Issue 997

gair rhydd Monday February 11th 2013 | freeword – Est. 1972 | Issue 997

and Quench

Talybont South infestation Read the full story on p6 >>

Silverfish invade student residences...and not for the first time

1 Motion passed 4 Motions fail

An officer team divided?

Full AGM roundup on p4

News Editor Tom Eden meets Niall McCann: explorer, biologist, TV star and student

p20

gr News 4–8 Opinion 11–14 Politics 16–18 Science 22-25 Societies 28–29 Taf-Od 32–33 Sport 36–40

EDITOR Chris Williams CO-ORDINATOR Elaine Morgan CREATIVE DIRECTOR Luke Slade SUB-EDITOR Tom Parry-Jones NEWS Kendal Archer Tom Eden Anna Hickman Bethan Jones OPINION Alice Briggs Nick Evans Alex Greig COLUMNIST Liam McNeilly POLITICS Thom Hollick Rachel Lewis SCIENCE Rhiannon Davies Alexey Underwood SOCIETIES Vanessa Platt LISTINGS Currently Vacant TAF-OD Tomos Lewis SPORT Ross Martinovic James Shapland GAIR RHYDD AND QUENCH MAGAZINE ARE PUBLISHED BY UNIVERSITY UNION $"3%*'' 1"3, 1-"$& $"3%*'' $' 2/ t REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER AT THE POST 0''*$& t ("*3 3):%% 3&4&37&4 5)& 3*()5 50 &%*5 "-- $0/53*#65*0/4 t 5)& 7*&84 EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE 0' 5)& 16#-*4)&34 t ("*3 3):%% *4 83*5TEN, DESIGNED, TYPESET AND OUTPUT BY STUDENTS OF CARDIFF UNIVERSITY

Tweets in response to AGM

2 / Editor’s Note

T

A note from the editor...

he first time I attended AGM and stayed to hear the motions, I spent three hours sat in a hall next to the exec of the Politics Society.

A keen first year, I was sort of intrigued by what it was, until it was fully explained to me that I would spend the next three hours listening to people arguing on topics I barely knew anything or just didn't care about.

On leaving, I can remember swearing that never again would I attend one of these meetings - regardless of whether I was forced

gair rhydd would like to thank the following for their articles and help in making this issue: Contributors Chris McSweeney, Daniel Hill Emma Browne, Sarah Hay Jenny Morgan, Max Eshraghi Michael Halliday, Beth Lyons Adam Duce, Matt Harding Emily Cope, Catherine Lenain Cerith Rhys Jones, Emma Fox Joanna Lucas, Greg Landon Wai Lim, Charlie Hock, David Mason, Peter Marshall, Sophie Howells, David Hodson, Michael O'Connell Davidson Proof Readers Siobhan Carroll Daniel Hill Anne Porter Emilia Ignaciuk

to or not.

Yet, that's not what happened.

The following year I was right back to the AGM for another meeting, and again, at the end I swore I'd never be there again.

After a years gap I was back, but this time I realised how important the AGM actually was.

Decisions passed there matter and actually, the people in the Great Hall last night appeared - for the most part - actually engaged in what was going on.

Of course, some people took to Twitter to tell of how high scores on Fruit Ninja were broken - thanks to the AGM - but many

were actually discussing the debates and venting their frustrations with the arguments being made.

In fact, on Twitter, #cardiffagm was used so widely, that it was trending in Cardiff.

With the No-Platform policy motion being proposed, it is no surprise that student media made an appearance, yet, their support for this motion wasn’t the highlight of the night for me, whatsoever.

The team worked tirelessly to live stream, live blog, live tweet, do a live radio show whilst prerecording interviews and run-

ning up and down the stairs do it.

Their efforts at the AGM were incredible. It was a pretty unbelievable feat, particularly when we didn’t even know if we could do half of the stuff we did last night until just 24 hours before.

Within two minutes of me talking downstairs, an audio file of that speech was recorded, edited, put onto the system and then played out on Xpress Radio – that in itself is an unbelievable feat, and one of many occasions across the night where the media guys went above and beyond to make the AGM the best night it could be.

Want to help make the paper?

Date of next meetings: Monday, February 11th: Aneurin Bevan, 5pm (4th floor of the SU) Monday, February 18th : gair rhydd Office, 5pm (4th floor of the SU) That's it for this term – the first meeting of next term is January 28th at 5pm

Proofreaders wanted!

Got a keen eye for grammar?

Or just enjoy free pizza on Thursday nights?

Come up to the office every Thursday for free pizza and proofing.

3

Monday January 28th 2012 | @mediacsu

News in brief

Words by Matt Harding

USA: Former England footballer Paul Gascoigne has been admitted to a treatment centre in the US. The 45-year-old has willingly gone to an unnamed centre, his management company confirmed. The decision was made after concern was raised following his appearance at a charity event in Northampton last week.

He broke down on stage in front of a room full of fans.

UK: Richard III dig: DNA confirms bones are king's. A skeleton found beneath a Leicester car park has been confirmed as that of English king Richard The skeleton is 'beyond reasonable doubt' the remains of Richard III III.

Iran: Iran's supreme leader has dismissed a US offer of one-to-

one talks on Tehran's nuclear programme.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech posted online that the US was proposing talks while "pointing a gun at Iran".

UK: HMV announces 66 store closures. They currently opper-

ate 220 stores in the UK. However, the administrators of HMV have said that 66 of the music and DVD retailer's stores will close over the next two months. The decision follows the poor sales of recent months.

Russia:

Russian fighter jets 'breach Japan airspace.'

Two Russian fighter jets have violated Japanese airspace, prompting Tokyo to scramble its own aircraft, reports say. Japan lodged a protest after the planes were detected off the northern island of Hokkaido for just over a minute. The incursion comes amid protests against Russia's control over the disputed islands.

In this week’s issue...

Opinion question whether David Beckham's apparent philanthropy is genuine or not

Science debates whether cats should be banned or saved p18

p12

News reports on the NUS’s attempt to get rid of the Pole Dancing society

Politics report on the passing of Same- Sex marriage bill

Sport look at how CUTV covered the Wales-Austria game

p7

p16

p36

4 / News

“Nobody said it would be easy.. but nobody said it would be thi

Chris McSweeney and Tom Eden reflect on a tough night at the The Great Hall in the Students’ Union was packed to the rafters on Thursday night, as the 2013 Cardiff University Annual General Meeting got underway. Five motions were put forward for the consideration of over 600 representatives from all of Cardiff’s societies and individual schools. Most significantly, the delegation deliberated over motions regarding the restructuring of sabbatical officer roles for the coming year, and the possible introduction of a No-Platform policy for fascist groups, the latter being rejected by a significant majority. Throughout the opening hour of the meeting, Union Internal Affairs and Development Officer, Kieran Gandhi, gave a revealing presentation to the delegation, outlining specific figures of the Union’s revenue and expenditure in the 2011-2012 year. Significant figures included the freezing of the Union’s block grant from the University (which, if you consider inflation, is effectively a cut) at £2.3 million for the past three years; a fall in the Union’s total turnover at £6.9 million (3% since the previous year), and almost unsurprisingly, students’ £2.1 million expenditure at the Unions’ bars. Other announcements included the refurbishment of the entire fourth floor of the Union following the securing of a £300,000 contract. Gandhi was ambiguous with regard to the future lodgings of Xpress Radio, CUTV, gair rhydd and Quench, stating a temporary space would be allocated on the third floor for the foreseeable future.

Throughout the meeting, the Twitter tag “#CardiffAGM” began trending locally, with many students using the site to express opinions on the conference in real time.

Many were in response to events unfolding on stage, but a large number also complained of the meeting’s three hour duration, and others expressed distaste at the “hands in the air” method of voting, which proved at times to be quite time consuming, and tested students’ patience. Overall, however, the Ministry of Change were satisfied with the significant turnout and level of participation.

The first motion, put forward by Students’ Union President, Harry Newman, proposed a restructuring of Cardiff’s full-time Elected Officer roles - assigning one sabbatical officer to oversee the welfare and education of three of Cardiff’s individual schools, such as Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, thereby dividing the responsibility of the current Education and University Affairs Officer into three separate roles.

The increase in Education Officers, and the decision for the number of sabbatical officers to be reduced from eight to seven would have come at the expense of the Heath Campus Officer and the Union Development and Internal Affairs Officer positions. Once put to a vote, the motion failed 236 to 334, with the majority of students apparently unhappy with the notion of such radical changes. A key speaker against the motion, Ollie Wannell, said, “Sabbatical officers can learn a lesson from this, because the Union has spent a lot of money and time going through the farce of an officer review with an HR professional, when all they really needed to do was engage with students.” In spite of the opposition from students, Harry Newman later stated that the trustees had already committed to the abolishment of one position.

The second motion of the evening was put forward by Tomas Evans, and suggested that the University, and in particular, Cardiff Student Media, should adopt a No-Platform policy for fascist groups. More specifically that the University would allow “no fascist organisation, whether speaking in a party or a personal capacity would be offered a platform in person, print or any other media by Cardiff University Students’ Union.” However, arguments put forward by other speakers, including Chris Williams (Head of Student Media and gair rhydd editor), who suggested forcefully that the No-Platform policy would infringe students’ freedom of speech. Williams stated that “fascism and racism are ideas I, like the others arguing, stand wholeheartedly against. Yet who are we to silence someone’s opinion on something we disagree with?” Williams went on to suggest that in implementing a No-Platform policy, the Union could instead martyr the ideas of fascist groups. While students in favour of No-Platform maintained that the policy would not infringe freedom of speech, the motion was defeated by an approximate three-quarter majority.

Tomas Evans returned to the podium to put forward the third motion at the Annual General Meeting, which recommended that the University take a bold public stance with regard to the persecution of Palestinian Students in Israel. Evans explained to the delegation a number of injustices committed against Palestinian Students, including cases of physical violence and unjustified imprisonment. The motion dictated that Cardiff University should support the “Right to Education” Campaign, that the “International Week of Action” called for by the aforementioned campaign, and to work towards twinning Cardiff University Students’ Union with a Palestinian University or Students’ Union. In rebuttal however, Societies Officer, Adam Curtis, vehemently argued that Cardiff University as an instituion should remain neutral, as this pledge of support could potentially be interpreted as an attack on Jewish and Israeli students. The motion was rejected, 185-285 against.

Towards the end of the evening, President, Harry Newman, returned to the podium to propose the fourth motion, which was a conditioned appeal to the delegation to thank Cardiff Students’ Union current Chief Executive Officer Jason Dunlop, for what Newman described as “10 years invaluable service.” He went on to explain that under Dunlop’s tenure, the Union has achieved numerous accolades, including an Investor in People, and NUS Wales Students’ Union of the Year Award, as well as most recently the honour of being placed 5th in the National Students’ Survey list of best Student Unions. In light of these accomplishments, the delegation voted almost unanimously to put the motion through. As a result, one of the as-of-yet unbuilt new rooms on the fourth floor of the Union will be named in his honour.

Finally, and with some degree of confusion and controversy, the last motion of the evening suggested that the Union’s Delegation to the NUS National Conference 2013 should support and vote for an “Inanimate Carbon Rod” in the election for NUS President. Proposed by Glenn Page, the motion seemed to be in response to a Facebook page set up advocating the rod’s candidacy in the upcoming NUS election, although overall it appeared to be a protest motion in a bid to highlight the perceived “disenfranchisement and alienation” of students toward the NUS. Former NUS delegate, Claire Travers, took to the stage to voice her disappointment regarding students’ apathy toward the NUS, dismissing the motion as “silly and pointless.” In spite of numerous chuckles around the room throughout the deliberation, the motion was rejected overwhelmingly.

Sabbatical Reshuffle

Monday February 11th 2013 | @gairrhyddnews

Gambling with the Union’s future?

p5>>

Sabbatical reshuffle gets reshuffled

.. is hard”

e Union’s AGM

5

News 4–8

Tom Eden News Editor Following the rejection of the proposed changes to the Elected Officer positions, Harry Newman offered up a new structure, heavily influenced by the suggestions of his opposition debat-

er, Ollie Wannell. In the initial was overworked in her role, but motion, there would have been the solution was not to split the three Education Officers to rep- role in three, but rather to proresent the three new 'colleges' vide more staff support. Harry of University schools. However, admitted he was disappointed, this was met with a fair amount but conceeded that Ollie and both spoke well against of hostility, not least by theCardiff cur- Beth Union ask ‘Spotted:’ rent Education Officer Beth him. “Ultimately, I'm pleased Facebook pages close had their say on all the Button. She suggested that she tostudents

Spotted: Gone

issues, and while we may have not left the room united, we left with a concensus and that's all I could have ever have hoped for.”

The new proposal was passed with a large majority, but questions were raised as to the lack of communication with students.

p4>>

Current Roles

Proposed Roles

On the other hand...

Politics reports on the discusses the implications Liberal Democrat review of of an EU referendum Trident replacements President p12 of

the SU

p15

Brwydr rhwng Eos a’r BBC yn parhau President p24

of the SU

Roles to be implemented President of the SU

Athletic Union President

Sports Officer (AU President)

VP: Sports (AU President)

Head of Student Media

Student Media & Marketing Officer

VP: Student Media & Marketing

VP: Societies

Societies Officer

Welfare & Community Officer

Education & University Affairs Heath Park Campus Officer Union Development & Internal Affairs

Societies & Campaign Officer

College of Physical Sciences College of Arts, HUMS & Social Sciences

College of Biomed & Life Sciences

VP: Welfare & Campaigns

VP: Education

VP: Heath Campus

6 / News / Front Page

Silverfish infestation in Talybont Kendal Archer News Editor Talybont residents face insect invasion. It has recently emerged that there is a serious problem concerning the number of silverfish in Talybont. Numerous complaints have been made about the number of small, wingless insects that have infiltrated students’ flats, and seem difficult to remove.

First year Medical student Hannah Jesani, a current resident in Talybont South, said that “my flat had loads last term. House 18 definitely has a problem. It was bad in my flatmates’ rooms and in the kitchen behind the fridge.

We had the flat fumigated twice and it is slightly better now, but I still see them quite a lot.”

This is clearly an ongoing problem, a fact which is corroborated by fellow Talybont South resident of House 15, first year Medical student, Lara Jesani, who added, “a few of my flatmates have seen them as well.”

She said her flatmate, Beth

Glover, a first year English Language Student has “found them in random places in her room, for example in her shoes, and once even in her bed.”

She also explained, “There have been quite a few in the kitchen as well, underneath the sink cupboard and in the bottom cupboards. The lights are the worst, and sometimes they appear in the sink as well.”

It seems the University has been unable to solve this problem, as silverfish still occupy many of the flats even now. Current third year English Literature student, Laura Evans, remembers that she faced similar problems in her first year in Talybont South, and is concerned that nothing appears to have been done to rectify the problem in subsequent years.

She said, “I remember sitting in my bed one evening to find one making itself comfortable on my pillow. I was warned about the silverfish at Talybont even before coming to Cardiff by ex-Cardiff student. Clearly it has been an ongoing problem for years now.”

Previous issues of gair rhydd have exposed the same problems, indicating that this is certainly a problem that needs addressing. In Issue 913, published in 2010, News Editor at the time, Jamie Thunder, wrote, “Students in several flats in Block 23 have told gair rhydd that they have had cockroaches in their cupboards, bedrooms and even fridges. The insects were reported to the University in September and are still there, despite traps being laid and pest control visits.”

A University spokesperson has responded, saying, “At this time of year, and with the size and complexity of the University’s estate, it is not uncommon to have reports of problems with pests.

“We rely on residents to advise us of anything as soon as possible. Consequently, we have procedures in place to investigate and rectify any reports urgently. The University employs a specialist pest control contractor who deals with any problems as soon as possible. The contractor visits the location to investigate and commence the appropriate treatment immediately.

However, they admitted, “unfortunately, sometimes it can take several visits to rectify any problems completely. We endeavour to treat them as a matter of urgency and within reasonable time limits. We have had a small number of complaints of silverfish at Talybont, and have responded as described above.

“In residences that have had a previous problem with pests we also carry out proactive maintenance wherever possible, which sometimes includes treatments prior to the start of session or additional repairs.”

What is a silverfish?

Silverfish, also known as fishmoth, are small, wingless insects. Its diet consists mainly of carbohydrates such as sugar or starches, which perhaps explains why they are found in many of the students’ kitchens. They are able to inhabit most areas, as they require a relative humidity between 75 per cent and 95 per cent. In built up urban areas, or student accommodation for example, they are often found in basements, bathrooms, garages, closets, beds, pillows and attics.

Fortunately, the problem appears to be less severe in Talybont North.

Current first year Bon Leung, a student of Biomedical Science, who lives in Talybont North said that he has not really had any problems with silverfish.

He has heard rumours about them in other houses such as House B, but in Talybont North, the problem seems to be less serious.

Yet the overall problem remains. Complaints have been made year after year and the solutions have clearly not been permanent.

The University spokesperson concluded, saying, “if individual students have any comments or concerns regarding the services

provided, we would like to hear about them via our Customer Care policy.

Details of which can be found on the Residences web pages: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/for/resource/5191.33854.file.eng.pdf.”

Editor’s comment For first year students at Cardiff University, the chances are this is their first time living away from home. Therefore any added stress can have a serious effect on their University experience.

The silverfish infestation in the Talybont Halls of Residences must make students living there feel extremely uncomfortable.

What is even more frustrating is that this is not an new problem,

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but has been ongoing for several years now. Although silverfish aren’t harmful, the point is the University should be taking serious action to clean Halls of Residences thoroughly and ensuring that students feel as comfortable as possible in their new home.

Personally, I never came into contact with silverfish during my time in halls, however I was aware that the insects were a serious

problem for some of my friends.

For anyone dealing with silverfish in their halls, I would encourage you to make a complaint with the University as soon as possible.

It is important that something like this does not seriously effect a students’ time at University.

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7

News 4–8

Monday February 11th 2013 | @gairrhyddnews

Cardiff University launches space research programme Daniel Hill News Writer The first ever Welsh-led space research programme has been launched by Cardiff University.

The European Union’s FP7 (Framework Programme 7) SPACE programme awarded £2 million of funding to the three year SPACEKIDS project, which kicked off with a meeting of scientists and industrialists from the Netherlands, France, and Spain at the Cardiff University School of Physics and Astronomy on 28 and 29 January.

The project will work on delivering new and more effective detector technology to see real use in future space missions.

These detectors will be designed to survive the extremely cold temperatures of space in order to be used on future satellites to advance studies in astronomy and

the Earth’s own atmosphere.

The detectors specialise in capturing far infrared light, which has a wavelength a few hundred times longer than visible light. Current far infrared detectors that are in use have been extremely difficult to manufacture and operate, due to their complex nature.

The project will work on delivering new and more effective detector technology However, in conjunction with other leading European insti-

tutes, Cardiff’s School of Physics and Astronomy’s research into new Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) is offering the prospect of a new wave of detectors which are ultra-sensitive, yet much easier to produce and use.

The SPACEKIDS initiative is hoped to be a bold start for space science in Wales, with the detectors themselves being part of a new generation of instruments set to further research and understanding of the Universe and Earth.

Besides being an excellent opportunity to make use of the expertise and facilities at Cardiff and other institutes, the project boasts very real commercial benefits. Cardiff based QMC Instruments Ltd is an industrial partner of the project, providing the high tech components required by the team and in turn enabling the project’s commercial success.

It may not be long before these Welsh-born detectors could be

capturing the infra-bread of the heavens.

NUS threaten future of Pole Dancing Society Emma Browne News Writer One in four universities in the UK have some form of ‘pole fitness’ society included in their students’ unions, but the NUS Women’s Campaign is attacking pole dancing societies, calling for them to be closed down. They are concerned that these societies will become possible recruiting grounds for local lap dancing clubs and claim to be ensuring that students’ unions are supporting positive values.

The main claim is that the association of pole dancing with the sex industry will make the classes recuriting grounds for lap dancing clubs Adam Curtis, Cardiff University’s Societies Officer, has responded to the campaign, expressing that the Students’ Union is ‘completely opposed’ to the motion. He whole heartedly expressed that “students’ unions should be standing up for women’s rights and fighting against the recruitment of students within the sex industry”, but felt that this campaign was not an effective way of doing so.

The campaign wishes to make

clear that they do not intend the debate to turn into a personal attack on the members or organisers; rather, they focus on the positive values that the Union should uphold. They do not condemn the individual choices that students make, but ask what is appropriate for the Union to support. Second year Beth Atkins says, “how can it not be a comment on the girls themselves if the Union does not support the decisions they are making?”

The main claim of the campaign is that the association of pole dancing with the sex industry will make the classes recruiting grounds for lap dancing clubs. Some statistics show that as many as one in 3 dancers in strip clubs are students; however, there is no concrete evidence that pole fitness has been the recruiting ground for these girls. This is something that Adam Curtis criticised the campaign for, as they haven’t given any evidence that recruitment from the clubs is happening.

The campaign expresses the opinion that it is impossible for the pole dancing societies to ‘divorce the activity from its origins’. In a campaign leaflet, it claims that ‘pole dancing was created to exploit women’s bodies for financial gain and still does,’ and does not feel that a change of circumstances can alter this. In his response, Adam Curtis disagrees with this, saying that Cardiff University’s Pole Dancing Society removes the sport from its origins precisely

by changing the circumstances in which it is practiced. Although pole dancing was created by the sex industry to make money, and still regularly features within it, second year student Lydia Hall believes that “by taking control of how pole dancing is presented, with different clothes and out of a sexual situation, women can take control of the sport, instead of allowing men to control it”.

With different clothes and out of a sexual context, women can take control of the sport, instead of allowing men to control it The campaign expresses the concern that allowing these societies to exist will increase the objectification of women, and will actively encourage girls to use their skills to make money. These are legitimate problems that unions must face as they have a responsibility to the students that they represent. However, Adam Curtis insists that banning pole dancing within the Union is not the way to tackle this issue.

He calls for NUS to directly tackle the student sex trade, “rather than attack innocent individuals and societies who simply wish to remain healthy and have fun.”

8 / News

12 students STEP towards excellence Kendal Archer News Editor On Wednesday 6th February, twelve students were awarded certificates for successfully completing the Pacific Institutes Steps to Excellence for Personal Success Course. The course was completed five weeks before the students were awarded with the certificate of Personal Development.

The presentation took place in the brand new Student Development Centre on the second floor of the Students’ Union, and was attended by Head of Student Media, Chris Williams, who took account of the events.

Harry Newman, President of the Students’ Union, awarded the certificates.

Students who have completed the course have outlined their main focuses that have resulted from their completion of STEPS.

Alexandra Phillips said an aim was, “starting my own retail business”, and Aiman Nurtazina said, “setting goals and changing myself for the better.” Muzghan Shirzai added, the importance of being “more focused and flexible,” while Joshua Sandin said it enabled him to be “the best person I can be.”

It plays a very important role in empowering students with the selfconfidence to take control of their lives SDS Training and Development Manager, John Steele, said, “This course plays a very im-

portant role in empowering students with the self-confidence to take control of their lives and to decide what it is they want to achieve.

“It teaches them personal accountability, leadership and positive thinking. It instils in them the positive mind set needed to overcome barriers in all areas of their lives.

“Seeing so many smiling faces at the end of the programme gives me a sense of great pleasure and I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the students who have successfully completed the course.”

Overall, the response to the course has been very positive.

Tommy Yeung, second year Geograhpy and Planning student said, “I take opportunities when they come up... I've been to skills development sessions before, the course sounded good and it's really influenced my life. If anyone

is wishing to look at their life differently, or take chances or maybe you're not sure what you're doing in life, this is a great course to take.”

Muzghan Shirzai, second year Sociology and Education student also responded positively to the course, saying, “I really liked the course. I struggled with anxiety

a bit; coming to this gave me the courage to pass my driving test. I completely credit my driving test success to STEPS. I knew I had skills to cope with my exam anxiety in January.”

Finally, Tina Vodovnik said, “If you can change the way you think about yourself you can achieve anything.”

Students react to £845,000 library fines

Eliza Nicholas News Writer

Last week the gair rhydd published a startling article on the library fines collected from students at the University. The £845,000 worth of fines accumulated in the last three years for unreturned books produced mixed responses from the students, addressing matters such as the student budget, what the money gets spent on, and the threat of being unable to graduate whilst in debt to the library. Here are a few reactions: Neil English Language

Rosie English Literature

“I think fines are necessary, but it’s wrong that they’re budgeted for and spent on staff salaries. They should go towards enhancing university events or go to charity!”

“They're good because they make people return their books. Although there should definitely be a cap in place, otherwise they get too expensive.”

Dom English Language “The fines are essential, but charging over £800,000 in three years is a lot, we are students!”

Maria English Language “I think the money should be spent on more electronic books. That way you can access them online and avoid getting fines.”

Marco Communications “I've had at least £20 of fines.

It's ridiculous how much students have to spend on these resources.”

Lina Law Student “Fining late books is needed because it's annoying when you go to get a book and someone hasn't brought it back! But they shouldn't bring it into graduation, that's quite scary.”

Hannah Psychology Student “People would be too lazy to return books if there weren't fines! It ensures there are books in the library and also creates money for new books - everyone wins!”

Ben English Language “I reckon if there are going to be fines, all money made should be put back into the library, perhaps increasing the number of computers and electronic resources.”

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11

Opinion 11–14

Monday February 11th 2013 | @gairrhyddop

For & Against

The right to vote at 16?

Last month, MPs voted in favour of lowering the voting age to 16. Sarah Hay and Jenny Morgan debate whether or not this was the right decision.

L

For

ast month, MPs voted in favour of lowering the voting age to 16 and the motion was passed in the Commons by 119 to 46! Having such a huge majority, 73, makes you wonder how this hasn’t already happened.

Considering the fact that, at 16, you can leave school, join the armed forces, claim benefit, apply for council housing, get married with your parents’ consent and start a family, why can’t you vote?

For many, the bulk of these things are proof of independence and show that you are an adult, even though the official age of majority is 18. Although there is a lot of support for the idea, politically and publically, the move is not backed by the Conservative party, and a spokesperson for the Prime Minister said the government “has no plans to change the voting age”.

There is an opinion that young people are naïve and do not know what is best for their country; yet there are plenty of adults that are in much the same position and therefore probably choose not to vote. The most recent election showed a low electoral turnout, especially in the under-25 age group, which could have been a result of them distrusting politicians, a lack of knowledge of the parties and not feeling that they can make a difference. Although these views are shared by many 16 and 17-year-olds, most still want a chance to vote.

Many young, would-be voters argue that they should be allowed to have a say in changes that will affect their future. A recent controversial change, enacted by the coalition, was an increase in tuition fees, which countless 16 and 17-year-olds would not have wanted to come into effect, as it will affect choice in higher education for many people in this age group. Many MPs agree and main supporter of this proposal, Lib Dem Stephen Williams, thinks a change would be a “vital step in the renewal of Britain’s democracy”.

At the 2010 election in the UK, there were a lot of politically active and aware teenagers who would have liked to voice their opinions by voting, but were too young. By having a live television debate, the teenage generation were able to get more involved in politics than ever and many schools carried out mock elections, having local MPs come into school to meet them.

If the voting age is lowered, teenagers who show an interest in politics will finally be allowed a say. This may result in more political education in schools, so that new voters have a proper idea of the issues and who they are voting for and can pick the right candidate, rather than being influenced by others. Overall, if someone has an interest in politics and support how the country is run, then they should be able to vote, no matter whether they are classed as an adult or not. JM

A

“

At the 2010 election in the UK, there were a lot of politically active and aware teenagers who would have liked to voice their opinions by voting

Against

t 16 years old, I could just about get to grips with algebra, never mind the politics of the day. Have 16-year-olds really had enough life experience to decide the order of the country? Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams believes they do, alongside a 116 to 49 vote in the House of Commons this January.

It is true that, at 16 years of age, you can leave education, marry with parental consent and even buy a goldfish, along with a handful of other opportunities, but the implication of parental consent clearly shows that 16-year-olds are not adults in the eyes of the law. The idea that 16-year-olds, the majority of which who are in full-time education and do not pay taxes, could be able to decide how the tax-payer’s money is spent is truly baffling. Merely three years after becoming a teenager, 16-year-olds are not mature enough for ground-breaking decisions in the running of the country. Despite the majority of the House of Commons believing this would be a great idea, how many 16-year-olds would honestly care if they got to vote? I find it hard to believe that most 16-year-olds would even take the opportunity to vote, considering most issues do not affect them, resulting in a complete waste of time. Surely most 16-year-olds lack interest and opinion on topics that consequently change the face of Britain, while the other bunch are being

influenced by their parents views anyway.

Statistics show that most 18 to 24-year-olds do not even take their chance to vote, so the likelihood of 16-year-olds taking time from their precious computer to head down to the local polling station is even more unlikely.

In fact, imagine how many votes the ‘Fancy Dress Party’ and ‘Official Monster Raving Loony Party’ would increase by if 16-year-olds suddenly got to vote.

Understandably, there are probably a minority of 16-yearolds that are eagerly interested in politics and would want to vote, but this does not escape the fact that they lack maturity and life experience in the political issues that are raised in the House of Commons. If the state can’t trust a 16-year-old with a Swiss Army penknife, then honestly, how can they decide the future of political Britain? I agree that elements of society affect 16-year-olds, but it also affects every age; will Stephen Williams be suggesting the vote to 10-year-olds next too? This is a circle that will never end. The legal age to purchase tobacco and alcohol is 18 years old, so let’s keep the status quo and keep the voting age at that too.

SH

o

? om on d.c i in yd op rrh an gai ot @ G on ni pi

12 / Opinion David Beckham, the philanthropist?

Max Eshraghi discusses whether David Beckham's charitable gestures are in fact for personal gain

I

n a move that grabbed headlines across the world on a busy transfer deadline day, Beckham chose his final club. Snubbing English teams in an exciting but unsurprising move, the 37-yearold former England captain will settle this year at French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain.

Rumours had been swirling for months about such a transfer.

Reports that Victoria Beckham was searching for apartments in France were early indicators, while PSG’s alleged purchase of 20,000 shirts with Beckham’s handsome face plastered over them was also a dead giveaway.

The arrival of ‘the Spice Boy’ will shine an even brighter spotlight on the Ligue 1 team But perhaps the bigger news story was his publicity-friendly rejection of his fee, which became a £1 million donation to a Paris children’s charity. Claims have been made that this was a tactical decision, not only as a favourable PR stunt, but because Beckham would gain a huge tax break. Whether this philanthropic gesture is a genuinely well-intentioned move by the typically charitable Beckhams or just a cynical publicity stunt is up for debate. If it’s the latter – well – it worked a treat.

The arrival of a man who some French papers have dubbed ‘the Spice Boy’ will shine an even brighter spotlight on the already lucrative Ligue 1 team. Undoubtedly, wherever he moved, the media would have flocked. PSG manager Carlo Ancelotti was just lucky enough to grab the £160 million football star. Well, he was Beckham’s manager at AC Milan for a brief loan spell, so maybe

luck had nothing to do with it.

"I was lucky to work with Carlo and [director of football] Leonardo for a few months," Beckham said. "[Zlatan Ibrahimovic] is one of the players I'm excited to play alongside. Ibra was someone I've watched for many years, in my early days playing for England against Sweden, and I always felt he could be one of the best players in the world.

"I watched a lot of games last year and a lot of games this season. There's a lot of talent in this team."

Ancelotti echoed his praise.

“He’s 37 but still has the motivation and the physical condition…

He’s one of the most serious and professional players I’ve ever known.”

But if anyone believes this move is purely for footballing reasons, they must not have considered the motives of PSG’s Qatari owners. The Qataris are businessmen first and foremost, and like the rest of the world, they know the value of ‘brand Beckham’. A 62 per cent rise in Real Madrid’s shirt sales when Beckham signed for them in 2003 would not have gone unnoticed.

PSG is a club with a growing profile, and surely it can’t hurt to have one of the world’s most famous footballers on their side.

On the pitch, it is expected Beckham will bring leadership and experience, giving a boost to a team already at the top of their game, although whether he will be a greater benefit on or off the pitch remains to be seen.

Everyone has an opinion. Email us your ideas at opinion@ gairrhydd.com

Students open dialogue with ENCAP lecturers Michael Halliday Opinion Writer

This past month has been interesting for students of English Language and Communication.

Mere days before they were due to sit exams, a number of students received coursework back with comments and feedback that, at best, was ambiguous, and at worst, belittling and patronising. Some of the comments received included "is this just copy and paste of anything you can find?" and "I can only assume you didn’t attend the lectures and seminars". These are very damning claims, I’m not sure what the implicature of ‘copy and paste’ is, but my inference is plagiarism, which, given we have procedures such as Turnitin in place to check and validate students' work, it is not the place of the marker to make such assumptions and acrimonious comments.

Imagine how disheartening it would be to receive comments

like "your work reads like a series of copied and pasted sentences" when, ironically, you’re revising harder than ever to compensate for your awful (and, in my opinion, overly harsh) coursework mark with your exam.

After realising that the grievances weren’t isolated to just a few students and that it was more of a general trend among students, CLCR (Centre for Language and Communication Research) academic reps took it upon themselves to contact the head of ENCAP, feeling it was necessary to make a bold statement, after having concerns "fobbed off" in Staff–Student Panel meetings in the past.

The reps didn’t expect to be taken seriously. Perhaps that’s just student cynicism, but you will be pleased to hear that the head of school, Martin Kayman, responded immediately and promised to take the issue of non-constructive and sarcastic feedback from markers "very se-

riously".

The reps were asked to attend a meeting with Dr Alessandra Tanesini, head of teaching in ENCAP to explain their grievances face-to-face and make sure they were clearly understood. Tasenini is currently in the process of developing a focus group involving both students and markers to decide and set guidelines for what is appropriate feedback.

It’s excellent to see lecturers and administrative staff taking student concerns seriously. It’s also nice to see the ethereal wall between the student and the lecturer being dissolved and problems being openly discussed, rather than discontent and unhappiness festering below the surface. This kind of open discussion requires maturity from students to voice their problems in a constructive way but also a sense of responsibility from lecturers to accept that they are not infallible and are subject to the review and criticism of students.

Barack Obama, Chris McSweeney

Opinion Writer In America, three things have a consistent and unflinching chokehold on the President’s agenda (much to the dismay of socially-minded liberal thinkers); God, Gays, and Guns. Recently, the third of the “three Gs” has been heavily under the spotlight in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings, and calls for tighter restrictions on the sale and ownership of firearms have sparked yet another Conservative-Liberal debate in the United States.

In his second-term inauguration last month, President Barack Obama turned his guns on gun control, and promised to follow through on his pledge to tighten up legislation regarding background checks. A potential assault weapons ban has been the subject of intense debate for weeks. The typically Republican conservative pro-gun lobby has

been less than impressed.

The National Rifle Association, which is America’s largest and most powerful political advocacy group, has come out all guns blazing. They have released a seemingly endless number of press releases and political broadcast videos, often accusing Barack Obama of hypocrisy on account of the fact that his own children are protected by men with guns.

The Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza, is said to have been failed by numerous mental health professionals The rest of the usually rightwing and possibly insane pro-gun lobby has found yet more ammu-

nition to label Barack Obama a Nazi-Communist – on account of the fact that such regulation could be perceived as a challenge to the second amendment.

To some Americans, the second amendment to the constitution – which protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms – is held sacrosanct. Garden variety arguments in favour of the amendment usually claim that an armed populace is the only defence against tyranny or foreign occupation. This is working out well in Somalia – a beacon of stability, and a world leader in well-armed populaces. However, typical arguments against the amendment include that it is an outdated idea which was only necessary to justify the shooting of British people in the late 18th Century, and that America is not short of crazy people. Making firearms readily available in a country with a reputation for

Opinion 11–14

Monday February 11th 2013 | @gairrhyddop

13

Six Nations frenzy: The Welsh perspective Beth Lyons gives her take on what it means to be a Welsh rugby fan in such trying times

FEED ME TILL I WANT NO MORE

I

t is a truth universally acknowledged that a Welsh person’s first love is usually rugby. Wales comes to a standstill on days of international games, as anyone who has visited the centre of Cardiff on a match day will appreciate. Streets are filled with stumbling dragons, daffodils and leeks as fans consume copious amounts of beverages under the guise that it is acceptable to have a beer at breakfast time because it’s the Six Nations.

Rugby is not merely an excuse for the Welsh to get inebriated; it is a major aspect of Welsh culture.

There are countless rugby songs, ranging from the iconic Delilah to Max Boyce’s Hymns and Arias, a song that celebrates a triumphant win over the old enemy, the English (don’t shoot the messenger).

There is much fuss made over the rivalry between Welsh and English rugby; the Welsh do not

really hate the English, we just don't admire gloating English fans reminding us of their past triumphs. The first world cup of the 21st century is a touchy subject in Wales, on a similar scale to Harry Potter mentioning YouKnow-Who’s name.

Wales’ national sport is played anywhere and everywhere by the youth of Wales who hope to emulate their heroes, who range from J.P.R Williams to Gavin Henson, currently sponsored by St. Tropez.

Local rugby clubs are often at the heart of Welsh communities, providing an opportunity for youngsters to showcase their abilities whilst over competitive parents scream commands from the sidelines. These institutions are where legends such as Shane Williams and Barry John learned to ply their trade, rising up through the rugby hierarchy.

Rugby is the only thing that in-

producing radical and disturbed individuals might not be the best idea.

All joking aside, some often unheard neutrals in the argument have put forward the idea that treatments for mental health in the United States are the real issue. The Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza, is said to have been failed by numerous mental health professionals. In this light, it is possible that the state of mental healthcare treatment in the United States is equally as important as gun control, if not more so.

Commentators have stated that many psychiatrists’ typical response to most patients is to prescribe medication. No sit-down on the couch, no careful evaluation. “Just take your Ritalin and get back to school. We’ll put the bill on your mom’s health insurance.”

This paradigm of throwing meds at the issue is unlikely to

change any time soon either, with pharmaceutical companies (also rather good at lobbying the US Government) profiting massively from this lacklustre approach to tackling American teenagers’ mental health issues. Mental health is also highly unlikely to be focused on by the media in the near future, in the midst of a dramatic debate about guns, I doubt many people would care.

A picture of President Barack Obama clay pigeon shooting was released by the White House last week in an attempt to silence critics who claimed that he’d never used a gun in his life.

This pandering to the pro-gun lobby can only be perceived by an outside observer as a hollow gesture which only detracts from the real issue. In America, mentally unstable people have access to firearms. And no amount of PR brownnosing is going to change that. God bless America.

fluences Wales’ mood more than the ever-changing weather. In the aftermath of a disastrous rugby game a cloud of disappointment covers the country, with the national topic of conversation consisting of where, why and how the match went wrong. The occasional downbeat afternoon following a defeat is worth the excruciating pain experienced as nothing can beat the atmosphere that occurs following a Welsh win. Strangers embrace each other, everyone wears a smile and all unite in a patriotic wave of jubilation.

Although I am clearly biased towards Wales, many fans of other rugby nations would agree that Cardiff is the best place to experience a rugby match in the world. The fortress that is the Millennium Stadium strikes fear into visiting opponents through the sheer pride and passion displayed by the Welsh fans. It is a

remarkably friendly atmosphere with banter exchanged between home and away fans that is in no way malicious. This contrasts with rugby’s ugly cousin, football, which can boast of an unwelcoming and bitter atmosphere found at many stadiums across Britain.

The big question sitting uncomfortably on all Welsh rugby fan’s lips at the moment seems to be why Wales are unable to play more than forty minutes of quality rugby. From watching the last few games, it seems apparent that Wales hibernate in the first half and suddenly burst into life with around half an hour to go, which has proven too late in the face of quality opposition such as Australia and Ireland.

There is understandable anxiety over whether Wales will have to settle for the infamous wooden spoon this Six Nations season, with the usual recipients, Italy, having got their campaign

off to a flying start after triumphing over the French. Add to that the fear of our all-black defeating neighbours along with the ever improving Scottish squad and a situation arises within which even the most optimistic of Welsh fans may feel a sense of doubt. The elusive grandslam is out of Wales’ short reach, characteristic of our poor line-outs after Saturday’s disappointing defeat to a deserving Irish team. The next challenge facing Wales is waiting in Paris, with both sides needing to prove a point to their expectant fans. I, along with the rest of Wales, will be watching through eager eyes and hoping that the lads remember the basic principles of rugby (particularly within the first half). If the game on French soil on Saturday is a complete and utter car crash, all will be forgiven, as long as we beat the English; Wales will not care.

the gun-toting Action Man

14 / Columnist

by Liam McNeilly

I

was in Bute Library on Monday afternoon trying my hardest to appear studious, as I sat with numerous books open on my desk that I hadn’t really read or considered in any great detail. I was in the process, a slow process, of writing an essay in which I discussed the susceptibility of politicians to scandal.

One point was that the growing focus on the personality in political life means that the lines between a politician’s private life and their work have been well and truly blurred. The media and the general public seem to be becoming more and more embroiled in the private affairs of politicians rather than their decision-making.

As I said, writing my essay was a slow process, as is usually the case, and rather than considering the arguments in the books in front of me, I was regularly checking up on my Twitter feed, an ever reliable distraction (or remedy, depending on your point of view) from work. In a moment of coincidence, the texts sent between Chris Huhne and his son began to appear on my feed.

The events leading to the publishing of these texts is not really worth debating. Huhne’s actions, when he asked his wife to take the blame, and three points on her driving licence for a speeding offence was wrong and it’s no surprise that he has now resigned and pleaded

guilty to the charge of perverting the course of justice. When the perpetrator is an MP or an MEP, as he was at the time of the offence, it is always likely to cause a media storm.

His resignation and guilty plea were apparently not sufficient to satisfy the preying media. As pictures broke of the text message exchanges between Huhne and his son, they were distributed across the social-media-sphere in seconds, further humiliating a man whose career has been ruined by what started out as the simple matter of a speeding ticket.

To forget that Lid Dem MPs are human would be an understandable mistake, but nevertheless a mistake. The breakdown of his relationship with his son should be of no concern to anyone other than those directly involved.

In another matter of coincidence immediately before coming to the Union to pen this column, my Media Law lecture discussed the big difference between what is ‘In the public interest’ and what is ‘In the interest of the public’.

There’s no doubt that this scenario falls under

the latter.

But it isn’t just the fact that personal issues such as this should have been kept private, it is the way in which the media revelled in revealing the heartbreak of severely damaged relationship between father and son. As they broke the stories, it seemed they were taking pleasure from it.

Reading the harsh and hateful jousts of his son, Peter, as Chris Huhne attempted to repair their torn apart relationship should have struck a chord with anyone with a pulse. Nevertheless, on Tuesday they were the foundation for the Mirror’s front-page story.

The words, “Dad, you disgust me” were strewn across the elder Huhne’s face as way of reminding them that even after his guilty plea, the public were now satisfying their need for gossip by gorging on the shattered remains of their family.

Elsewhere the Daily Mail went with a headline “You’re a pathetic loser, a joke”, and it would not surprise me if they found immense pleasure in publishing a story with such a vile, insensitive headline. I’m not suggesting that breaching sensitive subjects isn’t necessary in journalism, but it is when it has no bearing on the case at hand, and is breached only for the sake of heartless gossip.

Whilst images and stories of Huhne were in print on Tuesday, my mind was focused in a different direction, as the same sex marriage bill was given its second reading in Parliament and later, voted on.

As I’m sure the majority are aware, the bill was passed with a substantial majority of 225 following the second reading and subsequent debate lasting around six-and-a-half hours.

I wrote about this issue in gair rhydd back in November after Lord Carey had made

comments comparing the government’s stance on the issue to Nazi Germany. At that point, the vote on this bill seemed a long way off, as the Tories became splintered on the issue. But I felt a combined sense of relief and contentedness as Minister for Women and Equalities, Maria Miller, began the second reading of the bill early on Tuesday afternoon. Especially as just days previous, a group of local Tory chairs presented a petition to David Cameron in the hope of stalling the bill.

Considering the disagreement amongst Conservatives on the issue, there are those who feel that this has been a case of attempted political point scoring rather than a matter of principle. I couldn’t disagree more.

I may disagree with the Prime Minister on lots of issues, but I don’t contest that there is a genuine and principled attempt amongst some Conservatives to modernise. I don’t contest that Maria Miller cares strongly for its passing and her work to do so is commendable. Legislation like this, is a justified part of this modernisation.

T h e term ‘on the wrong side of history’ was used in abundance to describe those opposed the bill, but it was done so justifi-

ably. Those who voted against did so, at large, with the fear mongering arguments from the more backward members of religious groups ringing in their ears. Many of which arguments, were not even relevant to the bill itself.

At one point, David Simpson MP, a member of the Northern Irish DUP, attempted to use one of the most childish homophobic remarks to justify his position. “In the garden of Eden, it was Adam and Steve…” he mumbled before realising the how embarrassing, and hilariously so, his slip of the tongue was. It is opinions like this which Tory opposition was aligning itself with on Tuesday.

If you wanted to hear a passionate and rational speech from the debate, I would advise looking no further than that of David Lammy MP, himself a Christian (The full speech has been uploaded to You Tube). “It is the end of an organic journey from criminality to equality… Separate but equal is a fraud. Separate but equal is the kind of language that tried to push Rosa Parks to the back of the bus… This is not separate but equal, but separate and discriminated.” he said, and I can’t agree with him more wholeheartedly.

There is no understating what a landmark moment this is for the UK & speeches such as his can serve as reminders of just how important this is to our society.

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16 / Politics

Same-Sex Marriage Bill passes through Commons Politics reporter Adam Duce reports on the House of Commons vote to equalise marriage, and looks ahead to its passage through the rest of Parliament.

O

n Tuesday 5th February at 7pm, MPs voted in the House of Commons with their free vote on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill which would allow same sex couples to marry, as opposed to the current system whereby their relationship can only be formalised through a civil partnership.

The results were conclusive with 400 MPs voting in favour of the bill and 175 MPs voting against; a majority of 225. But what are the effects of the passing of the bill at the second reading stage? Why is it that if we do indeed live in a ‘free and equal’ society that there are 175 MPs who don’t believe same sex couples have the right to marry?

The results were not as gloomy as predicted in regards to the Tory vote with 136 Conservative MPs voting against the bill, when an estimated 150-180 MPs were expected to do so. However, these MPs continue to voice their concerns which Yvette Cooper, Shadow Women and Equalities Minister, grouped into four main arguments and dismissed in turn.

These four arguments that led the majority of Tory MPs to vote against the bill included the fear that churches would be forced to conduct same sex marriages against their will. Women and Equalities Minister Maria Miller explained that this would not be the case, and that safeguards would be in place to protect religious freedoms, “equal marriage should not come at the cost of freedom of faith – nor freedom of faith come at the cost of equal marriage”.

The second argument against the passing of the bill which Yvette Cooper highlighted was the convention of marriage being purely between a man and a woman. Arguments were raised in the House concerning how marriage has changed over recent decades. Women are no longer the ‘property’ of men; rape in marriage was finally recognised as a criminal offence in the 1990s and civil marriage has existed now for over 175 years.

Yvette Cooper admitted it was quite a 'radical step', but the institution of marriage has not been a purely religious one for quite some time now, therefore this bill poses much less of a threat.

Disgust in the House ensued when Sir Roger Gale, Thanet North Conservative MP, equated the idea of same sex marriage with incest: “If the Government is serious about this, abolish civil partnership, abolish marriage

and bring in a new Bill bringing partnerships across society. If this was done, then marriage between everyone in society should be equal – even between brother and sister, or brother and brother”.

Yvette Cooper countered the third argument against the passing of the bill which was in regard to marriage being about procreation by explaining to the House that some heterosexual couples were not able to procreate.

Should we therefore deny them marriage as well? She also highlighted the problems that certain married couples face in terms of disability, ill-health and oldage which have prevented them from having children and indeed those married couples who simply do not wish to have children.

Her conclusion was that putting forward the argument that marriage is for procreation alienates a lot of couples who are already married, and isn’t an issue which is focussed entirely on same-sex relationships.

The final argument raised against the bill was that by allowing same-sex marriage to take place this would weaken and undermine the concept of heterosexual marriage, and also society as a whole. In terms of same-sex marriage undermining the concept of heterosexual marriage, one Labour MP highlighted his

“

Four hundred MPs voted in favour of the bill and a hundred and seventy five MPs voted against; a safe majority of two hundred and twenty five

concerns explaining that countries in which same sex marriage had been introduced have seen a drop in the number of heterosexual marriages that take place.

Yvette Cooper dismissed this saying that international figures generally have seen a slight reduction in marriages in recent years and that there was no correlation between the two.

Conservative MP, Brian Binley, expressed his concerns over the bill in relation to the undermining of society saying, “[gay marriage] poses the greatest risk to the stability of society since the social tsunami of the 1960s”.

Again, Yvette Cooper explained that countries which have passed the bill have not fallen apart, including Roman Catholic Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Canada and certain states of the USA. She concluded her speech by saying that “gay and lesbian couples have been locked out of too much for too long”.

Indeed throughout the debate, there was much homage paid towards gay people in society who had been stigmatised and had either died through fighting for their beliefs or could no longer face the persistent disgust that they met on a daily basis feeling unwelcome in their own country.

Certain MPs highlighted what they saw as pitfalls in the bill such as Labour MP, Jim Dobbin, who

believed that religious freedoms, adoption issues and adultery cases were not fully recognised in the bill, and far from being homophobic, were concerned about the legislation in place to protect these concerns.

The results of the bill have deeply divided the Conservative party with 136 MPs voting against, 127 in favour, 35 not voting and 5 registering an abstention. In the House of Commons debate there was, according to one female Labour MP, a clear generational divide and the majority of people under the age of 50 were in full support of the bill, but it was with those over the age of 50 where support was far more questionable. This does indeed relate to the Conservative Party with the majority over the age of 50 voting against.

Conservative MP David Burrowes, who voted against the bill, predicted that the legislation would receive substantial opposition from the House of Lords, with the bill now needing to go through committee stage, report stage, final reading and then subject to any amendments before being passed. However, David Cameron said Tuesday’s vote had been “an important step forward” and Labour Leader, Ed Milliband, called it “a proud day”.

17

Politics 16-18

Monday Feburary 11th2013 2013||@gairrhyddpol @gairrhyddpol January 28th

Huhne resignation triggers uncertain by-election Chris McSweeney investigates speculations over party confidence and strategy

L

ast Monday, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne resigned from his Eastleigh seat due to on-going legal proceedings. The implications for the LibDem party could be interesting, as their perennial safe seat will now open to an impending by-election.

The loss of Chris Huhne himself will be a significant blow to the party, as Huhne was one of their most prominent MPs. After narrowly missing the nomination for LibDem party leader to Nick Clegg in 2008, Huhne was the architect of many of the Liberal Democrats’ green policies, endearing him to many climateconcerned voters.

Huhne's pro-green interests eventually led to his appointment as Minister for the Department of Energy and Climate Change in the wake of the 2010 election.

However, he was forced to resign his position in February of last year, following the announcement of his prosecution for perverting the course of justice.

Now that Huhne has pleaded guilty to the charge and resigned as an MP, this could prove to be a PR nightmare for the already unpopular LibDems.

Commentators have speculated that this is a unique opportunity for both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Clegg's party will have the chance to prove they won’t be wiped out in the 2015 election, while Cameron

Chris Huhne resigns as MP for Eastleigh, resulting in a not-so-safe seat will be keen to prove they can win a majority. Snatching a safe seat from their Coalition partners will be a significant moral victory. Labour have not typically been competitive regarding the Eastleigh seat, and therefore will likely not set aside significant resources to campaign in the constituency.

However, there will be equal dangers to both parties, as UKIP will look to seize the oppportu-

niy to assert their potential as an electoral force at Lib Dem's expense. Immediately following Huhne’s resignation, it was widely speculated that Nigel Farage might make a bid for his seat, as he famously ran for the constituency in 1994.

The UKIP leader has denied this, stating that he has no intention of running for the seat as he is committed to his MEP role.

Farage stated, “We already have a

dozen excellent people who have put their names forward to stand as the UKIP candidate in Eastleigh. Whoever is chosen will have my full support, and the support of everyone in the party.”

According to the latest Ipsos MORI polls, the LibDems are at their lowest level of public support since 1990, while support for UKIP is at an all-time high. It is as of yet unclear what effect the resignation of Huhne will have

on the LibDems’ chances of holding Eastleigh, yet it is certain the Conservatives and UKIP will be aiming for a victory.

Huhne’s trial is ongoing, as is that of his ex-wife Vicky Pryce, who is also being tried for the same offence. Ms Pryce brought the case to the attention of the police in May of 2011 following Mr Huhne's alleged infidelity.

Cameron holds Afghanistan-Pakistan peace talks Matt Harding

Politics Writer David Cameron last week played host to the next round of security talks with the heads of state from Pakistan and Afghanistan, following the first two rounds in New York and Kabul last year.

These talks are intended for the discussion of how to tackle the continuing threat of the Taliban in the region, whilst also furthering cooperation between the two recently reconciled states.

The talks took place at Chequers Court, the official residence of the Prime Minister. They were

intended to further the increasing cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with both sides contributing to strategy for bringing an end to the violence involving the Taliban.

Recently officials from the cooperating nations have called for the Taliban to establish an office alongside the Afghan office in the Qatari city, Doha. This is intended to 'open a dialog' between the Taliban and representatives of the nations involved in an effort to achieve peace. This news follows a statement from both sides which suggested the urgency

of the Afghan peace process after the Afghans had “committed themselves to take all necessary measures to achieve the goal of a peace settlement over the next six months”.

With the planned withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan in 2014, the news is welcomed in potentially bringing an early end to the fighting. However, the date for pulling troops out is unlikely to be fast tracked with it being probable that many of the troops will remain to ‘mind the peace’ until at least this date.

The BBC’s World Correspondent has stated that “overcoming the mistrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan remains a central issue.” Issues include the contested Durand Line, established over 120 years ago by British Colonial Rule. The line which provides the border between the two nations has been fought over for the most part of 60 years.

This history shared provides a barrier for the full cooperation to be a success, but so far, the talks have seen unprecedented levels of unity and strategy from both

sides. Both President Karzai of Afghanistan and President Zardari of Pakistan are 're-affirming their commitments' to signing a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA), to encourage closer ties.

Whilst President Karzai would describe the two nations as “inseparable brothers” success in bringing to a close the violent role of the Taliban across the region is essential to maintaining such close ties.

Rightfully, the two nations have been pulled closer together than ever before in an effort to eradicate the continuing threat,

so it is likely that with a remaining Taliban influence the two nations would struggle in future cooperation regarding peace in the region.

This is an extremely important time for the establishing control over the troubled border areas where the Taliban thrive. If this can be achieved by peaceful negotiations, where boots on the ground are seemingly unable to win, the world would herald it as a victory for diplomacy and may even learn from it before engaging itself in future futile struggles.

18/ Politics

Young people hit hardest by UK unemployment The current unemployment figures are a very mixed bag: whilst they are down overall, youth unemployment continues to rise. Politics reporter Charlie Mock attempts to make sense of it all

W

ith a 0.7 per cent decrease in the UK’s staggering unem-

ployment rates and 37,000 more people in some kind of work, it seems the country might be starting to get back on track.

Far from the lows of 2004 when only 4.4 per cent of the popula-

tion was out of work, 7.7 per cent, the lowest since May 2011, still leaves a massive 2.5 million Brits jobless. Companies going bust left right and centre certainly doesn’t take the weight off the shoulders

2.5 million Brits face tough unemployment

of the millions scouring the classifieds and job centres for a bit of work. The latest casualty, HMV, has already caused 190 job losses despite having been bought-out by the retail restructuring group, Hilco. What’s more, the closure of between 60 and 100 stores nationwide resulting in an expected job loss for a further 1,500 employees doesn’t exactly suggest a bright future for retailers and job seekers alike.

Hardest hit above all other age categories are the 16-24 year olds. Youth unemployment rates, though still under 1 million, show that 1,000 more young people are out of work. This increase leaves the UK with the third highest youth unemployment levels out of all countries within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, beaten only by Spain and Greece, countries with overall unemployment rates above 26 per cent.

According to recent plans, attempts to decrease youth unemployment by providing programs from local councils rather than national companies should result in a 20 per cent decrease in the numbers of young people without work. Though these plans boast an ambitious outcome, the LGA (Local Government Association) believe that a ‘hands-off’ approach from Westminster will

allow those aged between 16 and 24 and currently without work to be put into contact with people who understand their situation on a better level.

The figures for claimants of Job Seekers Allowance show that 1.56 million Brits are receiving aid during their present unemployment, leaving nearly one million ineligible for support. Though this suggests that their income is, in regards to government requirements, enough to allow a suitable standard of living, little data is available to prove that those in desperate need of help are getting it.

Reports from the USA suggest that many people currently searching the market for a job are avoiding claiming benefits, as they believe it will damage their chances of winning the positions they are applying for. Though aid systems in the US differ from those in place in the UK, the stigma attached to being on benefits is certainly similar.

Despite all the doom and gloom, it seems the country might be heading in the right direction, or at least for now. After all, slow and steady wins the race, and who knows? Maybe the UK’s job market is taking advice from the tortoise on this one. We can only hope…

Week in WAG talks NHS reforms Rachel Victoria Lewis Politics Editor

The Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones has issued a caution that the Welsh NHS faces collapse without reorganisation. This controversial view was revealed in a honest interview with the BBC Sunday Politics last week.

His decisions may not prove popular at the ballot box, but the FM feels certain that reform is needed in order to provide a “safe and sustainable health service”.

The WAG may have received more health powers, but Carwyn Jones admits “we can’t replicate the entire British NHS here in Wales” and therefore some services will have to be delivered in England. He believes that these unpopular reforms are necessary and “it would collapse otherwise - there’s no question of it”.

For instance the specialist services of Great Ormond Street hospital cannot be mimicked in Wales. In actuality, services to children have been cut in some areas. Protest broke out in North Wales when neonatal care unit

was moved to a hospital at a greater distance from the community that it served.

We cannot replicate the British NHS here in Wales. Some services will have to be delivered in England Equally, in Mid and West Wales, there were protests over the closure of three community hospitals. Carwyn Jones’ rebuttal of these measures is that “I think the worst thing that could possibly happen is that nothing happens and then we see services just disappearing at random all over the place”.

His interview has sparked criticism from other politicians with vested interests in the NHS. Conservative AM, Angela Burns called his interview a “masterclass in how to avoid responsibility”, and highlighted the need for “a proper debate is about what

are deemed essential services”.

In the previous week Wales’ chief medical officer Dame Dierdre Hine also criticised NHS reorganisation. She worried: “are the community services and the social services needed to support them up to the task of taking on 24-hour responsibility for frail, sick people?” and “is the ambulance service able to provide rapid transfer to centers at possible greater distance than people have currently to travel?

Is this going to be more or less expensive?”

First Minister Carwyn Jones gives a ‘masterclass in how to avoid responsibility’ claims Tory AM On-going reviews are being carried out by local Welsh Health Boards of a number of services, and they are in the process of finalising plans which will be revealed in late Spring.

20 / News Feature

Niall McCann: Explorer, Presenter, Student Cardiff Student, and the star of Animal Planet's new show Biggest and Baddest, talks to Tom Eden

Niall McCann is a student at Cardiff University. He is also a biologist, an explorer, an award winning wildlife presenter and the star of Animal Planet’s new show Biggest and Baddest. He has crossed the Atlantic in a rowing boat, skied across Greenland’s polar ice cap, cycled over the Himalayan mountains and, in the upcoming TV series, wrestles with enormous anacondas, catches crocodiles and is charged at by tigers and elephants.

“You just have to forget the fact you’re putting yourself in an incredibly dangerous situation and you try and enjoy it” is Niall’s explanation for how he manages to supress the nerves that would surely be expected when faced with some of the planet’s most fearsome creatures. It soon becomes clear that his passion and love for nature is what drives him in his adventures. He speaks humbly about how privileged he has been to see and experience the things that he has, whilst making it clear that he sincerely wants to increase peoples’ awareness and understanding of the natural world. ‘Biggest and Baddest’ is the title of his new six part series, and the name of the show makes Niall cringe. Rather than a sensationalist and garish approach, he wanted to address the classic childhood question of ‘what are the biggest and most dangerous animals?’ from a academic perspective. Taking time out from his PhD in Biology, here at Cardiff University, he travelled to six locations, across the planet to “uncover the biological reasons for their extreme size or ferocity.”

The series has aired all over the world, prior to its launch in the UK next week, and has generated rave reviews and impressive viewing figures. In the UK, there has been a focus on promoting the intellectual side of the show; “it was actually a journey of understanding and discovery, rather than a hunky bloke running around the jungle – which is what Latin America went for.” Latin America's the highest demographic was 357 percent above average, and that was across girls aged 12-17, “My girlfriend was furious about that, as you can imagine!” I notice that a lot of the photos used to promote the series are topless photos of him, and he agreed that probably helped, before launching into a story about advice one of the

chaperones gave to him whilst in Canada. “The chaperone, himself a gay gentleman said, "Niall, first you have to win over the gays, then the girls, and the rest will then follow".”

He is a man who enjoys telling stories about all he has seen and done, but what marks him out, is the way in which he talks about his explorations; describing his experiences in such vivid detail, as if he were reading it from a book. His stories combine a captivating mix of the emotions he felt as the events unfolded, and the scientific contexts, which he understands so well.

Each of the six episode focuses on one species. The first destination for the exploration was Nepal, chosen as it is home to Bengal tigers and Asiatic elephants.

“Benagl tigers are my most automatic thought when you think of a ferociously dangerous animal, that is also bloody big.” He says that, regretfully, there are only 125 left in Nepal, due to a terrible conservation situation. They are very threatened by humans, predominantly through poaching and the Chinese medicine trade.

As well as being the animal he most wanted to see, Niall says he was interested in, "highlighting the conservation aspect of their plight.” For this part of his journey he enlisted the 86-year-old Peter Byrne as his guide. “He’s set up a couple of national parks – he is a great man.” The two men found the tiger they were so desperately searching for, in the most spectacular way possible – when it charged at Niall; “on my deathbed I can think – ‘that went well’.”

In 1980, Peter Byrne discovered a “monstrous elephant, with 22 inch footprints. He called it Tula Hatti, which means, quite literally, ‘big elephant’." This type of elephant, says Niall, “was freakishly large, with a crazy appearance – a double domed skull and hugely tall – which made it look prehistoric.” Since Tula Hatti, there have been three other giant Indian elephants discovered, but only one remains; Bhim Gaj. They finally found this majestic creature, after being tipped off that he had been breaking into people’s houses trying to steal wine, followed by ripping up people’s plantations where they were growing cabbage and mustard plants. I suggested that this may have been the equivalent of a drunken kebab for the giant, but Niall believes that there was an even more deviant element to the story. “I came across marijuana in that field too, so my expectation was that he was actually trying to have a swift doobie of an evening!” Aside from his drink

and drug problems, this was “a phenomenal animal.”

Following Nepal, he travelled to Venezuela to go in search of the biggest snakes in the world; anacondas. “They’re totally iconic, the heaviest and biggest, and well known for eating people. It was an obvious thing to go and find.” The biggest anaconda they found on the show was five and a half meters long – over 18 feet.

He describes catching it with a hint of a smile that exposes his false modesty, saying, “it was a bit of a dramatic experience, getting that one under control, but thankfully it went alright in the end and made for some great footage.” Once again, he puts emphasis onto the academic merits of these encounters, explaining how he was measuring and recording everything they did to “add to the sum of knowledge about anaconda distribution, sizes and gender proportions, so it was nice to actually get something scientific out of it.”

His desires to make a genuine difference aren’t just empty words. Following his experiences in Nepal, he has established a Master’s programme between Cardiff and Kathmandu Universities, to study the elephants there, as well as having conservation projects in Honduras and Guyana.

Easily the most ethically challenging part of the series for Niall happened in Louisiana, in America, on the search for feral hogs.

Rather than the “philosophical differences between me and the average Louisianan”, something he managed to avoid by not discussing politics, religion or gun control, because these hogs were hunted and killed by dogs. “I had a real ethical battle, as anytime you hunt anything with pit bulls, it’s pretty barbaric, as pit bulls are effectively hell-on-legs.” Whilst he was there, he wanted to minimise the stress for the pig, by getting the dogs off the hogs as soon as possible, “to prevent the pigs being chewed on by Cerberus, essentially. It was horrible, but a necessity.” The reason it has become a necessity, is because, since the wild hogs were artificiall y introduced by humans for the purpose of hunting, the population has hugely expanded; there are now over five million wild

in the USA. The implications of this are vast, every year they cause $2.3 billion worth of damage, and that is just the economic impact. The ecological impact, according to Niall “is horrendous; out-competing local species, native animals and anything that is ground nesting is stuffed, basically. It’s a real disaster. The unfortunate necessity is that the best way to control them is with dogs.” After going on a bit on a bit of a tangent, we find a solution; sending the Conservative Party – home to many MP’s known for their pro-hunting viewpoint – to help out.

His tales of catching crocodiles demonstrate bravery or madness, dependent upon your viewpoint. “We jumped in a little boat, set off, and within a couple of minutes had seen eight, four metre long crocodiles – which is insane – they’re highly antisocial and massively aggressive, but for some reason they collect here [the Mary River, North Australia] in great abundance.” The contrast between these intimidating, fearsome crocodiles, and the way they tried to catch them; “basically a harpoon – a curtain rail with a small spike on the end, attached to a bit of string,” is hilarious and ridiculous in equal measure – we joke that the Amazon should have an Ikea, "for all your crocodile-catching needs."

Also in Australia, he filmed a bird called the cassowary, something he describes as “Basically a velociraptor.” “Whereas with something like an anaconda, when you’re trying to catch one of them, there’s always that feeling of ‘this could go really wrong – look at the size of it - it’s huge!’

I’m very used to being near animals – body language makes a big difference. With the cassowary I always felt like it was just going to observe me, see that I wasn’t be-

ing overtly threatening, and just move on. I felt really comfortable and incredibly privileged to be seeing a bird as remarkable as that, taking care of its young in a stunning environment.”

Niall’s vast array of stories, based on all he has done often makes you forget that he is a student as well as a bone-fide explorer. This comes sharply back into focus when I ask what is next for him. “Well, before anything else I’m just working on my PhD as hard as I possibly can.” He does suggest that there may be they possibility of a second series, “which would be wonderful, but nothing has been signed so we have to wait and see.” He remains incredibly keen to continue his adventures, saying, “come April, if I’m lucky, I’ll be off chasing down some horrendously large and dangerous animal again, trying not to get killed.” His exploits are inspiring, and he advises that anyone who wants to follow in his footsteps should “look at a globe, pick somewhere you’re interested in going and buy a plane ticket there. Then you’re committed and have got to sort something out. Don’t be intimidated by the fact it may seem daunting.

Buy a ticket and go for it.”

Biggest and Baddest with Niall McCann is shown on Animal Planet. The first episode airs on February 18th at 9:00pm.

21

Monday February 11th 2013 | @gairrhyddnews "The

tiger is the animal I most wanted to see in my entire life. The first glimpse I got of one was when it was charging at me."

"It

was a pretty great way to tick it off the bucket list. I can now die happy."

"I

got charged at by this elephant"

"That

was the most scared I've ever been under any circumstances. I was very, very lucky not to be killed."

"I had gone for a walk. The camera crew were trying to film something at a waterhole. We went off looking for animals.

There was an amazing feeling when stalking through the woods, sneaking up on heards of deer – it really felt primordial, and then I looked up towards a bit of elephant grass about 30m ahead and saw something just disappearing into it – I didn’t even have time to raise my binoculars. Looking at it, I was like that looks

like a tiger – just the way its hips were rolling. I was about to say "Peter, I think I just saw a tiger,” but before I could, he had started sniffing, and exclaimed: “Niall, my God, I smell tiger.” It was an amazing moment, perfect, perfect timing.

And it was – it was a tiger. My sight and his sense of smell. It was phenomenal. So that was one of the real highlights from the tiger episode."

"Filming Bhim Gaj was pretty amazing. I went off on foot to find him, and got some footage on my own, before thankfully we were able to get some footage with the big camera. I remember sneaking around in this little bush trying to get close, not being able to to see him. I suddenly realised that I’d got too close because I heard this thump, which was him hitting the ground with his trunk; a sign that he had heard me.

So I didn’t know where he was, but he jolly

well knew where I was and he thumped the ground to let me know, so I scarpered. We came back the following day to try to film them again, and that’s when I got charged at. That was the most scared I’ve ever been under any circumstances. I do not scare easily, and I shat my pants. I was very, very lucky not be killed and it was utterly terrifying, but thankfully I recorded the whole thing so you can see it on the show, on the elephant episode!"

"We tried to catch a crocodile all day, and had a couple of accidents where the guy on the harpoon fell into the water next to a crocodile and all sorts of exciting things – made for great tele! He basically nearly blinded himself, cut his face all open, lots of nasty things happened. It wasn’t until the night that we finally got one.

We’d harpooned it, and 55 minutes later we finally got it under control. We would rein it in, pulling it in like a fish, waiting to watch where it would come up, and there it is, next to boat, and you’re two feet away from a 4m long crocodile. And

then bang, the boat get smashed, it’s bedlam. water goes everywhere then down the crocodile goes, you’ve got to let the wire out – it’s a fantastic teasing process.

It could, by any means, be described as a monster. A phenomenal animal and massively powerful.

They’re the largest reptile on earth, and there’s something immensely alluring about them. I’ve always had a thing for reptiles, ever since I was young and crocodile’s the coolest reptile pretty much. It was a real life ambition achieved to work with crocodiles."

"To try to find anacondas you take your shoes off, get a stick, and wander around in the swamp in bare feet, prodding with a stick, feeling with your toes and hope stand on one, pretty much.

So I spent 6 days literally doing that, every single day they were like “Off you go Niall, good luck. We’ll press record, follow you round and if you scream we’ll know something scary has happened.” And every now and again you’d stand on something that wasn’t an anaconda, i.e. a crocodile.

They had Caiman also living there. There was one point I was in quite deep, about up to my hips. In order to brace myself against

the water my feet were fairly far apart – I couldn’t see anything, so was just prodding. I felt something go between my legs, turned round and saw this caiman’s head come up just behind me and then swim off, so it had literally swam between my legs. we were there.

The anacondas were bloody enormous.

We came across one that was five and a half meters long, which is insane. That was a dramatic experience to try and get that one under control, but thankfully it all went alright in the end. It made for some fabulous footage!"

"I knew an Australian guy who was like “it’s a gay emu.” It’s not a gay emu – it’s basically a velociraptor. It has three toes, and on the inside toe it has this amazing spike or claw which they use for attack or defence. Apart from ostriches, they’re the only bird to be known to kill humans.

It’s an amazing bird, living in beach and jungles environments, where they have been for centuries. Where these jungles pour onto beaches you get the casaways

wandering around. Now, as the most pristine beaches in Australia are full of people, you get crazy situations like a load of Japanese tourists seeing something that looks like a dinosaur, and not having a clue what to do.

We had two encounters of adults with babies. The first, was with a single chick; this tiny little thing. It didn’t really know what was going on. Dad, however, had spotted us and I was following it through the

bush with my camera. The dad, every now and again, would shake its feathers as if to say ‘watch it, I’m here and I can see you’ so I just stayed backstay back. The chick hadn’t noticed, but it spotted a bit of fruit near me, so came running over, pecked at the fruit and then looked up, saw me, panicked, and sprinted off, causing Dad came running over shaking its feathers again. We had a wonderful series of encounters like that."

22 / Science

Cat ban debate gains momentum

Science Writer A recent study into the effect cats have on the environment has proven what dogs and reasonable humans have known all along: cats are damaging, dangerous and evil.

Cats have been found to be responsible for the deaths of up to 3.7 billion birds and 20.7 billion mammals per year – and that’s just in the United States.

The cute carcass “gifts” that your favourite moggy likes to leave under your footfall each morning are adding up to a worldwide crisis. Cats have already been to blame for the extinctions of 33 different species across the

Cat-defenders simply cannot claim to care about animals

globe, but the recently released figures have been 4 times larger than expected.

Hypocritical cat-defenders simply cannot claim to care about animals without acknowledging their devastating impact.

Siding with Mr. Whiskers simply because you gave it a name is tantamount to animal racism.

One smart animal advocate, entrepreneur Gareth Morgan, has proposed the only serious and reasonable answer: to ban cats. Capturing and neutering strays has been proven to have no effect on numbers due to the impact of domestic animals. Pets need to be neutered and kept inside, even in the day, for there to be any chance of reducing the already lasting damage caused.

And when it finally dies, get a dog. They’re much better.

Ban them.

Daniel Hill

Save them.

A study published in Nature Communications has estimated that up to 24 billion small animals per year are killed by cats in the USA alone, highlighting felines as a significant environmental threat. The study, which has been making headlines all over the world, has polarised opinion, with some lobbyists going as far as to call for a ban on cat ownership. Science writers Chris Watson and Daniel Hill debate the issue.

Chris Watson

Science Writer We, as a culture, have grown up with the comfort of house pets, yet an American study is attempting to rid us of our nurturing friends, attempting to initiate a radical ban to abolish the right to cat ownership.

Many people live in harmony with their pets, yet shocking figures from the Nature Communications research have initiated a plan to take Americans' right to own cats away, merely because of certain cats extensive eating habits.

It is impossible to evaluate exactly what the source for the killings is, especially as the source targeted individual high dense urban cities, which typically have a higher proportion of stray and feral cats. Our local housecats should not, therefore, be defamed or harmed as a result. I am not excusing the preda-

tory tendencies of house cats as, after all, over 33 species have become extinct at their hands.

The results of these tendencies are accepted by us as a few gifts of appreciation, not as ruthless kills. The feral cats are the cause of this escalated destruction, and the truth is we need to reduce the number of feral cats via better care of our beloved felines.

This may include stricter rules on independence and outside opportunities, and improved homes for stray animals. Cats cannot be abolished from our culture, but better human control and care of feral and stray cats needs to improve, along with knowledge of nature, to benefit wildlife. This biased view that all cats should be wiped out will only damage nature. Instead, our control and maintenance of our pets is the answer to help keep our beloved cats.

Whistle blower denounces pharma giant David Mason Science Writer

The recent availability of internal reports of the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, made public following a lawsuit against the company, have raised concerns over the honesty of data published by the company.

An investigation, led by Kay Dickersin, director of the Centre for Clinical Trials at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, has lead to accusations that trial data published has been misleading and biased, despite all necessary protocols appearing to be adhered to.

Pfizer operates in over 180 countries, and is a major supplier of the NHS from their UK headquarters in Surrey. Their production includes reasonably well known prescription medi-

cines such as Metformin, an antidiabetic drug; Neurontin, a pain relief developed as an epilepsy treatment; and Viagra.

The company is also no stranger to legal battles, having defended against numerous previous infractions and accusations. This new accusation of misleading publishing however, heralds the worrying potential that the prescribed drugs may be entirely ineffective or inappropriate for a given situation.

Prescribed drugs may be entirely ineffective or inappropriate Published trials on Neurontin were among those examined by Dickersin and colleagues, resulting in the accusations. Published on January 29th in PLOS Medicine, it is suggested that in over 30% of trials even the most basic data, such as the number of par-

ticipants studied, was not consistent between published and internal data. In one case, it is claimed that 40% of results did not make it into the published work. Comparisons, suggests Kay Dickersin, became increasingly difficult due to discrepancies between sets of results.

“When we tried to draw a flow chart of who dropped out [of a trial], who stayed in - well, we couldn't do it,” she stated, also saying that Pfizer's records showed that published trials “did not always accurately reflect what was actually done in the trial”.

The full implications of these accusations are as yet unknown, though Pfizer has commented that it reports on studies in “an objective, accurate, balanced and complete manner”.

Regardless of whether or not the accusations made by Dickersin and colleagues will be found to be substantial though, the wider impact of such allega-

tions is evident already. February 1st saw a Californian woman file a class-action lawsuit against Pfizer on the grounds of fraud, alleging that the company's antidepressant, Zoloft, was effectively indistinguishable from a placebo sugar pill. Prior to the expiration of its patent in 2007, Zoloft generated annual sales exceeding $3 billion, and continued to generate a further $500 million since the patent expiration. The allegation also suggests that Pfizer was fully aware of this discrepancy between internal and published results.

If the accusations of Dickersin and colleagues are found to be substantial, other similar lawsuits can certainly be expected.

Though, these accusations remain unconfirmed, they do highlight, as suggested by Lisa Bero of the University of California, the need for greater transparency in publically reported clinical trials.

Science 22-25

Monday February 11th 2013 | @gairrhyddsci

Autism feature

23

InSight: Keeping an eye on your city’s latest science news

As The School of Optometry and Vision Sciences hosts an exhibition to raise awareness of the effects of autism on family life, Science writers Peter Marshall and Sophie Howells each give us their perspective on the unique display...

Peter Marshall Science Writer

Silent Feelings – the life of my autistic child is an exhibition by local artist Sol Jorgensen open to the public until the 1st of March (9am – 5pm) at the The School of Optometry and Vision Sciences.

The exhibition consists of a series of photographs of Jorgensens's son Seth, who suffers from both autism and mitochondrial myopathy. The latter condition means that Seth is unable to transform sugars into energy, leaving him permanently tired, cold and unwell. However, displayed as though in a family home, the pictures offer an intimate and uplifting insight into Sol and Seth's world, chronicling Seth's achievements in a moving and absorbing way. As Sol puts it: “The photos show him doing

things which are ordinary to others but a great achievement to us.

He is an ordinary young man living an extraordinary life.”

The exhibition seeks to challenge some of the most common misconceptions about autism and raise a general awareness about the condition and of charities such as MENCAP and the national Autistic Society, which support affected individuals and families.

Jane Hutt AM, Assembly Minister for Finance and Leader of the house, who opened the exhibition last Thursday, said: “I am delighted to be attending Sol and Seth's beautiful exhibition, which I would encourage people to go and see. It is truly thought provoking and a privilege to look inside Sol and Seth's world.” So heed those words and go and have a look for yourself!

Cardiff exhibition raises awareness

Pictures: A Underwood

3 to 4

Sophie Howells Science Writer

more boys than girls have an austistic spectrum disorder

40%

of autistic children experience bullying

71%

of autistic children are in mainstream schools

less than 1 in

4

1 in every 100

children are on the austistc spectrum

austistic teenagers go into higher education

Centred around a fireplace, an armchair and a small table, the collection emits a sense of warmth that invites spectators to take a glimpse into the home and life of Seth and Sol Jorgensen. Constructed in a chronological fashion, the photography illustrates Seth’s struggles and triumphs as a child, through adolescence and into young adulthood. Heartrending moments of trust and communication are shown: Seth holding hands with his carers, touching their faces and smiling.

We learn that Seth can neither hear nor speak, rendering him reliant on alternative methods of communication, such as eye

contact, hand holding and sign language; and that relationships of trust and communication can take years for Seth to build.

His mother wishes to raise awareness and understanding of autism, and of the charities that provide support to individuals and their families.

The exhibition originally focussed on the theme In Sickness and In Health created by UK Carer’s Week 2012, an organisation directed at improving the lives of carers and the individuals they care for.

A very personal perspective on a what can often become a politcal football, Silent Voices gives a fresh insight into the needs and treatment of children on the austic spectrum.

American study claims autism can be 'curable' Peter Marshall Science Writer

Autism is a widely misunderstood condition and those who have it are often ascribed a whole host of false stereotypes and clichés.

Whilst it is true that those with the condition often struggle with social interaction and communication, it may shock you to learn just how prevalent autism is in the UK; there is one autistic person in every 100. Such statistics, some have claimed, are indicative of the fact that many people are extremely capable of coping with their condition.

However, a new study has sug-

gested another factor potentially playing a role in explaining these surprising statistics.

Experts are not rushing to any conclusions The study, recently published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, allegedly shows that a fraction of children diagnosed with autism may eventually grow out of their symptoms. The study of 112 children thus challenges the widely held belief that autism is a lifelong condition and accordingly has generated much controversy.

Yet experts are not rushing to any conclusions. In fact some are arguing that it is perhaps more probable that those with the condition may simply be coping with it so well that it no longer shows up to testing.

Indeed, some have gone further, suggesting that it is the clichés

The measures used are not capable of isolating those with autism themselves which have led to the results. The measures of progress the researchers used, such as being able to make friends in a typical manner, are not capable of reliably distinguishing those with autism from those without it.

However, surely whether or not an individual has grown out of their condition or just learnt to cope with it eventually boils down to the same thing: that the

condition no longer significantly impedes upon their lives.

It seems to me that the debate as to whether those who no longer display autistic symptoms have grown out of autism or learnt to manage it is academic. It obscures the more important issue that, regardless, medical professionals can hopefully learn to replicate this progress in others.

After all, isn’t mastery a kind of cure?

18 / Science found at last?

King Richard:

says King. "But I know the answer isn't going to change."

The mitchondrial DNA used was based on the maternal line, as genealogical evidence for the paternal line cannot be trusted.

Mark Thomas, at University College London, commended this, but added that it was still a relatively poor way to pinpoint his identity, saying “I could have the same mitochondrial DNA as Richard III and not be related to him.”

Rhiannon Davies Science Editor

Residents of Leicester woke up last week on the February 4th to be told that their city is indeed home to the burial place of the last Plantagenet King, Richard III. It wasn’t long before plans to have him interred in Leicester Cathedral were greeted by a counter-campaign to have him buried in his home city of York.

At the time of writing, the petition to have him returned has reached 1,505 signatures and has the support of Kersten England, chief executive of York City Council, and Julian Sturdy, Conservative MP for York Outer.

But before these two cathedral cities start, as Hugh Bayley MP for York Central put it, “fighting like medieval churches for a saint’s relics”, it must be asked; how strong is the scientific evidence that this is in fact King Richard, and what finally compelled the University of Leicester to announce that they were sure “beyond all reasonable doubt?”

"I would have preferred to finish my analysis"

How strong is the scientific evidence?

The archaeologists and researchers relied on several pieces of evidence to back their claim. The wounds found on his body, including a severe blow to the skull and a damaged jaw, were consistent with historical descriptions of his demise. His famous “hunch-back” was in evidence in the form of curvature of the spine, caused by scoliosis.

The clincher, however, was the DNA evidence from two of his living maternal descendants.

Geneticist Turi King of the University of Leicester matched traces of mitochondrial DNA extracted from his skeleton with

samples taken from his living descendants, Michael Ibsen, a Canadian furniture maker, and a distant cousin who wishes to remain anonymous. She was unable to finish her analysis before the announcement, sequencing only

the mitochondrial DNA control region. But given the nature of this region, which mutates very easily, finding a match is a strong indicator that individuals are related. "As a scientist I would have preferred to finish the analysis,"

Research is still continuing, and it is hoped that Ibsen and the other descendent will have sufficiently rare mitochondrial DNA to make it extremely unlikely that they both match the dead king by chance. It is worth noting, that if it is found that they share a common female ancestor from up to 150 years ago then they will not count as two distinct samples.

Meanwhile, outside of the lab, it seems people are decided. The Mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby, announced firmly that the remains were to be buried in Leicester. Mark Ormrod, Professor of Medieval History at the University of York, countered that “In the Middle Ages, it was quite common to dig kings up and move them to give them more dignity, Richard understood that.” It appears, we may have dug up more remnants of the medieval era that was intended.

Novel technique accurately weighs black holes David Hodson

Science Writer An international team of astronomers have developed a novel method to estimate the mass of the supermassive black hole at the centre of galaxy NGC 4526.

Supermassive black holes are thought to be at the centre of most, if not all galaxies. This suggests a causal link between the formations of galaxies with the formation of supermassive black holes.

The new method developed by a team of scientists led by astrophysicist Timothy Davis estimated the supermassive black hole to be 450 million solar masses (mass of our sun), which totals up to approximately 9x10^30Kg. The pioneering new method involves tracking and then measuring the speed of the carbon monoxide gas molecules encircling the black hole and appears to be a more robust procedure than previous approaches, such as quasi

periodic oscillation, which looks at the intensities of X rays emitted from the gasses surrounding the black hole.

Mark Sarzi, from the university of Hertfordshire and one of the researchers involved in the study, stated that “There is an intriguing link between the mass of supermassive black holes and the masses of their host galaxies, but this is based on quite a small number of estimates. Until now only three methods were used to

measure the masses of supermassive black holes and these only work on relatively nearby galaxies.” With this new technique it is hoped that astronomers will be able to measure black hole masses much further out in the universe, which will help them analyse the role that supermassive black holes played during the formation of galaxies.

25

Science 22-25

Monday February 4th 2013 | @gairrhyddsci

From Call of Duty to battlefield Michael O'Connell Davidson Science Writer Soldiers from the Royal Welsh battalion were recently involved in the Ministry of Defence‘s largest ever virtual simulation exercise. As many as 190 troops engaged in a record-breaking two hour mission in which they simulated the capture of a fictional French village. It is part of a series of increasingly advanced simulations

The experiment, named Urban Warrior 5, reportedly cost £1 million, and is based at the Land Warfare Centre in Wiltshire.

It is designed to test the capabilities and effects of equipment that is not currently available to the armed forces but which may be used in the future. Data gathered by the experiment will also be used to create further, more advanced, simulations, and some predict that virtual reality training could be a cost effective method of training military personnel in future.

There are numerous benefits to simulating operations in this manner. Live fire exercises carry a great degree of risk; whereas injuries sustained in a virtual reality environment do not result in casualties, nor do they require recovery time. They also afford army personnel the ability to replay scenarios and control various variables (such as the wind and weather), which would need to be accounted for in an actual operation.

Soldiers interacted with the Urban Warrior 5‘s battlefield us-

InSight

ing an Xbox 360 controller, and the national press, have drawn comparisons between the experiment and the popular first person shooter, Call of Duty.

Interestingly, the idea of using videogames to train soldiers is a very unpopular idea in many mainstream examples of the medium. The dangers of creating soldiers outside of the battlefield via a simulating experience is a running theme in Konami’s Metal Gear Solid franchise, despite the fact that its gameplay is referred to as ‘tactical espionage action.’

In collaboration with Crunch on Xpress Radio. Listen live to Insight's companion segment on Wednesdays 12-1pm.

Keeping an eye on your city’s latest science news

Careers & Employability Centre keen to help uni students The Cardiff University schools run a variety of careers advice events for students within the Careers & Employability Centre at 50 Park Place. The School of Biosciences, in particular, has a very thorough careers advice service that is often overlooked by students, much to their own detriment. Science Editor Alexey Underwood passed through one of its Careers Paths events and spoke to Biosciences Employability Advisor Mary Smith to see what science students of all disciplines have been missing out on.

Firstly, I should ask: where can students go for careers advice?

Mary Smith: The Careers and Employability service can respond to the needs of all students, regardless of degree choice. Regarding Bioscience students specifically, we have a careers advisor, Karen Sheppard, whom they can consult. The Careers Service is accessible to all, so come in, have a chat and have a look at our careers literature.

Are extracurricular activities vital to enhancing employability?

MS: A recent survey of employers has found that it’s not only degrees that employers value. Of

course, a good degree does count.

A lot of top graduate employers do look for 2.1s or firsts, but not everyone can achieve those.

However, what anyone can do beyond their academic work, is improve their skill base through extracurricular activities and develop their employability skills.

When I talk about employability skills, I mean a ‘can-do’ attitude, numeracy, teamwork, problem solving, computing… There’s more to a career than just being able to work in a lab as a scientist.

What is the most common career path for Bioscience graduates?

MS: The major trend is research.

We are a Russell Group university; we’re research led, so there is a high progression into postgraduate and PhD level study.

That career choice is actively promoted within Biosciences.

What about graduates who aren’t interested in studying any longer?

MS: There’s a variety of cases.

For those looking into a career in research or a science-related industry, a postgraduate qualification is usually required. Those who make such a choice narrow down their options and become specialists. For graduates who aren’t interested in research, there are popular options in industry, where they can go in at a low level and work their way up.

Indeed, many people forget that biological scientists, in particular, don’t have to remain in science.

They can work in the periphery of science, or marketing, pharmaceuticals logistics, finance or accounting. One of the bonuses of many science graduates is that they are highly numerate. Many are really well equipped with lots of skills to work in scientific and non-scientific roles.

Pictures: A Underwood

What advice would you have for students who have doubts in their degree choice?

MS: If you are genuinely unhappy, you should primarily talk to your personal tutor, and also use Careers and Employability to have an individual career consultation. If you’re on a Bioscience or science degree, you may find that your degree is usually never useless due to the transferrable

skills it offers. Bioscience has students who move into all aspects of work. A student with a more niche humanities degree, for example, will have more trouble branching out. In either case, if you have concerns, I would urge you to talk to your personal tutor in first instance.

The Careers & Employability Centre is located on the top floor of Student Support Centre at 50 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT. Email them at careers@cardiff.ac.uk.

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Opinion 10-13

Monday 17th September 2012 | @gairrhyddop

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13

28 / Societies

Student Volunteering Cardiff bring on Volunteering Week in style Emily Cope

Societies Writer With Student Volunteering Cardiff (SVC) being the biggest student-led charity in Wales, it is guaranteed that SVC’s annual Volunteering Week (9th Feb – 17th Feb) will be a massive event bursting full of feel-good activities not to be missed! This fantastic week was kick-started on Saturday evening with a hilarious gig by stand-up comedian, Dan Mitchell, followed by the stunning SVC ball on Sunday.

All throughout this week, until Sunday 17th February, there will be many exciting volunteering and workshop opportunities for everyone to get involved in.

This is a perfect chance, half way through the academic year, for people looking to get out into the Cardiff community to do something a little bit different whilst boosting your CV with invaluable skills rated highly by any employer.

For those of you who might not know, SVC is a volunteering charity ran by Cardiff University students around Cardiff and its surrounding communities.

SVC have over 40 different volunteering schemes, varying from Education, Mental Health, Sport, Homelessness, Older

Throughout the week, there will be many exciting volunteering and workshop opportunities people, Learning disabilities, Children and Environment projects. There are also oneoff volunteering events too, as well as fun socials for all SVC volunteers!

The great thing about Volunteering Week is that you can pop along to the events you fancy without having to give a huge commitment. This week is all about celebrating volunteering and giving the chance to give students an insight into what it is like volunteering at SVC. There are still some places left on projects this week so if you are interested, or even find yourselves wanting to volunteer on a more long-term basis, then pop into the SVC office in the Centre for Skills, Enterprise and Volunteering situated on the 2nd floor of Cardiff University Students’ Union. SVC’s staff will be more than happy to talk to you about volunteering opportunities.

There are so many volunteering events to choose from, you are guaranteed to find

Gardening

was a Last year's Jailbreak massive success

Beac

h cle

something which would appeal to you. Both this Monday and Tuesday, we have dog walking events where volunteers walk dogs from Hope Trust; a perfect event for any animal lovers! If you have green-fingers, then you’ll love the community gardening session at Riverside

You can pop along to the events you fancy without having to give a huge committment allotments Tuesday. On

happening on Wednesday, SVC are hosting an OAP coffee m o r n i n g full of cakes and nibbles, followed by a fun primary s c h o o l makeover at St. Peter’s P r i m a r y.

Plus, a book donation drive will be taking p l a c e where SVC will be collecting

any old or unwanted books for READ International charity; a great way to give something back and make more space on your bookshelf at the same time! The volunteering fun continues on Thursday with a beach clean at Barry Island, as well as a providing food for the homeless session. On the Thursday evening, there is a Careers’ Fayre aimed at people who are interested in working in the third sector from 5:30 – 7:30 in the Aneurin Bevan room in the Student’s Union. Furthermore, a CV workshop will be taking place in the SVC office from 6-7pm – an essential for any upcoming graduates soon facing the world of work!

These events all lead up to SVC’s and RAG’s Cardiff Jailbreak on Friday. It’s going to be spectacular – teams of 3-5 people have 48 hours to get as far away from Cardiff without any money.

Last year, one team ended up in Switzerland – where will they manage to get to this year?! You can keep track of the teams 24/7 by tracking them here through RAG’s campus group’s page: http://groups.cardiffstudents. com /rag /jailbreak-tracker/.

Also, you can keep up to date on all the great things SVC are up to on Twitter and Facebook by searching SVCardiff, or by visiting the SVC website at www. svcardiff.org.

anin

g

Playground makeover

Societies 28–29

Monday February 11th 2012 | @gairrhyddsoc

29

‘Student-Run Self-Help’ Goes Global with Eating Disorders awareness Catherine Lenain Societies Writer

Ever heard of Gok Wan? I’d imagine the majority of you have. Ever heard of his programme Gok’s Teens: The Naked Truth? Perhaps not, but the show, first aired in February 2012, helped change the way thousands of teens around the UK saw themselves.

It also planted the seed of an idea in the education system: something has to be done to counteract the punitive, image-focused way of looking at ourselves that the media lures us into - from an increasingly young age.

Should 5-year-olds really be asking ‘Hey Mum, does my bum look big in this?’ The thought alone depresses me. I worked as a nanny over last summer, looking after a 2 year old and 4 year old, both girls. And on the way back from swimming one day when I gave the girls a chocolate each, the older one said (in a way that only a 4-coming-on-25-year-old can) ‘No thank you. Chocolate makes you fat. Bee told me, she saw it on telly.’ I look back at the days when I was a toddler and probably believed the word ‘diet’ was something horrific they did to people in the army or in prison (well I was half right…) and think, Jesus, if you can’t even escape the guilt-factor at 4, who knows what age you’re going to start considering lipo!

So, this, in a nutshell, is Gok’s message. We need to be told that IT IS OK to be whatever shape, weight, colour, height, shoe-size, cup-size, etc, etc… - and that what makes a beautiful person, excuse the cliché, really is what’s on the inside. In fact, this mad fixation

with changing and controlling the bodies we’ve been given more than often causes us to completely lose who we really are. When it reaches the extent of an eating disorder, the individual gradually becomes little more than a walking diet book, merely maintaining the external façade of normality to ward off suspicion and interference.

Think about it, do you love your best friend because she’s a size 8, or because he has the best jawline ever? Or because they laugh at you when no one else does, and will sit in bed with you watching stupid cat videos for a whole day when you’re hungover?

Gok proposed that what the UK needs is a 60 minute ‘Body Confidence Class’, as part of the national curriculum, in schools, for everyone in the UK. Something to keep people awake to the reality that we are all beautiful, because we are unique, not in spite of it.

Student-Run Self-Help (SRSH), Cardiff University’s Student Led Service supporting students with eating disorders, think’s Gok’s message is great. So great, we don’t think it should just apply to school children. And we don’t think it should be limited to the UK. We think this message should be GLOBAL, and would benefit university students as much as it would younger learners. A large majority of us suffer from some sort of body confidence issues (as much as 80% of women and 60% of men, research shows) and it’s not exactly surprising when almost every holiday season now comes with a new excuse to ‘shape up’ – both before and after

Tash, Gok Wan and Ruth

– and we seem to have more diet plans than parking spaces.

You may be thinking, ‘Sure. So some hippy telling me to love my body and that beauty is in the eye of the beholder is going to make me feel great about myself again.’

Well, hold the sarcasm, because (apart from the hippy bit) you’re not far from right. Natasha Devon, from the Gok Wan-endorsed project Body Gossip UK, has toured the country giving her ‘Body Confidence Class’, and you only have to look at the feedback to see the incredible impact they have had. (See http://www.bodygossip.org/gossipschool for said evidence.) The project has earned Natasha and her co-founder Ruth Rogers the title ‘Cosmopolitan’s Ultimate Women of the Year’, and has been recognised for a number of commendations including the ‘Future 100 Award for Social Impact’.

Natasha will be giving her talk in the Aneurin Bevin room, 4th Floor Students Union, 5.15pm6.30pm Thurs 21st Feb, as part of Go Global week, and SRSH’s campaign to bring the importance of body confidence and awareness of eating disorders into a broader perspective.

And if this isn’t exciting enough, SRSH are also hosting a Go Global Charity Clothes Swap – for just £1 entry, bring any unwanted clothes to the Union reception Mon 18th Feb 11am-4pm, receive 1 token per item, and come back to The Lodge (via The Kitchen) Tues 19th 12-4pm to choose a different wardrobe!

For more information, find ‘SRSH Cardiff’ on facebook, twitter, or email us at cardiff@srsh. co.uk.

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32 / Taf-Od

Grant Llywodraeth Cymru yn achub Tafwyl Tomos Lewis Golygydd Taf-od

O taf D

Yn dilyn amheuaeth yngl n â dyfodol yr yl, wythnos diwethaf fe gyhoeddwyd y byth Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhoi grant i Tafwyl i sicrhau y bydd g yl yn 2013.

Pythefnos yn ôl, roedd dyfodol Tafwyl mewn perygl, wedi i Gyngor Caerdydd gyhoeddi cynlluniau i dorri’r holl nawdd roeddent yn rhoi i’r yl. Sefydlwyd yr yl yn 2006 ac mae wedi llwyddo i ddenu dros 10,000 o bobl blwyddyn diwethaf yn ôl ffigyrau’r fenter.

Un o bobl a amddiffynnodd yr yl yn ffyrnig oedd cyflwynwraig S4C, Angharad Mair, a alwodd cynlluniau i dorri’r nawdd yn “drychineb llwyr”.

Fodd bynnag, achubwyd yr yl gan Lywodraeth Cymru wythnos diwethaf gan y cynnig o g ra n t .

Ar eu gwefan, diolchodd trefnwyr yr yl Lywodraeth Cymru a Leighton Andrews am y gefnogaeth ariannol. Yn eu datganiad hefyd, roeddent yn feirniadol o Gyngor Caerdydd; “Rydym yn annog holl Gynghorwyr Caerdydd i ail-werthuso eu hymrwymiad i’r Iaith Gymraeg ac yn awyddus i gyfarfod er mwyn trafod y materion hyn ymhellach.”

Leighton Andrews AC, Gweinidog dros addysg a sgiliau a gyhoeddodd yr achubiaeth o’r yl wythnos diwethaf gan ddweud; "Yn dilyn y pryderon bod cynigion cyllideb Cyngor Caerdydd yn cynnwys cynlluniau i dorri cyllid Tafwyl, dwi wedi neilltuo £20,000 o gyllid grant ar gyfer yr yl...

Mae hwn yn achos u n i -

gryw. Mae'r yl ddiwylliannol bwysig hon wedi ehangu flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn ers ei lansio yn 2006, ac mae'n hynod werthfawr i hyrwyddo'r Gymraeg. Mae posibilrwydd y bydd yn ddigwyddiad cenedlaethol yn ein prifddinas... Dwi'n sylweddoli bod trafodaethau Caerdydd ynghylch y gyllideb yn parhau... Ond dwi wedi ymateb nawr i wneud yn si r nad oes cyfnod hir o ansicrwydd i drefnwyr yr yl, neu i'r rhai hynny y tu allan i'r brifddinas a oedd yn bwriadu teithio i'r Tafwyl...

Roedd 10% o'r rhai a oedd yn bresennol y llynedd o'r tu allan i Gaerdydd... Gan fod yr ansicrwydd ynghylch 2013 wedi dod i ben bellach, gall y trafodaethau ganolbwyntio ar sut y bydd y digwyddiad yn datblygu

yn y dyfodol... Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i hyrwyddo'r Gymraeg a gwneud yn si r ei bod yn ffynnu o fewn ein cymunedau. Mae gennym gyfrifoldeb i sicrhau dyfodol y Gymraeg a hoffwn atgoffa awdurdodau lleol o'u dyletswydd i wneud hynny o fewn eu cymunedau."

Sefydlwyd yr wyl yn 2006 ac mae wedi llwyddo i ddenu dros 10,000 o bobl blwyddyn diwethaf

oedd yn cwestiynu dewis Leighton Andrews oedd arweinydd y Ceidwadwyr yng Nghymru, Andrew RT Davies a ddadleuodd fod rhoi grant i Tafwyl am achosi problemau pan fydd achosion eraill angen eu hachub. Ofnai Davies, a llefarydd y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol ar yr Iaith Gymraeg, Aled Roberts, fod sefydliadau ac elusennau eraill ddim am dderbyn yr un driniaeth ffafriol a gafodd Tafwyl.

Bydd Tafwyl yn cael ei gynnal am wythnos ym mis Mehefin blwyddyn yma ar hyd nifer o leoliadau yn y Brifddinas, gyda ffair a gigiau i ddiddanu pobl o bob oedran.

Ar y llaw arall, mae llawer wedi cwestiynu’r penderfyniad i achub yr yl, yn dweud fod y penderfyniad wedi gosod “cynsail peryglus”. Ymysg y rhai

Straeon OD o bob rhan o’r byd... Dyn yn ennill y ras i frig yr Empire State Building...

Y

n y ras fynnu’r Empire State Building, Mark Bourne o Awstralia ddaeth i’r brig.

Cynhaliwyd y ras am y 36ain gwaith wythnos diwethaf, gyda dyn a dynes o Awstralia yn ennill y rasys dynion a merched. Cyrhaeddodd Bourne frig yr adeilad mewn 10 munud a 12 eiliad. Rhedodd 700 o bobl o bedwar ban byd y ras, sy’n cael ei redeg i fynnu 1,576 o stepiau.

Wythnos diwethaf, bu i’r gath hira’r byd farw. Yn dilyn brwydr hir efo cancr, bu farw Stewie wedi cyfnod bron i

dair blynedd fel cath hira’r byd.

Roedd Stewie’n mesur bron i 50 modfedd yn hyd o’i drwyn i ben ei gynffon. Roedd y gath yn wyth oed pan fu iddo farw. Mae’n si r bydd Stewie’n cael ei gofio am fyw bywyd hir a hapus.

Mewn newyddion mwy rhyfedd, mae arlywydd Iran wedi cyhoeddi ei freuddwyd i fod y gofodwr cyntaf o’i wlad. Yn ei gyhoeddiad, dywedodd y buasai’n hapus i roi ei fywyd i raglen gofod Iran, sydd gyda gobeithion o yrru dyn i’r lleuad erbyn 2025. Daeth y cyhoeddiad yn dilyn llwyddiant Iran i yrru mwnci (yn ôl eu ffynonellau) i’r gofod mewn roced. Yn

ogystal â gyrru Pishgam y mwnci i’r gofod, roeddent hefyd yn llwyddiannus yn eu hymdrechion i gael Pishgam yn ôl i’r ddaear yn holliach.

Yn y cyfamser yng Ngwlad Belg, maent wedi cychwyn creu stampiau sy’n arogli a blasu fel siocled. Sioc-ing.

Taf-Od 32–33

Dydd Llun Chwefror 11fed 2013 | @taf_od

33

Y ddeddf yn cael ei phasio ond Ceidwadwyr Cymru i gyd yn gwrthwynebu priodasau hoyw Tomos Lewis Golygydd Taf-od

Pleidleisiodd yr wyth Aelod Seneddol Ceidwadol o Gymru yn erbyn y ddeddf sy’n rhoi hawl i gyplau hoyw briodi yn San Steffan wythnos diwethaf.

Er bod deg AS o Gymru (gan gynnwys dau AS llafur) wedi pleidleisio yn ei erbyn, fe basiwyd y ddeddf gyda mwyafrif enfawr o 400 o bleidleisiau o blaid

o’i gymharu â 175 oedd yn erbyn y mesur. Ymatebodd y Prif Weinidog, David Cameron yn bositif iawn i’r bleidlais, a dywedodd ar Trydar, “Mae ‘na ddaliadau cryf ar y ddwy ochr ond rwy’n credu bod y ffaith bod ASau wedi pleidleisio o blaid rhoi’r hawl i bobl hoyw briodi yn gam ymlaen i’n gwlad.”

Bu i holl aelodau Plaid Cymru yn Nh ’r Cyffredin bleidleisio o blaid y mesur, gyda Jonathan

Edwards AS, Elfyn Llwyd AS a Hywel Williams AS yn mynegi eu cefnogaeth i’r ddeddf. Fe ddywedodd Lindsay Whittle AC, llefarydd cydraddoldeb Plaid: “Mae ein plaid ni’n cydnabod pwysigrwydd rhyddid crefyddol mewn cymdeithas rydd, ac ry’n ni’n nodi fod y bil hwn yn gwrthwynebu unrhyw fandad ar drefniadaethau crefyddol sy’n gwrthwynebu priodasau rhwng pobl o’r un rhyw.”

Mae gwrthwynebiad holl ASau Ceidwadol Cymru i’r ddeddf, mewn cyferbyniad gyda’r gefnogaeth mae’r ddeddf wedi cael gan Plaid a’r Blaid Lafur yn y mwyafrif wedi codi cwestiynau mawr yngl n â’r Ceidwadwyr a'u safbwynt traddodiadol neu hen ffasiwn, rhywbeth mae’r pleidiau eraill wedi bod yn ei awgrymu yn eu datganiadau, ble maent i gyd yn hybu’r ffaith bod eu partïon yn fodern ac o blaid rhyddid a tecwch i bawb.

Mae’r nifer fawr o Geidwadwyr a bleidleisiodd yn erbyn y ddeddf wedi achosi i lawer o bobl gwestiynu’r gefnogaeth sydd gan David Cameron o fewn ei blaid ei hun, gyda’r cwmni betio Wil-

liam Hill yn byrhau’r ods o’r Prif Weinidog yn sefyll i lawr fel arweinydd y Ceidwadwyr cyn yr etholiad cyffredinol nesaf o 4/1 i 7/2, fodd bynnag fe ddwedodd Simon Hart AS, un o’r Ceidwadwyr a wrthwynebodd y ddeddf nad oedd Cameron mewn trafferthion o gwbl.

Bu i holl aelodau Plaid Cymru yn Nhy'r Cyffredin bledleisio o blaid y mesur Ar ran y Blaid Lafur, fe ddathlodd eu harweinydd Ed Miliband canlyniad y bleidlais, gan ddweud fod y penderfyniad yn holl bwysig yn nhermau’r ymdrech am gydraddoldeb ym Mhrydain. Roedd hefyd yn sicr i dynnu sylw at y nifer fawr o aelodau’r Blaid Lafur a bleidleisiodd o blaid y ddeddf, yn dweud fod hyn yn adlewyrchiad ar y gwerth maent yn weld o berthnasau tymor-hir waeth pwy sydd mewn cariad. Ychwanegodd y Dirprwy Brif Weinidog, Nick Clegg gan ddweud ei fod yn wir feddwl y byddant yn edrych yn

ôl ar y dydd hwn fel tirnod o gydraddoldeb ym Mhrydain.

Nid oedd Jenny Willott, AS dros Ganol Caerdydd (Sy’n cynnwys Cathays a Roath), yn bresennol yn ystod y bleidlais gan eu bod yng nghanol absenoldeb mamolaeth, fodd bynnag, fe ryddhawyd datganiad ar ei gwefan lle dywedodd hi y buasai hi wedi pleidleisio o blaid y ddeddf. Dywedodd hi hefyd ei bod wrth ei bodd gyda chanlyniad y bleidlais a'i bod hi’n ddiolchgar iawn i’w cydweithwyr a bleidleisiodd o blaid y ddeddf.

Felly; bu i’ch AS lleol chi fel myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd gefnogi’r ddeddf sy’n caniatáu i gyplau hoyw briodi.

Ydych chi’n cytuno a’i barn?

Yw eich AS lleol chi wedi cynrychioli eich barn chi? Cysylltwch ar Trydar - @taf_od.

Cyfnod cynhyrfus i lywodraeth leol yng Nghymru Cerith Rhys Jones Taf-od

“

Dywed yr awdurdod bod angen gwneud toriadau o £22 miliwn yn y gyllideb nesaf a bod angen dod o hyd i £110 miliwn o arbedion yn ystod y cyngor presennol hwn

Mae gan Gymru ormod o wleidyddion, a’r sawl sydd ‘da ni, yn y llefydd anghywir. Dyna oedd barn yr Athro Richard Wyn Jones o Ganolfan Lywodraethiant Cymru wrth iddo siarad gyda rhaglen wleidyddol y BBC, The Wales Report, yr wythnos ddiwethaf. Mae’n debyg roedd ei sylwadau e’n dilyn gorchfygiad Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Gyfunol ar ei chynllun i newid ffiniau seneddol nifer o etholaethau ar draws y Deyrnas Gyfunol, gan gynnwys gwaredu ar 10 sedd yng Nghymru. Byddai hynny wedi golygu bod gan Gymru 30 sedd yn Nh ’r Cyffredin, yn hytrach na’r 40 presennol.

Ond, gyda chynlluniau’r Llywodraeth bellach ar stop, mae rhai – gan gynnwys Yr Athro Wyn Jones – yn cwestiynu a yw methiant y cynlluniau’n beth da yntau drwg i lywodraethiant yng Nghymru.

O berspectif Jonathan Edwards, sy’n AS Plaid Cymru dros Ddwyrain Caerfyrddin a Dinefwr, mae’r newyddion yn dda. Ei farn ef, a barn swyddogol ei blaid ef, yw heb drosglwyddo mwy o bwerau o Lundain i’r Cynulliad Cenedlaethol, rhaid cadw cymaint o leisiau Cymreig yn San Steffan ag sy’n bosibl.

Wedi dweud hynny, nid yw

pawb yn ei blaid yn gwbl gytun. Yn siarad â’r un rhaglen â’r Athro Wyn Jones, fe ddywedodd Dafydd Elis-Thomas, AC y Blaid dros Ddwyfor Meirionnydd, y dylai Cymru gael llai o ASau ond mwy o ACau. Fe aeth Elis-Thomas gam ymhellach, gan alw am ddiwygio’r system lywodraeth leol yng Nghymru.

Ar hyn o bryd, mae gan Gymru 22 awdurdod lleol. Barn Dafydd Elis-Thomas yw bod hynny’n ormod o lawer, ac fe alwodd ef, felly, am greu rhwng 5 a 7 awdurdod lleol newydd i fynd yn lle’r 22 presennol. Mae’n rhagweld sefyllfa sy’n debyg i’r Byrddau Iechyd Lleol ar hyn o bryd.

Ei resymeg yw cyn mynd i’r afael â llywodraethiant cenedlaethol a llywodraethiant allanol Cymru, rhaid yn gyntaf mynd i’r afael â’i llywodraethaint mewnol.

Pwy a wyr beth fydd canlyniad y feirniadaeth hyn gan yr Athro Wyn-Jones a chan Dafydd ElisThomas, ond un peth sy’n sicr yw ei bod yn gyfnod anodd ym myd llywodraeth leol ar hyn o bryd – yn enwedig yng Nghaerdydd.

Ynys Echni - ar werth?

Cyflwynwyd cyllideb ddrafft y Brifddinas mewn cyfarfod cyngor yn ddiweddar. Dywed yr awdurdod bod angen gwneud toriadau o £22 miliwn yn y gyllideb nesaf, a bod angen dod o hyd i £110 miliwn o arbedion yn ystod y cyngor presennol hwn, a fydd yn rheoli’r ddinas hyd nes 2017. Fel rhan o ymdrechion y cyngor, caiff 300 o swyddi gyda’r awdurdod eu torri, yn ogystal â nifer o wasanaethau cyhoeddus hefyd.

Mae’r cyngor wedi awgrymu peidio â chymorthdalu gwersi cerddoriaeth yn ysgolion y Brifddinas, yn ychwanegol at dorri nifer o wasanaethau eraill a ddarperir i ysgolion, cau pwll nofio Sblot, lleihau oriau agored nifer o lyfrgelloedd Caerdydd, a chau tai bach yr Aes yng nghanol y ddinas.

Toriad diddorol arall yw bwriad yr awdurdod i werthu Ynys Echni yn Môr Hafren. Mae disgwyl i’r cyngor arbed £150,000 trwy atal ymweliadau i’r ynys, sy’n Safle o Ddiddordeb Gwyddonol Arbennig, a gwerthu’r ynys i brynwr preifat. Gan fod cyfyngiadau

ynghylch yr hyn y mae modd ei wneud gyda’r ynys, oherwydd ei phwysigrwydd gwyddonol, hanesyddol, a diwylliannol, nid yw’n debygol y caiff Ynys Echni ei gwerthu i ddatblygwr sy’n bwriadu codi gwesty neu rywbeth tebyg arni, ond yn hytrach i rywun a all manteisio ar gyfoeth naturiol yr ynys trwy gynnig ymweliadau iddi o Fae Caerdydd ac o ochr arall yr ynys, yn Ne Orllewin Lloegr.

Nid oedd cyhoeddiad Cyngor Caerdydd am yr holl doriadau heb ei feirniaid, chwaith. Er i’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol a’r Ceidwadwyr gadw’n dawel, gan aros am ragor o fanylion cyn mynegi barn, fe ddywedodd arweinydd gr p Plaid Cymru, Neil McEvoy, mai toriadau yw’r rhain gan ‘gyngor Llafur asgell-dde’ a phe bai Plaid Cymru’n arwain y Cyngor, byddai wedi dod o hyd i arbedion yn hawdd heb orfod gorfodi toriadau eraill ar y Brifddinas.

Caiff yr gyllideb ddrafft ei dadlau gan y cyngor llawn ddiwedd mis Chwefror.

36 / Sport

CUTV present for important Welsh win Tom Parry-Jones

said Coleman, although he made a point of praising the efforts of the whole team.

“It was great for the players [to get the win], they deserve it more than anyone,” he concluded.

When asked how this result will affect the team’s confidence for the next games, Coleman pointed to the momentum that a win brings; however, not shying away from the reality of Wales’ position in their qualifying group, he admitted the pressure is definitely on Wales to “build on this result and get points next month”.

Sub-editor CUTV were in the press box as Wales secured the second victory of Chris Coleman’s reign as manager with a 2–1 friendly win over Austria at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday, February 6th.

Goals from Gareth Bale and Sam Vokes helped them overcome a side ranked 18 places above them in the FIFA World Rankings. Marc Janko scored a late consolation, but it was not enough to salvage a draw for the visitors.

Coleman's current record: Wales 0–1 Costa Rica, Cardiff Mexico 2–0 Wales, New York Wales 0–2 Bosnia-Herzegovina, Llanelli Wales 0–2 Belgium, Cardiff Serbia 6–1 Wales, Belgrade Wales 2–1 Scotland, Cardiff Croatia 2–0 Wales, Osijek Under the lights of the Swansea City's home ground, Wales started brightly, with most of their impetus being provided by Bale in an unfamiliar role on the right flank.

Austria looked more threatening, though, forcing Boaz Myhill into a series of sublime saves.

However, it was Wales who broke the deadlock with a trademark goal from the instrumental Bale, his fourth in as many games for his country. He cut in from the right wing and beat his man before calmly curling the ball low past the outstretched hand of Austrian ’keeper Robert Almer.

Wales showed glimpses of promise for the remainder of the first half, but it was Austria

who dominated play, suggesting that Wales were unlikely to run away with proceedings. Austria did manage to put the ball in the back of the net, but – much to the dismay of the 50 travelling fans – Janko was ruled offside as he headed back across goal for Emanuel Pogatetz to nod home.

Myhill was continually tested, and Bayern Munich youngster David Alaba came close as Myhill misjudged his 35-yard effort, which struck the foot of the post.

Moments later, Andreas Weimann was denied by a perfectly timed sliding challenge from the reliable Sam Ricketts.

Wales took off Craig Bellamy

and David Vaughan at half time, Sam Vokes and Andy King coming on in their place, with Vokes' impact almost immediate. A pass over the top of the Austrian defence looked lost, but Bale saved it from going out for a goal kick, before delivering an inch-perfect cross for Vokes to double the hosts’ advantage.

From then, Wales sat back to defend their lead, but their vulnerability – particularly from crosses – was eventually capitalised on, as Austria’s captain and talisman Marc Janko headed past Myhill off a cross from Arnautovic.

This made for a tense finish,

but Wales survived with ease to secure yet another win at the Liberty. This bodes well for next month’s World Cup qualifier against Croatia, also to be played in Swansea.

Although it looks unlikely that Wales will reach the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil, this friendly win will give the side a boost going into tough games away to Scotland and at home to Croatia next month.

After the game, CUTV spoke to Wales manager Chris Coleman, who was full of praise for star man Bale.

“He’s got such a threat, he just changes the feeling of the game,”

WALES (4–3–3): Myhill; Matthews (Gunter 72’), Ricketts, Williams, B. Davies; Ledley, Allen, Vaughan (King 46’); Bale (Robson-Kanu 60’), Bellamy (Vokes 46’), Collison (Church 84’). Unused subs: Fôn Williams, Brown, Wilson, Richards, C. Davies.

AUSTRIA (4–4–2): Almer; Pogatetz, Suttner (Schiemer 87’), Prödl, Klein; Alaba, Kavlak (Leitgeb 75’), Ivanschitz (Junuzovic 61’), Arnautovic; Weimann (Jantscher 62’), Janko.

Unused subs: Lindner, Garics, Dragovic, Fuchs, Sabitzer, Baumgartlinger, Hosiner, Königshofer.

Referee: Menashe Masiah (Israel) Tune in to CUTV (cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/cutv) for coverage of the Austria press conference and next month’s game against Croatia.

Early promise for sailors in BUCS qualifiers Joanna Lucas

Sport Writer Two Cardiff University sailing teams have qualified for the next round of the BUCS Team Racing Championships after Round 1 Qualifiers last weekend.

Cardiff Black finished 5th and Cardiff Red 6th overall in the Western Area Qualifiers in Bristol. Both teams will now proceed to the Playoffs stage, where they hope to be in the top seven teams that then progress to the Finals.

A strong breeze was forecast for the weekend but failed to deliver, with Saturday a sunny 10-12 knots that caused a few sunburn issues for certain sailors!

With 94 races to get through, the sailors were keen to start. After a brief delay, Cardiff Red were on the water with two wins in their first two races, one against bitter rivals Swansea.

Next up was the big grudge match between the two Cardiff teams, in which Cardiff Black only just came out on top (and didn’t let anyone forget it…!).

After the first day, Bristol Red

fication for the finals. For Cardiff Red, it came down to the final race against Plymouth Pink for fourth spot.

They lost the race narrowly, but both teams finished with eight wins apiece in their 13 races and head to the Playoffs in a strong position.

Cardiff Sailing Club now look forward to the Playoffs which will take place on March 2nd and 3rd in Birmingham.

CARDIFF BLACK: Hatty Black (Captain), Georgie Andrew, Harry Derbyshire, Rory Jones, Hannah Leggett, George Wilson CARDIFF RED: Tom Firth, Dave Gilfedder, Matt Holbourn, Jo Lucas, Henry McLaughlin, Emily Wiltshire led the racing with a 100% win rate. Cardiff Red headed home with 7/10 wins and Cardiff Black 6/10 wins.

Sunday dawned even lighter

and flukier, and each team had three more races to complete.

Both teams got off to positive starts with wins in their first races, but Cardiff Red then suffered

two losses and Cardiff Black one loss.

Both Cardiff teams narrowly missed out on the top four positions, which ensure direct quali-

For all of updates follow Cardiff Uni Sailing Club on Twitter: @CUsailingclub

Sport 36–40

Monday February 11th 2013 | @gairrhyddsport

37

BUCS Review Ladies’ First XV win vital match at Chichester Emma Fox Sport Writer

Cardiff University Ladies' First XV secured a crucial bonuspoint victory at basement side Chichester to move away from the bottom of BUCS Premier League South.

The conditions were less than optimal for Cardiff; a long coach journey down to Sussex with only 16 girls available to make the trip.

It was a very windy day in Chichester and, to add inconvenience, Cardiff were battling the wind in the first half. However, Cardiff Ladies were determined to bring home a win to avoid relegation from the Premiership.

Not long into the first half, No. 10 Alice Stean made a break but was tackled into touch. Chichester won their own lineout, but a huge counter from Cardiff forwards at the breakdown meant a quick turnover and an overlap saw Stean score on the outside.

From the restart, Cardiff looked dangerous again with prop Beth Stafford making a great break, fending off several Chichester defenders before being edged into touch.

The hosts realised that this was going to be no walkover

and came back strongly. Both teams looked evenly matched in the contact area, but with a slick backs move Chichester broke the line and went on to score. The strong wind meant that neither team converted, making the half time score 5–5.

Cardiff started the second period strongly, determined to capitalise on the elements now being in their favour. A hoof down the pitch from Karen Davies saw the wind carry the ball a little too far and over the try line, but, with great pressure from winger Elisa Crombie, Chichester were forced into a 22 drop out. The kick taken on the charge by Emma Fox saw Cardiff hit straight back.

Huge carries from Harriet Cox and Maria Waghorn saw the girls edged towards the try line. Finally, quick ball and a switch of play released Bridget Taylor to score.

Cardiff crept ahead, the score now 10–5.

Following this try, Cardiff fought hard to defend their lead.

In attack, centres Ellie Davies and Holly Hearle were linking up brilliantly, running angles and giving offloads that left Chichester’s defence scrambling. A maul 10 metres from the whitewash saw Cardiff forwards execute a great

drive towards the line, with captain Kiri Shuttleworth peeling off the back and stretching over the line to make the score 15–5 to Cardiff.

Cardiff were forced into a reshuffle after tireless back rower Hannah Campbell went off injured and Rachel Kidner came in with fresh legs at scrum half.

Cardiff conceded a penalty and suddenly Chichester were on the front foot. Some slightly sleepy defence from the visitors allowed a Chichester player to slip through from 10 metres out and

score, reducing the deficit to five points.

Cardiff were not about to let the advantage that they had fought so hard to maintain slip from their grasp. They regained their composure and a kick to fullback Katlin Davis saw her unleash her pace and make a storming run, fooling several Chichester defenders with her nimble footwork, before taking a big hit into touch.

But Cardiff had made the ground and intended to capitalise on it. They competed fiercely

to win the lineout, and work towards the try line once more.

With the centres again making metres, Kidner popped the ball up to Shuttleworth, who pumped her legs and set the platform for Anna White to dive over and hand the visitors a 20–10 lead with just 10 minutes remaining.

Cardiff defended ruthlessly in the closing stages and, despite tired legs, they were impenetrable. Finally, with a turnover and time up, Cardiff punted the ball into touch to seal a hard-fought victory.

We have potential to win Varsity – Fowler With Varsity fast approaching, Greg Landon caught up with the university's director of rugby Martyn Fowler about the Men's First XV progress When gair rhydd interviewed you before the start of the season, you said there would be lots of new challenges this year. How has the season progressed?

The main challenge this year has been the availability of the core group of players from last season. Last year, each of our front rowers had played in four Varsity matches, while this year we could have a situation where none of our front row has Varsity experience going into the match. They are definitely able, but last year’s pack was very special.

So set pieces are the main worry?

Not a worry, the guys just need time to develop. As I said, scrums are a potential area of concern, especially if we have injuries.

Our lineout consistency is only at about 50/60% and it needs to be up around 80%. We work on three-year cycles, and last year was the end of one, so in many ways we were starting again this year.

What’s been the highlight of the season so far?

Our performance against Swansea. A great team effort where the boys played brilliantly as a team, and proved they can compete with anyone. But the fact we’ve stayed in the BUCS Premiership is a massive achievement on its own. The other unis have an ability to recruit that we simply don't have, so I’m very proud of the team.

So are you confident for Varsity?

Well, we have the potential. I expect to face a very different Swansea side, though. They have a lot of very skilled players on part-time and sports courses we haven’t seen yet. Swansea never change the way they play. They rarely use the backline and rely on their big boys up front. In the forwards, it is always a big challenge. We do have some experience of our own, though. Medical student Nick Huntley, for example, is set to break the Cardiff Uni record by appearing in five

Varsities.

I expect we’re going to play an open, running game, then?

The backs will score tries if they get ball. The whole backline is all Welsh Premiership standard, so they need opportunities.

For you personally, how important is Varsity? Does it define an entire season?

Varsity is obviously a massive occasion. The problem is, no matter what happens in the season, most people will judge us by Varisty. We could win the BUCS finals, but Varsity would be the thing most students remember.

We have done well this year, and that’s the important thing to remember.

Thank you for your time, and best of luck with Varsity. Care to give us a quick prediction for the Lions tour later this year?

The Lions will win 3–0. Australia look pretty terrible to me at the moment.

Varsity tickets go on sale on Thursday, February 14th from the Union Box Office. Special bundle deal includes match ticket, T-shirt and entry to the afterparty for only £20.

38 / Sport

Darren Wong: Zero to Hero

Wai Lim describes the remarkable journey of Cardiff badminton player Darren Wong On Wednesday 30th January, two extraordinary journeys climaxed in exceptional form.

Four years ago, a Hong Kong boy from Bath by the name of Darren Wong arrived at Cardiff University. He was a relative beginner in his beloved sport of badminton, but, in team trials, captain Dom Brown chose to put Darren into the team in front of established players, recognising his potential.

Slowly, Darren progressed from squad reserve to an integral cog in the Wai Lim promotionwinning team of 2012. His partnership last year proved a hit in Division 1 as Wai’s team battled into the Premiership. This year, under Dom, the men’s team's main aim was to stay up. No one in their wildest dreams believed what was achieved could have been possible.

After a three-game winning run at the start of the season concluded with an 8–0 loss against Bath away, the objective suddenly became second place in the league. Dropped points away at both Oxford (5–3 loss) and Southampton away (4–4 draw), however, meant that the dream could only be achieved with a result against Bath at home.

With no pressure on the team and only the unthinkable possible, could a newly promoted team get any kind of result against a Bath side who hadn’t dropped a single point in over three seasons?

It started well as Dom took out England's No. 24 Stuart Rowlands to give Cardiff a 1–0 lead. Nick Ward failed to challenge Chris Evans, though, and the score was quickly equalised. Darren and fresher Oliver Digby were up next against a giant of the university game in Chris Hotchen and his partner. Hotchen is a regular local tour winner and has represented England at junior level

many times and was unfortunately too strong for Darren and Ollie.

Up came the local boys as 38-year-old Huw Bowen and former captain Wai Lim faced up to the second Bath pair of doubles.

After an epic struggle and a lot of bad language, temper, flair and power, the Cardiff lads powered through to a three-set winner, tying the match at 2–2 at the halfway point.

The stage was set, and if the game carried on in the way, Darren, in his last ever match for Cardiff University, could be the man who makes history. Already part of the historic double-winning team of 2012 (promotion and Varsity), could Darren really make himself part of Cardiff folklore?

Could a newly promoted team get any kind of result against Bath?

Dom was first up against the mighty Evans and was no match, resulting in a 3–2 advantage for Bath. Next came Nick, playing a visibly shattered Rowlands, who still could not understand what had hit him in his game against Dom. Nick battled hard, injuring himself in the process but managed to scream his way to victory to tie the game at 3–3. Meanwhile, Huw and Wai found themselves in a spot of bother when faced with Hotchen and his partner, eventually going on to lose. This left the game, the dream, the legend, the myths and the history books all to be written by the one and only Darren Wong.

The match started and, storming out of the blocks, the Cardiff pair went on a huge run of points to take the lead. Mass celebrations ensued on the excited Cardiff bench. Wai and Dom had

carefully planned the celebration - a court invasion and a pile-on was in store if Darren could win this game.

At one set up, Darren started to lose concentration. Visibly worried, Dom prayed for Darren not to ‘bottle it’. With a few strong words from coach Matt Hughes at the interval, they put up a strong fight but unfortunately couldn’t take the second set.

The match was going to three!

The final set began very cagily - you could hear a pin drop at times, but at other times it was electric in the hall. Huw could hardly watch, Dom was still praying, Wai was screaming, while Nick was still icing his tender areas after a collision with the post.

With every point that passed, the Cardiff bench could see the dream coming true, the ultimate result, a draw with mighty Bath would see the huge famous grin of their coach Pete Bush wiped straight off.

At 11 points at the end swap, Darren focused strongly on the match ahead. 11–3 up, 10 points for the draw. Could he do it?

With nervous times ahead, and Ollie looking like he was having a panic attack on one point, Darren started getting nervy and making mistakes. The Bath pair were slowly closing the gap.

More and more shouts of encouragement were coming from the sidelines and the score reached match point to the Cardiff. Darren Wong was about to become a legend of Cardiff University Badminton, about to play his last rally in the red shirt of the Dragons. He served, a rally began and Darren played a net tumbler off the frame to win the match.

What followed can only be described as utter chaos! Wai ran onto the court, lifted Darren up and dropped him to the floor as the whole team piled on top of

him. The journey was complete – Darren came to university four years ago struggling to make the squad and, four years later, mainly thanks to first team exposure from Wai and Dom, has become an icon, a legend and a tale that will be told to many a fresher for years to come. He was the man who won the last match with the last touch of his university career to draw with Bath and cement Cardiff as the second-placed team in the Premier League. Fi-

nal score: Cardiff 4–4 Bath.

Man of the match: Darren Wong Captain’s pick: Darren Wong Coach’s pick: Darren Wong Mighty celebrations started at 7:30pm and carried on throughout the night as the badminton team took on Cardiff town as Lord of the Rings characters. Darren, of course, was Frodo the ring bearer.

Round-up Group C

Group A

P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

Group B

P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

1

Roath Park Rangers

8

6

2

0

11

20

2

Psycho Athletico

9

5

2

2

12

17

1

FC Euros

8

7

1

0

23

22

1

Pharm A.C.

8

7

0

1

19

21

2

SOCSI

8

6

0

2

35

18

2

CARBS FC

8

6

2

0

26

20

3

EarthSoc

7

5

0

2

18

15

3

Momed AFC

7

5

1

1

15

16

3

Law A

8

4

1

3

10

13

4

Cardiff Uni IMG 1st

8

4

1

3

20

13

4

AFC Dentistry

7

4

1

2

14

13

4

History AFC

8

4

0

4

-1

12

5

Engin Loco FC

7

4

1

2

8

13

5

1st XI

8

4

0

4

6

12

5

Cardiff Mets

8

3

1

4

8

10

6

CHAOS FC

7

3

2

2

-2

11

6

Cardiff Uni IMG 2nd

8

2

1

5

-25

7

6

Inter Menan

8

3

1

4

4

10

7

C-PLAN AFC

7

2

2

3

4

8

7

Law B

7

1

3

3

-6

6

7

JOMEC FC

8

3

1

4

-17

10

8

Computer Science FC

9

2

1

6

-22

7

8

Chemistry FC

7

1

1

5

-9

4

8

Gym Gym

8

1

2

5

-28

5

9

OPSOC

8

1

1

6

-37

4

9

Too Big To Fail

8

0

0

8

-53

0

9

Time Team

8

1

0

7

-21

3

10

Engin Automotive FC

8

0

2

6

-12

2

39

Sport 36–40

Monday February 11th 2013 | @gairrhyddsport

The Tip-Off: Psychology In this week's Tip-Off, Ross Martinovic speaks to Psychology co-captain Helen Oliver After a strong season last year, Psychology Netball have continued where they left off.

Captained jointly by Helen Oliver and Hannah Bunnage, the Psychology girls finished an admirable second in a tough Phase 1 group containing Cardiff Medics and the all-conquering ENCAP 'A'. and they enter the IMG Premier League in a healthy vein of form.

The season's gone pretty well for you so far, with five wins from seven in Phase 1. You must be fairly happy with that?

Yeah, really happy! We were in the second league last year so it's great to see some improvement and reward for our hard work.

The 'B' team are also playing really well.

Who have been your toughest opponents so far?

There is never an easy match, but we haven’t played either Law team before and they always seem to be near the top! We also lost to ENCAP 'A' last term, so will be looking to rectify that this time around. One of our standout matches was probably against Cardiff Uni 'B' - both teams were scoring on centre pass pretty much throughout the match and so to win 16 - 14 at the end was amazing.

Who would you say have been your star performers this year?

I couldn’t possibly pick just one....can I pick 14?! I would have to compliment our goal shooters, who have an incredible conversion rate.

How different is your squad to last year? Have you taken on many new players?

With girls going on placement and returning from it, there’s always change between years. This year, an impressive amount of freshers have joined, too. In fact, the 'B' team is purely freshers so watch them for next year!

Where would you say the strength of your side lies?

I think everyone is quite adaptable and versatile. If someone is missing for a match, or tiring during one, then players are happy to swap positions. This is also handy when opponents have a

Division One

P

W

D

L

Pts

1

Cardiff Uni A

1

1

0

0

3

2

ENCAP A

1

1

0

0

3

height advantage! I think we'll be working more on set pieces this term but I don't want to give too much away. Also, maybe a bit of fitness after Christmas holidays!

ENCAP told Sport last week of their lively social scene - how is it for Psychology Netball?

Ours is definitely lively, too!

Shotgun Rules at Revs are our sponsors this year, so we are regularly there causing trouble. We are having a joint ‘Rubix Cube’ social this week with one of the football teams - swapping clothes with the boys should be interesting! We normally do some sort of

Division Two

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Pts

1

SOCSI A

1

1

0

0

3

2

Cardiff Uni B

1

1

0

0

fancy dress for socials, so that we can laugh at each other. We had a rather impressive feathery flamingo for our zoo initiation! We don't have mean initiations, just have to eat the occasional dog biscuit - no chickens or bodily fluids involved! Normally we'll start at someone's house then crawl into Revs, who give us VIP and then it all gets a bit blurry!

The number of girls participating in IMG Netball is growing year-on-year. What do you enjoy about it the most?

I like that it's competitive but not too serious. Everyone wants their

Division Three

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Pts

1

JOMEC

1

1

0

0

3

3

2

OPSOC

1

1

0

0

3

teams to win but not to the point that it takes the fun out of it.

The organisation of the IMG competitions has attracted significant praise this year. Is that something that you agree with?

I think IMG is much better organised this year. The new AU President has done really well.

Last year, we were given one less game to play than other teams, but now I feel it is done fairly. I think something could be done to help fund the teams, though - it's expensive to pay for registration and we are only poor students!

Division Four

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Pts

1

Pharmacy B

1

1

0

0

3

2

Cardiff Medics B

1

1

0

0

3

3

CARBS A

0

0

0

0

0

3

Cardiff Medics A

0

0

0

0

0

3

Chemistry

1

0

1

0

1

3

EUROS

1

1

0

0

3

4

Law B

0

0

0

0

0

4

Engin Auto

0

0

0

0

0

4

URNU

1

0

1

0

1

4

Cardiff Dental

0

0

0

0

0

5

Psychology A

0

0

0

0

0

5

Pharmacy A

0

0

0

0

0

5

SOCSI B

0

0

0

0

0

5

Gym Gym

1

0

0

1

0

6

Law A

1

0

0

1

0

6

ENCAP B

1

0

0

1

0

6

Psychology B

1

0

0

1

0

6

HistorySoc

1

0

0

1

0

7

Engin Loco

1

0

0

1

0

7

EarthSoc

1

0

0

1

0

7

CARBS B

1

0

0

1

0

7

Bioscience

1

0

0

1

0

Cardiff Uni director of rugby Martyn Fowler talks Varsity << page 37

cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk /gairrhydd

Sport Monday February 11th 2013 | Issue 997

Team Cardiff on form in BUCS

Sport editor Ross Martinovic reviews a successful week of BUCS action for Team Cardiff

T

his week saw yet another strong performance from Team Cardiff in BUCS as several teams finally returned to action after the Christmas break.

The rugby club secured two huge victories on Wednesday in the men's and women's battles for Premier League survival. The men's side cruised to a 26-10 win over Glamorgan to ensure safety

for another year, relegating their Cardiff rivals in the process, while Cardiff Ladies moved four points clear of the drop zone with a 20-10 away triumph over bottom team Chichester (full report on page 37).

Meanwhile, the men's squash team progressed to the semi-finals of the Western Conference Cup with a crushing 5-0 victory at Gloucestershire, although their female counterparts succumbed to a 3-1 loss at home to

Nottingham 2nds in the National Trophy.

The men's squash team progressed to the semi-finals of the Western Conference Cup There were two huge top-ofthe-table clashes in netball and women's tennis, with the former slipping to an agonising 26-24

CUTV cover Wales' victory over Austria << page 36

defeat at home to UWE and the latter securing a 6-6 draw against Bath 2nds that keeps both sides locked on 16 points with five games remaining in Western Conference 1A. The women's football side are also a step closer to safety after they came out on top of a fivegoal thriller with Aberystwyth, eventually claiming the spoils 3-2 and moving six points clear of the relegation places.

The hockey club enjoyed an

fantastic afternoon, with their men's and women's squads sharing 10 goals between them and conceding none. The women's team cruised to an impressive away victory at Bath 2nds and sit top of Western Conference 1A level on points with Southampton with a game in hand, while the men's team overwhelmed Exeter 3rds 7-0. The win consolidated second place for Cardiff and kept up the pressure on leaders Exeter 2nds.

The Tip-Off: Psychology Netball << page 39