gair rhydd - Issue 942

What tickles your fancy?

gair rhydd Monday February 14 2011 | freeword – Est. 1972 | Issue 942

CarBS clamp down Morgan Applegarth News Editor

“

How safe is your street? News break down latest police figures

News page 6

“

Opinion discuss what feminism means in today’s society

Opinion page 11

“

Women in Politics: An interview with Sally Bercow

Politics page 16

“

Graduate job prospects in 2011

News and Features investigate

Photo: Hannah Jones

Cardiff University Business School (CarBS) have acted following an article in last week’s gair rhydd in which it was revealed how two Economics tutors have been charging their students for extra tuition.

In a statement to gair rhydd, CarBS Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning Peter Marlow said: “Last week, when the information surrounding PhD students supplying paid tuition came to light, we committed to a full investigation of the issue.

“We have now contacted all of our PhD students and have made it clear that any PhD students who undertake tuition or assessment duties at the School must not undertake private tuition for any CarBs students.

“We have also stated that tutors who undertake private tuition for non-CarBS students should not use the Business School’s resources when undertaking this work.” gair rhydd learnt how two PhD tutors were charging their thirdyear students a fee in the region of £25 - £40 for extra tuition sessions.

The sessions fell outside of the weekly lectures and tutorials, and outside of the tutors’ scheduled office hours.

According to one anonymous Economics student, charging for extra tuition has been going on “for more than three years.” The same student said how “everyone in the Economics department knows [about the extra tuition] and feels

uncomfortable [about it].”

CarBS have neither confirmed nor denied whether they knew of such tuition taking place. However, University Policy on Outside Work states that: “Neither University Services nor Private Outside Work may be carried out without the University’s prior knowledge and formal approval.”

In light of last week’s article, CarBS Associate Dean, Marlow, messaged all CarBS PhD students outlining the School’s policy on tutors holding extra tuition sessions.

In the message, Marlow told PhD students: “The School has instituted…guidelines to ensure that no real or perceived conflict of interest arises between tutors’ work for the School and any private work they undertake.”

The guidelines outline how PhD students “cannot undertake private tuition for any student in the Business School.” Moreover, it is stated that tutors must ‘stay consistent with the University’s Policy on Outside Work’ and “should not use Business School resources.”

The guidelines also warn that tutors who undertake private tuition should not “purport to be undertaking such work on behalf of the School.”

It is not known for how long the guidelines have been implemented.

In reaction to the revelations, third-year Economics student Jake Galea said: “PhD tutors should not be doing this due to the conflict of interests and potential inequality that this promotes.

Continued on page 3

Inside this week:

“ Cardiff ’s Knight Sport interviews Heather Knight << Sport page 33

Sport ask whether Brits care about the Superbowl?

Sport page 32

And more, inside Wales’ number one independent student newspaper

02News

gr EDITOR Sarah Powell

CO-ORDINATOR Elaine Morgan DEPUTY EDITOR Dom Kehat SUB-EDITORS Anna Redbond Isabelle Roberts Hannah Van Den Bergh NEWS Morgan Applegarth Miranda Atty Pippa Lewis Ben Price Hannah Pendleton FEATURES Zoe Bridger Laura Brunt OPINION Holly Howe Chris Williams COLUMNIST Henry Burton POLITICS James Dunn Oliver Smith SOCIETIES Bianca London SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT Tom Clarke Jack Parker SPORT Alex Bywater Lucy Morgan Alex Winter CONTRIBUTORS Bethan Cable Emily Cope Jo Greet Laura Dunn Louise Tapper Janson Luke Baker Rhys Griffiths Will Poley Tom Oakey Nick Case Dinara Dultaeva Hector Roddan Hannah Van Den Bergh Hugh Rodger Catriona Camacho Lucy Portlock Emma Jarrett Jonathan Stevens Alex Calvin

Monday February 14 2011 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

Inner child running wild Hugh Rodger Reporter Cardiff Mental Wealth society hosted an event on Tuesday February 8 2011 with a range of activities catered to welcome students wishing to indulge in nostalgic memories of their childhoods past.

Held in Solus, ‘Release Your Inner Child’ was organised as an entirely free event with the help of a national grant from the charity Prevention of Young Suicide (PAPYRUS) and support from the Student Enterprise. Donations were accepted for the NSPCC throughout the day.

The event itself was decorated in the style of a kids’ party with balloons and plates of treats such as popcorn, sweets and candy floss, entertainers, and the ultimate birthday party staple – a bouncy castle; all accompanied by 90’s pop music memorable to students who grew up in the era of S Club 7 and the Backstreet Boys.

A wide variety of activities were on offer to students including face painting, a table for Lego construction and a sumo suit exhibition that anyone could participate in for oneon-one (friendly) scraps. Creative arts and crafts enthusiasts were es-

pecially catered for, with a wall for painting and expression, and even the chance to have a go with plasticine and playdough.

Society co-founder Mark Jordan spoke about the event: “The reception has been overwhelmingly positive. People were walking in with their faces lighting up, like children on Christmas morning, unsure of what to do first. The candy floss has been especially popular. We’ve gone through six bags of sugar and ten bags of sweets.”

The Mental Wealth society was founded last September, and aims to improve the well-being and mental health of students in Cardiff, organising several events in the past to promote this ethos.

Event organiser Nathaniel Smith also gave his word on the event’s success: “A big ethos of the day was to remind people of the simplicity and innocence of their childhood, and to show people that they can still have fun in a light-hearted manner to relieve the stress of exams and academia. To feel like a child can evoke a lot of positive emotions and feelings to help promote a healthy mental balance and we’re glad we’ve got many students smiling and enjoying themselves here today.”

Above: 'Release your inner child' held by Cardiff Mental Wealth

LGBT+ Association celebrate history month Hector Roddan and Hannah Van Den Bergh Reporters Head of LGBT+ Association, Mark Anderson, has presented the Terrence Higgins Trust with a cheque for £400, raised last term on World AIDS day.

“It has been a pivotal year for the Association” Mark told gair rhydd, “starting with our first fundraising event in years, back in December for World AIDS day and Donation not Discrimination.”

This year also marks the first year that Cardiff LGBT+ Associa-

tion (the body that campaigns and represents LGBT+ students) are contributing to Go Global!

Hector Roddan, LGBT+ Media Officer for the Association told gair rhydd: “Go Global! is all about diversity, and sexuality or gender identity is very much a part of that.

Luckily, it also lands within LGBT History month; an international month celebrated every year in February promoting LGBT issues.

“The idea of History month is that in order to understand our present and imagine our future, we must first gain insight into our past – both as individuals and as a society. LGBT+ History Month al-

lows us to explore, share and celebrate some hidden aspects of our past – not only for this country but around the world.”

To celebrate History Month, the LGBT+ Association has started a Facebook ‘we need your face’ campaign aiming to get as many people as possible to donate their pictures, which will then be collaged into lesbian and gay, bisexual and trans pride flags. The Association are also making unique posters, collages and digital art to exhibit.

Working with the Student Enterprise, the LGBT+ Association are turning the Kitchen into an arts and crafts fayre (Friday February

25, 6:00-8:30), featuring unique and hand-made crafts made by students as part of Go Global!, the Students’ Union’s annual celebration of diversity.

“Our exhibition brings together past, future and present in more ways than one. From brand new digital art of LGBT+ campaigners and celebrities, to an informative look at LGBT+ people through history, as well as case studies on LGBT+ there’s guaranteed to be something to inform, entertain and interest everyone” Hector told gair rhydd. “The event is followed by a DJ-set in Boombox from BBC Radio 1’s DJ Aled.”

PROOFREADERS Catriona Camacho Emily Kneale Steph Pugh Bethan Cable Above: Campaigners at the LGBT + World AIDS Day event held in the Student's Union and presenting a cheque to charity

News03

Monday February 14 2011 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

'PhD tutors must not undertake private tuition for their students' Continued from front “[Some] Economics students are concerned as to whether these allegations will affect marking methods.”

One third-year Economics student expressed support toward the tutors, saying: “I used to take extra tuition in my first-year, and it helped me pass.

“I think it’s going against their [the tutors] rights; it is their job to teach, so they should be paid for their service.”

A female Economics student, who wished to remain anonymous, relayed support for the tutors, telling gair rhydd: “Students are not paying for their grade, they are paying for knowledge.

“They [tuition sessions] are better than lectures. The tutors use the same material, but they just expand on key points and go into greater detail.”

The two tutors in question were found to be advertising their services online at www.firsttutors. co.uk.

One tutor, who cannot be named for legal reasons, advertised their

services by stating: “I can give you FREE (sic) copy and print service by taking advantage of my office resources.”

Moreover, they stated: “I will give the secret tactics and the marking standards in exams. I could tell you the INSIDE (sic) information of how your exam papers are marked.”

Their profiles have since been modified.

Marlow told gair rhydd: “If the tutors become aware of a possible need for additional tuition sessions for the students that they teach, they will inform the module leader who will arrange for extra provision at no cost to the students.

“The academic progress and well-being of our students is of paramount importance and I would like to emphasise that any student who is finding any aspect of academic study challenging should discuss this with their personal tutor, who will do their utmost to help."

Have something to say? Join the debate online by visiting www. gairrhydd.com.

PhD tutors charge students The online debate

“ “ “ “ “

I have resorted to the tutors before the exams. I think the extra tuition is good for students who have difficulties when studying and in exams.

We must pay for the service. If the extra tuition is free, then tutors will spend all their time helping students. The extra tuition must be expensive, then that way you will work harder in lectures and tutorials.

The two tutors in question are completely innocent in this matter.

They have brought nothing but honour to their profession. University is hard and with the added pressures of achieving high grades, not everyone is at the same academic level. Some students need to work harder to get their grades and if they want to seek further tuition to better themselves then good for them. In fact we are constantly told to seek further work during our study.

Students at Cardiff are provided with a structured course of lectures, notes, past papers, exercises and taught tutorials. Every year students learn effectively from these universally available materials, which are more than enough for able students if they sit down and put the hours in. If some students still struggle and ask for extra help, either because they’re lazy or because they’re just not very good, please tell me why a frantically busy PhD student should provide that for free?

The issue here is not that tuition was paid for, the issue is that these tutors are not independent of the Business School. Yes people pay for extra tuition during their time in School, but this is tuition delivered by third parties. I believe the issue here is not that extra tuition was received but that the tuition was given by people who are not third party to the module in question, thus represents a conflict of interest by way of potentially offering unfair advantage.

I accept this is not new, in regard that people offer students extra tuition in return of payment. However, when it is the same tutors who are teaching the students who are already paying for tuition, then there is a massive clash of interests. These tutors should be named and shamed.

Above: Economics tutors found advertising their services online

Medical report recommends marriage Dinara Dultaeva Reporter A study by Cardiff University academics into human relationships has found that married people, on average, tend to live longer.

Dr. John Gallacher, a reader in the School of Medicine’s Department of Primary Care and Public Health, and a third-year specialist trainee in paediatrics conducted research into long-term relationships and their impact on both emotional and physical health.

Research suggests that women in committed relationships have better mental health, while men have better physical health than whose not in relationships.

The report suggests that improvements in men’s physical health is probably due to their partner’s pos-

itive influence on their lifestyle and that “the mental bonus for women may be due to a greater emphasis on the importance of the relationship.”

The authors, however, note that relationships do not always run smoothly, with particular evidence of increased adolescent depressive symptoms in the relationships of young people.

As a result, the study suggests that the best time to establish commitment is after the age of 25 for men and between 19 and 25 for women.

The report notes how single people have better mental health than those in strained relationships.

Researchers also confirm that breaking up is hard to do, saying: “Exiting a relationship is distressing."

Divorce can have a devastating

impact, whereas having numerous partners is associated with a risk of earlier death.

The report summarises that supportive relationships make for better emotional and physical health, concluding: “On balance it is probably worth making the effort.”

Follow us on Twitter @GairRhyddNews

04News

Monday February 14 2011 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

Student Jobs: A brighter While the job market remains as competitive as ever, students graduating this year continue to face the difficult task of finding employment, yet employers claim that the situation is improving.

Ben Price News Editor Graduate unemployment is at its highest level for over a decade according to government figures.

The report claims that one in five UK university leavers failed to find a job last year,.

The National Unions of Students President, Aaron Porter said: "Graduates are encountering an exceptionally hostile jobs market and the government persists with policies that put the burden of the country's debt on the young."

However, students should not be disheartened by this news as a survey of more than 200 employers suggests that the situation is improving.

Leading graduate employers have said that they hope to increase their graduate employees by 9.4% in 2011.

“

Vacancies for graduates are on the rise

According to The Complete University Guide’s projected figures for 2011, published in May 2010, Cardiff University’s graduate prospects stand at 72.8%, which sees it share similar levels of graduate job prospects with Glasgow University, Newcastle University and Sheffield University.

Despite falling back to 41 in the overall standings of the Independent’s League Table, Cardiff University’s average for the employability of its graduates remains among some of the most competitive universities in the country.

Nevertheless, the University’s graduate prospects are still at least ten percent behind the UK’s leading universities.

A Cardiff University spokesperson said: “Almost 94% of the 2009 cohort of graduates were employed, undertaking further study or taking time out six months after graduation.

Employability is embedded into the student experience and students choose Cardiff University to improve their job opportunities and salary prospects.”

While many undergraduates approach the end of their time at University worrying about a struggling

jobs market, there is some relief for students as the job vacancies for graduates are on the rise.

“

If you can get work experience, then do it

In 2009 graduate job vacancies fell by 17.8%, according to research

by High Flyers, an independent market research company, which specialises in student and graduate research. However, a rise of 12.6% in 2010 is followed by a predicted 9.4% for this year.

High Flyers report that Accountancy and Professional Service firms intend to hire 10% more graduates than in 2010 as well as taking on an extra 350 trainees year-onyear.

Graduate employment in Banking and Investment is set to rise by 24.8%, while IT and Telecommunications hope to increase its vacancies for graduates by 33.9%.

However, employment space in Engineering and Industry is likely to increase by 0.2%, with recruitment in Law at 4.5% and Media at 13.8%.

Les Rees of Cardiff University Careers Office said: “The one area that I think it is difficult to get a job in is in the civil service, in places such as government departments and jobs in the public sector.

These areas are facing budget cuts, reducing the number of job opportunities.”

“

Salaries remain unchanged from the averages of 2010

In 2009, 82% (3394) of the graduating cohort responded to a survey regarding where Cardiff University students found employment. 950 students said that they had found employment in South East Wales.

While London still remains the main hub for student jobs, with nine out of ten organizations offering vacancies in the capital during 2011. The second largest area for student employment is in the south east of England, followed by the North West, the Midlands and the

Graduate salaries:

Highest: Investment Banking

£42, 000 Law Firms

£38, 000 Oil & Energy companies

£32,000 Lowest: Public Sector

£22, 200 Retail

£24,000 South West.

Employment for students in Wales stands at 42%.

For those students who already have a good idea about what sort of career they wish to pursue, a strong message emphasising the importance of work experience seems to be the message from employers. Recruiters have confirmed that a third of the intake at various companies will be graduates who have already worked at the organization Les Rees of Cardiff University’s Careers Service commented: “If you can get work experience, then do it. It is really valuable and will highlight your intent. If you’ve got it, make use of it. A lot of employers are looking for it.”

For graduates wanting a good salary in order to start paying back their student loans, then most will be pleased to know that salaries remain unchanged from the average of 2010, with a median of £29,000 per year.

Figures from High Flyers research reveal that top investment banks offer the most generous graduate salaries with an average of £42,000.

The leading Law firms offer an average salary of £38,000, some oil and energy companies are also offering graduates an average starting salary of £32,000 in certain positions. The lowest graduate salaries are to be found in public sector jobs.

Finally, Cardiff Careers Service, advises students still unsure about what career they wish to pursue, to do their research and be prepared to be flexible and seek alternatives.

They wish to remind students that a degree in one area does not mean you have to work in that area, as many employers take on people who have wide ranging degrees.

Have your say o-n www.gairrhydd.com

News05

Monday February 14 2011 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

2011 for graduates?

Graduate recalls her job-hunting experience Joy Harding News Writer

Photo: Cardiff graduates take the next step Photographer: Matt Cousins IT and Telecoms

Media

13.8%

Accounting & Professional Services

9.5%

Chemical & Pharmaceutical

7.0%

Public Sector

4.6%

Law

Retail

Engineering & Industry

Photo: Students at a graduate jobs fair

33.9%

4.5% 1.3% 0.2%

2011 projected percentage increase for graduate employment vacancies in the UK

Percentage change from recruitment in 2010

Admittedly, I was a lazy graduate.

All I wanted to do after graduation was escape, so I found myself a job in Greece for the summer and did my best to forget about what autumn would bring.

Not knowing what I really want to do, I didn’t ever want a ‘career’ or even anything to boost my academic CV, I just wanted to work, save and travel.

As soon as I was back in Cardiff I handed in CVs around town, feeling pretty optimistic. How hard could it be? I had a degree and I was applying to bars and shops. But what I quickly realised was that people who don’t have degrees have something far more important to employers - experience, which is obviously more relevant than a portfolio of humanities essays It was bleak. The novelty of having nothing to do wore off after 4 days, when it became clear that ‘free time’ is expensive. The money I had saved over summer was being drained on annoying expenses, like council tax and TV licence fees.

I soon realised that there’s only so many cakes you can bake before your flatmate takes pity on you. It got to the point where I was refreshing job websites more than I was facebook. I even convinced myself I’d given incorrect contact details on my CV, so applied to some places twice. I was in denial.

Eventually, I swallowed my pride and visited the Job Centre to ‘sign on’ for Job Seeker’s Allowance, in the hope that they’d point me in the direction of a job. Wrong.

When I enquired, my annoyingly adolescent ‘advisor’ told me that I would be invited to attend an ‘employability’ workshop after my third month on benefits. Call me crazy, but I really couldn’t stomach the thought of being on benefits until January. All he could do until then was give me a handy little tick chart to fill in every time I applied for a job, which reminded me of my year 4 ‘homework diary’. Like I said, it was dire. I felt humiliated by the situation and frustrated that nobody was giving me any constructive advice. I did receive one letter from the job centre suggesting Christmas temp-work which was encouraging, until I realised the closing date had already passed.

Thankfully, after 6 weeks I was lucky, and one of my many applications via ‘GumTree’ was a success.

I now work full time job in a restaurant which suits me just fine, as long as I don’t think about how hard I worked at my degree too often. If I had to give advice to future graduates I would say apply early, have realistic expectations, be patient, and find flatmates who like cake.

06News

Monday February 14 2011 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

Mapping tool reveals Cathays crime hot spots gair rhydd discovers high crime rates in Cardiff's student neighbourhood

149 cases of anti 165 other social behaviour crimes

3

41 vehicular

12

crimes

5 robberies 6 15

40 burglaries 26 cases of

violent crime

Miranda Atty News Editor Following the creation of a police mapping tool designed for the public, a gair rhydd investigation into crime has discovered the most dangerous streets in Cardiff ’s student areas.

Streets including Woodville Road, Violet Row and Senghennydd Road all had high crime rates recorded in December 2010.

The Street Level Crime Maps launched on 1 February 2011 as part of a government initiative to provide more public access to crime data. The Home Office aims to foster greater transparency between the police and the community through the crime map, which shows police data by postcode.

The map, which publishes crime figures for December 2010, breaks crimes down in each area by categories including Anti-Social Behaviour, Burglary and Violent Crime.

The mapping tool has revealed that both Greyfriars Road and Mill Lane are in the top ten most dangerous streets across England and Wales.

How safe is your street?

During December 2010 there were:

Twenty-three violent offences were recorded on Mill Lane throughout December 2010 making it the seventh most dangerous street for that month, while Greyfriars Road was ranked tenth.

However, South Wales Police Chief Superintendent, Bob Tooby, said of the results: “The figures for Mill Lane are likely to include recorded incidents from other nearby locations such as Caroline Street and part of St Mary Street, because of the way the statistics are collated.”

The map has flagged the student area of Cathays as having a high crime rate compared with the rest of England and Wales.

In total, 426 crimes occurred over the one month period.

Forty burglaries were recorded over the same period, on streets including Violet Row, Essich Street, Dogfield Street and Tewkesbury Street.

A spokesperson for South Wales Police told gair rhydd: “The latest Home Office figures show that overall burglary in Cardiff is down 3.1 percent but occasionally we do see increases, such as when university

15

crimes on or near Senghennydd Road

6

crimes on or near Cogan Terrace

12

crimes on or near Violet Row

3

crimes on or near Woodville Road

students arrive in Roath and Cathays for the start of the academic year or when they return home during the holidays leaving items in rented accommodation.

“Unfortunately their arrival provides rich pickings for criminals who know that most students will have valuables such as laptops and iPods that can be easily carried and sold on.

“The vast majority of these burglaries are at insecure properties where doors and windows have been left open and we are constantly trying to get the message out to the community the importance of home security.

“It is a priority for us and the local CID officers, neighbourhood policing team, response officers and student liaison officer are constantly targeting known offenders, carrying out both high visibility and plain-clothed patrols, and conducting crime prevention exercises,” the spokesperson continued.

In addition, the police revealed that: “Roath and Cathays, both densely populated by students in shared properties, tend to have higher rates of burglary than

other areas of the city because if a multi-occupancy house with five bedrooms is burgled then this is recorded as five burglaries rather than one.”

Student Jenny Pearce lives on Senghennydd Road, one of the areas revealed to have a high crime rate.

There were a total of 15 crimes that took place on or near Sengehnnydd Road during the one month period that was recorded.

Jenny Pearce was burgled in April 2010: “The front door was locked but the letter box was close to the lock and they put their hand through the letterbox and managed to unlock the front door that way.

“My bedroom door was unlocked (all my housemates were in) and they took my laptop, television and ariel.

“My housemate heard them and opened her bedroom door and caught one of them running out of the house,” she told gair rhydd.

Another Cardiff student, who lives on Harriet Street also recalled an attempted burglary in late 2010.

He said: “The intruder was surprised by my housemate who

walked in on him.

“My housemate shouted at him saying 'who are you?' The bloke shouted that it was his house before running out the back and over the fence into next doors garden where he kept fence hopping.

“Luckily nothing was taken,” he added.

Another Cathays resident told gair rhydd about a burglary that took place on Coburn Street on Saturday 7 February 2011.

The students’ laptops and consoles were taken.

There were 20 recorded violent crimes that took place during the month.

Bianca London, a student and resident of Cathays told gair rhydd: “I feel very unsafe in Cathays. My friend got attacked last year and my car has been vandalised about four times.” gair rhydd has previously reported on a sexual attack that took place on Cathays Terrace in September 2010 (issue 933) and two robberies that occurred on Harriet Street and Coburn Street in October 2010 (issue 934).

Have your say on gairrhydd.com

News07

Monday February 14 2010 • gair rhydd • news@gairrhydd.com

Most hated?

Hannah Pendleton News Editor January 2011 saw Cardiff University’s Centre for Crime, Law and Justice launch a new survey that seeks to explore the extent of hate crime throughout Wales.

The survey, which is currently being undertaken in partnership with Race Equality First and the Vale of Glamorgan Equality and Human Rights Network, stems from a number of surveys completed in recent years that have shown hate crime to be an increasing issue in Wales.

The incidents are being measured with seven strands of equality: gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation and transgender status.

Often these crimes, however small or large, go unreported and unnoticed but the data gathered upon completion of Cardiff University’s survey will counteract this trend through publicising hate crime and encouraging victims to step forward with their views and experiences.

Dr Matthew Williams, Centre for Crime, Law and Justice, School of

Social Sciences stated: “Currently data pertaining to hate crime in Wales is limited in its capacity to identify the extent of the problem.

This project broadens the focus beyond the equality categories recognised by the Home Office to provide a more comprehensive picture of hate crime in Wales and the impact it has upon all victims."

Annual hate crime statistics reported this year by the Crown Prosecution Service looks at hate crime figures from 2009-2010 and, although the figures represent incidents on a national scale, the results offer insight into hate crime in South Wales which was shown to have the second highest results for total hate crime in areas of Wales.

Universities are diverse environments which support a range of social groups, ethnicities, religions and disabilities in which serious questions could be raised as to the likelihood of students in Cardiff acting upon individual prejudices or becoming victims of hate crime and hate-related incidents.

A South Wales Police spokeswoman has said: "Cardiff is a modern, multi-cultural city where peo-

ple of different religions, faiths and cultures live side by side and have done for many, many years. As with all big cities there are sporadic incidents of hate crime but the number of reported incidents remains low, even in our most diverse communities of Roath and Cathays.

“Incidents concerning the student population are few and far between and any issues that might arise are low level. However, we would always encourage victims of hate crime to contact South Wales Police as we have a team of hate crime officers within our Minorities Support Unit who can offer support and assistance. We will not tolerate any actions which threaten to destabilise this cohesion in our communities."

Improvements will be indicated in the future to prevent further escalation of hate crime and to better the support given to victims.

Participation in the University’s Centre for Crime, Law and Justice’s survey can be done at: www.waleshatecrimeresearch.com.

More information is available from Jasmin Tregidga on TregidgaJ@Cardiff.ac.uk.

Hate Crime South Wales 2009-2010

286 reported incidences 250 70 Racist and religious

Aged victims of violence

27 9

Homophobic or transphobic

Disability hate crime

World News08 Hitler Trumped Jonathan Stevens Reporter The German company Weltquartett, makers of Top Trumps-style games, has been threatened with legal action over the controversial use of the swastika in their game of Tyrants.

The company is used to creating outlandish versions of the game, with versions focused on dictators, drugs and diseases already released.

In fact it is not the use of the ruler Adolf Hitler (named the 'top trump' in the pack) that has sparked an issue, but the use of half a swastika, the notorious symbol of the Nazi party, in the upper corner of his

card.

German law states that the swastika is a “symbol of an unconstitutional organisation” and cannot be displayed anywhere in public.

The makers are being investigated by prosecutors in Nuremberg, despite the fact that the set of cards have been on sale since 2008. One of the 10 packs containing the controversial card was seized by police last week at a toy fair and a picture of it has been removed from the company's website.

The pack contains thirty-two cards with several facts about the dictators including date of birth, number of years in power and an estimated number of people who were killed during their rule.

'The Viper' recoiled

Emma Jarrett Reporter A college student in Columbia, Tennessee, has been asked by the local police force to stop crime fighting, retire and hang up his costume.

‘The Viper’, as he is known, said in an interview with ABC News that he wanted to keep Columbia safe, and inspire others to do good in their communities.

The problem that police have with ‘The Viper’ is that it is illegal in Columbia to wear a mask that covers your face, and so now he is is confined to his

‘HQ’.

Whether he will continue crime fighting is dubious, but maybe one day ‘The Viper’ may return to fight crime on the streets of Columbia again.

Hello Kitty

Smooth Criminal

Lucy Portlock Reporter

Catriona Camacho Reporter

A thirty-six year old man has been linked to a spate of burglaries in Japan by his distinctive shoes: ‘Hello Kitty’ sandals. The thefts, which were worth nearly half a million pounds, took place over a 6 year period in the Gunma and Saitama prefectures between 2004 and 2010.

Based on footprints left at the scene, Masakazu Kanda was stopped and questioned by police in the street after they noticed him wearing the unusual pink sandals.

He is currently on trial after being arrested last June.

A Brighton man has been warned that he may receive an ASBO if his dog continues to skateboard without a lead.

Mr. Jonathan Fell, 51, taught his Lakeland Terrier Bodhi to ride and he has been "a real hit all around Brighton". The pair regularly show off their skills around Mr. Fell’s home and at a nearby skatepark.

Though Brighton and Hove city council initially claimed the dog was allowed to continue his antics, after someone complained they

No-Fly

have had to "remind him [Mr. Fell] that dogs have to be kept on leads on roads and pavements". Mr. Fell is rather upset about the council’s decision, explaining that ‘as far as I am concerned if Bodhi is under control he is not causing a problem.

He is always under control. If I call him he comes to me and sits."

The council have insisted that their decision is in the interests of public safety, though Mr. Fell does not agree. He states, "I am not sure what to do now, but I think he will be sad if he can't skateboard. I can't stop him...it is a joke, Bohdi is no criminal."

Hostess with the mostess

Alex Calvin Reporter

Pippa Lewis News Editor

We all know the Americans like it big, and nothing shows that more than the annual extravagance of the Superbowl.

It all went wrong, however, at Superbowl XXV when four navy F-18 jets were meant to fly over the Jerry World, where the Bowl was being held, only for the retractable roof to be closed. The inevitable result meant that noone in the crowd saw a thing except over video screens.

This stunt cost US taxpayers in the region of $450,000 and has been justified as a ‘good recruitment exercise’.

A new Thai airline, PC Air, is recruiting transsexual ‘ladyboys’ as flight attendants, making it the first Thailand-based airline to do so.

The airline stated that the qualifications for the ‘ladyboy’ flight attendants were the same as for women, and that they should walk and talk in a feminine manner.

PC Air president Peter Chan told the news provider that recruiting the ‘ladyboys’ was a longer process than hiring the male and female crew members.

"For transsexuals, we can't just spend five or ten minutes with them, we have to spend the whole day with them to make sure they have feminine characteristics."

Opinion 10

Cameron and Clegg: The Jedward of Politics?

Chris Williams Opinion Editor My lecturer the other day called Cameron and Clegg the “Jedward of politics”; he was referring to how the yellow Clegg has turned so blue he looks like a smurf. I, however, saw another interpretation of this and, rather strangely, it comes from an advert on TV. Most of you will have seen the latest MoneySupermarket advert with Jedward and Omid Djilli. In it Jedward have an argument and their once strong and loving friendship is thrown into disarray. Well, a similar split has happened again: Clegg’s loving the protests in Egypt much like the brain-dead love Big Brother, while Cameron is hating them.

The situation in Egypt is one of absolute crisis. If protests on their scale were to happen in London, Clegg would be spitting blood in Parliament, yet he seems to like the fact that the protests are safely out of his jurisdiction.

Cameron came out and said that the violence is ‘despicable’ and ‘should not be repeated’. He wants democracy to happen as soon as possible and probably won’t be sat on the edge of his seat like an overexcited child as Clegg will be. Clegg claimed that, “We should be on the side of democracy!” and went on to say that, “[What’s] exciting is that people have taken charge”, a stark change of tune from last November.

When we protested on the streets of London, and smashed up a building or two, he condemned our actions: “Listen and look before you march and shout,” he said, begging us to stop. Yet when it’s not within our country the man who turned his back on students gets excited.

It’s no surprise that he’s contradicting himself. In fact, it’s probably more of a surprise that he

(According to YouGov)

hasn’t done so more recently.

Clegg did, however, criticise Mubarak - it’s hard not to - but I even take this with a pinch of salt (since Clegg has come to power, my sodium intake has increased to incredibly high levels). President Mubarak’s reign has been severely criticised, largely due to the fact that within his 30 years in power he’s been associated with corruption, ballot-rigging, torture and imprisonment without trial. Who are we to condemn and criticize him?

Yes, morally, we are all in a position to be against his regime of oppression, but we too have a checkered history.

Corruption? Tick. Only a few years ago our MPs showed how corrupt they could be with their expenses claims. Ballot-rigging? Well, we haven’t done that yet, but Phil Woolas lied about an opposition MP within his election campaign. Torture? A hazy area, but we’re complicit in aiding in torture within Guantanamo Bay in America (plus allowing Ann Widdecombe on TV could be accepted as a form of torture). Imprisonment without trial?

Put a massive tick next to that one, we’ll even do imprisonment without charge.

The Lib Dem leader doesn’t have a leg to stand on when he enters into this debate - not least because he’ll only say the opposite in a few days time - and with ridiculous comments like this, it’s no surprise that the Lib Dems have lost support in recent months. Clegg seems to have completely lost it.

Turning his back on what he’s previously said is an art form for Clegg, and the London protestors proved this. An infamous sign at one of the protests simply read: “Why did Nick Clegg cross the road?

Because he said that he wouldn’t”.

Do you have to be posh to be privileged?

Zoe Bridger Opinion Writer According to a recent BBC documentary, Britain’s society is less equal nowadays than at any time since World War One. The best jobs are being snapped up by an increasingly small gene pool of privileged, well-connected families. This means that those from low income families can no longer work their way up from the bottom without the qualifications, contacts and social skills that their more fortunate counterparts make full use of.

The documentary sternly points out that ‘birth not worth has become more and more a key determinant of people’s life choices’, while the camera cuts to a run-down council estate and the background music transforms into grimy hip-hop.

Only seven per cent of children in Britain, it says, attend private school, and yet three in four judges are privately educated. One in two senior civil servants is privately educated; one in three politicians is privately educated; and two in three members of the House of Lords are privately educated. This is shocking. Apparently.

However, the disproportionate number of privately educated people in the ‘top’ jobs is not a new thing. Lawyers, doctors and politicians have always been ‘posh’. And, you know what? I don’t think we mind half as much as this documentary makes out.

Lee Evans joked in front of tens of thousands of people in his Wembley stadium show that he only trusted a pilot if he was posh.

"When that posh voice comes over the tannoy," Evans says, "telling us

he will get us to New York safely... we relax, thinking the posh bastard will,’’ (applause and laughter from the crowd). Although Lee Evans is not exactly Socrates, he is a social commentator who highlights certain behaviour that is inherent in all people. The audience laughed because they agreed.

How many of us expect their surgeon to have a posh voice? How many people expect to have a lawyer who sounds posh? I suspect it is the vast majority. I am not, for a second, saying that people who don’t sound ‘posh’ are not capable of having these jobs, but it seems to me that the ‘posh’ accent of, say, a doctor or lawyer, is a socially accepted thing. The problem is on paper, not in practice.

Secondly, the documentary relies on the notion that everybody secretly wants to be a doctor or a lawyer

and suggests that being a doctor or a lawyer is actually better than being a hairdresser or a waiter. But do we all really want to be doctors, examining all sorts of unthinkable body parts? I don’t think so.

To me, these jobs are not ‘top’ at all. In fact, they are pretty low down on my desirable list.

The number of privately educated people in these professions is due to the number of privately educated people who want to be politicians or lawyers. If your father was a lawyer and your mother was a doctor then it might follow that you will be naturally interested in these jobs. You would have grown up with these professions as everyday life.

Again, I am not saying that people whose parents are not lawyers or politicians are not interested in being lawyers or politicians themselves, but only that it is logical that

a parent’s profession will impact upon their children. Thus, the debate goes neatly back to that age-old question of nature or nurture.

Thirdly, in its very construction, the documentary implies that the current state of social (im)mobility is a new thing; that before today everyone was born equal and all jobs were accessible to people of all backgrounds. Well, this is going to sound controversial, but...we are not born equal. We never were and we never will be. We are all equal in terms of our rights within society, but we are poles apart in terms of our given opportunities. And it seems to me that this is obvious.

Sad, but obvious.

As long as there is private health care, private schools, private dentistry, private tuition and even private jets, people will always be able to buy their social standing.

Monday February 14 2011 • gair rhydd • opinion@gairrhydd.com

The (other) F Word Our Opinion writers interrogate what feminism means to our society, how sexism is perceived today and the media reaction to sexist issues.

Sophie Keeling Opinion Writer Feminism seems to be a bit of an ugly word at the moment, and not just because of the stereotyped feminist being so dowdy they apparently have to recourse to hating men as none will have them. It could almost be seen as redundant now women legally have equal pay and suffrage.

But there’s a difference between equality in the law and equality everywhere else. Indeed, just to give three examples: only 22% of MPs are women; on average men still earn more; Hooters.

Although big legal issues have been solved, sexism is still around but in subtler ways, purveying popular culture. The common pairing of female pretty eye candy and the less attractive, older man to present television programmes is an example, as is the constant bombardment of advertising, trying to get women to spend increasing amounts of money on makeup, and increasing amounts of time applying it. These are pretty sexualised times in which we are living, but they are even more sexualised for women.

But simply to say that only women are oppressed is too simple, and

“

While women are portrayed in ever-more degrading ways, men are assumed to want to see it

ignores biases in how sexist incidents are treated. While the Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray were rightfully vilified over offensive remarks about a female assistant referee, it’s a bit dodgy when Loose Women can get away with equally generalised claims, such as Jane McDonald commenting that men apparently don’t think to hang things up, but just leave clothes on the floor, unlike women. Firstly, that’s a load of rubbish, as my propensity to throw my coat on the nearest surface will attest to. But it’s this kind of outdated, sweeping generalisation that the sports presenters were attacked for.

With regard to the pressure that women face from the media and public opinion in general, these expectations also oppress men.

When a mother is expected to take time off to look after her child, the father is expected to work to facilitate this, and although there are many working mothers, stay at home fathers are still rare. And to bring up the feminist bug-bear of pornography: while women are portrayed in ever-more degrading ways, men are assumed to want to see it, and thus be filthy perverts who can think of nothing better to do than watch “Two girls, one cup” on repeat. It’s negative for both parties concerned: women, because they are under pressure to look a certain way and do certain things, but also men since they are going to be a bit disappointed when they find that, as a general rule, women aren’t pumped full of silicone with the ability to contort themselves in all manner of peculiar positions.

Women are still subject to expectations and limitations, albeit in a subtler way than 100 years ago.

Feminism is still necessary. And yet a movement focussing solely on women’s rights is a bit sexist in itself. We need to remember that when a woman is expected to stay at home, the man is expected to work; when a woman is expected to mask herself with make up, a man is expected to like her that way, and whenever a man says that women don’t know about the offside rule, a woman somewhere is saying that men don’t know where the Hoover is.

So yes, we need to look at how women are treated, but as part of a whole, by advocating equality for all. I would say we need the birth of “masculine-ism” to work alongside feminism, but unfortunately, that’s a pretty unoriginal name.

Opinion11 Holly Howe Opinion Editor

In response to Andy Gray and Richard Keys’ recent comments, last week in gair rhydd opinion writer, Yaz Langley, enquired as to whether our society is simply becoming too sensitive to sexism.

In answer to Langley’s question, no we are not. Langley suggests that "the comments themselves were not that bad" and "nothing more than a bit of banter in the workplace."

There have also been complaints that in our society of ‘political correctness’ it is only sexism against females that is disciplined.

What these criticisms seem to forget is the long standing history of sexist oppression against women; the connotations surrounding sexism against women will always be more significant in our society.

Of course, sexism against men does happen, but to simply suggest that we ignore instances of sexism towards women because men suffer too is ignoring the real problem, that we live in a patriarchal society in which white men will always have the advantage over other groups, including women.

In terms of employment, women still earn 16.4% less than men in the UK. In some professions the gap is bigger than others, of the 241 films in the last decade that have grossed over $100 million, only five of them are directed by women. Looking at other supposedly 'equal' countires, only 3% of the CEOs of America’s 500 biggest companies are women.

There is clearly not a level playing field when comparing sexism towards men and sexism towards women.

Unfortunately, Langley is probably right in stating that "anyone that’s ever worked in an office will no doubt have heard stuff similar."

The prevelence of sexism highlights the inherent discrimination and prejudice towards women in our everyday lives. People are quick to label the sexism in other, less equal societies. Yet what is often gone unnoticed is the more inherent, subtle, sexism in our society.

People who would never dream of describing themselves as sexist often don’t realise the connotations (or aren’t concerned) about using phrases such as, ‘to ruin a girl’, ‘you’re such a girl’, or ‘[to an emotional man or woman] are you on your period?’. Most people will see subtle sexism like this as harmless, but it is forgotten that rigid gender roles are not yet outdated: cleaning products, childcare equipment and supermarkets are still predominantly marketed towards women.

Langley suggests that the firing of Keys and Gray is "sexist in itself". Firing two misogynistic men, who did not even present their comments as a ‘joke’, is not sexist; it is a step towards showing people that sexism should never be acceptable.

If you want to write a piece for You Reply about any Opinion articles you have read, or have any other opinions, email opinion@gairrhydd.com.

13

Columnist

'

by

Henry Burton

The joys of Valentine's Day

A

s Elvis Costello once sang, what do you get when you fall in love? A rash, usually, if it happens in Newport. But as Valentine’s Day approaches, it’s hard not to wonder - is there a girl out there for me? What is she like? And more importantly, how much does she charge? I did once fall in what I thought was love, but in the end it just turned out to be rohipnol, and when I awoke my wallet was missing. Does love transcend all boundaries? And if so, should I bother shaving? Like priority parking at the paralympics, romance can often seem disappointingly random – and I’ve begun to fear that I’ll never meet a girl with the right mix of looks, personality, and low life expectations.

Then again, there is something quite special about Valentine’s Day. Men take women to unsettlingly expensive restaurants, the sort of place where the menu has adverbs, and a French man called Maurice comes out halfway through the meal to incoherently explain where the shallots are from. The bills at these places frequently come with the option to pay in cash or jewellery, so unless you want to end up like Woolworths, it’s probably worth cutting a few delicate economic corners. As a rough guide, you can usually eat about 30-35 free bread rolls before being asked to leave; and quickly memorising the details of the cheapest wine will make it easier to subtly ask for it later on, brushing off

all suspicion of being a miser with phrases like “ah, 2010, a good year” and “I love wines from Bolton.” Don’t be afraid to down a good half a bottle before declaring that it’s corked, and perhaps repeat this process several more times throughout the evening

“

that holiday to Cairo's gone tits up

until you begin to feel woozy and slip quietly under the table onto the floor.

All these things may seem like a lot of effort, but an upmarket venue really is key; and is most probably the reason why most of my dates to Hooters seem to end in disaster.

While it’s undeniably exciting, romance as an adult does seem a bit more stressful than when we were kids. They were more innocent times - when relationships revolved around shiny Pokémon cards, “kiss chase” helped further alienate the girl with polio, and an unfortunate skip in the Sex Education DVD left me terrified that getting an erection would cause me to give birth. Valentine’s Day was somewhat more superficial back then - a girl called Amber was the most popular in our class, with so many cards that there was a fifteen-minute waiting time to sneak them into her locker, while I never found out who my one secret admirer was, or why she always timed her cards to coincide with mum visiting. I also fondly remember my first kiss behind the back of the bicycle sheds, and while there's no doubt that it was awkward, I still count it up there as one of my favoutie memories of our P.E. teacher.

All in all, I guess the spirit of Valentine’s Day depends on who you’re with. For couples it can be a fantastic opportunity to celebrate commitment, but for single people, it does seem to make otherwise routine solo activities feel suddenly quite depressing, things like eating a yoghurt, or rhythmically cleaning the back of a DVD. But that’s life – and if Brokeback Mountain has taught us anything, it’s that the pursuit of love is anything but straightforward. That, and naming a gay character “Enus” can sometimes lead to confusion.

Letters To The Editor In which our readers ask Henry a series of common questions. This week: Relationships and heartbreak Dear Henry, My girlfriend cheated on me with some guy she met in an internet chatroom. Does this sort of thing happen often?

More than you might think. The internet can cause a lot of problems; a misspelling on eBay once saw me spend 300 dollars on a Thai bride, while my cousin Dan was photographed dogging by the Google Street View car, and now spends his days frantically ferrying around his neighbours in an attempt to stop them browsing for directions.

It's easy to feel embarrassed, but the truth is, infidelity happens all the time. My friend’s fiancé cheated on him with his twin brother - accidently at first, but then on purpose - while my ex revealed that she had been methodically sleeping with everyone south of the A48, and only stayed with me for so long because my house was one of the places she could get signal on T-mobile.

I tend to go for big, tough men.

They make me feel safe and protected, but they invariably end up cheating on me or leaving without reason. Why is this?

Not to stereotype, but macho men are often quite unpredictable. My uncle left his wife without saying why, and he was one of the most manly men I knew – running his own wrestling lessons for sailors, and spending all his free days camping in the woods with his personal trainer Marco.

At the end of the day, these men often act out of purely selfish impulses, which is why they fail to treat women with respect or commitment. Personally, the only thing I hate more than this kind of chauvinism is ironing my own shirts - and I’ve always maintained that

bigotry is unacceptable, ever since my dad was fired from his job for making derogatory remarks about Andy Gray.

I recently won a place on ITV's Take Me Out, but I’ve since got back together with my ex. She’d kill me if I went on a date with another girl, but it’s too late to back out now - how do I guarantee that I don’t get picked?

Interesting one this. Personally, I’d opt for coming down the lift in a wheelchair, then suddenly standing up and shouting “turns out I’m

fine,” before goose-stepping your way to the centre of the stage.

This should ward off most of the girls, especially if you go on to announce that your hobbies include warhammer, wanking and crying – usually in that order. Might be worth specifically offending Lucy, seeing as she tends to leave her light on for anyone short of Idi Amin; and if one of the girls does slip through, I’d say your safest bet is to wait until you have to walk off together holding hands, then just push her down the stairs and laugh.

Odds are they'll pull the whole episode.

Sally Bercow: The Interview Page 16-17 >>

15

Politics

An uncertain future for Egypt

Louice Tapper Janson analyses the current state of the nation and offers her insight into the protests and the opportunities for Egypt's future

T

he current situation in Egypt is critical and seems to worsen every day. The group of unsatisfied youths in Tunisia that started the demonstrations could probably not predict its impact on the surrounding nations. Forming a chain reaction, the protest against the lack of work and rising food prices spread to Egypt and recently to Yemen. Both Tunisia and Egypt are known for being popular among European tourists; these interests have been overshadowed by the political difficulties in the countries.

The lack of trust in the authorities has lead to violent protests that, in some cases have been referred to as revolutions.

What is clear, is that the countries have the possibility to move towards an Islamistic society with a possible growth of Sharia laws, or towards a democracy with full human rights. Peaceful demonstrations, where people show their dissatisfaction concerning the regimes of Tunisia and Egypt, have now lead to reoccurring violence and arrests of human rights activists and journalists. It has also lead to a situation where leading Western politicians such as David Cameron and Barack Obama seem nearly unwilling to demand the resignation of the president Mubarak of Egypt.

The current events may be evidence that the UK and the US are prioritizing their relationship with Egypt before upholding human rights.

As I write this, the protests have continued for 12 days. Although Egyptian authorities claim only 11 people have been killed, UN has reported that the actual number might be as high as 300. Dr Hala Mustafa, the Editor in Chief of Democracy Review, says that the regime is systematically arresting journalists and human rights activists due to opposing views. According to the Canadian newspaper The Guardian, Mustafa has claimed that the protests are a result of a deep culture of corruption.Western leaders have remained relatively diplomatic in their statements and speeches; David Cameron has stated that Mubarak should step down, but it is not up to any government to pick a new leader. The questions that should be raised are whether the Egyptian regime is trying to cover up the protests and why they systematically are arresting journalists. The BBC’s Arabic reporter Assad Sawey is one of the 50 journalists that have been arrested and abused in Cairo."They took my camera away and when they arrested me, they started beating me with steel bars, the ones used here for slaughtering animals," he said to the BBC.

"They started beating me with steal bars"

Above: BBC Reporter Assad Sawey arrested and beaten. Below: A map charting the spread of protest.

Tunisia 18th Dec

Algeria 28th Dec

Egypt 25th Jan

The protests began on social netBelow: Revolutionaries in Egypt protest against repressive regimesww

working sites such as Facebook and have now gathered pace, with thousands of people at the Tahir square in Cairo. After days of peaceful demonstrations the riots have now escalated and have led to the regime calling for curfew and shutting down the internet. Instead of the improvements in human rights and democracy that the protesters hoped for, it is feared that the result may be the opposite. The revolution is an example of how social networking has made it harder for regimes to control people. Freedom of speech may be the strongest weapon at people's disposal, and is extremely dangerous from a dictator’s point of view. The internet has made it troublesome for governments to control the spread of information.

Arresting and abusing journalists and activists are direct tactics to hinder the freedom of speech. It is a major issue when a state is trying to maintain control of the media by making it harder for a journalists to do their job.

The Egyptian oppositional organisation, the Muslim Brotherhood, are often brought up by the media. However, there seem to be few who know their true agenda.

It is unclear whether the Brotherhood are interested in maintaining human rights and particularly the freedom of religion.

The latest news is that the Brotherhood has been in talks with the new vice president, Omar Suleiman. Joining the talks from the opposition were Mohamed ElBaradei and Ahmad Zeweil. “This intifada, or revolution, is the work caused by the Egyptians themselves” said Zewil to Bitte Hammargren, a Swedish Middle Eastern journalist. He meant that the revolution was not controlled by an organisation, such as the Brotherhood, but rather by the people themselves. At the meeting he listed several things the Egyptian government must achieve, in order to find a way out of the crisis. The requirements given set the first steps for a functioning democratic society. The concern is whether the present government are willing to take these reforms, and whether they could be passed through while Mubarak continues the presidency.

A lot is at stake. A Western demand on Mubarak’s resignation could result in weaker interstate relations.

However, democracy and human rights should always be prioritised and Western leaders need to be clearer on this point. It is not their role to appoint a new president, instead they should place political pressure on Egypt – otherwise the chaotic protests might continue without end and lead to the destabilisation of the entire region.

16Politics

Monday February 14 2011 • gair rhydd • politics@gairrhydd.com • Follow @GairRhyddPol

Women in Politics: Laura Dunn Politics Writer Sally Bercow is the political Queen of Twitter, broadcasting her opinion on everything from the political situation in Egypt to the reform of the NHS in England. Yet behind the tweets is a woman determined to make a difference. I first meet Sally at Portcullis House, the working hub of the Westminster village. Various MPs and staffers scurry around us as we walk towards the Palace of Westminster, making our way to the prestigious Speaker’s House.

The official residence of the Speaker and his family is located in the Speaker’s Tower, overlooking the River Thames and the London Eye. Mrs Bercow’s Twitter page declares that she lives ‘Underneath Big Ben,’ a quirk that initially worried her: “I bought loads of ear plugs so we would be able to sleep, but we have all got used to the sound now!”

"The speaker's wife should be impartial. I completely disagree with this."

Much like the wife of the Prime Minister, many are unsure of the expectations of the Speaker’s wife.

Should she merely be a supportive figure for her powerful husband, or is she entitled to have a career and an opinion of her own? “When I announced my intention to stand as a Labour candidate in the Westminster Council elections last May, several Tory MPs said the Speaker’s wife should be impartial. I completely disagree with this - it is the Speaker’s role to be impartial.” Sally Bercow doesn’t view herself as having any duties when comparing her ‘role’ to that of a conventionally constructed supportive wife making cucumber sandwiches for Tory Party functions. After all, how many ‘conventional’ politicians’ wives wear purple tights? “It was my husband, (The Rt Hon John Bercow MP) who was elected to the position of Speaker. People aren’t getting two for the price of one.” The state rooms of Speaker’s House are opened up to members of the public for charity events, and Mrs Bercow also attends functions for charities she is interested in. “Other than that, there is formally very little which I am expected to do. I am a freelance journalist and have three children to care for, so I try not to be pigeonholed as the Speaker’s wife even though it is inevitable.”

Some may think the best thing about living in the Palace of Westminster is the glorious architecture or a window-seat overlooking the River Thames, but for Mrs Bercow it is seeing her husband doing a job that he loves. “The best thing is that

John is happy and has fulfilled his ambition to be Speaker. Life completely changed when we moved here - there is obviously an increased media interest, but the children find it amazing living under Big Ben and looking at the London Eye and the London Aquarium each day. Being surrounded by police is terribly exciting for them!” She is the first to admit that her family is very fortunate to live in the heart of London, although a negative is their loss of privacy. “We use the main entrance like all MPs, and it is hard to invite friends over due to security checks and X-ray machines.

No-one pops in for coffee anymore, I have to go out to meet them. The novelty soon wore off !”

world.” Mrs Bercow can find the Westminster bubble isolating, and Twitter helps her to stay in touch with reality. “I didn’t want to be cocooned in this apartment, I wanted to reach out and talk to other tweeters. I also find it useful for instantly correcting factual inaccuracies by the media. It is a way of bypassing their form of control and speaking to people directly.”

"The children find it amazing living under Big Ben..."

It is no secret that she is a loyal member of the Labour Party, but surprisingly she used to be a Conservative. “I was originally a member of the Conservative Party at Oxford University, and I looked at the social life and it seemed appealing. I went to public school, and my mum was a Tory so it was inevitable that I would become a member. Looking back it is totally ridiculous that I joined for those reasons, but I was shallow when I was 19 years old.”

She credits a ‘wake-up moment’ in her early thirties, inspired by the election of Tony Blair to leader of the Labour Party. She joined in 1997, supportive of the party’s shared values with her own, as well

If you follow her on Twitter or have seen her tweets, you will be aware that they often make headlines. “I joined Twitter in January 2010 wanting to dip my toe into the world of social networking.

It’s great for me as I tweet on the go, usually on the school run, sitting in a playground or after I’ve been to Sainsbury’s. I find it a fun way to communicate and interact with other individuals across the

"I knew I wouldn’t have a hope in hell of being elected to a safe Tory seat."

as wanting to help disadvantaged members of society.

Mrs Bercow’s candidacy for the Westminster Council elections in 2010 drew criticism from some members of Parliament and the right wing media. “I knew I wouldn’t have a hope in hell of being elected to a safe Tory seat, but I wanted to test the water and establish the fact in the public domain that I want to move into politics. I think people are used to the idea now, as there was originally quite a furore over my intention to stand as a candidate. Most modern, reasonable people think it is acceptable for me to have my own political view!” She would love to be a Labour MP, but is clear that the party’s wish to have her is an entirely different matter.

“The issue is if I can get selected, particularly as it is extremely competitive. I am not living my life for the ambition of being an MP, but I do think I would be good at it.” Mrs Bercow cites Harriet Harman as an inspirational figure for women in politics, particularly through her dedicated work for equality and women’s issues. “She is definitely a role model for future female politicians.”

During our interview the Speaker pops in to say hello. Aware of my interest in American politics, we discuss Nancy Pelosi, the previous Speaker of the House and how the Speakership in the USA is extremely partisan. It is interesting

to note the differences about this particular leadership role, as an extremely biased Speaker in the UK Parliament would create outrage in the British press. In America, it is almost glossed over and seen as natural. Mr Bercow was elected as Speaker in June 2009 following the resignation of Michael Martin, bringing the first young family to live in Speaker’s House for a number of years.

"I think Ed is doing a great job as leader."

Our conversation returns to UK politics, particularly the progress of the Labour Party and the Shadow Cabinet under the leadership of Ed Miliband. “I think Ed is doing a great job as leader. During the campaign I supported Ed Balls, and Ed Miliband was my second preference. They’re making good progress in opposition, and have been strengthened by Balls as Shadow Chancellor, particularly through their attacks on Osborne’s poor economic policy.

That said, we have a long way to go, and we shouldn’t be complacent.

We’ve got a steep hill to climb in winning back people’s trust.” Sally Bercow is proud of the commitment by students, particularly in their opposition to the increase of tuition fees.

Politics17

Monday February 14 2011 • gair rhydd • politics@gairrhydd.com • Follow @GairRhyddPol

Mrs Sally Bercow

“The demonstrations by students over tuition fees and some companies not paying tax highlights that young people are becoming involved in politics again- and it is exciting!

I think political apathy has been blown away by the coalition and their policies are making all sectors of society angry. It is great that people are taking to the streets to protest, and long may it continue!” She is also conscious that issue based politics, particularly the topics of the environment and equality are motivating people across the country to become involved in society.

When asked why the Labour Party should attract young people she pauses. “If I was 18 or 19 none of the parties would particularly inspire me. Up till election time, they were all seen as quite similar and now the thumb has widened between Labour and the coalition as we see the damage being done to the country. I think that students are more inspired by issues rather than parties, as we have seen over

the course of the tuition fee debate.

That said, I am confident that Labour Party membership will increase we have a good leader with good policies, but it is still a challenge for politicians to be in touch with a younger generation. There is a gap between politics and the real world, and it needs to be closed. I think the upcoming AV vote in May will enfranchise voters and provide a feeling of ownership not seen in British politics.”

"It is great that people are taking to the streets to protest, and long may it continue!"

Mrs Bercow believes that the cuts to public services across the country will particularly harm the interests of women. “More women

rely on public services in local communities, and the cuts are coming too fast and too hard. The cuts in child benefit and the child trust fund are just two areas that will affect women and families. We must also be mindful that cuts to mental health services will have a great impact as well as the rise in VAT which will hit those who have less disposable income. The cuts are too far, too fast and are hammering everyone.”

on equal status with Scotland and Northern Ireland will be real progress.”

"The cuts are too far, too fast and are hammering everyone"

With a growing media profile, it was only a matter of time before critics emerged from the woodwork. “If I am viewed as an outspoken, independent individual then I view that to be quite kind! Many members of the press think I’m an unsupportive, irreverent wife with a wayward personality. My past has never been a secret, and I wanted to be open about it, particularly when I agreed to a newspaper interview a few years ago. A troubled background doesn’t mean that somebody shouldn’t be a politician, politics should be for real people. My husband is perfectly relaxed about who I am, and I am proud and unapologetic for my outspokenness.

Women should not be shackled to their husbands!”

Our discussion turns to why there are not a large proportion of women in the UK Parliament, and how this issue can be improved.

“The biggest issue is the ridiculous hours which MPs face. The House needs to reform the hours spent in the Chamber, sitting until 11pm at night is just impractical. 9.30am6.30pm would be much more flexible and practical. The days of moonlighting in the city are over; being an MP is a full time job. I think this is one of the main aspects that deter women becoming involved in politics, as well as the current tone of political debate. There is a Punch and Judy aggressive style that disinterests women and young people and I think this is another reason why politics can be intimidating. If there is one good thing about a coalition government it is that people see parties cooperating, which is such a good idea in principle! I really think the work that Ken Clarke is doing on penal reform is great, politicians shouldn’t disagree just for the sake of it.”

"If I was 18 or 19 none of the parties would particularly inspire me" She is aware of the upcoming referendum in Wales this March, and is keen to stress her support of local democracy. “I really hope devolution in Wales continues to be successful, and enabling the Welsh Assembly to have more power is surely a good thing. Placing Wales

"Placing Wales on equal status with Scotland and Northern Ireland will be real progress."

"Fortunately we are thick skinned" It is apparent that members of the right-wing media, particularly the Daily Mail take great delight in attacking the Speaker and Mrs Bercow on a regular basis. “Fortunately we are thick skinned, and do not care that the press paint a negative portrait of us. The Daily Mail are still annoyed that John went from the right of the party to the centre and he was elected Speaker without a huge amount of support from Tory MPs. I do not care what Quentin Letts writes about me, and certainly do not read any of it.”

Platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have without surprise, led to politicians attacking each other on a frequent basis. One such instance resulted in Nadine Dorries, a Conservative MP condemning Sally’s distinct views. “I make no secret that I was disappointed that many female MPs felt the Speaker’s wife should have no opinion. As a feminist I was shocked that some individuals felt that I was not allowed to

@SallyBercow Draconian cuts, rising unemployment, ppl working longer hours for less money = Big Society is toast *feigns surprise* #itsnotrocketscience

"I was shocked that some individuals felt that I was not allowed to speak for myself."

The attention that I receive is just part of the course, as is the views of those who believe that I should give up my own opinion and political ambition.” As I depart from Speaker’s House, it is evident that Sally Bercow is redefining the role of a politician’s spouse. What was considered to be acceptable 20 years ago is now severely outdated for our modern age. Fellow media savvy figures such as Sarah Brown and Michelle Obama have placed cracks in the ceiling, setting the standard for what is acceptable as the supportive other half of a public figure. She is not a woman who will circulate the room, handing out canapés at a political function or making politically correct small talk with other MPs. She is someone who is setting the topic of conversation for political activists across the country, showing that a mother can care for her children while having a career.

She has a generous personality, yet will fiercely defend her right for an opinion and her way to express it.

Her tweets may be provoking (especially for Conservatives!) but anything that stimulates debate, particularly from young people cannot be viewed as negative. She proves that someone of any age can embrace social media and make it a platform for serious debate and discussion. Sally and her husband are political forces to be reckoned with, breathing new life into the archaic halls of Westminster. The Speaker’s success at reforming the Palace of Westminster will be for me to discuss at another time, but for now, my political eyes are firmly fixed on the lady living under Big Ben and the impact she is making on our modern political society.

Send your tweets to @GairRhyddPol to be included in our tweet-bar next week!

Sally Bercow's top tweets on...

Twitter Profile: Name Sally Bercow Location Under Big Ben Bio Mum, adhoc writer & broadcaster, Labour supporter.

speak for myself, particularly those expressed by Nadine. We have both come to a mutual understanding on the issue now, even though many members of the Tory Party are sore that John was elected Speaker, and still believe that my membership of the Labour Party is scandalous.

Some still say ‘Isn’t it a bit much?!’

@SallyBercow

@SallyBercow

Oh come on #Mubarak, the transfer window's closing...

May 2010: Cameron "Yes, we back Sure Start"; Clegg “My party will protect Sure Start.”

Yeah, right>> #brokenpromises

@SallyBercow Don't ask me who Andy Gray is mind, I'm just a girl. And as for the offside rule... #whatthehellisthat

18Politics

Monday February 14 2011 • gair rhydd • politics@gairrhydd.com • Follow @GairRhyddPol

Hyde and Speak: debate at Speaker's Corner Bethan Cable examines threats to freedom of speech

In 1872 an Act of Parliament designated a small area in London’s Hyde Park, just off Marble Arch, as specifically for the purposes of public speaking and free speech.

No special laws or legal privileges apply – hate speech remains illegal, for instance – but Speaker’s Corner has become an icon of the British right to freedom of speech and public discourse, hecklers included. It’s a particular icon of the Left and has been since the late nineteenth century, where a combination of various by-laws left it as almost the only place in London where social-

ist speakers could meet.

So why, nearly one hundred and forty years later, was an anti-war march prevented from assembling at the site? According to Royal Parks, who are responsible for the upkeep of Hyde Park, and whose chief executive wrote to the Guardian to express his side of the story, the paved area that forms Speaker’s Corner was “too small” to safely accommodate the expected number of people. However, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, who organised the march, along with the Stop the War Coalition and the Brit-

ish Muslim Initiative, claim that they have successfully assembled there “many times” before without problem.

The organisers also claim that they were initially told that permission had originally been denied on the basis that the march, held in November 2010, would disrupt other visitors’ access to the highly lucrative Winter Wonderland attraction also being held in Hyde Park at the same time.

If this is true, then it’s a worrying sign: while Speaker’s Corner may not enjoy any tangible benefits,

the tradition it stands for is a cornerstone of British democracy and the British way of life. Without free speech and the right of assembly, after all, no democracy can function.

Hyde Park itself saw the right of assembly there set up as a result of riots in 1866, and ever since it has been established as a place to talk, listen, discuss and speak your piece – even if your chosen subject is that the Royal Family is made up of lizards from outer space. A famous ruling on free speech by Lord Justice Sedley in 1999 described Speaker’s Corner as a demonstration of “the

Influential figures who have stood at Speaker's Corner

Karl Marx

George Orwell

Vladimir Lenin

Marcus Garvey

tolerance which is both extended by the law to opinion of every kind and expected by the law in the conduct of those who disagree, even strongly, with what they hear … [Freedom of speech should extend] not only to the inoffensive but to the irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome, and the provocative, as long as such speech did not tend to provoke violence.”

Speaker’s Corner can be a weird place, often dominated by weird people, but until recently it was the only place of its kind in the UK and it remains a symbol and an icon of free-thinking and free speaking.

The advent of the internet, although it could be heralded as making Speaker’s Corner unnecessary, has changed the place little and it remains in more or less full-time use.

In 1999 Jack Straw (the then Home Secretary) championed the settingup of some miniature Speaker’s Corners throughout the country, but they are little-known and littleused – if they even exist at all: some searching on Google turned up almost nothing about them. Wikipedia suggests that most of these projects have failed: the only successful ones seem to be in Leeds, Nottingham and Worthing. It is the notoriety of Speaker's Corner, and its long history, that make it so important. Speaker's like Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, George Orwell and Marcus Garvey all frequented it at different times, and is a focal point for most left-wing or anti-war demonstrations in London.

This is not the first time a rally has been forbidden from congregating in Hyde Park: authorities tried to ban a march against the Iraq War in 2003 on the grounds that it would allegedly damage the grass. Tessa Jowell, the then Culture Secretary, was forced into a humiliating climbdown after protests against the decision, and the march went ahead as planned.

But is this all scare-mongering?

This time, the protesters were not forbidden from protesting, or even from assembling in Hyde Park – they were simply told that they could not meet at Speaker’s Corner, something which the Royal Parks Authority has a perfectly legal right to forbid. And don’t the visitors to the Winter Wonderland have as much right to access the park as the protesters do? How do you deicde whose right to be there is more important?

The problem is that Speaker’s Corner is not just any park corner. It symbolises our right to free speech. It is part of our heritage, and has been since 1872. Any hint of suppression of the ideals that Speaker's Corner represents – especially when it seems to stem from a prioritisation of profit over free speech – will inevitably trigger a wave of condemnation, both in the left-wing press and elsewhere.

Your Space.

Features

19

In light of Valentines Day, Emily Cope provides us with her best dating advice and shows us that the course of true love at university doesn't always run smooth.

I

t is a truth universally acknowledged that university is the biggest dating scene in existence (sorry for the clichéd start, but it is Valentine’s month and clichés are not only accepted, but expected). However, there are some standard dating rules that I think some of us can appreciate: 1.

Do not date a man who your friends dislike.

2.

Do not date a man who doesn’t laugh at your jokes.

3.

Do not date a man who has nicknames for his ‘guns’, or any other body part.

4.

Do not date a man wearing double-denim, or any kind of innuendo on his t-shirt.

As a girl, I was not sure of the ‘boy rules’ for dating a girl, so I asked my housemate and got the response: ‘if she doesn’t get ‘em out for the lads, then she is not dateable.’

I’m not entirely sure of the credibility of my housemates somewhat sexist remark, therefore I would not advise any girl to ‘get ‘em out’, as it may be more detrimental than beneficial.

Anyways, everyone knows the one universal rule for dating is that you should NEVER date your housemate. And this is where my relationship comes into question.

I am in fact dating my housemate. Initially, he was my flatmate from Talybont and as all of his friends are my friends, we are now living together.

Now although dating your housemate may seem disastrous, I argue that it can be done. Yes, it is annoying when we argue and the whole house hears.

He also has an annoying revenge tactic of eating the majority of my food when he is in a mood with me.

But on the plus side, I do only have to walk 30 seconds to see him.

Whereas, my other housemate has to walk an agonising five minutes down the road in the freezing cold to see her boyfriend.

Without sounding like an Agony Aunt, relationships are hard work at times. Of course there is the honeymoon period in which you pretty much pretend to be a lot more caring and patient than you really are.

But now that I have been going out with James for over a year, we have arrived at the point where we

Happy Times: Despite the occasional blip, James and Emily's relationship is happily built on banter both know what pisses one another off, and we tend to avoid doing these things (unless I’m trying to annoy him on purpose).

At times, our relationship is taxing, especially when I have to listen to the constant noise pollution of pro-evolution soccer on x-box for over an hour.

He would interject at this point

saying that I am taxing when I am being ‘moody’ (which I rarely am).

Well, I thought as an interesting experiment I would test my relationship on the online ‘official relationship test.’ (Seeing as I just typed ‘relationship quiz’ into Google I doubt it is very official).

If I answer yes to every question then I have the ‘perfect relation-

ship’ and if I get only three positive answers then apparently I ‘should be worried.’

1. ‘Men who kiss their girlfriends in the morning have fewer arguments than those who don’t. Do you get a kiss every morning?’ Well, no we don’t kiss every morning; I am not a fan of morning breath especially after a night out. Bad start.

2. Studies have proven that failling in love reduces the appetite. Do you feel less hungry around your boyfriend?' Judging by my doner kebab binge on the way home from the Union the other night, I seriously hope that my appetite has not decreased.

3. ‘Does your boyfriend compliment you every day?’ Again no, I get a few compliments, but our relationship has a firm basis in banter.

There are constant shouts of ‘shut up you idiot’ in which I respond with some other insult.

I can safely say that so far I am doing shit at this quiz. However, after question three I got predominantly positive answers as they turned to more obvious questions like ‘do you trust your partner?’, ‘do you love your partner?’.

Phew, I shouldn’t be worried about our relationship. Just to make sure I thought I would turn to the most credible and factual test around – The Love Calculator.

After typing in ‘James and Emily’ I pressed 'go' and waited... we got a very disappointing 37%.

Overall, our relationship has been absolutely battered by internet quizzes and calculators. This goes to show that relationships are a personal thing, and there is no use over-analysing relationships.

They are what they are. I am perfectly happy in my relationship.

Some people may like more compliments than banter, but not me.

I like to compare finding the right relationship to trying to find the perfect outfit for a big night out.

You try on loads of outfits, some of which are disgusting, some make you feel like shit, some look amazing at first and then you realise there is a massive rip in the side.

Then you find the one perfect outfit, and even though the more you wear it the more you find out that there are some annoying bits to it you don’t like, you still come to love it more, and wear it more as a result. In my opinion, relationships are exactly the same.

An outfit that looks nice on one person, might not look as nice on another. In the same way, sometimes your boyfriend being your housemate will work, whereas living together would be horrific for others.

There is no set perfect relationship to compare yourselves to, no Romeo and Juliet, no Edward and Bella – just try to be yourselves and enjoy what makes you different from every other couple.

Features20

gair rhydd • Monday February 14 2010 • features@gairrhydd.com

,,

Alix Hazell, 21 Graduated with BA in History

In light of the Government's spending cuts, Zoe Bridger and Laura Brunt consider today's job market and ask: is the future bright or bleak for this year's graduates? from privileged backgrounds who can afford to live in a big city – usually London – for a few months at a time, while doing unpaid work experience.

A friend of mine was offered some work experience with a TV production company as a researcher. This was an amazing opportunity, but the prospect of three months unpaid work in London was way out of her financial capabilities.

She had to turn down her dream placement, simply because she couldn’t afford to work for free.

And what about the people who don’t get offered the work experience they would like? More and more graduates are returning home after their three years at university with over ten thousand pounds worth of debt and dismal job prospects.

A friend of mine who graduated from Cardiff last year with a first in Law, has now returned to work at the nursing home that she worked in before she left for university. Does this mean that university nowadays is a waste of time and money?

It seems that society has fallen into a catch-22. Because so many young people have degrees, it is necessary to get a degree in order to get a good job.

But at the same time, with so many students boasting a 2:1 in their degrees, there is no longer a way of differentiating one student from another. In becoming vital, degrees have paradoxically become worthless.

The future is not bright for graduates today. As the country desperately tries to scrabble out of recession it seems that students are being worst hit.

Claire McNeil, a research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research, said: ''It's hard to avoid the conclusion that young people are being hung out to dry. The heavy cuts to the welfare and education budgets fell disproportionately on children

Nelly Perrin, 22 Studying an MA in English Literature.

Michelle Brien, 22

I wish I’d just started looking for a job. It’s not that I don’t love Cardiff, but I see all my friends working and travelling and I envy their freedom. The job market is a tough place for today’s graduates, but I'm up for the challenge.

Studying an MA in Politics

,,

Bleak: Statistics published in the Labour Force Survey on February 2 showed that a fifth of recent graduates are unemployed. This means that since the start of the recession in 2008 graduate unemployment has almost doubled.

It seems that a degree from a credible university, such as Cardiff, is no longer a safeguard against unemployment and many graduates are struggling to find work in their degree field.

Despite this, figures show that 21 to 24-year-olds with degrees are still less likely to be unemployed than their peers without a university education.

Some 11.6% of this age group with degrees are unemployed, compared with 14.6% without degrees.

But this is little comfort to today’s graduates who are seeing the government’s Future Jobs Fund - a £1bn initiative to create jobs for 18- to 24-yearolds, scrapped in March.

Aaron Porter, president of the

NUS, said in the Guardian that just when graduates were facing an ‘exceptionally hostile’ jobs market, the government ‘persisted with policies that put the burden of the country's debt on the young’.

Similarly, Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, said in the Guardian that the government's ‘only response’ has been to cut support to unemployed young people including graduates – and replace it with a scheme that offers eight weeks' unpaid work experience and is not even available to university leavers.

A spokesperson from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, said employers needed to help graduates by offering them work experience and internships, and that graduates who took up these opportunities would be ‘well-equipped to benefit as the labour market improves’.

But it is this issue of work experience that is really affecting graduates today. A good way of getting your foot in the door has always been to get some work experience.

In the past a graduate who gained a few months work experience at a top company could conceivably expect to find a job waiting for them at the end of their time. But today, big companies such as national newspaper groups or PR companies use the desperate climate of today’s job market as a way of gaining free labour.

If you are lucky enough to get work experience in your chosen field, the company is well within their rights to make you work extremely hard for a few months and then let you go, without a job.

While you could argue that all experience is useful, it is the extent to which these companies never intend to hire the graduates that they give work experience to that is the problem.

Another big factor in this work experience, is that it draws in graduates

I've just finished my first term of an English Literature MA. The independence of a masters really helps in my approach to employment. I am able to apply for jobs earlier than last year while building up my CV with valuable work experience. I highly recommend it.

,,

O

n Wednesday February 2, the BBC showed a programme called ‘Who Gets the Best Jobs?’ This programme, written and presented by BBC journalist Richard Bilton, was an investigation into the decline of Britain’s social mobility.

The top jobs, or the ‘professionals’, are attained by people who come from privileged backgrounds, and the gap between the middle-class and the working-class is apparently widening.

According to Bilton, students who graduate nowadays are more reliant upon contacts then their actual degrees. Should we all be panicking about the our dismal job prospects and lack of contacts in the big city, or is it actually just a bit of media hype?

Here we have a look at both sides of the story.

When I left Cardiff I was bored of having no money and wanted to get a proper job that used my degree. I spent months searching for a job as a researcher and in the end I had to settle for an office job in the city. Although I am employed I am sad that I don’t ever use the skills I learnt at university.

,,

The state of graduate employment

Class of 2010: Graduate stories

Adam Collins, 23 Graduated with a BSc in Economics

I didn't receive any financial help while studying economics at Cardiff apart from student loans. But I worked hard doing a part-time job as well as my studies and managed to achieve a paid internship with one of the best investment banking companies in the UK

Features21

gair rhydd • Monday February 14 2010 • features@gairrhydd.com

Above: A queue forms outside Job Centre Plus and young people while the over-60s received a comparatively generous settlement on pensions, winter fuel allowance, free TV licences and bus passes.

Their low voting record means that politically the young are a relatively easy group to disappoint.

And I would argue that we are disappointed and we will be disappointed in the years that are to come. Graduates face a tough time in today’s job market and I for one am not looking forward to the struggle."

Right, time to book a careers session I think..

Bright: You only have to type ‘graduate employment’ into Google search engine and you find yourself confronted with stories about the increasing number of graduates in relation to the decreasing number of jobs available to them.

According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), youth unemployment has been rising dramatically and the trend is set to continue in 2011.

The recent BBC programme Who Gets the Best Jobs? makes the point that the less affluent your upbringing is, the less likely you are to secure a decent job. So, statistically things aren’t looking good are they?

However, I believe there is light at the end of the tunnel. This is not because of some idealistic notion about walking into a good job straight from

the comfy bubble of university: it is because opportunities are out there.

You just have to know where to look for them. If you doubt me (understandably) allow me to inform you of some of the other facts about graduate employment that rarely grace our headlines: * Graduate employers are expecting to hire 9.4% more graduates than in 2010. * 13 out of 14 sectors are increasingly their recruitment. * The IT & Telecommunications sector (the biggest player) is set to increase employment by 33.4% in 2011. * Consumer Goods (31.9%), Banking & Finance (24.8%) and Consulting (21.2%) were the second, third and fourth biggest recruitment growth sectors. * More than half the graduate job employers from The Times Top 100 are increasing the number of vacancies on their graduate programs. * Ten companies are confident of hiring more than 50 extra graduates than in 2010.

Perhaps this can provide a little comfort. Even if you haven’t decided what you want to do after you graduate, there is help out there.

I am constantly receiving emails about graduate internships and work placements from Milkround.com informing me of some of the internships available. But this is one of the hundreds of graduate employer schemes dedicated to finding careers for graduates.

“

Their low voting record means that politically, the young are a relatively easy group to disappoint

Additionally, of course, there is always your Union to help guide you on your postgraduate path. Located on the second floor is the Careers and Employability Centre open Monday – Friday, 9-5pm.

You are able to book an appointment to see a careers consultant, who can provide you with some invaluable tips on how to go about finding a job, or even to help you discover what it is you really want to do with your degree.

Perhaps further study is what you’ve always dreamed of. Well, don’t be too disheartened by the funding cuts and competition for places. The TARGETcourses Postgraduate Study & Funding Fair Wales 2011, is the only postgraduate fair covering all of Wales.

It is an excellent forum for students and graduates to have discussions with representatives from institutions who are seeking to fill their postgraduate course places for 2011, as well as receive exclusive advice and news on funding Postgraduate degrees.

There are obstacles for graduates and according to Who Gets the Best Jobs? there even more for graduates of a more humble background, which I am not naive enough to ignore.

That said, work is available to those who are willing to work hard and not give up. Economically, things are looking a little better for graduates.

An article on graduatejobs.com says that graduates should ‘stay posi-

tive’, claiming that graduate vacancies have risen for the first time since the recession took hold.

Universities Minister David Willetts has recently commented that ‘A degree remains a good investment in the long term and is one of the best pathways to achieving a good job and rewarding career.’

That’s what we need to hear. While researching information about graduate statistics etc, I stumbled across some reassuring stories that I hope will bring a little hope to you too.

For Richard Snell, finding a job after graduating in European Studies from Plymouth University was extremely difficult.

However, he kept looking. He later discovered that Bournemouth Borough Council was hiring graduates through Stride, a short-term project set up to arrange graduate placements in the area.

Initially, he was hired to cover maternity leave, but his work on developing projects and overseeing European funding led him to a full-time job with the company Stride itself. The lesson here is not to be discouraged and to keep looking.

So, graduating can be tough and the prospect of moving home is not always ideal. However, it doesn’t have to be quite so dour.

Arguably, graduates have faced problems with finding a job (and finding the right job) years before the recession hit. So why not seek advice, get applying and ‘stay positive’?

3 2 /42& 4.3*.( &"2/. /.3*.4&% 63 064& 6/5*/( 4&3*&4 5)*4 8&&, -00,4 "5 8)"5 :06 4)06-% #& $)&$,*/( 8*5) 3&("3%4 50 4"'&5: 8)&/ :06 "3& 7*&8*/( 03 4*(/*/( 61 '03 :063 /&8 1301&35: )*-45 5)& 3*()5 -0$"5*0/ 4*;& "/% %&$03"5*0/ 0' 5)& )064& *4 *.1035"/5 :06 .645 &/463& 5)"5 "/: 1301&35: :06 8*-- #& .07*/( 50 *4 4"'& "/% 8&-- ."/"(&% #: :063 "/%-03% 03 (&/5 !)"3 *3&-2 2)/4,% #& ,//+*.( '/1 /. " 01/0&138 5*&6*.(

)&$, 5)"5 5)& "/%-03% 03 (&/5 $"33: 065 3&(6-"3 */41&$5*0/4 0' 5)& ("4 "11-*"/$&4 "/% &-&$53*$4 -- ("4 "11-*"/$&4 */$-6%*/( #0*-&34 $00,&34 "/% '*3&4 4)06-% #& $)&$,&% " .*/*.6. 0' 0/$& " :&"3 03 8*5) &"$) /&8 */45"--"5*0/ #: " 26"-*'*&% ! "4 "'& 3&(*45&3&% 1-6.#*/( &/(*/&&3 )& &/(*/&&3 8*-- *446& 5)& "/%-03% (&/5 8*5) " $&35*'*$"5& %&5"*-*/( "/: "3&"4 0' $0/$&3/ 03 $0/'*3."5*0/ 0' " !1"44 4 5&/"/54 :06 $"/ 3&26&45 " $01: 0' 5)*4 "/% $&35"*/-: "/: 3&165"#-& "/%-03% 8*-- )"11*-: 4)08 :06 " $01: 0' 5)& $633&/5 $&35*'*$"5& #&'03& 4*(/*/( " &/"/$: (3&&.&/5 *' 3&26&45&% -&$53*$"- */45"--"5*0/4 "3& "("*/ 46#+&$5 50 $)&$,4 ' :06 "3& 4)"3*/( " )064& 8*5) 03 .03& '3*&/%4 :063 "/%-03% .645 &/463& "/ -&$53*$"- /45"--"5*0/ &35*'*$"5& *4 $0.1-&5&% #: " 26"-*'*&% &-&$53*$*"/ 0/ 5)& 1301&35: "/% "("*/ :06 "4 5&/"/54 $"/ 3&26&45 " $01:

!& )"5& 2&&. " )/42& 6& ,*+& #43 3)&1& "1&. 3 ".8 2-/+& %&3&$3/12 *2 3)"3 ",,/6&%

"3%*'' 06/5: 06/$*- */4*454 5)"5 " ."*/4 108&3&% '*3& 4:45&. $07&3*/( :063 &4$"1& 3065& ,*5$)&/ "/% -*7*/( 300. *4 */45"--&% 06 $"/ 0'5&/ 4105 ."*/4 108&3&% 4.0,& %&5&$5034 #: 5)&*3 108&3 -*()5 8)*$) *4 /05 /03."--: " '&"563& 0' #"55&3: 108&3&% 0/&4 / " 4&$0/%"3: /05& '*3& &95*/(6*4)&34 8)*$) "3& 0'5&/ " /05*$&"#-& "%%*5*0/ 50 "-- 0' &4*%&/$& "-- 500 0'5&/ 64&% 50 1301 %0034 01&/ "3& /0 -0/(&3 " -&("- 3&26*3&.&/5 */ 3&/5"- 1301&35*&4 )08&7&3 *' :063 1301&35: )"4 5)&. */45"--&% :063 "/%-03% )"4 "/ 0#-*("5*0/ 50 4&37*$& 5)&. "//6"--:

/42*.( *$&.2&2 6)"3 "1& 3)&8 ".% )/6 %/ 3)&8 )&,0 42

/*5*"--: 3&26*3&% '03 )064&4 0' 5&/"/54 "/% 4503&:4 *5 )"4 3&$&/5-: #&&/ &95&/%&% 50 "5)":4 3&/5"- 1301&35: 8*5) 5&/"/54 */ *$&/4&4 "3& &''&$5*7&-: 83*55&/ "11307"- '30. "3%*'' 06/$*- 5)"5 " 1301&35: )"4 3&"$)&% $&35"*/ 45"/%"3%4 */ 4"'&5: ".&/*5*&4 0''&3&% "/% (00% ."/"(&.&/5 #: 5)& "/%-03% 03 (&/5 #07& "-- &-4& " -*$&/4& 4)084 :06 5)"5 :063 )064& *4 4"'& /08 "/% 8*-- $0/5*/6& 50 #& 40 '03 5)& %63"5*0/ 0' :063 45": /-: 1301&35*&4 8)*$) 1"44 5)*4 453*$5 $3*5&3*" "3& (3"/5&% " 064& 0' 6-5*1-& $$61"/$: *$&/$&

". %&-*()5&% 5)"5 0.&4 )"4 +0*/&% 5)& "/%-03% $$3&%*5"5*0/ "-&4 $)&.& )& $0.1"/: 4 1"35*$*1"5*0/ */ 5)& 4$)&.& $-&"3-: %&.0/453"5&4 *54 %&%*$"5*0/ 50 $0/5*/6"--: 3"*4*/( 45"/%"3%4 */ 5)& &-4) -&55*/(4 4&$503 )& 4$)&.& *4 " (3&"5 8": 0' 4"'&(6"3%*/( "-- 5)04& */70-7&% */ 5)& -&55*/( 130$&44 "/% 8*5) 5)& "%%*5*0/"- $3&%*#*-*5: 0' 5)& ,*5&."3, 5)&3& 4 /0 %06#5 5)"5 0.&4 8*-- $0/5*/6& 50 */41*3& $6450.&3 $0/'*%&/$&

/4.$*,,/1 4%*3) !//%-".

7&$43*5& &-#&1 '/1 /--4.*3*&2 /42*.( ".% /$*", 423*$& "1%*'' /4.38 /4.$*,

' :06 806-% -*,& .03& */'03."5*0/ 0/ *$&/4*/( */ "3%*'' 8& )"7& .03& "7"*-"#-& 0/ 666 $02)/-&2 $/ 4+ )-/ ' :06 )"7& "/: 26&3*&4 3&-"5*/( 50 "/: 0' 5)& 501*$4 3"*4&% */ 5)*4 8&&, 4 "35*$-& '&&- '3&& 50 $"-- */ "5 "/: 0' 063 '063 #3"/$)&4 03 5&-&1)0/& 64 0/

-5&3/"5*7&-: & ."*- 64 0/ '&&%#"$+ $02)/-&2 $/ 4+ 03 1045 0/ 063 8"-- "5 666 '"$&#//+ $/- /-&2

$$1&%*3"3*/. !",&2 ' :06 "3& -00,*/( '03 " 1301&35: 5)306() " &55*/( (&/$: .",& 463& 5)&: "3& 3&(*45&3&% 8*5) 5)&4& 03("/*4"5*0/4

)&*3 .&.#&34 "3& ,/08-&%(&"#-& */ 5&/"/5 4"'&5: "/% 3&26*3&% 1301&35: $3*5&3*0/ &/463*/( :06 3&/5 " 1301&35: 5)"5 .&&54 $633&/5 4"'&5: 45"/%"3%4

4 4&&/ )&3& "5 5)& #0550.

0' 5)*4 1"(&

"1%*'' "8 /"3) /.3$".." "3)"82

Science 24

Scientists to simulate planet Plans have been unveiled for a 'Living Earth Simulator' to store and process aspects of civilisation in an attempt to better understand our society. But at what cost?

Luke Baker Science Correspondent A group of international scientists are aiming to create a computer system large enough to simulate crucial aspects of our planet by 2022. This includes traffic flows, evacuation scenarios of entire cities, the spread of disease, financial and economic fluctuations and even the weather, all connected and interacting with each other. The Living Earth Simulator (LES) will not only emulate our planet, but it will give us models and predictions.

It will show us patterns of how our society operates and insight into how it might develop. Dr. Helbing, who chairs the FuturICP project, calls it ‘Reality Mining’.

‘Many problems we have today - including social and economic instabilities, wars and disease - are related to human behaviour, but there is apparently a serious lack of understanding regarding how society and the economy work.

Revealing the hidden laws and processes underlying societies, constitutes the most pressing scientific grand challenge of our century.’ It’s not a surprise that the technology to build LES isn’t available yet and FutureICT need to actually design the technology themselves. However, its completion may be due as early as 2022.

FuturICT plan to harness the power of services like Google maps, Wikipedia, the MET office, and even NASA, who are starting their Planetary Skin project, which will map out the climatic conditions across the Earth. LES will be a hive mind, bringing all the data together to simulate a virtual world.

The machine itself will work by taking data from the planet and applying it to models that we already know, models that are available now from experimentation.

Mixing these two together will allow the LES to produce a simulation that describes what our planet should look like. The actual data, whether the predictions are correct or wrong, will be fed back into the system to improve the models that are being used.

It’s an extremely ambitious project and it will be an incredibly useful machine not only for society, but for science as well, especially social science.

However a computer of such a size will produce a lot of data, which will need a huge space to be stored in, far larger than anything even Google uses. But that might not be as difficult as you think.

Every month Google processes at least an Exabyte (one billion gigabytes) of data on about thirty-nine thousand servers - that’s two billion CD’s worth every month. The amount

of data that LES needs to produce would be almost ten times as big, but this is not a major issue compared to several other problems that the FuturICT project will have to solve.

The LES will need supercomputers to crunch the data, power to keep it running and it will have to keep all the collected information private, but still useable.

The input data will first have to be stripped of its identity and then have a label put back onto it.

The fact is, LES is going to have an entirely separate program just for labelling data, meaning the number of operations it would be required to do on average would have to double. You can consider a computer in terms of the number of floating points operations it can do per Second (Flops).

An average computer can do about one hundred MegaFlops, or one hundred million operations per second.

Meanwhile the world’s fastest supercomputer, the Tianhe-1, runs at just over two and a half Quadrillion Flops (A thousand, million, million operations per second). However, it’s scary to consider that all of these are beaten by us.

The fastest computer in the world is a quarter of the speed of the human brain, and the LES needs to be faster than this still. It needs more than even the ability to simulate the human brain.

But are there any severe drawbacks to all of this? Supercomputers gorge themselves on power and cost millions to run each year.

The Tainhe-1 consumes several million dollars worth of power, but even the Large Hadron Collider, a similarly vast project, costs six hundred million Euros to run each year, which will be about ten times more than the cost to run the LES. However, it still needs to be taken into consideration.

None of these factors make the project impossible.

These are just hurdles that, as technology advances, shouldn’t be difficult to get over. And due to it being a computer, rather than an actual structure, we can expect it to be finished on time.

“

The most pressing scientific grand challenge of our century

What sort of information is going into the LES? Health Weather

Outbreaks of disease could be more rigorously analysed when collaborated with other physical and social factors. How will the weather affect the spread of swine flu?

As climate change causes more sporadic and extreme weather events, the ability to predict the next catstrophe is vital. How will rising sea temperatures affect the next hurricane season?

Economics

Transport

The negative growth in the economy reported early this year was partly blamed on the snow.

But how strong is this supposed link between weather and economics?

In the future cars could be tracked by satellite and our journies recorded and analysed. It's raining heavily, it's 5.34pm and there's been an earthquake in China... So what's the quickest route home?

Taf-od

25

Pencampwriaeth y Chwe Gwlad, Cymru v Lloegr- I’r Mochyn Du amdani!

Rhys Griffiths Taf-Od A ninnau’n agosáu at dymor y gwanwyn, dechreuodd pethau boethi y penwythnos diwethaf wrth i Bencampwriaeth y Chwe Gwlad ddychwelyd. A lle gwell i agor y gyfres ond yn ein prifddinas ni, Caerdydd?

Ddydd Gwener, y 4ydd o Chwefror, llenwodd y ddinas â chyffro, tensiwn a bwrlwm wrth i ni groesawu ein ffrindiau dros y bont, Lloegr i’r gêm agoriadol. Nid oes pwynt cuddio’r naws gystadleuol rhwng y ddwy wlad. I ni’r Cymry, ar y naill law, nid oes un rhywbeth sy’n well na’ rhoi crasfa i’r Saeson. Ar y llaw arall, nid oes un rhywbeth yn waeth na’ cholli iddyn nhw. Felly, roedd Cymru gyfan yn disgwyl yn eiddgar mewn gobaith y gallai ein tîm Cenedlaethol faglu ein cymdogion, a’i danfon nhw adref mewn steil. Yn arwain i mewn i’r Bencampwriaeth, siomedig iawn oedd record y tîm, gan ennill 2 gêm yn unig allan o 13. Roedd y pwysau yn enfawr ar ysgwyddau Warren Gatland a’i griw, yn enwedig gyda Cwpan y Byd rownd y gornel. Er hyn,

nid ydym yn rhai i golli ffydd yn ein bechgyn rygbi, ac roedd yna obaith efallai gwireddu patrwm y Grand Slam- 2005, 2008....2011?

A ninnau ddim yn rhai o’r 75,000 a gafodd docynnau i fynd i Stadiwm y Mileniwm, es i gyda fy nghriw o ffrindiau i dafarn Y Mochyn Du fel yr ydym yn ei wneud yn rheolaidd i wylio gemau rygbi. Tafarn Cymraeg, byrlymus a chroesawgar a thafarn orau’r ddinas yn fy nhyb i.

Y lle perffaith i brofi naws a thensiwn gêm o’r fath. Cyrhaeddom tua 5 o’r gloch, mewn gobaith y byddem yn cael gafael ar le da i eistedd, cyn i’r ‘Cyfryngis’ a’r holl weithwyr eraill gyrraedd. Ond, roedden ni’n rhy hwyr. Roedd ‘Y Mochyn’ yn orlawn a’r cyffro Cymraeg yn gorlifo wrth i’r peintiau barhau i lifo.

Gwibiodd yr oriau heibio wrth ddisgwyl am y gic gyntaf, gyda nifer y peintiau yn cynyddu a ‘Calon Lân’, ‘Rachie’, ‘Hymns and Arias’ yn atseinio’n barhaol o gwmpas y dafarn. Cyn pen dim, trodd hi’n gwarter i wyth, a cododd y môr coch o gefnogwyr i ganu Hen Wlad fy Nhadau. Roedd hi’n amlwg, o edrych ar y chwaraewyr ar y sgrin,

sut fraint ydyw i gynrychioli eich gwlad. Roedd yr angerdd yn amlwg ar wynebau ambell un, yn enwedig Alun Wyn Jones, a’i geg led y pen ar agor.

Wrth i Stephen Jones gicio’r gic gyntaf, torrodd llef o anogaeth ‘Cmon Wales’, ‘Cymru!’ o gwmpas y dafarn . Trwy’r holl yfed, y canu, y bloeddio, roedd yr hanner cyntaf yn carlamu yn ei flaen a’r pwyntiau yn dechrau pentyrru. Yn anffodus, nid pentyrru i Gymru yr oedden nhw.

Roedd hi’n dechrau edrych yn debyg i’r un hen berfformiad unwaith eto. Gwastraffu cyfleoedd a gwneud gormod o gamgymeriadau. Ar ôl cwarter awr, gwastraffodd Cymru ddwy gic gosb at y pyst a neidiodd Chris Ashton dros y gwyngalch am ei gais cyntaf i'r Saeson, a’r sgôr yn 0-10 i Loegr. 6-13 oedd hi ar hanner amser ac er bod ein gobeithion o ennill y gêm yn gwanhau, roedd yr ysbryd a’r mwynhad yn dal i fyrlymu yn y cymdeithasu drwy’r dafarn.

Wrth i mi sefyll yn y bar, clywais ddau Sais yn sgwrsio, gydag un yn dweud wrth y llall, “I’ve never seen so many girls watching Rugby, never so much singing, and never

so much Welsh!” Doeddwn i ddim yn gallu peidio ag ymateb, felly dywedais, “ Welcome to Wales mate!”

Wrth glywed y sgwrs yma, ynghyd â edrych o gwmpas y dafarn a chlywed yr iaith Gymraeg yn byrlymu ar lafar ar gân, teimlais yn falch o fod yn Gymro. Ac er pwysiced canlyniad y gêm, doeddwn i ddim yn poeni cymaint oherwydd roeddwn i’n gwybod y byddai’r cymdeithasu a’r mwynhau yn parhau beth bynnag fyddai’r canlyniad.

Gwibiodd yr ail hanner heibio mor gyflym a’r hanner gyntaf ac yn wir, colli oedd ein hanes unwaith yn rhagor, â’r record siomedig yn symud i 2 buddugoliaeth mewn 14 gêm.

Profodd diffyg disgyblaeth Craig Mitchell yn ddrud wrth i Loegr symud i 9-23 tra yr oedd yn y gell cosb.

Er i Gymru ddangos eu cymeriad a’u dewrder wrth i Morgan Stoddart gipio cais, doedd hi ddim yn ddigon, a chwythwyd y chwiban olaf gyda’r sgôr yn 19-26 i Loegr.

Felly, dim gobaith am ‘Grand Slam’ arall eleni, na’ Choron Driphlyg chwaith. Roedd yna ostyngiad amlwg yn sn a chyffro’r ‘Mochyn’ am ychydig o funudau. Wedi’r cyfan, i

ni’r Cymru, roedd colli i Loegr yn dod a rhyw flas cas i’n cegau. Ond, oherwydd y math o genedl yr ydym ni, anghofiwyd y siom am y noson ac ail-ddechreuodd y canu ac roedd y peintiau’n llifo unwaith eto.

Heb os, rhoddodd y brifddinas ddechrau teilwng i Bencampwriaeth y Chwe Gwlad 2011. Wrth gwrs, roedd y canlyniad yn un siomedig ond a yw hyn yn golygu ein bod ni am golli ein ffydd a’n cefnogaeth yn y tîm? Byth! Byddwn yn teithio i Gaeredin gyda Gym Gym Prifysgol Caerdydd a’n lleisiau yn barod i floeddio’r anthem mewn cefnogaeth unwaith eto. Gobeithio cawn brofi cystal cyffro a naws a deimlwyd yng Nghaerdydd, ac er ei bod hi’n annhebyg, gobeithio y down ni o hyd i dafarn mor arbennig â’r ‘Mochyn Du’. Cymru i guro’r Alban o 10 pwynt. Cymru am byth!

Dathlu wedi ei unig gais

Hoffwn nodi mai Heledd Melangell a ysgrifenodd yr erthygl ar brotest Manceinion a hoffwn ymddiheuro am unrhyw gamddealltwriaeth.

Want to write?

We're always looking for contributors so come toour meetings every Monday at 5pm on the fourth floor of the Students' Union

27

Letters

Comments from the week’s news, opinion, features and sport at www.gairrhydd.com “The day before my exam, he was charging £30 per hour for extra tuition” Anon --This happens all the way through the education system from primary school through to a levels.

It is a basic model of supply and demand, and if these tutors didnt help then another student or other tutors would have. Surely this is not the first people have heard of this.

Ed --As the issues stands reported by the Gair Rhydd, I don’t necessarily see what the problem is. As the anons and Rhys pointed out, private tuition exists at all levels of education, and isn’t – by itself – wrong or punishable.

The accusation that these tutors might abuse their position by teaching at less than 100% in order to coerce students to take their feepaying sessions is a serious one. It is not, however, a reason to get rid of the tuition concept altogether – it is rather a question to be applied to each tutor who did this individually: did their standard of teaching drop during university seminars, or did it not? And, just in case they’ve always offered feepaying sessions: is the standard of their teaching equal to (or perhaps even better than) those of their tutor peers in the department?

This is an empirical question that can be used to clear or condemn individual tutors, rather than condemning the system as a whole.

There is nothing wrong with tutors teaching to the best of their ability, and then giving extra sessions to those in need of even more help afterwards.

to do over the term and within his office hour. What I saw is that he solve problems for other students far beyond his office hour. I even had to make appointment after 10pm because there were too many students trying to approach him.

He already did what he could. I insisted on paying for what he deserves. You shouldn’t expect anyone to answer your questions anytime YOU want.

Morgan Applegarth --As highlighted by one of the students quoted in the article, one potential issue is with the extra tuition falling alongside the degree, i.e. the tutors are not independent from CarBS, as they are teaching on the course.

This is an issue because, as believed by the said student, there may be a conflicting interest which then has an impact on student equality.

As it stands, everyone on the same degree pays the same tuition fee. This provides an equal platform as all students are open to the same level of education and resources, regardless of their background.

THE MINUTE lecturers or tutors, as in this case, charge additional fees to students they are already teaching, then equality is wiped away. Not every is able to pay extra, on top of what they already pay to study (as well as their living costs).

Now, if the tutors were just offering extra tuition to those not involved in CarBS, then we do not have an issue. However, those in question are alleged to be charging their students for education that should be ‘freely’ supplied under the cost of tuition fees.

The Voice of Reason ---

Mid --Okay, I went for private tuitions.

The tutor did what he is supposed

The two tutors in question are completely innocent in this matter. They have brought nothing

but honour to their profession.

University is hard and with the added pressures of achieving high grades, not everyone is at the same academic level. Some students need to work harder to get their grades and if they want to seek further tuition to better themselves then good for them. In fact we are constantly told to seek further work during our study.

You talk of a conflict of interest but to me that is simply a slander of a tutor’s personal and professional character. The tutors have the good nature to want to give up their free to time help struggling students then bravo to them.

Joe Kun --In the demand side, students always try to get all the advantages from anywhere in order to gain higher marks, it is understandable.

However, in the supply side, tutors shouldn’t because of his own “private earnings” offer to those students who are able to pay for the additional “inside information” or “school resources” or even the knowledge that should be taught in class but held by the tutors for private purpose. Obviously, those students who failed to pay or unable access to the school resources that they entitled for will then be exploited and suffer lower marks result. Need not to say again, the consequences are huge as it will affect the life and the future of the disadvantaged students and even their family. I definitely sure it is unlawful if the tutors use the “school resources” for his own fortune, it is stealing. Extra teaching or consultation time shouldn’t be charged as well or it would violate the simple rule of conflict of interest. Though gair rhydd is not the first class national post, it is a real sound of justice to me and many of us. Right, we should also try to see how the other regional/national big posts react on this accusations.

DIDI --Some people say only people who are not tutors in carBS can offer the service, but how can students find good private tutors out of carBS? I think good method is give students more choices if they need help, and fire tutors if they are not good, and investigate whether prefossors will give exam papers to these tutors before exams or whether the tutors themselves are members of exam board.

Anon --Students who complain about “unfairness” shouldn’t be so insecure. They will pass if they deserve to, irrespective of whether a few other people have bought extra help or not. If you understand the material then your exam results will reflect that. The best you can do is to do some work! This isn’t school and we are not here to spoon feed you – and you shouldn’t need it. If there is a genuine problem with the course or teaching materials, bring it up with the lecturer whose job it is to solve it.

Also, this issue of students who were turned away with their 2-minute questions – a PhD student is not obligated to answer ANY of your questions in their own time, however small. If they do so, it’s because they care and feel sorry for you. But if they don’t, ask each other or ask your lecturer, or the text book.

Anon --These particular tutors MORE than deserve that hourly rate for the tutorial teaching they give.

They are exemplary tutors. This is obvious (and the whingers leading this smear campaign are even quoted saying this in the article, as if somehow it buoys their argument), or their additional private lessons wouldn’t be in such high demand. Students must see that

getting the best tutors banned from teaching is counterproductive to them individually and to the university as a whole.

Union drug policy under fire Carey --Well this has kind of been drowned out by capitalist tutors (grest story btw). Nevertheless, I’m keen to guage whether there’s popular support for a motion to go to AGM next week. I think it will have to be written by Friday.

The general thrust would be to declare support to groups who look to reform the law on drugs to a position that is more logically and morally consistent.

What does everyone think?

Anon --I agree completely with Ed Carey. If one, for a moment, ignores the arbitrary fact that drugs are illegal (and arbitrary it most certainly is), and considers their impact on the student population, both of drug users and not, then how can anyone agree with such draconian measures such as the stupidly high police presence at Valve. Drug users among the student population bring harm to no one and have no intention of doing so, they use drugs just as anyone else would use alcohol – to enhance their enjoyment of whatever event they are at. I am not talking about heroin dens and crack houses here, which are not at all commonplace in student populations and I daresay are nonexistant.

For more student comment on these issues visit gairrhydd. com and have your say.

Join the debate online:

www.gairrhydd.com

Societies

29

RAG reap charitable rewards Hannah Van Den Bergh Reporter RAG week kicked off this fortnight with an array of events split between the Student Union and the Heath to raise money for various charities.

Over the years RAG has raised up to £1,500 for charities like Children in Need, Help for Heroes and Tenovus.

This year the society aimed to

beat previous fundraising efforts by organising activities ranging from pub quizzes and socials to the classic “wear your PJs to lectures” day all in the name of fundraising.

Throughout the week students feasted on cakes from numerous cake sales around university and the annual “RAG naked calendar” went on sale.

Great anticipation rested on the one-off event ‘RAG Dolls’ on Wednesday February 9.

This event saw the Fashion So-

ciety join forces with RAG to fuse fashion, fun and charity.

Students performed a fashion show followed by a clothes exchange where students had the chance to swap unwanted clothes for something new.

This was followed by a catwalk show and a vintage fayre with all proceeds going towards 'Labour Behind the Label' charity.

Roshan Dean, RAG committee member, explained how this is the biggest time of the year for the so-

ciety with lots of other societies getting involved for a worthwhile cause.

Cardiff's medical societies got involved too with MedSoc hosting a RAG week question time, raffle stalls and pub quizzes all taking place at the Heath campus.

If you didn't manage to join in on the charitable fun, don’t feel like you’ve missed out because there are a number of events you can still get involved in. ”RAG have many more upcom-

ing events. We are currently planning our most exciting fundraising event of the year; Jailbreak.

Students will use fundraising money to try and get as far away as possible from Cardiff in 24 hours.

Other university students who have participated in this challenge made it as far as Tobago!” says Hannah Roslyn Richards, RAG committee member Congratulations to all the societies and students who participated in RAG week.

Monday Feb 14 Ancient History Soc: Research Seminar -4.45 Humanities, 5pm

Amnesty International Soc: Back in Action -Humanities Caf , 7pm

Tuesday Feb 15 Pole Dance Society: Social -Fat Cats Bar, 9pm

Harry Potter Soc: Parody Night -Bar 33, 1pm

Wednesday Feb 16 Asian Soc: Bollywood Dance Classes -Rona Griffiths Room, SU, 7pm

Business Society: REPRESENT Social -Walkabout, 9pm

Marrow Soc: Registry Session -Heath Sports and Social, 1-6pm

Thursday Feb 17 CHAOS: CPD Exhibition -Location TBC, 5pm

Timothy Bible Study Group: Bible Study Above: FashSoc meet Gok Wan

FashSoc find fame Bianca London Societies Editor The Fashion Society will be making a television debut on Gok Wan’s Channel 4 show ‘Gok’s Roadshow.’

Channel 4 contacted the Fashion Society directly and asked if they wanted to be involved in the awardwinning show.

The filming took place on February 3 in the Capital Centre, Cardiff.

The setting was an empty store which had been transformed into a makeshift studio and dressing room with huge collections of

clothes, shoes and handbags.

“The whole day was filmed, it was a scary but amazing experience” says Claire Dibben, FashSoc Co-President.

“We saw how Gok put together each outfit that went down the runway, had the opportunity to ask fashion-related questions and some of us even took part. I was called up to the front to help dye a hat using teabags!” she says.

The society described Gok as chatty and full of banter and have even made him honorary head boy of the fashion society.

-Beverton Lecture Theatre, 7pm

Arch Soc: Research Seminar -Room 4.45, Humanities, 5.10pm

Friday Feb 18 Engineers Without Borders: CAT Training Weekend

“The day was a fabulous opportu- -CAT Visitor Centre, 3.30pm nity for our society to get involved with a programme that encourages AltSoc: Bristol Trip ways to create individual style on a low student budget“ says Jade Earth Soc: Cowboys and Indians Hawkins, society Co-President.

-Gassys then Glam, 8pm It has been a busy week for Fash Soc who ran a charity clothes exchange, a catwalk show and a vintage fayre in collaboration with AltSoc: Bristol TRIP RAG society last week.

You can catch the FashSoc on Channel 4 during week seven of Engineers Without Borders: CAT Gok's Roadshow.

-CAT Visitor Centre, 3.30pm

Saturday Feb 19 Sunday Feb 20

Training Weekend

To feature an event or article email societies @gairrhydd.com

If you would like to join a Society, or see a full list of opportunities, visit: http://groups.cardiffstudents.com/societies/home

comic.

sudoku.

Puzzles30 EASY

HARD

crossword.

Across 9. Japanese art of flower arrangement (7) 10. First (7) 11. A pasta dish (7) 12. In Britain, a lorry driver (7) 13. Omission (9) 15. A South American bird (5) 16. The dead skin at the base of a fingernail (7) 19. Imperative (7) 20. Throw out (5) 21. Count (9) 25. Unfortunate (7) 26. Summit (7) 28. A North American time zone (7) 29. Very drunk (British slang) (7)

Down 1. Puncture (6) 2. Pertaining to the hip (6) 3. Tropical root (4) 4. American elk (6) 5. Farawayness (8) 6. Not literal (10) 7. Monicker (8) 8. Scaremonger (8) 14. He "lifts" wallets (10) 16. Masquerade clothes (8) 17. Indefatigable (8) 18. Everybody (8) 22. Sloping upward (6) 23. Hymn or national song (6) 24. Divulge (6) 27. Balcony section (4)

By Daniel Judd

Listings

Monday

Tuesday

31 Wednesday Thursday

14th Feb

15th Feb

16th Feb

17th Feb

THE LASH, Solus, £3.50, 9.30pm The Lash promises all the best in chart and cheese, which doesn't really sound all that tempting to be honest. But if you're a sporting LAD then it's most definitely the place to be. This week, the theme is Tight and Bright UV. Sounds great, no?

LIVE MUSIC, The Taf, FREE, 8pm Pretty much what it says on the tin really.

Live music. In the Taf. They had a pretty good line-up last week, so expect great things from this night.

LISTEN UP, Clwb, £3, 9pm Listen Up has become an institution within an institution. Everybody loves Clwb. Everybody loves Listen Up. Playing a mix of motown, funk, indie and pop among three floors of cheap bars and trendy kids, this is the place to be every Wednesday.

BOUNCE, Walkabout, £4, 9pm If you really, honestly, have nothing better to do... actually, no, even that isn't a valid excuse. No reason for going to Walkabout is acceptable in my eyes. Okay, so perhaps you have to go once in your university career, but I know that the debauchery and filth will put you off going again. If you have any personal morals, that is.

FUN FACT TREE, Solus, FREE, 9pm Fun Factory is an institution among Cardiff students and you simply must check it out.

Playing the very best alternative music, and with various cheap drinks promotions, you're sure to have the best night of the week here and I'm not even biased. It's a staple.

OXJAM VALENTINE'S DAY FUNDRAISING PARTY, Buffalo Bar, for ticket information contact the venue directly, 7pm A night of live hip-hop, dub, reggae and DJs. Candle-lit tables and all day food offers, special Valentine’s Day cocktails.

LATE NIGHT LIVE, 10 Feet Tall FREE, 8pm Live music, acts, comedy and DJs upstairs, new music & party tunes in the bar. Plus the added bonus of two for one cocktails between 5pm and 9pm.

TAKE ME OUT, Glam, £4, 9pm Take Me Out (As seen on ITV) live on stage.

With: little cupids, kissing booth, love potion fishbowls, matchmaker hosts and drinks from £1.50.

This sounds dreadful.

JUST DANCE, Clwb, £3, 10pm Just Dance returns every Tuesday night at Clwb Ifor Bach with one simple mission...to get you dancing all night long. A mixture of modern day pop, rock and R&B thrown together with some cracking blasts from the past...cheap entry, cheap drinks prices and great, GREAT tunes.

10 FEET LIVE, 10 Feet Tall, TBC, 8pm Live music, singer songwriters, bands and acoustic acts upstairs, new music & party tunes in the bar. Plus, there's the added bonus of two for one cocktails from 5pm until 9pm.

THE DUKE SPIRIT AND TAPE THE RADIO, Clwb, £8, 7pm Post-punk five-piece fronted by the enigmatic Leila Moss. With a definitive ‘don’tgive-a-damn’ attitude, The Duke Spirit simply ooze cool in the geeky unknowing way that Sonic Youth or The Velvet Underground did before them.

JAZZ AT DEMPSEYS, Dempseys, £5, 9pm Music ranges from piano or guitar trio, saxophone or trumpet quartet, quartet with vocals to big band. Hear jazz standards made famous by the likes of Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nina Simone, as well as original tunes.

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

18th Feb

19th Feb

20th Feb

BOOMBOX, Solus £3, 10pm Playing an eclectic mix of electro, funk, drum 'n' bass, hip hop, dubstep and breaks with a turntablist twist. Featuring dance classics, chart remixes and old school classics. Expect to hear Pendulum, Calvin Harris, Dr Dre, David Guetta, Major Lazor, A Skillz, High Contrast, Prodigy and much more. To be fair, it's the cheapest Friday night this side of the bridge, fulfilling all your student needs and perfect for bringing those visiting mates too. Plus, there's the added bonus of our best Xpress DJ's spinning some great tunes at the silent disco. Go ahead kids, BOOM YOUR BOX. MOGWAI, Great Hall, £20, 7pm "Tumultuous indie rock with the emphasis on epic, Mogwai's music has an almost orchestral feel to it, thanks to its huge scale. Rich and luscious in its atmosphere and texture, here's a group that really will take you on a trip to somewhere else." This is all hear-say, however, because I've never actually heard Mogwai before, but a lot of my friends are planning on going, and they're cool people, so by association this gig will be cool.

COME PLAY, Solus, £3, 10pm A safe bet for a Saturday night. If none of the other events do it for you, head to the Union for guaranteed good music and cheap drinks. Not the most imaginative of nights out, but you'll be sure to have a good time.

And who said that being able to predict the playlist down to the very last minute was a bad thing?

THE SOUL DESTROYERS, The Globe, £TBC, 7.30pm Popular Bristol soul, blues and funk band, widely regarded as one of the best in the business. Quite simply the South West's most entertaining, musically flawless party band, this 13-strong groove machine mixes up soul, pop, Motown, rock and disco classics with the ‘fun’ dial set to max.

BEATBOX BALLROOM, Buffalo, Free before 11pm, 8pm "Booty-busting breaks, pimped out soul & clock-stopping rhythms." Apparently.

JUDY'S AFFORDABLE VINTAGE FASHION FAIR, Cardiff Students' Union, £2, 12pm Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair is coming to Cardiff on Sunday 20th February. Bringing 45 stalls of vintage, retro and reworked clothing alongside antiques, homewares and accessories, Judy's promises shoppers oldworld items at affordable prices.

10 FEET TALL SUNDAY SOCIAL, 10 Feet Tall, FREE, 8pm If you have nothing better to do on a Sunday night and fancy heading out for twofor-one cocktails, perhaps give this a go.

THE BIG SUNDAY RECOVERY PROJECT, CAI, FREE, 12pm What’s the Sunday project ? It’s a regular’s social gathering to end the week. You get together over a late Sunday Roast or just laze around with fellow hung-over friends on the Sofas. Enjoy a Sunday ‘Institution’, weekly - Squeaky Hill Pub Quiz are back.

The only quiz that provides you with a general all round work out, utilising the physical, mental and creative parts of your brain that other pub quizzes just can’t reach! It's free to play, and there's loads of exciting prizes to be won.

C.Y.N.T, Clwb, £4, 10pm Expect big queues as ravers descend for their dose of electro, techno, dubstep and drum 'n' bass. Advance queue-jump tickets from c-y-n-t.com. This is the only legitimate thing to do on your Thursday night.

Venues Students’ Union, Park Place, 02920 814456 www.cardiffstudents.com ◆ IV Lounge, Neuadd Meirionydd, Heath Park 02920 744948 ◆ Clwb Ifor Bach, 11 Womanby Street 02920 232199 www.clwb.net ◆ Metros, Bakers Row www.clubmetropolitan.com ◆ CAI, Park Place 02920 412190 ◆ Buffalo Bar, 11 Windsor Place www.myspace.com/wearebuffalobar ◆ Chapter Arts Centre, Market Road, Canton 02920 304400 www.chapter.org ◆ Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay 0870 0402000 www.wmc.org. uk ◆ The New Theatre, Park Place 02920 878889 www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk ◆ The Sherman Theatre, Senghennydd Road 02920 646900 www.shermantheatre.co.uk ◆ Cardiff International Arena, Mary Ann Street 02920 224488 ◆

Sport 32

Champions League First Knockout Round Preview Ben Pearson Sports Writer

Above: Mason Crosby kicks a field goal as the Packers seal victory

Do Brits care about The Superbowl? Matt Gray looks back at the Green Bay Packers' triumph For those who flicked their TV to BBC One at about 11.30pm on Sunday night, and were still watching into the early hours, I commend you.

For the anti-American and 'I'mtoo-tough-for-this' rugby playing crowd, allow me to summarise what you missed out on or craftily avoided this Superbowl Sunday.

As I'm sure you're aware, American Football epitomises everything that the US represents. It's loud, it's brash, it's cheesy and you're damn sure going to hear about it.

The Superbowl is one of those events that has gathered a presence in the UK, yet most have no knowledge of the spectacle that is the Superbowl beyond what they see on US television series' and in the cinema.

The Superbowl seems to be more of a popular cultural icon and an excuse to get hammered than having any real significance as a sporting contest, (Green Bay who?).

However, the Superbowl is one of the biggest events in the sporting world with $200 million spent on ticket prices and concessions alone this year Superbowl day is also an unofficial National Holiday in the U.S.

The town of Arlington Texas, the venue for this year's event, received an estimated economic cash-in of $500 million.

Coupled with 111 million viewers in the U.S. alone, the Superbowl really is big business. Just ask the advertisers.

One second of Superbowl advertising time will cost you roughly $100,000, a figure us Brits struggle to comprehend.

It is funny to think how America's game can be so monumentally huge in the US and yet have such little resonance here.

In part it comes down to the exceptionalism that permeates all corners of the American psyche.

In other words, God forbid this sport catches on and we become better than them at it.

As much as I poke fun at the spectacle, I am undeniably biased, with a deep-rooted love for the game that is 'Footbawwll'.

I can fully understand the British reaction of rolling our collective eyes at the OTT nature of the Superbowl, and know that some of it is justified.

What I hope those who stuck with the game into the wee hours of Sunday night found, was that un-

derneath all the pageantry,â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C; hype, advertising and horrendous Black Eyed Peas' performances, there was a great sporting contest unfolding on the field.

Unlike free-flowing sports like rugby and football, American Football plays out like a chess match between a multitude of coaches and players. The intricacies of the design of each play really are something to behold.

There was no better example of this than Sunday's match, which saw the Green Bay Packers outfox the Pittsburgh Steelers.

More often than not, the structure of the sport is described as being 'too-stop-starty' for a British audience; a major hurdle to it's success this side of the Atlantic. However, it has become evident with the annual International game held at Wembley and the increased coverage on BBC and Sky this year, that British interest in the game is on the up.

The number of Cardiff students who were present at Hooters or Walkabout in the company of the Cardiff Cobras and Snakecharmer Cheerleaders were a testament to this.

When all was said and done, the

oldest franchise in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers led by the Superbowl's MVP (man of the match) Aaron Rodgers emerged victorious.

The Packers managed to hold off a late comeback from the Pittsburgh Steelers' to win the coveted Vince Lombardi Superbowl trophy, named after their legendary Coach of the 1960's.

Their 31-25 win was the Packers' first Superbowl trophy since 1996, and with a young, strong team and a great coach in Mike McCarthy, they look to be a dominant force for years to come.

The Packers overcame a multitude of injuries this season, finishing with a record of 10 wins and six losses, before beating the Eagles, Falcons and Bears in the Playoffs en route to the Superbowl.

With the possibility of there being no 2011/12 NFL season due to players and owners squabbling over financial payouts, this could be the NFL's curtain call for now.

If this is the case, there would be no better way to bow out than with the bright lights, hard hits and excess that characterised Superbowl XLV.

After a winter break, the Champions League returns to our screens bringing with it the biggest names in European club football.

There are usually one or two surprise packages at this stage of the competition and this season is no exception, with the likes of FC Copenhagen, Shakhtar Donetsk and Tottenham Hotspur making their debuts in the last 16 of the competition.

Spurs are by far the most talked about debutants of the competition, topping a group which boasted Dutch champions FC Twente, Werder Bremen, and most notably, holders Inter Milan. Spurs almost clinched a sublime comeback at the San Siro from 4-0 down, as Gareth Bale announced himself on the European stage.

The 3-1 hammering of Inter at White Heart Lane proved that Tottenham have to be taken seriously on the European stage. Ironically, it is Inter's arch rivals AC Milan who stand in the way of Spurs and a place in the quarter finals. Spurs fans will be hoping for another good performance at the San Siro against a strong Milan side.

Another north London club looking to progress in the competition and go one step further than they did in 2006 is Arsenal, though they have the unforgiving task of overcoming the team that beat them on that fateful night in Paris, Barcelona. The Catalan giants are believed by some to perhaps be the greatest team of all time.

The two sides met in last year's quarter finals; Arsenal succumbing to a 6-3 aggregate defeat.

After a promising 2-2 draw at the Emirates, Arsenal were on the wrong end of a 4-1 master class by Barcelona, dumping them out of the competition. They will be hoping to do better this time round but with Barcelona firing on all cylinders, it is going to be a tall order for the Gooners. The other two British representatives in the last 16 are Manchester United and Chelsea, the latter flourishing in Europe this season after seemingly falling behind in the title race. It is hard to look past the two English sides in both ties.

Whatever happens, the Champions League is likely to throw up a few surprises by the time the circus rumbles into Wembley on May 28.

Sport33

Monday January 14 2011 • gair rhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

"The Ashes was the highlight of my career" gair rhydd Sport talk to Heather Knight, Cardiff University's very own Ashes star Alex Bywater Sports Editor “I hit the winning runs at the MCG, that was pretty cool.” Those are not the words of Andrew Strauss, or a laid back Kevin Pietersen, but a Cardiff University student.

Whilst most cricketers in Cardiff spend the winter months watching the action down under through the night, one went that little bit further.

Heather Knight, a second year Physiology student, toured Australia with the England Women’s cricket side, representing the team in Test, one day internationals (ODI’s) and Twenty20 cricket. Though England could not emulate the men’s side in winning the Ashes, both Knight and England enjoyed a fantastic tour, the highlight being the 4-1 Twenty20 series victory over the hosts.

Opening batsman Knight, 20, is a relative newcomer to the squad compared to the more experienced and well known names of Charlotte Edwards MBE and Claire Taylor.

However, there can be no doubt that she has a bright future as a key player within the side after her Ashes debut. Knight has risen through the age groups since first encountering the game at her local cricket club, Plymstock.

“I was about eight when I started. My brother played at our local club, Plymstock, and I went along,” says Knight. “I was going through a phase of doing everything he did. I just liked playing cricket with him and it just started from there really.” Growing up playing both alongside and against boys clearly helped Knight’s talent to flourish, though she admits that cricket was never a clear career path for her.

“I never really sort of decided [to do cricket] it just sort of happened.

You keep progressing through the age group levels I guess, and I just carried on to the top.” Growing up in Devon, a strong cricketing region, Knight represented the county at all age groups.

“I started playing county boys cricket up to under 12’s for Devon and then went through the age groups and onto the women,” says Knight. Heather now represents successful Women’s county side Berkshire, who compete in Division 1 of the County Championship and who are also Twenty 20 champions.

Despite making her Test debut in the Ashes, Knight has already represented England. She first appeared for the side on the tour of India in March of last year, whilst still in her first year at Cardiff.

“I flew out to India because someone got injured,” says Knight. “I was actually at Lords with CUCC (Cardiff University Cricket Club) representing the University in an indoor tournament when I got the call.

“I drove back to Cardiff, packed and got a plane the next day from

Above: Heather Knight in action for England down under Heathrow. I didn’t know many of the squad then so it was a bit daunting and quite a lot of them didn’t know anything about me either.”

Despite this daunting introduction to the side, Knight clearly impressed on the sub-continent and was selected for the Ashes tour over the winter.

In contrast to the men’s side, whose stupidly long tour resulted in a multitude of injuries, England’s women were in Australia for just under a month. They flew out a few days after Christmas and returned on January 27.

England finished the tour on a high by brilliantly claiming the Twenty20 series, before falling short of retaining the Ashes after a seven wicket loss in the one off Test match.

Citing Andrew Strauss’ side retention of the urn as, “a real inspiration” Knight admitted that feeling more comfortable of her place in the side allowed her to perform to her best.

“I definitely felt a bit more integrated. We went to Sri Lanka in November and I was in the squad in the Summer, so I slotted in quite well.

“I expected to play in the ODIs and the test but not the T20’s, even though I ended up playing in all

five,” Knight continued.

Although England’s tour highlight was the Twenty20 series win, from a personal point of view Knight’s 72 in the second ODI in Perth was proof that she could cut it at the highest level of the women’s game.

“That was definitely my best knock for England,” says Knight.

“Even though we lost the series in that match it was a bit of a bitter -sweet moment.”

Touring the world as an English cricketer, Knight clearly enjoyed every second. “Adelaide was my favourite ground, it was really nice,” she says. “They have a new grandstand; it’s a bit like a modern Lord’s.”

Knight also described the Twenty20 series win over the reigning world champions as the highlight of her tour.

Despite talk of the Ashes dominating the men's game this winter, Test cricket does not take on such importance within the women’s game.

At the moment, only England and Australia compete in the ultimate form of the game, something Knight would like to see change.

“All of us want to play more,” says Knight, “if you don’t do well in the Test then you have to wait another two years for a change.

“Test cricket suits my game and we’d love to play more, but the commercial side of the women’s game is more suited to Twenty20 and ODI’s as that’s where the interest is.”

Knight also describes the dearth of test cricket within the women’s game as a “vicious circle”, arguing that “if we played more we’d probably be better at it.”

With the women’s game still far from fully professional the reality of the situation is that, like the rest of the squad, Knight will need to find a job alongside her cricketing commitments after university.

“Women’s cricket is semi-pro so I’ll get through my degree and then go and play in Australia for the winter,” says Knight. “Then it’s back to reality and trying to find a job, despite the fact support from the ECB (English Cricket Board) is pretty good.”

Despite this, both Knight’s love for the game of cricket and her talent look like seeing her become a permanent fixture in the England side for the foreseeable future.

“Fingers crossed I’ve got at least 10 years playing cricket and I want to play for as long as I can. I might have to choose a career or cricket path at some stage. Who knows though? Payment might come into the game at some stage, but I think

that’s quite unlikely.”

With regards to the immediate future though, Knight’s talent looks set to keep her at the top regardless of what happens in the women’s game.

With the ladies game becoming more and more popular and better supported (the Twenty20 series was shown live on Sky) there has arguably never been a better time to be a female England cricketer.

Knight’s next assignment will see her representing Cardiff at the National Indoor Finals coming up on February 26 at Cardiff ’s SWALEC stadium, though the rest of her career looks like we will see her mix it with the best by representing England on the international stage.

Follow us on Twitter @GairRhyddSport

Sport34

Jo Greet IMG Netball

English B 15 URNU 4 Following a disappointing run for English B at the end of 2010, expectations for the beginning of the IMG Netball Spring League were high.

Luckily, pre-match nerves didn’t affect the squad going into the clash with URNU at Talybont, as English B managed to obtain a convincing win over their opposition.

It appeared that luck was on the side of English B, who were sporting their new royal blue kit, as they secured the first centre pass.

Following a confident opening and some nifty footwork from Camilla Flint, Ellie Hobday put the

Monday February 14 2011 • gair rhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

English B start Spring League with easy victory ball through the net to ensure points on the scoreboard for English.

URNU quickly replied with a centre pass being fed straight to their shooters, who converted efficient play into a goal.

The rapid succession of goals at the beginning of the match set the bar for what proved to be a competitive game.

The first half saw the return of the watertight defensive partnership of Amy Lord and Rachael Adcock, which proved difficult for the URNU shooters to overcome.

This advantage, coupled with great defensive play from Bianca London at wing defence, enabled

English B to minimise conceding many goals in the first half.

Furthermore, the tactics of centre Sian Eaglestone transformed this defensive advantage into real chances for English.

There were a few unlucky misses towards the end of the first half.

However, seconds before the whistle blew, Sophie Cooke scored a fantastic goal from the edge of the D to secure a considerable goal margin at the end of the first half.

The second half saw a confident English B return to the court with Megan Goldie taking over the position of wing attack for her first appearance of the season.

English B kept the pressure on

URNU with first-rate dodging and spectacular goals from the attacking players.

Some unfortunate footwork blunders from Jo Greet, playing centre for the second half of the game, gave URNU chances to score.

However, some intuitive centre passes and implementation of set plays gave English B an advantage.

The resulting momentum led to a flurry of goals for English, which increased the score margin and saw English B dominate the game.

The game finished after a sneaky last minute goal from Ellie Hobday, which secured a resounding victory for English B. Sophie Cooke was unanimously

voted player of the match, after a blinding performance as goal attack that demonstrated her shooting skills.

The captain of English B was delighted with her team’s effort and commented on the high standard of the game.

“Hopefully it will be the beginning of a winning streak, it is such a great start to the league” she said.

English B will now be looking to build upon this promising start to the season, as they look towards their next challengers in the IMG league.

Basketball Men's I 87 Southampton I 79; Men's II 102 Newport I 37; Aberystwth I 76 Women's II 40 Badminton Swansea I 5 Men's II 3 Table Tennis Exeter II 11 Men's II 6 Golf Uwic 5 Cardiff I 1; Cardiff II 1.5 Hartpury I 4.5 RESULTS Football Hartpury I 7 Men's I 2; Men's III 3 Swansea II 1; Aberystwyth II 4 Men's IV 1; Men's V 0 Glamorgan V 2; Medic's II 3 Swansea Met III 0; Women's I 0 Bath I 1; Women's II 2 Gloucester II 4 Hockey Men's I 2 Oxford Brookes I 2 - Cardiff win 4-3 on penalties; Bristol II 2 Men's II 2; Men's III 5 Men's IV 0; Gloucester II 2 Medic's I 8; Bath II 3 Women's II 3; Women's III 1 Bath III 3; Women's IV 4 Glamorgan I 1; Gloucester II 5 Medic's Women's I 1 Rugby Imperial I 0 Men's I 107; Men's II 20 UWIC IV 25; Lampeter I 0 Men's III 25; Medic's I 33 Uwic II 30; Medic's II 24 Swansea IV 29; Exeter I 48 Women's I 5 Netball Brunel I 60 Cardiff I 18; Cardiff III 48 Aberystwth I 32; Cardiff IV 39 Aberystwth II 11 Tennis Swansea I 2 Men's II 10; Cambridge 2 Women's I 10; Women's II 0 Southampton 12

Squash Medics I 0 Men's II 5; Medics 0 Men's II 5 Lacrosse Bath II 0 Women's I 18 FIXTURES Football Men's I vs. Brunel I; Men's II vs.

UWIC III; Swansea IV vs. Men's III; Men's IV vs. Swansea Met. II ; Newport II vs. Men's V; Glamorgan I vs. Women's II; Women's I vs. UWE I; Medics II vs. Glamorgan V Badminton Kings College London vs. Men's I; Men's II vs. UWIC I; Women's I vs.

Southamption I Fencing Kent vs. Men's I; Women's I vs. Warwick Golf Newport I vs. Men's I; Men's II vs.

Glamorgan I Hockey Durham vs. Men's I; Men's II vs. Medics I; Men's III vs. Uwic II; UWIC III vs. Women's II; Bath II vs. Women's III; Women's IV vs. Medics I; UWIC II vs. Women's Medics II

Lacrosse Exeter I vs. Women's I; Men's I vs.

Gloucester I

Tennis UWIC I vs. Men's I; Aberystwyth vs.

Women's II

Netball UWIC III vs. Cardiff II; Medics I vs.

Cardiff III; Medics II vs. Cardiff IV; Cardiff V vs. Bristol IV; Medic's I vs.

Oxford Brookes I

Volleyball Kent vs. Women's I

Rugby Men's I vs. Hartpury II; Glamorgan I vs Men's II; Swansea IV vs. Men's III; Men's IV vs. Aberystwyth; Chichester I vs. Women's I; Cardiff I vs. Medic's I; Medic's II vs. Aberystwyth II Squash Men's I vs. Birmingham III; UWIC II vs. Men's II; Swansea vs.

Medics I; Table Tennis London Met vs. Men's I

Basketball Men's I vs. Oxford Brookes I; Men's II vs. UWIC I; Women's II vs. Glamorgan I

Send in your match reports to

Send in your sport reports to: sport@gairrhydd.com

sport@gairrhydd.com

All contributions welcome

Sport35

Monday February 14 2011 • gair rhydd • sport@gairrhydd.com

JOMEC up to standard as they upset Liege Tom Oakey IMG Football JOMEC 2 Sub-Standard Liege 1 What a difference a day can make.

Or three in the case of Jomec FC. After being on the receiving end of a 6-1 drubbing from Gym Gym last weekend, Jomec ran out 2-1 winners against IMG table toppers Sub-Standard Liege at Pontcanna pitches on Wednesday afternoon.

The journalism side fully deserved the three points against the unbeaten Sub-Standard, in what turned out to be a pulsating, captivating and full-blooded affair.

The opening exchanges set the tempo for the rest of the game; both sides opening with attacking intent and refusing to shirk challenges or headers. Sub-standard started on the front foot, trying to put together fluid passing movements which al-

most paid dividends.

A quick move down the right saw Jomec's defence unlocked, before a coming together of players earned Sub-Standard a free kick in a decent position. A fair shout for a penalty was waved away by the referee and the resulting free-kick was driven to the back post. The effort screamed to be turned in by an onrushing striker but instead whistled past the post.

This let-off prompted Jomec to get a foothold in the game; Gaurav Hingorani attempted an audacious volley from the edge of the area after a neat turn.

The deadlock was finally broken by the journalists with a goal that made up for whatever it lacked in flair, with sheer persistence. Winger Alex Martin, who had peppered the opposition goal with a number of long range efforts, rode two challenges before slamming the ball past the Sub-Standard keeper to

give Jomec the lead.

Rather than sitting back, Jomec capitalised on their advantage. The forwards kept the pressure on high up the pitch, while the midfield and defence remained organised. The Jomec back line threw themselves whole-heartedly into every challenge, especially Jon Mitchell, who throughout the afternoon displayed all the qualities of a young Titus Bramble.

The tough and enthusiastic approach from Jomec played to their strengths, stopped Sub-Standard from playing their own game, and was rewarded in the latter stages of the first half.

The ball fell to Sam Tegeltija inside the box, who kept composed to side-step a couple of challenges, before rifling home to double his team's lead and land a hammer blow to Sub-Standard, for whom half time surely couldn't have come quick enough.

The delayed second half was always going to be a much tighter, tense affair after the open nature of the first. The hold up would not have helped any nerves in a Jomec side who have struggled in second halves recently, shipping five goals in their last outing.

Sub-Standard began brightly, sending in a barrage of deliveries into the Jomec box, desperately trying to find a way back into the match. However the final finish eluded them and the seemingly impenetrable Jomec backline stood strong.

Jomec Goalkeeper Jak Hambleton, despite plucking a succession of crosses from the air, did not have a real save to make until halfway

through the second half. He showed no signs of a concentration slip though, as he got his finger-tips to a long range cracker, again proving his value to the side.

Jomec did have their own chances but they were spurned, and the side were almost almost made to pay in the dying embers of the game. After a succession of corners, a cheap free kick was conceded on the left.

This was whipped into a packed box, and bundled home with minutes remaining.

But Tim Smith's side weathered the storm to complete perhaps one of the shocks of the season so far and provide Jomec with a shot in the arm as we move towards the business end of the IMG season.

Group A P P

W

D

L

GD

PTS

KLAW FC

6

5

0

1

+22

15

2

SAWSA

6

2

3

1

+6

9

3

Pharm AC

5

2

1

1

0

8

CARBS overcome Fenerbahce test

4

Engin

5

2

1

2

+3

7

5

SOCSI

5

2

0

3

+2

6

6

AFC Cathays

5

1

1

3

-9

4

Will Poley IMG Football

7

Kay FC

6

1

1

4

-15

4

CARBS 5 Fenerbahce 2 On an FA Cup weekend which paired Premier League giants with lower league opposition, IMG newcomers Fenerbahçe almost caused a seismic upset against reigning champions CARBS. But a fairytale underdog victory was quashed in a second half where CARBS demonstrated their superior quality to take all three points in a 5-2 victory.

The contest began evenly, with half-chances for both sides that neither to take. It was CARBS who found a breakthrough after twenty minutes with a precise finish.

Fenerbahçe refused to let their heads drop however, with Matt Biggs scoring a superbly worked first goal and Michael Pope heading in an unlikely second from a Jon Bending corner.

Few would argue that the 2-1 lead was undeserved, but it was frustratingly brief for ‘Bahçe as CARBS struck back almost immediately.

Their skilful midfielder shimmied through several yellow shirts before slamming a shot home at captain Pete Michallat’s near post.

The versatile Michallat had shunned his usual defensive duties to fill in as goalkeeper but could not be expected to save many of the goal-bound strikes aimed at him on the day.

Nevertheless, holding CARBS to

a draw at half-time was a considerable achievement for Fenerbahçe.

But the performance tailed off in the second half as CARBS took full control.

A cruel injury to Fenerbahçe's midfield dynamo Ian Marenghi was the turning point as CARBS survived several Fenerbahçe attempts to equalise, including a Biggs shot against the crossbar, to take a 3-2 lead.

Fenerbahçe’s lack of fitness and composure had again cost them dearly but the scoreline flattered CARBS slightly as the IMG champions overcame the leagues newcomers.

Nick Case IMG Football Law A 4 Economics 2 Economics' hopes of an unbeaten first stage in IMG Group B were ended on Sunday by a spirited Law A performance which saw the thirdplaced side triumph 4-2 at a miserable Trelai Park.

Econ went into the game boasting a fine record of five wins and a draw from their six previous matches and were hopeful of continuing this run but Law had other ideas and showed that they are going to battle until the end, as they hope to

Group B 1

P

W

D

L

GD

PTS

6

5

1

0

+22

16

2

Gym Gym

7

4

1

2

+27

13

3

CARBS

6

4

1

1

+15

13

4

Sub-Standard Liege

Inter Menan

5

2

2

1

+6

8

5

JOMEC

5

2

1

2

0

7

6

Physco

4

1

0

3

-6

3

7

Fenerbache

6

1

0

5

-25

3

CHAOS

7

1

0

6

-45

3

Group C W D

L

GD

PTS

8

P

Economics have run in with Law pip Econ to Premier Division qualification.

The windy conditions were difficult for both sides but Law coped the better in a frantic first half which saw defensive errors help Law storm into an early 3-0 lead.

Econ responded with a couple of half chances of their own but these were blazed over and Law went into the break with a handsome advantage.

The message for Econ at half time was clear; up the work rate and stop making silly mistakes, and the players adhered to these instructions early in the second half. Adam Gannon slammed a shot against the underside of the bar and Nick Case saw an effort deflected over as

1

Econ searched for a way back into the game.

Finally the breakthrough came when a ball over the top by Sam Pritchard released substitute Maurice Coelho, who finished well to make it two goals in as many games and perhaps give Econ a route back into the tie. But diaster struck from the kickoff when Law broke and instantly made it 4-1 to put the result beyond doubt.

Andrew Wallis scored a consolation in the dying seconds to reduce the deficit and that goal could prove crucial as Econ endure a tense wait to see if they will qualify ahead of Law for the Premier Division.

1

Economics

7

5

1

1

+33

16

2

AFC History

6

5

1

0

+29

16

3

Law A

5

3

1

1

+20

9

4

Your Mum's

6

2

2

2

-3

8

5

Real Ale

6

2

1

3

-13

7

6

Time Team

4

1

1

2

-6

4

7

Myg Myg

6

1

1

4

-19

4

8

Opus 11

6

0

0

6

-41

0

Group D W D

L

GD

PTS

P 1

Earth Soc

5

3

1

1

+14

10

2

FC Euros

4

3

1

0

+14

10

3

MOMED

4

1

3

0

+1

6

4

Law B

5

2

0

3

-7

6

5

Port Fail

5

1

2

2

-7

5

6

Engin Auto

4

0

2

2

-8

2

7

Chemistry

5

0

1

4

-11

1

Sport

England's Heather Knight << Inside

Green makes history as Cardiff dominate on the baize Jon Hillard Snooker Mark Green became the first Cardiff player to win the Individual Championship as the University's snooker teams took a clean sweep at the Midlands Cup in Coventry.

First-year Green didn't lose a frame as he raced to victory in the Championship final to make Cardiff history.

He completed his fabulous tournament by taking away the high break prize with an effort of 76 in the final.

There was further individual success as veteran Dan Peacey retained his Individual Trophy crown.

There was team success also as the first and second teams retained the Championship and Trophy titles respectively.

Defending champions Cardiff firsts sent out an early message of intent in the round robin group stage by comfortably beating last year's beaten finalists York firsts by seven frames to three thanks to 2-0 victories for Layton Brooks, Huw Carpenter and Mark Green and a one-all draw from Rhys Carpenter.

This was backed up with a strong eight-two win over Imperial firsts as Brooks and Green again won 2-0, along with Rhys Carpenter, whilst Huw Carpenter and Rupert Taylor drew 1-1.

Huw Carpenter was victorious again in the next rubber - Cardiff's toughest encounter against Southampton.

He produced a 43 break that together with efforts of 54 and 42 for Green saw both players win their matches 2-0. Brooks and Rhys Carpenter picked up one-all draws to complete a hard fought 6-4 win.

Already assured of top spot in the group and a place in the final, Cardiff firsts finished the round robin phase in style with a 9-1 rout of old rivals Warwick firsts. Breaks of 49 from Brooks, 47 from Huw Carpenter and 42 from Taylor helped Cardiff waltz to another win.

The final saw Cardiff face Southampton again, this time over five 'best of three' matches. Brooks and Rhys Carpenter were first up and immediately Cardiff were on the back foot as Brooks lost 2-0.

Rhys Carpenter quickly got Cardiff back on terms with a 2-0 win, finishing strongly with an excellent clearance of 49.

Cardiff fell further behind though as Taylor went down battling, losing 2-0. But again, the rubber was quickly sqaured as Green saved his best until last. Breaks of 76 and 44 saw him win in double quick time to leave the tie finely poised at 2-2 with just Huw Carpenter to play.

Carpenter opened up confidently, winning the first frame with a break of 55 before being pegged back to 1-1 but he played a solid final frame and sealed the win before the colours.

The team competition in the bag, Cardiff's strong showing continued as Green and both Carpenter brothers reached the semi-finals of the Individual Championship.

Green comfortably beat Huw Carpenter 2-0 but an all-Cardiff final wasn’t to be as Rhys Carpenter fell short, losing 2-1 to Matt Robson of York.

Brits not staying up late for Superbowl << Inside Having never previously claimed the Individual crown, Green hit form for Cardiff with a whitewash victory.

It was sublime snooker from Green who made history with breaks of 40 and 50 as he strolled to a 3-0 win.

In the Team Trophy Cardiff seconds were also defending champions and were drawn into the smaller group of three teams, meaning they played 15 frame matches instead of the usual 10 frame affairs.

Cardiff opened up with a 12-3 de-

molition of York thirds, with Cheng Chen, Dan Peacey and Luke Turford recording 3-0 wins. Jon Hillard won 2-1 with the help of a 32 break and Sumit Wij picked up a frame in a 2-1 defeat.

The seconds then narrowly overcame Southampton with a tight 8-7 win. Chen and Wij both lost 2-1 but Peacey and Turford levelled things up with 2-1 wins before Hillard came from behind against the Southampton captain to win 2-1 to secure the win.

The semi-finals saw Cardiff take on Southampton thirds who advanced alongside York seconds from a group containing Imperial and Warwick seconds.

Cardiff opened up an early lead as Hillard won 2-0 and Chen drew 1-1. Captain Turford also won 2-0 as Cardiff extended their lead to 5-1. But the gap was narrowed to 5-3 when Wij lost 2-0.

The experienced Peacey sealed the win by taking the first frame of his match to give Cardiff a 6-3 win.

The victory set up a rematch with Southampton seconds in the final.

Experience played a crucial part as Hillard and Peacey claimed 2-0 wins but debutant Chen fell to a 2-0 defeat. Wij drew 1-1 before Turford produced a comeback to set up a Cardiff victory.

1-0 down and losing heavily, Turford launched a determined fightback to secure a dramatic 2-1 win and hand Cardiff the title.

In the Individual Trophy, defending champion Peacey progressed smoothly to the semi finals with the help of a 33 break. His opponent was team mate Chen but it was Peacey who won 2-0 to set up a final with Matt Burton of Southampton thirds.

Peacey went on to win 3-0 and become just the second player to retain the Trophy.

Cardiff ’s players are now looking forward to the BUCS Championship in March where they will be aiming for Gold in both the Championship and Trophy tiers.

Above: Cardiff enjoyed success at the Midlands Cup in Coventry, taking home team and individual prizes

GAIR RHYDD AND QUENCH MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY UNIVERSITY UNION CARDIFF, PARK PLACE, CARDIFF CF10 3QN • REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER AT THE POST OFFICE • GAIR RHYDD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT ALL CONTRIBUTIONS • THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE PUBLISHERS GAIR RHYDD IS WRITTEN, DESIGNED, TYPESET AND OUTPUT BY STUDENTS OF CARDIFF UNIVERSITY • APPLEGARTH CAKED HOOK, LINE AND SINKER IN LATE-NIGHT BLUNDER • PRICE IN LIGHTWEIGHT EFFORT AS DEFENCE GO FROM FIRST TO LAST IN BOAT RACE • MORGAN, PENDLETON OFF DUTY IN SOUTH COAST DASH • APPLEGARTH ENDURES PHIL COLLINS SHOCKER • BYWATER WANTED FIVE • WHITE FLAG: "I NEVER WANT TO BE RAGGED" • LES MIS •