Gair Rhydd 1124 - 5th November 2018 by Cardiff Student Media

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gair rhydd

5 Tachwedd 2018 5 november 2018

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Cardiff University campaign reaches Welsh Assembly

Cardiff University Students protested Samsung unionbusting by Jess Warren

n Tuesday, October 30, students from Cardiff University, coordinated by the campaign group ‘People & Planet’ demonstrated outside of Cardiff’s Samsung Experience Store. This comes in response to Samsung being accused of operating a ‘nounion’ policy, which prevents workers in its factories from forming, joining or organising within trade unions. According to the ITUC, Samsung has engaged in union busting through sacking union members, threatening migrant workers with deportation and locking union members out of factories. In a statement, Cardiff’s ‘People & Planet’ said: “This action is protesting Samsung’s unsatisfactory workers rights - in particular their efforts to prevent their workers from unionising.

Continues inside

Gair Rhydd meets: “The Donald Trump of Wales” by Silvia Martelli

S #ITooAmCardiff: University campaign successfully reaches the Welsh Assembly. Photo credit: Isaac Law by Jess Warren

s part of Black History Month this October, a campaign from Cardiff University which aims to provide a platform for the voices of black and minority ethnic (BME) students has reached the Welsh Assembly. The #ITooAmCardiff campaign features an exhibition with 13 giant images of students alongside their own words. One exhibition image holds the words: “I am beautiful. I am African. Yes, I am also British. No, I do not live in mud huts. No, I do not dance with lions.” The campaign in previous years has featured phrases such as: “Don’t call me exotic, I’m not your fetish.” As well as “You are not blacker than me because I don’t fit your stereotype of a black person.” The campaign has been modelled off a similar social media campaign that received great success at Har-

vard University, and aims to create a positive narrative around race and ethnicity. The aim is to provide a voice, raise awareness among staff and students, and prompt an online discussion around the types of issues faced by black and minority ethnic students. The campaign is also available in Welsh. The exhibition is available for viewing at the Welsh Assembly’s Pierhead building in Cardiff Bay from October, 26 to November, 29. Sponsored by Vaughan Gething AM, Mr Gething said in a statement to Cardiff University: “I am proud to be sponsoring the #ITooAmCardiff exhibition as part of Black History Month. The exhibition showcases the equality, diversity and inclusion of students at Cardiff University. “In following the journey of BME students the exhibition gives a powerful voice to and helps to raise awareness of some of the issues

faced by BME students on campus. “I wish the exhibition every success as it continues on its journey.” The exhibition has previously been on display in the University and the Students’ Union, but hasn’t been showcased anywhere else until now. By taking the campaign outside of the University, it is hoped that a wider audience will be reached, and the words of the students will have a greater impact on the community within Cardiff. Susan Cousins, Cardiff University’s Equality and Diversity Project Officer was the creative fuel behind the exhibition; her idea being the use of direct quotes from the students alongside their image, in order for BME students to raise awareness of their student journey. Susan said in a statement to Cardiff University: “People love the exhibition because it’s such a powerful representation of differing perspec-

tives. BME students and staff within the University have reacted positively, welcoming its thought-provoking messages. “We had quite a few BME young people who were not Cardiff University students who came along when it was on display at the University. They thought it was amazing and that Cardiff had done something unusual in reaching and giving voice to BME students. “I want the exhibition to be seen in as many places as possible and would like people to contact me if they would like to host it.” On November 9, there is an event at the exhibition which will see the presence of Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Karen Holford, Vaughan Gething AM, Joyce Watson AM, the National Assembly Commissioner with responsibility for equalities issues, and Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team Wales.

peaking with Gareth Bennet, Gair Rhydd discussed the issues of immigration, Brexit and human rights. A controversial political figure to say the least, this one provides an interesting read. 18

Why you should go Vegan by Iona Middleton

eganism has seen a recent surge following the growing environmental concern of meat farming. What started as a ‘hippy’ trend has certainly eached the mainstream, and here’s how you can make the 21 transition to plant-based.

Sleep and memory by Jonathan Learmont

ew research on good quality sleep has further supported the claims that a a good night’s rest aids memory. Measuring “ripples” in the hippocampus has revealed more about the mysteries that sleep 24 holds.

EDITORIAL

Gair Rhydd 2017/18 Coordinator Elaine Morgan

Editor-in-Chief Jess Warren

Deputy Editors Silvia Martelli Reece Chambers Michael Ash

Head of Digital Media Michael Ash

News

Gee Harland Klaudia Jazwinska Emma Ogao Matt Tomlin

Campus Life Ashley Boyle Cerian Jones

Taf-od

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com

word

the free

A letter from the editor

The Brexit 50p coin

by Jess Warren

A symbol set to plummet in global value before our eyes

Llion Carbis Tomos Evans

Comment

Alys Hewitt Hannah Newberry Emma Videan

Column Road Karis Pearson

Politics

Charlotte King Silvia Martelli Rhys Thomas Sam Tilley

Advice

Ashavari Baral Katie Lewis

Saunders’ Corner

Sam Saunders

Science

Daniel Brown Jonathan Learmont

Sport

Reece Chambers Rosie Foley John Jones Jack Vavasour George Willoughby

Social Media Editors Indigo Jones Giovanna Coi

Treasury splits the nation: A Brexit 50p coin will feel heavy in the pockets of remain voters. Source: kstuttard (via pixabay)

Digital Media Editors Maisie Marston Jordan Parker Cadi Thomas

Cartoonist

Louis Mertens

Copy Editors

Sofia Brizio Chris Colbourn Abi Dudbridge Elen Fflur Davies Gemma Hopley

Write to the editor editor@gairrhydd.com

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

ollowing on from Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer’s suggestion of a Brexit coin, the Treasury recently announced that a new 50p coin will be released to commemorate Britain’s imminent leave from the European Union. But with the motto “peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”, the coin sounds less commemorative, and more desperate than desired. When looking at these three taglines, “peace” certainly doesn’t ring true, with a potential ‘hardBrexit’ set to cause serious issues surrounding the border between Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland. With the concern of a hard border reminiscent of The Troubles, it recently emerged that UK and EU officials are discussing the option of keeping Northern Ireland in the

customs union and single market to avoid the problems associated with a hard border. But with such an agreement being made for Northern Ireland, this will cause unrest among the majority of Scots who voted to remain in the European Union. Yet “peace” isn’t the only problematic word within this glorified tagline. “Prosperity” is certainly a word playing on people’s minds within Brexit deals. A vote that was originally planned to increase the wealth in the UK and save money at a national level now might be set to push us into another recession. Britain’s trade with the EU makes up almost half of our total foreign trade, and as we prepare to leave the single market, this will have a drastic impact on the economy. The

adjustment needed following from restrictions on free movement of labour and goods will affect Britain’s global standing financially. With company headquarters quickly moving out of London and over the sea to mainland Europe, questions arise to how prosperous Britain will be post-Brexit. The bold and equally desperate line “friendship with other nations” is also a point of contention. Friendship is a mutual agreement (or at least it should be) and this line on the new 50p calls forth images of a childhood playground, where the selfish child that can’t share or compromise quickly realises they’ve lost all of their friends. Well, actions have consequences, and I fear that Britain’s actions in the form of Brexit will only leave us standing out in the cold, because we couldn’t learn to

share. With ‘friendship’ very much a two-way street, the way that other countries will respond to Britain in the future is uncertain. Perhaps trade will pick up again, but we can’t be naive to the fact we’ve annoyed large parts of Europe by throwing our tows out of the pram. Whilst this isn’t the first time the relationship between Europe and Britain has been depicted on a coin, the celebration of Brexit certainly doesn’t resonate with the 48% of the country that voted remain. Whilst there are real and pressing matters facing the country, Philip Hammond is messing around creating a symbol of national entitlement. Rather ironically, this cold disk of metal is being created only to plummet in global value before our eyes.

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Students’ Union

by Hallum Cowell

Philip Hammond: The Chancellor outlined the government’s plan for 2019 and introduced a new digital service tax for 2020 announced however £385.5 million has come from increases in health and social care spending in England as opposed to local government. The Welsh government dubbed the budget “disappointing” while Welsh finance minister Mark Drakeford said the announcement showed there was no evidence austerity was over.

Cardiff bus service operated at a loss It has come to light Cardiff Bus made a loss of £1.9 million pounds between 2017 and 2018 by Yasmin Begum

ardiff Bus, which is owned and run by Cardiff Council, is the largest bus company of its kind in Cardiff. Additionally serving the areas of Penarth of Barry in the wider area. Despite existing solely because of public subsidy of the service, Cardiff Bus have refused to articulate clearly where a £1.9 million pound shortfall last year came from. It has also come to light that Cardiff Bus Company have not filed their accounts for the financial year ending on March 31st, over six months ago. Cardiff is now the second fastest growing city in the United Kingdom , after London, making the loss more pronounced. It would make sense that the Cardiff Bus services would be more frequently used, given notoriously poor inner-city train provision in Cardiff but over the past 3 years, transport has changed in the city with NAT group launching the X1 and other cross-city services. This has forced Cardiff Bus into adapting bus routes to compete. It is possible that the service may

suffer further because of the launch of Next Bike this year, which has been done to potentially transform how people travel in Cardiff. Whatever the reasons are for the

financial loss, Cardiff Bus is likely to be held accountable for this shortfall and are facing pressures from people and politicians to reveal the details of the £1.9 million loss.

It is likely that the service will have to be supported and continue making changes to its operations while transport is being innovated in the city.

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

tra £550 million over the next three years. Public services in Cardiff will get £115.7 million in 2018/19 and £425.9 million in 2019/20. There was also backing for the North Wales Growth Deal with £120 million of separate funding. The Welsh Government is under pressure from local government to boost council funds after cuts were

NEWS

ast Monday Chancellor Philip Hammond outlined the government’s plans for the 2018 budget. This marks the last UK budget before the Brexit departure date of March 29th, 2019. The Chancellor announced a wide array of new policies which will affect the UK in the coming years. The most eye-catching of these policies is the changes to personal tax allowance and the higher rate threshold in 2019, a year earlier than promised in the Conservative election manifesto. Changing personal tax allowance means that instead of having to earn £11,850 a year before being placed in the 1st tax bracket, now people must earn at least £12,500. The higher rate threshold is similar, currently the bracket stands at £46,350 a year and will be raised to £50,000. The (left-wing leaning) resolution foundation reported that these changes will give the wealthiest 10% of the country will gain £410 while the poorest 10% will gain £30. This change to taxation comes 4 weeks after the Prime Minister, Theresa May, vowed to end austerity. However, leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn responded to the

budget, stating “What we’ve heard today are half measures and quick fixes while austerity grinds on”. Another policy is the implementation of mental health crisis services as part of a minimum £2 billion a year boost for the NHS and an aim of £20.5 billion over the next 5 years. Part of this mental health service is a 24-hour mental health crisis hotline and more mental health ambulances. Additionally, an extra £700 million will be given to councils for the care of the elderly and those with disabilities. Labour responded that the extra money for mental health would “do little to relieve the severe pressures [on the NHS]”. Philip Hammond also introduced a new digital service tax to come into force in April 2020. The new tax will be targeted at online companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook. Firms will only pay the tax if they earn at least £500 million globally or £25 million in the UK. The budget projects £400 million return from the tax but the Institute of Government said it was “the most uncertain figure in the budget”. Some have been keen to point out that this tax will be too little too late for companies such as Facebook who had a revenue of $40,653 billion. There was also news for the Welsh Government who will receive an ex-

NEWYDDION

Chancellor Philip Hammond outlined the last UK budget before Brexit

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UK Budget released with doubts about whether it means the end for austerity

Your news desk Cardiff Bus: Cardiff Bus operated at a loss of nearly £2 million last year (Source: Jeremy Segrott via Flickr)

Gee Harland Klaudia Jazwinska Emma Ogao Matt Tomlin

NEWS

Winter Wonderland 2018 brings new ride to city centre by Gee Harland

inter Wonderland is an annual Christmas attraction that runs from November to January outside Cardiff ’s City Hall. Every year the event brings the Christmas spirit to Cardiff with an ice rink, rides, music and a variety of food stands. However, this year will be slightly different as the event’s managers have decided to replace the traditional big wheel with an exciting new attraction. For the first time ever, they are building a 90m drop tower. It will stand taller than every building across the city centre and promises to give the best views of Cardiff this winter. Cabinet member for culture and leisure, Councillor Peter Bradbury claims: “Families and people of all ages can enjoy the festive atmosphere and the new Drop Tower attraction offers unique views of the city at this special time of the year”. More than 250,000 people are expected to attend the festive event this year, so the site has been expanded to accommodate this estimated demand.

Winter Wonderland: The popular attraction is returning to Cardiff biggerand taller this winter (Source: Jon Candy via Flickr)

Students protest Samsung unionbusting Continued from front page

by Jess Warren

Led by Cardiff ‘People and Planet’, the action took place in connection with the Sweatshop Free campaign, which is lobbying Cardiff University to affiliate to Electronics Watch. Electronics Watch produces actionable intelligence on the working conditions within electronics factories; this would dramatically improve Cardiff University’s accountability as an essential component of ethical procurement.” Students are calling on Samsung, as well as other major electronics brands, to guarantee freedom of association in their supply chains. This would see brands committing to upholding the right of workers to joining trade unions. Its purpose is also to put pressure on their suppliers to ensure this is implemented.

Cardiff University lecturers will not be taking strike action over pay

The University and College Union failed to reach 50% threshold needed to initiate industrial action by Emilia Jansson

ecturers at Cardiff University will not be striking this year after failing to reach a 50% turnout in a University and College Union (UCU) vote on the 19th of October. Despite several weeks of strikes in the previous academic year, the UCU failed to reach a satisfactory agreement with employers. A ballot was held at the beginning of October for members to vote on further industrial action this academic year. The turnout at Cardiff University was only 44%, with nearly 70% of voters calling for further strike actions. According to trade union laws there must be a 50% turnout for a strike to be legal. Students at Cardiff University will therefore not be experiencing strikes. Only 10 universities exceeded the 50% threshold. The overall national results of the ballot showed strong support for further industrial action. A Cardiff University lecturer said: “We as staff are yet to learn the final

No strike action: The USU will not be striking this year (Source: Chris Bertram via Flickr) outcome of our pension dispute last year, as processes to decide how our pensions will change are still ongo-

ing. The uncertainty around our pay and our pensions creates a lot of anxiety for us.

We very much want the matter settled, so we can focus - with our students - on being the university”.

First Class Degree rates are rising resulting in Universities facing possible measures to beat ‘grade inflation’ More students are leaving university with a higher class degree compared to recent years. What does this mean for credibility? by Emily Hatter

ccording to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, 26% of UK students graduate with a first class degree, meaning universities may have to step-in before their teaching and degree credibility is placed at risk. This increase in success dates back to the 1990s where only 8% of students graduated with a first, rising to 18% in 2013. As a result, universities which are more likely to award higher grading degrees may be viewed as less credible than those with a variety of grade ratings. Students are achieving more with the facilities universities now offer. More students from diverse backgrounds are accessing higher education and to meet the demand, universities are investing more money into their staff and resources. Moreover, top universities are becoming more strict on their intake meaning the students they accept are already academically high-achievers. Students are also working harder to get better value for money, in 1998 tuition cost £3000 a year compared to £9250 today (£9000 in Wales). This dramatic increase in

price could result in students wanting to achieve the best degree they can for the price. Universities UK - representing

higher education institutions - have announced they would offer their own proposals to manage grade inflation.

Their spokesperson said: “It is essential that students, employers and the public have confidence in the ongoing value of a UK degree”.

Grade Inflation?: Top universities are taking measures to ensure their credibility (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BYWYD CAMPWS

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CAMPUS LIFE

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Your campus life desk Ashley Boyle Cerian Jones

Talking Heads

Interviewing Henri Page - your Societies & Volunteering VP by Cerian Jones

enri Page is your Societies & Volunteering VP, one of the elected officers chosen by you – the students of Cardiff University. Henri champions societies and student-led groups within the Union, and is responsible for allocating budgets and tiers, as well as supporting and promoting Student Led Services and Campaign Associations. “As a VP I represent the students and their interests within the university in many different ways. Including going to meetings with the university, contributing to feedback in reports regarding the students needs. But more specifically in my role I look out for the student lead groups; societies and volunteers. Basically everything extracurricular, except sport!” Your job is very demanding; spanning much of the SU’s events and groups. What made you apply for the role in the first place? “I really enjoyed my time at university because of the societies and the volunteering projects that I was a part of. They really shaped my university expreience and also who I’ve become and the skills that I now have. I saw that the department and the representation of those students was really, really important and I wanted to give back to them. I thought that I would be able to do a good job and I felt that I owed that to the groups that had given me so much.” Was the application process quite difficult? What did you have to do? “I nominated myself in January of 2018, and then ran a campaign week during the voting period in February. Many found campaigning difficult because you have to go out and talk to as many students as possible about your priorities and tell them why you think you’d be really good for the role. And students are busy people so you have to develop an excellent elevator sales pitch, and I never stop talking so I found that really good fun. But it was absolutely exhausting. I’d highly recommend it, even if you run and don’t win - I know it’s easy for me to say - but if you don’t get elected you still learn a huge amount from the experience.” The majority of your job is talking to students and so if you’re good at campaigning, that means that you’d be good at the job? “Exactly! Yeah, it feeds straight in, being able to accurately put your point across and show that you really care about what students are saying is hugely important to the role” What are you currently working on? What projects are you involved with at the moment? “At the moment we’re working on the run up to the winter show-case, which is an opportunity for societies of all types to show off what their made of and what they do. We offer them the opportunity to put on a programme that’s publicised throughout the university for people to come and see what they do. It’s a

fantastic way for societies to show what they’ve been working on all semester, and its also an opportunity to attract some new members - people who missed out the first time, now in their second or third year, who didn’t realise how much stuff they could get involved in.”

I’d love to see every student flourish at university because they’ve found a place where they fit and a place where they’ve found a support network... and coming out of university as a well-rounded graduate with a fantastic degree from a brilliant university. But also having had all these other fantastic experiences.. - Henri Page What are your aims for the end of the year? “Overall, I’d really liked to have achieved a sense of value associated with societies and volunteering projects, there’s so much more to life than your degree - it’s very important but it’s not what enriched my time during university. I think that needs to be appreciated; both students and university staff need to see the value of these group activities, as well as how much work, and time, and energy goes into that from the student members and their leaders... We have over a thousand committee members and a lot of them spend as much, if not more, time on their society projects than their degree. It’s so important to them and it’s important that we recognise that “ How do you plan on highlighting these achievements? “We’re looking into the Rewards Balls and the awards we present at the end of the year and what they really mean. In the meantime we’ve been working with Cardiff volunteering on a portal where you can log all the hours that you contribute to your society or volunteering group, or media outlet. So you can get an official certificate at the end to state your achievements, and as a thank you. We’ve also revamped the tier structure to display the quality of the society, and we tried to make it more about how much work their society and committee members are putting in, the quality of what they’re doing and the imagination with which they’re going about it, rather than just sheer size and financial scope that the society has. I’m really excited to see how it goes.” I know that you work closely with students through the societies and other student run groups, but do you think students are adequately informed and engaged regarding what you do? “There are 32,000 students and there are seven of us on the full-time elected team and so it would be un-

realistic to expect everyone to know who we are and what we do. But I’d really like more students to know more because we’re here for them Our purpose is to represent them. I think we can always do better in that regard” What course did you study before becoming Societies VP? “I studied Politics and Philosophy, so essentially arguing and overthinking. Which I am now really, really good at. I absolutely loved my degree.” What interests do you have outside of the job? “Ooh well, I like to sing, I’m still a member of the acappella society and I absolutely love them. I’m an avid reader, I’ll read anything from newspapers - from Gair Rhydd - all the way to long fantasy novels, I love them. I drink a ridiculous amount of tea. Does that count as a personality trait? I love dogs. And I love sleep, sleep is my favourite thing to do.” Finally, what do you see for your own future and what would you want for the SU’s future? “I’d love to continue working in student representation, I think it’s hugely important. Especially because we’re caricatured on a public stage as

students, and I don’t like that at all. Yeah so maybe stay in student representation, or even broadcasting, or go back and do further study. I really don’t know. Especially having a role like this; you’re given so many opportunities, and experience that you can take on and take in so many directions.” “I’d love to see every student flourish at university because they’ve found a place where they fit and a place where they’ve found a support network. Be that through a sports club, a society, a volunteering project, their peers on their course, being supported by academic staff; their personal tutor; and coming out of university as a well-rounded graduate with a fantastic degree from a brilliant university. But also having had all these other fantastic experiences.” Henri Page, like the other VPs, is situated on the third floor of the Student Union and is a very busy bee, but appreciates students concerns and ideas. As Henri stated you don’t just come to university for a degree, the social aspect is a huge part of the experience, and societies and volunteering can be brilliant platforms to make friends for life.

Henri Page: Your Societies & Volunteering Vice President

BYWYD CAMPWS

Your Guide to Cardiff this week

Waterfall walks and industry talks by Ashley Boyle

t’s Carers’ and Family week on campus this week, so there are a few events on around the SU to help carers and parents, such as the ‘Student Family Day’ on Sunday. If you haven’t got any bonfire night plans and if you’re involved in one of the many student radio shows this year (or are just really fond of quizzing), make sure to join Xpress Radio at Revolution for their first pub quiz social of the year! Also on campus is the Science Careers Fair at the main building, which will have the likes of Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, Frontier, PCI Pharma Services, Purolite Ltd and the Royal Society of Biology attending. There are plenty of trips leaving the SU this week also, including the Brighton trip with the LGBT+ Society, which will be visiting the best LGBT+ nightlife hotspots over the weekend as well as some other optional ac-

Image Source: Stan Zurek via Wikimedia Commons

tivities. The waterfall walk takes place from the small Welsh village of Pontneddfechan and carries on through to the waterfalls of the Brecon Beacons, meaning there are plenty of photo opportunities to be had throughout the day. Team GIAG are also off to Cambridge this week. Off campus, the second Rugby International fixture for Wales kicks off at 17:20 against Oz, with some tickets still available at £25 each. As well as sporting events to watch, there are also talks with sporting stars in Cardiff this week, including Paul Gascoigne, Vinnie Jones and our very own Tour de France champion, Geraint Thomas. There’s also a lot of choice for music lovers this week in the capital with First Aid Kit, The Prodigy, Culture Club and tribute band, Fleetwood Bac.

Image Source: Kevinquickle via Flickr

Fingers on Buzzers!

The Quiz society enters its final rounds of the University Challenge selections by Torbjørn Brunt

few weeks ago, you may have seen, when strolling through the SU, some blue posters occasionally lighting up the monitors (usually right after the Korean Society’s posters that asked YOU to join them). The posters read “Your Name Here - University Challenge Tryouts”, advertising an intro-talk for the selection of the Cardiff team. This talk was on October 18th and was followed by many having a go at University Challenge-style questions the following week. The tryouts are now over, but barely so, as the second round of selection is underway. The finals will be quickfire rounds of buzzing in one’s answers, much like the show, to test both one’s knowledge and triggerfingers. It tends to help to not be hesitant on the show! Now, contrary to what one might think, it is not merely the most knowledgeable and fastest on the buzzers that get on University Challenge. Both the show’s staff and the Quiz Society put a lot of emphasis on a good team that covers a range of strengths in specific areas, as well as general knowledge. After all, it is the best team that wins, not the best individual. The team, therefore, needs a varied mix of people from different backgrounds to cover everything from hadrons to Händel. After the final rounds are over, the team will be selected and sent to be interviewed by the University Challenge team. These are the ones who finally decide whether Cardiff will be on the quiz next season. Both an interview and a written test, the Cardiff team will have to show off whether they have the right stuff to get in front of the cameras. Funnily enough, the sudden-death format seems to start well before they tape the season. The Quiz Society has no idea whether Cardiff will be on the next season, but stays optimistic. In the meantime, they run their regular activities here in Cardiff. They attend pub quizzes weekly, though not much luck securing the prize yet, and host their own rounds of quizzing in the SU as well. Every first Saturday of the month they host the UK Quiz Circuit, a national quiz where your score is ranked against people from all over the country, including some well-known quizzers! Also look out for collaborations that might show up!

taf od

Y Digwyddiadur

ma cewch restr o’r holl ddigwyddiadau sy’n cymryd lle dros yr wythnos nesaf sy’n berthnasol i fyfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd. Prynhawn Sadwrn, 10 Tachwedd Gêm Rygbi Cymru yn erbyn Awstral-

ia. Cic gyntaf: 5:20 y.h. Mae Cymru wedi colli 30 o’r 41 gêm maent wedi chwarae yn erbyn Awstralia hyd yma. Gyda Chymru’n chwarae gartref yn Stadiwm y Principality, a fyddant yn llwyddo dad-ddweud yr ystadegau gyda buddugoliaeth yn erbyn y Wallabies? Prynhawn Sadwrn, 17 Tachwedd Gêm Rygbi Cymru yn erbyn Tonga. Cic gyntaf: 2:30 y.h. Gyda Chymru wedi ennill pob un o’r wyth gêm maent wedi chwarae yn erbyn Tonga hyd yma, mi fydd Cymru’n gobeithio parhau a’u traddodiad o fuddugoliaethau yma. Os oes gennych unrhyw ddigwyddiadau yr hoffech chi eu hysbysebu yn y Digwyddiadur, cysylltwch â tafod@gairrhydd.com.

Cornel CMCC

leni mae Cyfryngau Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd yn profi eu blwyddyn lawn gyntaf gydag adran Gymraeg ym mhob rhan o Gyfryngau Myfyrwyr Caerdydd sef Clebar yn Quench a CUTV ynghyd â Xpress Radio a’r Taf-od o fewn Gair Rhydd. Dyma rai o’r pethau cyffrous sydd ar y gweill gyda CMCC dros yr wythnosau nesaf. Xpress Radio Gyda’r darlledu wedi dechrau ddydd Gwener diwethaf. dyma flas o rai o’r rhaglenni newydd sydd yn mynd i ymuno ag amserlen Xpress Radio am eleni. Cicio Sodle’ - Dydd Mawrth 19:0020:00 Dyweda synopsis swyddogol y rhaglen: “Beth sy’n digwydd pan mae grŵp o ferched yr ail flwyddyn yn cael stiwdio i’w hunain i fwydro am bob peth dan haul? Dewch i gicio eich sodle’ gyda ni!” Crac y Wawr - Dydd Mercher 7:3010:00 Ar grac y wawr, wrth ichi ymbaratoi ar gyfer eich ‘9ams’ bore Mercher, beth sy’n well na gwrando ar Jacob a Nest yn cael clonc ac ambell jôc

hefyd. Gydag eitemau cyffrous i’w cynnwys ar y rhaglen, mae’n siwr y cewch sbort a sbri wrth wrando ar Crac y Wawr.

Clebar Mi fydd rhifyn nesaf Clebar, o fewn y cylchgrawn Quench, yn cael ei gyhoeddi ar ddydd Llun 19 Tachwedd. Cofiwch fachu’ch copi er mwyn darllen cynnwys gwreiddiol a diddorol cyfrannwyr Clebar! Am holl newyddion diweddaraf CMCC, dilynwch @CMCC ar Drydar neu ‘Cyfryngau Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd - CMCC’ ar Facebook.

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

GWLEIDYDDIAETH

Cymru’n Cyfri’r Ceiniogau gan Tomos Evans

r 29 Hydref bu’r Canghellor Philip Hammond yn sefyll y tu allan i Rif 11, Stryd Downing, gyda’i gasyn coch, wrth i’r gyllideb gael ei chyhoeddi ar ddydd Llun am y tro cyntaf ers 1962. Roedd y gyllideb hon hyd yn oed yn fwy nodweddiadol na’r arfer am reswm arall hefyd. Dyma fydd yr un olaf cyn i’r Deyrnas Unedig adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd ar 29 Mawrth, 2019. Gwnaeth Philip Hammond ddweud fod polisi’r llywodraeth o lymder (awsteriti) yn dod i ben, ond beth mae hynny’n meddwl? A beth mae’r penderfyniadau ariannol yn eu golygu i Gymru? Efallai fod llymder yn derm sydd yn cael ei grybwyll yn y cyfryngau yn eithaf cyson yn ddiweddar. Term yw hwn i ddisgrifio polisi Llywodraeth Geidwadol y DU o wneud toriadau er mwyn lleihau cyllid diffygiol y wlad. Mae’r Llywodraeth yn honni fod y gyllideb ddiweddaraf yn arwydd fod llymder yn dod i ben. Ond, nid felly y mae eu gwrthwynebwyr yn ei gweld hi. Felly, beth mae’r gyllideb yn ei olygu i Gymru? Mae nifer o’r penderfyniadau a’r cyhoeddiadau sy’n cael eu gwneud fel rhan o’r gyllideb yn effeithio ar Loegr yn unig oherwydd bod nifer o faterion wedi’w datganoli. Ond, oherwydd fformiwla Barnett, mae unrhyw doriadau neu gynnydd yng nghyllid Lloegr yn golygu adlewyrchiad cyfrannol yng nghyllid y sefydliadau datganoledig gan gynnwys, wrth gwrs, y

YN Y LLUN: Sut effaith y caiff y gyllideb ar Gymru? (Tarddiad: Tomos Evans) Cynulliad ym Mae Caerdydd. Yng nghyhoeddiad y Canghellor, daeth hi i’r amlwg fod Cynulliad Cymru yn mynd i elwa £115.7 miliwn rhwng 2018-2019 a £425.9 miliwn rhwng 2019-2020. Mae’r ffordd y caiff y cynnydd yma (o’n agos i £550 miliwn) ei wario yn benderfyniad i Lywodraeth Cymru. Gwnaeth Mr Hammond hefyd gyhoeddi y byddai £120 miliwn o arian

ychwanegol yn cael ei roi tuag at Gytundeb Datblygu Gogledd Cymru. Y gobaith ydy y bydd y cynllun yn creu 5,500 o swyddi yn y rhanbarth. Mae Llywodraeth y DU hefyd wedi cyhoeddi y byddant yn ystyried y posibilrwydd o gynyddu gallu benthyca Llywodraeth Cymru o £1 biliwn fel modd o gynorthwyo gyda datblygiad ffordd osgoi’r M4. Hefyd, mi fydd y Cyflog Byw

Cenedlaethol yn cynyddu i £8.21 yr awr, sy’n gynnydd o £690 y flwyddyn. Mae’r cynnydd yma’n mynd i fod o gymorth i nifer o ystyried y ffaith fod cyflogau yng Nghymru y llynedd ond wedi cynyddu 2.1%. Felly, gyda chyllideb arall drosodd, mae nifer yn aneglur am yr hyn a ddaw nesaf. Pryd? Pwy? Beth? Gyda Brexit ar y gorwel mae hi, heb os, yn adeg o ansicrwydd (pryder i rai a chyffro i

Barn y bobl: Beth oedd eich ymateb i’r ffilm ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’?

Mae biopig Freddie Mercury wedi’w ryddhau ac mae’r ffilm wedi ysgogi ymatebion amrywiol gan wylwyr ac adolygwyr. Taf-od sy’n gofyn am ymatebion myfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd.

Llion Carbis

Indigo Jones

Rhodri Davies

Myfyriwr ail flwyddyn Newyddiaduraeth

Myfyrwraig blwyddyn gyntaf Newyddiaduraeth

Myfyriwr blwyddyn gyntaf Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth

Credaf fod y feirniadaeth o’r ffilm ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ yn anghyfiawn. Roedd Queen yn rhan annatod o fy magwraeth gerddorol, ac fel ffan angerddol, roedd y ffilm yn hynod emosiynol ac yn ysgogi teimladau pwerus iawn. Heb os, roedd yr actio yn wych, a llwyddodd y ffilm i gyfleu’r ystod amrywiol o deimladau a brofwyd gan y band, yn enwedig Freddie, ar ei daith i enwogrwydd. Rwy’n annog unrhyw un sydd â mymryn o ddiddordeb mewn cerddoriaeth i wylio’r ffilm.

Wedi imi dyfu lan mewn tŷ llawn cerddorion, roedd hi’n amhosibl imi ddianc o gerddoriaeth (yn enwedig cerddoriaeth dda)! Pan glywais i fod ffilm am Queen yn dod allan yn sôn am eu hanes a cherddoriaeth, roeddwn i mor gyffrous i weld sut fyddai’r ffilm. Ond, ar ôl gwylio’r ffilm rydw i’n gallu cadarnhau fe wnaeth ragori fy nisgwyliadau yn syth, yn enwedig perfformiad Rami Malek fel Freddie Mercury!

Disgwyl ffilm debyg i Mamma Mia yr oeddwn. Ond, yn wir, gyda chymaint o fomentau tynner megis sylweddoliad Freddie Mercury ei fod yn hoyw ac yna’i ddiagnosis AIDS, roedd hi’n amhosib cael ffilm mor llawen â hynny. Er hyn, bu digon o gydbwysedd yn y sgript o ran yr hiwmor a dwyster. I gyd-fynd a hyn, profwyd efelychiad gwefreiddiol Rami Malek o Freddie wedi iddo fynd i’r afael a’i lais a’i ddullweddau yn berffaith. Yn goron ar y cyfan oedd melodïau caneuon chwedlonol Queen.

TAF-OD

Pryd o Daf-od Nest Jenkins

ae eich dêt cyntaf yn mynd yn dda; y bwyd yn flasus, y gwin yn llifo a’r cwmni’n plesio. Ond yna, mae ‘na eliffant yn yr ystafell – rhaid talu’r pris. Beth nesaf? Pwy sy’n talu’r bil?! Peidiwch â’m camddeall – ‘dw i ddim yn arbenigwraig ar ddetio. ‘Dw i ddim yn un sy’n penodi lle wythnosol yn fy amserlen ar gyfer dêt gyda

Nest Jenkins sy’n rhoi ei barn ar bwy ddylai dalu ar y ddêt gyntaf.

phartneriaid gwahanol a dieithr. Ond, pan glywais ferch yn cyfaddef ei bod hi’n “dewis y stêc bob tro achos y boi sy’n talu!”, cefais fy synnu. Ysgytiwyd fi mewn dwy ffordd; yng nghulni ei hagwedd ac yn fy ymateb i, wrth sylwi bod barn mor gryf gennyf ar bwnc sy’n ymddangos mor syml. Daw dêts ymhob lliw a llun; yng nghwmni unrhyw ryw, yn unrhyw le.

Gyda dyfodiad Tinder, Match, Grindr â’u tebyg, does dim rhyfedd bod y person cyffredin yn mynd ar ddeg ar hugain dêt cyn setlo. Ond, i’r pryd o dafod hwn, dwi am ffocysu ar bryd rhwng dyn a dynes – heb yr un tafod yn agos gobeithio! Felly, pa ochr y geiniog yr wyf i am lanio arni? Does dim rhaid imi feddwl ddwywaith – rhannu’r bil. Ry’n

ni’n byw mewn cyfnod lle mae galw cyson am gydraddoldeb, lle mae stereoteipiau rhyw yn cael eu herio a rhyddid mynegiant yn cael ei ddathlu. Ond, eto, mae rhai’n ddigon cul, yn ddigon hy ac yn ddigon hen-ffasiwn i ddisgwyl i’r dyn fod yn ‘gwrtais’ neu’n ‘draddodiadol’ wrth gynnig talu dyledion y ddynes i gyd. Paradocs llwyr i’n brwydr am hawliau cyfartal!

Bydd rhai yn credu fy mod yn gorymateb. Fy mod yn troi digwyddiad rhamantaidd, cyffrous yn ddadl foesol, rywiaethol. Ond, bob tro caiff y bil ei roi’n reddfol i’r dyn mewn bwyty neu bob tro y caf sylwad yn dweud bod y dyn yn fy sbwylio, daw tôn o rwystredigaeth drosof. A ‘dw i’n sylwi bod angen sawl pryd o dafod eto – cyn belled bod y ddau yn talu am y pryd!

CYNGOR

Sut mae canfod cydbwysedd? gan Jacob Morris

ae bywyd myfyriwr yn hectig, a dweud y lleiaf, ac mae rheoli amser yn peri cryn broblem i nifer; rhwng y darlithoedd, seminarau, mynychu cymdeithasau ynghyd â’r nosweithiau hwyr, meddwol. Ac eto, wrth imi eistedd fan hyn ben bore gyda fy ngliniadur â fy mhen yn curo wedi’r noswaith gynt, rwyf i o bawb am roi cyngor i chi ar sut i reoli eich amser yn effeithiol (wel o leiaf treial). Dywedodd ffrind da imi unwaith ‘Os wyt am gael rhywbeth ‘di gwneud, gofynna i’r person mwyaf prysur ti’n nabod – ac fe wnânt hwy amser i’w wneud’. Ac mor wir oedd ei gyngor. Mae bywyd yn y coleg yn gwibio heibio, a minnau nawr yn fy ail flwyddyn sylweddolaf pa mor brin yw ein cyfnod fel myfyrwyr. Gwaetha’r modd, ymysg yr

holl waith, pe bai chi’n gofyn i mi ymroi at unrhyw beth foed yn ddigwyddiad allgyrsiol neu noswaith mas, yr ateb mwy na thebyg fyddai ‘dim problem’ neu ‘dishgwl mlan’. Heb wybod sut yn y byd gaf i’r amser! Ystyriaf fy hun yn berson go brysur ond eto, o wythnos i wythnos mae’r dyddiadur yn llawn - a ‘dw i dal ar dir y byw! Ac am wn i, mae yna ffordd o allu cyflawni popeth, ond i chi addo mynd y filltir ychwanegol ynghyd â chadw at eich addewidion. Felly, sut mae cyflawni hyn? Cam 1 – Prynwch ddyddiadur! Er efallai na fyddwch yn nodi pob dim ynddo, y mae’n arfer da ar nos Sul i nodi popeth pwysig sydd o’ch blaen ar gyfer yr wythnos sydd i ddod. Cam 2 – Blaenoriaethwch. Ceisiwch roi gwaith prifysgol yn gyntaf cyn y

pethau allgyrsiol. Ond cofiwch, gyda’r farchnad swyddi yn tyfu’n gynyddol gystadleuol mae’r profiadau allgyrsiol cystal bwysig a’ch ‘tŵ wons’ a Dosbarth Cyntaf y dyddiau hyn. Cam 3 – Peidiwch dweud na wrth unrhyw gyfle. Cytunwch, arbrofwch, ymrwymwch a wynebwch bob cyfle gyda gwên. Ac os aiff hi’n ormod, mae ‘na wastad rhywun sydd yna i’ch helpu. A chofiwch, ma’ na fwy i fywyd nag eich wyth awr o gwsg y nos, felly cofiwch joio! Mae pregeth wythnosol mamgu fel tôn gron erbyn hyn “Jacob, ti’n llosgi dwy ochr y gannwyll!” Ond mi wn mai myfi fydd yn gwybod pan fydd rhaid oedi a phwyllo. Am y tro, felly, rhydd YN Y LLUN: Gyda’r cyfnod asesu’n prysur agosau, ‘Blaenoriaethwch’ yw i ddwy ochr y gannwyll losgi fel y mynneges Jacob (Tarddiad: Tomos Evans) nent.

Yn Trafod yr wythnos hon... Carys Boots 1. Pwy wyt ti a beth wyt ti’n astudio?

Sdim gen i ffefryn, ma’ fy spotify yn llawn o amrywiaeth.

Carys ‘dw i a ‘dw i’n astudio Cymraeg.

6. Pa seleb(s) fyddet ti’n gwahodd am goffi?

10. Noson mewn neu noson mas? Pam? Cwestiwn anodd, ma’ noson mas wastad yn hwyl, ond ‘dw i’n caru noson ffilm adre.

2. Beth yw dy hoff le yng Nghaerdydd?

Sai’n siwr am goffi, ond chydig o bevs gyda Danny Dyer plîs.

11. Beth yw dy hoff ddiwrnod o’r flwyddyn a pham?

Bae Caerdydd, ‘dw i’n caru mynd i’r bae trwy’r flwyddyn ond yn enwedig yn yr haf.

7. Beth yw dy bryd o fwyd delfrydol?

Noswyl Nadolig, ‘dw i’n joio treulio amser gyda fy nheulu, yn bwyta, yfed a chanu trwy’r nos.

3. Beth oedd dy air cyntaf? Ryan dwi’n credu, enw fy mrawd. 4. Beth yw dy hoff gân? Hey Ya! gan OutKast. 5. Beth yw dy hoff artist cerddorol?

Cinio Nadolig bob tro. 8. Beth yw dy hoff raglen deledu? ‘Dw i’n ffan o Manifest ar hyn o bryd – dramatig iawn. 9. Beth yw dy hoff ffilm? 10 Things I Hate About You.

12. Oes gennyt unrhyw arferion drwg?

14. Disgrifia dy hun mewn tri gair Doniol, Uchelgeisiol a Chymraes 15. Pwy fydd yn ‘Trafod gyda’r Taf-od y tro nesaf ’? Mali Llyfni.

‘Dw i’n rhy sarcastic. 13. Beth fyddai dy leoliad gwyliau delfrydol? Awstralia, sai’n gwbod pam, ond ‘dw i’n ysu i fynd.

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

SYLWADAU

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/comment

The Poppy: A Pro-War Prerogative?

With Remembrance Day approaching, it is important to discuss what the poppy really means in a modern society

n today’s society there are so many symbols that represent different ideologies to different people. The poppy has been a long standing symbol of remembering veterans and their sacrifices. However, it has also been suggested that the poppy no longer represents what it once did. Hannah Newberry and Molly Ambler have debated whether or not the poppy has lost its original meaning.

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

COMMENT

For by Hannah Newberry

hat the poppy means for each person will always depend on our upbringing, views on war and the personal losses we’ve endured. Described by Otto English very succinctly as, ‘nauseating pub bore nationalism’, my view is that the significance of the poppy has been butchered by the intensity of the context around us in recent years. Therefore, I argue that it substantiates a pro-war prerogative. The more we learn about the reality of the way British soldiers behave abroad – the rapes of Iraqi women, the use of children as shields, the murdering of innocent civilians contested on a Human Rights level in Strasbourg, the more the poppy becomes a symbol of a hunger for war rather than remembering something honourable. I don’t disagree with people that wear the poppy - to mourn loved ones, to respect the rights we enjoy and to appreci-

Against by Molly Ambler

t is a long established tradition that the poppy is worn at this time of year as a sign of remembrance for those who have fallen fighting for their country. However, in recent years it has been suggested that the poppy has begun to lose its true meaning and has arguably fallen victim to

The poppy has also been said to symbolise hope Your comment desk Alys Hewitt Hannah Newberry Emma Videan Columnist Karis Pearson

those who interpret the symbol as one of pro-war or pro-military action. Millions of people across the world choose to wear the poppy to remember

ate what we have had to fight against to retain our British culture (for example, against the Nazi regime). However, the poppy has become such a prevalent image around this time of year that its presence almost seeks to cleanse the reality of what we’re remembering. I disagree entirely with how harshly we judge those who have their own reasons to reject the poppy - often we conform to either side of the ‘dividing line’ of patriotism, and reap unrelenting judgment for it. The idea of fighting for our country is glamorised – the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a rise in GDP borrowing share to 1.4% while we’ve found another £1bn for the armed forces and only just started to address issues like the minimum wage. Assigning young graduates to the

front line, and the notion of ‘for Queen and country’ is something I thought had diminished decades ago and would be too archaic to revive. The philosophy of the poppy needs reform as we become less naive. The world around us is still hooked on the notion of war - it’s on the lips of politicians as we budget for school trips to battlefields, the lips of students as we study international relations, and the lips of families as we casually await new war-orientated movies and novels. Is this not a little too much? Us Brits strongly define ourselves as steadfast, proud individuals - and the fact that this is a logical jump from wars that occurred decades ago that we didn’t participate in is confusing and nonsensical. Poppies serve no active purpose anymore. We are

still refusing to learn from our mistakes, and gearing up more taxpayer funds for the armed forces when working families at home suffer more. Harry Leslie Smith, a veteran himself, declared the poppy a ‘justification for conflict’, and refuses to wear it despite his participation in what it represents. I fail to see a more qualified opinion elsewhere.

those who have fallen in the fight for freedom, however millions also choose not to wear the poppy. The symbolic meaning of the poppy was adopted shortly after the First World War. Almost every single family across the UK was grieving for someone they lost during the war and they used the poppy to remember their lost ones, who had been brave enough to stand forward and give their lives in the service of their country. The poppy has also been said to symbolise hope, pledging to the world that there would never be another war. The idea that the symbolism of the poppy is being subverted and used to suggest that those who wear it agree with pro-war and promilitary action ideals is unacceptable.

A recent debate was sparked by Cambridge University students who voted down a notion to promote Remembrance Sunday for fears of the glorification of conflict. This notion encouraged the commemoration of British veterans from conflict and looked to establish Remembrance Sunday as a “well marked event across the university”. This was met with confusion from across the country as James Palmer, mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough stated that this brought “great shame” to the university and demonstrated a “disdain” for the armed forces. He furthered this by stating, “it is something I find very difficult to comprehend- that [students] can’t be grateful and respectful of previous generations and their sacrifices. It is

easy to judge from a distance when you have the luxury of a safe and comfortable democracy. We have an enormous debt to armed forces in this country”. The armed forces have sacrificed so much over the years for the protection of their country that they deserve to be remembered and respected for their actions. The poppy should never be taken as a symbol of the pro-war and pro-military action narrative. It offers us a chance to remind ourselves of the truly devastating consequences of war, offering the modern world, which is currently full of divisive politics, time to reflect on what can come of such a divisive world. The poppy is a symbol of hope: the hope that the world will never experience such devastating losses of life in circumstances so tragic. The poppy never promotes war but acts as a deterrent, reminding the world what the truly devastating consequences of war really are.

Described very succinctly as, ‘nauseating pub bore nationalism’ Remembrance Sunday is just that – an opportunity to remember, without making a conceited effort to reform.

COLOFN

Trump of the Tropics

The world takes another step to the right with Jair Bolsonaro as the new Brazilian President

by Eduardo Karas

n Sunday, October 28, Brazil elected its future president: Jair Bolsonaro, a 63 year old former army captain. He has been famously referred to as the “Trump of the Tropics” by publications including The Economist. Much like Trump, he portrays himself as an outsider of traditional politics, despite being part of the Lower House of Brazilian Congress for the past 28 years. He has made a fair share of controversial statements and used disinformation as part of his campaign strategy. He defeated Fernando Haddad, member of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Worker’s Party), which had led Brazil for most of the previous 15 years, despite a series of political and economic scandals. In fact, these controversies can be seen as one of the causes of Bolsonaro’s election, as a significant portion of the population expressed a position to the Worker’s Party. Moreover, Brazil finds itself in the wake of an economic crisis, perceived to be caused by the previous governments left-wing economic policies. Bolsonaro represented a clear opposition to this, with his leading economic advisor being Paulo Guedes, a liberal and open-market economist that studied at the University of Chicago. Finally, another leading point in his campaign was the high crime rates

of the country, for which he offered quick solutions, such as increased investment in police, carte blanche for them to kill and the liberation of gun ownership for the general populance.

In 2015, he said that a fellow congresswoman was “not worth raping, as she was ugly”. However, the reason the presidentelect has become infamous internationally is his stance on social and environmental issues. A fervant defender of the “traditional Brazilian family”, Bolsonaro has a history of homophobic and misogynistic comments. In 2010, during an official debate in Congress, he said that being gay was a result of a lack of beating. In 2015, he said that a fellow congresswoman was “not worth raping, as she was ugly”. During his campaign, he also discussed his plan for the environment, namely abolishing the government environment agencies and its policies of reserves and indigenous lands. Much of this land is located in the Amazon Rainforest and the loss of its protection would lead to mass deforestation.

During his campaign, Bolsonaro also expressed his admiration for Donald Trump and, in a recent tweet, the compliment was returned by the American President. Trump was not the only rightwing leader to congratulate the Brazilian. Matteo Salvini, the Italian prime minister, Marine Le Pen, the runner-up in French election of 2017, and Steve Bannon, Brazil’s new right wing President will take over from the Worker’s Party former advisor to Trump, are Source: Rafaela Biazi (via Unsplash) just a few of his international supporters. In this context, it becomes appar- discourse. These are three very differ- identities become more and more ent that the world has taken a sharp ent countries in three different cor- influenced by outside culture, some turn to the right, with authoritarian, ners of the world. Why is that their react by “fighting back” through isolanationalistic and conservative leaders leaders have so much in common? tion, violence and dismissal of human assuming power all over the world. One element is a general discon- and civil rights issues, to instead focus Leaders such as Bolsonaro, Trump tent with democracy, as cases of cor- on their own safety. However, as repand Philippines’ Duterte have all taken ruption, such as the Panama Papers, resented by fierce opposition by 45% power, despite- or perhaps because, mount. Another, perhaps more emo- of the Brazilian population, there is of their critical stances on democracy, tionally powerful argument, is the always going to be someone to stand focus on security and nationalistic perceived fear of globalisation. As in the way of hate and inhumanity.

The RSPCA: Selectively Compassionate?

by Alys Hewitt

he RSPCA has long been the UK’s leading and most established animal welfare charity, driven by a self-proclaimed commitment to eradicating the mistreatment and neglect of domestic, farmed and wild animals. Yet its actions – or rather, lack of actions – in some cases are not always compatible with the organisation’s caring, cruelty-conscious image. Figures from the RSPCA reveal that last year they rehomed 44,611 animals – a significant number, but one that makes up only a third of the near 115,000 rescued all together. This leads to questions surrounding what happens to those who are not rehomed. One fate is the putting down of animals deemed not fit to be rehabilitated, which in some cas-

Can any kind of slaughter be truly humane? es is admittedly necessary. Yet there are concerns that the sheer number of animals put down by the charity that has a duty of care towards them points to a hastiness in deciding on an adequate solution to animals that need rehoming, with some being eu-

thanised for non-medical reasons. Last month the organisation’s head of campaigns also defended the shooting of seals by Scottish salmon farmers, labelling it not as culling but as “humane pest control”. This seems like a paradoxical statement for a charity founded upon condemning and preventing cruelty to all animals to make, to say the least. Increasingly hypocritical is the fact that the RSPCA used the rescue and rehabilitation of one seal in Port Talbot in the same week to generate publicity and further construct a sympathetic image for themselves. Then there is the RSPCA Assured scheme, which works with farmers to monitor the care and wellbeing of farm animals and thus give their products an ethical seal of approval, a move which has been met with accusations of hypocrisy. Obviously it is a positive step to encourage and pursue a more ethical means of producing and consuming meat, but if the RSPCA was really as committed to animal rights as they claim, would they not promote a vegetarian or vegan diet to as many people as they could, or at least encourage us to consume less meat? According to their website, RSPCA Assured also advocates for the “humane slaughter” of farm animals, which in itself seems oxymoronic. It may be a bitter pill to swallow for anybody who eats meat, but can

any variety of slaughter be truly humane? Don’t the RSPCA have a level of responsibility to acknowl-

It is not enough to condemn the suffering of some animals edge the fact that slaughter is cruelty to animals? I understand the need to perhaps slowly ease people in to a more conscious way of eating, but to fail to point out the inherent and deep-rooted problems with the farming and meat industries is a missed opportunity for an organisation founded upon fighting for the rights of animals. These instances outline a puzzling and somewhat contradictory stance for a charity which has had such a pioneering influence in putting animal welfare on the agenda. This is not to undermine the work done by the RSPCA, but they must be held accountable for their selective compassion. It is not enough to condemn the suffering of some animals but turn a blind eye – or directly advocate – the poor treatment of others.

Is the RSPCA living up to its reputation? Source: Austin Community College (via Flickr)

COMMENT

‘More money for potholes than pupils’

I’m bored of Brexit

Why the 2018 budget exacerbates an already crumbling Britain. by Hannah Newberry

O Is Brexit coverage galvanising or alienating the young? Source: Ed Everett (via Flickr)

By Emma Videan

onestly, how many people that you know roll their eyes at the mention of Brexit? I know I do. It has become such a big part of everyday politics that it even has its own dedicated page on BBC News. We’re now in the penultimate month of 2018 and it’s been nearly a year and a half since the referendum. While Theresa May has announced that 95% of the deal is done, it feels like there has been a news story about Brexit every day since before the referendum to now. New pieces of information, concerns, updates on the process and opinions are released every day. Arguably, you’d have to be not only a very thorough reader but also somewhat knowledgeable in the area of politics and law to be able to easily keep up to date with the goings on of the Brexit deal. While I like to think I keep up with the news as much as I can, I can’t find time in the day to trawl through every Brexit article I see, as there is also so much else going on in the news (and I have a degree to do). This may be the very problem with politics and the political disenchantment of young people. How can politicians engage effectively with younger voters? It’s a difficult question because there are so many preconceived stereotypes of politicians that mean that they are not very trustworthy characters. With figures like Nigel Farage and his constant Brexit ‘alternative facts’ or Nick Clegg with his failure to withhold tuition fee rises. When it comes to politics, polls constantly show that young people are disengaged with politicians, who they see as out of touch, boring and too similar in not only appearance but also in attitude. Perhaps the way that Jeremy Corbyn got the attention of young people around the last election was because he acted differently. He appeared at Glastonbury and that just about says it all. While I’m in no way insinuating that I have the master plan of how politicians and young people can bond, it is definitely time for an update to the system. Watching adults in suits standing outside of the Houses of Parliament speaking into a camera about on-going discussions with no real conclusion is yawn inducing. The addition of young reporters, politicians or spokespeople would definitely help. The tedious coverage of Brexit needs to be presented in a way that young people understand because it is such a huge turning point in the UK’s history that’s going on, unacknowledged by many.

ur government has put a number on the strain the public education system endures - it’s £400m, and it is not enough. Last week, Hammond announced in the long-awaited 2018 Budget that every school would see a benefit of a few thousand pounds. Some viewers like myself were ready to be bored to tears with the likes of Brexit trivialities (a commemorative 50p, are we that mundane?) and defence budgets that are always pushed to excess. We were not disappointed. I argue that after austerity effectively jammed a knife in the neck of flourishing education with cuts into the billions, asking for some kind of celebratory remark when we find that less than a fifth is being returned back seems a tad too patronising for my liking. Reclaiming Education stated previously that, ‘our children are the most unhappy in the developed world’. Is this a statement you’re willing to put less than half a billion on? Is ‘little extras’ a proper justification when the ‘essentials’ arguably don’t have a sustainable budget yet? Hammond’s ‘empathetic’ gesture was not the emphatic plot twist we’d all hoped for, and further demonstrates

Austerity effectively jammed a knife in the neck of flourishing education Adults enter the working world with a teaching qualification and are expected to play counsellor, mother and entertainer to a class of thirty in one working day. Children who benefit from one-on-one interaction more due to circumstances like autism simply have to

go without when staffing can’t be accounted for. When parents fight too much at home to dress their children, when they can’t potty train their kids, when they don’t see a problem with a six year old lacking basic communication skills, and when their child needing attention interferes too much with their 9-5 working day - it’s our problem. We don’t need £400m for ‘extras’ - we need an altered curriculum, consistent teaching patterns, and support for teachers who are so neglected that the younger generation lack basic incentive to follow in the same footsteps. We protest about mental health services, contact hours and strikes but both sides of the table are drastically suffering. Some of my favourite teachers have openly told me to find a different, more rewarding route than teaching - which should not be the case if we allegedly value our schools so much. Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley tweeted that, ‘my kid’s school is talking about shutting early on Fridays because they can’t staff it. It’s not because they don’t have footballs’. We don’t need a cash injection - we need to get a grip.

Philip Hammond announced the 2018 budget on Tuesday. Source: Chris McAndrew (via Wikipedia)

Can social media ever be a space for rational debate?

by Samuel Capper

the little grasp that our elected politicians have on the difficulties of an ordinary working day. I worked as a teacher’s assistant for reception children for a week, and it was long enough for me to tell you that education is one of the most underappreciated sectors in existence. I expected to learn how to engage with kids, encourage their aspirations, and relive my days of drawing awful stick men. What I came out with was far more profound.

Or are we welcoming a generation of keyboard bashers?

an social media ever be a space for rational debate? Is it still possible? Sadly, I don’t believe it is, as whilst providing an impressive framework for debate, the sheer plurality of views and opinions, particularly in the modern age, ultimately conflict with each other too much, reinforced by notions of free speech and anonymity. Social media is a significant part of many people’s lives, and with regards to contemporary debates, is the central platform on which debates stands. Sites like Twitter and Facebook have given the people a microphone from which they can speak, with the potential to be heard by millions. When discussing democratic debate, this sounds perfectly adequate. Everyone has the same potential to be heard, and there are no restraints on what can be said. Perfect, right? Sadly not, as conflicting beliefs between freedom of speech and hate speech flourish when we have the right to dictate what people can and cannot say online. Some people defend their right to say whatever they want, regardless of who gets offended, often citing that ‘no one has the right not to be offended’. It’s hard to argue with this, particularly as it is a basic human right. Arguments against hate speech (speech that attacks people on the basis of attributes such as religion,

ethnicity, etc.) are equally convincing. No one should have their very person attacked on any basis, especially on the basis of differing opinions, as is frequently seen online. Unfortunately, this debate is one of many that occur within the online platforms of social media. With a huge rise in users over the past few years, the platforms have become home to groups of people with increasingly polarising opinions. This extremity, in part fuelled by the alt-Right movement, as well as the various responses to it, has meant that more and more conflict is occurring online. The countless number of opinions, sometimes only differing in niche ways has meant that there is a very strong likelihood that there will always be someone who disagrees with you, or that someone will always be offended by a certain comment (particularly in the more polarising cases). This has subsequently led to the emergence of trolling, baiting people into arguments and causing distress for no other reason than fun. These trolls frequently incite irrational debate, often driving people away from their own rational thinking and into a spiral of insults and threats. This notion of trolling is only reinforced by the veil of anonymity the internet provides. When you can become any-

one, you can hide from who you are and escape judgment: Oscar Wilde claimed that if you ‘give a man a mask, he’ll show you his true face’, and from what we can see online, this is true. Actual debate is rare, often superseded in favour of irrational arguing, trolling and hysteria. Social media may have been a viable space for rational debate once, but now it’s toxicity deems it an unsuitable environment for any debate, no matter how small.

If you ‘give a man a mask, he’ll show you his true face’

Are we too busy being angry at each other to argue rationally? Source: Viverdeblog

COLUMN

Karis Pearson

COLUMNROAD

Do we celebrate our holidays purely out of habit? Sources: Pexels, David Singleton (via Flickr) and Steven Dopolo (via Flickr)

Compliance, commerce and Christianity in our clock-work celebrations

very year without fail, most of us (at least in the Western world) find ourselves celebrating the same holidays. Whether it’s gutting and personifying a pumpkin for Halloween, filling a giant sock full of gifts and giving credit to a guy called Father Christmas, or decapitating chocolate bunnies at Easter in the name of Jesus Christ. There is a long, rich history behind these celebrations, which is largely grounded in religion. Why then do so many of us participate? whether we are atheist, agnostic, or a member of one of the many religions found among us in the UK today, the yearly holiday clock runs smoothly for most. Do we truly embrace the meaning of these holidays, or do we comply out of habit and a consumer driven agenda? While the UK may still officially be a Christian country, the reality is not quite the case. According to a survey taken last year, 48.6% of the UK claim to have no religion at all. However, despite statistics like this, you can bet that many will stick pumpkins in their window and hand out sweets to any kids that come knocking. To an outsider to these traditions, it probably sounds pretty strange to spend an evening giving chocolate to children you don’t know, or to walk down the high street in broad daylight dressed as the Grim Reaper. Any other time of year you might find yourself getting arrested for engaging in these behaviours, but Halloween is a free pass for all this and more. For Christians,

there are clear moments in history which explain the major holidays we celebrate in the UK.

In continuing to celebrate religious traditions we are still playing along with a Christian narrative But, for the rest of us, who really knows or cares where all this came from? Many people (including myself before writing this week) do not know where Halloween originated, or what it is we’re really celebrating when we put on a mask and embrace our spookier side. Well, if this is you then let me enlighten you. Halloween was born out of the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sowin). The Celts, who celebrated their New Year on November 1st believed that on the night before it, there was a blurring between the worlds of the living and of the dead and on October 31st, the ghosts of the dead were able to return to earth. Due to the presence of otherworldly spirits, it was believed that the Celtic priests, known as Druids, could more easily predict the future, which provided comfort in the face of the long and dark winter ahead. The Celts lit bonfires,

dressed in animal heads and skins and told each other’s fortunes. By 1000 AD Christianity’s influence had spread to Celtic lands, and the church renamed the Samhain celebration All Souls’ Day, a festival to honour the dead. It’s believed the church was trying to replace the ancient Celtic festival with a churchsanctioned holiday. Fast forward to October 31st, 2018 and students could be found hitting Revs dressed as bloodsoaked cheerleaders, or Scooby Doo and the Mystery Gang. It’s interesting how often a religious influence is present in our behaviour. While I was made to re-enact the nativity story from an early age, and told the story of Jesus’ heroic resurrection, I pay little attention to these stories when Christmas and Easter come around, and I’m sure this is the case for many. While we are opening presents and eating ourselves sick, the Christian message of Christmas feels somewhat lost. However, the origins are still there, and the continued celebration of religious holidays shows how we in UK, and our neighbours in the US, are still to an extent playing along with the church’s narrative. In the UK we add another celebration to our repertoire, remember remember the 5th of November? Now, usually (at least in my experience) Bonfire Night just consists of heading down to your local park and watching a firework display while your toes freeze slowly one by one. As holidays go, it’s a pretty

harmless one, right? Not forgetting that nothing was more enjoyable than writing your name with a sparkler when you were young. But, like all the other holidays, its origins are quite significant, whether we pay attention to them or not. The celebration originated in 1605, when the Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament and murder King James I, who was less than tolerant of Catholics in Britain, was foiled. Guy Fawkes, one of the Catholic conspirators, was caught, tortured and killed, hence we’re encouraged to burn effigies of Fawkes in celebration of his fail-

It is not in the interest of big businesses if atheists stop buying gifts at Christmas or chocolate at Easter ure to inflict violence upon the British monarch. Now, I am by no means condoning that violence is the answer, but is it not a little ridiculous to still be burning Guy Fawkes’ over 400 years later? We live in a multicultural society where religion is accepted in many forms and society is free to question the power of the monarchy, and yet, come November

5th, there we are, lighting bonfires which (whether we intend them to be or not) celebrate the safety of the monarch. Among religious and royal influence, the increasingly commercial nature of these holidays shouldn’t be ignored either, as it is a large part of why they’re still celebrated so widely. Each year, like clock-work, these holidays come around, and we are trustingly reminded by the right hand man of the capitalist agenda: advertising. It is not in the interest of big businesses if atheists stop buying Christmas gifts because they don’t believe in God, therefore, Christmas is marketed to everyone. The religious aspect is filtered out and an all-inclusive, family oriented, eat, drink and be merry attitude is bought to the forefront of our TV screens and shop windows. It’s not just Christmas either. One quarter of sweets sold annually in the USA are purchased for Halloween; a whole lot of money for the confectionary industry. The same can be said for Easter, which can be credited for 10% of chocolate sales in the UK. It is no coincidence that these holidays, which originally held meaning beyond spending money, have become so associated with buying things. For most of us, these popular celebrations are just a bit of fun. But, perhaps if we stopped and thought a little harder about why we complacently buy pumpkins and presents every year, we might realise we have less to celebrate than we thought.

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For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/politics

US Midterms 2018

Gair Rhydd previews some of the key races

US Midterms: (Left to Right) Beto O’Rourke, American Flag, Gretchen Whitmer.Sources: Beto O’Rourke , Mike Mozart, austin_slack (all via Flickr)

by Rhys Thomas

Senate

Republicans hold the majority with 51, whilst the Democrats form the opposition with 47 (two Independents caucus with the Dems). If there is a 50-50 split then the GOP holds the advantage, as VicePresident Michael Pence casts the deciding vote.

Arizona

Incumbent Jeff Flake will be stepping down after a solitary term in the Senate. Flake admitted that as an anti-Trump Republican he had little chance of securing his party’s nomination in the Grand Canyon State.

Florida

Democrat Bill Nelson was first elected at the same time George W. Bush controversially defeated Al Gore in The Sunshine State in 2000. He will be facing off against Rick Scott, the incumbent term-limited Governor. Both men enjoy positive poll numbers from Floridians, but with Trump winning the state in 2016 and Nelson being the only state-wide elected Democrat, he is vulnerable.

Texas

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

POLITICS

“Lucifer in the flesh”. That’s what incumbent Texas Senator Ted Cruz was called by a senior Republican - and that’s one of the nicer comments. Whilst he is loathed in the Senate, especially by GOP colleagues, Texan voters seem to think he’s alright. He’ll be running against Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who has been blowing Cruz out the water in terms of fundraising. Despite a media whirlwind, Cruz is still firm favourite in a state where Democrats haven’t won a statewide office since 1994.

Your politics desk Rhys Thomas Charlotte King Silvia Martelli Sam Tilley

Governors

There are Gubernatorial races in 36 states across the nation, with Republicans controlling 26 and Democrats only 9. Governor’s serve as the executive of their state, and have important power and influence over issues like boundary redistricting.

Alaska

The only state with an independent Governor, ‘The Last Frontier’ is unique in American politics. Bill Walker won election in 2014, but had seen his poll numbers slide and dramatically quit the race. Former Senator Mark Begich is Democratic candidate, but Republican Mike Dunleavy currently has the polling lead - but only just.

Michigan

One of the ‘Rust Belt’ states that Donald Trump famously won, this state was famed for its car industry. GOP Governor Rick Snyder is term-limited, so Bill Schuette takes up his party’s mantle. Gretchen Whitmer blitzed her Democratic primary opponents by winning every single state, and won plaudits when sharing her story of sexual assault in the Michigan State Senate. Her victory here would be an imporant precusor for the 2020 Presidential election.

Wisconsin

Current Governor Scott Walker made his name by bashing the state’s trade unions, and then being bulldozed by President Trump in the 2016 Republican primaries. He faces state schools supreme Tony Evers, and polls show that the state is a toss up. Walker has held the position since 2011 and would be a huge scalp for a Democratic Party desperate to regain its foothold in the northern industrial states.

House of Representatives

very member of the House is up for re-election. The Democrats only need to take 23 seats off the Republicans to control the chamber for the first time since the days of Barack Obama in 2011.

Iowa 1

Polling has consistently shown a tossup here, with sitting Representative Rod Blum of the Republicans facing off against Democrat Abby Finkenauer.

Minnesota 1

Democrat Tim Walz is retiring, having taken over from a Republican when he triumphed in the 2006 midterm elections. Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 15 clear percentage points in the 2016 Presidential race.

New York 14

This district is most notable for it’s Democratic Primary. Long-term Representative and one of the most powerful Democrats in the House, Joe Crowley, was defeated by self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist Alexandria OcasioCortez. Whilst she stunned the Party with her surprise victory, Crowley hasn’t given up yet – he is running on the local Working Families ticket in his quest to retain his seat.

Washington 8

Incumbent moderate Republican Dave Reichert is retiring. The district has voted Democratic in every Presidential election since George Bush Sr’s defeat of Michael Dukakis in 1988. However the district has always voted for Republican candidates for the House since the creation of the district in 1982.

Representation: Every member of the House is up for re-election Source: Alex Proimos (via Flickr)

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Beautiful Ohio: A symbol of what’s to come by Evan Cerne-Iannone

popular saying amongst American voters and political pundits during the election season is “As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.” Ohio is viewed as a political bellwether state which often helps measurement of political trends. The results next week from Ohio are vital because they will help gauge and determine the political pulse of the United States. On the one hand if the Democrats do well in Ohio, this could help propel the so-called “blue wave.” However, if the Democrats perform poorly this could help revitalize the ailing Trump White House. The election next week will be exciting in large part because a senate seat and the governorship are up for grabs in addition to the eighteen Ohio seats for the House of Representatives. The closest and most important race this midterm is over who will replace term limited governor and past presidential candidate John Kasich. While this race would have no impact on the US Congress it would give the winning party powerful momentum moving forward. Ohio has been dominated by Republican leadership, with Republicans serving the state’s highest office for 24 of the last 28 years. The 2018 Ohio gubernatorial race features Trump endorsed Republican and current Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Obama appointed Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, who resigned last November, Richard Cordray. With less than a week until the election the race remains deadlocked. Recent polls have changed constantly, with

results that are often within the margin of error. This tight race has led to a huge influx of money being spent on campaign ads. Unlike the United Kingdom campaign, spending in the United States has remained unregulated, which often leads to a torrent of campaign advertisements on television and radio. A week ago DeWine announced that he personally loaned his campaign three million dollars out of his own pocket. Major issues that the candidates have promised to address are the current opioid crisis and employment growth. With less than a week to go until the election it seems improbable that either candidate will emerge with a sizable lead. Voters and political observers will have to wait until election night for a clearer picture to emerge. The chances of a Democratic controlled senate after November 6 are increasingly unlikely. Ohio, like the rest of the 50 states, has two senate seats. Currently these two seats are split between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Rob Portman. Senator Brown is facing re-election this year, and it seems extremely probable that he will defeat his Trump endorsed Republican challenger, Jim Renaci. This matchup was something of a shock as many Ohio voters believed the current race would be a rerun of 2012 where State Treasurer Josh Mandel was the Republican contender. The race was a nasty one which saw serious mud throwing on both sides. When Senator Brown spoke at Case Western Reserve University last year he believed that 2018 would be just as dirty. While Mandel is not the Republican candidate this prediction

Swing States: Sherrod Brown is a firm favourite for re-election. Source: Senate Democrats (via Flickr) nevertheless came true. Renaci and the Republican camp dug up past claims that Senator Brown domestically abused his first wife while they were together from 1979 to 1987. Republican attack ads argued that Senator Brown’s opposition to Justice Brett Kavanugh was hypocritical in light of these allegations. Whatever effect this might have had on the election was thoroughly erased when Senator Brown released an ad where his ex-wife not only refuted the claims but stated she maintains a good personal relationship with her ex-husband. On the other side of the aisle Senator Brown’s camp has been pushing the narrative that Renaci has a dodgy tax record. These

attacks can be traced back eighteen years when Renaci was ordered to pay $359,822 in tax related penalties. This argument was not a strong one given that the fine imposed on Renaci was overturned by the Ohio State Supreme Court two years. Senator Brown has a steady lead in most polls amongst Ohio voters and baring a catastrophic collapse he will return to the United States Senate to serve another six-year term. Pollsters and pundits have largely predicted that the midterms will see the U.S House of Representatives change hands from the Republicans to the Democrats. The state of Ohio has 16 districts which elect people to the House of Representative and it

seems likely that none of these seats will flip this midterm. If this prediction rings true next week then it will be the third consecutive House election in Ohio where both parties kept the same number of seats, Republicans with 12, and Democrats 4. All of the districts can be classified as safe seats, with 17 of the 18 featuring incumbents. The Ohio 16thDistrict, Republican Senate Candidate Jim Renaci’s old seat, has both parties fielding new candidates, however it’s largely considered to be a safe Republican seat. Based on these observations it seems unlikely that the “blue wave” will have much impact on any of the Ohio Districts.

Georgia On My Mind: the first black female govenor?

by Hannah Priest

he US midterm elections are closely approaching but there is one state which is particularly grabbing the public’s attention. In Georgia, the Republican candidate Brian Kemp is campaigning against the Democrat candidate Stacey Abrams. Whilst, the candidates have completely oppositional views on every major issue, the main focus is on Stacey Abrams as if her campaign is successful she will make US election history, being the first black female governor. As the midterm campaigns begun it was made clear that there is a stark difference in political strategies, with the democrats endorsing an element of hope and the republicans enforcing fear within the American society. With many arguing that Kemp and Abrams are the key examples of the two oppositional approaches. With high tensions around race and gender and completely different views on gun-rights, immigration and healthcare, the results from the state of Georgia could have a major effect on defining the dynamic for the 2020 presidential elections. Nonetheless, Georgia also holds significant political importance regardless of candi-

date Abrams, as it is typically a secure state for the Republican party. However, Donald Trump has come under scrutiny and humiliation after recently backing other strong hold states such as Roy Moore in Alabama and still losing the republican control over the state. With the current tensions in the US Stacy Abrams victory could do so much more than make history, she could help ensure the safety and protection of all citizens regardless of their ethnicity or sexuality. As her opposition, Kemp is endorsed by the Family research council which is a conservative Christian organisation which focuses on pushing the prolife agenda and has recently come under scrutiny for disregarding the LGBTQ+ community. Kemp has also been sued thousands of dollars by civil rights groups due to voter suppression. After 53,000 citizens who registered to vote had their registration delayed or denied because of extremely minor mistakes in the registration process, with some including the misplacement of a hyphen causing restrictions on people being able to vote. Many believe this is a strategic move as over 70% of the restricted voters were Black and with the ma-

jority of the black community showing strong support towards Abrams campaign this could have a significant effect on the overall results. Stacey Abram was born in Wisconsin’s and graduated with a Law degree at the university of Yale, to which she then moved on to earn her masters at the university of Texas in public affairs. Nonetheless, Abram is currently Georgia’s House Minority Leader, and is the first woman to be a candidate on either party in the state’s general assembly. Throughout her work Abram has also co-founded a financial-services firm and set-up the New Georgia Project, which has registered thousands of disadvantaged citizens to vote mainly focusing on African-Americans and single mothers. Her projects strongly coexist alongside her political agenda and beliefs, as Abrams is a strong advocate for planned parenthood and ensuring that abortion laws do not become even more restricted throughout the state, whilst also being a strong promoter for LGBTQ+ rights and ensuring their safety and recognition within society. Stacey Abrams liberal views are what make her an interesting candidate for the governor of Georgia as typically can-

Stacey Abrams: Democrat candidate could be the first black female govenor. Source: LBJ School (via Flickr) didates from the Democrat party have aimed at appeasing to the Republican ideologies. However, Abram believes

in the conviction of hate crimes; presenting her as a genuine candidate for governor.

POLITICS

Gair Rhydd meets the ‘Donald Trump of Wales’ Gareth Bennett, the assembly leader of Ukip, questioned on some of his more controversial views

by Silvia Martelli & Callum Sloper

areth Bennett is easily one of the most blunt Welsh Assembly Members, so much so that earlier this year he was temporarily banned from speaking in the Chamber for remarks he made in a debate about transgender rights. Having been labelled ‘The Donald Trump of Wales’ by the press, he sat down with Gair Rhydd and discussed some of his most debated comments. You claimed that the Welsh Assembly is unrepresentative of the public opinion. Is there any way to make it more representative? Well, I suppose there are many problems with the Welsh Assembly. One problem is that it is virtually a oneparty state because that means one party will always form the government, and that’s Labour. We’ve had 19 years of the Assembly - let’s say 20 - and Labour has always been the main party of government. There is a democratic deficit in Wales: whatever people want, we always end up with a Labour government. Another problem is that only 42% of people vote in Assembly elections, which demonstrates that there is a majority of people in Wales who are disengaged with the process of devolution, so in that sense the Assembly is unrepresentative of the public. So is there a way to fix this? Yeah - get rid of it! I want UKIP to take an anti-assembly direction that was my main policy platform when I stood for group leader.

Do you think there should be a people’s vote? A people’s vote? We had a people’s vote, we had two people’s votes: we had a people’s vote in 1975 when we made a decision, when the British public made a decision to remain in what was then called the ‘common market’. So that was the first referendum, when we didn’t know what it was gonna be like. 2016 was the second referendum, when we did know what it was like and that is when we decided to leave. Let’s say there were a second referendum though, do you think people would still want to leave? There is no point even considering it, why should there be? And it wouldn’t be the second, it’d be the third. What would be the point in considering it?

ing the entire human rights industry which has grown up over the last few years. A lot of highly paid, clever lawyers making a lot of money out of public funds and actually eroding the rights of the majority people in this country, because every time you give more rights to a minority group, it will consequently erode the rights of the majority. Which minorities are you referring to? Transgender rights, ethnic minority rights, women’s rights. Women are not a minority, they are actually a majority, but they are treated as a minority. We have had all this nonsense about equal pay, but all the statistics used in favour are completely wrong because they don’t take certain things into account.

I would just like to know if you feel like people would still want to leave the EU. Of course.

There are numerous statistics that prove women are paid less than men in the same exact positions. Yes, I’m not saying that doesn’t happen, that does clearly happens, but the statistics that are commonly used by the women’s rights movements do not take into account various factors of why women are in lower paid jobs than men, such as they are more likely to be in part-time jobs.

In 2017, you claimed that UKIP “didn’t quite share the same enthusiasm for so-called human rights” as other parties did. Which human rights do you specifically refer to? I was making a statement denigrat-

Given your previous comments on burqa and the debate that succeeded it, what is your stance on it now? Would you like to have it banned? Of course, I called for it to be banned, it’s UKIP policy for it to be

What if there were? I don’t even consider the possibility of another referendum, it’s pointless, it’s treachery to even consider it.

banned. Because I think that it is not part of British culture, it’s something that is an example of minority rights. When we had the start of debates on immigration, probably going back in 1950s, the whole idea was that immigrant groups would become integrated into British society and they’d follow the British way of life. Today, we have lots and lots of people who aren’t following any traditional British way of life, they want to follow a Pakistani way of life, or a Bengali way of life... they want to walk around wearing Pakistani clothes which are not even suitable to the British climate, they are designed for a hot climate so there is no real, logical reason for them to be doing it. They’ve ‘ghettoised’ their own communities by grouping together. Is that going to lead to a good outcome? You stated that mosques are becoming a challenge. What do we know about the funding of mosques in the UK? What do we know about who preaches in them? Should we have a system of licensing for mosques in the UK, or should we allow them to just sprout up willynilly without any oversight of them whatsoever? We need to license them, regulate them and know what is going on in them. Some of them are not

problematic, I am sure they are just community facilities. We don’t want to hinder them from doing their work, but we need to have a system of licensing so we know broadly what is going on, and we need to look at the finances. We need to cut off finances from Saudi Arabia which are spreading Wahabi culture. How do you feel about being nicknamed the Donald Trump of Wales? I was happy because it gave me an identity at the time. However, the problem is that, at that time, Trump was a mere candidate, now he is the president of the United States. I can’t be held accountable for every decision he makes, I can’t say he’s always right, he has executive power now and has to do what he sees fit... but I’m not his cheerleader saying everything he does is brilliant!

Some of Bennett’s most controversial remarks... ‘‘City Road is probably where we have a multiplicity, a melting pot of different races all getting on each other’s nerves, I think, and certainly causing lots of problems because of different cultural attitudes, very visible problems of rubbish which is being left on the street uncollected all the time.’’ ‘‘There is only so much deviation from the norm that any society can take before that society completely implodes. If we carry on down this road of appeasing the nuttiest elements of the transgender movement, then what we will face as a society, within a very short space of time, is total implosion.” ‘‘In the UK, the big issue apart from Brexit is probably free speech versus political correctness. People like me have to stand up for free speech, or we will end up living in a police state.”

A Controversial leader: Gareth Bennett was elected in August. Source: Wikimedia Commons

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Ministers clash over #Budget2018 Is Wales getting any money?

by Charlotte King

ture projects in our nation [are being] scrapped for the sake of feeding the overheating economy of south east England”. On the other hand, Cairns believes that overall the Budget is a “significant uplift”, and “shows the scale of ambition the UK Government has for Wales”. “This money will ensure the Welsh Government has more means to grow the economy, attract investment, maintain its public services and support hard-working people across Wales”.

n October 29th, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the final Budget before the UK formally leaves the EU. However, the measures announced for the new Welsh Budget we have seen ministers clashing head-on. Will these new measures lead to more opportunities to make real changes, or do the terms outlining the payments restrict the freedom of the Welsh Government? Philip Hammond claims this new budget will lead us towards the end of austerity, announcing that £550m will be granted to the Welsh Government between now and 2020. With an additional £120m available to fund the North Wales Growth Deal, a “crucial infrastructure project” designed to boost the economy”. However, some are arguing that the budget for North Wales “fell short” of what was expected, and no real changes will be instigated with that amount of money. Although, Ian Price, director of CBI Wales, believes that whilst £120m may be “lower than expected” it will “kickstart” the region’s economy. Other announcements include that for those who are earning National Living Wage their pay will be rising to £8.21 an hour, giving them an extra £690 a year. What’s more, the work allowance for individuals with children and disabilities will be raised by £1,000 under the new Budget. The 2018 Budget for Wales has received a lot of positive responses, and

Spreadsheet Phil: Critics claim that the 2018 budget does not go far enough in ending austerity. Source: Flickr via Raul Mee people are hopeful it will give ministers more freedom to build homes and remove the borrowing cap on housing. Making it easier for people to climb onto the property ladder. However, it appears that opinions on the budget differ on either side of the M4, and speaking of which, ministers have clashed over whether any money will be spent on the controversial M4 relief road. Westminster announced that Welsh ministers will receive an extra £300m in borrowing power if they commit to this scheme. Welsh Labour AM Mark Drakeford believes that this means the Welsh

Government is not being given the freedom to spend the budget how it wishes. Stating that the UK Government should not be telling AM’s how to spend extra money. However, Alun Cairns, Secretary of State for Wales, agrees with the UK Government that this is a “vital project”. Overall, Drakeford believes that the new Budget shows no sign of austerity coming to an end, and until the Brexit negotiations are finalised, Hammond is simply “treading water”. Adam Price, leader of Plaid Cymru, seconds Drakeford’s comments, stating it is a “fantasy budget” wherein “infrastruc-

Drakeford believes that the new Budget shows no sign of austerity coming to an end, and until the Brexit negotiations are finalised. It seems there are rising tensions regarding how the new Welsh Budget will be spent, and some fear the Brexit negotiations mean the figures are speculative. Only time will tell if they budget is restricting the Welsh Government or liberating it, but Hammond believes that Westminster is sending a “clear message to the people of Wales – your hard work is paying off ”.

“Make Brazil great again”

With the election of Brazil’s first far-right President, what exactly will Jair Bolsonaro attempt to implement?

by Sam Tilley

he election of Brazil’s newest President, Jair Bolsonaro, promises to have momentous repercussions for regional and global politics. Ever since the overthrowing of the military dictatorship in 1985, Brazilian politics has been dogged by accusations of fraud and impeachments; pointedly the last three Presidents have been forced out of office by allegations of corruption. Bolsonaro is inheriting a country that has been on the edge of complete political collapse for numerous years and faces an uphill battle to unite the country around his somewhat controversial agenda. For a candidate described as “Brazil’s Trump”, there does appear to be a lean towards the US President’s foreign policies. Bolsonaro has already pledged his support to move the Brazilian embassy in Tel Aviv to the disputed-Israeli capital of Jerusalem; an act that led to widespread international condemnation when the US made the same move earlier this year. Bolsonaro has also supported a hard-line position when it comes to dealing with Brazil’s problematic neighbour Venezuela. There is already a growing refugee crisis on the Brazilian-Venezuelan border and, judging by the rhetoric that

Bolsonaro has deployed in his election campaign, any solution to this problem would undoubtedly come at the expense of Venezuela. Previously, Brazil’s left-leaning Presidents have had frosty relations with the US but, with both current Presidents as selfdescribed pragmatists, watch this space for this relationship to become decidedly warmer as both countries look to solidify their presence in Latin America. Domestically, Bolsonaro looks to be taking Brazil back “to the roots of religion, of character, of national pride,”. To the consternation of many, this will likely come at the expense of environmentalism and social justice. Throughout the campaign, the President-elect has been condemned for using both racist and homophobic language and it is likely that party policies regarding the teaching of gender identities and LGBTQ+ issues will be rolled back along religious teachings. In addition, it is feared that, due to Bolsonaro’s roots in the mining and agricultural industries, any energy policies will nullify previous attempts at environmental protection. Bolsonaro even threatened to take Brazil out of the Paris Climate Agreement but, to the relief of environmentalists worldwide, he has seemingly backtracked on this

“Brazil’s Trump”?: Can Brazil’s new leader unite the country around his vision? Source: Wikimedia promise. Bolsonaro’s campaign was characterised by the mantra to “put Brazil first”. This will come as a relief to many ordinary Brazilians in a country where inflation and crime rates have slowly risen year-by-year. In a country that has an international

reputation for gang crime and muggings, many voters are hoping that the socially-conservative policies of Bolsonaro’s Social Liberal party will lead to a sharp decrease in crime, an outcome that has alluded Brazil’s Presidents since democracy was reestablished in 1985.

What they have said...

“I support creating jobs and opportunities for people who need them the most, I support prison reform, I support common-sense gun laws that will make our world safer. I support those who risk their lives to serve and protect us and I support holding people who misuse their power accountable”. Kanye West 31/10/18 After 2 years of supporting Trump’s campaign, Kanye West claims he has been “used” by politicians and is distancing himself from politics.

“Our planning for [the Falkland Islands] is to have a negotiation that will enable stronger relations between the people on the islands and the people on the continent, and we hope that the non Brexit solution will enhance the possibility of that dialogue to be truly one with results”. Jorge Faurie 26/10/18 Jorge Faurie, Argentine Foreign Minister, hints that Argentina will exploit a no-deal Brexit to try and reclaim the Falkland Islands.

“I am confident that a full and frank investigation will finally put an end to the ludicrous allegations levelled against me and my colleagues. There is no evidence of any wrongdoing from the companies I own. The Electoral Commission has produced no evidence to the contrary.” Aron Banks 31/10/18 Financial donor to the Leave.EU campaign discusses the National Crime Agency investigation into his alleged spending offences in the Brexit referendum.

CYNGOR

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ADVICE

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My coming out story

You dont have to hide who you are anymore by Lowri Kerys Rowlands

isexuality creeps up on you. For me, it had always been there in small ways: staring at my girl friends with saucer eyes, while also furtively glancing at the good-looking boys in my class. I didn’t care whether the people I played ‘house’ with were all girls or boys. I’m also not afraid to admit that I had huge crushes on Jake Long (American Dragon, a classic) and Shego (Kim Possible). The internet was my real venture into bisexuality. You guessed it: Tumblr helped me come to terms with my sexuality. I was 14-years-old, and I was ecstatic. I told all of my friends, however I was met with friction. One of my friends called it ‘stupid’, another

It can feel like you are justifying yourself over and over again. interjected that I could fancy any one of them as though I was contagious. I tried to tell my Mam very suddenly over tea and was met with: “You can’t know that yet”. My dad had little reaction at all, which was perhaps worse. As I got older, things went downhill. In particular, people I dated either wanted my best friend involved too; or they would exclaim that: “I’ve never met a bisexual girl before!”, only

Ashavari Baral Katie Lewis Columnist Sam Saunders

to accuse me of wanting to cheat on them with my best friend further down the line. Bisexual women are more likely to experience abuse, and are often left with little resources catered specifically to them. Unfortunately, I too have experienced this. It can be exhausting. It can feel like you are justifying yourself over and over again, ironing out the percentages of your attraction to people when, in all honesty, it doesn’t matter. There is good news though, my Mam has since assured me that: “As

long as they make you happy, that’s what matters”. My dad still says nothing, but he’s so docile that I don’t think anybody I bring home would worry him. I have since made a lot of friends in the LGBTQ+ community too, which has made me so confident in my identity. There is even solidarity in the simple: “Me too!”, when talking about it with strangers. It doesn’t all happen at once. Remember that your sexuality and gender identity are just that: yours. Have tenderness and warmth for yourself,

always. Take time to ensure that you are happy and comfortable with your own journey, solidify that network as best as you can, because ultimately it’s you that matters. most.

2% of the UK population identified themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual in 2017 Source: ons.gov.uk

How to start applying for graduate jobs

By Mel Lynch

Your advice desk

Your sexuality is YOURS: Source: Kirsty Lee (via Unsplash)

ith 2016/17 delivering a total of 757,300 Higher Education UK graduates into the world of work, the prospect of graduate employment or even beginning your job search can be daunting to say the least. University in many ways is a bubble of security from adult life, but as your graduation is on the horizon it’s time to take your employment prospects by the horns and prepare for getting that all important grad job. Whilst we’ve been conditioned to fear the end of university with brash statistics of student unemployment, increasing rent prices and the ever looming threat of Brexit plastered everywhere, there are definitely ways to tackle your job search both practically and efficiently. After getting in contact with Cardiff University careers advisor Helen Mcnally, one of her top tips for beginning a graduate job search is starting early. Even if you’re unsure about which career path you are keen to pursue, there are countless careers fairs taking place across the year within the university. These fairs provide invaluable opportunities to speak to employers, making vital future contacts and

finding out the different types of jobs and internships available. Often these same employers are also present at panels and skills workshops to aid you with your future applications (all details can be accessed via your Careers Account on the Student Intranet). Helen also tells me that checking the Careers and Employability Jobs Board (via your Careers Account) can be vital to succeeding in your grad job search. Here houses 100’s of employers who are specifically looking for Cardiff University graduates and current students. In my personal experience, I have found the careers account to be a great aid for work experience and internships in my second year, which helped me in finding a crucial summer internship. Another way to start your search is to get online, signing up to the mailing lists of recruitment agencies TargetJobs, Prospects, Grad Jobs and Milkround, enables them to send you regular vacancies that are relevant to the sectors you desire. Additionally, Helen suggests to not limit yourself to solely looking at traditional employer recruitment sites. More and more organisations are taking to social media sites to recruit future workers. Sprucing up

Don’t be stressed: be organised. Source: Ruthson Zimmerman (via Unsplash) your Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter profiles can make you a desirable candidate and opens you up to more digitally advertised opportunities by following the companies that interest you. Lastly, perhaps the most important piece of advice to give is to be proactive, update your CV/ cover letter and spend a bit of time this

week considering what your aspirational career might be and develop a plan of action. As the cliché goes, sometimes it’s not what you know. It’s who you know. Speak to those who you think could help your search, attend networking events and taster days. Once you make that first step that’s often the hardest part over.

CYNGOR

by Katie Lewis

Breaking up with someone: the kindest and the rudest ways

son to simply say that you don’t feel the way you used to, for that part is true. But to save their emotions even more, avoid telling them about every annoying habit they’ve ever had. Kindness is always the

uring your time at university, you’re likely to date; whether its enjoying a short-term fling or entering a committed long-term relationship. Dating welcomes lots of opportunities- someone you meet in first year could be ‘the one’, or the girl you’ve been friend zoning could potentially be your soul mate. But if it all turns sour, inevitably it will come to an end, and this can be done in various ways. According to a study by Nationwide, the average relationship in your twenties lasts just over four years, which means there’s a chance that uni couples won’t last in the long run. If you’ve actively tried to fix your relationship, and things don’t get any better, you might be tempted to end it. Ideally, the best way to break up with someone is to meet up with your partner face to face, and it would be over after a heartto-heart and a few tears. Some of the more unconventional

You could use a tried and tested line like ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ ways to break off a casual relationship are not so kind to both you and the other person involved. Ghosting, in the early stages of dating, is fairly common and is usually the

20%

of British students in fact ‘meet the loves of their life on campus’ Source: ons.gov.uk

If it’s time to have ‘the talk’: how will you do it? Source: rawpixel (via Unsplash)

result of no longer being interested in the person. For example, when they callyou let it go to voicemail, when they text you- you don’t reply. It sounds cruel, because it can be just that. It doesn’t give the chance for an explanation about why or how your feelings towards someone have changed, but for casual flings, it is sadly a commonplace behaviour among students. In a committed relationship, ghost-

ing is a pretty unacceptable method of breaking up with someone. Whilst you may have tried to break up with them amicably, and they refuse or try to change your mind, ghosting is not an option. By avoiding them both in the real world and online, this leaves your partner in confusion, and doesn’t treat them with the respect they deserve. Don’t forget that you loved them once, they deserve more than unanswered

calls and being blocked on social media. Instead, a kind but explanatory conversation can help give both of you closure and allow the other person to ask any questions they need. Another situation you could find yourself in, is that you might want to break up with your partner, but you don’t want to hurt their feelings. Whilst lying is a pretty terrible thing to do, sometimes it is kinder to the other per-

best way, and whilst you may have some anger or resentment towards them if your relationship turned sour, you must still remember they are a person with as many feelings as you. By criticising their character, you’ll create more pain than is acceptable. Remember that it’s important to take their feelings into account. For longterm partners, it is only fair to have an honest conversation with them about why the relationship is breaking down. For a casual fling you’ve only met up with once, ghosting isn’t ideal but it may be a quick solution to phasing them out fo your life. As always, a simple explanation is better than none, even if it’s “I don’t have time t be dating at the moment”. Ending a relationship on good terms means there’s no awkwardness when you bump into them in Cathays.

Why you should go vegan By Iona Middleton

ay in and day out we are bombarded with new and different reasons to become vegan and there definitely are numerous motives for doing so. With the recent shocking announcement that we have just twelve years to limit climate change, we are now seeing more people than ever ‘convert’ to veganism. Animal agriculture produces an enormous amount of greenhouse gas emissions and uses gigantic volumes of water, therefore causing a lot of pollution. Another reason people may consider becoming vegan, and a big reason that changed my mind, is animal welfare. Often animals are treated inhumanely and cruelly. Alternatively, you may want to be vegan just because it is healthier for you. Various studies have shown that vegan diets can result in lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Eating meat doesn’t seem so appealing when you realise it is just animal flesh. Becoming vegan isn’t necessarily easy by any means, I know that I

Help yourself and help the planet

still find myself looking at a chocolate bar in the shop lovingly. It is also very important that you continue to eat a balanced diet and get the nutrients that you may usually get from dairy or meat elsewhere. Luckily, there are lots of recipes and tips to help anyone considering a vegan lifestyle. My guidance to converting would be starting slowly. A great idea is having one vegan meal a day or ‘Meat-Free Monday’ once a week. This will introduce you to meals and help you to see what you need to eat a healthy diet still. Start slowly by cutting out the red meat, then all meat and fish, followed by eggs and dairy. Take your time to find substitutes that you like and enjoy eating. To make sure you’re getting enough protein a good substitute are beans and lentils. Each average cooked cup contains about 10-20 grams of protein. Nuts and seeds are very versatile and an easy snack too, they contain antioxidants and are a great source of iron and fibre. Most importantly I think is to make dishes with fruit and vegetables. They are

really versatile and easy to cook. Whether you just cut down on your meat consumption or become a fully-fledged vegan, every little helps- both the planet and your health.

25% of millennials identified as either vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian in 2017. Is veganism the answer? Help yourself and the environment. Source: rawpixel (via Unsplash)

Source: vegansociety.com

COLUMN

Saunders’ Corner Sam Saunders

Giving and Receiving Advice

How to be certain you should help...

Pictured: Advice can be a difficult thing to give at the best of times

’ve reflected over the past week that we talk a lot about advice in this section. Now that may sound like I’m stating the bloody obvious, but stick with me for a minute. What I mean by that is that all of our articles are about different topics that people may seek advice on, from STDs and STIs to housing and relationships, but there’s one topic I feel we’ve neglected, as I’ve certainly never seen nor read an advice article on this topic. What I’m talking about is an article that deals with when you should and shouldn’t give and receive advice. Myself and the two other advice editors are in a bit of a pinch, as we signed up to give advice almost every week, so it makes sense that we would feel in an altruistic, advice-giving position. Our advice is also, due to the fact that it’s either read in a newspaper or online, slightly impersonal, as there’s a barrier between the giver (me, in this situation) and you, who is reading the words I’m currently writing. In my experience, it can be very difficult to know when the situation calls for you to give some sage words to someone, and when it’s best to keep it to yourself. It’s equally as difficult to know when to follow the advice that someone has offered you. That’s the subject of this week’s column and hopefully it’ll give you some pointers when reading the rest of the section as well. As I said, it can be quite difficult

to know when someone (especially if they’re close to you) would benefit from your advice and when it’s not really welcome. One situation that’s easy to navigate is when being directly asked for

In my experience, it can be very difficult to know when the situation calls for you to give some sage words to someone, and when it’s best to keep it to yourself

your advice. It’s obviously going to be welcome here, and they think you’re knowledgeable enough to fulfill their request. If they directly asked you; there’s an implication of suitability there in my opinion. I’d say that one of the key pieces of advice I’d give on this subject is that you should make sure you have enough of a knowledge or understanding to give someone your opinion on their situation. Drawing from my personal experience, I couldn’t really speak about

the positives and negatives of getting a tattoo, for example, because I’ve never had one done. Also, all of the column topics I’ve written about so far have been things I’ve got personal experience dealing with, such as planning for a year abroad, being on a sports club committee and mental health at university. I couldn’t really have written a (hopefully) well-thought out and useful column if I hadn’t had problems with my mental health whilst studying. Therefore, I’d apply this to your life as well, don’t just give bad advice out willy-nilly. Make sure that you’re going to give someone good advice, or at least qualify that you don’t have a great grasp of what you’re talking about. It is a much more difficult thing to know when your advice will be welcomed, so I’ll try and give a few tips on how I would judge it. First and foremost, make sure the person you want to give advice to is someone you’re close to, be that a friend, partner or work colleague. They’re more likely to respect your opinion and be thankful for the offer, even if it doesn’t end up being followed. Furthermore, if it’s a problem you can relate to, and share your personal experiences in dealing with it (rather than those of someone else) this will also probably be for the best. This way you might end up provoking a

Image Credits (clockwise from left): gato-gato-gato, Jo Christian Oterhals & Tom Parnell via Flickr

discussion with the person instead of them shutting you out completely. Now we’ll discuss receiving advice and whether or not to follow it. I’m sure we’re all familiar with the internal dilemma when you’ve received advice. Namely struggling to decide whether the situation will work out better if you follow the course of action advocated by someone else or stick to your own. I’d say that the situation could be similar to that of giving advice. If the

Obviously you’ve got to make your own mistakes in order to learn from them and grow as a person, but it’s healthy to learn from other people as well person who advised you is close to you, has your trust, is experienced and knows you well, then it’s probably worth some serious consideration. Obviously you’ve got to make your own mistakes in order to learn from them and grow as a person, but it’s

healthy to learn from other people at the same time as well. There are certain times in my life, mostly when I’ve sat exams or tried to ask a girl out, in which I wish I followed advice that I’d been given a bit more closely than I did. Putting more effort into my exams in school and playing fewer video games would have been a better use of my GCSE summer than the opposite of that. That advice came from my parents, and I can only wish that I followed it but heyho, you live and learn in this world. However, no matter how much of trust the person and value their opinion, I feel that it’s natural human instinct to favour your own idea, even if it’s just a little bit, as no-one likes to be proved wrong. I think that if you really feel that the course of action you’ve selected is best for you, and you’ve got advice from several different sources, then maybe it’s best to follow that, as long as you’re not going to seriously harm yourself in some way. The advice in these pages, is of course, for all of our readers, and as it’s edited material, you can be sure that it will be presented in a fair and responsible way, that doesn’t encourage harmful behaviour. That’s it from me this week everyone, I hope that you found this useful, and will make you reflective the next time you think about giving advice and/or following the advice someone has given you.

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18:00 THURSDAY 22ND NOVEMBER THE GREAT HALL, 1ST FLOOR

GWYDDONIAETH

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Memory after sleep determined by brain waves Study shows why our ability to recall is limited

Pictured: Brain signal patters are crucial in understanding memory. Source: NICHD (Via Flickr)

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

SCIENCE

by Jonathan Learmont

Your science desk Danny Brown Jonathan Learmont

hen the discovery of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep was published in 1953, it threw off the perception that sleep was exclusively associated with lower levels of brain activity. This is because when REM sleep occurs, the observed brain waves in people sleeping are similar to when they are awake. This state is associated with vivid dreaming, and despite a lack of consensus on its function, may give credence to a theory about why we sleep in the first place: replaying memories in our minds in this way was an evolutionary advantage. Subsequent research has indeed shown that sufficient sleep is associated with a greater ability to recall what was memorised the previous day relative to those who did not sleep enough. But the reasons why

by Danny Brown

ince late 2015, 195 countries and the European Union signed what’s known as the Paris Climate Agreement, promising that they will curb their greenhouse gas emissions. The main goal of this promise is to prevent the global average temperature from rising more than two degrees celcius above preindustrial levels, and aim to prevent a rise of one and a half degrees. China, the United States and the

certain information is able to be remembered after sleep but some not at all was not well understood.

Research has shown that sufficient sleep is associated with better memory A study conducted by researchers at Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Bonn in Germany has sought to unravel this mystery. By using a sample of epilepsy patients, who already had electrodes implanted into their skulls, they were able to gather specific information on their brain wave patterns to reveal how

activities were remembered. Participants were given a set of pictures to memorise and had their high frequency brain wave fluctuations, referred to as gamma band activity, examined that were associated with each image when looked at. They recorded information on both the superficial and deep processing of the image in the brain, with superficial activity recorded in the first half a second after looking at the image, and deep processing the remainder of the time. Using these recorded fluctuations, the scientists could spot the gamma band patterns recurring when subjects slept. Most interestingly, these patterns appeared even when the individual could not recall the memory after napping, suggesting simply replaying the memory won’t ensure it is remembered. Dr Hui Zhang, from

the Department of Neuropsychology in Bochum, said “The forgotten images do not simply disappear from the brain”. Researchers found that being able to recall after sleep was contingent on the involvement of the hippocampus. A region of the brain known to be important for memory, it displayed extremely rapid fluctuations in activity called ‘ripples’ concurrently when deeply processed memories were replayed during certain sleep phases. This relationship was not found when participants were awake. Perhaps these revelations into how our brain memorises during sleep can bring us closer to understanding the origins of sleep. But more likely, it will have serious implications for subsequent therapies and treatments designed to remedy all kinds of memory disorders.

Update on the IPCC promises

EU are the largest greenhouse gas emitters, with their sum total emisions resulting in over 40% of the total greenhouse gasses emitted in 2012. The Paris agreement has been revised several times since its issuing. The latest revision was only a few weeks ago, covered in depth in an earlier issue of Gair Rhydd. Government policy is well known to take a while to process and come into effect. However, it’s been three

years since the Paris agreement and only 16 countries have made commitments ambitious enough to keep them in line with their promises. Dr Michal Nachmany, from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment , commented “We have 12 years to get our act together, and in order to do that you really need to know what you are going to be doing in the next six months, in the next two years, in the next 12 years.”

“We have 12 years to get our act together, and in order to do that you really need to know what you are going to be doing”

GWYDDONIAETH 25

“Phantom” fossil is missing link between dinosaurs and birds

by Milo Moran

Astronomers witness slow death of nearby galaxy

t might not be as famous as the Tyrannosaurus Rex or Triceratops, but the Archaeopteryx is an incredibly important dinosaur; the missing link which proves that birds evolved from dinosaurs. About the size of a raven, the Archaeopteryx flew from tree to tree in short hops. It likely had black feathers for camouflage as it hunted at night. When the Archaeopteryx was identified in the 1860s, it was instantly leapt on as evidence for Darwin’s theory of evolution; having wings and feathers like a bird, but teeth rather than a beak like most modern birds.

Source: European Southern Observatory (via Flickr)

by Kammy Bogue

Wings and feathers like a bird, but teeth rather than a beak Scientists in Slovakia have been analysing a new fossil, which may provide further proof of this link. The fossil was discovered in the 1990s in Germany, but entered the hands of a private collector which meant no scientists could examine it. Because of this it was nicknamed “the phantom”. However in 2009 it was bought by the paleontologist Raimund Albersdörfer, and has now been obtained by the Bavarian State Collection of Paleontology and Geology in Munich.

Uncovered: Fossil sheds new light on the origin of birds. Source: Denise Chan (via Flickr)

The “phantom” fossil is groundbreaking. It has been squashed and encased in rock, and it only consists of the skull, shoulders, and left wing, but nevertheless it provides new insights into the evolution of birds. Xrays allow the scientists to examine it in detail: “We can see every preserved bone,” said lead scientist Martin Kundrát. “Not only that, we can see these bones from inside.” The bones of the new Archaeopteryx fossil are hollow. This is a trait modern birds have, to

make them lighter, but previous Archaeopteryx fossils have not shown this trait, and neither did most dinosaurs. For years, the Archaeopteryx was thought to be the definitive link between dinosaurs and birds, until a 2011 study compared it to fossils of other dino-birds from China. This study concluded that the Archaeopteryx was a dinosaur, not a bird. However, the hollow bones of the “phantom” fossil show that the Ar-

chaeopteryx may in fact be the missing link after all. Kundrát’s team have determined the fossil to be a new species of dinosaur: Archaeopteryx albersdoerferi. Discoveries like this allow us to build more accurate family trees, showing us how different species evolved into the creatures that live today. This can teach us more about the environment we live in, but there is still a lot to learn, as the fossil record is often thin on the ground.

Scientists develop lie detector test for written text System developed by Cardiff University used for robbery reports

by Eduardo Karas

hile the idea of a lie detector test has existed for a long time in the public consciouness, it was largely limited to the image of police interrogations and heartbeat monitoring. However, reseachers from Cardiff University and the Charles III

University of Madrid have developed a very different kind of lie detector. With the use of machine learning and language processing, they created a model designed to identify false robbery reports, which is already being used by the Spanish National Police. The system, called VeriPol, was

Caught: Machine learning system used by police can identify common language patterns. Source: MaxPixel

trained with over 1000 reports from 2015, identifying the elements that were more likely to appear in truthful and false statements. It then produced a probability of the given report to be fabricated, based on their use of emotional language, focus on the object rather than how the robbery happened, and lack of other witnesses or doctors. To ensure the software was functioning as intended, it compared to two experts in identyfiying such documents from the Spanish Police. The machine was 17% more accurate in relation to the two officers. After that, a trial study was done in conjuction with the local police of two Spanish urban areas, Murcia and Malága. The research team and specialists from the national force installed VeriPol in local departments and its force was instructed on how to use it. New reports were run through the system, which then assigned high priority to the statements that were more likely to be false and the local force would then interrogate the suspects. This method was succesful, with 83% of the cases being closed as a result. Due to its successful pilot run, VeriPol

The tendency is for it to become more and more useful is now being used by the Spanish National Police. While it is still a new tool, the tendency is for it to become more and more useful as officers become more used to it. As well as possibly deterring new false reports to be filled in the first place, as they will be more and more likely to be identified. In this context, it is important to note that this software is the first of its kind to be adopted on this scale, being a hallmark for both the Spanish Police and the universities involved with its research. Moreover, this also shows that lie detection for text is still a very new development, being very far from the impact of its interrogation focused cousin.

he large majority of galaxies in our universe are believed to be not much at all like our own Milky Way, a big spiral galaxy, but instead much smaller objects, known as dwarf galaxies. Their behaviour is usually influenced by larger galaxies that surround them, though they outnumber these larger bodies. In fact, out of the over 30 galaxies that are considered to be part of our local group, there are only two others that are of a similar scale to the Milky Way; the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies. Given that these dwarf galaxies make up so much of our universe, we are particularly keen to know more about them, but this is not an easy task. Generally, in astronomy, we are restricted in our observations to objects which are relatively bright that have reasonably strong emission in some part of the electromagnetic spectrum with the only exception being gravitational waves. This problem is certainly present for dwarf galaxies, which are not exceptionally luminous, and so we are only able to observe dwarf galaxies that are relatively close. Another consistent issue that astronomers face is the length of time over which the events we want to study take place. This is especially true in the case of galactic evolution; a true insight into how galaxies evolve has continually eluded the scientific community and is a hotly debated area of research. That is why one special dwarf galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), is an exciting topic at the moment. A peer reviewed study recently published by astronomers from The Australian National University (ANU) and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has been able to view this dwarf galaxy in much more detail than ever before, with some very intriguing results. The SMC is one of two irregular galaxies that interact with the Milky Way, and new observations suggest that its lifetime is currently coming to a close. The new radio images, which provide detail three times finer than the previous images, show evidence of a strong outflow of Hydrogen from the dwarf galaxy. Hydrogen is of course the most abundant element in the universe and is also the key ingredient for forming a star. When the SMC has lost enough gas it will be unable to form any more stars, which is a point of no return for galaxies; it’s ‘death’. For dwarf galaxies it usually means being consumed by their larger neighbours.

TUESDAY 6TH NOVEMBER

FRIDAY 9TH NOVEMBER

Join us for a cuppa! 11:00-13:00, The Orange Room, just along from the IV Lounge, Heath Park Campus

Carers’ Wales Workshop (open to students & staff) 10:00-13:00, Y Plas, 2nd floor, Students’ Union

Information Stall 14:00-17:00, Food Court 2nd floor, Students’ Union

SATURDAY 10TH NOVEMBER

WEDNESDAY 7TH NOVEMBER

Student Staff Network Q&A, 12:00-14:00, The Orange Room, just along from the IV Lounge Heath Park Campus THURSDAY 8TH NOVEMBER

University Carers’ Café 12:00-14:00, VJ Gallery, Main Building

Information Stall 13:00-15:00, Food Court 2nd floor, Students’ Union

Cambridge Day Trip 08:00-21:00, Meet at the Students’ Union on Senghennydd Road

SUNDAY 11TH NOVEMBER

Student Family Day 12:30-15:30, Y Stiwdio 2 1st floor, Students’ Union

FIVE MINUTE FUN Last week’s solutions 9

1 5 7 6 3

3 4 6 5 8

8 3 1 7 4

9 2

Sudoku 2

5 9

4 2 3 8 6

9 7 4 2 5

5 6 2 9 7

6 9 8 3 1

Pick up the next issue for more Five Minute Fun! Tweet us @gairrhydd to let us know if you have got it all right.

Niner Prick, chop, Thor LECTURING

Quiz 1. Jamie Lee Curtis 2. Liam, Chris and Luke 3. Canada 4. Lightsabers 5. The Mount Stuart 6. Scotland

Your five minute fun desk

WELSH WORD OF THE WEEK

Maria Mellor

SMWDDIO ŵ IRONING

puzzles@gairrhydd.com

FEEL UNSAFE AND HAVEN’T GOT THE CASH TO GET HOME? SIMPLY FOLLOW THESE STEPS... ➊ Call Dragon Taxis on 029 20 333 333 quoting ‘Cardiff University Safe Taxi Scheme’, giving your name and student number

➋ When the taxi arrives, give your

student card to the driver to check your booking details

➌ When you get home, you’ll be given a receipt card detailing the fare

➍ Within the next few days,

visit the Finance Office at the Students’ Union and pay the res price of your taxi fare pe

➎ Access to University services

will be blocked if the taxi fare is not paid. FE

Home please!

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SPORT

Sporting Greats: Hamilton wins fifth F1 title

Lewis Hamilton becomes the joint-second most decorated Formula One driver of all time by Jack Vavasour

ast weekend Lewis Hamilton won his fifth Formula 1 title. This confirmed his place as a true great of Formula 1, surpassing rival Sebastian Vettel’s impressive tally of four titles. Hamilton kicks off a new series by Gair Rhydd which will discuss Britain’s greatest athletes of all time. Hamilton won his first title when he was only 23 years old. He had to wait six years before he tasted championship glory again. This hiatus from victory was dominated by Sebastian Vettel driving in the dominant Red Bull car. Seventeen drivers have won one championship and never won again. Hamilton also had the longest break between his first and second championship out of any driver to have won more than one title, tied with fellow Brit, Graham Hill. Hamilton was also the youngest champion ever, a record now shared with Vettel. Hamilton changed teams prior to the 2013 season. His new

team, Mercedes, began to flourish a season after signing Hamilton. This was due to significant changes in the rulings with regards to cars. Mercedes ap-

Hamilton’s achievement is made all the more impressive when considering the dedication and energy that goes in to a championship winning season. peared to have welcomed these changes and produced a faster car than any other team. They also possessed two very talented drivers, Hamilton and teammate Nico Rosberg. Along with a powerful car and their pure talent Mercedes are yet to lose the title since the 2014

season with Hamilton claiming four and Rosberg taking the other. Rosberg decided to retire after he won the championship as it drained too much from him and he had to give his whole life just to win once. Hamilton has won five times and still appears as determined as ever. The 33-year-old is fortunate due to his wonderful natural ability, however, we cannot take anything away from this outstanding athlete. Hamilton has been exceptional in all weather conditions and has dominated in the rain throughout his career. Most drivers struggle in the rain, yet Hamilton is fearless in his drive for victory. Hamilton must now have his eyes on Michael Schumacher’s unbeaten record of seven Formula 1 championships. This is certainly going to be difficult, yet if Hamilton can find the desire to keep out Vettel and other promising racers for a few more seasons, then the sky is the

limit. Hamilton appears to be in the greatest shape of his life and shows no signs of weakening or slowing down.

The British driver should be considered as not only one of the greatest British athletes of all time but one of the greatest the world has ever seen. Many would argue that drivers aren’t athletes as such, yet when you discover how much training and hard work goes into just winning one race, then you realise that these men are definitely athletes, and Hamilton is one of a kind.

Hamilton: He earns £40m a year (Ross via flickr)

Australian Open winner Wozniacki reveals rheumatoid arthritis battle

by Rosie Foley

aroline Wozniacki spoke out last week after defeat in the WTA Final in Singapore about suffering with rheumatoid arthritis. 2018 has been a year of highs and lows for Caroline Wozniacki. At the beginning of the year the 28-year-old became the Australian Open winner, claiming her first Grand Slam title. Also, holding No.1 ranking for a brief period. However, in the latter end of the year she learned of a long-term health condition which could affect the rest of her career. Wozniacki was first diagnosed with the condition at the end of summer, before the US Open. When she first found out about her illness she was ‘shocked’ that she had been able to play through it. Wozniacki said that she felt unwell after Wimbledon before waking up in August unable to lift her arms and had to deal with the condition daily.

“I have an autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis, which goes in and attacks your joints,” said the 28-yearold. “In the beginning it was just shock. You feel like you’re the fittest athlete out there, or that’s in my head, that’s what I’m known for, and all of a sudden you have this to work with.” Rheumatoid arthritis as NHS UK states ‘is a longterm condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints.’ With the symptoms usually affecting the ‘hands, feet and wrists’, all essential joints for a tennis player. There is no cure for it but if caught early, treatment enables people ‘to have periods of months or even years’ between bouts of it. The WTA Singapore Final saw Wozniacki fall to defending champion Elina Svitolina, finishing her 2018 season. Wozniacki was very happy with her demeanour throughout the competitive

year. After finding out this information she still went on to win the Bejing Open, three weeks ago. This win boosted her confidence. “I’m very proud of how I have been so positive through it all and just kind of tried to not let that hinder me.” “Winning in Bejing was huge. It also gave me the belief that nothing is going to set me back.” Wozniacki took a few months to reveal her condition because she did not want it to be viewed as a weakness by her competitors. “I didn’t want to talk about it during the year because I don’t want to give anyone the edge, thinking I’m not feeling well.” After the Singapore final she spoke about how it has affected her daily life from not being able to leave bed to some days being completely normal. However, she commented on how she has dealt

with it and ‘deal with it and live with it’. “Some days you wake up and you can’t get out of bed, but other days you live and you’re fine. You don’t even feel like you have it.” “You find a plan, figure out what to do, you do your research, and thankfully there are great things now that you can do about it.” Wozniacki is very positive about her condition, as the treatment for it has improved. The main treatment for it is medication taken in the long-term, with supportive treatments like physiotherapy. “The medicine now is so amazing so I’m not worried about it. You just have to be aware.” “I’m going to work with this and this is how it is, and I can do anything.” Wozniaki knows that this condition is a ‘lifetime thing’ and will now spend her offseason planning on how to deal with the illness.

Wozniacki: The Danish tennis player in action on court

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

Captain Kear following in classmates’ footsteps

Tough times ahead for Blues by Sion Ford

unday’s game against Zebre was a meaningful one for the Blues in terms of furthering their league campaign, but it held a higher importance as it saw the curtain drop on the career of one of Welsh rugby’s greatest sons. Gethin Jenkins announced last week that he would be retiring after Sunday, following a frustrating battle with a knee injury. Having racked up 195 appearances - second on the all-time list only to his former front-row colleague, Taufa’ao Filise - his importance to the Blues cannot be understated. Becoming a noted figure and favourite among coaches for his athleticism in the loose, and his trademark ability to win a turnover on the deck, he changed what it meant to be a prop forward; a revolutionary of the game. Some might have argued that this was at the cost of his scrummaging ability, but then people don’t fall in love with sport for its rigidity and definitions. It’s because of players like Jenkins, who challenge expectations, that we’re drawn to it. He has been an ever-present for the Blues, joining after the Pontypriddbased Celtic Warriors folded in the early days of regional rugby, back in 2004. Few and far between are the players that are still around from those days. My first stand-out memory of Gethin Jenkins is the charge down on Ronan O’Gara at the Millennium Stadium in 2005, bursting past the stunned Irishman to dot down and seal a famous win. A win that heralded the day that Welsh rugby tasted success after a long, long time in the dark. Jenkins was there when the Blues won their first trophy, the 2008-2009 AngloWelsh Cup, but it is the 2009-2010 Challenge Cup final that will hold the sweetest memories. After having beaten Newcastle Falcons and Wasps away in the knockout stages, a final in the Stade Velodrome in Marseille against Toulon awaited them. In a game in which few gave the Blues a chance, it was the Welshmen who ran out 28-21 winners, earning themselves the mantle of the first Welsh team to win any European trophy in the process. Though he was denied a role in the club’s recent success in the same competition through injury, Jenkins’ influence on the region has been clear, and it is set to continue. Confirmed in the announcement of his retirement, Jenkins will take up a role in the Cardiff Blues academy. To have that kind of experience on staff is something invaluable, and the fact that the Blues have a dearth of front-row talent coming through augurs well for the future. For the man known as ‘Melon’, it is with a great sense of satisfaction that he can look back on a career that saw him win 129 caps for Wales, five caps for the Lions, four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams, two Challenge Cup titles, and one Champions Cup. One of the quieter figures in rugby by all accounts, his achievements speak for themselves and he will be sorely missed. Sunday’s farewell for Gethin will be an emotional occassion for all at the club as well as Gethin and his family. What can be assured is that he will live long in the memory for Blues and Wales supporters. Diolch, Gethin.

CHWARAEON

Cardiff ‘s high school has produced the finest Welsh sporting quality by John Jones

hen Elliot Kear led the Welsh team out for the first time to face France last Saturday, it must have felt like a dream come true. Educated at the prestigious Whitchurch High School, Kear was seemingly always destined for international sporting success. After all, the school boasts two other international captains, in the shape of former Wales and Lions skipper Sam Warburton, and cult hero and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, amongst its alumni. This is made all the more impressive when you acknowledge that Kear, Bale and Warburton were all in the same school year, with current Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas a couple of years above. Building upon his sporting education at WHS, Kear represented Cardiff Counties in rugby union throughout his teenage years, before making the switch to rugby league. Whilst his then-relatively short stature had held him back playing alongside the giants of union, Kear found himself excelling in the fastpaced environment of the league game, and has since gone on to have a somewhat interesting career. Whilst playing for Cardiff Demons’ youth side, Kear was scouted

With Scotland and Ireland to face in the coming weeks, Wales certainly have work to do if they wish to successfully defend their title. by then-Celtic Crusaders coach John Dixon, and, after moving up through the club’s academy, made his first team Super League debut against Leeds Rhinos in 2009. After a man of the match performance, and three years at the Crusaders, Kear was a man in demand, and signed for Bradford Bulls in 2012 after his former club disbanded, before making the surprise decision to cross codes and represent London Welsh for one season in the Aviva Premiership two years later. Ultimately, the Welshman arrived at London Broncos in 2015, and quickly established himself as the starting fullback at the club. Across 101 appearances for the club, Kear has scored 32 tries, and, earlier this month, helped his team to a shock 4-2 victory over the To-

OLD SCHOOL: Kear’s early years were spent at Whitchurch High School (via Wikimedia commons) ronto Wolfpack in the final ever Million Pound Game, to catapult them back into the Super League. This was not the only positive development in Kear’s career this autumn as, with 24 caps for his country, he was handed the Wales captaincy, after Craig Kopczak retired from Test rugby earlier in the year. In his first game as captain, Kear was tasked with leading his team to victory over France in their opening fixture in the European Championships. Having been brushed aside by England in a 44-6 demolition ten days earlier, Aurélien Cologni’s men had a serious point to prove, and showed this by dominating the early stages, racing into a 14-0 lead in as many minutes. Sloppy passing and a lack of discipline in defence were Wales’ undoing in the first half, as Paul Marcon sped down the wing to cross for his second try, before Bastien Ader burst through the Welsh line to make it 260. Whilst Wales were down, however, they were certainly not out, and launched a period of sustained pressure upon the French defence, which ultimately saw Josh Ralph snake his way through to cross. There was also some delight for Kear himself, as a period of neat passing left him in space to score, with the subsequent conversion reducing the deficit to 14 points at the break. However, the Dragons could not carry this momentum into the second half, as their young defence were exploited by searching kicks from Marcon and co., and France notched up their fifth, sixth and seventh tries to race into a 30-point lead. Whilst some smart substitutions helped kept the French at bay mo-

mentarily, after James Olds grabbed a consolation debut try, the home side scored twice more in the closing minutes, running out as 54-18 winners.

2018 Cardiff’s sporting year Cardiff City

Promoted to the Premier League

Cardiff Blues European Challenge Cup Winners

Nevertheless, Welsh coach John Kear – no relation to Elliot – recognises that the majority of his team are still young and in development, and is confident they can bounce back with a win. Whilst Kear may have suffered a crushing defeat on his first outing as captain, his promotion has continued Whitchurch High School’s tradition of producing elite sporting talent – a tradition that Welsh sport fans will hope to see continue for years to come.

Cardiff Devils Elite League and Playoff Champions

Geraint Thomas

Tour de France winner

SPORT

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/sport

Time for Perspective

One to Watch: Ethan Ampadu

by Reece Chambers

fter the weekend’s horrific events thatin Leicester, footballing matters have really taken a backward seat. However, for as many tributes that have been paid by global media and by our back page article, the show must go on. Cardiff City host Leicester City on Saturday in what will be an incredibly emotional fixture for all involved. There’s little that can be said to the Leicester City players, staff and fans to console them in such a time of tragedy. However, I’m sure that the Bluebirds will pay tribute to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and the four other victims in as respectable and sincere a way as other clubs and fans have done. Admist all of the weekend’s storylines from the King Power Stadium, Neil Warnock took his side to Anfield and became the first side to score there in the Premier League since February. Callum Paterson’s toe-flick from five yards out went under the £65million Alisson Becker to give the Bluebirds something to bring back to the Welsh capital. Indeed, a single goal in a 4-1 defeat isn’t what Cardiff travelled north for, but it’s something to build on. After 10 games in the Premier League – playing all of the current top six in that run – Warnock’s side remain out of the relegation zone with five points on the board. That, in my book, is a successful opening 10 games for Warnock’s side. Maybe the fact that Cardiff, a side who have only won one game this season, are outside of the relegation zone is a signifier of how competitive the relegation battle will be this season. However, the start that Cardiff have endured facing Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs, means that they now face a more favourable set of fixtures. Now, the Bluebirds now face a very different phase in their season. Consecutive home fixtures against Leicester and Brighton will be followed by an away trip to face Everton. In what is a much kinder set of fixtures, Warnock’s side must get a good return in order to remove the worries of getting cut away in the relegation battle. If the Bluebirds want to be a successful side, they must get good results at home. Against the likes of Leicester and Brighton, Warnock’s men have a real chance of getting results. The return of Aron Gunnarsson against Fulham was a welcome addition to a midfield that needed an element of solidity and composure. If he can return to full match fitness for the next set of fixtures, then Warnock will surely be confident of improved performances. What the Bluebirds must do that they haven’t yet done this season is to make the Cardiff City Stadium a fortress - a difficult place for visiting teams to come. Fans must get behind the team in the coming fixtures in order to get the results that Neil Warnock’s side so dearly need in order to avoid relegation to the Championship.

Chelsea and Wales youngster Ethan Ampadu is one for the future by George Willoughby

t goes without saying that it is a very exciting time for Wales' national football side. A plethora of young talent has been selected by manager Ryan Giggs, and the future is looking extremely bright not only for Wales, but for the talented individuals themselves. One player in particular who has stood out is 18-year old defender Ethan Ampadu. Ampadu is a product of the Exeter City academy, and his consistently impressive performances at such a young age attracted attention across England's footballing pyramid. Then, after making his debut at just 15, the Premier League giants came calling. Chelsea acquired the services of the highly-touted youngster and

Stamford Bridge is where he still plays his football today. Some great news for the defender was that he has been included in Wales' 22-man squad. This came as no surprise to Wales fans given the fact that he featured in both the win over Ireland and the defeat to Denmark. The two games played out very differently, but even so, Ampadu showed an abundance of maturity and class in each match. What is even more impressive is that Ampadu has been asked to play in a defensive-midfielder role for his country. Known for being a centre-half, the 18-year old has showed great versatility to competently operate in-front of the back four as well as being a part of

it. The main question now regarding Amapdu's development as a player is game time. Currently at Chelsea, he made his Premier League debut last season coming on as a second-half substitute. Since then, cup football has been the only opportunity to see him in action. Regular stints in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Checkatrade Trophy has showcased his ability, yet he remains a squad player. Looking at the Chelsea team, surpassing David Luiz or Antonio Rüdiger for a starting spot is a very difficult task at this point, even more so considering the unbeaten start Maurizio Sarri's men have made. As well, the midfield seems unchangeable with N'golo Kanté and Jorginho forming a formidable partner-

ship which as a result, eliminates the possibility of Ampadu being selected as a holding midfielder. The talent is there, and Ryan Giggs has acknowledged this in his decision to pick the youngster. It looks for sure like international football for Wales will be the best place for Ethan Ampadu to shine, as it will be the rare chance that he can test himself against high-quality opposition in a challenging environment. Standing out in cup competitions will only get Ethan Ampadu so far. He needs to be performing on the biggest stage possible to enhance the probability of him being chosen in Chelsea's first-team. This way, the pressure will be on Sarri to include the 18-year old in his plans.

Women's European Hockey to Have New League A new EHL Women's league set to launch in Europe.

by Rosie Foley

uropean Hockey is in touch for a big change with the EHL Women’s league being introduced. It will raise the game for club hockey in Europe, giving the players a goal to aim for in the short term. Previously, female hockey players only had long term competitions to prepare for; European championships, World cup and the Olympics.

In addition, Kate Richarson-Walsh took to twitter promoting the need for equality in the hockey leagues, saying "It’s taken 12 years to catch up with the men and finally we can show that we’re #EquallyAmazing". The new EHL Women’s League will see eight women’s teams compete at FINAL8 in conjunction with the EHL Men’s FINAL8 team to see who will become EHL Champions and lift the trophy.

With EHL saying that the whole competition will be able to be viewed by all. Germany captain Janne Müller-Wieland praised the EHL for implementing this new league creation with such coverage. “Full TV production, video referral, equal prize money, what’s not to like. The EHL have done a great job for taking European club hockey to the next level.”

Events for women in Europe started in 1947 with the introduction of Club Champions Cup. With a surge in demand for events, the EuroHockey Club Champions Cup saw the competition revamped in 2010 by introducing five divisions and allowing up to 40 clubs to compete from all over Europe. This event turned into the EHCC in 2014, where the best eight clubs in Europe played each other in a knockout competition with a pyramid system allowing promotion or relegation from the top division. The EHL has always wanted to make the women’s game equal to the men’s. “Our drive towards EHL Women has always been on the agenda so that we could present equally amazing women’s players with the same razzmatazz as EHL Men.”

Exciting times for Women's hockey: fourthandfifteen via Flickr

The performances that the women athletes have been producing recently have allowed hockey to get a bigger platform in the sporting sphere. Qualification for the EHL Women will run in a similar manner to previously, the top two nations (German and Holland) on the EHL rankings table will earn two places for their top two clubs, leaving the remaining six nations, Spain, England, Belarus, Ireland, Russia and Czech Republic, only having one entry. Alongside this, the EHL are going to introduce an EHL U14 Girls competition that will run alongside the boy’s tournament too. Their aim is to run all four tournaments on one big EHL weekend. However, this may see UK players move to clubs abroad so that they can get the platform they need to showcase their talents. As to what impact this will have on domestic hockey in the UK is unclear. So, despite the future of European Women’s hockey seemingly looking extremely bright, the fate of UK hockey could be on rocky water.

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

BUCS Highlights

CHWARAEON

Best of Social Media

A round-up of Cardiff University’s sporting action from the latest BUCS Wednesday of the season

fter a slow start to the BUCS season, an 0-2 women’s team travelled to Bath who equally have had their struggles also starting out winless after the first two games of the season. With aspirations to turn the season around the women’s team had a point to prove and did so very early! Sharpshooter Susann Fuhrmann opened the scoring from three point territory and the team never looked back. Taking advantage of the defensive pressure from captain Lydia Goodwin and starting point guard Maisie Ryan, the team opened the game on a massive 20-0 run with 7 different players contributing to the 1st quarter points on the offensive end. A strong start from Bath in the 2nd quarter saw the home side almost bring the lead back to within single digits, but again, Susann’s ability to space the floor and knock down shots along with the inside presence of Senior Holly Merchant proved too much. The two combined for an 11 point run and thoroughly dominated the Bath defence. The away team built a half-time lead of 21, but Cardiff continued to distance themselves from a struggling Bath side. Stand out 1st year Lauryn Pignarre made sure the team secured the victory scoring 12 of her 18 points in the 3rd quarter. The French playmaker has been dynamic from the wing this year

by George Willoughby

showing not only great scoring ability, but also displaying great basketball IQ ardiff University's mens in getting her teammates involved in football team were looking the game. to build on last week's late With the match all but over to start winner against Cardiff Met as they the 4th quarter, Coach Tony Ogunsufaced off against Southampton Unilire was able to go deep into the bench versity. with eventually 10 of the 11 travellingHaving yet to lose so far this seaplayers getting points on the board.son, Cardiff would have been conIt was a dominating victory withfident of securing three points at the team winning all 4 quarters. home with their opponents SouthCardiff will be looking to build on this ampton heading into the match impressive performance and look to second-bottom. gain some momentum as they host It wasn't a good start for Cardiff Exeter at home next week. who fell behind early conceding a After the match, captain Goodwin soft goal in the first few minutes of said she was very pleased with the the match. girls performances and thought theyHowever, the team in red reshowed great character throughout. sponded very quickly through MuIn particular she was very im- nashe Mandaza. After equalising, pressed with Amelia Bullen and Jess you would of thought Cardiff would Odogwu who both provided invalugo onto dominate the game but unable minutes off the bench today. fortunately, this was not the case. Numerous individual errors University of Bath 36-74 Cardiff proved to be Cardiff's undoing and University they went down to an unassailable 3-1 scoreline. Lauryn Pignarre (18) Furthermore, the frustration built Susann Fuhrmann (17) for Cardiff who had a goal ruled out for offside just before the break. A change of formation and change of players meant the home side started the secondhalf well. Despite some sustained Cardiff pressure, it would be Southampton who extended their lead with a swfit counter-attacking move. The general feeling from the Cardiff camp is that 4-1 was

a very

‘‘

flattering result. For the most part, the game was tightly contested with the away side just the more clinical outift. What maybe took Cardiff by surprise was the gameplan and style of play from the visitors. Southampton chose not to play passing football on the ground, more so a direct appraoch which effectively bypassed Cardiff's pressing game. The Cardiff players could still have been reveling in their dramatic late winner last time out against neighbors Cardiff Met. Whatever the issue, Cardiff will want to put his disappointing result behind them quickly with a tough matchup against Bournemouth on November 7. Bournemouth, after recording two straight wins to start the season, have suffered defeat to

‘‘

Continued: Vichai 'one of our own' by Reece Chambers

o measure the impact that Vichai had on the club and how the tragic events have impacted the club, we spoke to Leicester City fanzine, 100% LCFC. Content editor Lee Chapman only has good things to say about Vichai and the connection he had with everyone at the club. "He was one of us. Not just an owner, he was a true fox, one of our own," said Chapman. Since the crash, it has been made known that Vichai donated millions of pounds to hospitals in Leicester. His generosity towards the heart of the Leicester community is something that strikes a personal chord with Chapman who has benefitted from such donations. "It's what he's done for the hos-

pitals that really hit me because of my own experience in hospital with family. "There are posters everywhere [in the hospital] saying thank you to Leicester City for the donations. That's when it hit really hard. "Even as the chairman, this man has affected my life too," Chapman said. After an incredible fairytale story with Leicester City – from the Great Escape in the 2014/15 season to a Premier League title in the following season – this tragedy comes as the third and final chapter for Vichai, according to 100% LCFC. "I feel like this is part of the same story. It's like a third chapter of the story after the great escape chapter and then going on to amaze the world by winning the Premier League."

And, after such a heartwarming reaction from the football community, Chapman believes that the tragedy has received such a warm embrace due to the type of person Vichai was. "I was only expecting good things from the footballing community because he was a good person. People react kindly to generous people.” As Chapman says, this is a tragedy that has outlined the quality of person the Leicester City owner was. Consequently, his legacy will live on for years to come. His son, Aiyawatt, has vowed to continue his father’s work at the club. And, given that such togetherness has been shown at the club, there is no doubting that The Foxes will stick together and get through these current tough times.

"Our spirit exists because of the love we share for each other and the energy it helps to create, both on and off the pitch and in the years to come it will continue to be our greatest asset.” Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha

Mens 1sts get the W vs Bristol 1st 80-68 @CardiffuniBBall

The sevens boys comparing trims after today’s training session. @welshrugbyunion

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The sun sets on another great day of performances by all of the @cardiffuni clubs and teams @CardiffUniSport

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

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by George Willoughby

Cardiff 1-4 UOS

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UOB 36-74 Cardiff

Mens Football

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Ladies’ Basketball

sport Hamilton wins fifth F1 title Page 28

SPORT

chwaraeon

Cardiff City and Cardiff Blues Columns Page 29+30

The Foxes: A Fox was spotted at the King Power Stadium by a fan paying tribute to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (source: Dipak Gohil)

Tributes paid to Leicester City owner

EXCLUSIVE

by Reece Chambers

t around 8.20pm on October 27, the footballing world was sent into shock with the news that the helicopter of Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha had crashed outside the King Power Stadium. The news everyone connected to Leicester City Football Club had been fearing was confirmed the following day – Vichai, along with the helicopter’s pilot, co-pilot and two members of Vichai’s staff had been confirmed dead. In what is one of the most incomprehensible sporting tragedies in modern history, this is a story that signifies the end of a sporting fairytale for Leicester City. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha had constructed a sporting miracle in Leicester by defying the club’s 5,000/1 odds to win the Premier League title in the

2015/16 season. His determination, dedication and ambition at the Midlands club had captured the hearts not only of Foxes fans, but the wider footballing world. As a result, this is a tragedy that makes it much harder to take. The story of a Thai billionaire business owner’s unique connection with Leicester City has only become publicly known due to the tragic circumstances. To an extent, that’s the measure of a man who didn’t buy a football club for

Vichai was a man who underpinned core values that made Leicester City a successful football club

self-promotion or financial success. Vichai had a patience and calmness that is lacking all too many times amongst football owners. Having taken over the club almost eight years ago, the announcement that a foreign business owner was taking control of Leicester City was met with much reluctance. However, a statement from thenowner Milan Mandaric shows just how highly thought of Vichai was. “Today is a great day for Leicester City. Our owners are fantastic people with incredible ambition for the future. They have great character and integrity and they will strive for success for Leicester City,” said Mandaric of Vichai’s takeover. From the outset, Vichai demonstrated an ambition and passion unrivalled by 99% of football owners. Under his ownership, Leicester City performed one of the greatest sporting miracles of all time. But, Vichai’s time

at Leicester City was built on strong values. The millions of pounds donated to local charities, spontaneous gifts for travelling away fans and generosity towards his players made everyone forget that this was his business. Vichai’s ownership showed no signs of being a matter of business. Instead, it was one of warmth and generosity which makes such a situation all the more tragic. This is the story of a footballing tragedy that has no happy ending for The Foxes. The charisma and charm of Vichai has gone, but his legacy will live on. Tributes outside the King Power Stadium have grown uncontrollably since the crash. Fans from all around the UK have come together to send their condolences and offer support for Vichai’s family and everyone at Leicester City Football Club. Continued: Page 31

Kear latest Whitchurch success by John Jones

ugby league star Elliot Kear joined fellow Whitchurch High School alumni Sam Warburton and Gareth Bale by being made captain of the Welsh national team last month. In his first outing as captain, Kear was tasked with leading his team to victory in the European Championships, over a French side that had been humiliated 44-6 by England a week earlier. However, he did not get off to the best of starts, as the young Welsh team were simply overpowered by Aurélien Cologni’s men, who scored nine tries to run out as 54-18 winners. Read: P29