does not clearly state their position on extremism. Nicola Benyahia, whose organisation is focussed on working with families who are impacted by extremism, told Gair Rhydd, ‘I worry the added

confusion towards what extremism is what the best way to deal with is, ultimately causes more confusion and leads to divisions in our community’. ‘There’s a lot of scaremongering within our own communities which we need to address and get rid of’, she added. Nicola also told Gair Rhydd: ‘some of these organisations are completely right to address the issue of Islamophobia, but I think there are other things we need to be more concerned about... we need to have discussions in our own communities to rule out where the problems lie’. ‘As we’ve seen recently, terrorism is something which happens in any country and simply stating that legislation does not work is not enough’. Sabir told

Gair Rhydd that ‘extremism is thriving in our society’, explaining that such ideologies were ‘all over our front papers and across the media’. Speaking to Gair Rhydd following the Students or Suspects event, Nicola Benyahia said ‘I often go to events where there are representations from all sorts of groups such as Hidaya and RAN (Radicalisation Awareness Network)’. Nicola told Gair Rhydd many community groups often talk about the problems of Prevent and genuine social issues, but very rarely talk about the solution or possible alternatives. Nicola told Gair Rhydd she was concerned the families and young people she worked with may be influenced and impacted by this ‘scare-mongering’.

Support services at Cardiff University for victims of racial and Islamophobic abuse

peaking to Gair Rhydd about what upport services are available for victims of racial and Islamophobic hate, a Cardiff University spokesperson said, ‘We therefore take any claims of racism extremely seriously and urge anyone who has experienced any of these issues to raise them via our formal Student Complaints procedure’. The spokesperson also commented on the support services available at the university to support students experiencing racism and forms of hate abuse: ‘They can also contact our Disclosure Response Team, specialist University staff who are trained to respond to reports of this nature’. The University has a Disclosure Response Team, who are available to speak to students and support them if they

are experiencing any kind of violence or abuse, including harassment, hate crime, sexual violence and relationship abuse. This team supports students in ways including support about managing their safety, contacting students via phone, providing support with housing, financial and academic needs and signposting specialist agencies. This service is available through the Online disclosure tool, which can be accessed via the Cardiff University Intranet. Other services offered include the Out of Hours Helpline, which is delivered by Welsh Women’s Aid, and is a national confidential, free phone support and information service for anyone experiencing sexual violence, domestic abuse or other forms of violence against women, or for anyone wanting more information

on available support services. The University’s Race Hate Crime Supervisory Panel also supports and works with the Disclosure Response Team to provide support in which, amongst other things, collects and reports on emerging themes around race hate incidents and crimes to the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. A University spokesperson also told Gair Rhydd that for support specific to Muslim students at the university, ‘Muslim Chaplains have been involved in advising the University on the development of the University’s Religion and Belief Policy’. The spokesperson continued, ‘Muslim chaplains continue to be involved in advising the University on recommendations regarding our quiet room provision’.

Photo credit: Mustakim Hasnath ^Cardiff Univeristy’s student support services are located on Park Place

taf od

Barn y Bobol

Gyda adroddiadau fod dyn ifanc wedi cael gwrthod mynediad i glwb nos yng Nghaerfaddon am fod ganddo sticer baner Cymru ar ei drwydded yrru, Tafod sy’n holi rhai o fyfyrwyr Cymraeg Prifysgol Caerdydd ar y mater.

Jacob Morris

Myfyriwr ail flwyddyn Cymraeg a Gwleidyddiaeth Mae yna agenda ehangach ar waith fan hyn a hynny wedi refferendwm annibyniaeth Yr Alban yn 2014 a Refferendwm Brexit 2016; ill dau’n ddigwyddiadau sydd wedi gwamalu a thanseilio undod y Deyrnas Unedig. Mae hunaniaeth yn rhywbeth pwysig a dylwn gael yr hawl i ddewis pa faner sy’n ein cynrychioli. Yn fwy byth fe welwn Jac yr Undeb yn hawlio’i lle ar becynnu bwyd a sefydliadau cyhoeddus - ymdrech ydyw gan y sefydliad i’n Prydeinio ac mae’n hen bryd i ni’r Cymry sobri; wedi’r cyfan y ‘Y Ddraig Goch Ddyry Gychwyn’.

Heledd Ainsworth

Myfyrwraig blwyddyn gyntaf Y Gyfraith a’r Gymraeg Mae llawer ohonom yn ystyried ein hunaniaeth mewn termau Cymreig yn unig felly pam na allwn gael baner y Ddraig Goch ar ein trwyddedau gyrru? Ers 2015 rhaid derbyn baner Prydain ac, yn wahanol i’r Alban, ni chynrychiolir Cymru ar y faner honno. Mae gwahardd arddangos ein baner ar drwydded yn arwydd o orthrwm Lloegr drwy wrthod cydnabod ein arwahanrwydd. Rhowch chwarae teg inni os gwelwch yn dda!

O feddwl mai math o gerdyn adnabod yw’r drwydded yrru, mae’n rhyfedd imi feddwl bod rhai yn tanseilio hunaniaeth genedlaethol. Penderfyniad yr unigolyn yw arddangos baner ei wlad fel rhan o’i hunaniaeth! Tybed a fyddai baner Lloegr yn cael ei gwrthod yn yr un modd? Sut y gallent fynnu ond i weld baner y Deyrnas Unedig pan nad ydym yn medru gweithredu fel uned? Nid teyrnas unedig mohono bellach! Mae’n debyg i rai ystyried Cymru’n wlad answyddogol.

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

GWLEIDYDDIAETH

Eluned Morgan: “Rhaid i Gymru weithio’n galetach”

gan Rhodri Davies

yda’r holl ddigwyddiadau’n San Steffan yn ymwneud â Brexit yn ddiweddar yn domineiddio’r pennawdau, hawdd yw colli’r ffocws ar Gymru a sut y bydd yn ymdopi wedi i Brydain adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd. Dyma oedd testun y ddadl a gynhaliwyd nos Fercher 27ain o Fawrth yn y Deml Heddwch. Es i yno ar ran Taf-od i geisio amgyffred â maint y sialensiau fydd yn wynebu Cymru. Ar y panel roedd rhai o academyddion mwyaf blaenllaw gwleidyddiaeth. Dr Elin Royles o Brifysgol Aberystwyth, Dr Keith Morgan o Brifysgol Caerdydd, Dr Christopher Huggins o Brifysgol Suffolk a Dr Rachel Minto o Ganolfan Llywodraethant Cymru Prifysgol Caerdydd. Cafwyd hefyd anerchiad gan Emyr Jones-Parry, diplomydd a chyn-gynrychiolydd Prydain yn NATO a hefyd araith gan Eluned Morgan sydd â’r dasg o adeiladu perthnasau rhyngwladol i Gymru. Yr hyn sy’n digwydd nawr yn San Steffan yw prif ffocws dadleuon Brexit bellach. Braf oedd gweld, felly, canolbwyntio ar y dyfodol a Chymru’n ceisio gosod amcanion ar gyfer y dyfodol. Y cwestiwn “Will it be bad or very bad?” a osododd naws y ddadl,

ond trafod sut i wneud y gorau o’r sefyllfa oedd bwriad y panel. Cynigwyd rhai rhagfynegiadau ynglŷn â beth fyddai’r DU yn ei wneud ar ôl Brexit. Golyga Brexit bod ein llefydd ni yn sefydliadau’r UE yn diflannu. Rhagdybiaeth Dr Keith Morgan oedd y bydd y wlad yn dal yn medru “talu i chwarae” mewn sefydliadau. Un a soniodd amdano oedd Erasmus. Hon yw’r sefydliad sy’n galluogi i fyfyrwyr brofi astudio mewn prifysgolion yn yr UE. Yn rhesymegol, byddai Prydain yn colli’i lle yn y sefydliad. Er hyn, yn nhyb Dr Keith Morgan, oherwydd bod cysylltiadau mor gryf gyda phrifysgolion y DU a rhai Ewropeaidd, bydd hi’n bosibl cadw’r cytundeb yma drwy dalu am gael gwneud hynny. Ymddangosodd y gobaith o ddyrchafu Cymru i statws gwell er mwyn iddo gael ei gymryd o ddifrif. Dywedwyd bod y UE yn deall mai yn San Steffan mae’r anghydweld. Maent hefyd yn deall bod ardaloedd yn y DU yn cynnig gwahanol bethau ac felly ni fydd yr UE yn ein trin ni fel un Prydain Fawr ond yn hytrach yn ardaloedd sydd a’u hunaniaeth eu hunain. Barn Eluned Morgan yw bod yn rhaid mynnu bod yr awdurdodau Prydeinig megis y bwrdd twristiaeth “Visit Britain” yn chwifio’r faner drosom. Er mwyn medru cystadlu â gweddill y

Eluned Morgan: Y Gweinidog dros Faterion Rhyngwladol, yn siarad mewn digwyddiad Prifysgol Caerdydd. (Tarddiad: Gwen Davies). byd, rhaid yw marchnata ein rhinweddau. Sicrhau bod llais ein gwlad ni’n cael ei glywed yw’r prif nod, ond bydd “rhaid i Gymru weithio’n galetach nag erioed o’r blaen”, yn ôl Eluned Morgan. Adeiladu ar yr hyn sydd gyda ni’n barod er mwyn rhoi cyfle gwell i ni’n hunain ac ariannu diwydiant fel

ein bod ni’n medru cystadlu’n genedlaethol. Mae’r gwerthoedd sydd eu hangen arnom ni gyda ni. “Wales is a country that punches above its weight,” oedd y neges ddiwethaf yn y ddadl. Mae angen mireinio’n gweithredoedd a sicrhau bod rôl bwysig gan Gymru. Rhaid sicrhau bod lle i Gymru yn y gymuned ryngwladol.

mewn pêl-droed i’w gymharu â’r rygbi i gael digon o newid. Soniwyd bod llai o floeddio, ond lefelau uwch o wenu dryslyd gan gefnogwyr traddodiadol rygbi. Ond pa fuddiannau sy’n dod o symud Cymru i gyfandir arall? Diolch i’r bois rygbi, Cymru yw’r ail wlad orau yn y byd am rygbi ar y foment. Yn ôl pob sôn, mae cyfandir newydd i Gymru’n golygu mwy o gyfle i Gymru ymarfer heb y Saeson yn cymryd eu sylw drwy’r adeg. Dywed Amgueddfa Werin Cymru, Sain Ffagan, bod nawr cyfle iddynt adeiladu arddangosfa o’r dreigiau bu’n cael eu darganfod ar draeth Southerndown, gan yn 2017, ni chaniateir i’r dreigiau gael eu harddangos o ganlyniad i ddeddf o San Steffan. Bydd y newid cyfandir yn effeithio ar weithiau’r llywodraeth

yng Nghymru, yn ogystal. Heb gysylltiad daearyddol i weddill y Deyrnas Unedig, nid oes bellach rhaid cael datganoli gan fydd Llywodraeth Cymru’n rhydd i greu a phasio deddfau ar unrhyw beth. Cynhaliwyd arolwg yn 2018 i bleidleisio ar wynebau punnoedd newydd, ac yn syth wedi i wyddonwyr cyfrif 5 milltir o bellter rhwng Lloegr a’r Gelli Gandryll, bydd y Royal Mint yn cychwyn ar greu punnoedd newydd i Gymru. Bydd y punnoedd yn cynnwys ffigyrau diwylliannol Cymreig, megis Saunders Lewis, Aneurin Bevan, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Kate Roberts, Max Boyce, Cerys Matthews a Dafydd Iwan. O 2020 ymlaen yn ogystal, Mr Urdd bydd Bardd Plant Cymru. P.S. Os oeddech chi’n meddwl bo’r erthygl hon yn un difrifol, gwiriwch ddyddiad y rhifyn hwn!

Pryd o Daf-od

Tirion Davies

Daniel O’Callaghan

Myfyriwr blwyddyn gyntaf Cymraeg a Cherddoriaeth

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

Tirion Davies, myfyrwraig Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth yn ei blwyddyn gyntaf, sy’n esbonio pam ddylai Cymru symud i gyfandir arall. Mae Cymru wedi bod yn drifftio i ffwrdd o’r Deyrnas Unedig am tua blwyddyn, ers y daeargryn 4.2 Richter ym mis Chwefror 2018. Os ydych chi’n edrych o dop Bai Whitmore yn y Barri, mae’n edrych o ochr arall y dŵr fel petai Lloegr yn pellhau’n ddy-

ddiol. Dechreuodd y newid i gyfandir newydd yn 2012, pan enillodd Cymru’r Gamp Lawn. Y bore wedi’r llwyddiant, gwelodd gwyddonwyr bod bloeddio a chanu ‘Delilah’ a neidio’r Cymry wedi achosi daeargrynfeydd bach, er nad oeddem yn ymwybodol ohonyn nhw yn ystod y dathliadau. Pan enillodd Cymru’r Gamp Lawn unwaith eto ym mis Mawrth eleni, gwelodd daearyddwyr yr un fath o ganlyniadau ag yn 2012. Daeargrynfeydd bach, ond digon i bellhau Cymru o weddill y Deyrnas Unedig, a’i symud i gyfandir ar wahân. Er llwyddiant Cymru ym mhencampwriaeth yr Ewros 2016, nid oedd disgwyl cymaint o effaith daearyddol. Yn ôl y gwyddonwyr, ni ystyriodd y Cymry bydd llwyddiant i’w ddathlu haf yna. Yn ogystal, esboniodd y gwyddonwyr nad oedd digon o bobl wedi diddori

TAF-OD

BYWYD Y BRIFYSGOL

Tymor tramor yn temptio

Llwybrau newydd: Mae cyfleoedd i astudio dramor yn gallu agor drysau. (Tarddiad: Rhiannon James). gan Rhiannon James

hi siŵr o fod wedi clywed y clichés i gyd am astudio dramor, ond y rheswm chi’n clywed nhw gymaint yw achos eu bod nhw’n wir! Yn Ottawa, Canada, rydw i’n astudio ar hyn o bryd ac wedi bod ers dechrau mis Ionawr. Mae Ottawa yn gartref i ardal sglefrio fwyaf y byd, mae’r gamlas yn rhewi drosodd ac ar gael i’r cyhoedd i sglefrio arno. Mae hyn yn bosib gan fod y tymheredd yn Ottawa yn gallu disgyn i finws 30 gradd Celsius yn y Gaeaf – roedd hyn yn bendant yn rhywbeth bu rhaid i mi addasu iddo. Ni fyddaf

yn cwyno am yr oerfel rhagor yng Nghymru! Teithiais hefyd i Toronto, Quebec a Montréal, ac mae Calgary a Vancouver wedi’u trefnu am yr Haf. Mae’n bwysig teithio o gwmpas wrth astudio tramor, cewch ddysgu mwy am y wlad a phwy sy’n gwybod pryd fyddwch nôl nesaf felly ewch amdani! Gwnewch ddysgu eithaf tipyn am eich hun wrth astudio dramor gan fod rhaid i chi ddod yn gyfarwydd a threulio amser gyda’ch hunan. Mae symud i ffwrdd o bopeth chi’n gyfarwydd â yn gorfodi chi i ddatblygu’n bersonol. Rhaid i chi wthio’ch hunan, does

dim ffrindiau na theulu o’ch cwmpas i chi bwyso arno. Felly, mae lan i chi i gymryd pob profiad sydd ar gael - efallai gwneud rhywbeth fyddech chi ddim fel arfer yn gwneud, er enghraifft sglefrio ia, noswaith karaoke neu heic lan i bwynt uchel! Dangosa’r profiad taw chi’ch hun sydd mewn rheolaeth o’ch bywyd, felly mae lan i chi i neud y gorau ohono. Hawdd yw aros yn eich ystafell pan chi’n gweld eisiau gartref neu yn cael dydd isel, ond ar ddyddiau fel hyn mae hyd yn oed yn fwy pwysig i bigo’ch hunan lan oherwydd mae rhaid cofio fod hyn yn brofiad fyddwch ond yn cael unwaith felly

nid ydych eisiau edrych nôl yn edifeiriol. Mae astudio dramor wedi dysgu mi i werthfawrogi pob munud, gan fod bywyd mor fyr. Dysgu a phrofi diwylliant newydd yw un o’n hoff bethau am astudio dramor, efallai ni chewch y cyfle i fyw mewn gwlad wahanol eto. Er mae rhaid gwneud y gweithgareddau twristiaeth, byddwch hefyd yn gweld rhannau o’r wlad ni fyddwch fel arfer. Gwnewch chi ffrindiau am oes, cewch sgwrs gyda’r fenyw sy’n gweithio yn y siop leol a fyddwch yn dod i ‘nabod y wynebau sy’n cymryd yr un daith bws a chi bob wythnos. Nid dim ond y diwylliant fyddwch yn dod i adnabod a

charu ond y gymuned hefyd. Mae adran Cyfleoedd Byd-eang Prifysgol Caerdydd wedi bod yn gymorth enfawr i mi trwy’r holl broses. Mae ymgeisio, trefnu llety, cynllunio’r daith ac yn y blaen yn gallu bod yn rhwystredig gan fod lot o waith gweinyddol. Mae’r straen yn amlwg yn werth y canlyniad, yn enwedig pan mae’r tîm Cyfleoedd Byd-eang yn hollol gefnogol o ddechrau’r cais hyd nes eich bod yn cyrraedd nôl yng Nghaerdydd. Os oes unrhyw un sy’n darllen hyn yn edrych am y gwthiad bach ‘na i fynd amdani a chymryd y cyfle i astudio dramor, dyma fo! Ewch amdani, ni fyddwch yn difaru.

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

Prif Weinidog/ (preev wayPrime Minister nee-dawg)

Mae’r Prif Weinidog wedi cadarnhau ei bod yn bwriadu camu o’r neilltu cyn y cymal nesaf o drafodethau Brexit. The Prime Minister has confirmed she’ll step down before the next phase of Brexit negotiations.

Prif Weinidog: Theresa May’n bwriadu camu o’r neilltu. (Tarddiad: Arno Mikkor (EU2017EE), drwy Flickr).

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

TAF OD

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CHWARAEON

Dechrau gobeithiol i ymgyrch Ewro 2020 gan Llion Carbis

r ôl cyfnod o dros bedwar mis heb bêl-droed rhyngwladol, cafodd aelodau ffyddlon y Wal Goch eu diddanu’n ddiweddar gan fuddugoliaethau olynol i Gymru. Enillodd y tîm cenedlaethol ei gêm agoriadol yn erbyn Trinidad a Tobago, achlysur hynod arbennig wrth i Gymru ddychwelyd i chwarae yn y gogledd am y tro cyntaf mewn dros ddegawd. Yna, dechreuodd ymgyrch gemau rhagbrofol Ewro 2020 Cymru yn y modd gorau posib, gyda thri phwynt yn erbyn Slofacia. Yn sydyn, mae canlyniadau diweddar Cymru wedi tawelu rhai pryderon oedd ynghylch arweiniad Ryan Giggs fel hyfforddwr y tîm cenedlaethol. Wrth ddechrau’r cyfnod diweddara’ o bêl-droed rhyngwladol, dim ond tair allan o naw gêm enillodd Giggs fel hyfforddwr y tîm cenedlaethol, gyda dwy allan o’r dair buddugoliaeth yn erbyn Gweriniaeth Iwerddon – tîm a oedd yn dirywio’n ddifrifol o dan hyfforddiant Martin O’Neill. Wrth chwarae gwledydd o ansawdd tebyg, neu uwchraddol, ni lwyddodd Cymru i arddangos ei thalent wrth golli i Sbaen, Uruguay, Denmarc (dwy waith) ynghyd â chanlyniad annisgwyl yn erbyn Albania. Er clod i Ryan Giggs, datganodd yn gyhoeddus bod ei flwyddyn gyntaf fel hyfforddwr Cymru wedi bod yn gyfystyr a chyfle i arbrofi, a nawr roedd y cyfnod i’r gwaith difrifol ddechrau, ac ymddengys bod ei chwaraewyr wedi ymateb yn gadarnhaol i’r fath feddylfryd. Yn nodweddiadol, cyfle i arbrofi’n dactegol a rhoi’r cyfle i chwaraewyr sydd ar gyrion yr 11 gorau yw prif

bwrpas gemau cyfeillgar. Serch hynny, wrth ystyried record gymharol anffafriol Giggs fel hyfforddwr ein gwlad, roedd buddugoliaeth yn hollbwysig – un a all arwain at fomentwm gwerthfawr wrth ddechrau ymgyrch ragbrofol Ewro 2020. Yn ganmoliaethus, llwyddodd tîm ifanc a chymharol ddibrofiad Cymru i ddyfalbarhau a selio’r fuddugoliaeth ym munudau ola’r ornest. Er nid oedd y perfformiad ei hun yn safonol iawn, gyda Chymru yn trafferthu i ddatblygu patrwm ar y cae, a methu bygwth Trinidad a Tobago yn wirioneddol, llwyddodd Woodburn i sgorio’r gôl dyngedfennol. Heb os, amlwg ydoedd bod tîm Cymru yn gymysg o chwaraewyr a oedd yn anghyfarwydd iawn yn chwarae gyda’i gilydd, ond y canlyniad oedd yr elfen fwyaf arwyddocaol. Roedd natur y perfformiad, a chryfder tîm Cymru yn erbyn Slofacia yn Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd – y gêm agoriadol o gemau rhagbrofol Ewro 2020 – yn dra wahanol. Cymysgedd delfrydol ydoedd o arbenigedd y chwaraewyr profiadol megis Bale, Allen, Davies a Hennessey ynghyd â chyffro’r chwaraewyr llai profiadol megis Wilson, Brooks, James, Smith, ac ati. Dechreuodd Cymru’r ornest gyda dwyster canfyddadwy, yn sgorio o fewn y pum munud agoriadol, gyda Daniel James yn adennill y meddiant ar ochr cwrt cosbi Slofacia cyn ergydio’n nerthol i gefn rhwyd Dúbravka. Nid oedd Slofacia yn medru ymdopi â chyflymder a symudiadau chwaraewyr ymosodol Cymru, yn benodol James a Brooks, a chafwyd llwyddiant helaeth wrth ymosod ar naill asgell. Er i Slofacia reoli’r meddiant, Cym-

Y wal goch: Cefnogwyr Cymru’n cefnogi eu carfan. (Tarddiad: Llion Carbis). ru a ddefnyddiodd y bêl gyda mwy o bwrpas a chywirdeb, a bu sawl cyfle ystyrlon yn yr hanner cyntaf i ychwanegu at fantais y Dreigiau. Yn nodweddiadol, ni lwyddodd Cymru i uchafu ar y cyfleodd, a arweiniodd at ddiweddglo nerfus tu hwnt, gyda dibyniaeth ar ddoniau Wayne Hennessey. Wedi’r cyfan, dangosodd Cymru’r dwyster a’r awch angenrheidiol i’w gosod yn ail yn grŵp E. Mae trawsnewidiad y tîm cened-

laethol wedi bod yn anhygoel o dan arweiniad Giggs. Dim ond pedwar chwaraewr a ddechreuodd yn erbyn Slofacia oedd wedi chwarae yn Ewro 2020, gyda’r gweddill wedi chwarae llai na deg gêm i’w gwlad cyn i’r ornest ddechrau yn erbyn Slofacia. Bwysicach fyth, roedd chwech o chwaraewyr Cymru yn 23 a llai, sy’n gosod sylfaen gynhyrchiol a chynaliadwy am ddyfodol y tîm cenedlaethol. Yn fy oes, nid wyf yn gallu cofio tîm

Cymru sy’n meddu ar gymaint o ddyfnder a photensial, a llwydodd Cymru i gofnodi buddugoliaeth hollbwysig yn erbyn Slofacia heb Aaron Ramsey yn chwarae, yn ogystal â chwaraewyr dylanwadol eraill megis Ethan Ampadu a Tom Lawrence. Mae’r cyfnod yma o bêl-droed rhyngwladol wedi bod yn hynod lwyddiannus i’r tîm cenedlaethol, a rhaid i Gymru gynnal y safon yn erbyn Croatia a Hwngari yn yr haf.

Yn Trafod yr wythnos hon... Gruffudd Dafydd 1. Pwy wyt ti a beth wyt ti’n astudio? Gruffudd Dafydd, Physiotherapy. 2. Beth yw’r peth gorau am astudio yng Nghaerdydd? Popworld. 3. Beth yw’r peth gorau a gwaethaf iti erioed eu prynnu? Gorau - ticad awyren i Japan. Gwaethaf - peint gynnes o Revs (£5.40).

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

4. Pe fyddet ti’n gorfod newid dy enw, beth fyddet ti’n dewis a pham? Owain ap Myrddin, i gal defnyddio’r chat up line ‘Fi di mab yr archdderwydd’. 5. A fyddai pobl eraill yn dy ddisgrifio’n drefnus? Na. 6. Beth yw dy gas ddywediad neu ddyfyniad? “It’s coming home”.

7. Beth yw’r anaf gwaethaf iti ei gael? Torri calon - Semi finals Cymru v Ffrainc 2011. (Cwpan Rygbi’r Byd). 8. Pa ganeuon fyddai ar soundtrack ar gyfer ffilm o dy fywyd? Mim Twm Llai - Wbancrw. 9. Beth yw dy “party trick” gorau? Deud ‘yes’ ar ôl pob brawddeg Saesneg. 10. Pa ffigwr hanesyddol byddet ti’n hoffi cwrdd a nhw? Owain Glyndwr.

11. Beth fyddet ti’n ei goginio ar MasterChef? Fry up. 12. Beth yw dy swydd ddelfrydol a pham? Chwaraewr rygbi 7s - cael teithio a chwarae rygbi. 13. Pe fyddet yn Brif Weinidog am y dydd, beth fyddet yn ei newid? Brexit. 14. Disgrifia dy hun mewn tri gair. Boi o Traws.

15. Pwy fydd yn ‘Trafod gyda’r Taf-od’ y tro nesaf? Ifan ‘Boris’ Roberts.

APRIL 12 2019

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COMMENT

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

‘Dignitas’ Britain’s Culture of Fear

by Hannah Newberry The Royal College of Physicians voted on Thursday regarding Britain’s attitude towards assisted dying – an issue that permeates the moral values in every state and highlights the differences in how we approach issues that rely heavily on contentious ethics. A position of ‘neutrality’ won the majority vote against expectations – meaning that only 43% of the vote was content with current British law. We are renowned for our rigidity in this area in comparison to more lenient states like Switzerland – so is this vote likely to open the doorway to extensive discussion on assisted dying that’s worthy of parliamentary time? A bold statement was made that, ‘Britain continues to treat buying someone a ticket to Dignitas in Switzerland as conspiracy to murder’. This begs the question as to whether there is a legitimate aim behind punishing people who want to die or people who want to help them for compassionate reasons, or if this is an increasingly outdated way to treat an autonomous individual. Are our laws a waste of time when we could be convicting people who commit the same acts with malicious intent? In my opinion, before we address

istically that we’d ever consider a gradual move to Switzerland’s attitude without heavy regulation. Instances such as the Nazi regime that are used to scare people into being content with the current law doesn’t differentiate between voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia (two very different concepts) and assumes that law played a role in those events in the first place. Britain’s reconsideration of its assisted dying policies would be advantageous for several reasons – and I advocate for the majority vote that suggests we need to open debate now. Accepting ‘assisted suicide’ as an aspect of life now we are medically advanced enough to enforce it would prevent underground euthanasia practices – just because you would be charged with a criminal offence for helping someone die if they ask you to, does not necessarily mean you wouldn’t do it at home through means that may be more painful, more prolonged and more traumatic. Legalisation would encourage discussion with doctors, to allow people to act of their own will in the safest and most monitored way possible without punishing people who don’t intend to cause harm – it’s a colossal waste of court time and expense. It also opens up the doctor/pa-

tient relationship to a more effective dynamic. Being able to discuss your options freely with a person who has a duty to assist you while considering your views may help in terms of identifying why people want to end their lives, therefore encouraging more support for mental health funding and not treating suicide as an ‘opt-out’ as many people are guilty of doing. It is important to realise that legalising assisted suicide would not necessarily mean many claims are allowed to proceed, but merely eradicates the taboo of it; a taboo that serves no purpose other than keeping the law stagnant and shying people away from challenging the irrationality of it. Britain should work with the Royal College’s verdict to open a line of communication with the public about how they want their own lives to be regulated. It would be an emphatic step towards respecting the public’s views about how they wish to be treated, while also appreciating that you don’t have to ‘accept’ the concept of suicide to admit that your justice system has failed to prevent euthanasia thus far anyway, so the ‘culture of fear’ we currently have has not proven a success.

Chinese Government straightwashes Bohemian Rhapsody

by Alex Lambden ohemian Rhapsody has just been released in China, but any hints towards Freddie Mercury’s bisexuality have been taken out of the film. The blockbuster hit focuses on the infamous rock group, Queen, and focuses on the life of lead singer and flamboyant bisexual, Freddie Mercury. However, due to the Chinese government’s heavy censorship laws, all references of Freddie’s sexuality have been removed; this includes scenes such as his coming out, his first gay relationship and the group’s portrayal of drag in the ‘I Want to Break Free’ music video. Freddie’s sexuality was a huge part of his life that heavily characterised his story, and by its removal, accusations of China’s systematic homophobia have been raised by Western media. However, the censorship of Bohemian Rhapsody has raised an even deeper political question: should we respect autonomous decisions of governments that fit outside of the Western world’s liberal framework? As a gay man myself, I believe it is important to first analyse the Chinese government’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights from history until now. Like many ancient cultures, homosexuality in ancient China was a social norm and only became socially abnormal and outlawed in the 19th and 20th century when the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China tried to adopt Western norms. Like many countries who have homophobic social attitudes,

the issue of euthanasia and discuss whether it should either be legalised or reformed considerably, we need to look at how it would fit within our own legal system. Britain operate largely on a ‘fear culture’ conglomerate that refuses to look at ways we can effectively regulate assisted dying in this country due to the potential for error. However, in a society that values the freedom of speech and individualism inherent in most western cultures, it seems odd that we fall behind on this debate, to a similar degree that Ireland do with regards to abortion reform. In order to work out how legalisation would fit, we would need to look at the arguments Britain use to justify a total ban on assisted suicide currently. The main issue is where we would draw the line with ‘legalisation’ – which is a hugely flawed yet widely condoned reason for parliament to refuse a debate. It is often felt that to legalise ‘assisted suicide’ would encourage people to end their own lives, give healthcare practitioners too much power to the point where they could ‘play God’ and elude to instances such as widespread euthanasia exhibited in instances such as Nazi Germany. But it’s ridiculous to think real-

these oppressive ideas were learnt from white European countries. Whilst I am not excusing Chinese efforts of censoring LGBTQ+ expression, I believe it is important to remember that China’s homophobic attitudes are due to our imperial influence. For example, homosexuality was normal and accepted in both Native America and Precolonial Africa before the colonialism of European countries. The damage of European colonisation and ideological dominance is difficult to undo, and so in some sense, it would be hypocritical to expect China to instantly reverse their homophobic censorship policies, when these very ideas came from our ancestors. Of course, it is important to take a look at China’s current constitution towards gay people. Homosexuality was decriminalised in 1997, and in 2001, it was removed from the official list of mental illness. However, social equality for the LGBTQ+ community has been slow, with a 2016 United Nation Development Program survey stating that only 5% of LGBTQ+ citizens are publicly out with their sexuality. The main problem for China’s slow LGBTQ+ progression is the lack of media representation due to the strict censorship laws, especially again in 2016, when the state administration of all media banned homosexual images on television and in films. Things also took a turn in 2018 when a popular blogging website called Weibo banned all homosexual content on

its website due to being deemed as inappropriate. Nonetheless, the Chinese LGBTQ+ community caused such an outrage that the site reversed its decision within three days. I believe that this shows a promising strength of China’s LGBTQ+, and that their voices are focused and dedicated to making change. ‘One step back, two steps forward’ is a phrase that has always applied to the modern gay movement within the Western world and its long fight for social equality. For example, if we look at the 1970s, the LGBTQ+ community was thriving more than ever in many Western cities and had created many safe spaces, thus demonstrating social progression for the time. Then in the 1980s, the AIDS crisis hit and the ignorance of Western government caused millions of unnecessary LGBTQ+ deaths, creating systematic regression. Through the AIDS crisis, the LGBTQ+ community was forced to unite and be stronger than ever which caused such a force in changing how gay people were perceived in society and how Western governments should consider them. Whilst social equality is a huge problem in China, I believe it is important to look at the merits of their LGBTQ+ community, and whilst the Chinese government’s views are still greatly oppressive, a strong LGBTQ+ does exist, which is promising for China’s future. Western governments could also be doing more to pressure China and other countries to remove their homopho-

bic censorship and criminalising laws. It is certain that visible representation of LGBTQ+ will extensively help our freedom fighting siblings on the other side of the world and help to improve their quality of life. Nonetheless, whilst the fight across the globe for true social equality continues, it is very promising to see a strong emergence of China’s LGBTQ+ community emerging fighting against its brutal censorship.

Freddie Mercury’s sexuality was a topic of conversation throughout his career, yet China chose to straightwash the film that played homage to him. (Source: kentarotakizawa via Flickr)

Are poverty and climate change more important than Brexit?

COLOFN 17 The Brexit Petition

Brexit coverage has been intense but are Jeremy Corbyn’s controversial comments just or unfair? by Jack Hudson

n a speech at Scottish Labour’s annual conference, Jeremy Corbyn commented that the Labour party were not ‘obsessed with constitutional questions’ such as Brexit and Scottish independence like he believes the media and other parties are. He said that what Labour is obsessed with is ‘tackling problems in people’s daily lives’ and ‘making the country better, fairer and more just’. He said that this commitment to back the working class is what drives Labour’s approach to Brexit- to seek a permanent customs union with the EU. However, he said that seeking this is not an end in itself and that Labour must focus on other things, such as environmental policy to make a positive difference for the future. Some interpreted this as an attempt to shift the focus away from Labour’s Brexit divisions. Ian Murray, a Scottish Labour MP responded that Corbyn was wrong as ‘we can’t resolve these issues with Brexit because Brexit makes delivery of them that much harder. His timing is off. ‘The most meaningful vote on Brexit, the biggest vote in parliamentary history, is next Tuesday. So we need laser-like focus on that, please – and

Jeremy Corbyn’s speech has raised questions as to whether this was an attempt shifting focus away from Labour’s Brexit divisions (Source: Garry Knight via Flickr) the rest we can deal with later.’. However, this was in fact exactly Corbyn’s point, that a Labour Brexit could merely be a framework upon which a future Labour government could then work to deliver on its commitments. It is somewhat true that issues such as poverty and the environment have been pushed aside by Brexit.

However, since the referendum the media have focused on other issues. The Grenfell tower restarted many debates about austerity; there has been the Windrush scandal and the discussion around knife crime. To say that the issue of climate change has been pushed aside by Brexit would imply that government

or media took the issue seriously before Brexit, which they did not. Our climate has never been given the focus it deserves, regardless of Brexit. The media’s coverage of Brexit has been intense. Many events have been said to be crucial and game-changing that have actually had little effect. We currently in the midst of a constitutional crisis, caused by the need to deal with a divisive issue with a deadline in a hung parliament. While reporting every aspect on this may not seem important, the media knows no better than politicians or the public what aspect of the story will finally lead to a solution. Divisions within the Labour party on Brexit are real, and have led to a very confused policy on backing of a second referendum which is clearly not what Jeremy Corbyn himself wants. Corbyn’s behaviour such as originally rejecting meetings with Theresa May when she finally offered them and walking out of a meeting because of ex-Labour defector Chuka Umunna’s presence have been unpopular moves politically and unhelpful in trying to find a compromise deal. However, on this occasion Corbyn was right to draw attention to underlying and long term issues which do go far deeper than the current Brexit mess.

Automation: the end of job prospects?

by Kenzie Katz

n a recent investigation carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), it has been confirmed that roughly 1.5 million people in England are under high risk of having their occupations overthrown by automation. The ONS regards automation as the replacement of workers with new forms of technology that perform their previous tasks. This includes everything from new digital programmes to robotic methods. An average of 70% of the occupations at risk of being overtaken

‘Qualifications and promotion all take time’

by automation are held by women. The next most highly impacted are young people and part-timers. So does this make automation a crisis for the student population, trying to find their way into low-skilled jobs after graduation? Or before they even start Uni, if they’re un-

able to find a simple job to make them enough money to get by during the terms of study? Students already typically struggle with juggling their time commitments with University so is it merely easier to offer a robot the job instead when they don’t require flexibility and have the added benefit of gaining no employment rights? The ONS came to the conclusion that waiting staff, shelf fillers and rudimentary sales occupations were the most likely roles to be replaced by automated methods. In contrast, senior professionals and high education teaching professionals, alongside medical practitioners, were seen as the least likely to be impacted by the undertow of the automatic-era. ONS declared that, “It is not so much that robots are taking over, but that routine and repetitive tasks can be carried out more quickly and efficiently by an algorithm written by a human, or a machine designed for one specific function.” In a way, it could be viewed that a rise in automated jobs exploits the fact that human beings require training, holidays, tea breaks and sick leave. Are we being punished for not overworking ourselves? This news is worrying as Bloom

iterates; “qualifications and promotion all take time - the longer your career, the more likely it is you are doing a job that is safe from the rise of the machines.” The rate at which automation is evolving could have damaging consequences for students who are attempting to enter fields of work that are likely to be automated in upcoming years. Are we going to see a potential drop in student applicants for sectors that are most at risk as a result? Personally, I believe that there is likely to be a drastic drop in the

previously obtainable job prospects for students and graduates. This in turn could have a negative impact on the economy given the decrease in jobs available and the rate in which large conglomerates introduce automatic methods, rather than hiring new employees. Overall, the question we must ask ourselves is what impact automation will have on the future employability of job-seekers. Job opportunities may hit an all-time low, thus we must determine what the future of automation might entail for us before it happens.

Is automation coming for all low-skilled jobs in Britain? (Source: LibreShot)

With 5.8 million signatures, does it matter?

by Sharon Gomez

he petition to “Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU” has over 5.8 million signatures at the time of writing and some are lauding this as a win for Remainers. But petitions aren’t legally binding, so must we listen to it? The fact that Parliament has integrated e-petitions into their formal policy process (i.e. considering for debate any petition that receives more than 100,000 signatures) speaks volumes about the respect it has for honest public engagement. It’s now set to be debated by MPs on 1 April. But a petition is not the same as people going to vote. It’s an unstandardized and unreliable source of the people’s will. For example, all UK residents are able to sign, regardless if they’re able to vote or not. Also, the same email can be used to sign the petition twice – allowing unscrupulous parties a second bite at the cherry. The petition, while record-breaking, still received fewer signatures than the 17.4 million people who voted to leave in 2016. However, protest petitions such as this can be effective in more subtle ways. To illustrate, more than 1.6 million people signed a petition calling for US President Donald Trump’s visit to the UK to be cancelled. While Mr Trump still visited the UK, it took a long time for him to come to the UK, and it was a more toned down event than anticipated. This petition may not stop the UK from leaving the EU but could pressure the government to accept a soft Brexit or to remain close with the EU after leaving. The intention of a petition is commendable – who can argue with giving people a voice? The problem is that the bar is set too low. The kind of engagement that an online petition requires is too minimal, too superficial to be taken seriously. Opening a link, clicking a send button; is this a valid way of engaging in debate? The short answer is no. Inaccessibility is another problem. If petitions are powerful enough to get the attention of Parliament, does it disadvantage people with less access to it? The hard truth is that the world isn’t getting any less digital – the web is coming of age as a place where anyone can build powerful campaigns. But while the internet might be a good way of getting the word out there, the real push comes from active real-life campaigning.

COLUMNROAD 18

COMMENT

Karis Pearson

What merits a minute’s silence? Does a minute’s silence encourage disparity in our sympathies? Source: Source: pixel2013 / 2180 images (via Pixabay)

hat is a minute’s silence? Put most simply, it is a national gesture of respect and remembrance which can theoretically, be any length of time. In the UK, we are probably most familiar with the two minutes silence, the annual special length set aside to remember the enormity of deaths during the World Wars. But, in the past, three-minute silences have also been observed worldwide, both 10 days after the Asian tsunami and after 9/11. In Spain there was a fiveminute silence after the Madrid train bombings of 2004.

A minute’s silence is a tribute to lives lost, so why do we pick and choose who gets one? Following the horrific attack in Christchurch, New Zealand last month, where 50 people were killed, the international community witnessed many tributes, but perhaps most notably, a minute’s silence. This week, I ask, what justifies a minute’s silence, and how might the way we practice it in western society, fuel a disparity in our sympathies for victims of the atrocities which they mark versus the ones they do not?

When faced with a horrific event, the least we can do is remain silent for 60 seconds to pay tribute to those affected, even if this is simply to alleviate their guilt or to feel like they have done something, right? But, what does it say when national tributes for the dead and injured are more frequently shown for western and British audiences? There is a sentiment embedded in western society, that the loss of some lives warrants more mourning than others and this is at its clearest when atrocities which occur on western soil instil greater affect in the UK population than those which occur in more ‘abstract’ locations. Take the UK’s response to the 2015 Paris attacks, which killed 130 people over the course of two days; anyone with a Facebook page saw the sympathies of the masses light up the social network with the French flag, with users adopting it as their profile frame. What does it say, that the deaths of 130 victims in France, 50 in New Zealand, and 38 (mostly Brits) in Tunisia warrants a minute’s silence while the death of 85 Syrian civilians by a US air-strike, or the deaths of 750 plus people in Mozambique, does not? What determines this disparity; is it the number of deaths? The manner of deaths? Where these deaths occurred? The rarity of such events? Or the demographics of the victims? Tragic events which occur in the

UK, or that impact British citizens are, for obvious reasons, far more likely to warrant a UK wide tribute, purely for geographic proximity to victims and national connection, they will rank as more newsworthy to British audiences. Nevertheless, this should not mean the media downplay the importance of deaths by non-British nationals. The British media’s favouring of British victims has arguably gone too far, to the point where the media coverage of disasters such as the 2019 January Nairobi Hotel attack and the Ethiopian Airlines crash, focused disproportionately on the British lives lost, despite the fact that British nationals accounted for 4% & 4.4% of all victims.

Embedded in western society is a sentiment that some lives lost warrant more mourning than others Don’t get me wrong, this is only part of the problem, as even terrorist attacks or events that impact upon no British citizens at all (such as the Christchurch attack) can receive an abundance of tributes from Britain so as long as they meet an undefined

list of ‘British disaster criteria’. This western viewpoint from which the UK, and other nations, see the world is harmful to how we view attacks again non-Brits and atrocities in ‘abstract’ nations. Take Yemen – dubbed the “forgotten war” by Amnesty International; UN officials have accused the world of ignoring the crisis, which killed 50,000 children in 2017 as a result of malnutrition. The country is on the brink of a national famine that could kill millions more, yet the world stands idly by and does nothing. Not even a minute’s silence is held, although what exactly that would achieve is unclear. Due to the high frequency of tragedies in conflict/terrorism prone areas, it would no doubt be impractical to hold a minute’s silence to remember all of those who die, and on such a regular basis. But, on the contrary, if people fell silent every week to pay tribute to those who died in an atrocity in Yemen or Syria (or numerous other countries which are equally or even more ignored) , maybe it would help wake the world up to the atrocities and increase pressure on governments to step in. How aware we are of the conflicts, terrorist attacks, and tragedies that occur all over the world, through how they have been reported, is largely down to the UK media. The media sets the tone for how deep our sympathies go, especially for victims

in ‘far-away’ nations which many of us have no affiliation with, and the presence of particular conflicts and atrocities in our media brings them even closer to home, generating a mentality of “it could’ve been me’”.

The media helps set the tone for how deep our sympathies go A failure to sufficiently cover issues in ‘non-western’ countries, including the continuing crises in Yemen and Syria, is reflected in the lack of tributes paid to these victims. There have been 587 terror attacks in 2019, killing 2476 people, yet, ask anyone, and they will most likely only be aware of one: Christchurch. When a minute (or two’s) silence takes place across the international community, it touches all corners of life, from workplaces to sports stadiums. If you dare utter a sound during the minute’s silence, or fail to realise the tribute is taking place, are you disrespecting the dead? To many, probably, when in fact you’re just meriting it with the same level of contempt given to thousands of other innocent victims?

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6 Cardiff University Students’ Union

*Approx. 25 min walk from Sport Wales. Toilets and first aid available at all venues. VALID TICKETS FOR THE EVENT ARE REQUIRED FOR ACCESS TO ALL VENUES ON THIS MAP.

FIXTURES SPORT / CHWARAEON WEDNESDAY 3RD APRIL MENS CANOE POLO WOMENS CANOE POLO SAILING SATURDAY 6TH APRIL ATHLETICS ROWING WEDNESDAY 10TH APRIL TRIATHLON EQUESTRIAN GOLF SWIMMING WOMENS LACROSSE RIFLE WOMENS BADMINTON MENS BADMINTON WOMENS ULTIMATE FRISBEE ARCHERY TAE KWON DO NETBALL WOMENS FENCING MENS CRICKET WOMENS VOLLEYBALL AMERICAN FOOTBALL IMG FOOTBALL MENS SQUASH MENS LACROSSE MENS ULTIMATE FRISBEE WOMENS TENNIS MENS TENNIS FRESHERS RUGBY WOMENS BASKETBALL MENS FENCING MENS FOOTBALL WOMENS CYCLING MENS CYCLING WOMENS HOCKEY WOMENS SQUASH WOMENS WATER POLO KICKBOXING BOXING MENS VOLLEYBALL MENS BASKETBALL MENS WATER POLO WOMENS FOOTBALL MENS HOCKEY WOMENS RUGBY MENS RUGBY

VENUE / LLEOLIAD

TIME / AMSER

WALES NATIONAL POOL SWANSEA WALES NATIONAL POOL SWANSEA CARDIFF BAY YACHT CLUB

13:00 14:00 14:30

SKETTY LANE ATHLETICS TRACK CHANNEL VIEW LEISURE CENTRE

08:00 10:00

MAINDY CENTRE TRILEY FIELDS EQUESTRIAN CENTRE RADYR GOLF CLUB CARDIFF INTERNATIONAL POOL ASTRO, SPORT WALES PENARTH RIFLE RANGE TALYBONT, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY TALYBONT, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY LLANRUMNEY PLAYING FIELDS, CARDIFF UNVIERSITY JUBILEE HALL, SPORT WALES DOJO, SPORT WALES MAIN HALL, SPORT WALES TALYBONT, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY THE VALE CRICKET CLUB TALYBONT, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY LLANRUMNEY PLAYING FIELDS, CARDIFF UNVIERSITY LLANRUMNEY PLAYING FIELDS 3G, CARDIFF UNVIERSITY SQUASH COURTS, SPORT WALES ASTRO, SPORT WALES LLANRUMNEY PLAYING FIELDS, CARDIFF UNVIERSITY CARDIFF LAWN TENNIS CLUB CARDIFF LAWN TENNIS CLUB CARDIFF ARMS PARK MAIN HALL, SPORT WALES TALYBONT, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY GRASS PITCH, SPORT WALES MAINDY CENTRE MAINDY CENTRE ASTRO, SPORT WALES SQUASH COURTS, SPORT WALES CARDIFF INTERNATIONAL POOL DOJO, SPORT WALES Y PLAS, CARDIFF STUDENTS UNION TALYBONT, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY MAIN HALL, SPORT WALES CARDIFF INTERNATIONAL POOL GRASS PITCH, SPORT WALES ASTRO, SPORT WALES PRINCIPALITY STADIUM PRINCIPALITY STADIUM

08:00 09:00 09:30 09:30 09:30 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:00 11:00 11:00 11:00 11:00 11:30 11:30 11:30 12:00 12:00 12:30 12:30 12:30 12:30 13:00 13:00 13:15 13:30 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:30 14:30 15:00 16:30 19:05

INFORMATION FOR TICKET HOLDERS Remember, you are an ambassador of Cardiff University during this event. Behaviour that contravenes the standards set out in the Student Behaviour Procedure will be reported to the University and investigated under complaint and disciplinary procedures. This can have serious consequences to your education or future career as well as your ongoing participation in sporting or social activity with the Students’ Union. Behaviour of some fans attending this event in previous years has not met the expectation of Cardiff University or the Students’ Union. The future of the event is at risk if problems around behaviour persist. We hope you enjoy the day, but please remember to look after yourself and your friends. Plan ahead. Know where you are going, how you are getting there and who you are meeting. Inform friends of your whereabouts. Get home safe.

» Access for all venues requires a ticket or wristband: • Access to Freshers’ Rugby at Cardiff Arms Park is strictly by stadium ticket only*. • Access to Ladies’ and Mens’ Rugby at the Principality Stadium is by stadium ticket only*. • Entry to the YOLO after party in Y Plas is by wristband only.* » The After Party follows our regular night club conditions of entry and are age 18+. All members and guests must provide photo ID as proof of age if asked by a member of the security team or a member of Students’ Union staff. We only accept a valid passport or a valid driving licence. If you are unable to provide proof of age, you may be refused entry or refused service at our licenced bars.

EVENT ACCESS

» The capacity to day games is limited as such only those who have purchased Package 2 or 4 will be granted access.

» Students’ are required to make their own transport arrangements for access to events.

» As per terms and conditions, tickets cannot be exchanged. Any lost tickets or wristbands cannot be replaced.

» Seating within the Principality stadium is allocated, therefore please refer to your individual ticket for your location within the stadium. It is not permitted to move from this location during the rugby fixtures.

» All main venues are licensed premises. If you are deemed to be drunk, we reserve the right to refuse entry to any/all venues. * Entry to all events is subject to venue terms and conditions. Each venue is entitled to refuse entry or eject ticket holders in order to facilitate a safe event.

DRINK RESPONSIBLY » No alcohol is permitted to be taken into any Welsh Varsity Venues. Alcohol is available to be purchased from licenced venues: Cardiff Arms Park, Y Plas and the Principality Stadium. » Please drink plenty of water throughout the day. Water will be available from bars at licenced venues and at various locations hosting fixtures as well as the Principality Stadium. » If you are drunk you will not be served and may be refused entry to licenced or event premises on the day. » Remember, alcohol lowers inhibitions, leading to impaired judgement which means you are more likely to take risks and get into trouble. SAFETY » The use of fireworks, smoke bombs, flares or other pyrotechnics at any sporting venue is strictly forbidden. South Wales Police will seek to prosecute individuals using or seeking to bring such items into the event. » Fighting will not be tolerated at any of the events. Anyone who is caught fighting or instigating violent behaviour will be ejected from the venues and may face police sanctions. » Please respect other visitors and members of the public at the Welsh Varsity event and in surrounding areas of the city. Follow the directions of stewards at the event.

VISIT WELSHVARSITY.COM FOR FIXTURE TIMES, LOCATIONS & SCORE UPDATES. Visit cardiffstudents.com/varsity for full terms and conditions.

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

GWLEIDYDDIAETH

The Next Step Forward?

Parliament is in political deadlock, Theresa May offered to resign and Brexit is still no closer to happening. What happened this week and what may happen next?

by Charlotte King, Lowri Pitcher and Sam Tilley

ast week marked yet another turbulent week in British politics; Parliament is still in deadlock and Theresa May even offered to resign if it meant that her Brexit deal would gain a majority. On 27 March, Parliament held a series of indicative votes in the hope of finding a consensus between MPs on what type of Brexit

Customs Union Defeated by 6 Confirmator y Vote Defeated by 27

POLITICS

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

Defeated by 70

Charlotte King Silvia Martelli Lowri Pitcher Sam Tilley

the option for a customs union, not one of the proposals succeeded in gaining a majority. However, despite these indicative votes being rejected, it does not rule out altogether the possibility of them being implemented; therefore it is worth understanding what these options are and how they may impact the UK.

The Indicative Votes

Labour’s Plan

Your politics desk

should be pursued. Eight options were put to the House of Commons, these ranged from leaving with a no-deal Brexit, holding a confirmatory referendum, revoking Article 50 and halting the Brexit process altogether. Despite numerous estimations that at least one of the votes may have passed, especially

Common Market 2.0 Defeated by 94 Revoke Article 50 Defeated by 109

No-Deal Exit Defeated by 240

Customs Union

Proposed by Ken Clarke and Hilary Benn. Result: For 265 - 271 Against. In favour: 226 Labour, 33 Conservative, 1 Liberal Democrat, 4 Independent. Against: 235 Conservative, 12 Labour, 1 Liberal Democrat, 10 DUP, 1 Green Party, 13 Independent. What is it?: This proposal called for a “permanent and comprehensive UKwide customs union with the EU” in any negotiated Brexit deal.

Confirmatory Public Vote

Proposed by Margaret Beckett Result: For 268 - 295 Against. In favour: 198 Labour, 8 Conservative, 32 SNP, 11 Liberal Democrat, 4 Plaid Cymru, 1 Green Party, 14 Independent. Against: 254 Conservative, 27 Labour, 10 DUP, 4 Independent. What is it?: Also known as a second referendum, this called for a public vote on any Brexit deal being passed by Parliament prior to its ratification.

Labour’s Plan

Proposed by Jeremy Corbyn Result: For 237 - 307 Against. In favour: 232 Labour, 1 Conservative, 4 Independent. Against: 276 Conservative, 4 Labour, 2 Liberal Democrat, 10 DUP, 1 Green Party, 14 Independent. What is it?: This proposal calls for a customs union wherein the UK can weigh in on future trade deals, maintain a close relationship with the single market and participate in EU agencies and funding programmes.

Common Market 2.0

Proposed by Nick Boles and Stephen Kinnock Result: For 189 - 283 Against. In favour: 36 Conservative, 143 Labour, 1 Liberal Democrat, 4 Plaid Cymru, 4 Independent. Against: 225 Conservative, 42 Labour, 1 Liberal Democrat, 1 Green Party, 14 Independent. What is it?: Calls for the UK to remain part of EFTA and the EEA, allowing the country to retain a “customs arrangement” until an alternative trade deal is agreed.

Revoke Article 50

Proposed by Joanna Cherry Result: For 184 - 293 Against. In favour: 111 Labour, 10 Conservative, 34 SNP, 10 Liberal Democrat, 4 Plaid Cymru, 1 Green Party, 14 Independent. Against: 259 Conservative, 22 Labour, 10 DUP, 2 Independent. What is it? If the Government’s deal does not pass, this would allow a vote on a no-deal Brexit two days before the scheduled departure date from the EU, and if a majority did not vote for a no deal, Article 50 would be revoked.

No-Deal Exit

Proposed by John Baron Result: For 160 - 400 Against. In favour: 157 Conservative, 3 Labour. Against: 237 Labour, 94 Conservative, 34 SNP, 11 Liberal Democrat, 4 Plaid Cymru, 1 Green Party, 1 DUP, 18 Independent. What is it? This would mean leaving without a formalized Withdrawal Agreement on April 12th. There would be no transition period and the UK would leave on WTO tariffs leading to tariffs on certain products.

What happened last week in Parliament?

ast week was one of the most momentous weeks in our modern political history. Historical precedents were broken, a Prime Minister promised to resign, MPs voted against all alternative Brexit plans and we still do not know how the Brexit process will proceed. Here, Gair Rhydd attempts to break down last week’s twists and turns. On Monday, Theresa May’s government lost yet another major vote, in the process breaking the record for the most governmental defeats in modern British history. This particular vote stripped the Government’s ability to decide what the House of Commons would vote on for the first time ever. In total, 33 Conservative MPs defied party orders to vote for this motion, put forward by Conservative backbencher MP Sir Oliver Letwin, including three Government ministers who were then forced to resign. The victory for Letwin’s motion meant that the government was forced to hold indicative votes on alternative Brexit outcomes. These votes were then held on Wednesday and all 8 proposals were rejected. In an unprecedented move, the Conservatives whipped their MPs to vote against all options, yet the cabinet was told to abstain. There were also two further additional votes held; one on implementing ‘Contingency Preferential Arrangements’, a managed no-deal which was rejected by 283 votes. The other vote was to remain in the European Economic Area (EEA) and European Free Trade Arrangement (EFTA) without the Customs Union; this was rejected by 313 votes. With all proposals rejected, political deadlock ensued. Following this, Theresa May met with the 1922 Committee of backbenchers and declared that if her deal were to pass, she would step down in order to allow another leader to negotiate the future trade deal between the United Kingdom and European Union. This resulted in members of the European Research Group, who have historically disapproved of her deal, including MPs such as Boris Johnson, Iain Duncan Smith, Crispin Blunt and Daniel Kawczynski announcing that they would now switch to vote for her deal. However, even if her deal were to fail, a prime minister who has offered to resign rarely remains in that position for long.

How to hold an election

ith seemingly no majority for any of the Brexit options in Parliament, there has been an increased talk of another general election in order to break the political deadlock. There are multiple means through which a general election can be called. The most traditional method is the automatic dissolving of Parliament every five years under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011. However, in these uncertain times, some are calling for a general election to resolve parliamentary disagreements over Brexit before we hit 2022, the next legally scheduled date for a general election. A general election can also be instigated through a successful vote of no confidence in the government. This is a motion that has to be tabled by the Leader of the Opposition, currently Jeremy Corbyn. If the vote is successful, Parliament then has 14 days to form a new government that could command a majority in a vote of no confidence. If this does not happen, a general election is called. The latest example of a vote of no confidence was in January when Corbyn tabled the motion following the history-breaking governmental loss over the Withdrawal Agreement although Theresa May survived the vote by a margin of 19. The last successful vote of no confidence in a government was in 1979 when Margaret Thatcher

The old leader steps down; either due to a resignation or having been forced out in a vote of no-confidence in their leadership

brought down the Labour-led government of James Callaghan. The Prime Minister could also approach the Queen to request that the sovereign dissolves Parliament in preparation for a general election. When this is granted, the House of Commons will vote on the matter and it must receive a two-thirds majority to be enacted. The monarch used to have the power to dissolve Parliament at their will, however the Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011 removed that power. Theresa May managed to call a general election in 2017 as a result of passing a two-thirds majority vote through Parliament; largely due to the support of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the sole Green MP. The SNP have previously taken the step of abstaining on a vote like this as they are in support of a fixedterm Parliament. In addition to these parties, it is entirely possible that the newly formed Independent Group will strike out in opposition to this move due to a number of their members lacking a strong majority as well as a lack of a strong grassroots campaign team. May will also face pressure from members of her own party who oppose a long extension to Brexit. This is largely due to the fact that a general election would likely be responsible for at least a year’s extension to the Brexit process.

MPs begin to put themselves forward to be the new leader, so long as they are backed by at least two other Conservative MPs

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 25

Fresh blood at the top

ne of the biggest announcements to emerge from last week’s Brexit shenanigans was that Prime Minister Theresa May would step down following Parliament’s provisional approval of her Withdrawal Agreement. At the time of publication this is yet to occur, regardless if the deal passes or not, whenever a Prime Minister provisionally sets a departure date it is usually taken as gospel that their reign is drawing to a close. But how does a Conservative Party leadership election actually work? It’s predominantly a combination of votes cast by MPs and party members and is nominally a two-stage process. Any MP can enter themselves for the leadership contest as long as they have the backing of at least two fellow Conservative MPs. When the final list of candidates has been revealed, MPs vote every Tuesday and every Thursday to whittle down the shortlist to just two candidates with the lowest polling Conservative MP being eliminated after every ballot. When there are just two candidates remaining, Conservative Party members have the opportunity to vote for their preferred candidate. The voting period usually lasts for about four weeks with the electorate being the total membership of the Conservative Party, currently estimated at approximately 124,000 people. The candidate who receives the most votes

Every Tuesday and Thursday, all of the Conservative MPs vote for their preferred candiate. The candidate with the lowest amount of votes is eliminated

becomes the new Conservative Party leader and, if there has not yet been a general election, the de facto Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The previous Conservative leadership election played out rather differently to the described rulebook however. Whilst five candidates put themselves forward, eventual winner Theresa May, Andrea Leadsom, Michael Gove, Stephen Crabb (on a joint ticket with Sajid Javid) and Dr Liam Fox, the contest didn’t progress to a ballot of the party’s membership due to Leadsom withdrawing and leaving May as the last remaining candidate. It is unknown just how any potential general election would work with the Conservative Party lacking a leader. The Prime Minister has previously had to promise to her MPs that she wouldn’t lead the party in another electoral campaign so it is incredibly likely that a general election would also by default lead to a leadership contest. Any potential contest would then potentially have to take place either before or during a general election campaign. Regardless of whether Theresa May will step down on her own accord, it is likely that she would be ousted anyway by her own MPs in a vote of no confidence much like the attempt she survived last December.

When there are only two candidates left, the Conservative Party members are allowed to vote on who they want to see as the next leader

The winner is the candidate who recieves the most votes from the membership. They then become the next leader of the Conservative Party

But who will take up the reins?

With May’s premiership expected to be soon drawing to a close, Gair Rhydd takes a closer look at the main contenders for the leadership of the Conservative Party Jeremy Hunt

Foreign Secretary MP for South West Surrey Voted: Remain “Success will be if in 10 years’ time, people who voted against Brexit, people in that 48%, are able to say: ‘you know what, it hasn’t been as bad as I feared and the UK is flourishing’” Fun fact: Shortly after leaving university, Jeremy Hunt tried to set up a business exporting marmalade to Japan.

Dominic Raab

Former Brexit Secretary MP for Esher and Walton Voted: Leave “If we sign this deal as is with no change, the problems will get worse and we will go into the next election, potentially, stuck in the backstop begging the EU to let us out of it.” Fun fact: It is rumoured that Raab eats the same lunch everyday: a chicken Caesar and bacon baguette, a fruit pot and a smoothie. He is also a black belt in Karate.

Boris Johnson

Former Foreign Secretary MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip Voted: Leave “If we vote [for May’s deal] again there is an appreciable and growing sense that we will not leave at all. That is the risk.” Fun fact: In his spare time, Boris Johnson enjoys painting miniature portraits of his family on wooden Brie and Camembert boxes; a tradition dating back to Victorian times.

Sajid Javid

Home Secretary MP for Bromsgrove Voted: Remain “I don’t think it’s possible to rule out no deal. No deal is the position that has been voted on by Parliament. Parliamentarians voted to execute Article 50 and they knew very well what that meant.” Fun fact: Javid’s father came to the UK from Pakistan with just a pound in his pocket. He is also the first BAMEConservative Cabinet member.

Matt Hancock

Health Secretary MP for West Suffolk Voted: Remain “Changing the party leader doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change the arithmetic in parliament and also it would be a huge distraction”. Fun fact: Hancock played the most northerly game of cricket on record (he even got frostbite!). Amongst other hobbies, he trained to be an amateur jockey for a charity race; raising £10,000 in the process.

Michael Gove

Environment Secretary MP for Surrey Heath Voted: Leave “There are some citizens in this country who have put on their cars a sticker saying ‘Bollocks to Brexit’, but we now know from Labour’s own frontbench that their official Brexit position is bollocks.” Fun fact: It took Gove seven attempts to pass his driving test. It turns out that driving is not thing he struggles with, having freely admitted he’s an awful tennis player.

POLITICS

Chris Davies MP in trouble over falsified expense claims

by Matt Tomlin

hris Davies, Conservative MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 22nd March to creating false invoices for the claiming of expenses on his office. Following his election victory in 2015, Davies had purchased £700 worth of photographs to be displayed in his office. Trying to make a claim under the MPs’ Allowances Scheme in March 2016, Mr Davies had submitted false invoices of transactions as evidence. When making the false invoices, Mr Davies had been attempting to split the £700 bill between two forms of allowance he was entitled to at the time; a start-up fund for newly elected MPs in addition to a standard fund MPs can access for allowances. The court made clear that there were legal alternatives which he could have taken instead of this course of action. The MP was first elected at the 2015 General Election having previously been an estate agent and comanager of a veterinary clinic before running to be an MP. His victory was the first in the constituency for the Conservatives since the 1992 General Election. The Liberal Democrats had held the seat since 2001, with a strong Liberal Democrat base having been present in the area until their 2015 loss to Mr Davies. Having increased his majority to 8,038 at the 2017 snap General Election, Mr Davies is behind only the MPs of Montgomeryshire and Monmouth in terms of the largest Conservative majorities in Wales, with those constituencies having majorities of 9,285 and 8,206 respectively. Despite opposition from the Liberal Democrats at the last election, the Conservatives received 20,081 votes. It would have taken all of the voters that cast their ballots for the Labour and Plaid Cymru candidates, who themselves gained 7,335 and 1,299 votes respectively, to vote for the Liberal Democrats in order to surpass the total Conservative vote for Mr Davies. It is possible that a by-election could be called in Brecon and Radnorshire based on this discrepancy over Mr Davies’ conduct. He is currently due to be sentenced at the Crown Court in London, and once he has been sentenced, John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, will write to the returning officer of Brecon and Radnorshire in order to notify them of the situation. This will start the recall petition process, whereby there are six weeks for constituents to sign a recall petition. Around 10% of constituents are required to sign such a recall petition in order for a by-election to be called. While Davies’ Conservative majority is one of the largest in Wales, it is plausible that enough constituents could sign the recall petition due to the traditionally high turnout in the constituency. The recall petition process, however, would be overturned by any early general election which could be called as early as this week.

Plaid Cymru Spring Conference

Amongst discussions from key figures within the party, hints were dropped about Plaid’s upcoming 2021 election campaign points

by Charlotte King

s the 2021 Welsh Assembly elections draw closer, Plaid Cymru’s health spokeswoman, Helen Mary Jones, spoke at the party’s Spring Conference on the 22nd-23rd March to discuss some of the steps Plaid Cymru might take if it were elected into power in two years’ time. If the party wins the next Assembly election, Jones states Plaid should commit itself to reduce the number of fast food outlets in Wales to tackle obesity. Despite many Welsh ministers saying they do not have the powers to enforce this, Jones claims that Plaid Cymru is expected to be putting “the nation’s health at [its] core” of its next manifesto. This presumably comes in light of a recent survey of 1,067 adults in Wales which found that 68% of respondents find discounts on healthy food influences them to buy it, whilst the National Survey for Wales 2016-17 also reported that obesity in Wales is worse than anywhere else in the UK, with 59% of adults being classed as overweight and 23% classed as obese. However, in January, Health Minister, Vaughan Gething, said: “The majority view is that we [the Welsh Assembly] don’t have the powers” to restrict the opening of fast food outlets regardless of location, stating they cannot prevent fast food eateries opening near schools and leisure centers. However, Jones said, “We [Plaid Cymru] believe that the Assembly has powers over planning,” suggesting these planning powers could be

used to prevent the opening of fast food outlets. In what some are seeing a snide remark, she added: “Of course, our health minister is a great one for looking for reasons not to do things.” Jones has stated that if necessary, presumably if the Welsh government does not have planning powers to restrict the opening of fast food outlets, Plaid would approach Westminster if elected to demand it be given powers to enforce the “[creation of ] healthy environments to support people to make healthier food choices.’’ Jones additionally commented on the current state of Welsh social care, stating Plaid should strive to introduce a Scottish-style system wherein those who are in need receive free care which is funded through tax payments. She claimed “we need to do the sums” but it “is something people would be prepared to pay as an alternative to our older citizens losing their homes and their investments and life savings in order to pay for their own care, which we all know isn’t fair”. Other key party figures also spoke at the Spring Conference to express other objectives Plaid Cymru may pursue if elected. Leanne Wood, the party’s former leader, spoke of how Plaid would look to create a more sustainable future in Wales. Calling for a ‘Green New Deal’ in Wales, she called on the country to “be a pioneer in the movement to develop carbon-neutral economies.” Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid’s Westminster leader, also spoke about the current prison and justice system in

Wales. She argued that there is a lack of female-only jails in Wales, and that the probation service has been “[putting] profit before public safety” since 2014 when it came under partial-privatization. Moreover, Roberts referenced the current deadlock in the House of Commons over the Brexit negotiations, calling on Plaid Cymru to act because “the government cannot govern and the Labour Party will not

oppose.” In her speech, she also referenced Plaid’s aspiration to achieve an independent Wales, declaring “we must be masters of our own ship.” Plaid Cymru currently sits as an opposition to the Welsh government, with 10 AMs in the Senedd and also four MPs in Westminster. The next Assembly elections are not until 2021, but it seems Plaid Cymru are beginning to drop hints of what is to come in their election campaign.

28-33%

25-28%

23-25%

20-23%

Health in Wales: The proportion of children, four to five, who are overweight or obese. Source: Public Health Wales Observatory 2012/2013.

Bill published to ban smacking children Wales may become the first country in the UK to make it illegal to hit children

by Callum Sloper

ales looks set to become the first nation within the United Kingdom to ban parents from smacking their children. The Welsh Government has recently published a bill which would allow children the same legal protection as adults from physical punishment. Although the proposal is still only a bill, it’s likely to be passed by the Welsh Assembly who will soon vote on whether to make it into law or not. The bill would mean that parents would not be able to use the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ if charged with assault or battery against their children. While the Welsh Government believes the bill will protect children, many people are sceptical about whether a ban would work or if it is even the right thing to do. A consultation carried out in 2018 found that the public are incredibly divided on the issue, with 50.3% of people believing the law would protect children’s rights while 48.1% disagreed with the idea. The Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services, Julie Morgan, believes that the bill will protect children’s dignity and rights, echoing the Welsh Government’s commitment to children’s rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Senedd: The Welsh Assembly may soon outlaw smacking children. Credits: Lowri Pitcher Mandy Jones AM, who entered the Assembly as UKIP but now sits as an independent, shared her personal experience shortly after the bill’s announcement. Jones told the Assembly about how she was beaten regularly by her adoptive mother while her adoptive father would turn a blind eye to what was happening during her childhood. She explained how she had received numerous emails

about the matter, with not even one supporting the bill. Regardless of her own personal experience of child abuse, Jones doesn’t support the Welsh Government’s bill, stating that: “This proposed ban will criminalise the mother, the father or the carer who is seeking to protect their child from danger or trying to draw boundaries.” Many others agree with Jones’ belief

that a ban on smacking won’t help those who are being abused and would agree with her statement that she does “not advocate physical chastisement. But I do advocate staying out of people’s living rooms and their lives.” The campaign group Be Reasonable also takes a similar stand on the issue, claiming that the First Minister ‘plans to turn good parents into criminals.’ Many of their arguments against the smacking ban are similar to that of Jones’, stating that it’s the parent’s business on whether they smack their children and not the state. Other groups such as the NSPCC are advocating for the ban, claiming that it protects children from physical abuse and violence. The NSPCC also backed Scotland’s bid to outlaw smacking, when in 2017 Holyrood announced that they would look to ban the practice. The ban in Scotland is being supported by the Scottish Greens as well as Scottish Labour and the SNP, meaning that it will also most likely pass into law. There is a mixed reception from the Welsh Conservative group and UKIP look set to vote against it. However ,with the Welsh Assembly being made up largely by Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, which both support the idea, the bill will almost certainly pass and become law.

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 27

UK changes stance on Israel in United Nations Human Rights Council

The UK will oppose a motion discussing Israeli action in Palestine and Arab nations - is it fundamental policy change or party politics? by Lowri Pitcher

eremy Hunt, the UK foreign secretary, has stated that the UK will now oppose motions criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank which are discussed under Agenda Item 7 of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Agenda item 7 is a permanent feature on the UNHRC’s annual agenda. The article forces the Council members to discuss the: “Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.” Despite atrocities such as ethnic cleansing in Myanmar, the Syrian Civil War, the Yemeni Civil War and the annexation of Crimea; none of these issues are a fixed topic of discussion in the UNHRC. In relation to the permanent fixture, Jeremy Hunt said that “By any standard of fairness or proportion, elevating [the Israeli-Palestinian] dispute above all others cannot be sensible.” This does not mean that the UK will no longer critique Israeli action in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, nor is the UK changing its policy towards finding a two-state solution, the UK simply objects to the procedure in principle. Hunt explained that the Government is willing to discuss the Israel-Palestine issue and that “The UN has every right to address these grave matters in a measured and proportionate way. In the future, Britain

UNHRC: The UK will oppose discussions under Agenda Item 7 of the UNHRC. Source: United States Mission Geneva (via Flickr) will continue to support scrutiny of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the HRC, so long as it is justified and not proposed under Item 7.” At the same time that the UK denounced this article, Anders Samuelsen, the Danish foreign minister tweeted: “It is fundamentally wrong that Israel as the only country in the world has an entire agenda item dedicated to it in the UN Human Rights Council. Tomorrow, therefore - out of principle - Denmark will vote NO to all resolutions under #HRC Item 7.” These decisions will likely please

US President Donald Trump who has decisively changed the US’s discourse towards Israel. The US quit the Human Rights Council last year claiming that the council held a “chronic bias against Israel.” The Trump administration caused similar controversy over recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and deciding the relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem last year. On 25 March President Trump signed a proclamation recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli sovereign territory. The Golan Heights is an area along Israel’s northern border which it took from Syria after The Six-Day

War in 1967. Donald Trump’s proclamation has been warmly welcomed by Prime Minister Netanyahu as support to solidify the legitimacy of Israel. Despite the UK and US’ approach to Israel being hailed as major geopolitical actions, there is a considerable possibility that the motivations behind these decisions are based far more around domestic policy agendas. Some claim that Donald Trump has increased his diplomatic support of Israel during the last year in order to galvanize evangelical Christians and the gradual increase in the number of Jews who have abandoned the Democratic party for the Republican party to support him; all in the wider context of securing voters during the next presidential elections in 2020. Similarly, there are claims that the Conservative party is also playing politics. Numerous claims of antisemitism have been filed against Jeremy Corbyn and his lack of action in resolving these issues has been widely criticized. The inherent problems have even led to MPs resigning and forming The Independent Group. Given the current volatility in British politics and the chances of another General Election being circulated, the Conservatives’ recent actions may signify more than a simple declaration about Agenda Item 7.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has lost its territory

Despite having lost its territory, does the ISIS still pose a threat to the western world? by Badara Jeng

n 23 March, United Statesbacked fighters eradicated the Islamic State’s territory in the Middle East as they lost their final enclave in Beghuz, eastern Syria. Consequently, many Islamic State militants emerged from their underground tunnels and hidings and surrendered to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). President Trump was then quick to announce on Twitter that “ISIS has been defeated.” However, although the SDF have regained control of all the territories previously occupied by ISIS, this arguably does not equate to the total defeat of the militant group; the SDF spokesperson instead claimed there has been the “100% territorial defeat of ISIS.” Over the years, ISIS, the Al-Qaeda splinter group, has been complicit in the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqis, Syrians and former Sunni Muslims who renounced their faith. Although this does not eradicate the threat ISIS poses to the country. ISIS’ tactics have constantly adapted over time to suit the current social and political climate. For example, following the invasion of Iraq, ISIS

chose to break away from Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist group, al-Qaeda, for whom they had previously pledged allegiance, with the aim of gaining and holding their own new territory. Henceforth, whilst ISIS have arguably been defeated, the groups’ reconstruction and the possibility of more break off groups forming still constitutes a realistic threat. ISIS began adapting to their shrinking foothold in Syria and Iraq last July when it announced the switch to guerrilla tactics. ISIS fighters emerged from desert hideouts and slaughtered more than 200 people in the Druze community of Sweida, southern Syria. The group has since resurfaced in the Anbar and Nineveh provinces of Iraq, where they have executed car bombings and night operations in rural villages. Local press reports of urban sleeper cells, cash, and weapons buried in lands around the region further the notion that ISIS is far from dead, with ISIS affiliates across the Middle East asserting themselves in Egypt, Libya, and Afghanistan, also spreading farther afield, from the Philippines to Burkina Faso. What’s more, the terrorist group

What they have said...

“UKIP used to be a party of the forgotten and it was of course the party of Brexit, but at the most crucial time for Brexit, when UKIP should have been holding Westminster to account for trying to thwart the referendum result, the party has been instead discussing individual politicians’ pet projects such as attacking Island and abolishing the Welsh Assembly. Gareth Bennett, Neil Hamilton and Gerrard Batten are letting the people of Britain down.” Michelle Brown 29/03/19 The UKIP AM for North Wales quit, claiming that there is no democracy within the party and that it’s a “boy’s club” which cares only for the interest of a few members members rather than serving the wider community.

“I pledge today that in 2021 an incoming Plaid Cymru government will establish a Global Wales Agency, responsible for attracting new businesses, talent and industry from around the world, but also for putting Wales onto the global map for our exports.” Adam Price 22/03/19 During the Plaid Cymru Conference, leader Adam Price announced plans which should help establish Wales as an international destination for trade and investment.

Victory: The Kurdish flag replaces the ISIS flag in defeated territory. Source: Kurdishstruggle (via Flickr) is continuing to radicalise Western citizens and employ them as cells to conduct attacks in Western states, communicating with these individuals via social media. Coordinating these isolated attacks does not warrant needing any claimed territory, thus whilst ISIS may no longer present a territorial threat, they still have the capacity and means to con-

duct attacks from afar. Ultimately, the non-existence of a caliphate in a specific physical location does not negate the fact that ISIS has always used new media technologies to both recruits and spread its propaganda. Therefore, the death of ISIS is not perhaps going to be based on the extent of territory they control.

“Women may have a general lack in confidence which partly comes from seeing a lot of men in these roles but as I say that’s changing.” Suzy Davies 26/03/19 Conservative AM speaking at about the #LeadHerShip campaign aimed to encourage more women into politics.

POLITICS

Italy is the first developed nation to join China’s New Silk Road

by Alex Leung

hina’s huge diplomatic and economic project, the New Silk Road, seems to have been stalled in recent months due to the unresolved trading dispute with the US, with Washington continuously warning its allies in Europe that China is not a trustable partner in terms of any global cooperative projects. Yet, on March 23, Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed 29 separate agreements, including business deals worth billions of Euros, with China’s President Xi Jiping. With this decision, Italy has officially become the first G7 and developed country to join the project. The reason why Italy has insisted to join the project, despite the disagreement of its allies, has to do with its unhealthy economic situation. Although it is a member of the G7, and is one of the ten largest economies in the world, it has entered the stage of recession at the end of 2018, with its national debt level now among the highest in Europe. The collapse of a bridge in Genoa last August, which caused numerous casualties and deaths, also indicated that Italy is facing problems in its aging fundamental facilities. Joining the New Silk Road project means that there will be a rise of trades between the two countries, Italy certainly will expect to attract more investment from Chinese businesses to solve its financial dilemma. Since the launch of the New Silk Road project, China has already signed agreements with more than 150 countries, most of which are developing states. China claims that the project can provide necessary financial and economic help to those countries that are mostly in need of more capitals in order to develop, simultaneously creating opportunities for local companies in China to enter new markets where to sell their products and technologies. The main concern for the US and other European countries, such as France, is that, through the project, China could expand its diplomatic and political influence on these countries. It is easy for these developing states to fall into China’s ‘trap of debts’, giving China more direct control upon them. For instance, Sri Lanka has been forced to loan Hambantota, a trading port, to China because of its debts. Maldives has also faced similar situations as many industries of the country have been monopolized by Chinese companies. These examples are useful to understand Italy’s decision of allowing Trieste, a key trading port, to sign an agreement with a Chinese state-owned enterprise. Officials of the Italian government have denied the possibility that it could fall into China’s trap, insisting that there is enough legal protection to ensure the ownership of trading ports will remain within the country. Italy joining the New Silk Road project is significant decision that could affect the relationship between the European Union and China.

Chaotic elections threaten the stability of Thailand

The first general election since military coup in 2014 brings unclear and disputed results

by Lowri Pitcher

n Sunday, 24 March, Thailand held general elections for the first time since the military seized power over the country in a coup 5 years ago. In line with Thai law, provisional results have been announced though they will not become official until 9 May. However, Thai election rules are complicated and the results are thus far unclear. The main pro-military party, Palang Pracharat, received 7.9 million votes and 97 seats; while the largest prodemocracy party, Pheu Thai won 7.4 million votes and 137 seats. With neither party having gained a majority out of the 500 seat House of Representatives and 250 seat Senate, both now claim that they have the right to govern, arguing over the supremacy of popular vote results compared to representational vote results and vice-versa. In Thai law, in order to form a government, a party must gain 376 seats marking a majority in the House of Representatives and Senate. However, due to the Senate being controlled by the military, Palang Pracharat only needs 126 seats in the House of Representatives while Pheu Thai needs 376. In 2017, the military ratified a change to the constitution in order to make it harder for opposition parties to gain power. This included overhauling the way in which seats

in the House of Representatives are allocated. Of the 500 seats, 350 are filled with winners of votes per constituency and the remaining 150 are allocated through a party list proportional system, where seats are allocated on the number of votes a party won nationwide. With the results for the 150 proportional system seats yet to be announced, the current provisional result may be subject to change. Despite the unclear result and lack majority, on 27 March pro-democracy group Pheu Thai announced that it had agreed to form a coalition with six other smaller pro-democracy parties which would give them a total of 255 seats. Leader of Pheu Thai, Sudarat Keyuraphan said: “Today we have no less than 255 seats from seven parties. We will move forward together ... We take it that we are the majority…We want to stop the regime from hanging onto power.” Despite Pheu Thai’s optimism regarding their future, the militarybacked representatives are not willing to transfer power easily. Leader of Palang Pracharat, Uttama Savanayana, responded: “Today the results are not final…Whoever is talking about this issue must bear in mind that the results are not official.” On 28 March, Thailand’s Electoral Commission, the sole electoral management body, claimed that the pro-military Palang Pracharat party had won the election

Paradise lost: What is normally considered an idillyc destination is facing political upheaval . Source: Mariamichelle (via Pixabay). given that they won the popular vote. As well as seemingly inconclusive results, there are widespread claims that the elections were held unfairly and fraudulently. In Thailand, polling oversight is weak and nearly two million invalidated ballots were counted. There is little trust in Thai election authorities and current military rulers which has raised the question of whether the election may have been rigged. Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, claimed that there were “a lot of ir-

regularities which made me worried to see the country’s politics and electoral system so backward,” He cited one example of possible foul-play stating that there were “pictures from Petchabun province where the ballot boxes were taken out and the ballot paper put back in at a local office.” With the final results yet to be announced, growing calls of election misconduct and both parties vowing to form a coalition, the controversy over the Thai elections does not appear likely to stop in the near future.

German-French joint parliament initiative meets for its first session The initiative aims to develop closer cooperation between the two nations

by Thomas Badham

he French and German parliaments recently met as a part of the joint parliamentary initiative which aims to develop closer cooperation between the two nations,

striving to increase their influence over decision making within the EU. 50 deputies from each country will meet at least twice a year under the joint chairmanship of Wolfgang Schäuble, President of the Bundestag,

Best Friends: The initiative aims to increase Franco-German inflence in the EU . Source: Wikimedia Commons.

and Richard Ferrand, President of the French National Assembly. Both Schäuble and Ferrand initially stated the purpose of this was for the two nations to further cooperate on business, social issues, and technology. Yet by January, the agreement was solidified in the Aachen Treaty and its scope had expanded to include defence, transport and education. Some commentators have dismissed the Aachan Treaty as a symbolic move, as much of its design evokes the mutual history of Germany and France. Aachen was the residence of ninth century Emperor Charlemagne, whose Frankish Empire united territory still held by France and Germany today. The treaty was also signed on the 56th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty, a significant gesture of reconciliation after the Second World War. Nevertheless, co-ordinated decisions on EU and UN matters and military integration does signal a new direction for the two neighbours. Coordinated activity between the EU’s first and third largest economies could hand them greater leverage within the

EU. A joint military enterprise is also a step towards an EU army, a policy loathed by Eurosceptics but high on Merkel and Macron’s agendas. It could also see Germany become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. This has already caused some unrest within the EU. The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker is also sceptical of this agreement, warning that it is “no alternative to the cooperation of all of Europe.” Another critic is Italy’s Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini. Described as having far-right leanings, Salvini is expected to lead a Eurosceptic alliance during the European elections in May. Additionally, not only in the UK but in many EU countries, right-wing parties standing on anti-immigration and Eurosceptic platforms continue to gain support. Eurosceptic MEPs are said to gain more ground in the European elections, and the perception that the French and Germans are forming an elite inner bloc may profive those standing on an anti-EU platform a significant boost.

r e t n e o ÂŁ10 t

Raising funds to support homelessness projects

CYNGOR

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ADVICE

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How to date after a negative relationship

A bad breakup doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road for your love life

by Elaine Tang

Ashavari Baral Katie Lewis Columnist Sam Saunders

The struggle of starting everything over is real. However, once you have started, it is easy to get by. You’re in charge of your own destiny: Don’t let a bad experience get you down. Source: Christian Erfurt (via Unsplash) regrets, but never cry over someone who isn’t worth it. It is important to let yourself cry your feelings out and not to jump into another relationship too soon. Spend some time alone, don’t necessarily find a friend, because trash-talking with your friends is only more confusing when you are emotional. You have to rethink your relationship by yourself, what went wrong? When did it start going bad? Be rational and you will realise you deserve better. Pick up: If you need support, call a

friend. Invest your time into someone who is worth it. Friends and family are less likely to break your heart and walk away from you. Make conversations, even though you might be unmotivated, it actually uses less effort than you think. Your friends are probably waiting for your calls and are trying so hard to connect with you. It is a long process to pick up old friendships, but definitely a worthwhile one. Expand: Now that you have reflected on the mistakes you’ve made in the past and gained support from

If you are experiencing a heartbreaking breakup, these steps might sound unrealistic for you. But bear in mind: no one can feel this pain that you feel, no one can deal with it for you, so you have to be strong for yourself. You are an individual and you don’t need others’ validation to live. You’ve still got a long way to go, more love to explore, more pain to suffer, but always remember scars can only make you stronger. Everyone is in this world for a reason and you are never worthless. So stop living in the past and start loving yourself. Eventually, you will find someone who appreciates you.

Taking on a new leadership position: a personal experience

by Rebecca Astill

Your advice desk

your pals; you feel like you have it all. Your friends appreciate your fun personality, you are being rational and loving yourself more. But somehow, you might still feel lonely. You doubt that someone will treat you well. Go out there and expand your social circle, whether it’s a night at the bar, joining a society or attending a public seminar; hand out a few numbers and you will realise how attractive you are actually are.

very relationship is “sugarcoated”. They started off like a sweet dream coming true, but some can end up with heartbreak. Getting away from an unhealthy relationship can be tough. Even though deep down you know things are not working out for both of you, you still convince yourself you want to be in this toxic relationship. It is a long and painful process that you need to deal with by yourself, so how can you stay strong and let a relationship go? Here is some advice on how to pick yourself up and get ready for a new relationship. To learn how to deal with all the overwhelming feelings, we first have to understand where they come from. In an ideal relationship you find a companion, someone who appreciates and respects you. However, in a bad relationship, your feelings might not matter to your partner and that can make you feel worthless. “If my partnerdoesn’t care about me, who else will?” You had the courage to leave this toxic relationship but now you are lost. You might think, “I gave up my only chance to be in a relationship, I deserve to be alone.” You could start feeling anxious that nobody will love you, and if you were too focused on your toxic relationship, you might have alienated yourself from your friends, and now you feel alone. The struggle of starting everything over is real. However, once you have started, it is easier to get by. Here are three steps to help you get yourself together: Evaluate: You can cry about your

ntering into a position of leadership within the University is a big step, whatever the position. Speaking from the experience of Social Sec of the Tennis Club, it can be quite overwhelming at times, but as long as you approach it with an organised mind and time management skills, it is incredibly rewarding. One of the best parts of being in a position of leadership is getting to know everyone within the club – whether this be on a sporting level, or perhaps a personal level, following socials. The biggest events to organise, for tennis, are the Christmas party, AGM and Tour. The best advice I can give is to always give yourself plenty of time in advance –often the big events come around at the same time as deadlines and exams, and it can be hard to prioritise. In terms of tour, don’t be fooled into thinking that the big tour companies are your go tos. They often cost a lot of money for what they provide, are disorganised and involve long, painful coach journeys. This year we have opted for a cheaper, privately organised tour to Budapest which proved a popular choice. Another big piece of advice is to en-

sure inclusion within the society. With tennis being such a big club of 195 team and social members, sometimes this has proved difficult. However, with weekly socials including both sides of the society, encouraging social members to watch team matches, and team players to attend social tennis when possible, we have succeeded in combating this. The socials are essential, especially when they involve questionable fancy dress outfits. We often find these provide a good icebreaker. Usually, games based on the theme of the social are played too, to get everyone chatting to different people. At the beginning of the year, we put on big open days and Give It A Go sessions, at which nearly 200 people turned up, and played team games to encourage everyone to get to know each other. We also hold non-alcoholic socials to make sure the more sensible among us can join in too. Alongside this, tennis run intra club tournaments throughout the year, with proceeds going to charity. The key is running a variety of events – as the likelihood is that there will be something for someone. Another difficulty is integrating the freshers. We found that if they make friends with

Making everyone feel like they belong: The best quality a leader can have. Source : Miguel Henriques (via Unsplash) each other they are more likely to get involved, as they have people to walk with from their various student residences. It can feel like a big weight on your shoulders at times, but being in a position of responsibility is worth it, looks good on your CV, and is hugely encour-

aging when you see people enjoying the outcome of your hard work. Anyone can do it as long as they are passionate and conscientious, and I would encourage everyone reading this to at least apply for something next year – what have you got to lose?

CYNGOR

How to make a great first impression at work by Jake Barrett

tarting a new job may be intimidating. The first bit of advice I would give you is trying to make yourself look respectable to your employer. Try having a one-week detox from nights out. Start as you mean to go on. It is all about getting into a good head space. The reason I’m suggesting this detox is because you need to be alert as you’re going to be taking in a lot of new information and should really feel on the top of your game when doing this this.

‘You need to be alert as you’re going to be taking in a lot of new information’ As a former university drop out, I got to see what life was like in the working world. I worked in a Lloyds Bank call centre and trust me it was hell on earth going in hungover. Customer complaints seemed like death

Play the part and you will succeed threats, hours seemed like days and trying to avoid my manager on a Friday morning after a killer night out on the Thursday, was the most stressful part of the week. Now I’m back in university, and debatably a year more mature, I’m now in a part time role in Tesco. When prepping for this interview, I made sure I was clean shaven and after a few checks in the mirror, and facetiming my mum for fashion advice, decided to go with a blue tie hoping the interviewer would appreciate my attempt to coordinate with the Tesco colours. Maybe I was overthinking this a bit, but it shows I was making an effort. Always remember, when you are called in for in interview it means they see potential in you, so you’re half way there. Now, you just have to make them BELIEVE you have potential, in a span of 15-20 mins (scary, I know). Okay, so interview day hits. I’m walking through the city centre of Cardiff on my way to the store, listening to the Best of The Beatles, trying to distract myself from the fact that I am desperate for a cigarette. The last thing an employer would want is for me to stink out the room with the smell of cigarette. Walking into the store I decided to shake hands with the security guard and asked him to point me in the direction of the manager. Looking back this was a pretty smart thing to do as

I know for a fact the staff talk about you the minute you leave. Clutching my little black book, which contained a number of questions such as their expectations of me and timetabling around exam periods, I walked up the stairs to find the deputy manager surprised to see me, twenty minutes early. “Ooo you’re eager aren’t you” she said jokingly. Honestly, hearing this gave me more relief than any cheap packet of cigarettes could. I was off to a decent start, I looked smart and was already making a good impression. I realised that the way to go about interviews is to trick yourself into believing you’re the right person for the job. The phrase “believing your own lies” is often seen in a negative light but I truly believe this is the key to successfully getting a job. If you go in to the interview with your head clear, you might surprise yourself. I’m going to reword the cliché “just be yourself ” to “be the best version of yourself that you want to them to see.” Why not carry on being that best self? Brush off the cobwebs from your high school drama skills and pretend you’re that person, even if you’re not. If you truly want that Oscar, do what any great actor would do and research the role. After all, in the workplace none of us are really going to be our true selves. Just ask the director how they want you to play that role!

The art of ‘’believing your own lies’’ . Source : Hian Oliveria (via Unsplash)

How to refresh your wardrobe without splashing the cash

by Katie Lewis

don’t know about you, but every few weeks I get this urge to completely overhaul my wardrobe. Although I have quite a lot of clothes, realistically I wear probably 30% of what I own- which feels very wasteful and makes me think I shouldn’t keep adding to the problem. Seeing beautiful people wearing beautiful clothes all over Instagram fuels my desire for new clothes even further. But unfortunately, I don’t receive free clothes like Instagram models, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon. I also know that it’s also not particularly environmentally friendly to keep buying pieces of fast fashion whenever I feel like it, so here’s a few suggestions of how to alternatively refresh your wardrobe.

‘Apps like Depop are great if you’re the type of person who buys something and only wears it a few times before you get bored.’ I like the idea of having a minimalistic wardrobe, with just key pieces that

you can interchange that won’t go out of fashion before next season. In order to achieve a minimal wardrobe, I organised my clothes into four separate piles; Depop, car-boot sale, charity shop and a keep pile. By putting some of your nicer pieces of clothing which are still good quality on Depop, you can earn some decent cash for your old clothes. Apps like Depop are great if you’re the type of person who buys something and only wears it a few times before you get bored. It gives you the chance to make a bit of money back on items you’ve fallen out of love with. After you sell a few items, you’ll have saved some pocket money that you can spend back on the site if you see any bits you fancy. This way you’re sourcing more sustainable fashion and are likely bagging yourself a bargain in the process. Clothes that are more loved, and possibly aren’t worth selling online, are better off at a car boot-sale, or something similar, as people don’t expect things in perfect condition, but you can still earn a little cash back. You may find gems of your own at a carboot or vintage sale, which are perfect places to both buy and sell without the guilt of supporting fast fashion. If you think that your items aren’t worth selling, or you’re feeling charitable and want to get rid of bits quick- donate a bag of clothes to a local charity shop. It is estimated that £140 million worth of

Overhaul your wardrobe: It doesn’t have to be expensive. Source: Katie Lewis clothing goes into landfill each yearso why add to the issue? Another fun thing to do if you want to freshen up your wardrobe is if you and your mates all sort through things you don’t want and swap bits with each other. I bet you’ve gone out with your friends and thought, ‘Wow I need that top’ that your friends wearing. They might be sick of wearing it now, and you might have something they’ve been eyeing-up for a while.

Sharing clothes with your friends is an easy way to double the contents of your wardrobe without costing you a penny. If you’re a similar clothes size, you could club together to buy pieces you both like and share them between you- this way you’re saving your money and the item gets double the use. If you’ve been eyeing up an item in a shop window for a while, go for it and buy it, but make sure it’s not just a temporary fashion piece that you’ll get

sick of- because it’s just not sustainable. By buying versatile pieces, you won’t be looking at your wardrobe and feeling stressed when trying to put together an outfit, because the items will be interchangeable. So, the message is, don’t be thoughtless when it comes to clothes- think about what they are worth to you long term. Will future me appreciate neon animal print leather trousers? Probably not, so I’ll give them a miss.

COLUMN

Saunders’ Corner Sam Saunders

University: a good life experience?

ow, there seems to be a tendency when reaching the end of a university degree to focus only on careers and future employability. This is not without reason. There are and should be concerns over how many transferable skills a degree actually provides students with, as obtaining a job is one of the key reasons that people decide to go to university. However, I do think that this becomes too much of a focus as we approach the end of our degrees, and the experiences and skills that students gain during their time at university seem to be forgotten. That’s what I want to talk about in this column; why the benefits of university as a life experience should be discussed further, as these are advantages that are rarely spoken of when choosing between employment or study. As previously mentioned, careers are a huge focus of final year, and the university, at least in my view, does spend an awful lot of time trying to provide services to students to improve their employability, as well as hosting fairs and events so that students are well informed about their future options. The Cardiff Award programme, which seeks to improve the future employability of students, is very good, and given that it’s completely free, I think that more students should take up this opportunity. As well as the traditional suite of CV and cover letter skills, the award also informs students about commercial awareness and how to use LinkedIn effectively. These are invaluable skills, no doubt,

Images: Cardiff University’s Main Building (Main, Source: Jeremy Segrott via Flickr) & Glamorgan Building (Top Right, Source: Guardian Cardiff via Flickr)

but there have always been concerns about how a degree course prepares students for their future careers. It’s here that I think the focus should shift from this to the other skills that university allows you to develop over a three/fouryear degree course. For example, when I first arrived in Cardiff, this was the first time I had lived away from home, and in a large-ish city to boot. This was overwhelming at first, but the fact that I was studying, had more free time than if I had been in full-time employment and had less pressure because my first-year did not contribute to my overall degree mark, made the process a lot smoother.

I knew that I had to get out and explore the city in order to feel more comfortable in my new surroundings It certainly meant that when I had to do it again in France on my year abroad, I knew that I had to get out and explore the city in order to feel more comfortable in my new surroundings. This also ensures that in the future, graduates won’t feel reticent to accept a job offer in a new city, or the chance to take a promotion somewhere completely new, as the majority have already experienced

drastic change thanks to their studies. Another thing which I feel is often taken for granted by students is the fact that most of them now have a much better idea of how to look after themselves. When I came to university, I had used a washing machine and cooked for myself before, but not for months on end, so that was a clear shock. Again, however, this was a hurdle that myself and many others have negotiated thanks to the freedom that first year offers students, as well as a lot of advice from my parents. It’s something that is key, and whilst ensuring that you’ve got enough clean clothes and enough food in the house to last the week might seem like an incredibly basic thing, it’s key to living a fulfilling adult life and necessary when holding down a full-time job. Financial management (or mis-management in some cases) is certainly a big bonus of studying at university. I’m not sure about any of you reading this, but my first student loan instalment still represents the biggest chunk of money I’ve ever been given in one go. Thus, managing this effectively becomes a cornerstone of your university experience, whether that’s through jokes about people’s overdrafts or genuine financial pressure, these are things that will be useful to students in later life, and perhaps make us more appreciative of the financial benefits of employment after university. Now, I know that many people will say that the nature of the current student loans system far outweighs

any benefits that can be drawn from it. I would disagree however, as managing your finances will be an integral part of your adult life. Whilst I agree that the current loans system must be reformed and is not currently fit for purpose, it is ludicrous to suggest there are no benefits to it, including making students capable of managing their own finances. Time management is also an advantage to studying at university, as many students take up extra-curricular activities to make their time in Cardiff more fulfilling. This, by necessity, requires

University introduces you to more people than you’ve probably ever met before, which is incredibly important good time management, or the development of these skills, as students have to balance their studies and activities that they enjoy. Not too dissimilar from the working world eh? Obviously, good time management is a positive for any future employer, as negotiating university deadlines is excellent preparation for doing the same thing at work. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, university introduces you to more

people than you’ve probably ever met before, which is incredibly important for numerous reasons. Firstly, it allows you to find like-minded people, meet up with them, and make new friends in an unknown and potentially hostile environment; a valuable skill for entering the workplace or a graduate job. Secondly, and on the other hand, there will be many people who you don’t get on with and trying to ensure you can deal with them, as well as potentially making a group project work in difficult circumstances are good challenges, even if they don’t seem it at the time. Imagine how well these experiences will serve you when you have to deal with a difficult coworker! This is another example of the small ways in which university aids and informs students with skills that they will be able to use later in life. Overall, I just want to remind people about how much university continues to offer the people who choose higher education, without focusing too much on careers or concerns over future employment. I feel that university, in particular first year, often offers young people a chance to grow up a bit more and to learn how to look after themselves whilst living without the support structures of their families. I mean, I would have been quite clueless if I’d paired a full-time apprenticeship/job with living away from home for the first time straight after the end of sixth-form. I for one think it’s time we gave the university experience a bit less stick.

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School of biosciences to house cutting edge research facility

by Milo Moran

t’s awful to know that since 1960 there have been no major advances in anxiety medication. As reported by Gair Rhydd in September of 2018, 25% of people worldwide will have a mental health issue during their life, and 1 billion people suffer from neurological disorders, with around 6.8 million dying from them every year, it is clear that research is urgently needed, and Cardiff will soon be at the forefront of medical innovation.

6.8 million people die from neurological disorders each year

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SCIENCE

The cutting-edge Medicines Discovery Institute cost £14 million, funded by both the Welsh Government and the European Union, and will be tasked with finding new drugs to treat both mental health and central

Your science desk Danny Brown Jonathan Learmont

nervous system conditions. Housed within the School of Biosciences, the centre will also be a place to inspire students and train future research scientists. The Education Minister Kirsty Williams said that “Investing in new scientific research is vital to our universities and the long-term health of the wider Welsh economy.” Finding anxiety medications was the subject of a major £3.5 million investment from the Medical Research Council. There are two major classes of anti-anxiety drugs: Monoaminealtering drugs (SSRIs like Prozac and sertraline) and Benzodiazepines (Valium and its derivatives). Since the 1960s all new drugs fall into one of these classes, and many of them can affect concentration or even cause your emotions to feel dulled. There are hopes that novel therapies might result in less-severe side-effects. The MRC has also funded the team to develop medical options for people with fragile X syndrome, the most common genetic cause of learning disabilities. Fragile X is caused by low levels of a protein called FMRP, which influences the formation of dendritic spines - parts

The cutting-edge £14 million Medicines Discovery Institute will be housed in Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences. Source: Wikimedia Commons (Seth Whales)

of nerve cells that allow them to better communicate with each other. Low FMRP makes it harder for the brain to develop memory and learning, and Cardiff scientists believe that medications which affect this protein may make a huge difference to the lives of sufferers and their families.

Cardiff to be home to new climate change research centre

by Maisie Marston

Director of the Institute, Professor Simon Ward, said “Patients are at the centre of the vision for our institute. Our ultimate aim is to reduce the impact on patients, families and society,” and that they intend to work with scientists “across Cardiff University to address other unmet medical needs.”

n an effort to cut emissions and address the climate crisis, the UK has been granted £5 million from the Economic and Social Research Council to establish a climate change research centre. The new Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) will be a collaboration between Cardiff University, the University of Manchester, University of York and University of East Anglia, along with the charity, Climate Outreach, but its main hub will be here in Cardiff.

We will listen carefully to their views and help convey these to policy-makers The project aims to encourage change at all levels of society, not only working closely with the Welsh Government and city councils to develop ways to reduce emissions, but also by finding behaviour change techniques to break bad habits. This work could

“It’s through collaborative working like this that we can achieve the rapid and far-reaching transformations we need to bring about a sustainable, low carbon society”. Source: Wikimedia Commons (Athena’s Pix)

see profound changes; after Bristol City Council adopted direct activities in order to reduce emissions, the city saw a 71% reduction of carbon emissions in 2017/18 against its 2005 baseline. The project also hopes to reduce emissions by encouraging changes on an individual scale, like cutting the amount of meat and dairy in our diets or travelling

more actively. The researchers will be doing this by working with members of the public, establishing a citizens’ assembly and a young people’s panel. The Centre will be directed by Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology, who has acknowledged the recent student protests saying; “The growing school

strikes movement in the UK and across the world show that young people are deeply concerned about lack of action on climate change and the impacts they will face in their own lives. We will listen carefully to their views and help convey these to policy-makers, together with concrete recommendations for change.” Alongside the new centre, First Minister, Mark Drakeford AM has also announced ‘Prosperity for All: A Low Carbon Wales,’ a strategy in which the way the Welsh Government is planning to reduce carbon emissions is detailed. Drakeford remarked that he is “delighted that […] Cardiff University will lead the establishment of this new research centre”. Drakeford went on to say that the Welsh Government had “worked closely with researchers at Cardiff and its other partner organisation to shape the projects planned by the Centre”. He also stated that “It’s through collaborative working like this that we can achieve the rapid and far-reaching transformations we need to bring about a sustainable, low carbon society.” The new centre should help the United Kingdom to do their part in meeting international quotas for cutting emissions and limiting the effects of climate change.

GWYDDONIAETH 35

First primate born using tissue from frozen testes The success of Grady may revolutionise sterility treatments

by Holly Giles

rady, the rhesus macaque in the Oregon National Primate Research Center, is being watched very carefully as he nears his first birthday this week. Grady is the first primate to be born and reach the age of one who was developed using tissues from frozen testes.

Success using grafted tissue has significant implications Testicular tissue was harvested from Grady’s father when he was too young to produce sperm. The tissue was frozen until just before puberty where it was sewed under the skin of the back and the scrotum. A year later it was observed that the tissues were producing testosterone at the same levels of the surrounding tis-

sues and were making sperm. This sperm was then removed and used for in vitro fertilisation to produce offspring, Grady. If he continues to grow up without any issues, then it is safe to assume this method will soon be ready for testing on humans. Lead study author Kyle Orwig confirms this when he says, “I think with that paper, ethics committees throughout the world will be granting clinical studies.” The success of generating sperm from grafted tissue has significant implications for patients who have been treated for cancer prior to puberty. Currently, it is only possible for them to have children by freezing sperm before treatment, so for patients who are too young to produce sperm this is not possible. However, this new method means it may be possible for them to remove tissue samples prior to treatment and then graft them on at the age of puberty. The only concern with this treatment, as explained by Ellen Goossens, a reproductive biologist at the

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), is the risk of reintroducing tumours if the grafts are not cancer free. This means new methods are needed to ensure the tissue is free of cancer prior to inserting it. The investigation also has wide implications for the farming industry where teams are working to apply similar methods on livestock where sperm-producing stem cells could be transferred from elite animals to non-elite individuals. This could speed up breeding efforts to produce more high value offspring.

If Grady ages without issues, it could be tested on humans However exciting the next steps of this investigation are, it is important to recognise the implications of this

Progress: Researchers hope the procedure will be similarly effective for humans. Source: christels (via Pixabay) step. “It’s a huge step that this can be performed in primates” states Goossens, and she is right. This week it has been proved an organism with an ancestral lineage similar

to humans can reach the age of one using tissue from frozen testes prior to puberty. This ground-breaking find is a huge step for the field of developmental biology.

Meat cells grown on blades of grass ‘Scaffolds’ of this kind could be a step closer to meat without livestock

by Rosa Burston

ith growing awareness of the severe environmental damage caused by animal agriculture, the search for solutions has led to significant progress in developing lab cultivated meat in recent years. The process currently

works by taking stem cells, either embryonic stem cells or adult bone marrow cells, from an animal. These cells are then placed in a growth medium and left to replicate and develop into animal tissue using a ‘scaffold’, which can produce boneless or ground meat such as hamburgers

or sausages. In order to create more structured meats, like steak, muscle tissue must be taken from an animal and stimulated to grow directly. A recent study at the University of Bath has used grass as the structural support to successfully grow pig cells. Researchers hope this can

Developing: Growing meat effectively and inexpensively is an ongoing challenge. Source: Wikimedia Commons (left), PxHere (right)

act as a starting point for industrially scaled bacon production using bioreactors. Dr Marianne Ellis, a Senior Lecturer in Biochemical Engineering said, “What we’re doing here is looking to design bioreactors, and the bioprocess around the bioreactors, to grow muscle cells on a large scale that is economical and safe and high quality, so we can supply the muscle cells as cultured meats to as many people as want it.” In theory this process would allow up to 50,000 tonnes of meat to be produced from just 10 muscle cells from a pig, potentially using only a minute fraction of the resources currently required for this kind of quantity. Lab cultured meat has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions, increase land available to feed a growing world population and save thousands of gallons of water each day. Cultured meat also has multiple potential health benefits. At present, processed meat consumption is associated with increased heart disease, digestive tract cancer, and type 2 diabetes risk. Lab-grown meat would be free of the growth hormones currently used in some meat production, reducing these risks. It has also been suggested that omega-3 fatty acids and other

vitamins could be added to cultured meat products to compensate for a common lack in dietary consumption.

Cultured meat has multiple potential health benefits Despite declining antibiotic usage for livestock in the UK, misuse in healthy animals still needlessly promotes antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The introduction of an alternative meat source can indirectly combat concerns about the rise of AMR as demand for meat continues to rise globally. The process of growing meat in a lab isn’t yet refined enough for commercial use. Firstly, a suitable culture medium to grow cells in hasn’t been agreed on by scientists. The solution will need to be inexpensive, lacking in any animal products and non-allergenic for the majority of consumers. When these barriers are overcome, we may have a meaty, yet meat-free, revolution in Western food production.

SPORT

IPL 2019 kicks off with a bang

The 2019 edition of the IPL has kicked off and is looking as exciting as ever by Jack Vavasour

he IPL is a competition shrouded in mystery and intrigue for the foreign viewer. The auctioning system itself alien and confusing, yet what we do know is that this season there are ten English players (eleven if you include Jofra Archer) venturing to India to participate in this prestigious competition. This year’s tournament is the twelfth instalment of the IPL and has already seen its fair share of controversies, that is the nature of franchise cricket in the modern game. The auction itself was rather pain free. The big stories being that Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow were signed for their inaugural IPL seasons. Curran went for £800,000 which at the age of just 20 years old is ridiculously impressive. Curran was the star of the summer for England following his Test debut and has been on the ascent ever since. His price is not a surprise due to his ability to both bowl and bat, and much like Ben Stokes he is an aggressive player who can turn a game for his side. Kings XI Punjab will see it as a fantastic piece of business, all that waits to be seen now is whether he will perform under such high pressure in the biggest competition in the world. Not all players can hack it, Tymal Mills for example was a marquee signing in 2017 as he went for £1.4 million to Royal Challengers Bangalore. Mills had performed in numerous franchise competitions yet has not returned to the IPL due

to a poor tournament. Bairstow was signed for £250,000 and can also be considered as a worthwhile signing as a fearless opening batsman. Bairstow has been a constant in England’s Test side in recent years and has recently cemented himself at the top of the order in ODIs as well, proving a perfect fit for England’s apparent hit out or get out approach to one day cricket. Elsewhere, the ever impressive and improving Joe Denly was snatched up by the Kolkata Knight Riders. Denly again is a highly sought after commodity as he brings both an ability to bat and the rare talent of leg spin. In India, spinners are especially dangerous and having an extra one in your starting XI is something that all sides will not underestimate. Harry Gurney, an England International briefly in 2014, was also brought by Kolkata. Somewhat a surprise signing, yet following his successful BBL campaign with the Melbourne Renegades it seems as if he may become a franchise cricketer. Just last week he announced his decision to stop playing red ball cricket and focus upon his white ball game. Another new face heading to India is Lancashire captain Liam Livingstone. Another surprising selection yet also an extremely talented cricketer who has a big future ahead of him in all formats of the game and at every level. The English contingent is strong this year and all will be hoping to make an impact. One of the stories of this season has been the return of Steve Smith and David Warner to IPL cricket. This is also the build up to their potential return to International

cricket as their suspensions near a conclusion. Warner scored 85 on his return, putting on a century opening stand with Bairstow for Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening game of the season. Sadly this didn’t stop his side slipping to defeat against Kolkata. Smith fared less well on his return as he only managed to accumulate 20 runs as Rajasthan Royals failed to chase Punjab’s 184. Rajasthan’s game against Punjab raised the competitions biggest controversy as Ravi Ashwin ran Jos Buttler out. Yet this was not a regular run out as it came before the ball had been bowled. Buttler was backing up and Ashwin, during his run up, noticed Buttler was out of his crease so knocked the bails off. Buttler is one of the world’s most devastating batsmen and was on 69 at the time of his dismissal. Many believe that this action is not within the spirit of the game. Ashwin responded that if it is within the laws of the game then his actions are justified. ‘Mankad’, as it is commonly known, is technically legal. Yet the spirit of cricket is such that it is seen as bad form. Cricket history is dotted with numerous examples of unsporting conduct. The underarm incident of 1981, as Trevor Chappell bowled underarm to rule out any possibility of New Zealand hitting a six in order to tie the game. This was within the laws. When Stuart Broad refused to walk in the 2013 Ashes when he had clearly hit it. There is nothing illegal about his actions, yet when you know you’ve hit it then it is your re-

sponsibility to walk. Ashwin is well within his rights to ‘run out’ Buttler and it is Buttler’s responsibility to not stray from his crease. Yet this changed the course of the game as the Royals went on to lose and had Buttler been at the crease then the result could have been very different. Clever tactics, just not within the spirit of the game. This season looks to be one of the most exciting to date with the competition more fierce than ever. The Royals appear, as ever, to have a strong squad bolstered by the return of Smith and the form of Buttler. Kolkata have been reluctant to use any new comers in their first two matches with Lockie Ferguson the only new recruit trusted so far, we are yet to see how Denly and Gurney will fair in this new and hostile environment. It will also be interesting to see how Denly is deployed with Sunil

Narine currently occupying a very similar position to the one that Denly does at Kent. With a very strong squad and a place in the final last season, Sunrisers Hyderabad will be looking to go one better this year and take the trophy home. They will have been bitterly disappointed to have lost their first game of the season and will look for a sharp turnaround in results. Royal Challengers Bangalore have once again recruited well, however, it seems unlikely that they will be able to shake their poor record in the competition and were thrashed in their opening game against Chennai. Chennai themselves will want to retain the trophy and possess an experienced outfit and very few teams appear to be a threat to such a side, with MS Dhoni at the helm and a plethora of talent surrounding him it seems difficult to bet against the champions.

IPL in action: Source: Ramesh NG (Via: Flickr)

Defeat for Andrew Selby in Mexico

Welshman Andrew Selby was defeated by way of knockout in a tough flyweight battle with Julio Cesar Martinez by George Willoughby

here were title aspirations for Welshman Andrew Selby when he faced off against Julio Cesar Martinez in Mexico. But, a fifth-round stoppage has left his chances in a precarious position. A victory for Selby could have seen him face the current WBC world flyweight champion Charlie Edwards. Heading into the bout, Andrew Selby was previously undefeated, boasting a perfect 11-0 record. Unfortunately for the man from Barry, he hit the canvas after being caught with a left-hand counter to the body. Despite his best efforts, the 30year old was unable to beat the count and subsequently tasted defeat for the first time at professional level. Even more frustrating was that he was ahead on the judges scorecards prior to the knockdown. The defeat comes in the early stages of Selby's pro career, but the implications in regards to a title shot

could be significant. He will undoubtedly have to secure a few more victories to get back into contention, so it is important he remains optimistic. Selby transitioned onto the professional scene relatively late in his career, with his debut dating back to late 2015. As a result, he became one of Wales' most decorated amateur boxers, with hundreds of fights and numerous medals to show for. He needs to use all his experience from the amateur level, whether it be from victory or defeat, to help bounce back from this disappointing loss in Mexico. Selby was only one win away from becoming the mandatory challenger for Charlie Edwards' title belt, mean ing he is far from being out of the discussion for future championship fights. Andrew Selby has long lived in the shadow of his older brother Lee Selby who was the former IBF Feath-

erweight champion. Andrew should take great heart from the fact that Lee himself lost his fifth professional fight and that didn't deter him from title glory. Yes, no-one wants to lose, especially in boxing where a large emphasis is placed on being undefeated, but one loss does not determine a boxing career. Andrew will have to come back tougher, stronger and hungrier than ever if he wants to follow in his brother footsteps and claim a world title. The hallmark of many boxing champions is finding a way to overcome adversity. You only have to look back to last year to see the remarkable comeback of Tyson Fury. Learning from his mistakes in Mexico will be crucial if he is to return to the ring as a better boxer. Selby still has plenty of years at the top level, so hopefully this set-back is only temporary.

Looking for a response: Andrew Selby (Left) Source: Scott Heavey (Via: Flickr)

Juventus set new women's Serie A attendance record

Almost 40,000 spectators packed into the Allianz Stadium in what is another big step for female sport by Emily Salley

uventus Women played for the first time in the Allianz Stadium and set a new attendance record for a women’s Serie A match. A total of 39,027 people received free tickets and filled out the Allianz on Sunday 24th March to see Serie A leaders Juventus triumph 1-0 over second-placed Fiorentina. This shattered the previous record of a women’s club match in Italy, which was previously held at 14,000. This comes just a week after 60,739 people watched Atletico Madrid v Barcelona in Atletico’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium, a record for a women’s club match. Fellow Spanish club Athletic Bilbao held the preceding record of 48,121, which was a bigger attendance than any of the men’s La Liga home games this season. So why is the same thing not happening in the English Women’s Super League? The women’s national team have excelled over the past 4 years. Recently crowned champions of the SheBelieves Cup, the Lionesses are now among the USA and Germany as favourites to win this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. So, when the national team is experiencing such international success and the Women’s Super League is producing some of the best footballing talent in Europe, are crowd attendances so low?

Senior international matches are producing attendances which average at 11,000 whilst the ten-team WSL recorded averages of 1,047 people at matches. Perhaps it is helpful to start with the ban on Women’s football in 1921. The ban lasted for 50 years and was implemented by the FA because they thought the game was “quite unsuitable for females”. Before this prohibition, huge crowds had been attending women’s matches; 53,000 people packed themselves into Everton’s Goodison Park to watch Dick, Kerr Ladies, a popular team which regularly attracted crowds of over 10,000. Today’s game is clearly failing to match the heights women’s football was reaching in the early 1920s. It is difficult to determine to overall impact of the FA’s 50-year ban, but it undoubtedly hindered the development of the sport, both in quality and popularity. Then there’s the problem of homegrounds. The record attendances of Juventus, Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid mentioned earlier were all recorded at the club’s main stadiums where the men’s teams play their home matches. Women’s Super League Teams have yet to experiment with this strategy and instead are using stadiums usually accessed by the club’s academy or lower-league teams. Reading Women, who are currently seventh in the WSL, play their games 26 miles

away from the club’s main stadium at Wycombe Wanderers’ Adam’s Park. Whilst the English Women’s Super League may be off the mark with its desire to increase crowd numbers, Spain and Italy have laid down a positive strategy which the FA can attempt to replicate. Maria Tato, Athletic Bilbao’s deputy secretary told the Daily Telegraph, that they wanted to make women’s football visible; “to make that possible, we started a social movement, attracting all clubs from many different sports to see how well women could play.” These European clubs have benefitted by placing the women’s team as a central part of their values, rather than a mere extension of the men’s team, a trait that English clubs have neglected to capitalise on. There is no doubt Women’s football is on

the rise in England. It was announced last week that Barclays was to become the first ever title sponsor of the Women’s Super League, in a partnership worth over £10m which will create a prize pot of £500,000 for the WSL winners. Despite being a long way off the men’s £150m prize money, this is the first official financial recognition for a winning women’s team. Women’s football as a whole is benefitting from big brands recognising the potential for the women’s game to become mainstream. This is shown by Adidas's latest initiative of promising to reward female players in this year’s World Cup winning squad the same performance bonus payout as their male counterparts.

Allianz Stadium: Source: Wikimedia Commons

FAW Player of the Year: David Brooks

The young Bournemouth midfielder picked up two awards last week for his outstanding performances over the last year

by Reece Chambers

avid Brooks has become the first ever player to be awarded FAW Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in the same year. The 21-year-old has earned the prestigious award after just 10 appearances in a Welsh shirt. He made his senior debut for the Welsh side in October 2017, coming on a substitute in a 2-0 defeat to France. Brooks' ascendancy to the top of Welsh football has been swift given that he only made his debut for the U21 side in Septemeber 2017 in a 3-0 win over Switzerland, scoring the second goal of the match. The rapid rise of Brooks to the top of international and domestic football indicates the level at which he is currently playing. However, in a footballing world fixated on statistics, Brooks' figures do not represent the entire story. As a playmaking midfielder, the cre ativity from the 21-year-old does not al-

ways result in direct involvement in goals. Instead, his intelligent running enables the freedom for other players to create chances in front of goal. The ability to pick up pockets of space and sew attacking phases together is an invaluable trait and, for a player of Brooks' young age, showcasing such qualities on the international stage and in the Premier League is encouraging for his future development. For Wales, the development of Brooks will be something that could be crucial to the overall outlook of the squad in years to come. With world class players such as Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey coming towards the end of their careers in the next few years, Brooks could be an integral part of the Wales squad for the future. Such awards earned at the Football Association of Wales 2019 indicate that Brooks will be crucial to Welsh football

for years to come after an impressive start to life in international football. Elsewhere, Gareth Bale was named FAW Players' Player of the Year. The Real Madrid forward has played an important leadership role in the squad recently, sporting the captain's armband in the absence of Ashley Williams. For the ladies team, long-time captain Jess Fishlock picked up the FAW Player of the Year award. She had become the first ever player in the women's set up to earn 100 caps for the country and has since reached 101 appearances. 70-year-old John Toshack was awarded the FAW Special Award for his lifetime achievement to Welsh football. Overall, this year's Football Association of Wales Awards indicate a changing of the Youthful talent is certainly the future for Welsh football and Brooks' success showcases that.

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Your sport desk

Delighted: Brooks holding his two awards Source: FAW

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

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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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Cardiff Blues announce marquee signings of Adams and Amos

The Blues recently announced two notable additions to their squad by Jack Vavasour

he transfer system in rugby appears alien to most onlookers. With no set window like in football, the market can be unpredictable and difficult to navigate. Players are signed in advance of a season, before seeing out the remainder of that season at their current club. Cardiff Blues have taken advantage of this prior to the upcoming season. Cardiff have had a mixed season, in Europe they only managed two wins and are currently 4th in Conference A in the Pro 14. In the Pro 14 they have managed 10 wins, yet when matched with 8 losses this can be considered somewhat disappointing. Despite this, they are the most successful Welsh side this term. This is

less of an achievement and instead more telling of the Welsh regional system and the clubs as a whole. Following a Grand Slam, underwhelming Welsh club performances are more than confusing. However, Cardiff have looked to overturn this dive in Welsh fortunes by announcing two marquee signings in the shape of Hallam Amos and Josh Adams. Amos moves from a bottom of the league Dragons in search of silverware, or even just a victory. The Dragons are by far the worst Welsh side, both in results and with regards to the running of the side. In 2017 they were taken over by the WRU in order to help with the massive financial issues they had been having. They made big signings such as Ross

Moriarty and Richard Hibbard before the current season. Since then they have lost head coach Bernard Jackman and continued their poor form in all competitions. Amos will be glad to move to an up and coming club in the shape of Cardiff Blues. Adams, a Six Nations hero, joins from struggling Premiership side Worcester Warriors. In a sense it is a shame that Adams is returning to a system that didn’t give him his opening and is turning his back on a club that has done so much for him and his career, seeing him finish as the Premiership’s top try scorer in the 2017/18 season. However, in order to continue to play for his country then he must trade in his Warriors shirt for a Blues jersey. International rugby is the gold-standard for rugby and Ad-

ams must continue his phenomenal form for Wales. These two signings signal Cardiff ’s intent for the future, with an increasing number of impressive players among their ranks. They have also managed to convince a good percentage of this current crop to extend their stay at Cardiff Arms Park. With a number of Welsh players currently playing their rugby outside of Wales in England and France, the Blues could announce more star signings with players flooding home in order to further their international careers. Cardiff appears the place to be as the most successful Welsh side domestically this year and being the only side with a stable future. Watch this space.

Giggs' youngsters show their worth in opening qualifier

Swansea's Daniel James scored the crucial goal in his first competitive start for Wales

by Reece Chambers

yan Giggs' Wales got their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign off to the perfect start after a 1-0 win over Slovakia last week. After an international friendly against Trinidad and Tobago a few days prior to the game at the Cardiff City Stadium, this was the first real test for Giggs who will inevitably be compared to the Euro 2016 success of his predecessor, Chris Coleman. However, if Giggs' Wales are going to replicate the successes of Coleman's era, it will be through an entirely different style of football. For Welsh fans, Giggs' integration of youth and expansive brand of football is in stark contrast to that of Coleman's pragmatic and combative reign. Under the reign of Giggs, Wales have began to integrate the experience of Bale, Ramsey, Allen et al. with the fresh-faced vibrance of Brooks, Smith, Ampadu and others. Such integration will be crucial to long-term success of Welsh football as the stalwarts of Welsh football pave the way for a new crop of exciting talent. The integration of youth was epitomised versus Slovakia given that seven of the starting 11 had less than 10 caps respectively. That very trust of the inexperienced crop of Welsh talent has probably been the biggest strength of Giggs' reign as Wales boss. With great trust, comes the expectation that those players will deliver and Brooks, Smith, etc. have certainly showed they are capable of playing at the highest level The accolades for Sunday's game, though, must be attributed to Daniel

James who scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over Slovakia in his competitive debut for Wales. The Swansea winger had recently impressed for the Swans in a 3-2 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League and showed impressive attributes again on Sunday. James' pace and direct running has proved to be his biggest asset in his recent rise and the goal on Sunday epitomised those qualities. After an impressive display for the Welsh national team, it would not be surprising to see Premier League clubs enquiring about the possibility of signing the 21-year-old on a deal in the summer.

Amongst his team mates on Sunday, there were several examples of players who had recently made the transition from Championship to Premier League. Most notably, Bournemouth's David Brooks, who has had a ground-breaking debut season in English football's top flight. In the absence of playmaker Aaron Ramsey, Brooks took control of proceedings and looked like an experienced international player. The ability to find gaps of space between midfield and defence is one of Brooks' most impressive attributes for such a young player, and he showed that yet again versus Slovakia. Indeed, it is worth bearing in mind

that Brooks has lots of room for development in front of him but he certainly appears to embody the future of Welsh football under Giggs' regime. I would go as far to say that it is worth building a team around Brooks for years to come, when Bale and Ramsey have retired. For Giggs and his coaching staff, the 1-0 win versus Slovakia should be taken as a sign that this young crop of Welsh talent has the ability to grind out wins against awkward European opponents. The future certainly looks bright for Welsh football and that forecast will be further improved after a strong and defiant showing against one of their main rivals for Euro 2020 qualification.

Blue skies: The Red Wall bathed in the sunshine as Wales picked up three points. Source: Llion Carbis

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Varsity Preview

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A round-up of Cardiff University’s sporting teams ahead of Welsh Varsity on April 10

Varsity Preview: Men's cricket

s fans soak up the atmosphere of Varsity amongst the Cardiff sports fields another set of students will be playing a highly anticipated fixture in Newport. Cricket Varsity this year takes place at Newport CC due to the lack of pitches ready in Cardiff. However, the game itself will not suffer because of this. Two strong sides will compete with Swansea being promoted into South A, the same division as Cardiff, for the first time. However, history would suggest Cardiff have more to be excited about as they are seeking their sixth victory in a row after last years washed out

match. From the Cardiff perspective, eyes will be on Captain Andy Gorvin in his first season in the role after two years under Sam Wood’s leadership. Gorvin is a dangerous all-rounder who can bowl a threatening line but also score valuable runs. Wood, who remains in the team, could also prove dangerous using his four-year Varsity knowledge to score top order runs. Swansea will not go down easy however as a much-improved side under new coach Brad Wadlan take to the field. It seems the stage is set for a great fixture even if it is not in Cardiff.

by Reece Chambers

ardiff University Women's Tennis are looking forward to this year's Welsh Varsity after a flawless display in their BUCS campaign. The 1sts won all five of their matches in the Western 2B division as well as claiming the Western Conference Cup against Plymouth firsts earlier this month. A 100% win ratio for the team will give them great hope going into Varsity against a Swansea team that play in their tennis this year in division South A - notably higher than Cardiff. However, for Cardiff, they will be going into Varsity with much more spirit and confidence than their Welsh opposition. Whilst Cardiff currently boast a 100% win ratio this season, Swansea have a 100% loss ratio to their name. Having won all of their games this season, first-team player Rebecca Astill has reflected on the season as one of their best for a number of years. "It's been the best season in a while for the team with no losses to our name, and the momentum definitely helped us towards our cup win. We are looking forward to being in a tougher league next year," said Astill. Astill has also attributed much of this year's success to the amount of time and effort the team has invested into becoming a strong outfit with a new coach. "I think a big factor in our success was the addition of a coach, leading to

more rigorous training sessions with a focus on tactics, particularly for doubles, and overall fitness." Ahead of Varsity in two weeks time, Astill and the rest of her team appear to be confident going into the match despite being a few leagues below their opponents. "Varsity is looking to be a tight one for the ladies team this year - despite being in the Premier division. "They have lost their two best players and not won a match so we are looking to take the win." Given that Welsh Varsity is one of the biggest sporting occasions for university students, all studentathletes will be looking forward to the chance of playing their respective sports in front of more people than usual. For the women's tennis team, the focus is quickly turning away from a flawless league season and to a Varsity showdown against Swansea. "In the weeks leading up to Varsity we will be adding in extra training sessions. "I am playing in the second doubles, and our coach is trying to encourage us to be more attacking and serve and volley more so I think this will be the main focus," said Astill. Cardiff University Women's tennis team will be taking on their Welsh opposition, Swansea, at Cardiff Lawn Tennis Club on April 10. Both the women's and men's matches are due to start at 12.30pm so make sure you head over to cheer on the Cardiff teams.

Varsity Preview: Men's and Ladies' Rugby Gair Rhydd Sport spoke to CURFC and CULRFC ahead of Varsity

by Rosie Foley

ast year saw Cardiff University keep the Varsity shield for two years running and they will hope to do the same for the third. Whilst most of the games are played throughout the day, the climax of the day is found in the Principality stadium where the men’s and women’s rugby teams play. The men’s rugby team beat Swansea in the mighty Liberty Stadium 15-23 last year. This year they hope to do the same although Co-Captains Tom Wilson and Owen Davies noted that Swansea have been in good form. ‘Swansea are in the promotion/ playoff ’s so we’re not going to take them lightly by any means’ said Wilson. They are hopeful that their season in the Super League has put them in good stead for their fixture with Swansea, even with Swansea bring-

ing in additional players just for the fixture. ‘We’ve played a lot higher intensity this season, but they do bring in a few good individuals who could change the game, but we’ll just focus

Souch's achievements deserve great recognition from the sporting community on ourselves and do what we do well.’ The story is quite different for the women’s side. For the past two years they have lost to Swansea, losing last year 60-10. CULRFC will be looking for redemption this year and Captain

Hockey win at Big BUCS Wednesday

Varsity Preview: Women's tennis

Looking forward to Varsity: Source: Cardiff Cricket Club Twitter

Molly Danks has said that the girls are working hard to improve their game so that they can grab that win. ‘The teams focus is to continue improving as we have done all year.’ ‘We have lost for the last two years, but we won the year before that and we still have members of the 2016 winning squad playing, and they know what its like to win Varsity. This year we are hoping to bring that success back!’ said Danks. CULRFC have been unbeaten this year in their league and reached their first ever semi-final of the cup. Danks hopes that this winning mentality can follow into Varsity. ‘I expect the team to go out there and continue playing the rugby we’ve played all year.’ For both the men’s and women’s sides there are a significant number of players who are playing their last ever Varsity for Cardiff University.

Both captains recognise the speciality of finishing their time playing university rugby at the Principality. ‘There’s many girls leaving this year, some of them have been here since the start of their university experience others have only just joined in their last year. Playing at the Principality to finish their time as part of CULRFC is the perfect way to finish’ said Danks. Davies commented that ‘it’s a brilliant occasion wherever its played, but I’m a bit biased as the last time we were at the Principality we ran away with it a bit. Everything went to plan for us. There’s just something special about playing in Cardiff and I really enjoy it.’ Make sure that you are watching what is set to be a grand finale to the 2019 Varsity competition. Women’s rugby KO at the Principality is 16:30 followed by the Men’s at 19:05.

Third time lucky: Source: Cardiff Uni Sport Twitter

EXCLUSIVE by Laura Price

his year Nottingham held BUCS Big Wednesday, the biggest event in the BUCS calendar. Cardiff men’s first team took on Endinburgh firsts in the Big BUCS final, making for a tense rematch. Finishing fourth in the South BUCS hockey league, the league have had a mixed season. The team remained unbeaten until the middle of the season when they were bettered by Plymouth firsts 3-1. Although a strong side they sufferred a big loss against Cambridge firsts in mid March, scarily close to the Big BUCS final.

The boys put in a gritty effort to finish triumphant, third time lucky Excited ahead of their chance at glory the squad travelled to Nottingham raring to go. Cardiff fans showed up for the squad in Nottingham, lots of red shirts and faces to cheer on the side. After two failed attempts at the men’s BUCS Big Wednesday trophy the boys put in a gritty effort to finish triumphant third time lucky. This stands them in good stead ahead of Varsity, a game we hope to see the boys walk. A strong side with great team spirit with high hopes for future matches and next season.

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

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chwaraeon

David Brooks named FAW Player of the Year - Page 29

Varsity Preview Page 31

Battle of the sexes: Source: Keith Allison (via Flickr)

Jordan mixed open shows women can compete Professionals to play in more mixed competitions, an exciting new chapter for golf

by Laura Price

o far 2019 has been a great year for golf, making changes to the game, simplifying the sport and making it more accessible for all ages, abilities and genders. April 2019 will see professional golfers from the Staysure Tour, the Challenge Tour and the Ladies’ European Tour compete in a mixed open in Jordan. 1993 Ryder Cup competitor Barry Lane, is a proponent for mixed competitions and all for next month’s tournament in Jordan: “It’s something different, and for more people to engage in golf that’s what we need.” The game has been evolving recently, with the intention of making golf more enjoyable and efficient for players, spectators and newcomers to the sport. Although many players have experienced some growing pains this season following several controversial changes to the rules. Adam Scott even suggesting that following the the new rules professional golf has “become a laughing stock.” Pundits and players alike are di-

vided over the recent changes, players like Lexi Thompson and Stacy Lewis stepping out in favour of such changes because they simplify the game making it more watchable. Other players do not share this view, especially Haotong Li who came 12th rather than third following a two shot penalty, given for allegedly having his caddie line up his putt on the final green of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic - a penalty which ultimately cost him $100,000. Despite whether people are in favour of the changes being made to the game, it is true that they’re happening. Golf has always been a male dominated sport, certainly when played for leisure if not completely in the professional game. The attempts to make the game more accessible are also attempts to improve gender equality in the sport and to show that female professionals can compete with the men. That is certainly the goal of Jordan’s mixed open. Aayla Golf Club will host a wide variety of players during the tournament. The Staysure tour, formerly the senior tour and the Challenge tour,

the second tier of men’s professional golf, make up the competitions male counterparts who will play against women from the European Tour. Lane is a huge advocate for new and different events in golf: “It should be something that appeals to a wide audience and hopefully gets youngsters engaged. Sport should be inclusive, and different sexes playing against each other is only right.” Given the statistical differences in men and women’s golf, players from the Challenge tour will be playing over 7,100 yards, the Staysure tour 6,601 yards and the Ladies European Tour 6,139 yards. It will be interesting to see how the scores reflect and how the different players attack their respective courses. Women have played against men before, in 2003 Annika Sorenstam accepted an offer to play in a PGA tournament in Texas and in 2016 Lexi Thomspon played alongside men in the Franklin Templeton Shootout. It is becoming more commonplace for professionals to compete in mixed competitions, not only is it

great to see female professionals being taken seriously and recognised in their sport, it’s also important for younger players and prospective professionals to see men and women playing and competing together, paving the way for gender equality in golf. As for the tournament in Jordan, “It’s never been done before,” says Lane “so there might be some teething problems with tees because it is tricky to work out exactly where they should be, but they’ve really worked hard on converting driving distances to the tees we play off. It’s a great chance for us old guys to play against these young stars. I just hope there is a good spread of players across the tours who make the cut for the last day.” There will be 40 players competing from each tour as well as the three leading amateurs, the field will be cut to 60 for the final 18 holes of the three-day tournament. English player Olivia Cowan says the event has created a lot of interest: “It is a really exciting concept and there is a real buzz about it among the girls on tour.” said the 22-year-old: “Everyone

is excited to play here.” The tournament will be held three months after England’s Meghan MacLaren, set to be one of the 40 Ladies European Tour players in Jordan, highlighted the £5m difference in the prize money between the men’s and ladies events in Abu Dhabi. English Solheim Cup player Trish Johnson, will compete alongside Cowan and MacLaren in Aqaba. Lane will be joined by fellow Ryder Cup player Phil Price of Wales. Former European Tour winners Michael Hoey of Northern Ireland and Germany’s Marcel Siem, will be two of the representatives from the Challenge Tour. It will be interesting to see how the standard of play compares across the three tours and whether the physiological, strategic and logistical differences help or hinder good golfing competition. The sport has a long way to go like many others, but professional mixed opens and a positive dialogue surrounding mixed competitions are huge steps in bolstering the stigma surrounding professional female golf, and women’s sport in general.