Issue 1137 - Monday April 8 by Cardiff Student Media

rhifyn 1137 issue 1137

gair rhydd

8 ebrill 2019 8 april 2019

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University saves almost £1m from strikes

£32m plan to reduce air pollution by Suzannah Murphy

Gair Rhydd meets Kirsty Williams by Lowri Pitcher

Strike Action: A banner for last year’s Cardiff University strikes, which saved them almost £1m. Source: Rimante Bivainyte. by Matt Tomlin policy regarding the strike action or ent academic schools. not all details of the savings have been

n the Spring semester of 2018, staff from Cardiff University, as well as those from over 60 other universities in the UK, partook in strike action. This was in response to pension cuts being proposed by universities; a means of reducing long-term expenditure for the purpose of solving their financial deficits. The strike action occurred over a period of four weeks, beginning on Thursday 22nd February, following an 88% strike ballot vote in favour of striking by University and College Union (UCU) members. Lecturers were not paid for time striking, and Cardiff University has confirmed in their response to a Freedom of Information request conducted by Gair Rhydd that £909,341 was saved from this and was redistributed across student education budgets. One year on, much of the student body, including sabbatical officers and Student Senate, have been unaware of this figure and to what extent anything may change with regards to what redistributed funds will go towards. This includes whether or not money saved could go towards refunding tuition fees. The Head of Student Senate and upcoming VP Postgraduate, Nick Fox, told us: “Currently we have no active

returning of fees for lost teaching time”. However, Fox did mention that there was potential for upcoming debates to be had on the subject by saying: “Any student can submit policy ideas through the upvote/downvote system at cardiffstudents.com/ideas for Student Senate to consider - Student Senate can only debate policy ideas that reach 50 engagement votes (positive or negative) submitted this way.” Furthermore, one of two student representatives interviewed by Gair Rhydd about this revelation admitted they had heard nothing of this situation in Student rep meetings or student-teacher panels throughout the past year. Wanting to remain anonymous, a second-year student rep for the School of Journalism, Media and Culture explained “Up until now no student has brought this issue up so we haven’t discussed it in any meeting.” This general lack of awareness is also combined with a lack of clarification from the University as to which academic schools would have had the most redistributed back into their education budgets. The University only provided an overarching figure and has not yet broken it down into differ-

However, enthusiasm for redistributing this money across education budgets is present among those who are aware, or have been made aware by our enquiries, of this redistribution of funds. Esther Llwyd, a third-year student representative for the School of Welsh has told Gair Rhydd that “Although it is very difficult to pin point exactly where and how this money has been redistributed between schools, I personally feel that this has certainly been the case and that students have benefited from the money the University saved due to striking. “This money has allowed the School of Welsh to organise numerous events outside of lecture hours, all of which have contributed to ensuring that students get the best out of their university experience.” Nick Fox referred to the situation in a similar way. Giving his current opinion on what should happen with this saved money, he commented “Personally I think any savings should be reinvested back into the student experience and I think it again raises the interesting debate about the current marketisation of the Higher Education system and the extent that students should be treated as consumers.” But, he did go on to say he could not give a fulll opinion on the subject as

made to known to him. VP Postgraduate Jake Smith also spoke to Gair Rhydd, saying that the debate on this issue needed to be expanded. He surmised about the current situation: “There is an interesting debate happening across the higher education sector as to how financial savings from strikes should be used.” He explained that University leaders needing to listen more to staff and students in any future case of strike action. There has been no discussion from the University about whether there is potential for Cardiff University students to be refunded for contact time lost during the period of strike action. Over 126,000 students had signed petitions demanding refunds from UK universities for contact time lost during the UCU strike period last year. For some though, it is not seen as a necessary course of action now that the money saved from the strikes has gone back into education. For example, the third-year Welsh student rep concluded from her experience of increased school funding that she does not “feel that refunding students would have been at all necessary.”

Continues on Page 4.

ur politcs section has talked to Kirsty Williams, AM for Brecon and Radnorshire is currently the Welsh Minister for Education and Skills. She was elected as an AM in 1999 and served as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats from 2008 until 2016; now, she is the only serving Liberal Democrat AM and forms part of the coalition between Welsh Labour, the Liberal Democrats and an Independent AM. 18

Cyfweliad Meri Huws: CynGomisiynydd y Gymraeg gan Jacob Morris

n ddiweddar, daeth diwedd cyfnod yn hanes yr iaith Gymraeg wrth i Meri Huws gamu o’r neilltu fel Comisiynydd y Gymraeg. Jacob Morris aeth i’w chyfweld ar ran Taf-od ar ei diwrnod olaf yn y swydd. 10

A cashless society? by Matt Tomlin

n the UK, there has been talk that the finance sector could phase in a cashless society, with the government potentially rendered unable to resist should it not intervene soon. Could it work? 14

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

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com

word

the free

A letter from the editor

Gair Rhydd Am Byth

Comment

Alys Hewitt Hannah Newberry Emma Videan

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.

One last dance: It’s over and out from me, as my Editorship comes to an end. Source: Jan Tinneberg (via Unsplash) by Jess Warren

ear Reader, welcome to our last ‘official’ issue of Gair Rhydd this academic year, as we approach the Easter holidays. This also marks my last issue as the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper I hold dearest to my heart. Having worked as the Editor of Gair Rhydd this year, with late nights, early mornings and the creation of ‘office hours’, this student newspaper has certainly shaped my life in ways I couldn’t have predicted. I’ve been involved with the newspaper for roughly two and a half years, and during that time, Gair Rhydd has grown and cultivated me as much as I have grown and cultivated the paper. As I look ahead to my fast-approaching graduation in the summer, I know that my University experience would not have been the same had I not involved myself with student media. This past year we had a complete redesign over the summer as well

as creating our digital team and starting our production of digital media, a move that would not have happened without the dedicated and instrumental work from Michael Ash, our Head of Digital. I have watched innovation pour from the minds of our editorial team as they pitch new ideas and concepts, creating stories I am proud to see in Gair Rhydd. We also won an award at the Welsh Student Publication Awards, and were nominated for a further five awards at the National Student Publication Awards in the weekend just gone. But none of this was done alone. A newspaper is only as good as the editorial team who produce it, and I must take my hat off to the 32 editors who have all been essential in pulling an issue together each week. Special thanks go to Silvia Martelli and Reece Chambers, my two deputy editors that I could not have done this without. Both Silvia and Reece

have kept my sanity in check, helped me through busy weeks, as well as when I disappeared off Tanzania to research abroad. These two have kept me going when 32 pages seems hard to pull together and I cannot thank them enough for this. One of the most difficult points this year for me as an editor was publishing our ‘Silenced’ front page. I remember working tirelessly that week, pulling together the best news story I had ever written; an exposé of dirty politics and election scandal at CUSU. I ran the story past our legal advisory board - that’s how big it was. After getting permission to publish the story from the legal board, I then received a phone call from my key source on the night before publication. They entirely revoked their statement and refused to be published. I had lost my front page. That Friday I had to entirely re-write our front page, with the immeasurable help of Sam Tilley, Tomos Evans and Lowri Pitcher who saw it through to

the end with me. We had managed to re-work the story! One of the funniest moments this year has held for me, was when the Politics Desk decided a Theresa May cut-out was exactly what the student media office was missing. This soon spiralled into an April Fool’s fake article interviewing May and her Brexit plans, followed by a pint in the Taf. Pints in the Taf are a long-standing tradition in Gair Rhydd, and have been for the many years I’ve been involved in the team. I have fond memories of post-editorial meeting drinks with our previous Editor-inChief, Liam Ketcher and I hope that as our new Editor carries on the tradition. As our reader, I thank you for picking up this and every other issue of Gair Rhydd you’ve read. By engaging in your student newspaper, you’ve supported us as editors, and kept up to date with everything happening on and off campus.

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Students’ Union

by Hallum Cowell

Cardiff Music Awards: An EDM-esque performance from local band MADI at this year’s ceremony. Photo Credit: Hallum Cowell. awards. As well as Chroma’s wins, Best DJ was won by GRL TLK, who pointed out that “last year there were no female nominations” for Best DJ. Winner of Underrepresented Music was Ladies of Rage, who champion females being involved in the music industry. Winner of Best Solo Act was MADI, a relatively new group who performed a vibrant set on stage. MADI’s style is similar to that of EDM, although they follow a narrative specific to them which rejects conformity. This narrative is expanded

upon by actors in the crowd in an array of costumes that help compound the themes of their performance. Upon winning the award MADI said, “it’s really nice to win” and that “we had put in a lot of effort,” adding that “It is nice to get some recognition”. Despite there only being 23 winners, an array of bands, shows and venues were nominated, with lists of nominations being available on the Awards’s website should anyone wish to explore more of Cardiff ’s music scene.

Welsh Endomarches held to raise awareness of common condition

Gair Rhydd spoke to Endomarch Wales, the Welsh division of the campaign group Worldwide Endomarch. by Rosa Burton

hey recently aimed to raise awareness of the condition, which is exclusive to women, by marching through both Llandudno, North Wales, and Cardiff city centre on March 30. Endometriosis is a condition which is known for having debilitating effects on the physical and mental health of sufferers. Those suffering often get misdiagnosed with other conditions, research into treatment is underfunded and there is only one specialist treatment centre in the whole of Wales to provide for up to 150,000 women suffering. These issues with treatment are partly due to misconceptions about the severity of the condition. Medical professionals can sometimes disregard the symptoms women report – severe pain, heavy bleeding and nausea – as they view these as a normal part of menstruation. Endomarch states “period pain that stops you doing your daily routine is NOT normal. Endometriosis is a serious disease with potentially severe medical consequences.”

The group’s most recent marches in Cardiff and Llandudno were the largest yet, with at least 257 people participating in total. According to

the group, the marches focus primarily on starting a discussion about endometriosis amongst members of the public and providing a support

Endomarch: Participants of the march wore yellow to raise awareness of the condition. Photo Credit: Worldwide Endomarch Wales Cardiff ( via Facebook)

network for sufferers, as opposed to carrying out any fundraising on these occasions. However, the group does raise funds via ‘Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales’ (FTWW), which sponsors Welsh endomarches. FTWW is an organisation lobbying the government to introduce and provide improved care for those with endometriosis as well as for those with other chronic illnesses. When asked about any future plans the group has for raising awareness and fundraising, Nicola Dally, the Head of the Wales leg of Worldwide Endomarch, stated “since endometriosis month has now come to an end, it doesn’t mean endo pain does for us. Endomarch South Wales have a few activities we are hoping to plan for next year – a meet up and walk around Cardiff gardens with a possible teddy bear picnic, and planting yellow daffodils and tulips in the shape of a yellow awareness ribbon in one of Cardiff city’s gardens. We had an amazing event and everyone had a good time whilst making new friends, creating a support system and raising awareness”.

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

award for their album 1,2 Kung Fu, while also winning Best Live Act and Best Group. Sŵn Festival also did well at the awards by winning both LineUp of the Year and Best Festival. This year’s festival will take place from October 18 to 20 and they are currently looking for volunteers for the event. Winner of Best Music Press was Minty’s Gig Guide. He described winning as “unbelievable” and spoke of being “dedicated to the cause” and “the day in day out”. For Best Commercial Venue Cardiff University Students’ Union lost out to Tramshed. Best Club Night was taken by Blue Honey, a bar near Womanby Street, while Gwdihŵ, which closed in January due to its landlords’s plans to demolish it, won Best Independent Venue. Gair Rhydd has reported on updates to the situation with Gwdihŵ throughout the year and although the demolition work has been cancelled, it is unknown whether the bar will have found a new location or will have resumed its original one by the time nominations for next year’s awards come around. Tramshed is also facing issues with its future as a music venue, with proposals for it to be developed into high-end apartments having emerged in recent weeks; ideas which have faced backlash from locals. One trend of the night was the fact that many women had achieved

NEWS

he third annual Cardiff Music Awards ceremony was held on March 29 at Tramshed, Grangetown. The event aimed to “promote, recognise and celebrate music in the Welsh capital”. The night, along with the awards themselves, contained a number of live acts including Chroma, MADI, Mace, Hana2k and DJ Jaffa. Most of these acts were also up for awards themselves. The evening hosted a total of 23 awards, from Best Single to Best Radio Show. The winner of Best Radio Show was Bethan Ellfyn, with her producer, Chris Harding, commenting he had “the luckiest job in the world”. The band Chroma went on to win Best Music Video as well as Best Single for their song Girls Talk. When asked what was next for Chroma, they said “we hope to become more well known, not just in Wales but also across the UK.” With these awards the group are hoping to take their band full time as many band members still hold day jobs or are at university. Chroma went on to talk about their influences for Girls Talk, with band member Carey Cardwell saying “I wrote the song because I’m a woman and I don’t like people having the upper hand on me,” adding that “it’s not about women having the upper hand, it’s about having gender equality”. Boy Azooga won the Best Album

NEWYDDION

Winners included groups Chroma and MADI, while Gwdihŵ, Blue Honey and Tramshed were given awards for being Cardiff ’s best venues

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/news

Cardiff Music Awards 2019 Host to Array of Winners

Your news desk Gee Harland Matt Tomlin Indigo Jones

NEWS

Almost £1m saved by University from strikes by Matt Tomlin

Continued from front page.

n addition to this, the two students who created the 6,785-signed change.org petition asking Cardiff University specifically for either fee refunds or special consideration spoke to Gair Rhydd about this matter. Both have now graduated, with Sam Veal, a third year History student at the time of the strikes, telling Gair Rhydd: “Katie and I didn’t specifically want financial compensation. When our results came through (we have graduated now), our results had been adjusted to account for strike action. I think this was fair.” Katie Walters, the other creator of the Cardiff petition, elaborated on this: “We received [compensation] in the form of consideration in affected modules in exam grades. Sam and I have graduated now and have no complaints about the compensation/consideration we ultimately received.” “I think it’s good that the money was invested back into education services. It would be far too hard to split 900k between around 33,000 students as it would only be roughly £27 each at the end of the day. “I think the fact they took results from affected modules into consideration is ample enough for the disruption, I definitely have not complained!” Both Sam and Katie inferred that the University should be clearer with students and staff about what is available to students in times of strike action. Like the VP Postgraduate, they also suggested that senior management needs to listen more when it comes to creating a staff-supporting environment in the future.

Autism Exhibition at Cardiff University promotes opportunities

Cardiff University hosted exhibition of support services for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder by Sharon Gomez and Matt Tomlin

orld Autism Awareness Day falls on April 2 every year to raise awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The overall message of the day is that autism is on a spectrum, meaning it affects everyone differently. Specialists encourage people not to think of autism as a linear scale and that you are not more or less autistic, not higher or lower functioning depending on where you are on the spectrum. Rather it is described as neither a disease nor a psychological issue, but as being a condition which cannot be “cured.” It aims to raise awareness and remove the stigmas that continue to surround the disorder. In conjunction with the day, AP Cymru – The Autism Charity, hosted an exhibition at Cardiff University’s Hadyn Ellis building on Tuesday, with over 30 exhibitors and guest speakers showcasing their events, projects, and workshops. Gair Rhydd interviewed the Founder and Director of AP Cymru, Karen Sullivan, and the Operations Manager, Donna Marshall, about the event and their plans for future support for students with Autism. They explained that AP Cymru is an entirely self-funded charity supporting families through workshops and clinics. The charity expands upon the Welsh Government Strategy to raise awareness and understanding of autism in communities across Wales. The dedicated core staff all have autistic children themselves and work tirelessly to raise the funds needed to ensure the families who rely on them receive the support they need. When asked about the future, the pair stressed the need for more enthusiastic volunteers, social media campaigners, and even marathon participants to run for a good cause.

Only 16% of autistic adults in the UK are in full-time paid employment. The Achieve through Work Experience Programme with GO Wales strives to change that by creating shadowing and placement opportunities for eligible students who face barriers in securing work experience. They help students develop their job-related skills, knowledge, and commercial awareness in order to increase their employability. Anita Norcott, GO Wales Project Adviser, explained that they advocate on behalf of young people on the spectrum and frequently discuss adjustments to help them thrive in the workplace. These can be as simple as asking for sunglasses or noise-cancelling headphones during working hours to overcome the sensory sensitivity they may experience. Also participating in the exhibition was Gig Buddies Cardiff, a befriending scheme that is helping adults with learning disabilities lead full and active social lives of their choosing. Participants are paired with volunteers who share the same interests. They are then encouraged to attend gigs, movies, festivals, and generally engage in the arts together. Research by the National Autistic Society suggests that autistic people are among the most isolated in the UK and are four times as likely to be lonely as the general public. Therefore, Gig Buddies is a unique project which aims to facilitate long term friendships and expand individuals’ social circle. Essentially, Gig Buddies promote themselves as providing an opportunity for people with autism to have meaningful community participation and develop vital support networks. Gair Rhydd also spoke to the organiser of the event, Matthew Bareford of

Council announces £32m plan to reduce air pollution

by Suzannah Murphy

ollowing the decision against implementing a ‘Clean Air Zone’, Cardiff Council has instead decided on various alternative measures, costing £32 million, to reduce air pollution in the centre. Whether this project goes ahead is dependent on whether the Welsh Government approves funding. Cardiff Council provided no explanation on why they have decided against a Clean Air Zone. Critics, such as Joseph Carter, the Chair of Healthy Air Cymru expressed his disappointment. He said: “Charging polluting vehicles to enter cities is recognised as being the most effective means of reducing transport emissions”. The NO2 levels in Castle Street are supposedly likely to breach the EU legal limits, an independent survey commission found. Cardiff ’s current level of the pollutant, Nitrogen dioxide, is 38.3 micrograms per cubic meter, which is alarmingly close to the legal limit of 40 micrograms. The measures, backed by Cardiff Council, are outlined within a two-year programme. These include replacing the oldest and most polluting buses with electric buses (£1.8 mil-

lion), and upgrading older buses to meet the Euro 6 engine emission standard costing (£1.4 million). They also suggested major changes to Castle Street and Westgate Street in the centre to allow for a more efficient movement of public transport, and subsequently increasing the active travel (such as cycling and walking) capacity in the centre (£18.9 million). The council also backed a taxi policy renewal, whereby, licences are only approved for new vehicles or for changing vehicles (but under the same licence) for vehicles which adhere to the latest Euro 6 emission standards (£5.5 million). There were also for improvements to Active Travel and increased 20mph areas (£4.5 million). The Euro 6 emissions standards, set by the EU, are the latest requirements aimed at reducing harmful pollutants from exhausts. Despite the decision not to implement a ‘Clean Air Zone’ in Cardiff ’s city centre, these measures are a step forward in tackling a life threatening issue. It has been reported that in Cardiff, 143 deaths a year are caused by air pollution. As a result air pollution in general is costing the UK Government £20 billion a year.

Cardiff University’s School of Medicine, in order to gain insight into his aims behind presenting these diverse opportunities at the exhibition. The parent and carer of someone with autism, as well as a member of Cardiff University’s Disability Staff Network, Bareford believes what is lacking in supply is not necessarily just support networks for those with autism, but the availability of information which can lead those with autism to finding such support networks. Commenting on how the exhibition for Autism Awareness Day could have helped cater to this, he said: “[It allows] autistic individuals, parents, carers and professionals the chance to see what is available for them in one place and gather information for them. The event also focused on the possibilities that autistic individuals have opened to them, as opposed to the negative effects that can be a factor of autism.” Going on to speak of how the exhibition catered to a wide range of

requirements for those with autism in attendance, he explained that: “The event was organised in an ‘autism friendly’ way, with a dedicated quiet room, sensory tent that allowed anyone the opportunity to access it, which shows from the groups of autistic individuals who not only came to the exhibition but also wanted to stay for pro-longed periods, which as a parent of an autistic child with sensory difficulties, is something that is most certainly a sign of success.” He wished to thank all teams who attended the exhibition to showcase their services in an approachable way. In addition, he highlighted the significance of the University in hosting other events for the week. These included a cake sale on Friday in the Hadyn Ellis Building, which fundraised for AP Cymru’s summer activities for autistic individuals, and the lighting of both the Main Building and Hadyn Ellis Building purple in order to mark Autism Awareness Week.

Hadyn Ellis Exhbition: AP Cymru is an entirely self-funded charity supporting families through workshops and clinics. Photo Credit: Sharon Gomez

Poorer children at mental health risk after bad summers by Gee Harland

ardiff University is the first to look to summer holiday experiences as a potential explanation for socioeconomic differences in mental health and wellbeing. Data was gathered from 103,971 children between the ages of 11-16 years old, across 193 secondary schools within Wales. Research from this data revealed that children from poorer backgrounds were less likely to spend time with friends and engage in physical activities when returning to school. They also reported being lonely and hungry. Upon returning to school, children from poorer backgrounds also had worse mental health and wellbeing. Dr Kelly Morgan, from Cardiff University’s Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), stated that “childhood and adolescent inequalities have worsened in recent years resulting in poorer health and wellbeing for young people and families”. “Children from low-income families are often entitled to free school meals during term time, but finding enough money for nutritious food during the summer holiday periods can be challenging for many families”. Dr Kelly Morgan is the head of the research and

hopes it will help encourage the government to consider enforcing more policies which support poorer children. She notes that the challenges faced by poorer families in the summer holidays have been recognised, with an increase in charitable and government funded school holiday provision, particularly for those families experiencing poverty. She went on to say that “limited affordable opportunities for school holiday activities and the high cost of childcare can also limit young people’s opportunities to participate in social activities and interactions, and increase their risk of loneliness”. This is the first study to focus on summer holidays as the key reason for poorer children’s mental health and wellbeing being worsened. Dr Morgan summarises “Our findings suggest that school holiday interventions, which are able to reduce negative summer holiday experiences like loneliness, hunger, social isolation, physical inactivity may have a role to play in reducing socioeconomic inequalities in mental health and wellbeing on young people’s return to school. “That said, it is important to acknowledge that school holiday interventions provide a short term fix; structural solutions, albeit likely to require considerable investment, are vital in preventive efforts going forward.”

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BYWYD CAMPWS

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A year in retrospect

Looking back on what has happened on campus this year?

by Cerian Jones

October

Freshers night was a huge success for the SU! Over 17,000 club tickets sold, which was a huge increase from last year’s numbers. I wonder what the statistics will look like next year. Ticket sales lead SU officials to believe that JUICE would sell out more often this year. Saturday night’s at the SU are still incredibly popular. The LGBT+ society night PLWS also sold out before doors opened! The inclusive night has been a hit with everyone.

Team CUSU volunteering during Freshers week was very succesful! Over 500 students took part during freshers week alone. 10,800 students collected their Student ID cards through the enrollment system, organised by CUSU volunteers to keep everyone in the queue and at the right place, at the right time. 19,000 people took part in Cardiff ’s 15th Half Marathon around the city for 13.1 miles. Many people took part, from professionals to amateurs, (Including our own editor Ashley Boyle) and some lunatics in costumes made the whole thing very entertaining for spectators.

November

March

Cardiff Students Union shortlisted for the NUS Wales Students' Union of the Year Award. Which we have since won!

After a week of mayhem, potion making and out-of-hand lightsaber tournaments Cardiff ’s Sci-fi and Fantasy society won the annual NerdVarsity!

Election results - You know who the winners are, but this week was just as tense as campaign week! The Annual General Meeting (AGM) was the most notable event of November. Students voted on 6 motions. Trustees were scrutinised about how the SU should be run in order to be funded sustainably following news that in the financial report that it had been operating at a loss of £2 million in 2016/2017. This was followed by a tiny profit of £262,000 in 2017/2018 and no solutions were suggested.

February

The main event during February was of course Speak Week! With a record breaking 3,500 responses. Election week - What can I say? It was a fast-paced bombardment of manifestos, posters, and puns. But vital to choosing out next VPs.

Cardiff Volunteering project 'Make a Smile' were shortlisted in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2019. A speaker from the LGBTQ+ and interfaith panel, Hannah Ryan commented on the event that took place in March: "We hosted an LGBT+ Interfaith panel - which was headed up by Rory Wade - and consisted of various members of different faiths discussing their experiences as religious members of the LGBT+ community. It was a fascinating discussion and served as a great space to talk about issues often not spoken of within the community."

Fringe Festival was a huge success as always! With hundreds of societies getting involved over the week in events such as the Variety Performance, Go global, and the infamous society showcases.

What's Next?

The annual events covered by Gair Rhydd this year are sure to go ahead again next year, and the new traditions too. I hope the amazing strides made this year go on to bring around more change within the University, the SU, and for each and every student, in the years to come.

What have we achieved?

VP Postgrad and SU President reflect on what they've done this year

To contact our campus life desk, drop us an email at campuslife@gairrhydd.com

CAMPUS LIFE

by Cerian Jones

Your campus life desk Ashley Boyle Cerian Jones

n an interview with SU President and VP Postgrad for their comments on what your team of representatives at the SU have been working on and completed this academic year. Jake is proud to have improved the lives of post-graduate students at Cardiff, this is what he said: “In my first term I secured funding from the University to extend the opening hours of the ASSL library to 24/7 over the winter and Easter holidays. I then worked with the Library service to make this change permanent. “I’ve worked with Citizens Cymru and other community groups to secure a commitment from the Welsh Government for a clear timetable to abolish letting fees in Wales.

I am very lucky to have had the chance to serve a diverse community “As a Trustee of the Students’ Union I have run a financial advice campaign for students interested in postgraduate study and worked with Give It A Go to organise a programme of postgraduate coach trips to locations across the UK. “Looking back, I am proudest to

have worked on improving the conditions for postgraduates paid to teach in the University. I’ve represented their concerns to University HR, created an independent guide to their employment rights and recently secured a University-wide review to provide the fair and consistent treatment they deserve. “I am very lucky to have had the chance to serve a diverse community of 11,000 postgraduate students and researchers over the last two years.” The SU President was also more than happy to share the achievements of her and the team of VPs that work so hard together. Fadhila states that: “This year has been a fantastic year! Under my leadership we achieved the following together: “Created first ever relationship with Citizens’ Cymru and we held an accountability event for the First Minister, Mark Drakeford Am with 400+ attendees from all across Wales. We got a clear 'Yes' commitment to ban letting agency fees prior the academic year 2019/20. “Created first ever relationship with University of Namibia and resulted in exchange of skills and knowledge, looking at possibilities for student exchange programmes and launching 'One student, One tree' initiative to combat climate change. “Raised £5.5k for the first time ever for ablution facilities in the SU, and secured a multi-faith prayer room with ablution facilities in ASSL.

Student wins: Jake Smith (VP Postgrad) has made great progress this year! Source: CUSU. “Abolished Zero mark policy for late submission of coursework instead have either a capped result or to be evaluated case by case and will be enacted in 2019/20. “Secured £4.3k funding with Amr Alwishah for Black History events to be held all across the year and launching Black attainment gap working group. “Winning 'The Best Students’ Union of the Year 2019' in NUS Wales Awards. #WeAllMadeItHappen. “I still haven’t finished yet, for the coming 3 months I have these manifesto points to achieve: Professional fundraising training for Societies and clubs, setting up an independent hate crime reporting centre in the SU, free printing for everything in SU, raising 35k for the prayer

room and launching 'Take a stand, be the change!' Campaign. “Thank you very much for everyone who participated in making these achievements happen!” Our President has done some outstanding work, but none of it would be possible without the team of hardworking VPs. Jackie Yipp’s executive team can confirm that the VP Education’s work was intrinsic to achievements listed above. These achievements have not gone unnoticed and will continue to improve the lives of future students, as well as us. It does have me thinking about my achievements this year, but I think getting out of bed and being at class on time is exactly what I set out to do.

BYWYD CAMPWS

Your Guide to Cardiff this week

Is a year in The biggest university sporting event of the year comes to Cardiff industry worthwhile? by Ashley Boyle

n campus this week is the sporting event we've all been waiting for - Welsh Varsity! With tickets selling out lightning fast, it's anticipated to be a great day full of sport across the city of Cardiff, finishing with the traditional night out at YOLO. As well as the full day of sport on Wednesday, there are plenty of other things going on throughout the campus. The Real Ale and Cider Society are going on a tour of Cardiff on Friday, visiting 8 pubs, trying 8 different ales along the way. You may notice this Friday that our own Taf-ern is going on a journey - back in time. The Taf

is set to be transformed into a retro gamer paradise, ready for the Spring Break party in Y Plas. Off campus, there are plenty of things to keep you busy, including the RHS Flower Show over the weekend, held in Bute, a bath bomb workshop with Lush, a support event for young people living with Parkinson's disease and comedy performaces from Adam Kay, Seaonce and Tickles and Tarts. Or, if you're a makeup fanatic who loves a bargain, the celebrity makeup masterclass at the end of the week, costing ÂŁ19, gives you two hours of tutorial, a free gift and a ÂŁ40 gift voucher to spend on Girl Meets Brush products.

by Ashley Boyle

or many of us at University, our time here is limited to the duration of our course - usually three years. However, some students have the option to extend their degree, and improve their employability, by applying for a year in industry. Students in some cases may feel that the just want to finish their degree as soon as possible in order to start working full time. But, is this opportunity too good to pass? We speak to Lewis Smith, a Computer Science student currently on a year in industry at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, to see whether the extra year has been worth it.

"I was surprised with the amount of responsibility from the offset"

Image Source: Stan Zurek via Wikimedia Commons

Image Source: Kevinquickle via Flickr

"I chose to do a year in industry because I felt it would provide valuable work experience within the industry, boosting my CV and future opportunities". At the beginning, Lewis found the application process quite stressful because of the numerous companies he contacted. "Tailoring every cover letter consumed a lot of time alongside university work, and it can be frustrating not hearing back from them". Several applications later, Lewis was offered a placement at his top choice with HPE. "I was really pleased to be accepted because HPE is a large, well know company, so I felt that the opportunities available through them were promising and abundant compared to elsewhere." When asked about the placement itself, Lewis describes how he has learnt a lot more than he initially thought he would. "I was surprised with the amount of responsibility given to myself from the offset and immediacy of working on tasks that directly benefited both the customers and the company". The industry skills are not the only thing Lewis has benefitted from the placement. He talks about how the company organise lots of social events, including sports clubs, meals out and a reward scheme which treats interns to fun activities when company or product milestones are reached. "The free coffee is great too! And the flexibility of my placement allows me to work from home some days. It's also great to have more disposable income because of my wage this year, so I haven't had to worry about when I'll receive student finance." When asked, Lewis said he would highly recommend taking a placement year opportunity, regardless of your course subject. "I feel that those who don't take up the chance lose out on valuable experience and practical skills related to their industry. I feel I have learnt a lot more this past year with HPE than I have on my course.

ARCHWILIO

Gair Rhydd Investigates: The problem of university course withdrawals

This week, Gair Rhydd investigates the rising issue of students at universities withdrawing from their chosen degrees. The reasons why students may choose to do this remains a complex topic with a broad range of personal and circumstantial factors. We ask Cardiff University about how Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) statistics indicate its withdrawal rates are significantly rising every year and what measures it is undertaking to ensure these numbers reduce. Gair Rhydd also spoke exclusively

to James Counter, who, after starting a Medicine degree in St Andrew’s University, decided to withdraw, and campaigns for others to do the same. Since withdrawing from his degree, James advocates for students not to be, in his view, pressured by the education system to follow higher level education at universities and recently delivered a speech to the cohort of medical students he left. Emily Hattersley also tells Gair Rhydd about the impact choosing the wrong degree had on her, and why she chose to leave her Swansea University degree for Cardiff University.

Cardiff University is one of those institutions where there has been a steady rise in the number of course withdrawals. Source: Wikimedia Commons

*analysis from HESA statistics on Non-continutation figures published for 2016-17

6.4% 5.9% 1 in 10 9.3% 8.8%

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

FEATURE

of domiciled entrants withdrew from courses in England in 2016-17

Feature this week by Mustakim Hasnath

of domiciled entrants withdrew from courses in Wales in 2016-17

UK undergraduates will withdraw before year two

of all disadvantaged undergraduate entrants did not make it to year two of studies

is the worst retention rate for a UK city, namely London

How big is the problem of course withdrawals across the UK and in Cardiff?

by Mustakim Hasnath

or the third consecutive year, the number of students withdrawing from their courses has risen, according to figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). It shows that 26,000 students beginning their course in 2015 did not continue to study beyond their second year. More recent reports indicate for 2016-17 out of the 5,440 new entrants to Cardiff University, 225 are no longer in Higher Education (HE). This report indicated the worst affected proportion of students leaving Higher Education out of all universities in the UK being in in the University of Bedfordshire with 800 students (23.8% of full time entrants) no longer in Higher Education. Of all home students in the UK starting full-time degree courses for the first time in 2015-16, more than one in 10 (10.5%) are expected to leave higher education without a qualification. In a statement, the director of ThinkTank, a HE Policy institute implied the reason may be linked to the rise in university fees, “We know the higher fees in England have led to lower value for money perceptions among students, so that could be having an effect”. The number of those withdrawing from courses at Cardiff University from 2012 to 2017 have consistently increased. Speaking to Gair Rhydd, a Cardiff University spokesperson said that the reasons behind why students may consider withdrawing can often be ‘multifaceted’.

The spokesperson continued, “They can be personal, emotional, health or financial related. The welfare of our students is an absolute priority and we would encourage anyone considering withdrawing to seek advice and support”. Emily Hattersley, who currently studies media and communications at Cardiff University after withdrawing from her initial choice to study Egyptology at Swansea University told Gair Rhydd, “I was unsure about where I wanted to go or what I wanted to study. I was just sure that I wanted to go to university… How wrong was I!”. She added, “I absolutely hated my time there. I was completely uninterested in my subject, my housemates and I had nothing in common, and I was completely isolated. I felt trapped; like I had no way out. Hattersley also commented on the impact this had on her personally, “My mental health

‘I felt trapped, like I had no way out... My mental health rapidly deteriorated’

rapidly deteriorated as I felt I’d be a failure if I dropped my degree”, telling Gair Rhydd that counsellors “advised me that if I quit, I’d lose my student finance and be left financially insecure; I’d also have to immediately start repaying my student loan”. Commenting on how the University can support those in mental health problems arising from whether their

degrees are right for them, a University spokesperson stated, “All of our students have access to a wide range of confidential, non-judgemental support. This includes access to means tested hardship funds and professional advice on a range of issues such as

‘The reasons behind students choosing to withdraw from courses can be multifaceted’

debt, money and relationships”. When asked about how Cardiff University ensures prospective students are fully aware of what their

chosen degrees are like, in order to reduce the number of withdrawals, a spokesperson said, “In addition to our Open Day we also offer opportunities for prospective students to visit their individual School. This allows them to discuss their chosen subjects with relevant academics and current students”. The university also advises prospective students to attend talks, of which the University hols over 300 a year across schools and colleges in England and Wales. It also encourages attendance at University Open Days and taster sessions, membership of specialist programmes and to request advice and information.

The number of students withdrawing from undergraduate courses from 2012 to 2017

145

2012-13

185

2013-14

195

2014-15

205

2015-16

225

2016-17

^Statistical analysis from HESA statistics published on Non-continuation figures.

ARCHWILIO

‘I dropped out of university and you should too’

James Counter spoke exclusively to Gair Rhydd, reflecting on his decision to withdraw from his Medicine degree at St Andrew’s University. With the issue of unstable mental health and personal problems, as well as the problem of whether Medicine was the correct degree option for him, James felt pressured to attend University and pursue a degree, which he believes others wanted for him as opposed to what he wanted for himself. Currently working in the NHS record-taking business, as well as a progressing fine-dining restaurant in Edinburgh, James believes his life is no different now to what it would be with a Medicine degree. James recently visited St Andrew’s University to deliver a speech on why he feels proud to have left the degree: by Mustakim Hasnath

I was taken aback when I dropped out of this great course and ended up back in bed for way too many hours of the day in my mum’s house and feeling sorry for myself. And so, it is with what was a heavy heart but what is now a re-energised one, that I speak to you now.   So currently I work as a casual clerical officer in the NHS in Carlisle, but I very recently worked in the Waldorf hotel in Edinburgh as a member of staff in the Pompadour restaurant which has 3 rosettes and aims to have a Michelin star this year. There are, maybe surprisingly, many qualities that I, as a hotel worker, and you as future doctors, have in common, for example: We both deal with the general public (this often involves a degree of fake smiling), aim to help them improve their quality of life, both work ridiculous hours, both severely underpaid, but most of all

we are both victims of the inevitable. You may ask at this point why I bothered to go through the rigmarole of applying to medical school, only to drop out after a couple of weeks? The answer comes in my own misgivings and naivety in approaching the course: I assumed that I would have the motivation to study come what may, and I thought that the immense variety would stimulate my interest more than concern or stress me out, and most importantly I believed that having a family in the medical world would prove more of a chaste code than it actually was. I believed that feeling like the only man in the Western Hemisphere without an arsenal of MacBooks and other Apple products would somehow put me below everyone else on the course. Anyway, back to me in bed. There I lay, a broken man, withering away like some kind of twisted Mr Havisham using my

old Doctor Who bed sheets as a huge and comforting escape from reality. I would have sworn that nobody could successfully rouse me from that state of paralysis, however, as any good doctor will know, being depressed is just a state of deep-rest, deep-rest. Sometimes you need to phone your mum and hold back some tears to real-

‘Potential is not a guarentee of success’

ise that she is always right and was right when she warned you that medicine would be an awful lot of hard work and isn’t just something to do because you’ve always been pigeon holed as someone who is good at science and who could do it. Potential is not necessarily a guarantee of success.

Once I had managed to get the guts to head back out into the world again, and definitely not after being forced by my lovely mother, I realised the truth of the whole experience: no one really cares. That might sound sad to you or maybe just like some delicious anonymity, either way it was a shock to the system. I thought that everyone would question or judge me and my choices but, people just want what’s best for you and have their own issues to worry about. It was when an old friend reminded me that I had good exam results to rely on and time to think about what came next that I really sat up and listened. He told me that sixth year in school for him just been a waste of time because he had failed all his exams and really could have done more useful things with his time. He then gave me a shake and told me to just stop worrying and looking for the

Source: Dun Deagh (via Flickr) ‘right choice’ in life and just start doing life. I don’t make a killing, yet, but there’s still plenty of time for that. My friend says

‘To get a good job, you need to have common sense’

that he needs a degree to get a ‘good job’, now obviously to become a doctor or a lawyer or even in 2020 a police officer, you need a degree. But to get a ‘good job’ you need to have common sense and a damn good work ethic. I believe that everyone in this room possesses those qualities and will therefore have a successful future in whatever field they pursue.

There are complex stories behind the label ‘lazy dropout’

Following his speech, Counter shared his back-story about what led up to the point of considering withdrawing from his course. Counter claimed that he was constantly encouraged to pursue University degrees at leading UK Higher Education Institutes by the schools he attended. Counter also believes that the current structures in Universities, especially those in the degree he chose to study, led to a rise in mental health related problems, consequently increasing withdrawal rates.

What was it about Medicine that made you want to study it?

your mind that makes you question your ability to make it.

I come from a family of doctors, with my father being a doctor and my mother being a nurse. Having parents who are already in that industry, you feel as though should you have any issues, you can approach them and get the support you need. With my family history being in Medicine, I knew it would be something I’d be proud being a part of eventually. It’s just the process of getting to that point which was really the issue in the end.

How were the lectures and university life once you had enrolled?

Tell me about results day for you. How did you feel knowing that you had gotten in to the School of Medicine at the University of St Andrews? I was at work, at NHS medical records. Because it’s the way they do that in Scotland, they texted me at around 8.30am in the morning to say that I had received a B in Maths and C’s in Biology and Chemistry. It was slightly disappointing at first and given the entry requirements for getting into the course required three B’s, I assumed I hadn’t been accepted. The question at this point was one of whether I could go, as a matter of whether I wanted to go. However, it turned out that I had been accepted after all, when I checked later in the day on UCAS. Throughout school, we’re constantly told, even from peers that we’re good enough to achieve great things, but sometimes that encouragement just isn’t enough. There’s always that seed of doubt in

This is one of the things I miss as someone who’s left university. The lecture theatres had all these lovely padded seats and plaques of those who had sponsored it. Everything was automated which is probably why half of it never worked. If you’re someone who liked school, this was the place for you because often I find people who study Medicine are in their little cacoon. The building itself for instance has everything you’d possibly want as a student of Medicine with no need to go wondering off to some other part of the city - almost like a mini school. However, as I was saying, the automated nature of how the university is run with all these different platforms makes people both incredibly confused but also clueless as to how they should go about their studies. Nothing is integrated and that’s part of the reason I for one didn’t know what I was doing. Aren’t these difficulties just part of the step from school life to university life? It really discourages you to sit down and crack on with your work, especially if you have to work with one hundred different tabs open. Medicine is a busy nine-to-five course and often the first week gives you a false sense of security because you’ll have a frac-

tion of the total number of lectures or sessions you normally get. This jampacked timetable is incredibly pressured compared to other first year degrees, almost like other course’s second year and that’s a big jump from sixth form.   Some people might say that the issues I’m describing are more of a white wine kind of scenario, they might say, yes, the technology is a bit difficult, but ‘get over it’. There are certainly enough students who have gotten into progressive years of study to suggest that it does work, which does give rise to the claim that surely these challenges are something to be overcome. Yes, of course challenges must be overcome. Like when you go to the cadaver room for the first time and you look at the dead bodies it just puts it into perspective, giving you the true picture of what it’s like rather than what you think it will be like. Have there been any personal issues which have made you struggle with this transition?

I’ve moved around the country for most of my life. My dad lives in Carlisle and my mother lives in Newcastle and so whenever there’s a holiday, some people know they’re going to Newcastle and they’re going to have a lovely roast dinner, but for me that picture of a family dinner isn’t always possible. Even if they say they’re not bothered about who you see, as an eighteen year old with a car who can make that choice that’s a lot to handle.

There’s an extra level of complexity, especially when people ask you the simple question of where you’re from as that’s something which requires a long story rather than a short answer. With some of the people I met, especially on the enrollment day, you get this sense of prestigious snobbery with others which makes you feel inferior and merely status quo. Ultimately, that questions why you’re there are makes you want to leave because you don’t fit with the perfect lives that those around you live. Has your mental health and state of well-being influenced your decision to withdraw?

My mental health is very up and down. There’s a special condition which I’ve often read about and that’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder. That’s depression which can be as a result of the weather or specific times of the year and people go up and down. For me, when I moved from Devon, up to Newcastle in Year 9, I knew I felt very strange and worried about moving in to a new school then. At times like those I thought feeling low was the norm, my parents would tell me not to worry especially given I had five years or so left of school before I had to think about big life decisions, so I didn’t see a doctor about it or really give it much thought. Again with the Seasonal Affective Disorder, you’d then have the start of the year triggering some kind of anxiety about for example GCSEs coming up and maybe meeting new people.

I then moved up to Scotland again for sixth form and it was often striking to see people who had lived their lives in that small bubble knowing people since year 5 in primary school. I can’t even remember people I had met in primary school because I had changed schools so many times. Disturbing that natural process of building friendships often meant I was forced into friend groups and had all these worries about whether people liked me etc. There are so many complex back stories to people’s lives which often don’t get considered when putting a label on them saying they’re some ‘lazy drop-out’. Do you feel people are forced into University? Absolutely. I remember going to what were called PSE classes. These were career related talks at the school I attended in Scotland and even though they’re entirely voluntary, schools always put pressure on people to go for opportunities, especially those who are talented to go for prestigious university places. It looks great on them when they say ‘we’ve got four people going to Oxford this year’. Yes, these career talks often talk about apprenticeships and work placements, but the reality is still the same. I went to my old school since and told the headmaster about the fact that they’re pressuring students to go to these prestigious universities and that I felt the same problem existed in universities too.

taf od

Barn y Bobol

Wedi dyfarnu gôl o blaid Chelsea er i chwaraewr fod yn camsefyll, Taf-od sy’n holi rhai o fyfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd ar y mater.

Deio Jones

Myfyriwr blwyddyn gyntaf Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth O ran VAR, mae yno wastad am fod ambell i ‘feirniad soffa’ sy’n barod i fynd yn erbyn graen unrhyw ychwanegiad i’r uwch-gynghrair. Mae o’n ychwanegu deinameg tebyg i TMO rygbi i’r gêm, sydd yn amlwg yn gweithio, ac hefyd yn rhoi llai o bwysau ar y swyddogion sy’n rhedeg y lein. Digon hawdd yw hi i gefnogwyr weiddi ar ddyn/dynes efo baner, ond does na’m llawer o bwynt gweiddi ar dechnoleg. I’r rai sy’n poeni am y gêm yn arafu, dw i’n meddwl fod hyn yn angenrheidiol ar gyfer dyfodol pêl-droed. O safbwynt cefnogwr Newcastle United, fuasai unrhyw help tuag at gôl yn werthfawrogol, VAR neu beidio.

Mared Jones

Myfyrwraig ail flwyddyn Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth Er bod VAR wedi ei ddefnyddio yn eithaf llwyddiannus yng nghwpan pêl-droed y byd yn 2018 cymysglyd iawn yw barn y bobl amdano. Dwi’n credu, yn sicr, bod rhaid ei gyflwyno i gemau’r UwchGynghrair gan bod gymaint yn y fantol i’r timoedd hyn. Petasai VAR wedi cael ei ddefnyddio yn y gêm rhwng Chelsea a Chaerdydd yn ddiweddar, ni fyddai gôl gyntaf Chelsea erioed wedi cael ei chaniatáu a phwy a ŵyr gallai Caerdydd fod wedi ennill y gêm. Gallai’r gôl honno fod yn gostus iawn i Gaerdydd gan fod yn hoelen yn ei harch i ddisgyn o’r Uwch-Gynghrair hyd yn oed.

Gwern ab Arwel Myfyriwr blwyddyn gyntaf Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth

Wedi siom Caerdydd ar y penwythnos, bydden nhw’n siwr o fod yn cyfri’r dyddiau nes ddyfodiad VAR y tymor nesaf. Roedd y dechnoleg yn llwyddiannus yng Nghwpan y Byd, a bydd yn sicr o arwain at benderfyniadau cywirach yn yr uwchgynghrair hefyd, ond mae angen sicrhau yn gyntaf bod y broses o wneud penderfyniadau yn gyflym a chyffrous. Yn bwysicaf oll, rwy’n credu ei bod hi’n bwysig nad yw swyddogion yn colli hyder, neu gallai arwain at orddibynnu ar VAR.

Eich unig gyhoeddiad myfyrwyr wythnosol trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Sefydlwyd: 2003 I gysylltu â ni, e-bostiwch tafod@gairrhydd.com Am fwy o gynnwys, ewch i gairrhydd.com/tafod

NEWYDDION

Cyfweliad Meri Huws: Ei diwrnod olaf a’i chyfweliad olaf

gan Jacob Morris

r ei diwrnod olaf yn y swydd, cefais i’r anrhydedd o siarad â Meri Huws yn ei chyfweliad olaf fel Comisiynydd y Gymraeg, cyfle i’w holi ynglyn â’i gwaith fel Comisiynydd ers 2012. Dyma ddiwedd ar gyfnod y comisiynydd cyntaf erioed ac yn sicr mae hi wedi gadael ei hôl; o gyflwyno’r Safonau Iaith ynghyd â gosod targed o filiwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050. Mae’n berson angerddol, annibynnol ac uchelgeisiol sydd wedi ymrwymo’i hoes i frwydro’n ddiflino dros y Gymraeg. Y fenyw gyntaf a fu’n Gadeirydd ar Gymdeithas yr iaith Gymraeg ac yn Gadeirydd ar y Bwrdd Iaith, mae ei chyfraniad helaeth wedi bod yn ganolog i frwydr yr iaith ar hyd y degawdau. Ond erbyn hyn, mae’n teimlo fod hi’n bryd camu i’r neilltu gan wneud lle i’w holynydd, Aled Roberts. Beth oedd yr uchafbwyntiau? ‘Wel mae’r saith mlynedd yn dod i ben am hanner nos ddydd Sul, a ti sy’n cael y cyfweliad olaf! Roedd cyflwyno’r safonau i sefydliadau cyhoeddus yng Nghymru yn o’r uchafbwyntiau pennaf, ar y dechrau roedd hi wedi profi’n hynod heriol , ond dwi di gweld gwahaniaeth ar lawr gwlad ac wrth i mi ddod at ddiwedd fy nghyfnod dwi mor falch o weld y safonau iechyd yn cael eu cyflwyno. Mae’r safonau wir wedi bod yn gam ymlaen i’r Gymraeg a bod gan bobol yr hawl i ddefnyddio’r Gymraeg wrth ymwenud â’r gwasanaeth iechyd.’ Beth oedd yr iselbwyntiau? ‘Y Papur Gwyn a gyflwynwyd gan Alun Davies ynglyn â newid strwythur o gael gwared ar y Comisiynydd, symud at gomisiwn ac odd e’n amau gwerth y safonau - d’odd hwnna ddim yn gyfnod da fan hyn. Nid oedd colli stêm yma, ro ni’n hollol benderfynol bo ni ddim yn mynd i golli momentwm ac o ni mor ddiolchgar bod y safonau iechyd wedi cael eu pasio. Er fe wnaeth godi amheuaeth o fewn a thu allan i’r sefydliad, wnaeth e ddim o reidrwydd arafu gwaith ond yn sicr fe wnaeth lesteirio arno.’ Y fenyw gyntaf fu’n gadeirydd ar Gymdeithas yr Iaith a Chadeirydd y Bwrdd Iaith, sut wnaeth y swyddi hyn eich arfogi ar gyfer swydd y Comisiynydd? ‘Dwi’n meddwl nôl at y cyfnod yna’n aml fel cadeirydd y gymdeithas a’r bwrlwm odd mor fyw yn y cyfnod ‘na a dwi’n gobeithio deugain mlynedd ymlaen fod peth o’r bwrlwm yna, yr ysbryd i ymladd a brwydro dros y Gymraeg yn perthyn i’r sefydliad yma hefyd. Ry ni’n sefydliad statudol, ry ni’n sefydliad sy’n rhan o gyfansoddiad Cymru ond o ni’n awyddus i

Cyn-Gomisiynydd y Gymraeg: Mae Meri Huws wedi camu o’r adwy ar ôl dechrau’r swydd yn 2012. (Tarddiad: Jacob Morris). gael yr elfen yna o weithredu i bwrpas. Ma’r elfen honno yn bendant wedi dod gyda fi o ‘nghyfnod i gyda’r gymdeithas.’ Mae’n siŵr nad yw pethau wedi bod yn fel i gyd, ond sut felly mae eich perthynas gyda’r llywodraeth? ‘Swni’n dweud fod e’n gorfod bod yn berthynas iach ac onest, dyw’r Comisiynydd ddim yn was i’r llywodraeth, rôl y Comisiynydd yw cydweithio ond hefyd herio’r llywodraeth. Ond wedi dweud hynny, ma’ gweithio mewn partneriaeth i feithrin perthynas iach a dwi ceisio fy ngorau i wneud hynny. Ond hefyd, dwi di ceisio meithrin perthynas iach gydag arweinwyr y cynghorau, arweinwyr y sector iechyd. Pan ddaeth y Safonau Addysg o ni’n siarad gyda phrifathrawon, is-ganghellorion prifysgolion er mwyn iddyn nhw gael deall pam o’dd y newidiau yma’n diwgydd. Dwi yn rheoleiddiwr, ond yn rheoleiddwr i bwrpas ydw i, er mwyn sicrhau fod y Gymraeg yn ffynnu yng Nghyrmu. Felly mae trafod mor, mor bwysig er mwyn bod pobol yn deall pam.’ Mae yna gryn feirniadaeth gan rai o weinidogion y llywodraeth, yn bennaf Eluned Morgan, fod y Gymraeg bellach wedi datblygu’n rhywbeth biwrocratiadd, sut fyddech chi’n ymateb i hynny? ‘Fasen i’n anghytuno’n llwyr. Ma ‘na

elfen o fiwrocrataieth yn perthyn i reoloeddio yn arbennig rheoleiddio gwael, a dwi ddim yn credu fod hynny’n wir fan hyn. Ry ni’n rheoleiddio i bwrpas i sicrhau fod Cymru’n wlad ddwyieithog, yn wlad wirioneddol ddwyieithog ein bo ni’n gallu gweld a chlywed y Gymraeg ymhob man a bod pobl sy’n dewis defnyddio’r Gymraeg yn gallu gwneud.’ Pa mor realistig yw miliwn o siaradwyr erbyn 2050? ‘Swni’n dweud fod e yn realistig. O edrcyh ar y ffigyrau diweddara sy di dod allan o’r llywodraeth yn ganolog, ma rhyw 800,000 o siaradwyr yng Nghymru ac felly ma camu i’r filiwn ddim yn amhosib. Ond i gyrraedd yna mae angen i ni gydio yn y system addysg yn enwedig y cyn 16 oed, oherwydd dwi ddim wedi cael fy mherswadio ein bod ni’n creu siradwyr rhugl, hyderus.’ Fel menyw yn un o swyddi pwysicaf yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd, beth fyddech neges chi i ferched ifanc eraill sy’n ystyried dilyn llwybr gyrfa mewn gwleidyddiaeth? ‘Swni’n dweud camwch mlan, ma Cymru yn wirioneddol eich angen chi. Er gwaetha’r ffaith ein bo ni di ennill y bleidlais dros ganrif yn nôl nawr dwi’n edrych o hyd ar sefydliadau dros Gymru a gweld bo’r uchel swyddi yn cael eu llenwi gan ddynion. Yn fwy nag erioed ma an-

gen merched yng ngwleidyddiaeth, swyddi uchel ac yn rhedeg sefydliadau yng Nghymru.’ Beth fyddech cyngor pennaf i’ch olynydd, Aled Roberts? ‘Yn syml iawn; bydd yn driw iti dy hunan, bydd yn uchelgeisiol a bydd yn annibynnol a chofia pam ti’n neud y job sef er mwyn y Gymraeg.’ Beth yw eich gobeithion am y dyfodol? ‘Wel, ma hynny’n gwestiwn sydd yn fy mhoeni ‘chydig bach a dweud y gwir, dwi di bod mewn swydd ers gadael y brifysgol. Byddaf sicr yn treulio mwy o amser yn fy nghartref, Llandeilio ac efallai gwneud mwy o fewn y gymuned honno. Dros y blynyddoedd dwi di bod yn cyrraedd gytre’n hwyr a gadael yn gynnar yn y bore felly’n ymwneud yn fwy yn y gymuned honno yw’r bwriad, ond fydd rhaid imi ffeindio rhywbeth i wneud.’ Sut gall bobl ar lawr gwlad wneud ei rhan i gyrraedd y filiwn erbyn ganol y ganrif? ‘Ma na lot o bethau, manteisio ar bob cyfle i ddefnyddio’r Gymraeg, lle bynnag i chi’n gweld bathodyn iaith. Ond cyn bwysiced o oes yna ddysgwyr siaradwch Gymraeg gyda chi peidiwch troi i’r saesneg er mwyn hwyluso’r sgwrs, byddwch yn rhan o’r daith i bobl eraill. Peidiwch bod ofn i ddefnyddio’ch Cymraeg chi ymhob man.’

TAF-OD CYNGOR

Amser yr asesu yn ddwys agosáu

Amser adolygu: Mae’r cyfnod asesu yn prysur agosau. (Tarddiad: Jess Warren). gan Tomos Evans

rholiadau. Un o heriau mwyaf y flwyddyn academaidd. Y pethau bach poenus hynny sy’n dod tuag atoch fel trên ar ddiwedd blwyddyn hir o weithio’n ddiwyd – a mwynhau, wrth gwrs. Mae’n siŵr bod cymaint o ffeithiau gennych i’w hadolygu a chymaint o asesiadau eraill i’w cwblhau eich bod yn wynebu toreth o waith. Weithiau, gall hyn fod yn “overwhelming”. Ond, peidiwch â phoeni! Mae help wrth law a bydd yr erthygl hon o gy-

morth mawr ichi i oroesi’r cyfnod arholi. Gadewch i’r pum ‘P’ eich rhoi ar ben ffordd (ac oes, mae acronym am bopeth). Mewn gwirionedd, gellid crynhoi’r hyn sydd angen i chi ei wneud i bedwar ‘P’: penderfyniad, paratoi, pwyllo, perfformio a phartio. Yn y lle cyntaf, mae angen ichi ddangos penderfyniad ac uchelgais gan geisio gosod a chyrraedd targedau penodol, personol sydd hefyd yn gyraeddadwy. Wrth ddangos penderfyniad, byddwch yn fwy tebygol o

ganolbwyntio a gweithio’n galed i gyrraedd y nod. Heb os, paratoi yw un o’r pethau pwysicaf i’w gwneud. Mae cymaint o ddeunydd gennych o’r darlithoedd ei bod hi’n bwysig mynd drwyddyn nhw a dethol rhai mwyaf perthnasol ar gyfer yr arholiadau. O gyflwyniadau pŵer bwynt i recordiadau Panopto, mae’r deunyddiau yma i gyd yma i’ch helpu – defnyddiwch nhw! Pwysig hefyd yw pwyllo. Weithiau mae pawb yn teimlo’n rhwystredig nad ydyn nhw’n gallu cofio darn o wybo-

daeth neu nad yw’r dulliau adolygu’n gweithio. Pwyll pia hi yn yr achos yma – mae angen egwyl ar bawb bob hyn a hyn. Gadewch y gwaith am ychydig, gwnewch rywbeth cwbl wahanol, ac yna dychwelwch gyda golwg ffres ar bethau. Ar ddydd yr arholiad, rhaid perfformio ar eich gorau. Ceisiwch sicrhau eich bod yn bwyta brecwast da cyn cael golwg sydyn dros eich nodiadau. Trwy gydol y dydd yn arwain tuag at yr arholiad, sicrhewch eich bod yn yfed digon o ddŵr i’ch cadw chi i fynd. Pethau

elfennol ond allweddol yw’r rhain. Yna, wedi’r gwaith caled ac wedi ichi eistedd yr arholiad, neu arholiadau, dyna i gyd sydd yn weddill yw partio. Dathlwch eich bod wedi cyrraedd diwedd y cyfnod arholiadau, a chyda hynny, y flwyddyn academaidd hefyd. Yn wir, bydd dathliad o’r fath yn sicrhau fod gennych rywbeth i edrych ymlaen ato wrth ichi adolygu. Dyna ni, felly. Diwedd y daith. Dyna’r cyfan sy’n weddill i’w ddweud yw gwnewch eich gorau yn eich arholiadau a phob hwyl gyda’r dathliadau.

ac anabl, mae 13.9 miliwn o bobl anabl yn y DU. Serch hynny, nid ydynt yn trafod faint ohonynt sy’n dioddef o afiechydon cudd, gan fod llai o wybodaeth amdanyn nhw ar-lein. Yn debyg i’r stigma sy’n gysylltiedig â iechyd meddwl, nid yw afiechydon cudd yn cael yr un sylw ag afiechydon gweledol. Mae’r stigma yn deillio o’r ffaith bod nifer yn methu cydnabod yr anableddau yma, ac felly yn dangos llai o gydymdeimlad i’r rhai sydd yn dioddef. Bu hashnod poblogaidd cwpwl o flynyddoedd yn ôl i ysgogi’r drafodaeth ynghylch anableddau cudd. Dangosodd yr hashnod #InvisiblyDisabledLooksLike, sut roedd y rhai sy’n dioddef o anableddau cudd yn teimlo, a hefyd sut maent yn cael eu

trin gan bobl. Er enghraifft, siaradodd un person am y ffaith ei fod yn cael ei gwestiynu wrth barcio mewn llefydd parcio ar gyfer pobl anabl, ac felly yn cael ei feirniadu yn y broses. Mae’r prosiect yn eithaf agos at fy nghalon, gan fy mod, hefyd, yn dioddef o glefyd cudd o’r enw Perthes Disease. Felly, pan oeddwn i’n ifanc, roedd rhaid i mi ddefnyddio cadair olwyn oherwydd roedd cerdded yn boenus iawn. Erbyn hyn, nid wyf yn defnyddio cadair olwyn na chwaith ffyn a baglau, ond mae gen i boen wrth gerdded. Ond gan fod fy anabledd yn gudd, does neb yn deall y poen rydw i’n cuddio. Fe wnaeth Scope hefyd drafod y faith fod 1 mewn 3 o bobl anabl yn teimlo fod yna ragfarn yn eu herbyn. Dangosa

hyn yr angen i godi ymwybyddiaeth o anableddau, ond yn enwedig anableddau cudd, oherwydd nad ydynt yn derbyn y gefnogaeth angenrheidiol. Felly, mae’r prosiect yma gan Gair Rhydd yn bwysig am ei fod yn codi ymwybyddiaeth o afiechydon cudd ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd. Bydd y rhaglen ddogfen yn cael ei rhyddhau yn fuan ar gyfryngau cymdeithasol Gair Rhydd. Gobeithio bydd y prosiect yn llwyddo i godi ymwybyddiaeth ac efallai gwneud hi’n haws i bobl drafod anableddau cudd.

Indigo Jones Pryd o Daf-od

Indigo Jones Indigo Jones, myfyrwraig Newyddiaduraeth yn yr ail flwyddyn, sy’n sôn am bwysigrwydd trafod anableddau cudd, fel .

Yn ddiweddar, ymchwiliodd Gair Rhydd mewn i amrywiaeth o bynciau, gan gynnwys barn y bobl ar adeilad newydd JOMEC, iechyd meddwl y gymuned LDHT+ ynghyd â thestunau eraill. Y prosiect mwyaf diweddar i Gair Rhydd gwblhau yw ymchwil ar anableddau cudd. Bydd y prosiect yn cynnwys rhaglen ddogfen gyda straeon pobl sydd yn dioddef o afiechydon cudd, mae hyn yn amrywio rhwng clefydau cudd fel clefyd Turner’s i glefyd coeliag. Bydd y rhaglen ddogfen yn cynnwys straeon emosiynol y bobl sydd yn cymryd rhan. Maen nhw’n disgrifio eu hanes gyda’r afiechydon yma, a sut mae’n effeithio arnyn nhw yn ddyddiol. Yn ôl yr elusen Scope, sydd yn ceisio gweld cyfartaledd rhwng pobl abl

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

TAF OD

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

CHWARAEON

Tymor a hanner i dîm rygbi’r GymGym gan Owain ap Myrddin

’r gêm gyntaf roedd yna deimlad cartrefol iawn am y tîm gyda phawb yn groesawgar ac nid yn unig eisiau chwarae rygbi, ond eisiau mwynhau’r ochr gymdeithasol hefyd. Bu dechrau’r tymor yn un penigamp trwy guro’r Gyfraith, Peirianneg a Chemeg yn gyfforddus mewn gemau cyn-dymor trwy chwarae rygbi agored, cyflym iawn gyda’r blaenwyr a’r cefnwyr yn cyd-chwarae’n gampus gan chwarae “champagne rygbi” o’r safon uchaf. Gwnaeth y tymor go iawn ddechrau ychydig yn anoddach gan golli o drwch blewyn i Phystory mewn gêm rwystredig ble’r oedd y GymGym yn haeddu curo ond yn methu gorffen symudiadau a doedd y tywydd na stad y cae ddim yn helpu hynny. Wedi cyfnod hir o beidio chwarae oherwydd tywydd ofnadwy cafodd y tîm fuddugoliaethau cyfforddus yn erbyn Peirianneg a Gwleidyddiaeth i orffen hanner cyntaf y tymor yn gryf cyn y Nadolig. Dechreuwyd ail hanner y tymor fel y gorffennwyd yr hanner cyntaf gyda rygbi pert yn cael ei chwarae mewn amgylchiadau trafferthus, ond y tîm yn llwyddo i drechu’r Gyfraith i ddechrau 2019 mewn steil! Ond byr oedd y dathliadau wrth i’r GymGym golli’r wythnos ganlynol i Uni BaaBaa’s! Y tîm yn colli o drwch blewyn ac yn chwarae’n sâl mewn amgylchiadau anodd, yn bendant diwrnod i’w anghofio i’r GymGym. Ond gwnaeth y GymGym ymateb yr wythnos ganlynol gyda buddugoliaeth gyfforddus yn erbyn Bioscience gyda bois Aberaeron yn serennu unwaith eto. Buddugoliaeth arall yr wythnos ganlynol yn erbyn Cemeg

Y GymGym ar garlam: Tîm rygbi’r GymGym wedi gêm ddiweddar. (Tarddiad: Ynyr Clwyd). ond ar ôl dechrau da gwnaeth y tywydd ddylanwadu’n fawr ar y gêm ac roedd teimlad o siom gan y tîm am beidio perfformio cystal ag y dylent. Yna teithiodd y tîm i Abertawe ar gyfer twrnament 7 bob ochr Eisteddfod Rhyng-gol ac er bod nifer o’r prif chwaraewyr ar goll, gan gynnwys y capten Dafydd Aron, dychwelodd y tîm adra wedi curo Abertawe a chy-

funiad o Fangor ac Aberystwyth yn gyfforddus gan chwarae rygbi rhagorol. Curo Carbs Social yn gyfforddus yr wythnos ganlynol ac yna colli’n drwm yn erbyn tîm cyntaf Carbs yr wythnos wedyn ar ôl chwarae’n wych yn yr hanner cyntaf ond colli i dîm gwell ar y dydd oedd ein hanes. Y rownd gynderfynol oedd yr wythnos wedyn ac ia, yn erbyn Carbs un-

waith eto. Roedd y tîm yn daer i setlo sgôr yr wythnos diwethaf ac mi fuon mor agos at lwyddo i wneud hynny. Chwarae rygbi anhygoel ac ennill 1510 gyda dau funud yn weddill ond bu i Carbs sgorio i gipio’r gêm yn y munudau olaf o 17-15. Buddugoliaeth yn y gêm am y trydydd safle i orffen y tymor yn gryf drwy chwarae rygbi deniadol. Y GymGym ar garlam: Tîm

rygbi’r GymGym. (Tarddiad: Ynyr Clwyd). Gêm yn erbyn y Geltaidd Aberystwyth ar Barc yr Arfau sydd nesaf ar y 10fed o Fai am 7 o’r gloch. Dewch yn llu. Tymor rhagorol a gafwyd ac edrychwn ymlaen at y tymor nesaf yn barod. Yn bendant hwn yw’r tîm i unrhyw ‘fresher’ sy’n chwilio am rygbi, cwrw a llwyth straeon gwirion.

Yn Trafod yr wythnos hon... Ifan Roberts 1. Pwy wyt ti a beth wyt ti’n astudio? Ifan Roberts a mathemateg. 2. Beth yw’r digwyddiad sy’n codi’r mwyaf o embaras arnat? Cysgu mewn drws siop ar ôl noson allan. 3. Beth oedd dy air cyntaf? Peint?

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

4. Pe fyddet ti ar yr X Factor, pa gân byddet ti’n ei chanu a pham?

7. Pwy yw dy hoff fand? Madarch.

11. Beth fyddet ti’n gwneud yn ystod dy noson ddelfrydol?

500 Miles - hoffi ‘neud acen yr Alban.

8. Prosecco neu champagne? Pam?

Noson allan ar ôl gêm rygbi.

5. Beth fyddet ti’n ei archebu o’r Bwyty Indiaidd lleol?

Champagne achos bod prosecco’n afiach.

12. Pe taset yn gallu bod yn unrhyw anifail am ddiwrnod, pa un fyddet ti’n dewis, a pham?

Tikka masala a naan bread. 6. Pwy oeddet ti’n ffansio pan oeddet ti’n iau? Cheryl Cole.

9. Beth oedd y diwrnod gorau iti ei gael erioed? Super Saturday y Chwe Gwlad ‘19 yn Nghaerdydd. 10. Beth yw dy gas beth? Hangovers.

Tylluan achos ‘swni’n gallu troi ‘mhen o gwmpas pedair gwaith.

13. Disgrifia dy hun mewn tri gair. Uffar o laff.

‘Ecocide’: Why do we treat the planet as a commodity? (Source: Edward Kimmel, via Wikimedia Commons). impunity of most money-makers can erlands and the UK were to blame be demonstrated through minor but for this pressure - and Europe valrelatable motifs such as a single use ues environmental co-operation too Starbucks cup. Whether you live in much to sacrifice state solidarity. the city or even drink coffee, there is Should we be able to find a balance? nobody reading this article that hasn’t Is it time to find a way in which ‘ecoseen this harmful marketing ploy scat- cide’ could get through parliament tered up Queen Street on a Monday without being shot down, and can morning during the work rush hour. convince those who have been elected Who exactly would ‘ecocide’ pe- that making our planet habitable must nalise the most? Large corporations come before their next payslip or anwith colossal profit margins and mar- other tax break? Bodies such as BP ket dominance, CEOs who are paid are forking out upwards of $200m a dearly to sign off on these decisions, year just to prevent issues like climate and government bodies who find change being litigated and therefore pollution to be a more cost-effective enacting punishment on their actions. way of regulating matters that will The issue that arises with anything help to appease the public in their environmentally concerned is the disnext election manifesto. Since the lit- proportionate pooling of resources tle people are unlikely to be affected between interest parties - an issue that (as I can’t imagine you’d find a gar- we must fix to take ‘ecocide’ seriously. gantuan payout in a claim regarding There have already been several high street littering), the people who Netflix documentaries worth watchwant to fight back are those with the ing (such as Cowspiracy) highlighting monetary backing to afford to do so. large companies such as Monsanto efThe Rome Statute was the closest fectively buying their way into the legal we ever got to ecocide’s success, but system to prevent lobbying and third it was promptly removed throughout party claims for damages - for probthe drafting process. France, Neth- lems such as hormone-injected meat,

Profit over humanity?

When it comes to foreign conflicts like Yemen, we should be striving for peace, not showing complicity. by Alys Hewitt ritain has an extensive history of involvement - both direct and distant - in overseas conflicts, and whether or not this involvement is just or necessary is a polarising topic, inherently entangled with notions of morality. New research by the Yemen Data Project, which aims to promote transparency and accountability surrounding the ongoing war in Yemen through its data collection, has revealed that a Saudi Arabian-led bombing campaign in the country, supported and upheld by arms dealings primarily with the UK, US and France, has killed over 8,000 civilians in the four years since bombing began. This is alongside the mass malnourishment, disease and starvation that has swept the country and its civilian population. Whilst the UK has not demonstrated direct intervention in Yemen, the government’s trading practices, so far removed from the reality of the conflict, have had a tangible human cost. It is, I believe, immoral by default to enable and be directly complicit in the deaths of thousands of civilians, whether that be within or outside of your own country’s borders. Licensing weapons to one side or the other should not be prioritised over working

Sana’a: Yemen’s largest city has been the target of numerous airstrikes since the conflict began. (Source: yeowatzup, via Wikimedia Commons). with international organisations and other governments to pursue longterm and effective peace processes. It is also a strategy that is being viewed with increasing distaste in the political sphere, with Labour, the Liberal Democrats, SNP, Plaid and the Green Party all calling for the suspension of these arms sales. Other Western countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands, have taken action and suspended their own arms exports to Saudi Arabia, and there is even growing sentiment amongst lawmakers in the US to end the country’s own support. The government’s actions, in refusing to halt their backing of the Saudiled coalition in Yemen, appear to be

increasingly out-of-touch and preoccupied with profit over humanity. They have taken a decidedly defensive stance, with foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt claiming in a recent article that selling arms strengthens the strategic position of Britain in the conflict, and that to stop these sales would be ‘morally bankrupt’, leaving the people of Yemen as the ‘biggest losers’ and the UK as ‘irrelevant to the course of events in Yemen’. Yet there is no reason why the government could not champion peace from an outside perspective – that way, too, there would be no guilty conscience looming over them. Stripping away the potential economic, political or strategic incen-

tives for the continuation of arms sales leaves us with the stark fact that the UK is continually allowing these innocent deaths and human rights abuses to happen, when they do not have to, and when there are active forces pushing against it. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the £4.7 billion’s worth of weapon sales to Saudi Arabia far exceeds the amount of aid being sent to Yemen – how, then, can the UK’s actions possibly be justified in humanitarian or moral terms? Aside from a few critical voices, the media has also been somewhat silent on the subject of Yemen so far, largely ignoring the involvement of the UK and other Western countries. This has a knock-on effect, depriving the public of the opportunity to hold our government to account. If the press provided us with a clearer and more accurate picture of events, rooted in context, this would increase the demand for transparency and culpability, and perhaps bring about more sustained pressure on the government to reconsider their current complicity in Yemen. Something must be done about the indifference to suffering shown by those in power, and admitting responsibility is the first step.

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food labelling and pesticide usage. It’s easy to look at these problems sympathetically from overseas, but the UK is still struggling against different bodies under the same principles. Those who benefit simply do not want to be held accountable. We have developed a backwards system where individual claimants must find the financial durability, and the time (which could be years) to repeatedly advocate for this to be a crime. When you string any anomalous lobbying group against a body renowned for causing serious environmental harm, such as Shell, how can you guarantee the right to a fair trial when one side holds their own lawyers, expendable profit and means of publicity and the other side may be as minor as a passionate individual off the street? Companies could continue to fight for centuries to defend their name, so much so that our own governments and legal bodies are afraid to step in for fear of suffering the collateral pecuniary losses. It appears that money awards us with hierarchical impunity and legal immunity in the western world - a corrupt fact of life that will continue to block the approval of ‘ecocide’ until the consequences become evident. These crimes are essentially crimes against humanity if we look at the likelihood of our planet’s demise. The fact that we are still turning the cogs of negotiation, and not already prosecuting with strict liability, is incredibly worrying and sends a clear message to future generations that we’re not capable of handling ethical issues like rational individuals when money talks

SYLWADAU

he fundamental principle behind ‘ecocide’ is that companies need to be punished for the harm they cause to the environment. If there are zero repercussions for harmful actions, then how are we meant to effectively deter future generations from committing the same injustices? I believe that this statement is fairly agreeable, so why it’s not reflected in the outside world unfortunately demonstrates the dismal path we have led ourselves down in relation to environmental protection so far. How can we treat problems like littering and carbon dioxide emissions as serious issues if the profit reaped as a result makes it invisible to the law? Are we sending a message to our children that environmental harm is permissible if you can make a decent salary at the end of the year? We have a duty of care for other people under laws such as tort and criminal, when we are brought up on charges like murder and gross negligence, so why is there no duty of care for planet Earth when, by definition, it’s a living thing capable of being harmed? I believe personally that the prospective difficulties in pushing for ‘ecocide’ is exactly why nobody has bothered to stage it as a serious pitch despite concerns over how much damage corporations are causing to the oceans and land around us. The BP oil spill took over our news channels for weeks on end, but we never really encountered serious environmental reform - the majority of the disaster was characterised by entertainment value, the shock factor and the feigned concern of bodies who have the power to do something but won’t. The virtual

COMMENT

by Hannah Newberry

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

‘Ecocide’: we need to advocate for it

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

COMMENT

BBC debates morality of teaching LGBTQ+ rights by Imogen Killner

ollowing recent protests outside of schools in Birmingham about the teaching of LGTBQ+ issues to five year olds, BBC’s Question Time debated the morality of educating young children about the topic. Question Time has since been criticised for debating the question. If we define ‘morally’, “with reference to the principles of right or wrong behaviour”, we are led to assume that the question requires deep thinking about the principle of teaching young children about humans. When discussing LGBTQ+ issues, talking about sexuality is the tip of the iceberg. It is required to teach children about loving whoever they want to love, to be an ally, to be comfortable in their skin, to not confine themselves to a gender identity if they don’t want to, to not feel the pressure to fall in love at all, and so on (even the broadened teaching of sexual health to older children should be a necessity). Whilst it seems obvious, I am constantly reminded of the normality of enforced straightness in schools by children’s fiction, games, and even pretend weddings in the playground. It all adds to the otherness of inclusivity in sexuality and identity. Whilst it is vital for such issues to be taught, the debate concerning the ‘morality’ is unnecessary. Taking away the labels of the LGBTQ+ community, we are left with human beings. So too are people of colour. As are people with disabilities. As are people who are religious. The morality of teaching young children about religion is never questioned, particularly in religious schools. The morality of race and disabilities is also never questioned, as there is nothing to discuss in terms of moral existence. So why should the discourse around LGBTQ+ issues be considered ‘immoral’ in the first place? Debating is healthy. Opinions are healthy and valid. What is not worth debating, however, is the morality of an individual’s existence. The BBC prides itself on its guise of impartiality, but the underlying tones of homophobia in the question are unavoidable. Whilst it isn’t blatantly obvious by the use of slurs or stereotypes, the questioning of the morality is a microaggression of institutionalised homophobia. The debate has existed for decades, and has constantly been enforced by an older generation who unknowingly, or knowingly, sexualise LGBTQ+ people, particularly the gay and lesbian community. The mere act of same sex couples kissing in a children’s cartoon is considered blasphemy, but considered normal for a straight couple. The idea that a child will become LGBTQ+ after being taught about such issues is an immoral, indefensible view; when I learnt about shapes I didn’t turn into a triangle. Perhaps the real debate that needs to be questioned is whether systematic and internalized preconceptions about LGBTQ+ issues need to be challenged to adults?

Life’s a Drag - is RuPaul included?

by Alex Lambden n 2009, the innovative RuPaul’s Drag Race exploded onto American television screens with the aim to find ‘America’s Next Drag Superstar.’ Since then, long established gay icon RuPaul, has not only introduced us to over 126 all inspiring and all diverse drag queens and showgirls but has also bought a huge voice and support for queer artistry. The show was created in the name of parody, with the aim to mock other reality TV shows at the time such as America’s Next Top Model, Project Runway and American Idol. However, last month, the show fell to its lowest ratings ever in its All Stars season. By following a more mainstream direction and sticking to its repetitive formula, it has left many LGBTQ+ fans, like myself, wondering whether the show has become the type of reality TV show it once would have mocked. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race! I remember watching it under the covers as a secret solace for my closeted teenage self and am still so inspired by artists that debuted on the show. The main elements of self-love, shameless self-expression and gay ‘herstory’ were a voice that wasn’t present for me in school or in my friendship group and I am forever grateful for it. The show must be absolutely credited for its positive impact for the

RuPaul’s Drage Race: While it was once a space for escapism, has it lost its parody value? (Source: dvsross, via Flickr). LGBTQ+ community by raising awareness and uniting us through the love of the femininity and art, as well as creating an abundance of fun catchphrases that sometimes become the main communicative method when we feel silly. Alas, I have a confession. Although the competition used to be like the gay gospel for me, I can no longer sit through most episodes. Once a series on an American exclusive cable channel, the show now airs on VH1 in America and is on UK Netflix making it more mainstream than ever. The niche LGBTQ+ real-

ity show has attracted international fans all across the world regardless of their gender, age or sexuality. Don’t get me wrong, any LGBTQ+ voice within mainstream society is a huge feat for our community through challenging heteronormative, and our own, perception of drag artistry and queer issues. However, I think of the show as an escapist fantasy, not as an excuse for 29-year-old straight cis Hayley to be calling herself ‘Slaylee’ whilst calling everything ‘sickening’ and shouting ‘you better werrrrrrkkkkkkk!’ as if the show

is a fad like avocado toast or matcha tea. Furthermore, producers have started to make the show feel unnatural as every week seems to force a new argument or sob story to wrangle the contestants into overly dramatic moments. To me, the enigma of the show’s earlier seasons was its pride in being low budget, messy but authentically organic. Maybe I’m being a bad gay, but I do believe that the show has become a bit of a drag. however grateful I am for its positive impact on the LGBTQ+ identity and community. I am actually glad that the show is becoming increasingly mainstream, as I am sure it is inspiring those, closeted and out, every episode. I also understand that RuPaul is sticking to a consistent formula as the show is the biggest gay voice on television and the consequences of changing it might be too risky. Perhaps it is a sign that there needs to be more LGBTQ+ representation on television, the only other TV show I can think of is Queer Eye which again mainly focuses on gay men. A show that focuses on the voices and talents of transgender, non-binary, and bisexual people within our community as these groups deserve a greater presence within mainstream media. Now RuPaul has pushed the boundaries, I hope other queer TV shows can find a greater presence within mainstream and more niche media.

‘A Cashless Society’ - could it work? by Matt Tomlin

eports of the West moving towards abandoning cash have been frequent in recent months. Sweden is talking of becoming the world’s first country to do away with cash by gradually phasing it out by 2023. In the UK, there has been talk that the finance sector could phase in a cashless society, with the government potentially rendered unable to resist should it not intervene soon. There are obvious benefits to business, and to us, of having a cashless society: no need to waste resources, including money itself, on printing, protecting and securing cash, the end of counterfeit cash, and the convenience of quick card or online payments, in place of any fumbling around you might have to do with cash in your hands at the checkout. However, there are serious flaws and issues to be considered with a cashless society. To start with, while there is the aforementioned benefit of not having to protect and secure physical cash, this would likely only be replaced with increased need to protect and secure digital currency. Cybersecurity attacks which steal capital from the public and from businesses are commonly viewed as a prolific and serious form of 21st century crime, with the NotPetya attack on Ukraine, allegedly from Russia, being just one example of a cyber-attack having caused financial damage to both a country and the wider world. With a cashless society, the low-

skilled manual labour of logistics and security surrounding the protection of physical cash would be eliminated, cutting many jobs across various backgrounds. There is the danger that this would only be replaced with demand for more highly skilled jobs in the cybersecurity labour market, with business and government currently moving to invest in creating these jobs primarily near big firms in London and the South East; a trend many have been annoyed with previously with other sectors.

There are serious flaws and issues to be considered with a cashless society Outside of the issue of job losses, there is the issue of crime. It is understandable why some would believe a cashless society would reduce crime on the streets such as drug dealing. Without cash, people would have no money to trade for illegal goods underground, and outside of the surveillance state. However, it is just as possible that cash-for-drugs could be replaced with drugs-for-drugs deals. For example, a said amount of cocaine for a said amount of heroine. In addition, other forms of bartering could be brought in place of cash in criminal deals. Instead of pay-

ing cash-in-hand for said goods, the dealer would perhaps be more likely to request that buyers do favours for them, such as beating someone up. On top of crime potentially being made worse without physical cash being available, the issue of homelessness could be exacerbated by this kind of society. Without cash, how are we supposed to give money to those we see on the streets who need it? Will The Big Issue and other forms of charity just become corporate, with those selling the magazines and asking for donations also requiring card machines for transactions to be made with? Its highly possible beggars would not have any way of receiving donations, while official channels of charity such as The Big Issue would become another transaction process for the card companies to utilise and monitor. There is always the argument that we should try to give food and drink to the homeless instead of cash, in case they take drugs or drink. I have never been the biggest believer in this mantra to begin with. Quite frankly, most people are lazy and will not go the the extra effort of buying things for the homeless in place of giving them cash. Part of the driving force of a cashless society would be the lazy consumer not minding that quicker alternatives to cash, such as card, online and mobile payments, would totally replace it. Laziness defines this whole process, so there is no reason to place faith in people by believing that they will be more likely to buy goods for the homeless

as opposed to tipping them in such a society. This is not to mention that tea in takeaway cups and apples will not help homeless people in any way to gain some sort of footing in the world, as cold, hard cash can. There is talk also of how a society lacking in cash may just reduce the value we place on money as a resource, as we will no longer have as much of a physical reminder of what we are spending and what it is. If money removes its own meaning by removing its physical form from existence, then it could well destroy itself as a system and means of structuring power, causing uncertainty as to what comes next for society as a whole. If it does not destroy itself, do worry, as we have all of the above and more to stress over.

Cashless society: Would a cashless society be resourceful or problematic? (Source: Matt Tomlin).

Karis Pearson

COLUMNROAD

COLOFN

Is there true happiness in just one-click?

Source: athree23 / 305 images (via Pixabay)

t’s Thursday evening, the week’s dragging on and you’re just really not in the mood to cook yourself a meal in your festering student kitchen. You pull out your phone, you know exactly what to do. This is a scenario that is consistently unfolding more frequently for people all over the Westernised world, not merely a behaviour reserved for us lazy students in Cathays, as the opportunity to get what we want in just one-click becomes increasingly accessible. In the post-food delivery era, the easy fix options were limited perhaps a pizza delivery or a take away Chinese, but nowadays our choices far exceed anything our grandparents could have imagined. From perusing the ramen offered at Wagamama, to ordering a KFC straight to the front door, our ability to gratify ourselves instantly, and often in just the click of a button, is officially open for business. The modern conveniences we’ve

The ability to gratify ourselves in just one single click is officially open for business found ourselves surrounded by go far beyond getting dinner. Next-day delivery, scrollable social media, pills to make us feel momentarily better; these are all inventions and adaptations which make modern life as easy as possible for us. We like to feel gratified and in the moment it’s a brilliant feeling, and one which is only getting

easier to achieve. However, in line with these innovations, our wants and expectations have also adapted, leaving us constantly wanting for instant fixes and gratifications, where we might be better off to take our time, put in extra thought and just be patient. Binging TV shows and social media like we’re starving and it’s an endless hot meal will rarely, if ever, make us feel better about ourselves. Yet for many of us it’s a regular activity of choice. When we are consuming so much from our social apps, the ever growing collection of Netflix titles and 24-hour news sphere, are we taking the time to reflect upon each new thing we read or watch, and how it makes us feel? Or, are we merely swallowing it and digesting more and more, hoping that in the end it will make us happy? As a matter of fact, we’re more likely to feel worse when we binge the things we love, rather than enjoy them in moderation; a reality put down to pure biology, which proves evidence that instant gratification does not create lasting happiness. As I imagine any good sociology student is aware, the 1960’s and 70’s saw Stanford University researcher Walter Mischel test instant versus deferred gratification in a study involving 4-year-olds and marshmallows - which can be found replicated across the internet with extremely adorable results. For anyone unfamiliar with the study, children were each given a marshmallow, and told they could eat their marshmallow there and then or wait for 15 minutes and receive a second marshmallow. Sounds like a simple set of options, but what each outcome told Mischel

about the child’s chances at future happiness was enormous. Mischel discovered that the chil-

We are actually more likely to feel worse if we binge the things we love rather than wait a while dren who put off eating their marshmallow for longer, did so because they possessed more sophisticated impulse controls than the others. The benefits this gave the patient children in later life was significant; they were less likely to suffer from depression or obesity, get divorced or use drugs, and were found to have higher levels of self esteem and worth. Biology really is to blame here, for it is our brain that decides the strength of our short-term desires, thanks to a leftover biological trait from our caveman and cavewoman ancestry. When we are satisfied by a shortterm desire being fulfilled, our brain responds by releasing a thrilling shot of dopamine, a chemical which can have damaging after effects for our mental health. Dopamine, essentially a powerful chemical which puts humans and animals at its mercy, is the reason why we have to be careful when it comes to satisfying ourselves whenever we feel like it. If we apply the principles and discoveries of Mischel’s marshmallow experiment to our currently evermodernising lives, logic concludes we would actually be happier if we

didn’t order a Deliveroo regularly or choose the speediest delivery when making purchases on a whim. We would, according to his findings, feel more fulfilled and less depressed if our social media apps weren’t updating every second. Unfortunately for us, society is increasingly structured around coercing us towards not just wanting, but expecting, instant gratifications, in all sectors, from our food habits, to our information consumption, and even our medical issues. Most of us shop online nowadays; it is incredibly tempting to have the option to go online, choose almost anything we want, and in just a day or two, see it appear on our doorstep, as if by magic. It is a convenience many of us wouldn’t want to give up. But, what if waiting a little longer (or even going outside to the shops instead) could actually prove the better choice for both individual happiness and the environment? Mischel’s studies in gratification tell us all we need to know about waiting a little longer for the benefits, but the environmental implications of one-click gratifications, like Amazon next-day delivery or free two-day shipping, are bigger than many of us realise. When we click the speediest shipping options, we are sending more delivery vans out onto the road, meaning more greenhouse gas emissions. Online shopping puts a greater strain on the planet in a whole variety of ways, but ultimately by encouraging us to forget about the long-term effects of our decision to click. Want your packages as soon as tomorrow? Want a KFC right now? Apps encourage us to take up these offers without considering their consequences. But, if there is any-

thing human kind did not need for its health, environment and general well-being, then undoubtedly, it is a KFC delivery. Our expectations of what we can have, almost instantly and often in just one-click, is creating a world of 4-year-olds who cannot bring themselves to wait for that second marshmallow, despite knowing the benefits being patient could bring them in the long-term. We need to slow down, take our time and reflect upon which direction we want our lives to go, considering whether having all our desires literally at the click of a button, is as good for us as it sometimes may seem.

If there is one thing human-kind does not need, it is KFC delivery Now, as this is our last full issue of Gair Rhydd this academic year, it means it is also my last column of the year. I’ve absolutely loved writing every week, whether it was something that struck me in the news, or a moral question I had playing on my mind, Column Road has been a welcome outlet for my thoughts and hopefully for yours too. If you read these columns every week, or if this is the first time you’ve ever picked up Gair Rhydd, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the discussion and perhaps it gave you a perspective different than your own.

ON THE DAY 4

6 1 3

7 8

CITY CENTRE

WHERE TO GO 1 Sport Wales Grass Pitch

4 Sports Training Village – Talybont*

7 Cardiff Arms Park

2 Sport Wales National Centre

5 Maindy Leisure Centre*

8 Principality Stadium

3 Sports Wales Hockey Astro

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

VENUE / LLEOLIAD

3RD APRIL 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

MAINDY CENTRE TRILEY FIELDS EQUESTRIAN CENTRE RADYR GOLF CLUB CARDIFF INTERNATIONAL POOL ASTRO, SPORT WALES PENARTH RIFLE RANGE SPORTS TRAINING VILLAGE - TALYBONT, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY SPORTS TRAINING VILLAGE - TALYBONT, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY LLANRUMNEY PLAYING FIELDS, CARDIFF UNVIERSITY JUBILEE HALL, SPORT WALES DOJO, SPORT WALES MAIN HALL, SPORT WALES SPORTS TRAINING VILLAGE - TALYBONT, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY NEWPORT CRICKET CLUB SPORTS TRAINING VILLAGE - 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 SPORTS TRAINING VILLAGE - 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 SPORTS TRAINING VILLAGE - TALYBONT, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY MAIN HALL, SPORT WALES CARDIFF INTERNATIONAL POOL GRASS PITCH, SPORT WALES ASTRO, SPORT WALES PRINCIPALITY STADIUM PRINCIPALITY STADIUM

TIME / AMSER 08:00 09:00 10:00 09:30 09:30 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:30 11:30 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

POLITICS

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

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GWLEIDYDDIAETH

Your politics desk Charlotte King Silvia Martelli Lowri Pitcher Sam Tilley

Gair Rhydd meets Kirsty Williams, Welsh Minister for Education

We interviewed the Welsh Minister for Education to find out her views on university finances, Welsh education standards, Brexit and more

by Lowri Pitcher

irsty Williams, AM for Brecon and Radnorshire is currently the Welsh Minister for Education and Skills. She was elected as an AM in 1999 and served as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats from 2008 until 2016; now, she is the only serving Liberal Democrat AM and forms part of the coalition between Welsh Labour, the Liberal Democrats and an Independent AM. Last week Gair Rhydd interviewed Williams to find out more about universities’ finance issues, Brexit and changes to the Welsh education system. What is the new Welsh Curriculum, what has changed and why have these changes been made? The curriculum changes are really exciting and form the core of our education reform journey, a journey that is set to raise standards, to close the attainment gap and to ensure that in Wales we have an education system that is a source of national pride and enjoys public confidence. Crucially our new curriculum is designed to give our children and young people the knowledge and skills that they will need to thrive in a globally competitive world. Why are education standards in Wales currently worse than other regions of the UK? Well, it depends on which measure you look at, you simply cannot say that education standards in Wales are worse. For instance, if you look at our A Level performance last year in terms of the very highest grades, we outperformed England so it’s simply not the case to say that across the board standards are worse. Clearly there is more to do to ensure that all student s in Wales re ach their full

potential and I’m particularly concerned that we address the gap that exists between our more well-off off students and those from a poorer background. That’s why we’ve increased the resources via the Pupil Development Grant to support the education of those children. We are not just only changing the curriculum but investing heavily in training our teachers, reforming our initial teacher education programs and also investing significant amounts of money. Indeed, this is the largest single investment in the profession since devolution, amounting to around £20 million. This is because we recognize that no education system can be better than the individual teachers who stand in front of our children.

Now that Welsh is only going to be taught as a first language, how do you respond to criticism that this move is prioritizing the teaching of Welsh over other subjects? We want children to study a broad and balanced curriculum and to be able to improve standards for children across all subjects. That’s why we’re investing heavily in our network of excellence for maths, science and teaching and we’ve made some changes with regard to the number of students who are studying a GCSE in one of the science subjects. I want to see as many children as possible leaving our education system with fantastic skills in English and in Welsh. But we’re certainly not doing that at the expense of other subjects. Cardiff University is currently dealing with a £21 million deficit. What can the Welsh Government do in order to protect universities from such financial issues? What’s important to recognize is that universities are independent institutions, a principle that they value very much and a principle that I value very much also. We’re seeing income to our university sector grow so we have introduced the higher education funding reforms over the last two years which will again allow us to support Welsh students with the most progressive

system of student support anywhere in the United Kingdom. Via our remit letter, we’re looking to challenge universities’ pay structure and we are delighted that since coming into office we’ve been able to convince all Welsh universities to become Living Wage employers. We are the only part of the UK where all universities are committed to ensuring that they pay a living wage and that’s a really important statement of the value we have in the higher education sector.

Some Welsh universities claim that it would help they were allowed to charge the full £9,250 instead of the current £9,000. Is this something that the Welsh Government would consider? What we have done is maintained fee levels for students at that level in Wales and have provided additional resources to Welsh universities to help them with their funding situation so we’ve addressed that in a way that is fair to both the institutions and the individual students. Will there be an impact on Welsh education after Brexit? If so, what will this impact be? I think quite understandably universities and colleges are very concerned about the impact that Brexit potentially has on them. We want to send a very clear message that international students and faculty are very much welcomed in our system, they strengthen our system, it makes our colleges and universities the places that they are, a broad cross-section of individuals that work and study. Clearly, there are real challenges around the future of Erasmus+ programs and research and innovation with Horizon 2020, as well as individual structural funds which Welsh universities have used to great effect to support their research and innovation work. I’ll be meeting once again with my English counterparts to make the case that the Westminster Government promised the people of Wales that if we were to leave the European Union we would not be worse off in any way and they need to make good on those promises they made. What is the Welsh Government’s position on Brexit and are the devolved administrations frustrating its delivery? The Welsh Government has been

only

The Liberal Democrat AM

very clear on its position since its publication of its White Paper, Securing Wales’ Future. We want the Westminster Government to make good on their promises that they made to the people of Wales that we would not be worse off. We want guarantees that the funding given to Wales from Europe will be replaced. What we want is a good opportunity to trade and to continue to see in an educational sense the free movement of international researchers, lecturers and students to our institutions. What is frustrating Brexit is not the attitude of the Welsh government but the inability of the Westminster Government to make good on their promises. We hope very much that Westminster will be able to overcome its divisions and find a way forward. If that is not possible then the only way to break the deadlock that is currently dominating the Westminster system is to allow the people to decide on the way forward.

International students and faculty are very welcomed, they strengthen our education What do you think is most likely to happen to Brexit? Oh my goodness me, I don’t think anybody sensible would even begin to predict what may happen next given the chaos we’ve witnessed over the recent months. In your role as a Liberal Democrat, what does your party need to do in order to win more votes in Wales and do you think that The Independent Group could pose a threat? Well there’s no indication that The Independent Group will offer those opportunities in Wales. What’s very clear is that as Liberal Democrats we offer an alternative to the failure of what we see in Westminster when it comes to Brexit. We believe that the people should have the final say and we will continue to work cross-party to achieve that aim.

Has a majority of

8,170 votes

Studied at The first female leader of any of Manchester Univerthe four main Welsh sity and University of Missouri political parties National Pride: Kirsty Williams is optimistic that recent changes will improve standards. Source: Wikipedia

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 19

The week that broke Parliament

In a week of nudity, a tied vote and the second biggest government defeat on record, Gair Rhydd looks back on a hectic week in the Commons

by Charlotte King, Lowri Pitcher and Sam Tilley

s we enter into yet another action-packed week of Brexit, Gair Rhydd trieds to decipher the parliamentary shenanigans of the past week; a week that will go down in political history.

Naked protest invades the Commons On Monday April 1, 11 environmental protesters from the socio-political movement, Extinction Rebellion, staged a protest in the public gallery of the House of Commons. The group aims to slow down climate change, halt the loss of biodiversity and minimize the risk of human extinction as a result of climate change. In response to their acts in the Commons, a member said: “We are walking dangerously close to irreversible climate collapse- this is what it has come to.” What drew particular public attention was the way in which the protesters conducted their protest. They stood half naked against the pane of security glass in the public viewing gallery which overlooks the floor of the House of Commons. Two members were said to have painted themselves in grey body paint and wore elephant masks, while others superglued their hands to the glass. MPs debating during the commotion took the event lightly. James Heappey MP wrote on Twitter: “Parliament just got a little bit more nuts!” Similarly, brexiteer Andrea Jenkyns claimed: “And they say Brexiteers are extremists! I ain’t getting my clothes off, Even for Brexit. Mad world!” After their 25 minute demonstration, the group was removed from the House and Scotland Yard later arrested them on account of outraging public decency. The ‘Cooper Bill’ On Tuesday 2 April, Labour’s Yvette Cooper and Conservative MP Sir Oliver Letwin proposed a bill to the House of Commons which would force Theresa May to request the EU for a long extension to Article 50 if she fails to secure a withdrawal deal by April 12. This would essentially rule-out a no deal Brexit, provided the EU agreed to the extension. On Wednesday 3 April, after voting on amendments, one of which resulted in a tie, the bill passed by one vote. The bill was especially notable for featuring a large number of abstentions from both sides of the House; over 20 MPs did not vote either way. A bill usually takes a number of sittings to pass through the House of Commons yet Cooper’s Bill managed to clear all of the legislative hurdles in only one day. The bill, obviously with Britain’s exit from the EU at the time scheduled for April 12, was then forced through the House of Lords on Thursday but its more thorough ways of looking at legislation meant that the bill, as of the time of writing, is yet to pass the Lords. A Tied Vote By far the most significant event in the House

of Commons last week was brought about by Labour MP Hilary Benn’s amendment, voted on last Wednesday. It was not the nature of Benn’s amendment which made this vote so historical, but rather the fact that the result of the vote was a tie, a rarity in the Commons. For the first time since 1990, MPs proved themselves to be totally divided. The last time a Commons vote resulted in a tie was when MPs debated an amendment to the Law Relating to Termination of Pregnancy, calling upon Deputy Speaker Sir Paul Dean to cast the deciding vote. In the extremely rare event of a tied vote, official parliamentary procedure dictates that the Speaker of the House casts the final vote to break the deadlock. Whilst there have been various tied votes in parliamentary history, this is the first time the Speaker, rather than the Deputy Speaker, has been called upon to make the final call. Benn’s amendment called for MPs to vote on whether they wanted a third round of indicative votes this week. Whilst 310 MPs voted in favour of the amendment, 310 voted against. This tie resulted in John Bercow, the current Speaker of the House of Commons, casting his vote in favour of the government as it is an unwritten parliamentary rule that the Speaker cannot grant a new policy decision a majority, as he would have done if he had voted against the Government. This inevitably delayed the Speaker’s announcement of the result, raising tensions and anticipation amongst MPs in the Commons. In total, there were 25 MPs who did not vote on the amendment, making the tied result even more damning because if just one of those MPs had cast a vote, the Speaker would not have been called upon to break the deadlock for the first time in recent parliamentary history. The European perspective Whilst UK preparations for exiting the EU are being debated, the EU has also been agreeing on the EU-UK future relationship. On 4 April the European Parliament approved a bill which will guarantee Britons the right to stay in the EU for a period of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, even in the event of a no-deal, on the provision that the UK does the same. Additionally, a 34-page leaked document has emerged relating to the future EU-UK relationship after Brexit. The document details that 17 EU member states have passed temporary legislation which will allow British nationals to remain in their countries under a grace period during which they will be able to confirm their status according to the countries’ migration laws. It also notes how certain member states may refuse Britons from entering and staying in their country if it constitutes as a danger to public order or security.

Unlikely bedfellows? In a live statement on April 2, Prime Minister Theresa May announced to the nation that she plans to ask the EU for a further extension of Article 50 in another attempt to bypass the “logjam” of Brexit. However, in what was arguably an even more significant move, May publicly reached out to Jeremy Corbyn to request that the two leaders meet to discuss the next steps of the negotiation process. The PM announced, “Leaving with a deal is the best solution...we will need a further extension of Article 50, one that is as short as possible and which ends when we pass a deal,” indicating that the prospect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal is becoming increasingly unlikely. In addition, she called out to Corbyn to “try to agree a plan that we would both stick to, to ensure that we leave the European Union and that we do so with a deal,” however, she emphasised that any agreed plan would be based off her three-times rejected withdrawal agreement. Corbyn accepted the PM’s invitation and the two met over consecutive days last week and announced it had been a “constructive” first day of negotiations. This move indicates that the PM may be shifting towards seeking a softer Brexit deal which is seen as a blessing to many in the Labour Party. However, in light of these recent developments, Corbyn has been feeling the pressure from some within the Labour Party who fear he may agree to a Brexit deal without calling for a referendum on the matter. Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry, has written to colleagues insisting that any confirmed agreement between the party leaders must seek a mandate through a public vote. Thornberry stated that reaching any decision other than a confirmatory vote would “be in breach of the decision made unanimously by conference in Liverpool” and that remain must be an option in opposition to the negotiated withdrawal agreement. Speaking in the House of Commons recently, Shadow Brexit Secretary, Keir Starmer, further advocated for a public vote, stating, “At this late stage it is clear that any Brexit deal agreed in this parliament will need further democratic approval”. However, following his first meeting with the PM, Corbyn responded to the rising doubts surrounding his support of a public vote, tweeting that he had not only put forward Labour’s alternative withdrawal plan to May but also raised the option of holding a public vote on the agreed deal. A Labour spokesperson has stated, “We have had constructive exploratory discussions…[and] we have agreed a programme of work between our teams to explore the scope for agreement”. Ultimately, if May fails to reach a compromise with Corbyn on a withdrawal agreement, it is understood that she hopes to get his support for a ‘binding process’ in the House of Commons to decide on an ‘acceptable Brexit process’.

Breaking Point: The Thames hasn’t been the only water near the Houses of Commons this week. (Source: Diliff, via Wikimedia).

Labour retains Newport West

by Sam Tilley

ast Thursday, Labour retained Newport West in a by-election brought about by the death of longstanding Labour MP Paul Flynn. Flynn died in February of this year after announcing his intention to step down at the next election due to onset rheumatoid arthritis. Going into the by-election, both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party were holding hopes of winning the contest, in a seat that has been solidly Labour since 1987. The Labour candidate, Ruth Jones, previously stood for election in the constituency of Monmouth in 2015 and 2017 but was born and bred in Newport. The Conservative candidate was Matthew Evans the party’s group leader for Newport County Council. Other candidates included former Welsh UKIP leader Neil Hamilton who was standing for UKIP; formerly the Conservative MP for Tatton. The turnout for the election was announced at 37.1%. This was higher than most commentators expected given that byelection turnouts have previously dipped as low as 19.6%; however others were expecting an increased turnout due to voters potentially wanting to cast a vote in the hope of influencing the current political climate in Westminster. The result came in at 02:00, deep in the early hours of Friday morning and with it came victory for Ruth Jones and Labour, albeit with a heavily reduced majority. Labour took 39.6% of the vote, down 12.7% from 2017, with the Conservatives in second place with 31.3%; down 8%. The substantial fall in the two main parties’ vote share meant that the traditional ‘third’ parties almost doubled their total vote share. Plaid Cymru, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party all saw their vote share double, with Plaid being the sole party to reclaim their deposit and the Liberal Democrat candidate rather oddly not showing up on the evening of the result. UKIP were looking to hit 8% of the total vote share and they achieved this, going up 6.1% from the last election. One other thing of note was a 2.4% swing from Labour to the Conservatives, a slightly odd statistic given the fact that the government traditionally does badly in byelections. Normally, by-elections are reflective of the current political climate and last week’s Newport West byelection was no different. Both the Conservative and Labour parties lost over 10,000 votes since the last election in 2015 which suggests that many voters are completely disenfranchised with the current leading leadership and stratergy of these parties given their handling of Brexit negotiations. During the European Union referendum in 2016 Newport West voted to leave the EU with a margin of 66%-44%. With both the Conservative Government and Labour opposition seemingly willing to allow a long extension to Article 50 before the UK exits the EU, it is possible that voters are simply apathetic to the result of this by-election.

POLITICS

Tackling the twoparty system : Change UK apply to be a political party

A new approach to tackling youth crime?

by Maisie Marston

he name change of The Independent Group to ‘Change UK’ has been nothing short of tumultuous. During the announcement of the group’s new title, exConservative MP, Anna Soubry mistakenly christened it as ‘change.org’, a web address belonging to a UK-based petitions website. Not long after this, change.org released a statement saying they were seeking legal guidance on the group’s new name, as they were worried it would politicise their nonpartisan website. It’s safe to say that the transition has been anything but smooth. Aside from the change of name, on March 31 the group of breakaway Labour and Conservative MPs also applied to become an official political party. Due to elections to the European Parliament occurring between 23-26 May, the UK may be required to vote if it is still a member of the EU, hence one of Change UK’s biggest motivations to become a recognised political party is so they can stand in the upcoming European Union elections in light of a long extension of Article 50 becoming increasingly likely. Many describe these elections as a ‘second referendum before a second referendum’ as the party may be able to use their pro-EU viewpoint to win over voters. Change UK’s sources have confirmed that although they intend to field candidates as MEPs, they are not planning to nominate candidates in local elections. Change UK is also currently developing policy positions and a manifesto to present to voters. Whereas before, the group seemed to have completely focussed on the UK’s relationship with the EU, members have said they would “deserve to fail” if being anti-Brexit was their only policy. Moreover, in order to further formalise their party, the party has also appointed an interim leader. Former Conservative MP Heidi Allen will serve as the group’s leader, a politician who they believe will be able to pull in those without a “normal background of a politician or a special adviser.”

We need a new way of doing politics The possibility of an electoral alliance between Change UK and the Liberal Democrats is said to be unlikely, although it has not been explicitly ruled out. In the event of the UK participating in the European Elections, if the two join forces it is possible that we will see a strong pro-EU vote. Chuka Umunna, spokesperson for Change UK, has said the party intends to “shake up the two-party system and provide people with an alternative that can change our country for the better.” As we await the decisions of Parliament and the EU on an Article 50 extension, the future of the new party hangs in the balance.

Scapegoating?: NHS staff who may soon be responsible for identifying those perpetrating youth crime. Source: Number 10 (via Flickr) by Luke Wakeling

ast week, Prime Minister Theresa May attended the Serious Youth Violence Summit held in response to rising youth violence in the UK. The meeting in Downing Street came after the Government announced that teachers and NHS staff may soon be responsible for spotting and legally obligated to report violence and criminal behaviour amongst young people. Knife crime in the UK has recently surged to record levels, and May has come under criticism for claiming there is “no direct correlation” between the rise in youth violence and police funding cuts; “We cannot simply arrest ourselves out of this problem,” she stated. Instead, she proposed that a greater “cooperated long-term” effort from numerous bodies is needed to tackle the calamitous issue which saw 285 fatal stabbings in England and Wales in 2018.

Last year, the Home Office pledged £1,752,089 to the Anti-Knife Crime Community fund

The Prime Minister opened the event by pointing out that “in recent months we’ve seen an appalling number of young lives cut short or devastated by serious violent crime, including a number of [recent] horrifying incidents. “In many cases, the perpetrators of these crimes are as young as their victims and this is something that has to be of deep concern to us all.” Police have argued that there are a number of factors which have contributed to the rise in youth violence, including cuts to youth services, the growth of drug gang culture and provocations on social media. Under new provisions proposed by the government, teachers and NHS staff could soon be held accountable for failing to recognise potential victims and perpetrators of youth violence. The Government says that staff should be on the lookout for key telltale signs, including

a suspect “presenting [themselves] in A&E with a suspicious injury” or exhibiting “worrying behaviour at school.” However, this new proposal has not been met well by trade unionists who have responded by arguing that this merely shifts the blame towards others and distracts the public from cuts in police funding. They worry that teachers and NHS staff, who are already under occupational pressures, will carry the blame for increasing knife crime and be made “scapegoats”, and that the move will place greater pressure on frontline staff whilst deterring young people involved in or at risk of violence from seeking help. Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, granted police with increased stop and search powers a day before the summit in light of four unprovoked stabbings the previous weekend. Javid stated, “violent crime is like a

Knife and gun-related crimes increased by 14% from 2017 to 2018

The Home Office also pledged £17,693,532 to the Early Intervention Youth Fund

disease rotting our society and it’s essential that all public bodies work together to treat the root causes. “The public health, multi-agency approach has a proven track record and I’m confident that making it a legal duty will help stop this senseless violence and create long-term change.” With a rise in youth violence being documented not only in London but throughout the UK, it is inevitable that the Government must take action sooner rather than later, not only to prevent youth crime but also to protect citizens. However, will giving teaching and NHS staff a legal obligation to identify perpetrators of youth crime result in them becoming “scapegoats” to distract from police funding cuts, or will devolving youth crime prevention tactics to local communities increase the ability to safeguard young people from violence?

6,700 children and

young adults received a caution or sentence in 2017 to 2018

UK minimum wage increases set to help millions Full-time National Living Wage employees will be almost £3,000 a year better off than in 2015

by Lowri Pitcher

n April the 1st 2019, changes to the National Living Wage (NLW) which were presented during October 2018’s budget came into force. As part of the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy introduced in 2018, employees receiving the National Living Wage (the same as the National Minimum Wage which is applicable to individuals over 25 years old), will increase from £7.83 to £8.21 per hour. This change is expected to help up to 1.8 million workers who will be earning an extra £690 annually. This represents an increase of 5% to the NLW, the biggest increase in wages since 2015. This means that full-time workers on the National Living Wage will now be more than £2,750 better off a year than in 2015 before the NLW was implemented. The National Minimum Wage (for workers 16 - 25) is also increasing from £7.38 to £7.70 per hour for 21-24 year olds and from £5.90 to £6.16 for 18-20 year olds, which should provide full-time workers with an additional £580 and £455 a year respectively. Jointly, the increases to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage mean that 2.1 million people will receive a pay-rise. Of

these, 60% are female and 800,000 are retail and hospitality workers. This will be particularly useful to the 86% of bar staff and 83% of waiters & waitresses that earn the minimum wage. In response to the Government’s new regulations, director of the Living Wage Foundation, Katherine Chapman, said: “The increase in the government minimum wage will provide a welcome boost for lowpaid workers, but this is still over £1,500 a year short of a Real Living Wage.” The Real Living Wage is a recommended minimum wage which considers the basic cost of living in the UK, currently set at £10.55 an hour for London and £9 per hour for the rest of the UK. Although more than 5,000 companies, including Nestle, Barclays and EDF, voluntarily pay this wage, there is no legal obligation to do so. Chapman continues: “Around six million workers are now paid less than the living wage and are struggling to keep their heads above water.” The Trades Union Congress (TUC) also raised the common complaint that these wage increases help those who are over 25 years old, though they do little for the youngest workers in society. Its research indicated that the average 21-24 year old

Wage increases: UK minimum wage compared to other European countries in January 2019

working on minimum wage is currently earning £800 less a year than their counterparts over 25. The TUC campaigns for everybody over 21 years-old to earn the full minimum wage of £8.21, and for the rate itself to be increased to £10 an hour as soon as possible. The minimum wage in the UK is currently growing faster than many other countries with similar or higher wages including France, Germany

and Belgium. This change is one of many objectives set out in the Conservatives’ modern Industrial Strategy which, since its introduction in 2018, has implemented the biggest increase to workers’ rights in a generation. The strategy also aims to promote the sustainable use of artificial intelligence in the workplace as well as encouraging clean growth as the UK continues to thrive in a globalised market.

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 21 “The arrival of Poll suggests southern European countries are more spring after bitter cold” - Japan is concerned about emigration than immigration While immigration dominates the headlines in the United Kingdom, other European countries are far more concerned with emigration

by Sam Tilley

he European elections have been heavily featured in the UK press over the last few weeks, although not for the reasons that they traditionally have been. As a consequence of the Brexit debate, it is easy to forget that the countries remaining inside the European Union have their own non-Brexit issues to consider; prime amongst them is the near-universal discussion around migration. However, a recent poll suggests that a substantial grouping of southern and eastern EU member states are more concerned about the polar opposite of immigration; emigration. These member states count amongst their number Spain, Italy, Greece, Poland, Hungary and Romania. The survey was taken by 45,000 people across 14 countries that make up 80% of the seats in the European Parliament. These countries include the two European countries most closely linked with the ongoing refugee crisis in Italy and Greece. Perhaps the most surprising country on the above list is Hungary; President Viktor Orban coming under heavy fire from other EU leaders for his position on migration. Under Orban, Hungary has refused to take part in an EU quota system designed to redistribute migrants that arrive in

the EU from areas of conflict. There are numerous suggestions for why this poll has reported back the results that it has. One of the primary factors that affects migration, especially in EU member states located in the east of Europe, is employment. Rising unemployment, especially among young people, has led to a mass exodus from these countries to other parts of the EU. One thing that all of the six nations listed above have in common is a systemic population decline that has been in place over the last decade. A combination of decreasing birth rates and migration to other EU states has led to something of a population crisis in a number of European states. The most heavily affected European coun-

The survey was taken by 45,000 people across 14 countries that make up 80% of the seats in the European Parliament.

by Charlotte King

Viktor Orbán: President Orban of Hungary is particularly outspoken about immigration/emigration. Source: European People’s Party (via Flickr) tries, although it is not universally recognized, is Kosovo who, over the past decade, has lost roughly 15% of their population. Migration is not the only issue affecting the European elections, however. Corruption and the environment have both been nominated as the issues that the majority of Europeans are worried about. It is important to note however that whilst immigration wasn’t

the most voted on option within the survey, a large amount of potential European voters did flag up migration as being one of the most important issues in the upcoming elections. Regardless of what the survey has indicated, it is incredibly likely that migration will continue to be one of the major issues of contention which will be debated within European politics in the years to come.

Comedian beats current Ukrainian President in the first round of election votes

Why has there been an influx in non-political individuals enter politics and why are they so popular?

by Anthony Stonestreet

n recent years it has become increasingly common for individuals from non-political backgrounds to put themselves forward in elections and find a certain amount of success. These people often have a remarkably different career path to more mainstream politicians, but why do these people enter politics and why are they so popular? On the 30 March 2019, following the second round of the Slovak presidential election, Zuzana Čaputová, from the Progressive Slovakia party, beat her opponent, Maroš Šefčovič, by a margin of 16%. A trained lawyer and NGO campaigner, she is a known face in her local town of Pezinok having led a successful campaign against the creation of a landfill site. This gained her international recognition and she was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2016. Her widely promoted progressive views combined with her dynamic campaigning style distinguished her from other candidates believed to represent the conservative status quo. It is this status quo Čaputová wants to change. This profile differs almost entirely from that of Volodymyr Zelensky, who, at the time of writing, is the frontrunner in the Ukrainian presi-

dential election. Originally a screenwriter, actor and director, Zelensky initially rose to prominence for his role in the TV series Servant of the People, where he played a teacher disgruntled with the government. As of March 31 2019, Zelensky holds 30% of the first round votes, virtually the double of the next candidate, who happens to be the current President. Zelensky has frequently presented the same arguments as his fictional counterpart, which be-

filled with hope as it awaits a new imperial era

came widely popular when a video of him criticizing the government goes viral. Thus far, they have managed to circumvent the traditional path to power. Given that political support is often founded on the trust between a representative and those who elected them, how does someone who is only accountable to themselves gain such popularity? These candidates often place them-

Zuzana Čaputová: The new Slovakian President does not have a political background. Source: Wikimedia Commons

selves as alternatives, presenting themselves as the solution to those disenfranchised with the establishment. Čaputová and her party are seen as a refreshing liberal alternative to the old guard and Zelensky’s campaign is built on the rejection of longstanding inefficient government policy. Both candidates believe themselves to be a third choice, a substitute to the familiar. The rise of these two unlikely figures immediately draws parallels with the ascension of one Donald J. Trump only three years ago. Like Čaputová and Zelensky, Trump was elected in a presidential role despite having no previous political experience. It is widely accepted that Trump succeeded in both his bid to secure the Republican nomination and to become the 45th US President as a result of his populist policies and his previous experience in front of the media. A media figure is unconstrained by party policy or governmental procedure. An individual can appear on talk shows or social media Q&As and present themselves in the best light possible, something which is unattainable for an ordinary politician. Once again, it is that lack of accountability, combined with their supposed transparency, which makes them seem more approachable.

n May 1st, Japan will enter a new era of ‘fortunate harmony’ one day after the country swears in its next emperor, Crown Prince Naruhito. Following months of secret deliberation and rising anticipation, it was announced that the Crown Prince’s reign will signal the beginning of the Reiwa era. Japanese tradition dictates that the country enters a new imperial era with the enrolment of each emperor, with the introduction of the Reiwa era being the first time Japan has entered a new era in over 200 years. Japan’s current emperor, Akihito, will hand over his reign to his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, at the end of this month in light of concerns that the 84-year old emperor may not be able to continue ruling due to health-related problems. Akihito has led the country for 30 years; the ascension of Naruhito to the Chrysanthemum Throne will be a historic event. This marks the imminent end of the current Heisei era, translated into “achieving peace”. It is a common sentiment that this name aptly depicts Akihito’s rule, as he pledged himself to tackling the continued struggles facing Japan in the postSecond World War era and abolished the “bubble economy” and strained economic relations with regional hegemon, China. It is because of this that many look forward to Reiwa with excitement, hoping as Heisei brought peace, Reiwa will bring “fortunate harmony”. The upcoming era, Reiwa, translates into “fortunate” or “auspicious”, and “peace” or “harmony”; a direct translation into English is difficult. The two characters, Rei and Wa, were adopted from the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry dating back to the eighth century, “Manyoshu”. With the country waiting in anticipation, the name of this new era was announced on national media by Yoshihide Suga, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, and was met with celebration. Following the announcement, Suga commented, “We hope the new era name will be widely accepted by the public and become deeply rooted in the lives of the Japanese people”. The Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, also stated “Just like amazing plum flowers in full bloom that signal the arrival of spring after bitter cold, each and every Japanese person can hope for the future and make their own flowers blossom.” Abe indicates that as a nation, Japan is facing a turning point but most not forgo its traditional values, hence the name of the upcoming era is reflective of not only Japanese culture and tradition but also an intention to build a country fit for future generations. It seems that Japan is “brimming with hope” at the prospect of entering a new era, with many hoping its promise of bringing “fortunate harmony” will ring true.

CYNGOR

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ADVICE

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THANK YOU, WHAT’S NEXT? How to put yourself in a positive mindset

Keeping your head high while tackling future obstacles

by Kaiya Simon

ife is continuously filled with challenges and sometimes you might want to just run and hide from them. But unfortunately, it is the way of the world and it is better to face it head on with a positive mindset. For us students, especially thirdyears like myself, the next few weeks are going to be quite heavy, draining and stressful as they are going to have a big impact on our future. In this instance especially or whether you are just looking for this type of advice, this article is going to help you to have an optimistic outlook and keep your head up whilst tackling any obstacles you may face. To begin, positive affirmations, self-talk and lists are a key therapeutic outlet that can give you the positivity you need. If you’ve woken up in an instant bad mood that could often continue throughout the day, repeat positive affirmations to yourself in the mirror (even if you look silly). Say things such as “today will be a good day,” or “I will be successful today,” and the continuous self-support will improve your day amazingly. Negative self-talk can take over your brain and your thoughts will run wild. If you catch yourself doing this then turn the bad messages into good ones, from “I am terrible at this” to “once I have practised, I will be brilliant at this” as when you think highly of yourself, the rest will follow. Listing things you are grateful for also helps you appreciate what you

Make the most of it: Make the last couple of weeks in uni memorable, the future will come eventually and you will be prepared. Source : mohamed_hassan (via Pixabay) have and not what you want, need or do not have. To be positive, try focusing on the present and the good things in your life no matter how small. Stop dwelling on what you do not have and make the most of what you do have now. I find that finding humour in bad situations and remembering to smile helps me a lot when I am feeling negative. Remembering that the situation will make for a good future story

and cracking a joke will not make the bad feelings disappear completely, but it will make light of the situation you are experiencing. Smiling also relieves stress and makes you feel lighter and as people say it does indeed take fewer muscles to smile than to frown. Along with this, surround yourself with positive people. If you are in a negative mindset, speak to people who will help you put things into perspective and will not feed into

Why you should take a gap year after graduation by Katie Lewis

Your advice desk Ashavari Baral Katie Lewis Columnist Sam Saunders

your negative thinking such as your parents, closest friends, significant others or even mentors and co-workers. Hearing positive outlooks, stories and quotes will eventually sink in and affect your own way of thinking, affecting your words which will lead to also contributing positively to circle around you. Remember to eliminate the negativity in your life before it consumes you. Finally, hobbies and doing things that make you happy are to me, the most important factor to improving your positive outlook and way of life as no one knows what makes you happy more than yourself. Activities like yoga are relaxing and ease your mind as they take your focus away from your thoughts and bring your attention to your breathing. Meditation is also beneficial for your body and mind by improving your mindfulness and positive thinking. Singing out loud to a good playlist helps you express your feelings which provides amazing stress relief or even just having a self-care day by putting on a facemask, eating a bar of chocolate and watching your favourite television show. Making yourself feel relaxed and comfortable will add to positive thinking. I hope this article has given some useful tips and advice on the power of positive thinking, without sounding too cheesy or cliché. They are genuinely beneficial physically and mentally, giving you more confidence and improving your mood.

n the eyes of our parents, a gap year can be seen as a waste of time and is nothing more than an attempt to postpone adulthood for as long as we can. And while the latter may be true, I’m going to argue that a gap year is most definitely not a waste of time- if you do it correctly. If you’re nearing the end of your degree and are feeling panicked about jumping straight from university into a graduate career, then a gap year can give you an extra year to prepare yourself. Firstly, I’m going to dispel a mytha gap year isn’t best spent lazing about on your sofa watching Jeremy Kyle whilst stuffing yourself with snacks. If you waste your year off doing something that attributes nothing to your life, like being lazy and unproductive, then you defeat the point of the concept. A gap year gives you an allotted amount of time to gain valuable life experience, or to find yourself, or to let your hair down before you enter ‘the real world’. As a journalism student, I am constantly told by employers that they’re looking for someone with more experience and a hefty portfolio of work. As I’m a full-time student, I haven’t had the time to meet their criteria, and a gap year is an opportunity for

Gap years are an opportunity of a life time: You don’t have to rush into the world of work. Source: Chris Holgersson (via Unsplash)

me to improve my employability. So, if you feel like although you’ll have a degree, you won’t be 100% ready for a graduate job when you graduate, a gap year might be for you. You could spend your gap year interning, or on placements, whilst working a parttime job to support yourself. This way, you’ll have gained a year’s worth of relevant industry work experience and will in turn be more confident in

future endeavours. Work experience is a great opportunity to begin networking and gaining references that you can use in the future. Also, who knows, they might offer you a job at the end of it. Another reason you might want a gap year is because you’ve likely been in education for the last 17-18 years of your life, and you might be starting to lose steam. This is completely

understandable, and in this case, you might want to spend your gap year travelling and really enjoying yourself. You could complete a volunteering project abroad, helping animals, children, or communities- whilst enjoying some time away from the UK. This way, you can soak up the sun as well experiencing new cultures and meeting new people. Once you finish your trip abroad, you will feel well-travelled, and will likely have a new found confidence ready to get a job. If you want to travel in your gap year, make sure you build up some funds first, because I don’t expect a fresh graduates bank balance to be healthy enough for world travelling. If you’re lacking direction and are undecided about postgraduate options like whether to do a Masters, get a job or find work experience, then you can give yourself more thinking time during your year off. Once you get out of the university bubble, and people stop asking you what you’re going to do post-graduation, you’ll stop fretting over it, and the answer will likely become clearer. By experiencing life moreyou’ll learn what you want to do with it. A gap year will leave you motivated and inspired, as you’ll have more confidence in who you are and where you want to be.

CYNGOR

How to enjoy a proper Cardiff summer

by Hannah Penwright

hatever reason you’re staying in Cardiff over the summer, there’s plenty to do to have an unforgettable couple of months. We’re so lucky to be in a city that has so much to offer and there’s lots on to keep you busy during the warmest months of the year. If most of your friends are going home for the summer, then you might want to meet some new people. One of the best ways to get chatting to people is by finding something you have in common, so if you go to an event focused around a hobby you’re interested in, then you’re bound to

‘The Arcades in the city centre are another great way to spend an afternoon if you’re in the mood to explore.’

make friends quickly. There’s plenty of book clubs around Cardiff that meet in local coffee shops, such as The Cardiff Book Collective for all the book lovers. Or if you’re an avid runner, then why not join the Cardiff park run which takes place every Saturday, 9am at Blackweir? If your student loan is wearing thin, there’s plenty to do that won’t cost you a penny! There are so many beautiful parks in Cardiff such as

Roath and Bute Park: Cardiff ’s hub of mother nature. Source: Oliver Rowley (via Unsplash) Roath and Bute and the summer months are the best time to visit when the sun’s out and flowers are blooming. There’s delicious ice cream for sale at Roath Park if you do want to spend a little money, but just chilling in the rose gardens with a book or walking around the lake is still loads of fun. Bring along a friend and have a mini photoshoot, using the flowers and trees as a

beautiful backdrop. Roath Park is full of wildlife, so make sure to bring some duck-friendly food such as oats or grapes to feed them on your visit. The Arcades in the city centre are another great way to spend an afternoon if you’re in the mood to explore. You don’t need to buy anything to enjoy these quaint little shops, but it’s a great way to support local businesses if something does

take your fancy. The summer is the perfect time to pick up some volunteering if you want to give back to the city and your community. Cardiff council has a website full of volunteering opportunities, so make sure to check it out (www.volunteercardiff.co.uk). There’s lots of one-off volunteering opportunities if you can’t commit regularly, such as looking after

community gardens. There’s also lots of longer-term opportunities too, from working with the RSPB to helping at a café for those suffering with dementia. And who knows- you might find something you love so much that you can carry it on alongside your studies next year. We all know how many amazing attractions Cardiff has all year round like the castle and the National Museum and they’ve got special events on in the summer too. The National Museum has the ‘David Nash: Sculpture through the Seasons’ exhibition open from May until September, so this is a must to go and visit if you’re interested in art. Inside Out Festival is returning to Bute Park on Friday 31st May and Saturday 1st June, so make sure to buy tickets before they sell out if you’re a fan of festivals. If you want to check out some new talent, then make sure to spend an evening at one of the many openmic nights Cardiff has to offer. The Little Man Coffee Company often holds poetry events and the acoustic nights at Ride My Bike Café are brilliant, so keep an eye on their Facebook pages for their next events. The atmosphere’s incredible if you just want to listen, but if you’ve got some poetry or music that you’ve written, then this is the perfect opportunity to share it! Hopefully, this shows you that your summer in Cardiff this year will be incredible, and there’s plenty to do to make new friends, find a new passion and give back to this amazing city.

Low contact hours? Are you ready for your first job?

by Matt Tomlin

ecently, I finished the last of three deadlines which were all due within a period of two weeks – not an uncommon situation for those of us studying essaybased degrees. It’s safe to say that I was pretty worn out after cramming six weeks-worth of reading into the space of three. Usually after rushing through deadlines for my degree I wonder how I would even manage if I had a “proper degree” with longer contact hours and more responsibility, and half-jokingly predict that I’ll be really badly trained for when I go into the workplace. But more recently I have been questioning this approach. I’ve been wondering: When we graduate, do we really do well in the workplace based on how much “proper work” we have to do for our degrees? Based on how much time we had to spend at a certain place at a certain time? I am not about to endorse shirking responsibility for your degree and your deadlines until the last minute. You will 100% always be more prepared to do an assignment if you have undertaken the weekly readings and regular independent research as and when your lecturers have asked you to. But we are also flawed human beings and therefore, it is worth

Just because you have 9 hours of scheduled uni: You can still be successful in your graduate job. Source: Miguel Henriques (via Unsplash).

me being honest that those of us in essay-based degrees often take advantage of the lack of scrutiny we receive for our work both inside and outside of our low contact hours. Having made this clear, I have to admit I believe it is actually unlikely that my somewhat haphazard way

of studying my degree will impact my work ethic when I graduate and enter the workplace. This is because following schedules is something we become attuned to. A work environment and way of doing things is something we get used to surprisingly quickly.

We’ve all had an experience where we’ve dreaded starting a new job or school but have managed to adjust ourselves to the schedules of these new places within months, or even weeks. The process of acquiring a way of doing things, whether that be in a workplace or somewhere else,

can be a surprisingly quick one. My university experience has seen me unlearn the need or the discipline to work to strict and regular deadlines placed on me, like I would have had placed on me every day when I worked in shops. However, I can easily relearn this work ethic. Sometimes it is easy to convince ourselves that we might be useless in the workplace because of the great deal of laziness adopted by those of us in independent study-based courses. If anything, a somewhat lazy university work ethic towards independent, unmonitored study could be a sign that you would be more than disciplined and capable in a more structured work environment. While I enjoy my degree, I actually would prefer it, and imagine I would respond better to it, if attendance was more heavily scrutinised and if studying was required for assessments at more points throughout the term. Your lack of responsiveness to, or motivation for, independent study until deadlines get relatively close could just show you are not the best at this form of work, and may have little bearing on whether or not you would be suitable for more heavily timed and monitored responsibilities in jobs such as teaching, accountancy, or business management.

COLUMN

Saunders’ Corner Sam Saunders

The Final Column

I reflect on my time at university and in student media

o, it’s finally here. All good things must come to an end, and that’s unfortunately the case for both Saunders’ Corner and my wider student media career, as barring a major disaster, I’ll be graduating in July. It’s a melancholy yet rewarding feeling, as I can look back on a vast body of work that I’ve produced whilst writing and editing Gair Rhydd, although I am of course sad to say goodbye to a great group of people and, ultimately, something which has been incredibly rewarding. Being involved in student media has also diversified my university experience and even though it has been difficult to juggle at times this year, I really would do exactly the same if I had the year to do over again. So, in this piece, my final contribution to Gair Rhydd, I want to touch on my personal experience at university; what I’ve learned, certain things I’d advise people to do (or not do) and to finish, I’ll give a few pieces of advice to my 18-year-old self, who started university around three and a half years ago. I want to first say that, in retrospect, university was definitely the right choice for me after completing my A-Levels back in 2015. Thinking about how daunting it would have been to try and start my career immediately, as well as potentially moving to a new place, makes me sure that going into higher education was a very good decision. Coming to Cardiff has

Images: Graffiti (Main, Source: Marc via Flickr) & Cathays Park (Top Right, Source: Guardian Cardiff via Flickr)

allowed me to further my studies in two subjects I love so much; history and French. I’ve managed to improve my language skills dramatically in the four years I’ve been studying, to the point where using my French skills in a future career is absolutely essentially if I am to feel fulfilled during my working life. It’s also been very enjoyable to continue studying history, one of my favourite topics. University study has allowed me to explore and study different periods of history that otherwise I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to. Debate and discussion of historical issues has also been incredibly reward-

Coming to university in Cardiff has also allowed me to mature and find my way in the world as I lived

ing, and as that forms part of seminars, it wasn’t to be missed. In addition to academic study, university has given me the opportunity to develop my own extra-curricular interests and try different things. I’ve continued karate, which I’ve done from an early age and became involved on the committee for the club, which was an

incredibly rewarding role, something that I’ve written about previously in these pages. Through Gair Rhydd and Quench, I’ve been able to indulge my passion for writing, develop an interest in journalism and express my opinion on diverse topics to a very wide audience. It’s also been amazing for meeting people, some of the best nights out I’ve had have been with people from student media, and the Media Awards at the end of the year are always a highlight. I’ve even thought about going into journalism after I finish my studies, and that’s something I never would have said before I came to Cardiff. As mentioned last week, coming to university in Cardiff has also allowed me to mature and find my way in the world as I lived away from home for the first time. Holding down my first job, as well as learning how to manage laundry, shopping and cooking for myself as well as potentially living on my own, would have been incredibly overwhelming and I’m not sure how I would have coped. The pressure of first year not counting let me learn how to do all those things for myself semi-successfully. I’ve also made so many friends and learned so much about how to interact and get along with people since I’ve been in Cardiff, which I wouldn’t trade for the world. Living away from home in an unknown city was also an invaluable experience, as it made me get out and explore a new place and feel comfort-

able living away from home. This was very beneficial in my third year at university, which I spent in France. All of the feelings that students have in first year: new place, unfamiliar surroundings and a lack of connections were amplified much more when I was in France, as I still had all those problems but in a foreign country, whose systems seemed more difficult to understand than at home, and in a foreign language that I hadn’t yet become proficient in. However, my experience as a fresher stood me in good stead during that year, as I knew that to feel wel-

Obviously, this doesn’t apply to university work, as I know very few people who enjoy writing a come and at home in my new environment I would have to throw myself into the city; go on socials, explore random areas and do as much as I could, as well as trying to meet as many new people as possible. This is where university has really benefited me, as I think it has definitely made me a more outgoing, confident and friendly person, in addition to being more likely to go out and try

something that I’d never done before. That’s one of the things I would say to my younger self before he joined university; is to be more outgoing and try more things. Sure, we went to the real ale society a few times in first year, but I feel now that I should have used the Give It a Go SU service to try out as many different societies and activities as I could, as I could have found something I’d have loved for life. Also, I think I should have stuck more to the mantra of only do something if you’ll enjoy it. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to university work, as I know very few people who enjoy writing a 2000word essay. But what I mean is that you should only keep doing things if you enjoy them, as my university life feels so short in retrospect that I wish I had thought more about how I spent my time. For example, I sometimes didn’t enjoy going out, or wished that I had gone out more instead of going home early. But it’s the little things. Overall, I do have some regrets, and I wish that I had trusted those close to me more at difficult times at university, but I hope that I will learn from these for the future. Thanks for reading once again guys, I’ve really enjoyed my time as your advice columnist, and I hope that you have enjoyed reading what I’ve had to say this year. Finally, thank you so much for reading my articles throughout the year, I love you all and I wish you all the best successes in your futures.

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

» Access for all venues requires a ticket or wristband: • Access to both Fresher’s Rugby and Men’s Football will be by day games wristband and paper 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. » The capacity to day games is limited as such only those who have purchased Package 2 or 4 will be granted access. » As per terms and conditions, tickets cannot be exchanged. Any lost tickets or wristbands cannot be replaced. » 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.

GWYDDONIAETH

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/science

Deadly fungus responsible for mass extinction “We’ve never before had a single disease that had the power to make multiple species extinct, on multiple continents, all at the same time.”

by George Blake

recent report has found a deadly fungus that affects amphibians is responsible for the largest ever documented loss of nature due to a single disease. The disease, Chytridiomycosis, is caused by a fungus that attacks the skin of amphibians, interfering with their ability to regulate levels of water and electrolytes, which can eventually lead to heart failure. The fungus was first identified as a threat in the 1990s, but this is the first time its impacts have been examined on a global scale.

Well over 500 spieces have been pushed toward extinction

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

SCIENCE

Chytridiomycosis is present in over 60 countries, with South and Central America and tropical Australia the worst affected. Between 1965 and

Your science desk Danny Brown Jonathan Learmont

2015, 501 species (6.5% of known species) have been pushed towards extinction and 90 species are presumed or confirmed to be extinct. “It’s a staggering thing to consider,” Jonathan Kolby, a herpetologist at James Cook University in Australia, tells The Washington Post. “We’ve never before had a single disease that had the power to make multiple species extinct, on multiple continents, all at the same time.” Dr Ben Scheele of the Australia National University said, “Highly virulent wildlife disease, including chytridiomycosis, is contributing to the Earth’s sixth mass extinction”. According to experts, the fungus, along with habitat loss and climate change is “one more nail in the coffin for the state of amphibians globally.” The impact these declines will have upon ecosystems are currently unclear. Frogs, for example, consume algae as tadpoles helping keep algal blooms at bay, devour mosquitos that spread disease, and provide food for birds and other animals. The omittance of frogs in this chain could be dire. The fungus is thought to have

The fungus is “one more nail in the coffin for the state of amphibians globally”. Source: Careyjamesbalboa (via Wikimedia Commons) originated in East Asia, which is the only region to remain unaffected by the fungus. The modern-day strain is thought to have diverged from its most recent ancestor in the early 20th century, coinciding with the onset of the commercial trade in amphibians. Scientists state that globalisation and anthropogenic trade (especially

the live wildlife trade) has broken down dispersal barriers, facilitating the spread of diseases that threaten Earth’s biodiversity. There are also fears about possible future outbreaks in currently unaffected areas, particularly Madagascar and Papua New Guinea, which are home to many endemic species.

The woman who does not feel pain by Holly Giles

A woman in Scotland can feel virtually no pain due to a rare genetic mutation

woman in Scotland can feel virtually no pain due to a rare genetic mutation. The 67-year-old was undergoing a normally very painful operation on her hand but experienced almost no post-operative pain. Dr Devjit Srivastava, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine at an NHS hospital in the north of Scotland, took notice of this, learning she has never needed painkillers and frequently burns herself on the stove. She does not realise the situation until she can smell burning flesh. Not only does the lady not feel pain, her wounds heal faster, and she has reduced anxiety and fear-extinction in her

who conducted a genetic analysis. They found a microdeletion in a pseudogene called FAAH-OUT and a mutation in a neighbouring gene that controls the FAAH enzyme. FAAH is well-known to researchers for being involved in pain sensation, mood and memory. Previously, it was assumed that the FAAH-OUT gene was a junk gene, but it is now suggested that it mediates FAAH expression and may be crucial in the

feeling of pain. The behaviours of the patient have also been observed in mice without the FAAH gene. The research team are continuing to work with the patient in order to understand the genetic mechanism better. Dr James Cox at UCL siad, “We hope that with time, our findings might contribute to clinical research for post-operative pain and anxiety... and potentially chronic pain, PTSD and wound healing, perhaps involv-

ing gene therapy techniques.” The patient hopes that her experiences are able to help develop new treatments. “I had no idea until a few years ago that there was anything that unusual about how little pain I feel,” she said, “I just thought it was normal. Learning about it now fascinates me as much as it does anyone else and I would be elated if any research into my own genetics could help other people who are suffering.”

A consultant in anaesthesia noticed she never needed painkillers memory. She was sent to pain geneticists at University College London (UCL)

“We hope that with time, our findings might contribute to clinical research for post-operative pain and anxiety.” Source: TheDigitalArtist ( via PixaBay)

GWYDDONIAETH 27

Spacesuit issues postpone all-female spacewalk

The problems have arisen mostly due to NASA’s limited resources by Milo Moran

nne McClain and Christina Koch were going to make history last week with the first ever all-female spacewalk, however, history will have to be made another time because Anne McClain’s spacesuit did not fit.

It takes 12 hours to replace a spacesuit’s torso This sounds bad for NASA, but the low gravity in space means that astronauts grow taller. McClain realised during a previous spacewalk that she had changed shape, and told NASA that she would be more comfortable if her suit had a medium torso rather than a large. There are three sizes of spacesuit torso: medium, large and extra-large, and

the International Space Station (ISS) has two of each. However, only two suits are kept ready at any one time, and it takes 12 hours to replace a suit’s torso. This is why spacewalk crew are scheduled far in advance. When McClain reported her change of size, NASA decided that the risk of sending her into the vacuum of space in an incorrectly sized suit was too great. Unsurprisingly, it is easier to change the astronaut than the suit, so Nick Hague took her place on the walk. NASA only has 15 space suits. The Moon missions had suits tailored to each astronaut, but in 1981 they developed the current generation with interchangeable parts. These were only designed to last until the 1990s, but the Space Shuttle allowed regular returns to Earth for repairs which extended their lifespan. Due to a lack of funding, covered by Gair Rhydd in March, the shuttle was cancelled in 2004 and these repairs can no longer be made. NASA has received particularly harsh criticism from many individu-

Current suits were designed to last until the 1990s als who are not experts in the field. Hillary Clinton bluntly told NASA to just “make another suit”, apparently unaware of the issues involved and forgetting that she herself has regularly voted against increasing NASA’s budget. NASA’s funding has been systematically cut for over two decades despite spiralling costs. For example, Russia charge NASA $81m per astronaut they send up via Soyuz rockets. A 13,000 signature petition claims that NASA “wasn’t ready” to make history, when in reality the decision was made on McClain’s own recommendation. Unfortunately, NASA hasn’t rescheduled the Koch-McClain spacewalk. Their record with

On Hold: Anne McClain (left) and Christina Koch (right) were scheduled to carry out the historic spacewalk on 29th March. Source: NASA (via Wikimedia Commons) female astronauts is patchy: the first American female was sent to space twenty years after the first Russian female. Perhaps the reaction will

urge NASA to speed up its progress in making the giant leap that possibly should and could have been made a long time ago.

UK cybersecurity centre to open for Internet of Things

Cardiff University set to play key role in Internet of Things research programmes

by Sharon Gomez

he UK is set to gain a $13.8 million National Centre of Excellence for the Internet of Things (IoT) as part of the UK Government’s wider initiative aimed at

designing out cyber threats in IT hardware. The initiative, ‘Designing out’ cyber threats to businesses and personal data”, supports research into the design and development

of hardware so they will be more secure and resilient from the outset. This aims to “design out” many forms of cyber threat by “designing in” security and protection technology or solutions into hardware and

chip designs. The Internet of Things encompasses everything connected to the internet, but it is increasingly being used to define smart, internetconnected devices such as home hubs, smartphones, and wearable technologies that gather and analyse data to help someone with a task or learn from a process. IoT offers us the opportunity to be more efficient in how we do things. It saves time, money and often emissions in the process.

The IoT encompasses everything that is connected to the internet

Development: The new centre aims to protect smart devices among others from future security threats. Source: Pixabay (both)

The newly launched PETRAS 2 (Privacy, Ethics, Trust, Reliability, Acceptability, and Security) National Centre of Excellence is aimed at providing a significant boost to research about the collection and communication of data by IoT devices. The centre’s research focus will be on opportunities and threats that

arise from edge computing, an innovative way to collect and analyse data in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. When implemented successfully, edge computing can improve network performance by reducing latency, which is the total time taken for data to traverse a system. PETRAS 2 is the second phase of the PETRAS programme, funded by UK Research and Innovation as part of the Security Digital Technologies at the Periphery programme. This phase is aimed at strengthening the established platform, which since 2016 has coordinated and convened 11 universities and 110 industrial and government user partners in cross-disciplinary collaboration. Specifically, Cardiff University will be leading on security in supply chains and control systems that underpin critical national infrastructure. This stream will be led by Pete Burnap, Professor of Data Science & Cybersecurity in the School of Computer Science & Informatics. He said: “Our work on the fusion of AI and risk modelling to better understand cascading failure under cyber-attack will transform the next generation of cyber security methodologies that protect IoT devices deployed in critical infrastructures of the future.”

SPORT

Devils' title defence ends in disappointment

No luck again for Bluebirds

by John Jones

ardiff manager Neil Warnock was left furious last weekend as his side again fell victim to poor refereeing decisions in a 2-1 defeat to the visiting Chelsea side. Victor Camarasa’s early second half strike had put the Bluebirds on track for a crucial three points, but two late goals from Cesar Azpilicueta and Ruben Loftus-Cheek saw Chelsea come away with an undeserved win. Accusing fingers for the late collapse were not pointed at any player on the pitch, however, but at referee Craig Pawson and his assistants, as Azpilicueta headed home from an offside position either side of two other controversial decisions, with Sean Morrison denied a penalty after a clumsy Antonio Rudiger escaped a red card. Warnock was visibly incensed as his side were robbed of victory, and, after the game, walked to the centre of the pitch, hands on hips, to stare blankly in disbelief at the officials. "We don’t get major decisions” the Bluebirds boss said, “but we have to get on with it”. "If anyone was in doubt before today, VAR has to be the answer to help them out. They need help, don't they? The lads have said ‘What do we do now, gaffer? What's the point?”. "Whilst they could be interpreted elsewhere as petty, Warnock’s comments seem justified here; Cardiff really do seem to have borne the brunt of poor officiating in the league in recent weeks. In February, the Bluebirds saw a stonewall first-half penalty denied at home to Watford by referee Simon Hooper. If given, the spot-kick may have seen the home side go into the break level, and handed them a chance to earn some much-needed points. Instead, utterly deflated, Cardiff were on the end of a 5-1 rout. Days later, Warnock’s side saw several contentious decisions again not go their way in their clash against Everton, with last weeks’ shambolic officiating seemingly just the tip of the iceberg. With Cardiff already hugely up against it in the league, and now staring relegation in the face, such trends are immensely worrying. Not only are poor calls costing them crucial points in their battle against the drop; they are demoralising Warnock’s players, who are seeing their best efforts go to waste thanks to the sloppy officiating. By Premier League standards, Cardiff are a small club, with neither the financial or playing resources to match the big boys – they need all the help they can get. With a winnable game being cruelly snatched away at the death, and Liverpool and both Manchester teams waiting in the weeks ahead, the Bluebirds’ manager will be all too aware of the impact of last week’s decisions on their slim survival hopes. In the cruellest fashion, they may have cost Cardiff their top-flight status, but, as Warnock, ever the trooper, found himself saying once again, “it’s a kick in the teeth, but we have to regroup and go again”.

Defeat in Coventry sees Belfast Giants crowned Elite League champions by John Jones

here was disappointment for the Cardiff Devils last week, as defeat on the final day of the regular season saw them miss out on a third successive Elite League title. Two points clear at the top of the table, the Devils needed only a point to be crowned champions, but lost 3-1 away to eighth-placed Coventry Blaze, handing the title to the Belfast Giants. The Devils and the Giants had been engaged in a two-horse race at the top of the Elite League table for much of the season, with the Northern Irish side trailing by 11 points in January before securing a remarkable comeback. Though the two sides finished level on points, the Giants’ greater number of regulation wins was enough to earn them their fifth Elite League crown, adding to their Challenge Cup success last month.

Going into their final game, the Devils were brimming with confidence, having won eight of their 10 league games in March, and dispatching MK Lightning 9-1 a day earlier. However, a sluggish start was to cost the Devils dearly. After dominating the early exhanges, Blaze’s Nicolai Bryhnisveen poked the puck past Ben Bowns to break the deadlock inside four minutes. Just a minute into the middle period, the home side doubled their lead, as David Clements’ speculative effort caught a lucky deflection off a Devils defender to find the back of the net. Andrew Lord’s side managed to pull a goal back before the end of the second period, however, as Sam Duggan fired home to restore some faith amongst the impressive travelling support. Knowing that time was running out to successfully defend their title, Cardiff been to put everything into attack in the final 20 minutes, bombarding Coventry goaltender Matt Hackett with 17 shots, but finding no way past him. Desperate to grab the title-clinching goal, the Devils pulled their goaltender for an extra skater. However, this was to no avail, as, with a minute remaining, Ben Lake blasted into the empty net to secure a 3-1 win for the Blaze, and break Cardiff hearts. With comprehensive victories over both Fife Flyers and Dundee Stars the same weekend, it was the Belfast Giants who were left celebrating, as they stole the Elite League title away

from the Viola Arena for the first time in two years.

"You work nine months day-in and day-out and to lose on a tie-break, it's just brutal" Reflecting on the defeat, Devils’ head coach Andrew Lord was naturally disappointed at missing out on the title, but insisted that his side would learn from their mistakes, and bounce back in time for their play-off double-header against the Sheffield Steelers. "It's an absolutely gut-wrenching feeling” Lord told BBC Wales Sport. "It's really hard to even put into words and explain it." "You work nine months day-in and day-out and to lose on a tie-break, it's just brutal." “We've got more than enough character to come back strong next weekend” he added. “We've got a heck of a hockey team here. We've played so much quality hockey all season long and it's just getting that first goal and that first period is critical for us." The Steelers were Cardiff ’s opponents in last years’ play-off grand final, but, after a mixed season, are

wary of the Devils potentially taking out their frustrations to devastating effect. “[The defeat to Coventry] was surprising” said Sheffield head coach Tom Barrasso. “The Devils are a very good team, obviously, and I am sure they are going to be very disappointed to not win the league title having led for most of the season”. In recent meetings between the two sides, Cardiff have generally dominated proceedings, winning three of the last three clashes, scoring 20 goals and conceding only four. However, a shock 5-4 loss in Sheffield three weeks ago will serve as a confidence boost for the Steelers ahead of the first leg at the FlyDSA Arena, whilst the Blaze’s unexpected victory over the Devils has also given Barrasso’s side hope of pulling off a similar upset. “It just goes to show that they are fallible and can be beaten" said Barrasso. "We have beaten them ourselves on one occasion; they have made us look bad on a few occasions”. "But we will spend the week trying to get ourselves prepared. It is going to be about work and commitment and doing the things that we do and competing as hard as we can”. After last weekend’s disappointments, and the possibility of ending the season with no silverware now staring them in the face, you can expect the Devils to be competing just as hard - they certainly have a point to prove.

Jack Shore to defend title at Cage Warriors 104 Undefeated Welshman Shore is looking to keep his belt against Scott Malone

by George Willoughby

fter putting on a sensational showing back in December to win the bantamweight title, Jack Shore is back in action. Shore will be battling it out in the cage with the dangerous Scott Malone who heads into the bout on a seven fight win streak. After losing his first fight, Malone has responded brilliantly. He possesses knockout power, whilst being accomplished with submissions making him a tough matchup for any fighter. Jack Shore, who is undefeated with 10 wins and no losses, has to be extremely confident in himself to secure another victory. His

flawless performance last time out showedwhy he is deserving of the belt, and extending his reign as championship will be his number one priority. However, there can be no room for complacency as the world of mixed martial mrts is unforgiving. One mistake and you can be on the receiving end of a defeat which always has implications for future fights. Throughout the short career of the 24-year old, he has remained composed and now with the added pressure of defending his title for the first time, he will have to ensure that mentally he stays relaxed. Winning the belt is one thing, but one of the most critical aspects of be-

ing a champion is defending it. It poses a whole different challenge as you are the number one, and fighters always have that extra element of motivation to get to the top. Although he will not need any, Shore has some added incentive for the fight given Scott Malone comfortably defeated his teammate Josh Reed within minutes of the first round at Cage Warriors 100. The performances of Jack Shore are really putting Wales on the MMA map, and the sport is flourishing with young talent showing great promise. Other notable fighters at Cage Warriors 104 are Mason Jones and

Aaron Khalid who will flying the flag high for Wales. Having the home crowd behind all the Welsh fighters will certainly be an added boost, with a hostile atmos-

phere expected. Can Shore defend his bantamweight crown? Find out on April 27 as Cage Warriors returns to Cardiff at the Viola Arena.

VIOLA ARENA: The venue for Cage Warriors 104. Source: Wikimedia Commons

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

CHWARAEON

Gair Rhydd Sport's greatest sporting moments

Wales' Six Nations triumph over England

by Reece Chambers

he discussion about what means more to supporters of Welsh rugby - an illustrious Grand Slam or victory over England - has dominated my thinking for a fair amount of time. I have had a fair bit of grief from English friends for admitting that I would rather see Wales beat England than win the Grand Slam. However, as a passionate supporter of Welsh rugby, and as someone who grew up surrounded by English rugby fans, there's not a decision to be made. From a purely selfish point of view, and ignoring any logic of sporting achievements, victory over England in the Six Nations is tough to beat. The bragging rights over friends at home and at university cannot be

beaten by anything else. The way in which Wales defeated England back in February made the victory even more special. Yes, England were not at their best. However, Wales' game plan was executed to perfection and Josh Adams' try will live long in the memory. Everything from the balance between Anscombe and Biggar to the line cut by Corey Hill to score Wales' opening try made it a day to remember for Welsh rugby. I fully understand that choosing victory against England rather than the Grand Slam victory makes little sense in a sporting context. Such a choice is void of logic and reason, but that sums up sport's ability to provoke irrational emotions.

Ireland's shock victory over the All Blacks

by Rosie Foley

t was Saturday 17th November 2018, the back to back Rugby World Cup Champions, New Zealand, were travelling to Dublin to play the world number two Ireland. For the full 80 the game was close, even after Jacob Stockdale’s try minutes into the second half, the only try of the whole game, put daylight between the two sides, Ireland knew they had to keep calm to win this, and they did. This is my sporting highlight because it was a momentous win for Ireland. Having beat New Zealand in Chicago two years previous ending their 111 year wait for a victory, this home

win was highly anticipated, and they delivered. It was the first ever home win against New Zealand in Irish rugby history. At times the game showed the best of rugby, but throughout it was a bat tle of the bodies, two giants going up against each other. Peter O’Mahony, Rory Best, Josh van der Flier, James Ryan and Tadgh Furlong are among a few that put on outstanding performances both attacking and for defence, putting their bodies on the line for their country. This proved that they deserve being named the best team in the world.

Sam Underhill sidestepping Beauden Barrett

by Jack Vavasour

or me, the greatest sporting moment since September came as Sam Underhill bamboozled Beauden Barrett to cross the whitewash in the corner at Twickenham during the autumn internationals. This should have been England’s winning try against the world best All Blacks but sadly it was disallowed. Courtney Lawes was deemed offside for his charge down which led to the try. This moment, for me, was great due to the fact that a flanker out witted ‘the best player in the world’. It was also proof of how Eddie Jones had completed a u-turn in his team’s fortunes. England had faced a terrible year and this proved that the renaissance was finalised with numerous injuries

to key players and up against the best in the world, England took the All Blacks to the wire. They would then go on to thrash Australia and embarrass Ireland in Dublin during the Six Nations. Sadly the Grand Slam was not to be theirs, however, Rome wasn’t built in a day and Jones still has time to improve his side before the World Cup later this year. To say that the dream is still alive would be an understatement. The dream is bolstered by the rise of players such as Underhill and his rival Tom Curry. England have also welcomed back stars such as Manu Tuilagi and Chris Ashton following long hiatus from the national side. Whatever happens, regardless of results, we still have evidence that a flanker sidestepped Barrett.

Patrick Mahomes' rookie season by George Willoughby

atrick Mahomes’ rookie year was truly an unforgettable showing of elite decision making from an NFL quarterback. Mahomes was promoted to the starting role at the beginning of the Kansas City Chief ’s 2018/19 season following the departure of Alex Smith, and that turned out to be one of the best decisions by the general management team. Sadly, for the Chiefs, the all too familiar pattern of being knocked out of the play-offs in the early rounds struck again. Not even the brilliance of Mahomes could get the Chiefs over the line, but the future is incredibly bright with the Texas Tech product set to dominate the NFL for the foreseeable future. What stood out for me, and the main reason as to why Mahomes’s rookie

season was my greatest sporting moment, was the calmness and poise in his play despite only being a rookie. He played like a quarterback who had been in the league for over a decade, and some of his performances were simply mind-blowing. To name a couple, his six-touchdown outing against the Steelers, and the part he played in the NFL’s game of the year against the Los Angeles Rams was nothing short of incredible. To end the season with 50 touchdowns, 5000+ passing yards and a 66% completion percentage epitomises just how impressive Patrick Mahomes was. Without a doubt, he will be under pressure in the seasons to come, but I can only see Mahomes improving as he continues to mature in the NFL environment.

Tyson Fury's incredible comeback

by John Jones

hen Tyson Fury was dropped to the canvas by a devastating right-left combination in the 12th round of his WBC heavyweight title bout against Deontay Wilder, nobody expected him to get up. More to the point, he didn’t look like he could get up, lying motionless as Wilder paraded around the ring, thinking the fight was done. But to the amazement of everyone inside the Staples Centre, Fury clambered to his feet, and incredibly saw out the rest of the round, with the fight ending in a split decision draw. Whilst Fury, perhaps fairly, claimed that he would have won the contest had he not been on American soil, the result took a back seat to the real story of the fight – new life had been breathed into a stale heavyweight division. What makes this moment even more

remarkable is the personal journey that the self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ had under taken in the lead up to the fight. Taking two and a half years out of the ring after his triumphant heavyweight championship win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, Fury battled depression, addiction, and ballooned to a whopping 28.5 stone, with his life rapidly spiralling out of control. After contemplating suicide, he vowed to get back on track, seeking counselling and hitting the gym, shedding ten stone in the process. For Fury, therefore, this was so much more than a fight. It was a chance to announce his return to boxing and, more importantly, offer those suffering with mental health problems reassurance that they too could overcome their demons.

Alistair Cook's farewell century

by Laura Price

listair Cook’s farewell century is my greatest sporting moment over the last academic year. All the way back in September we were told arguably England’s greatest ever batsman was set to retire after his 33rd test match. We knew he was going to bring something special to India, and to see him play such great cricket in his final test was a pleasure. His century brought his career beautifully full circle following a hundred in his first ever test match. Everyone was rooting for Alistair

Cook to go out in style, it was brilliant watching such a great sportsman and cricketer. I’m sure he would’ve liked to bring up his century with more style rather than benefitting from an Indian overthrow, but the ovation that followed was not to be sniffed at. Topped only by his team and the crowd’s reaction to his eventual dismissal at 147, Cook, clearly moved, endured the long walk to the changing rooms surrounded by walls of applause from both the home and away side. It was a great finish and a fitting celebration of a great cricketer.

JD Welsh Cup Final Preview by George Willoughby

here have been many unforgettable moments in this years JD Welsh Cup, and the final two teams who will contest for the trophy have been confirmed. The highly success TNS, also referred to as The New Saints, will be facing off against defending champions Connah’s Quay Nomads. The competition began with 135 Welsh clubs looking for cup glory and it has not disappointed. The New Saints, who have dominated the Welsh Premier League for several years now, secured their place in the final after edging past Barry Town in a very tightly contested encounter. The experience of forward Greg Draper paid dividends as he found himself on the scoresheet once again netting in the second-half. Draper has been in scintillating form this season, shown by the fact he is the Welsh Premier Leagues top-goalscorer with an impressive tally of 20 goals to his name. Winger Jamie Mullins wrapped up the game late on with an injury time strike to complete a professional performance. Their opponents, Connah’s Quay Nomads who prevailed over Cardiff Met with a convincing showing. The Nomads, who were Welsh Cup winners last season, will be looking to defend their crown but they face a stern challenge against the current league leaders. They will need players to be at the best, especially striker Michael Bakare who is the team’s leading marksman. Bakare, who has spent the majority of his playing career in the lower levels of English football, joined Connah’s Quay back in 2017. The 32-year old scored in last season’s cup final triumph over Aberystwyth Town. The two teams faced off against each other in the quarter-finals of last year’s competition, with the Nomads coming out 2-1 winners at the Deeside Stadium. Taking into the head-to-head record so far this season in the league, this cup final could go either way. The Nomads inflicted The New Saints’ first defeat of the season with a 1-0 victory in August, but since then, it’s the Saints who have had the edge over their Welsh Premier League counterparts. Consecutive wins for The New Saints over the Nomads saw the side from Oswestry return to the top of the league after a frustrating early few months of the season. The cup final will take place on 5th May, and the run-up to the encounter is very interesting given that as it stands in the league, the Nomads are only a point off the Saints who currently occupy top spot. If the league table remains as close as it is, then the final match between the sides in April could be very significant. There could be a potential situation in which three points for either side could secure the league title, and then just a week later, have the opportunity to cap off league delight with a cup victory.

SPORT

SPORT CHWARAEON

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

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/sport

Charles Leclerc: destined to be Formula One world champion?

The 21-year-old was cruelly denied a maiden victory in Bahrain last week by Reece Chambers

unday's Bahrain Grand Prix didn't quite turn out how Charles Leclerc would have wanted it to after a scintillating performance in qualifying that saw him take pole position. A catastrophic loss of power halfway through Sunday's race, whilst Leclerc had what seemed to be an unassailable lead over the chasing pack, subsequently led to Hamilton crossing the line first. The 21-year-old's loss of power was a manufacturing fault and Leclerc was not to blame. Had the young Ferrari driver made a mistake then it might have been easier for him to take. As it was, the fault that led to a third-place finish will leave Leclerc frustrated that

his first Formula One podium was not a victory. Nevertheless, Leclerc's driving in Bahrain last Sunday was confirmation that he is a force to be reckoned with at the top of the F1 circuit. It is easy to forget that the MonĂŠgasque driver only burst onto the F1 scene last season as a driver for the newly branded Alfa Romeo Sauber team. In what was one of the worst performing cars on the circuit, Leclerc gained great recognition for finishing 13th overall in the 2017/18 F1 season with 39 points. Such performances ultimately rewarded the 21-year-old with a prestigious move to F1 powerhouses, Ferrari. When a team like Ferrari comes calling for you at such a young age, you must have some talent, and that is certainly

the case with Leclerc. Leclerc's rapid ascent to the top of the F1 circuit had been widely discussed before the start of the 2019 F1 season and his first two races for the Scuderia have proven why. Although he is the second-youngest driver to race for Ferrari, Leclerc has already showcased that he possesses invaluable attributes that strengthen his bid for a title. In Bahrain, Leclerc's slow getaway saw him fall off of top spot, with teammate Sebastian Vettel taking the lead. However, within a matter of minutes, Leclerc was back in front after impressive overtaking that saw him dispatch Vettel - his teammate who boasts four world championships - with incredible ease. Such dominance from Leclerc over

Vettel in Bahrain will pose important questions for the Ferrari team. Vettel has a record number of wins in Bahrain, four, but the way in which his 21-year-old teammate was able to outsmart him raises an interesting situation for Ferrari. If Leclerc fulfills his potential, he could become a serious threat to, not only Vettel but Hamilton, Bottas and others. Nevertheless, it should be remembered that the 21-year-old is only in his second year of F1 racing. Indeed, he has a tremendous chance of winning multiple world championship titles in the future with copious amounts of talent. But, it should be remembered that both Leclerc and his team have to improve the reliability of his car in order to facilitate challenges for top spot.

How much will fate determineWinthe rate Premier League title race?

Manchester City and Liverpool have taken the Premier League by storm this season by Reece Chambers

ottlejobs has been a frequently used term this season. Manchester City bottled it when they lost to Crystal Palace and Leicester City. Liverpool bottled it when they drew away at West Ham and Manchester United. With social media noise louder than ever, the term 'bottlejobs' has been grossly misused this season. So much criticism of the title race contenders has been unfair and quite simply inaccurate. The current title race shows Liverpool to be on their highest ever points total at this stage of a Premier League season, 79, whilst Manchester City continue to blow teams away and ultimately have a one-point advantage on Klopp's side. However, neither side has bottled the league this season. Instead, the breakneck speed at which both sides are earning points exacerbates their very rare blimps in form. The outstanding performances of both teams have led to unrealistic expectations from fans. Liverpool have only lost once in 32 games this season and they deserve great credit for constantly challenging Manchester City for the title. If this was a normal Premier League season, either City or Liverpool would be running away with the league by now. As it is, though, we could quite easily see a team finish with 90 points and still not finish top. For Liverpool, the title race has added pressure given that they are yet to win a Premier League title. Such suc-

cess has hung over every Liverpool manager since the beginning of the Premier League era and the sheer pressure on Klopp and his side to produce cannot be overstated. The sheer desperation for the Redmen to win the league is tangible around the city. Fans perhaps don't expect a league title - given the sheer brilliance of City - but being in the run-in with just a handful of games left is utterly torturous for the Kopites. One thing that may give Liverpool hope is that they have ridden their luck at times this season. Most recently against Spurs where Hugo Lloris was at fault for a last-gasp winner for

Klopp's side. Similar luck was seen in the 1-0 win over Everton at the start of December when a wayward Virgil van Dijk cross-come-shot span off the bar and into the path of Divock Origi who sent Anfield into raptures. That's six points right there where Klopp's side have pushed their fortune to the absolute maximum. They are not the same side as last season that would win games three, four or five nil. But, alternatively, they are a team who have picked up the invaluable habit of picking up results when they haven't played their best. Klopp will be the first to admit that Liverpool have ridden their luck at

times this season, but that may well be a product of their well-balanced playing style. As it is, Liverpool have an excellent chance of winning the Premier League for the first time. If they are to do so, they will need a few more flurries of luck and good fortune in order to dethrone what is a scintillating Manchester City side who seem incapable of losing at the moment. Focusing on the few slices of luck that Liverpool have had this season is not to say they don't deserve to be in the position they find themselves in. Instead, it could indicate that this Premier League title race could be determined by fate.

The fields of Anfield Road: Anfield is set to be bouncing for the title race finale. (Source: Phil Chambers)

CHWARAEON 31 Champions Cup: a quick round-up A round-up of Cardiff University’s sporting action from the last To contact our sport desk, drop us an email at sport@gairrhydd.c

BUCS Highlights

by Jack Vavasour

week of BUCS action

Continued from back page

hroughout the day, we always started our games with a bang due to fantastic faces from Nick Arroyo and with Joshua Thomas effectively running the bench, we were never short of breath. Perfect picks, off ball movements and feeds from Alex Jones and Jamie Maughan meant that our top goal scorers: Akito Jacques and Luke Brierley could blitz the opposition with shots coming from left, right and centre. After a long morning, it finally came down to our final game of the group heats. It was against Bristol and if anything, we were determined to get this victory. Once more, a strong face from Nick got the ball rolling at full momentum. A barrage of big hits and cheeky checks from defence duo of Bryce and Will meant that Bristol’s attack struggled to break through and even when they did, the gracious goalkeeping of Joshua Edwards meant that only one shot hit the back of our net. With the knowledge of our sturdy security at the back, we cranked up

the heat in attack. With two goals once again coming from Akito and Luke and another coming from James Miller, the tiresome game came to an end with a 3-1 victory to Cardiff. After coming 4th in the heats in our group we were placed into the top knockout event, The Championships. We were playing with the big boys now. Our first game was against Durham, the notorious champions of the North. However, despite being the underdog we were not going to go down without a fight. With the crowd going wild in the first few minutes with a huge top bin banger from Freddie Madison our confidence was boosted. However, the champions were champions for a reason and the game ended 5-2 to Durham. Despite ending in a loss, we were more than happy with our result. We watched the fantastic final match of the Women’s team, congratulated them on their glistening gold medals and then slept all the way on the bus back home.

Ayesha Garvey selected for Irish surfing team

by Rosie Foley

yesha Garvey is a third-year physiotherapy student and has been named in Ireland’s surfing team for the European Championships in Portugal and World Championships in Japan later this year. Growing up on the west coast of Ireland, the sea was never far-away, and surfing was in Ayesha’s blood. "I am super lucky to have been brought up and introduced to the surfing world by my family. From since I can remember I was comfortable with chilling on the board in the waves at our local beach, Rossnowlagh." From a young age Ayesha began competing in Surfing competitions. "My first competitions began with entering into the ‘expression sessions’ for under 10's at the Junior Irish Surfing Nationals. That would include jumping on the board, doing handstands and creative things on the board." Ayesha competed for her country at a junior level in the European Surfing Championships which enabled her to travel, but 'never forgetting' a core aspect of surfing. "The importance of never forgetting the true meaning of competing alongside your peers and often best friends has been ingrained in me from a young age." This ethos has helped motivate Ayesha to ‘train hard’ and perform to the best of her ability. This hard

work has now paid off as she has been selected for the European and World Championships. "I am delighted that my hard work and training has got me this far. "Having the opportunity to travel to Portugal for the Europeans and Japan for the World’s and to compete alongside some of the best surfers in the world is a very exciting prospect and I can’t wait to be a part of it!" Whilst being at Cardiff University, Ayesha has been included within its HPP programme and this has helped her massively as well as her ‘surfing family’ and the glorious welsh coastline. "The HPP has been an incredible support to me since day one. They have shown a genuine interest in my sporting career and have provided me with many networks to ensure I am motivated and supported to achieve all I can alongside studying and developing within my physiotherapy degree." "I have been blessed with an amazing surfing family who inspire each other to develop, spread the passion for and enjoy all the aspect of surfing. We are extremely lucky to have the beautiful welsh coastline right at our doorstep which provides us with a vast array of options for waves." Ayesha will continue to train hard alongside completing her Physiotherapy degree leading up to the European and World Championships later this year.

Cardiff’s Mills chasing another Olympic dream

The sailing star has her eyes on more success in Tokyo with partner Eilidh McIntyre by John Jones

ritish sailors Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre have taken their first steps towards next years’ Olympic Games in Tokyo, as the European sailing season kicked off last week. The duo, who are British Sailing’s top women’s pair in the 470 class, are competing in the Princess Sofia Trophy regatta in Palma, Majorca, amongst a highly competitive field. Mills, from Cardiff, has already had a glittering career, the highlight of which was winning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics alongside Saskia Clark , going one better than the silver medal she claimed in London four years earlier. A highly accomplished sportswoman, Mills, now 31, was voted both UK Young Sailor of the Year and BBC Wales Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2002, before earning the prestigious title of Female World Sailor of the Year in 2016. After Clark retired, Mills consid-

ered following suit, but instead opted to take some time out, sail other boats and explore the 49er FX class. However, a phone call from former rival McIntyre in early 2017 changed all this, as the 24-year-old from Hayling Island, whose father Michael won Olympic sailing gold in 1988, stated her intention to compete at the Tokyo Games alongside Mills. “I was always going to want to sail with the Olympic gold medallist” McIntyre told BBC Sport Wales. “I had to do whatever was best to win a gold medal. That was picking up the phone and convincing Hannah to come 470 sailing”. “She is driven, committed, determined, but fun. I feel like I have learned so much from her”. Mills was equally keen to join McIntyre in her Olympic bid, saying she was “the only option for [her]” if she was to return to the 470 class. “She's super motivated, really passionate and absolutely loves sailing and competing.

“Ultimately we both want the same thing - we both want an Olympic gold medal and we realise without each other that's not going to happen”.

"I had to do whatever was best to win a gold medal" Since forming their partnership, the duo have achieved podium positions at several major tournaments, with their first outing at the 2017 World Cup Final resulting in a gold medal, before they repeated this feat a year later. Looking ahead to the 2020 games, British Sailing already has a place in the women’s 470 class guaranteed.

As the top-ranked pair, Mills and McIntyre are favourites to fill this place, but know that this is dependent on this season’s results. The pair’s first opportunity will come in Palma, where they will hope to build upon the silver medal they earned at last year’s regatta. However, they face a strong field, with the French team of Rio bronze medallist Camille Lecointre and Aloise Retornaz, and World Champions Ai Kondo Yoshida and Miho Yoshioka of Japan also in contention for gold. Nevertheless, both Mills and McIntyre remain confident of success in Mallorca and beyond, with their eyes firmly set on next year’s Olympics. “It's really exciting once you get to that last 14 or 15 months from an Olympic Games” said Mills. “I certainly feel nervous and apprehensive, but equally Tokyo is going to be a phenomenal games.” “Every event counts and we're looking to perform at every event.”

ast weekend European rugby returned to our screens and we were not disappointed. The resulting fixtures were some of the most exciting that have been seen in years, with three of the four matches being decided by less than 5 points. The opening fixture took supporters to Edinburgh as they faced Munster. Both sides had points to prove, Edinburgh as underdogs and Munster looking to return to dominating the most prestigious European cup. Keith Earls took a wonderfully opportunistic tap penalty to sneak over the line to put his side ahead early on and later ended the game by scoring one of the tries of the tournament. In between Edinburgh showed splashes of excellence, including a well taken Chris Dean try. Munster played fantastically and fully deserve their place in the semi-finals, Richard Cockerill will once again look to improve his side despite proving he can still perform at the highest level. Next came Saracens who took on Glasgow at the Allianz. This fixture had already been competed twice previously in this competition as the two sides were in the same group. Saracens had been victors twice, nothing changed in the knockout rounds. Even without talisman Owen Farrell, Saracens cruised to victory without even breaking a sweat. Saracens were clinical and effective, Glasgow stood no chance. Saracens look well poised to mount a serious challenge this season The final match on Saturday saw an Irish rivalry renewed, as Ulster challenged champions Leinster. Once again this was a tussle that spoiled fans. Ulster led at half time through Kieran Treadwell as he forced himself onto the ball after Rory Best charged down a dreadful kick by Gary Ringrose. Ross Byrne, deputising for the injured Jonny Sexton, then crossed the whitewash from close quarters for Leinster as he powered his way over. Jack Conan then spotted a weakness in Ulster’s defence off the back of a ruck and darted a quarter of the pitch before passing to Adam Byrne, who made no mistake with his try. Luke Marshall then scored, before a Byrne penalty ultimately saw Leinster to victory. Racing 92 then hosted European sleeping giant Toulouse. In form scrumhalf, Antoine Dupont, took only 6 and a half minutes to ease his way over the line to break the deadlock. The wonderful Finn Russell then read the Toulouse play to intercept and grubber through for Teddy Thomas to dot down. Toulouse refused to give-up, and Lucas Tauzin gave an outrageous no-look-outthe-back-whilst-being-tackled offload for Soafiane Guitoune to weasel his way through the defence before passing to Maxime Medard who manged to get the ball down for Toulouse’s second try. Dupont then darted and dodged tackles to give Toulouse a third try before the break. Late-on, an opportunistic Camille Chat reclaimed a lost lineout before powering himself over for what could have been a match winning try, yet the conversion was missed, gifting Toulouse victory. All four sides have rich history in this competition and this should lead to yet another round of unpredictable fixtures.

sport

chwaraeon

Cardiff Devils end season in disappointment - Page 28

Round-up: Champions Cup Page 31 Charles Leclerc showcases winning potential

by Reece Chambers

unday’s Bahrain Grand Prix didn’t quite turn out how Charles Leclerc would have wanted it to after a scintillating performance in qualifying that saw him take pole position. A catastrophic loss of power halfway through Sunday’s race, whilst Leclerc had what seemed to be an unassailable lead over the chasing pack, subsequently led to Hamilton crossing the line first. The 21-year-old’s loss of power was a manufacturing fault and Leclerc was not to blame.

Continued: Page 30

Sporting moments of 2018/19

Third time lucky: Congratulations to Cardiff Uni Hockey Club: Source: cardiff Uni Sport Twitter

Victorious: Congratulations to Cardiff Uni Lacrosse Club: Source: Cardiff University Lacrosse (via Twitter)

Women’s Lacrosse win trophy at BUCS 8s

EXCLUSIVE

by Rosie Foley and James Miller

n Sunday 31st March, Cardiff Lacrosse travelled to Bristol to play in the highly anticipated BUCS 8s tournament. The men’s team progressed into The Championship and the Women’s team went on to win The Trophy. This was the first time that Cardiff Lacrosse had entered a women’s side into the tournament, and Captain Phoebe Shellman said that they were ‘ecstatic’ with the result. “We were ecstatic to see that all our hard work paid off. We really came together as a team and played some awesome Lacrosse. Considering it was the first time Cardiff had entered a team to this tournament, winning the Trophy was a particularly impressive feat!” The toughest match of the day for

the women was their final against UCL, the long day had taken its strain but that didn’t stop them. “The final against UCL was definitely the toughest. “Having played seven matches by this point, we were all exhausted, but we had not lost our fight.” said Shellman. They came out the final victorious, winning 6-5 with goals from Caroline Getley, Emily Caswell, Hannah Nolan and Georgina Evans. Captain Phoebe commended all her players but spotlighted Getley and Caswell for their consistent play. “Everyone played extremely well with progression becoming more and more evident with each game. However, Caroline Getley and Emily Caswell were consistently strong players,

forcing goals against teams such as Oxford who eventually went on to win the Championship.” With Varsity only two days away, this tournament set the women up in good stead for the event. Shellman was happy that the tournament went so well and was a good experience to have under their belt before Varsity and opened the selection up for the Varsity squad. “This was a really valuable experience for all the players. The 8s team consisted of a mix of 1s and 2s which resembles the varsity squad. “Our versatility was clear, we were able to perform well with a new team and new rules so different to what we experience on a BUCS Wednesday. “Playing with a completely different team to usual has left us excited to

play as a brand-new squad for Varsity.” Lacrosse will be playing at Sports Wales, with the Women’s game at 9:30am followed by the Men’s game at 11:00am. Men’s Report from BUCS 8s After a solid warm up, a motivational team talk from the captain Will Turner and with the cold Bristol wind behind us, we marched into our first game ready to play some good lacrosse. The pace was quickly set by Akito Jacques scoring in the first few minutes of the game and with some superb defending from Bryce Johns and Will Turner it was clear to teams such as Manchester Metropolitan, Nottingham Trent and Loughborough we were going to give a good fight. Continued: Page 31

by Gair Rhydd Sport

fter 18 print Issues in the 2018/19 academic year, Gair Rhydd’s Sports Editors outline their respective sporting moments. With a large variety of sporting opinions in this year’s Sport editorial team, there is a great variety of moments selected by the team. From Rugby Union to American Football, the sporting moments highlight the diversity of the team. Read: Page 29

Will fate determine the title race? by Reece Chambers

ottlejobs has been a frequently used term this season. Manchester City bottled it when they lost to Crystal Palace and Leicester City. Liverpool bottled it when they drew away at West Ham and Manchester United. The current title race shows Liverpool to be on their highest ever points total at this stage of a Premier League season, 79, whilst Manchester City continue to blow teams away and ultimately have a one-point advantage on Klopp’s side. Continued: Page 30