Issue 1131, Monday February 18

rhifyn 1131 issue 1131

gair rhydd

18 chwefror 2019 18 february 2019

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Cardiff University’s student paper | Established 1972

Speak Week breaks record with over 3,500 cards of feedback

The differences between banter and bullying

by Max Wigfield

E

veryone has that one friend who prides themselves on their banter abilities. But there is a blurred line between what is a joke between two friends and what is publicly mocking a person on the internet. So, what can you do to reduce the dangers of cyber 21 bullying?

Instagram bans self-harm images

by Molly Patrick

T

he head of Instagram has announced a ban on explicit selfharm imagery. This comes as part of a series of policy changes to tackle content deemed as ‘‘harmful to users’ mental health’’. However, the company does not acknowledge that there is other suggestive content that has a harmful effect on users.

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Mae creu Wici’n wic-ed

by Tomos Evans

Y Jackie Yip, V.P Education: Celebrating a record breaking number of responses at speak week 2019. Photo Credit: Jackie Yip

by Gee Harland

S

peak Week is an opportunity for Cardiff University students to have their voice heard and bring light to issues within the University.

It is a chance to give the University feedback and to share thoughts and ideas about all aspects of being a student at Cardiff.

After taking place last week, students took to stalls within the Students’ Union or across campus to fill out a Speak Week card. There was also an option to submit feedback online.

There was a mass of responses from students this year, with more than 3,500 cards of feedback submitted, breaking the 2018 record of 3,245 responses. Jackie Yip, Vice President of Education, informs Gair Rhydd that this record-breaking number of responses is still rising.

In a survey conducted for Gair Rhydd, some of the most common feedback highlighted during Speak Week included course books being available for free, more learning material available online and printed ver-

sions of module handbooks.

One student who provided feedback in the survey stated: “All modules in your course and year group should have learning materials available to you online.

This is so it is easier to change modules at the beginning of term because as much information on them all is available to you as possible online”.

Jackie Yip identified for Gair Rhydd some of the most prominent and common ideas put forward during speak week.

These have included access to microwaves and kettles, more and cheaper catering options everywhere on campus and getting a Greggs bakery shop near Park Place.

Another idea that was frequently put forward revolved around renovating the Arts and Social Study Library (ASSL). The library’s roof has a leak and a generally rundown exterior.

Another student who provided feedback in our survey stated: “The ASSL needs to turn off its radiators and open some windows!”

It will now take a couple of weeks for three interns to type up every single speak week card, as almost all the cards have multiple comments each and all their demographic data is recorded too. There will then be a report for 2019 released.

Gair Rhydd asked Jackie Yip what action would be taken from the report once it is released.

The VP Education responded saying: “The report itself is taken with me to every senior meeting I sit on in order for me to lobby with facts and data”.

“For example, I was able to implement automatic lecture capture via this data, increase library book allowance, get more plug sockets in libraries and change the academic regulations to introduce fairer marking and end late submissions resulting in an automatic zero based on the statistics I could quote from the data we gathered”.

When asked about breaking the record of responses this year, she responded saying: “It is important to

note that, although a massive achievement in itself, the number of comment and cards feed into significant reports that dictate the priorities of the Union and University for the next year.”

“For example, assessment and feedback was a huge thing for students last Speak Week, so now I am building a tool and app that will help students code their written feedback from lecturers as a result of previous data”.

Yip claimed that Speak Week was a great experience for both her and over fifty other volunteers as it had provided the opportunity for talking to lots of different students about what made them passionate and excited.

She concluded her summary of Speak Week by stating: “In terms of mechanisms in which students can raise their concern, they should definitely look to identify their student academic rep and engage with them about how they can pass on your concerns to get fixed and just come to me direct by emailing me at vpeduation@ cardiff.ac.uk”.

dych chi erioed wedi darllen erthygl Wicipedia gan feddwl pwy sydd wedi bod yn gyfrifol am ysgrifennu neu gyfieithu’r holl wybodaeth? Wel, pediwich ag edrych ymhellach wrth i’r Taf-od sgwrsio gydag un o sylfaenwyr Wici Caerdydd, Gwenno Griffith. Ac os oes gennych chi ddiddordeb i gyfrannu a chyfieithu, darllenwch yr erthygl i ddarganfod mwy o wybodaeth.

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Can shipping containers help the homeless?

by Anna Whitfield

A

midst the recent controversy over the tents currently occupying Cardiff City Centre, there are a number of groups working towards solving the issue of homelessness. Inspired by a scheme underway in Bristol, empty storage containers are being converted into temporary homes for rough 16 sleepers.

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EDITORIAL

Gair Rhydd 2018/19 Coordinator Elaine Morgan

Editor-in-Chief Jess Warren

Deputy Editors Silvia Martelli Reece Chambers Michael Ash

Head of Digital Media Michael Ash

News

Gee Harland Indigo Jones Emma Ogao Matt Tomlin

Campus Life Ashley Boyle Cerian Jones

Taf-od

Llion Carbis Tomos Evans

Comment

Alys Hewitt Hannah Newberry Emma Videan

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com

word

the free

A letter from the editor

This planet is burning up and ‘The Man’ is responsible

Column Road Karis Pearson

Politics

Charlotte King Silvia Martelli Lowri Pitcher Sam Tilley

Advice

Ashavari Baral Katie Lewis

Saunders’ Corner

Sam Saunders

Science

Daniel Brown Jonathan Learmont

Sport

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

Social Media Editors Indigo Jones Giovanna Coi

Digital Media Editors Maisie Marston Jordan Parker Cadi Thomas

Copy Editors

Sofia Brizio Ilona Cabral Chris Colbourn Abi Dudbridge Elen Fflur Davies Gemma Hopley Steph Rowe

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.

Time to protest: Climate change protesters in Cardiff Bay, during the UK-wide Friday demonstration. Photo credit: Maisie Marston

by Jess Warren

L

ast week saw one of the biggest coordinated days of protest action from students and young people since the 2010 student strikes over tuition fees.

On Friday, February 15, students across the globe protested the lack of action surrounding the global climate change crisis. I’m calling it a crisis, because that is what it has become.

In support of the strike, over 200 academics and professors at universities across the UK have voiced their support with a signed letter to the Guardian which stated: “[Those taking part in the strike] have every right to be angry about the future that we shall bequeath to them, if proportionate and urgent action is not taken.”

The latest UN report has declared that there are 12 years left to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

This includes record-breaking droughts and heatwaves, warming oceans and melting ice sheets to the extreme cold snap documented across the United States last month.

It is not normal that indoor walls are coated in ice, or that water freezes as soon as it leaves the tap.

The latest ‘freak weather’ is not ‘freak’ at all. It is the evidence that climate change is worsening, soon to reach a point of no return. And whose fault is it? I would love to be able to point a finger at the man that caused climate change, but unfortunately this individual does not exist. However, ‘The Man’ does exist. ‘The Man’ - more commonly understood as governments and corporations - are the root cause of climate change.

The world has experienced rapid changes in the last few centuries and almost all of these can be put down to the rise of capitalism and mechanisation.

This planet is burning up and ‘The Man’ is responsible. It is no wonder that thousands of school children and students are standing up and marching for the planet – it certainly cannot march for itself.

Within recent years, there has been a push for individual action that we can take to reduce our environmental

impact. We’ve seen real change surrounding plastic carrier bags and plastic straws, but little is being done to tackle the on-the-go drinks industry, which sees shop shelves lined with plastic bottles full of juice, milkshakes and fizzy drinks.

This is an industry still ignoring the fact that reducing consumption of raw materials is better than recycling the plastics they create.

Other individual steps often advocated include stepping away from the ‘fast-fashion’ of the high streets, and opting for second-hand clothing, as well as changes to dietary choices, such as vegetarianism and veganism.

However, these suggestions which are advocated for by many shift the agency of tackling climate change to the individual and fail to heavily criticise and scrutinise the large corporations and lack of governmental attention and legislation on the topic. This is where the problem truly lies.

Whilst the UK government continues to discuss and continuously discuss short-term policies, the

planet is on a fast-track its deathbed, these policies are redundant if there is no habitable planet in half a century.

Politics is most heavily weighted towards short term policies and fixes. With governments susceptible to change every five years following a general election, discussions fall most heavily towards shorter-term projects, laws and plans. Whilst agreeing on better provision of affordable housing in the UK is all well and good, these homes will not be of much use if there is no planet to build them on.

Our planet is 12 years away from serious destruction. Climate change is the most important topic of our lifetime and is not something to be brushed over. If serious action is not taken urgently, and by all governments across the world, I dread to think of the consequences.

I support the students that protested last week, after all, it is my generation and those younger than me that are going to suffer at the hands of our elders if nothing is done.

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NEWS

Swansea Tidal Power Lagoon given a new lease of life

by Hefin Rees Edwards

I

nitial plans for the tidal power project were floated as early as 2003 and development has taken over a decade since. However, in 2018 the UK government threw out the plans saying that the cost for the taxpayer was too high.

This went against the recommendation by the Charles Hendry report, published in 2017, which noted that the project was affordable, with the cost of the project taken over its full lifespan of 120 years totalling around 30 pence per household, less than a pint of milk.

After hearing news of the cancellation, many Welsh MP’s and AM’s directed large their anger towards the Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns, with some pressure on him to resign.

The £1.3 billion lagoon was viewed as a ‘pathfinder’ project for the development of a new green industry, and would have potentially lead to the development of five more lagoon tidal projects in the UK, including two by Cardiff and Newport However, recent news has reinstalled hope that the lagoon will see the light of day. The company behind the venture, Tidal Powel plc, have stated that there is significant interest from private companies in buying electricity generated from the lagoon.

“huge hole left in our longterm energy demands” The aim for the project now is to secure enough interested parties to sign Purchase Power Agreements (PPA’s) by 2020 in order for construction to start, with the project set to begin producing power by the year 2024/25.

The ambition to build the Lagoon is driven in part by the cancellation of several nuclear power plants which have resulted in a “huge hole left in our long-term energy demands” according Chris Nutt, the development manager at Tidal Power.

Nutt further states the solution is to “saturate the UK coastline with offshore wind or invest in groundbreaking solutions like Swansea Bay”.

The Lagoon could provide green, clean energy for up to 150,000 homes and revitalise the local economy according to the Charles Hendry report.

The recent news from Tidal Power will be welcomed by many in Wales, especially in the light recent highprofile cases of infrastructure projects being halted or cancelled such as the Wylfa B plant in Anglesey, or the electrification of the railway line between Swansea and Cardiff.

The success of Cardiff University’s innocence project

In December 2018, Cardiff University’s Innocence was successful in appealing the case of Gareth Jones who was wrongly convicted of sexual assault back in 2008.

by Indigo Jones

T

his is the Law school’s second success from the innocence project, following Dwaine George’s case in 2014, where he was found to be wrongfully convicted of murder. This first case made Cardiff University’s Law school the first ever innocence project in the UK to overturn an appeal.

Gareth’s case was brought to the attention of the Law school from a family friend, who believed in Gareth’s innocence and felt his trial wasn’t handled correctly. Gareth, who suffers from a mild learning disability and as result struggles to process information, was unfairly treated during his trial as his disability was not taken into consideration in court. Cardiff University’s innocence project gave Gareth the opportunity to be given a fair opportunity in court, as they presented new information regarding his disability and the medical evidence relating to the assault in question.

We spoke to Dr Dennis Eady, one of the leaders of the project, who stated the importance of the project, not only for those whose cases are being re-opened but also for the students. He emphasised how valuable it would be “for students to get practical experience and to understand the reality of how unfair it all is”.

This hands-on experience enables Law students to examine real cases and real case documents, whilst occasionally gaining help, supervision and advice from industry professionals. Eady emphasised how it truly demonstrates “the miscarriages of justice” that are happening in the UK. This success of the appeal enabled Gareth Jones to have another chance at life, as a massive weight was lifted

Innocence Project Success: Gareth Jones and his family outside the Court of Appeal with members of the Cardiff University Innocence Project. Photo Credit: Cardiff University off his shoulders after enduring a month of waiting to hear the results of the appeal. According to Eady, it was an “incredibly emotional moment” for everyone as they waited for the final decision.

Gareth expressed his gratitude to the project for helping him win his appeal, as without the money, information or a strong enough argument his case would be very unlikely to make it to the first steps of an appeal.

As the Law school’s innocence project is a pro-bono scheme it gives

those without the necessary funding an opportunity to appeal their convictions. For more information on Cardiff University’s innocence project watch the YouTube video provided by the Law school, or follow them on twitter @CU_Innocence Corrections: Unfortunately, there are some corrections we must make in relation to the previous article written on Cardiff University’s innocence project.

Firstly, the ‘Innocence Project’ is the trademarked name of the

American project. Many of the facts included were also in relation to the American project, for example “the Innocence Project has freed 351 convicted people and found 150 real criminals”. We must also clear up the fact that according to the previous article there was “weak DNA evidence previously used”, although there was no DNA evidence used in the case. We’d like to apologise to anyone these inaccuracies may have offended.

Cardiff and Caerphilly will receive funding for new electric bus schemes

It has been announced there will be funding from the UK government for electric buses.

by Charlotte Raymond

I

n an attempt to promote an environmentally friendly approach towards public transport within England and Wales, the UK government has set aside a £48 million grant.

From the £48 million funding, approximately £8.5 million will be specifically utilised in order to establish the electric buses within Cardiff and also Caerphilly, an idea that was developed during a consultation, with the aspiration to improve the air quality within the city.

The funding for this project will be used in order to secure 36 electric buses for Cardiff, whilst Stagecoach

(a bus operator within the South East Wales region), will have an additional 16 buses for their Caerphilly depot, which will be operating around the South Wales region.

Nigel Winter, the managing director of Stagecoach within South Wales has highlighted the significance of bringing the electric buses to Wales, expressing: “it is part of a wider ambitious plan to create an all-electric passenger transport network for Caerphilly”.

The electric buses have been given the ‘‘green light’’ after an electric bus trial within Cardiff in May 2018, which saw the trial scheme being

hailed as a success.

The introduction of these electric buses are identified as bringing many benefits, such as improving air quality and also reducing the amount of CO2 within the air. This undoubtedly will bring with it improvements to the health of individuals within the city.

Cardiff Council’s cabinet member for transport, Caro Wild, demonstrates his support for the scheme, saying: “the announcement is good news for Cardiff…and will help us deliver on our clean air ambitions for the city”.

Whilst these buses will be the first

of their kind within Wales, the use of these buses have also been advocated by another major city within the UK – London. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has announced that London will witness a development within its zero-emissions public transport by adding a further 68 double decker electric buses to its fleet, supposedly within the next year.

The advancement of emission free transport is undeniably becoming a significantly supported idea within other parts of the UK, with Cardiff and Caerphilly leading the way for a greener approach to public transport within Wales.

by Emily Withers

F

No more need for birth control pills with new technology. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons haran Africa.

The funding received by Cardiff University will initially only cover a feasibility period of 18 months, where pre-clinical tests will determine how the patch will work, including aspects such as design, application, administration and accessibility.

If successful, Cardiff University may then receive more funding from the

Foundation to cover clinical development of the patch, and further trials.

Ultimately, the team hope that the patch will be available within the next five years.

Wales will also benefit from this new form of contraception, as there is a global plan in place to allow the patch to be subsidised and provided to the world’s poorest countries.

Gwdihw: What’s in store for Cardiff’s much loved music scene?

Plans surrounding Cardiff Council’s Music Strategy will be unveiled in the Spring

by Rhiannon Humphreys

I

n a recent Facebook post by Clwb Ifor Bach, it has been revealed in a quote from Cllr. Huw Thomas that the plans surrounding Cardiff Council’s Music Strategy, masterminded by an external company called Sound Diplomacy, will be unveiled in Spring, although the post offers no definite date of release.

Following on from this, the campaign ‘Save Gwdihw and Guildford Crescent’ concluded that the future of Gwdihw, and potentially Guildford Crescent, may not be known until this ambiguous time.

In December 2018, Gwdihw announced its impending closure in January 2019. This was due to the choice from the landlords, the Rapport family, to not renew the leases of the businesses on Guildford Crescent, with the view to demolishing the whole block.

The threat to the Crescent, which also housed the Madeira Restaurant and the Thai House, was met with widespread outrage. A petition against the plans reached over 20,000 signatures and a protest march in aid of the cause was

attended by nearly 2,000 people. Both were organised by Daniel Minty, leader of the campaign and founder of Minty’s Gig Guide to Cardiff.

Guildford Crescent is regarded as a cultural landmark, once home to the first Thai Restaurant in Wales and Gwdihw, a beloved grassroots music venue.

It is also a historical landmark, built in the mid-1800s, untouched despite being surrounded by redevelopment, and as a result is being considered for conservation status as one of the only historic terraces left in the city centre.

The Masonic Church, also on Guildford Crescent, will not be demolished, due to becoming Grade II listed in 1975.

It is understood that Gwdihw, if unable to return to Guildford Crescent, is hoping to move elsewhere. On a Facebook post on the page for ‘Save Gwdihw and Guildford Crescent’, commenters debated the possibility of the venue moving to a disused building on Womanby Street.

Already regarded as the city’s musical hub, this would situate Gwdihw near other grassroots music venues such as

The Moon Club and Clwb Ifor Bach.

One commenter questioned this idea, stating: “as much as I’d love to see Gwdihw relocated, shouldn’t we be fighting for it to stay where it is?”

Others praised a possible move to Womanby Street as ‘ideal’ and ‘the next best place’.

The campaign included the Council contacting the Rapport family and local MP Jo Stevens speaking about Guildford Crescent in Parliament.

Although the landlord did not publicly respond to the campaign, demoli-

tion of the Crescent was postponed by 3 months. The leases of the businesses were still terminated at the end of January, with the Madeira restaurant relocating to St. Mary Street, meaning that the buildings on the Crescent have been left empty.

The Council are forming a regeneration plan for part of the city in which they hope to include Guildford Crescent, if they gain the cooperation of the landlord, and there are hopes that plans for Gwdihw will be made when the Music Strategy is revealed in the Spring.

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

tion and a dislike of the implant, which can be seen and felt under the skin.

Researchers hope that the development of this new technology will help to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies in the world’s poorest countries and empower more women to choose if and when they get pregnant. This will positively impact the education and health of young women across Sub-Sa-

NEWS

inancial backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation means that Cardiff University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will be developing a new contraceptive patch for poor countries.

The patch, which will provide an alternative to less discreet contraceptives, will be made of micro-needles which will painlessly administer a hormonal dose into the skin.

The School have been working with this technology for years, using it to administer drugs and vaccines, which is one of the reasons that they were approached to take on this project. They are in partnership with other industry experts, Edinburgh University, NHS trusts, NGOs and charitable bodies, and the University of Malawi.

Access to contraception, which is often taken for granted here in Wales, is significantly less common in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a consequence, around 220-million women who do not wish to get pregnant do not have the necessary access to contraceptives which will allow them to control this.

An additional hurdle to existing methods of contraception, such as the implant, is the societal expectation on African men to have larger families. This leads to stigma surrounding contracep-

NEWYDDION

University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will develop a new contraceptive patch

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/news

Cardiff University to develop a new contraceptive patch for the world’s poorest countries

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Your news desk

#SaveGwdihw: The Protest was attended by over 2,000 people Photo Credit:Indigo Jones

Gee Harland Klaudia Jazwinska Emma Ogao Matt Tomlin Indigo Jones

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CAMPUS LIFE

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Your campus life desk Ashley Boyle Cerian Jones

Talking Heads

An interview with your VP Wellfare - Amr Alwishah

by Cerian Jones

T

his week I had the wonderful opportunity of interviewing The Vice President of Wellfare at Cardiff University Amr Alwishah.

As a student myself, and seeing so many other students seek help to improve their wellbeing, mental and otherwise, Amr’s role is very important to me. More than 25% of college students have been diagnosed or treated by a professional for a mental health condition within the past year. Student Wellfare is a part of the support systems set up by the SU. You can find all your Vice Presidents, and Student Advice on floor 3 in the SU. Amr, could you explain your role within the SU to students and how you have helped improve the ways university and the SU handle student welfare?

“My work involves several different elements.

On a day-to-day basis, I am dealing with queries that I receive from students who come to me for help, as well as the daily responding to emails and communications. But there’s so much more going on.

“I manage running campaigns, such as Carers Week, the Holocaust Remembrance Day exhibition, Mind Your Head week, #AlrightMate, Black History Month, and most recently stand with LGBT+. I lead on plans to improve our support services by lobbying the University on important issues such as increasing accessibility for students with disabilities, mental health provisions, counselling waiting times or the BME Attainment Gap. “I have also increased support for the Campaign Officers this year for the first time, and I structurally introduced monthly 1-2-1s with them to ensure I am empowering them, giving them necessary support and reviewing progress on their plans and objectives. I’ve also produced a booklet that included all of their information as well as all the welfare support at Cardiff Uni. “If you were to ask me what is more important, it would be hard to choose.

Campaign Officers are critical for diversity and implementing fresh ideas. But we also must lobby the University and not just simply push for change in the small space of the SU. The University can provide so much more for us, but it’s up to us to make those demands. Without campaigns, we couldn’t reach out and engage with the wider Student Body, enroll them into a brighter future and push for the reforms that we all need. However, without the specialised and experienced support of Student Advice, we couldn’t create the biggest impact with the resources we have.

“It all needs to come together and balance is the key.

“I can’t thank my advice & Welfare

Exec and Campaign Officers enough. They have been a big support in my work and plans.”

The work you do is really important to students, but what do you want to achieve this year in regards to the University and how it handles student welfare?

“I think my biggest focus this year with regards to student wellbeing, is creating provisions for students who belong to different protected characteristics. We had the general framework available, but the problem was that there was little or no tailored strategy to suit each protected characteristic. This is so critical because it was hard to have a greater impact without a targeted approach.

“We have to engage and know our students on a personal level if we are going to make a real difference in their lives. This was a major goal and focus in my strategy.

Students need to feel that you are there for them and to listen to their issues and needs.

We, as elected officers, can sometimes be the only people that students trust “An example of what I mean is what we did on mental health support for LGBT+ students. We were specific in creating Trans safe spaces, support pathways, lobbying for more gender-neutral toilets across campus and so much more. Some of this will be launched on Monday the 18th Feb 2019. All of this came putting LGBT+ students’ voices at the heart these changes.“ “Of course, I aspire that this success is expanded to the other protected characteristics, such as BME and International students. I think students in these groups require specific support too, especially because their experiences can be very different.

“But in doing that we must never forget about intersectionality, it’s so, so important.

Many belong to multiple protected characteristics, for example, you can be black and a woman, or Muslim, or a student with disabilities.

Students must not feel alienated when support is provided for one group but not the other.”

With campaign season coming up when new students will be running for your position, could you think back and

remember what made you want to apply for the role of VP Welfare in the first place?

“Where do I start? I think if I were to write down all the reasons for Gair Rhydd the article will be 100 pages long! But I would say the main reason that I ran is that I wanted to be the voice for the students. I have always been passionate about our students and fighting for their needs. I wanted to go out there and tell the university, tell the letting agencies, tell Cardiff, tell the whole world that students have struggled for far too long, and it’s time for a change. And we are making a difference!

“This is what I’ve done in my time in office, and this is what I’ll continue to do for the rest of the year.

“Being at university should be an exciting time in our lives and I found too many of us are dealing with unnecessary pressures internally from the University and externally elsewhere. We simply deserve better as students and customers of the university.“ Tell me a bit about yourself, what do you do in your free time?

“I’m from Jordan, the country which houses one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Petra. I’m also a Mechanical Engineer.

“Do you really get free time in this role? I mean on the rare occasions that I get home before 23:00, but when I do, I really enjoy watching Netflix, relaxing with close friends, or playing on my PS4!

People are making so many amazing games that I will never have the time to play them all, but it helps me recharge to face the challenges for the next day.”

Having a close relationship with students is vital to your role, do you think there is enough contact between you and the student community?

“I think having that relationship with our students is crucial. Students need to feel that you are there for them and to listen to their issues and needs. We, as elected officers, can sometimes be the only people that students trust, when they’ve lost trust in the system. If students do not feel that they can come to us with their issues, then I think there is something seriously wrong that needs fixing. I’m glad that is not the case. I’m glad that my inbox and messages are all from students with issues that we can take forward and solve.

“I want to take this opportunity to put this message out to the readers. Students: we are here to support you and represent you in all ways and aspects. Come to us whenever you need anything.

We are not afraid to hold the university to account and do all we can to get you justice!”

Stand with LGBT+: One of the many campaigns VP Welfare is currently working on

BYWYD CAMPWS

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“Tell us a joke!” with the Comedy Society The Latin People who started out shaking too much to hold a microphone now perform alongside professional comedians

by Joe Morgan

P

eople often tell me performing comedy is their worst nightmare and surprisingly, as president of Comedy Society, I totally understand that feeling. When I joined Comedy Soc three years ago I was too nervous to go over my material in front of anyone and it took me six months to find the courage to finally perform. Since then, Comedy Society has dominated my uni life and from attending my first gig in 2016 to becoming president I’ve seen the society and its members grow into a thriving community.

The society began in 2014 and has been growing ever since; we’ve been able to do more and more to provide a platform for any type of comedy our members want to produce. We help write and refine each other’s material, host stand-up comedy nights and film sketches we’ve written; along with attending local comedy gigs. Performing

and writing comedy has been an amazing skill to learn and after three years in the society, I’ve seen people who started out shaking too much to hold the microphone booked to perform gigs alongside professional comedians. The society helps its members to grow as people, becoming more confident both on stage and off; with some of us barely having the courage to attend a meeting before we found comedy soc and made lifelong friends. We want people to get involved however they feel comfortable, whether that’s attending our gigs, writing material in workshops, or just coming to socials. Membership is just £2, which gives you discounted entry to our gigs along with access to all our other activities and workshops.

Our workshops are held every Wednesday, where we try different writing exercises and go over material that people have written; along with

Image Source: Stan Zurek via Wikimedia Commons

watching clips of our favourite comedians and chatting about what happened at the last gig. Then, during the week we meet up to watch local comedy or professional comedians at the Glee Club.

But our gigs are the most exciting part of Comedy Soc, one highlight is our annual International Women’s Day gig on the 8th of March, showcasing the wonderful talent our society and the local circuit has to offer. The event has also been nominated twice for ‘best small event’, while raising loads of money for various women’s charities. Before that we have the Chortle Student Comedy Awards on the 28th of February, where our members will be competing with student comedians across the UK for a place in the final at the Edinburgh Fringe, with previous winners including Joe Lycett and Phil Wang. Alternatively, if this article has convinced you to try stand-up we have a new material night

on the 26th of February, where anyone can get up and perform in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.

If you want to know more about us or any of our events head over to our Cardiff University Comedy Society Facebook page and drop us a message or come along to a workshop on Wednesday at 5:30 in room 4H.

Joe Morgan: performing at one of the society’s gigs (Credit: Jay Hopkins)

Image Source: Kevinquickle via Flickr

American Society

For non-Latin-Americans, it is a great chance for you to practice your Spanish and have fun dancing with heart-warming people!

by Eliane Tang

T

he Latin American Society is packed with activities this year!

I am Elaine, the Social Secretary of Cardiff University Latin American Society. Latin American society is a rising star founded in 2015. With the current capacity of 40 members, we are always hungry for more members and therefore, had set up a series of activities to fill up your campus life!

Our society aims to bring together and create a community for existing Latin-American students studying at Cardiff University and to encourage non-Latin-Americans to be part of the society and to get engaged with the Latin American culture. By hosting regular social events and meetings, we provide opportunities for participants to learn more about the socio-political and economic situations of Latin American societies.

For Latin Americans, we want you to feel like homecoming while supporting you to adapt to a different cultural atmosphere. For non-LatinAmericans, it is a great chance for you to practice your Spanish and have fun dancing with nice and warm-hearted people!

Everyone is welcomed, and the £3 of membership fee provides different discounts and benefits from different restaurants, bars and coffee shops.

We have hosted a Brazilian and a Venezuelan night last year. which was a great successes. With 150 participants respectively, we talked about politics and social affairs, alongside traditional food and music. Other than that, we have socials every 2 weeks and a monthly Latin party - “Kapu Fiesta”.

More than 400 people worldwide have attended and students are very satisfied and have had a great time. We are also going to host a Big Pit Museum trip in March and a mock Olympics collaborating with other societies in May. Tons of events awaiting you this year, check our Latinorama out on our social media for the events list!

If you are interested in our society, feel free to drop us an email: latinamericanstudents@cardiff.ac.uk You can also check out our website: https://www.cardiffstudents.com/activities/society/latinamerican/ or follow us on Twitter: @latamcardiff, Facebook: @culatinamerica, and Instagram: @latamcardiff for future events and information.

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taf od

10

Barn y Bobol

Gyda therfyn y gyfres bresennol o 35 Awr yn agosau, Taf-od sy’n holi rhai o fyfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd am eu barn ar y gyfres.

Elen Lois Jones

Myfyrwraig ail flwyddyn Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth Mae 35 Awr yn gyfres dywyll, dwys a doniol sy’n llwyddo i blethu’r lleddf a’r llon yn effeithiol. Cyniga’r plot ogwydd wahanol i ystod o ddramau eraill S4C gan gyfleu adfwyiad i fyd y ddrama Gymreig a Chymraeg.

Mae’n rhyddhad gweld cymeriadau llawn hiwmor megis Val yn gwrthgyferbynnu â chymeriadau blinderus Peredur a Steve. Amlyga safon gwych yr actio wrth weld wynebau cyfarwydd ein sgrin fach yn cael llwyfan i serennu gyda sgript mor afaelgar. Mae nos Sul dipyn mwy cyffrous gyda chyfres mor ardderchog i’w gwylio!

Jacob Morris

Myfyriwr ail flwyddyn Cymraeg a Gwleidyddiaeth Clamp o gyfres sy’n llwyddo i gyfuno’r difrifol a’r digri yn gelfydd. Mae’r cymeriadu’n wych gyda bron pob cymeriad yn meddu ar hanes gudd. Ac yna mae cymeriad Val, sy’n ‘Comedy Gold’, a chwareir gan Gilian Elisa.

Heb os, dyma un o gymeriadau doniolaf mewn cyfres gan S4C ers sbel. Ymhob golygfa chi methu help â chwerthin yn uchel!

Cyfres â hanner a dw i ffaelu aros iddi ddychwelyd i’n sgriniau!

Meleri Williams Myfyrwraig ail flwyddyn Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth

Dyma gyfres afaelgar, llawn tensiwn sy’n datgelu rhai o gyfrinachau tywyllaf cymdeithas ac a lwyddodd i’m denu o’r eiliadau cyntaf. Ymdrinir â themau o ddyfnder perthnasau, iechyd meddwl, rhywioldeb, marwolaeth a chyfrinachedd. Mae’r sgript yn glyfar ac yn effeithiol gyda phob cymeriad yn cyflwyno ongl neu safbwynt wahanol ar fywyd.

Plethir hiwmor yn effeithiol i oleuo rhannau o’r tywyllwch ac wrth i’r penodau fynd yn eu blaen, datgelir mwy am gefndir a rhinweddau pob cymeriad i ddwysáu’r plot. Cyfres wych sy’n dyst o ddawn sgriptwyr ac actorion Cymru.

Eich unig gyhoeddiad myfyrwyr wythnosol trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.

Sefydlwyd: 2003 I gysylltu â ni, e-bostiwch tafod@gairrhydd.com Am fwy o gynnwys, ewch i gairrhydd.com/tafod

NEWYDDION

Mae creu Wici’n wic-ed

gan Tomos Evans

Y

n ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf, mae mwy o bwyslais nag erioed wedi ei roi ar bresenoldeb y Gymraeg ar-lein.

Gyda thechnoleg yn datblygu ar raddfa gylfym tu hwnt, mae’n bwysig fod y Gymraeg yn parhau i ddatblygu ac yn derbyn cynrychiolaeth ar y wê - ac nid yr un gan y pry cop yng nghornel eich ‘stafell wely mohoni.

Un o wefannau amlycaf y rhyngrwyd yw Wikipedia sy’n gartref i dros pum miliwn o erthyglau am bob un a’i beth. Erbyn hyn, mae erthyglau Wikipedia wedi eu cyfieithu i o leiaf 293 o ieithoedd dros y byd, gan gynnwys y Gymraeg.

Mae nifer o unigolion yng Nghymru wedi mynd ati i greu erthyglau Wicipedia eu hunain, er mwyn sicrhau gwell bresenoldeb i’r Gymraeg ar y rhyngrwyd. Un gymdetihas sydd wedi ei sefydlu’n benodol i greu erthyglau Wici yw Wici Caerdydd.

Cafodd y gymdeithas ei sefydlu yn 2017 gan Eiri Angharad a Gwenno Griffith ac yn 2018, ennillon nhw’r wobr ‘Wikimedians of the Year 2018’ yng ngwobrau Wikimedia UK .

Wrth siarad â’r Taf-od, dywedodd Gwenno, sydd hefyd yn ddarlithydd yn Ysgol y Gymraeg, “Aethon ni i gynhadledd Hacio’r Iaith...a wedyn wnaethon ni ddechrau siarad efo Robin Owain...ac ‘odd o’n siarad am ddylanwad Wikipedia, mewn ffordd, ar gwmniau mawr, pethau fel Google, ac yn y blaen.”

Ond, yn ôl Gwenno, roedd

hi’n dipyn o syndod iddi pan sylweddolodd cymaint o rym sydd gan Wikipedia. “I ddweud y gwir, oeddan ni methu coelio’r peth achos, yn y bôn, mae cwmniau mawr fel Google, ac yn y blaen, ond yn datblygu technolegau gwahanol i ieithoedd lleiafrifol yn seiliedig ar y nifer o erthyglau Wikipedia yn yr iaith honno...dim y nifer o siaradwyr neu statws yr iaith yn y wlad na unrhyw beth fel ‘na.”

Dyna oedd y sbardun i sefydlu Wici Caerdydd, sydd bellach yn cyfarfod yn fisol yng Nghanolfan Celfyddydol y Chapter. Ychwanegodd Gwenno, “Ar y pryd, doedd ddim llawer o erthyglau Wicipedia. Wedyn, o’n i ac Eiri’n meddwl ‘da ni’n ‘nabod lot o bobl yng Nghaerdydd sydd yn gyfieithwyr a fyddai â diddordeb i gyfieithu ac wedyn wnaethon ni feddwl pam ddim dechrau grŵp gwirfoddol mewn cyfarfod bob mis.”

Mae cael pobl i fynychu’r sesiynau’n gallu bod yn her bob hyn a hyn. Medd Gwenno “Weithiau ‘da ni’n cael dwsin, weithiau fydd o jyst yn fi ac Eiri. Ond, wedyn, nod Wici Caerdydd yw’n bod ni yn cynyddu’r nifer o erthyglau ac felly os mai dim ond dwy ohonon ni sy’ ‘na, ‘da ni dal yn cynyddu’r nifer o erthyglau.”

Bwriad criw Wici Caerdydd yw i rannu’r hyn maen nhw wedi’i ddysgu gyda chymdeithasu eraill o fewn y gymuned ehangach. Dywedodd Gwenno, “Wnaethon ni drïo am grant gan Lywodraeth Cymru, grant blynyddol ar arloesi efo technoleg. Wnaethon ni drïo ar y cyd efo

Y criw cyfieithu: Sylfaenwyr Wici Caerdydd (chwith i dde) Eiri Angharad a Gwenno Griffith. (Tarddiad: Eiri Angharad a Gwenno Griffiths) menter Caerdyd...fel bo’ ni’n mynd o amgylch cymdeithasau gwahanol yn dysgu sut i gyfieithu erthyglau Wicipedia.”

Does dim ffigyrau penodol ar gyfer y nifer o erthyglau Wicipedia sydd wedi’u hysgrifennu gan griw Wici Caerdydd, ond o ran erthyglau Wicipedia ar draws Cymru medd Gwenno “’Da ni’n bendant wedi pasio can mil achos dyna oeddan ni’n aneli ato fo ond mae hynny tua chwe

mis yn ôl.”

Beth am darged o filiwn o erthyglau Wicipedia Cymraeg erbyn 2050, efallai? “Dyna’r nod! Y targed, wrth gwrs. Pam ddim?”

Beth bynnag fo’ch diddordebau, o wleidyddiaeth i gerddoriaeth, o Ffrangeg i ffiseg, cewch gyfle i gyfrannu pob math o erthyglau dan haul i Wicipedia. Felly, bobl Caerdydd, Cymru, a thu hwnt, mae creu Wici’n wic-ed, ewch amdani!

Pryd o Daf-od Gwenan Gravell Gwenan Gravell, myfyrwarig Newyddiaduraeth yn ei thrydedd blwyddyn, sy’n sôn am ei phrofiadau o’r cyflwr Dyslecsia.

I lawer o fyfyrwyr, mae’r penderfyniad o ddod i brifysgol neu beidio yn benderfyniad eithaf naturiol ac yn broses hwylus. Dyma’r cam cyntaf i fywyd annibynnol fel oedolyn (heb law am fynd adref â’r golch weithiau!) Ond nid mor rhwydd

ydy’r penderfyniad yma i bawb.

Dw i’n credu y gall bawb gytuno bod y cam rhwng gwaith ysgol a gwaith prifysgol yn eithaf swmpus!

Pan gyrhaeddais y ddinas ym Medi 2016, roeddwn i’n ddigon ffodus i fyw mewn fflat gyda dwy ferch arall oedd yn debyg i fi mewn sawl ffordd, yn enwedig bod y dair ohonom gyda dyslecsia ac yn agored iawn am y peth. Roedd hyn yn gysur mawr ar y pryd, wrth imi boeni am sefyll allan os oedd rhywun yn gofyn imi weithio allan y bil neu ofyn cwestiwn mathamategol! Roedd nosweithiau bondio yn y fflat yn seiliedig ar “ba liw papur wyt ti’n defnyddio” a “faint o amser ychwangeol wyt ti’n cael?”!

Dim ond pan droies i’n 18 ges i’r prawf dyslecsia ‘proffesiynol’ ac ar ôl

eistedd fy arholiadau Lefel A (handy iawn)! Serch hyn, fe ges i’r amser ychwanegol yn yr asesiadau a dw i’n eithaf siŵr heb yr amser yna bydden i heb gael fy nerbyn i’r brifysgol. Dw i mor ddiolchgar am yr holl offer a chymorth sydd ar gael, yn enwedig yn y brifysgol. Mae cymaint o fyfyrwyr gyda’r cyflwr hefyd sydd yn gysur wrth i mi deimlo fel rhan o gymuned fach ymysg myfyrwyr.

Nid yw pob dyslecsig yn cael llythrennau yn neidio dros y dudalen!

Mae’r cyflwr yn effeithio pawb mewn ffyrdd gwahanol. I fi, darllen a deall gwybodaeth a rhifau yw fy ngwendid, ond mae nifer fawr o ddyslecsics yn serennu yn y byd mathamateg (jyst anffodus nid fi yw un ohonyn nhw!) Y stereoteip cyf-

fredin gyda dyslecsia yw bod yr unigolyn yn dwp... ond... c’mon... mae Richard Branson yn ddyslecsig a ma fe ‘di neud yn olreit gyda’i fywyd.

Mae ‘na olau ar ddiwedd y twnel!

Os ydych chi’n teimlo’n swil am eich dyslecsia neu ddim ishe i bobl feddwl yn wahanol amdanoch chi, peidiwch â meddwl eich bod ar ben eich hun gyda’r cyflwr. Mae nifer fawr o fyfyrwyr gyda dyslecsia, rhai byddech chi erioed wedi ystyried bod y cyflwr yn effeithio arnynt. Esboniwch i’ch ffrindiau sut mae dyslecsia yn effeithio chi a sut gallan nhw helpu i wneud pethau’n rhwyddach ichi.

Mae ffrindiau yna i’ch helpu chi. A beth bynnag, mae dyslecsics yn fwy creadigol ‘na phobl ‘normal’ sydd yn golygu ein bod yn bobl fwy diddorol!

TAF-OD

CHWARAEON

Buddugoliaethau, a rhwystredigaethau, i Gymru

Cartre’r Crysau Cochion: Bydd y llwybr tuag at fuddugoliaeth i Gymru yn erbyn y Saeson yn un hir a heriol. (Tarddiad: Tomos Evans) gan Sion Ford

P

e bai unrhyw un wedi gwylio’r gemau agoriadol pencampwriaeth y Chwe Gwlad tymor yma, buasent yn ystyried Lloegr yn ffefrynnau clir erbyn nawr. Gwnaethon nhw ddominyddu’r Gwyddelod yn Nulyn ac fe drechon nhw’r Ffrancod yn Twickenham. O’u cymharu

â Chymru, maent wedi dangos eu doniau wrth ymosod, yn eu dwy gêm gyntaf mae’r Saeson wedi sgorio cais yn ystod y munudau agoriadol, ac maent wedi dangos cysondeb ym mhob agwedd o’u perfformiadau.

Ar ôl rhwystredigaeth y perfformiad a welsom yn erbyn Ffrainc, roedd disgwyliad y byddai carfan Cymru yn

trechu’r Eidal efo phwynt bonws i’w henwau. Yn hytrach, gwelsom hanner cyntaf anghofiadwy arall - diffyg dealltwriaeth o sut i addasu’n gêm yn wyneb amddiffyn corfforol yr Azzurri a methiant tan ei bod yn rhy hwyr i geisio diweddu’r gêm.

Erbyn nawr, gallwn gytuno fod y deg newidiad gan Gatland yn or-

modol - collwyd dylanwad ffigyrau allweddol ac arweiniol y garfan, Alun Wyn Jones a Ken Owens. Ond hefyd roedd dryswch o safbwynt tactegol.

Cafodd Dan Biggar ei ddewis yn lle Gareth Anscombe o ganlyniad i’w ddiffyg perfformiad yn erbyn y Ffrancod, ond wrth adlewyrchu ar y ddwy gêm buasai Biggar wedi bod yn fwy

addas ar gyfer yr ornest efo’i gicio a’i drefniant o’i gyd-chwaraewyr ym Mharis, a buasai dull ymosodol Anscombe wedi gweithio’n well yn erbyn yr Eidal.

Ystyriwch y gwahaniaeth ymhlith carfan Lloegr a charfan Cymru wrth iddynt fynd trwy gyfnod o seibiant.

Oni bai am un newid, mae’r Saeson wedi cadw’u tîm cyntaf at ei gilydd ac maent wedi cadw eu cysondeb. O ran Cymru, mae teimlad o anghysondeb, diffyg dealltwriaeth rhwng partneriaethau pwysig (pwy sydd am ddechrau fel mewnwr a maswr yn erbyn Lloegr, pam fethodd ein lein?) a rhwystredigaeth tuag at ein ffordd o ymosod ar y llinell amddiffynnol.

Cafodd ystadegyn diddorol ei ryddhau benwythnos diwethaf, sef y ffaith fod Cymru wedi croesi’r gwyngalch naw gwaith ond dim ond pum cais a gafodd eu sgorio. Yn amlwg mae gennym y gallu i greu trafferthion pan ein bod ni’n ymosod, ond ar ôl ein dwy gêm gyntaf rydym wedi methu sicrhau pwynt bonws yn erbyn y ddau dîm gwanaf y byddwn yn wynebu. Llwyddodd yr Albanwyr i sgorio pum cais yn erbyn yr Eidal yn eu gêm gyntaf, ac mae Lloegr wedi llwyddo i sgorio deg cais ar ôl y bythefnos agoriadol.

Rhwystredigaeth sy’n rheoli’r dadansoddiad o agoriad y Cymry i’r ymgyrch yma, yn enwedig ar ôl cyfnod llwyddiannus yr Hydref. Yn amlwg, ni fydd angen i Gatland ddweud llawer er mwyn ysgogi ei chwaraewyr cyn ymweliad y Saeson ymhen pythefnos, ond mi fydd angen gwellhad anferthol os ydym am drechu’n cymdogion.

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

Cefnogi / Support

(kev-naw-gee)

Rydw i’n cefnogi Cymru yn y Chwe Gwlad.

I support Wales in the Six Nations.

Cefnogi: Cymru’n herio’r Alban yn Stadiwm y Principality yn ystod gemau’r Hydref. (Tarddiad: Tomos Evans)

11

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

SYLWADAU

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

COMMENT

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/comment

12

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

Why Mickey Mouse degrees matter In the UK, there are 584 media degrees on offer. So why do people still think this is a pointless degree?

by Emma Videan

I

n my first year of studying Journalism, Media and Culture, I was aware of the general criticisms that so-called ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees received and witnessed these insults first hand. When someone pointed out the yellowness of my shirt and I informed them that it was actually mustard, their retort was that I must have learned this on my media degree.

While this insult is extremely nonsensical, it did make me think about whether it really mattered to me that people hold such a belittling view of my degree choice. Nearly three years later, I can conclude that this is a very naïve view of what is a popular degree choice. In the UK, there are 92 universities that offer 584 degrees of some form of media studies and by 2021; the entertainment and media sector will be worth £76 billion.

Back in 2006, Cambridge University called them a ‘soft’ option and many others agreed with this and sauggested that ‘real journalists’ roll up their sleeves and just start reporting. While I am sure that many journalists do start their careers this way, dismissing those who seek to be educated in the industry doesn’t make a lot of sense. Over my degree, I have learnt about how the news media works, how politics is represented to the public, how the mediatised world impacts culture, society and democracy, and so much more.

While some modules in some degrees might look at Mickey Mouse, Disney’s net worth is nearly $130 billion and so maybe it’s important for people to understand how such a huge global brand impacts its largely young and easily-influenced audience? People consume media all

Cardiff University’s JOMEC is often regarded as one of the top journalism schools in the country.

Credits: Luisa De la Concha Montes

day, every day. Without media, we would have no idea what is happening outside of our own bubble. It is vital that new generations of people study and understand the impact of all forms of media and discuss ethical, political and social problems.

People need to study this, otherwise media producers could get away with distributing propaganda, fake news and misinformation without the mass public noticing.

By choosing to study media law and political communication, I have a greater understanding of how politics work and what is legal in the re-

porting of criminal cases. If nobody studied this, people could enter a job as a political correspondent without any understanding of the rules and regulations that apply and accidentally misinform the public, or even break the law. I have both studied and worked in public relations, and without my theoretical knowledge of public relations, I would have less ethical concern for this job. Or, I could have become one of the many people that read and believe articles that have been written to promote a business and isn’t actual news Overall, what I think is hugely

important to understand, is that studying a media degree isn’t just about looking at films and television shows (although it can be if this is what you want to study). Media degrees give you a wider understanding of the huge impact that advertising, news, television, film, political communication and so much more has on the world around us. It is a degree that gives you a better and more critical understanding of the mediatised society that we live in, much of the time without even realising how media-centric the world is.

Abducted in Plain Sight: the reality

by Martha Hughes

I

’ve always been a sucker for a good documentary; in the preNetflix days, YouTube was my personal haven for the weird and wonderful, from true crime to real lives. However, the past year has seen a massive increase in demand for such content, resulting in an increased output of documentaries covering crimes and tragedies from abductions to murders. Personally, I am a fan of such content because I have a terrible longing to see justice.

When a documentary concludes with justice for the loved ones, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief that at least there has been some sort of fair resolution.

However, thinking back to the many documentaries that I’ve binged in my time, I wonder how many of these films and shows have negatively impacted the families and friends of those involved with the tragedies we see on a screen.

The latest documentary covering the horrific murder of James Bulger is an example of where we’ve gone wrong, in both the film and TV

industry, but also as a demanding audience. James’s mother actively objected to the creation and distribution of the documentary which focused predominantly on her son’s killers. When the show went on to be nominated for an Oscar, this is where things definitely seem to have gone a step too far, a sentiment shared by hundreds of thousands of others across the country according to a change.org campaign.

I believe there really is a wrong way, and a right way, to pitch, produce and market a documentary covering extremely sensitive topics such as murder and abduction. When the makers of such documentaries reach out to those affected by the specific crime or incident they are covering, this is a solid first step. However, not only does initial permission need to be obtained, but I feel those affected should have a say in the making and release of the film (as long as they are comfortable with this). By consulting loved ones throughout the process, this could avoid potential issues further along the line. It is also just a considerate sign of respect to

those affected. When film makers fail to make these attempts, or when making the attempts are met with indignant pleas to not go ahead with creating the film, this is when we need to take a step back. Is it worth causing further emotional damage to those whose lives have already been ravaged by the tragedy in hand, simply for an hour’s entertainment on a lazy Sunday afternoon? Probably not.

‘Abducted in Plain Sight’ is an example of a documentary, with (probably) good intentions, especially towards those affected seeing as they allowed them to tell their story much in their own words. However, even this documentary has resulted in some less than savoury responses from audiences; many have taken to social media to mock certain members of the family, belittling them for their past actions which they have so bravely chosen to speak out about.

Were the film-makers’ intentions really that good, or did they anticipate that the documentary would receive such a reaction, making it a popular talking point at the expense of par-

ticipants?

In a Netflix-society, hungry for continuous, brand new, on-demand content, it certainly looks like this trend, unfortunately, shows little sign of stopping.

Netflix is responding to increasing demand for tales of true crime; but are they offering sensitive coverage? Source: CMetalCore (via Wikimedia Commons)

Statues: a thing of the past?

COLOFN

Is the significance of statues in public life and our understanding of history dwindling?

by Alys Hewitt

T

he recent decision to build a statue of Margaret Thatcher in her home town of Grantham has bred numerous questions surrounding the commemoration of controversial political and public figures.

With predictions of politically-motivated vandalism and disorder already loooming it, the proposal has brought to the surface a recurring debate regarding whether statues are a viable method of remembrance, or whether we should explore more critical ways of thinking about the divisive individuals of our past.

In recent years statues have become a prominent target for public scrutiny.

The US has seen a growing clamour for the tearing down of symbols of the Confederate era. Culminating in acts such as the removal of a statue of Jefferson Davis, the only president of the Confederate States of America, from a university campus in Texas in 2015.

Whilst some might argue that these monuments are simply harmless symbols of history, for others their dismantling represents the undermining of the prejudices of the past, a symbolic reclaiming of the identities which these figures fought to repress.

Other controversial monuments, from Nelson’s Column to statues of historic dictators such as Franco or Stalin, have been the subject of similarly intense criticism from various sides of the political debate. Here in Cardiff,

Nelson’s Column: one of the many statues in the UK criticised for pro-slavery connotations. Source: Wikimedia Commons the reputation of Thomas Picton, a Welsh military officer whose statue resides in City Hall, has been called into question, after revelations surrounding his role as governor of Trinidad during the early 19th century. It was during his time as governor that he facilitated the illegal torture of a fourteen-year-old girl and was allegedly heavily involved in the torture and execution of slaves.

Like many before and after him, Picton remains a symbol of Britain’s shameful colonial past - but should we remove statues such as his, or simply promote a more complex understanding of the legacies they represent?

This is, admittedly, not always easy to do. Statues do not invite us to

think critically about the figures they are embodying; instead they glorify them, framing them as towering, emblematic, untouchable. Compared to more nuanced ways of exploring the past, most offer little alternative to the dominant views of history. This may be changing, as more sculptures of figures previously overlooked in the history books emerge in public spaces – not least in the Welsh capital, where a statue of Betty Campbell, Wales’ first black headteacher, is to be built in Central Square by 2020 after a vote dedicated to commemorating our ‘hidden heroines’. But amongst these small victories, countless statues remain which glorify questionable past events and figures,

reminding us of the deep-rooted inequalities which continue to underscore our society.

In the case of Thatcher, is the assembling of a statue in her honour an insult to the working-class communities and livelihoods she damaged in the pursuit of her individualist, market-driven politics? Many seem to think so; a simple scroll through Twitter indicates that the sentiment towards Thatcher’s memorialisation is overwhelmingly negative. Plans to build the statue in London were rejected due to the potentiality of vandalism and civil disorder; and the monument in Grantham is to be placed atop a ten-foot plinth in an attempt to avoid said vandalism. Yet, confusingly, the placement of a statue to commemorate one of Britain’s most polarising leaders is to go ahead anyway, despite these warnings of defacement.

Perhaps we need to re-evaluate current ways of addressing our history. We don’t necessarily need to tear down existing statues, but perhaps reassess our understanding of the significance of monuments in public life, considering what they are representing to future generations. Memorialisation should be a nuanced process which seeks to acknowledge and respect the experiences of everyone, not simply those in positions of power and influence.

It should openly challenge the morals and reputations of past ‘heroes’, subjecting them to scrutiny rather than elevating them to towering heights.

Abortion: we don’t need your political prerogatives

by Hannah Newberry

I

n 2019, there are states in the US like Louisiana that only have three abortion clinics. This might seem deranged when you consider the proportionality in relation to the people that live there (upwards of 4.5 million), but apparently, there are still people who feel we haven’t gone far enough. This week in the news, the US Supreme Court faced a challenge that Louisiana should knock their available abortion clinics down to one in the entire state. This would mean that in a state bigger than the UK itself, there would be no more than a sprinkling of professionals that were legally permitted to perform abortions, and only out of one approved centre.

In today’s evolving society with increasingly liberalised opinions and respect for the ‘pro-choice’ movement and a woman’s right to be heard. The fact that this loss was only attributable to a 5:4 majority is a true red light that politics has weaved itself too far into contentious ethical issues, such as when we should be allowed to terminate a baby. Allowing any party with a personal agenda to influence a multidimensional and problematic issue will always raise doubt as to whether the law exists to represent society’s views or to serve the interests of the economy, the powerful and the self-invested.

Politicians have a wealth of opportunities to influence the accessibility of abortions beyond an angry social media post, and it creates potential

for any influential opinion to affect someone else’s future. While freedom of speech is fundamental, we have to be mindful of how much time we give to views that infringe someone else’s rights, especially when they play a role in the background of every legal proceeding the US undergoes. The confusing culture of media vs law was already demonstrated with the success of Trump - as a boisterous character come (failed) businessman, and demonstrated the electorate’s consensus that a man in politics does not have to be remotely passionate about politics himself. What kind of assurance does this give someone who already struggles to find redress in the civil justice system?

We have seen a shocking rise in public figures emerging to share their opinions on abortion while hiding under the protective legal shield of, ‘I’m thinking about the woman’s health’.

This is completely disingenuous and convinces people that minority views are a lot more reflective of society than they generally are. The ‘Unsafe Abortion Protection Act’ is as archaic as it sounds, but much like the KKK and swastikas, still remains a part of American culture when it should have been stamped out as soon as evolving societal opinions started to reflect common sense and not just mimicking the entertainment value of the most controversial figure at the time. (That ‘taking our country back’ rhetoric died pretty quickly when Boris Johnson faded from British screens after the referendum, didn’t it?)

The fact that many legal jurisdictions around the world actually legislate on what counts as a ‘necessary’ abortion is problematic in itself. Enduring an experience like that cannot be something that people opt to undergo, yet incurs costs worthy of your next food shop as if it’s a luxury like getting your back cracked after a strenuous week at work. You have to bite your tongue to not be aggravated by the fact that these practical implications are enforced and monitored by the least affected; old, white males with an agenda that isn’t representative of safety, health or general decency.

We are consistently failing to give adequate medical protection to women, as there is no proof that any restrictive abortion laws actually serve for our best interests. Instead, we are creating a demand for mental health services, adoption centres, a rise in demand for the benefit system for those who wished to opt out for financial reasons, and funding of further healthcare when the inevitable consequence of backstreet abortions in retaliation to restricted common law rears its ugly head. The sheer refusal of successive governments to update the law leaves an ‘archaic legal framework’ that millions of women in the western world still have to battle against. While the UK has luckily progressed further than the US in this respect, we still struggle with our own legal challenges here and have a way to go before we are entirely rid of the same problems. To demonstrate why

this issue is relevant on our own doorstep, it was only in 2018 that women in Wales were permitted to take their second and final self-administered abortion pill in the comfort of their own homes. While this seems minuscule in relation to being forced into

We are consistently failing to give adequate medical protection to women having a child, there was still years of costly litigation and anecdotes of women bleeding heavily on buses and feeling extreme and sudden bouts of illness in public before any judge saw it as a problem worthy of attention.

Figures like Kavanaugh demonstrated where they stood on abortion law by arguing that there was negligible proof that the new laws to cut Louisiana to a one-clinic state would be ‘unduly burdensome’. Therefore there was not enough of a legal foundation to justify its abolition before it was trialled as good law. While society seemingly makes gradual progress, there is one thing about abortion in law that doesn’t change; the loudest voices in the room are always those of the people that won’t bear the burden.

13

Instagram puts a stop to selfharm imagery

by Molly Patrick

A

dam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has announced a ban on explicit self-harm imagery as part of a series of policy changes to tackle content deemed harmful to users’ mental health. A long overdue acknowledgment of the company’s insufficient regulations, the ban comes following public concerns about how the site permits easy access to graphic content and even promotes such images through account recommendations and the Explore page. Recently, the father of Molly Russell, a 14-yearold who died in 2017, told The Daily Telegraph that Instagram “helped kill my daughter” after the family found material relating to self-harm and depression on her account. Unregulated social media sites pose a detrimental threat to user’s mental health and Instagram’s announcement confirms the responsibility of these companies in monitoring and censoring content.

One Cardiff University student told me that Instagram had a profoundly harmful effect on her mental health. She recalled that Instagram’s algorithm, which recommends content based upon your previous searches, contributed negatively to her selfesteem as any self-harm images she viewed would be shown again alongside other suggestions in the explore page. She described how it was then hard to disengage with harmful content. Instagram’s announcement that it will be removing self-harm imagery from explore pages and suggested posts comes as a welcomed change.

However, while Instagram’s policy changes address graphic self-harm imagery, they do not acknowledge that other more suggestive content has a harmful effect on users. Last year, Kim Kardashian posted a seductive photograph eating an ‘appetite suppressant’ lollipop. To Kardashian’s 127 million followers, many of them being young girls, advertisements such as these undoubtedly encourage eating disorders. Celebrity influencers should be held accountable for their activity on social media and more should be done

by Instagram to limit harmful posts.

It is easy to be sceptical about Instagram’s ban on explicit self-harm imagery. In 2012, Tumblr banned self-harm blogs, however, a quick search still results in endless graphic images. This is because Tumblr’s policy only restricts content that promotes self-harm: pages dedicated to spreading awareness and encouraging recovery are permitted.

On visual content sites such as Instagram and Tumblr, the image is given precedence over text. This means that self-harm is aestheticized and implicitly encouraged, even if the account declares itself to be advocating recovery.

Many people struggling with their mental health find recovery accounts to be supportive resources from which they can communicate with others experiencing similar issues, however, the content of these pages needs to be subject to the same censorship as other accounts if Instagram’s policy changes are to be effective.

Instagram’s recent policy changes, then, seem to be timid in light of the changes that need to be implemented if the seismic shift in how people are consuming media continues to grow.

14

COLUMN

Karis Pearson

COLUMNROAD Hungary – a population in crisis?

Is the Hungarian government acting irresponsibly?

Source: European People’s Party (via Flickr)

L

ast week, the Hungarian government announced efforts to boost the population. It’s chosen method, encouraging Hungarian women to have more babies. While at first glance such a policy may seem completely innocent and obvious, looking more closely at its cause and effects, it may have less innocuous intentions than you think.

Introduced as a reaction to the right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s desire for Hungary to become non-reliant on immigration while still boosting its population, the policy will exempt women who birth 4 or more babies from paying income tax for life, excusing them from paying back loans of up to £27,400.

Orban justifies, “We do not need numbers, we need Hungarian children” Hungarian women are having less children than the EU average and Orban believes the parties policy is the best way forward for the country, stating “we do not need numbers, we need Hungarian children.” These words indicate that this controversial policy may have a rather bigoted ideology at its heart.

Previous policies looking to tackle the country’s population issue have been seen in recent years. Proposed policies, also by Hungary’s current

government, the national-conservative right-wing party Fidesz, led

by Orban, have included the CSOK scheme. The scheme attempted to address Hungary’s demographic crisis by offering a housing grant and loan scheme to those who promised to have babies.

Struggling with a declining birth rate for over twenty-six years, Hungary are no strangers to this concern.

It is however undeniably ironic that the current PM Orban, who opposes immigration so strongly, is likely one of the reasons why the country so desperately needs a boost. Since Orban’s return to power in 2003, young and educated Hungarians have been outflowing West, leaving their home country behind in search of greener pastures (and less dictatorial leaders?). It appears Hungary’s educated youth are just not seeing their future in the xenophobic state he is set on building.

In 2011, Hungary spent 9.3% of government expenditure on children’s education. With potentially more children to educate, this percentage will only grow and educating children is a long, laborious and most importantly, expensive process. Migrants can contribute to a country’s work force almost immediately, albeit paperwork can take a few weeks (maybe even months) and there is sometimes a language barrier to overcome, but this timescale is nothing compared with the sixteen odd years (at least) it takes before a new born baby can join the work force and start contributing to the economy in a Western society.

In her podcast The Guilty Feminist, comedian Deborah Frances-

White draws comparisons between the two primary methods for growing a population. The most obvious, having babies, but perhaps equally as important in today’s political climate, encouraging free-movement with a welcoming immigration policy. She explains that while refugees might take a while to learn the language, cross over their qualifications or learn a new skill and get on their feet, this is also the case for babies, who, she jokes, “are just useless refugees.” Surely a baby is a far less efficient choice for population growth, having a bigger drain on the environment and the economy before reaching an age and skill level to be able to give back to society. Comparatively, immigrants, wryly pointed out by Deborah, are primed and ready for the workforce.

This policy ignores concerns felt by displaced people from developing countries While there is a comedic tone to Deborah’s comments, there is still undeniable truth in her critique, that taking an anti-immigration stance on the basis that migrants and refugees put strain on the economy is weak and hypocritical, because babies do just the same and right-wing governments never seem to mind them.

It is not environmentally or inter-

nationally responsible for the Hungarian government to implement a policy urging the women of its country to be having four or more babies each. It is not only an unsustainable policy but one which ignores the growing issue of displacement facing people from developing countries across the world, which should arguably be a concern felt by the entire global community. The Hungarian government are looking inward not outward, putting cultural preservation above a concern for the entire planet.

Such xenophobic policies as this risk making migrants feel deeply unwelcome within nations they settle in – much as Brexit has done to migrants in the UK – and fosters poor international social responsibility.

Although the numbers of refugees migrating to Europe has decreased since 2016, 2018 still saw over 76,000 arrivals to the EU from countries including Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and Tunisia, to name just a few.

As always, I must also stress the environmental strain which the policy will have. A study undertaken at Lund University in Sweden found that having children is the single most destructive thing an individual can do to the planet. The overall CO2 emissions that each individual will produce throughout their lifetime is huge, with figures from a 2006 Guardian blog evidencing that, at that time at least, the average Hungarian was producing 5.88 million tonnes of carbon throughout their lifetime.

The Hungarian government is acting negligently, ignoring problems facing the wider world to instead

focus on keeping Hungary full of Hungarians. In concerning times such as these, where climate change is coming for us all, no matter our geographical location or cultural history, does this not seem like irresponsible behaviour from a national leader?

The Hungarian government are putting xenophobia above a concern for the entire planet Cosmopolitanism is the ideological argument that all human beings belong to a single community. It frees individuals from the local, provincial and national boundaries in which they are traditionally kept, viewing humanity as possessing a shared morality which binds us all.

While many people may feel differently, that it is the strong cultural and national identities which creates cohesive communities, this mentality will not help us solve the world’s biggest problems, like protecting the planet and helping those who are seeking refuge or a better life abroad.

Ultimately, we are all human beings and in my opinion the future of our planet is a concern that must be treated from a cosmopolitan world view. Policies like the one Hungary has introduced show a total disregard for this need to respect our world and our foreign neighbours in need of help.

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

GWLEIDYDDIAETH

16

Can shipping containers help the homeless?

A new scheme is now in place to solve Cardiff ’s homelessness crisis

It’s time to act: Containers tranformed into houses.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

by Anna Whitfield

A

s this year’s winter drew in, rough sleepers in Cardiff city centre took to propping up tents as a means for shelter whilst living on the streets. These tents have been the centre of much controversy over recent weeks, resulting in Cardiff Council announcing they would ‘take action’ as they were deterring people and pushing businesses into temporarily closing down. In due course, unoccupied tents have recently been removed from the streets of the city centre.

Cardiff Council is also issuing warnings to rough sleepers still living in tents, stating that if they do not engage with “offers for accomodation” provided by homeless shelters, they will be forced to leave since they are “in breach of the Highways Act 1980 where it is an offence to obstruct free passage along a highway”. However, this approach has come under fire from Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru, who has criticised the council’s actions, claiming that: “a tent can be the difference between life and death’’. Moreover, many of Car-

diff’s rough sleepers have expressed that they feel more comfortable living on the streets than in local shelters, which often house substance users and can be hostile environments.

In light of this, a new initiative is being brought to Cardiff. Inspired by a scheme developed by homeless charities in Bristol, it will see empty storage containers being converted into temporary homes for rough sleepers.

The scheme works by selecting and approving homeless individuals to help in renovating the containers, giving them the opportunity to develop their skill set, who are then supported in the moving in and adjustment process.

Cardiff Council announced last year that a similar scheme was due to be established in association with Cadwyn Housing Association to set up 18 containers on Bute Street. The containers will again work under a similar scheme to the one outlined above, whereby the Council provides this temporary housing whilst the residents are given assistance in finding future permanent housing and employment. All throughout, the Council ensures any advice or medical assistance is on hand. In addition, these containers will be energy efficient units.

As part of this development programme, there are also plans underway to develop similar properties in Ely, an area of Western Cardiff, and eight family homes will additionally in the grounds of Greenfarm Hostel as temporary accommodation for the

homeless of Cardiff and the surrounding areas.

This will be welcome news to many of Cardiff’s rough sleepers and citizens. Since 2015, there has been an unfortunate rise of 68% in applications for help from people already on the streets, and a 103% increase in the number of households at risk of becoming homeless. These new initiatives could not come at a better time with the number of those in need rising relentlessly.

Homelessness

18%

Only of emergency homeless spaces across Wales are occupied.

The average age of a rough sleeper in Cardiff is years old.

42

In Cardiff, it is estimated

100 people

sleep rough every night.

However, the number of rough sleepers in Wales is down by since 2017.

16%

Are funding cuts putting more kids in care?

Some argue the “perfect storm of austerity” is putting pressure on Welsh childcare funding

POLITICS

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

by Jack Hudson

Your politics desk Charlotte King Silvia Martelli Lowri Pitcher Sam Tilley

D

ebbie Wilcox, a Labour councillor who is the leader of the Welsh Local Government Assocation and also Newport City Council, has recently said that pressures such as a lack of jobs and opportunities caused by austerity are causing families to fall apart, leading to an increase in the number of children ending up in care. Wilcox said that she has seen huge increases in the demand of children’s services, not only in Newport but across the whole of Wales.

A report on local government funding and spending in Wales published by Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre shows that the spending on social services has increased by £204 million since 2009/10, with £154 million more being spent on children and family services. This data is surprising as it shows that, despite dealing with an ageing population, the biggest increase in social care spending in Wales has been

in relation to children. The University’s report states that the amount spent specifically on children in care has risen by £95.9 million (or by 33.2%) in real terms since 2010. It is already a legal requirement for councils to provide care for children who need it, which implies that these increases are almost entirely the result of rising demand and not political choice. The report also states that the number of children in care has risen from 4,695 in 2009 to 6,405 in 2018.

The report concurs with Wilcox’s comments, highlighting the effect of austerity on care home admissions and explicitly stating that the increase became very notable “particularly since the start of austerity, a period of welfare reforms and cuts on preventative services”.

One preventative measure which received funding cuts, presumably linked to austerity, was the Family Drug and Alcohol Court, a service that aimed to prevent children from being separated

from parents with drug and alcohol problems. Cuts to this service have prevented it from expanding from England into Wales, and a lack of such services is likely contributing to rising family breakdowns.

Alison Michalska, the President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, has also concurred with Wilcox’s theory, arguing that funding cuts in welfare policies and family support services such as Sure Start, along with general rising poverty rates among couples with children in Wales, all contribute to fuelling the increase in the number of children admitted into care. Michalska argued that unless the benefits system becomes more flexible, deprived children will continue ending up in care.

Moreover, the Universal Credit benefit system being rolled out across Wales has caused financial problems for certain claimants who have ended up waiting longer than usual to receive

The number of children looked after by Welsh authorities 5,720

2012

5,764

5,745

2013

2014

5,613

5,664

2015

2016

their benefits whilst the rollout is introduced; this is also reported to have caused a breakdown in some families.

In 2017, the Children’s Commissioner for England called for the rollout to be halted as the impact of Universal Credit on families with children had not been tested.

Finally, Wilcox has also discussed the effect of austerity on council funding. Cardiff University’s report shows that Welsh Government grants to local authorities have fallen by £918.5 million (18.9%) since 2009/10. Wilcox argues that the UK government needs to ‘make the cake bigger’ and provide more funding to the Welsh Government so that they can allocate more money to local councils. Austerity measures have ultimately meant that it is challenging for local governments to replace the extra money they have had to allocate to children’s services, meaning that other vital services may go underfunded.

5,943

2017

6,407

2018

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 17

Local funding emergency forces significant increases in council tax rates Facing a deficit in funds coming from the Senedd, local councils are turning to higher tax rates to make up the figures

by Sam Tilley

A

new report has been published by researchers at Cardiff University suggesting that, despite people having to pay more council tax, councils are receiving smaller budgets than in previous financial years. In turn, this means that people are paying more money into the council fund but are receiving less in terms of local investment, road improvements and community amenities.

The primary reason for this is the funds allocated to local councils, of which there are 22 in Wales, by the Welsh Government have shrunk year

What is Council Tax? In Wales, there are 9 bands of property, ranging from Band A to Band I The most common band of property is Band D; properties ranging from £91,001 to £123,000.

Council tax has risen at an average rate of 37.7% since 2009

on year as a result of cuts imposed on them by Westminster. In addition to the decrease in government funding council tax rates have risen, leading to the proportion of council funding coming from council tax rising from 13.8% in 2009 to 19% as of last year.

Council tax was first introduced in 1993 and is entirely focused on domestic property. Each property is assigned one of nine bands based upon the value of the property in question; for example if a property is assigned to band A, it has a value of up to £44,000. On the other end of the scale, a property in band I has a value of £424,001 or above. How much each property pays is set on a band by band basis with the Welsh national average being £1,492, an amount that falls into band D. This average in itself has been the subject of a substantial increase since 2009, up from £1,086. All of this is indicative of both a lack of government funding and a growing amount of councils who are becoming worried at a lack of financial security. Just last year, all 22 Welsh councils voted to increase council tax rates in order to combat a growing hole in local budgets with Pembrokeshire council voting to back a 12.5% rise; the largest since 2004. Councils defended this rise by pointing to the £200m hole in public

A Bigger Bill: Council tax rates have increased dramatically since 2009.

Source: Vincent Li (via Flickr) finances, with councils such as Cardiff and Swansea facing cuts of £25m and £28m respectively.

The report also highlighted the fact that spending on schools per pupil has fallen by a rate of £324 per year since the 2009/10 financial year. This is hindering the effectiveness of Welsh education reforms, argues the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and the Association of Directors of Education in Wales. As education is directly funded by local authorities, the lack of funding available to councils is undoubtedly

preventing the programme of the Welsh Government from being carried out.

It is clear that there is no easy solution to the funding problem that is not just crippling local authorities in Wales, but across the United Kingdom. The report has managed to highlight, in purely financial terms, the problems that are facing local authorities due the the lack of funding coming from the Welsh Government. It is because of this that council tax rates have risen at the significant rate at which they have with less amenities in return.

“We’re coming for you” Recycled policy: Will Rudd’s suggested penalties be put into action this time round? Source: Financial Times (via Flickr)

Amber Rudd proposes harsher consequences for pensions mismanagement

by Christopher Colbourn

W

ork and Pensions Secretary, Amber Rudd, recently announced plans to introduce a new criminal offence for ‘wilfully or recklessly’ mismanaging pension funds in light of the recent, high-profile collapse of both department store chain BHS and outsourcing firm Carillion.

Rudd sent out a warning to potential targets of this new initiative, stating: “If you run your company pension into the ground, saddling it with massive, unsustainable debts, we’re coming for you. If you gamble your employees’ futures on risky investments that put a pension scheme at risk, we’re coming for you. And if you chronically mismanage a pension scheme and it goes under, we’re coming for you.”

If the new measures are approved

by Parliament, the mismanagement of pension funds will be punishable

by prison sentences of up to seven years, with courts also being able to issue ‘unlimited fines’ to offenders - a much harsher penalty than the maximum two-year prison term proposed by ministers in 2018. Rudd says that the current repercussions for mismanagement - which saw former BHS owner, Philip Green, agree with the Pensions Regulator to personally pay £363 million toward the chain’s pension scheme to end proceedings against him - “barely dent bosses’ bank balances.” The Pensions Regulator has thus welcomed the newly proposed legislation, stating that it will allow the body to “identify potential problems earlier and take more effective action.”

However, the Liberal Democrat’s former Pensions Minister, Sir Steve Webb, has said that the eye-catching new laws are more likely to generate headlines than succeed at protecting workers’ pensions. Criminal

proceedings require a high burden of proof and it would be difficult, says Webb, to prove that the management of a pension scheme was “reckless at the time” and not just reckless with the benefit of hindsight.

It’s the injustice that makes it so maddening Moreover, though the proposed new powers may be useful in preventing a BHS or Carillion-style loss of pension funds in the future, they offer little consolation to people who have already lost their pensions and whose only recourse at present is to enact a civil lawsuit

against their employer. Webb also pointed out that “this initiative was first floated before the last general election in 2017” and we are “years away” from this policy actually coming into force.

In fact, Rudd’s ‘in progress’ policy actually appeared in the 2017 Conservative Party manifesto which stated: “We will also give the Pensions Regulator new powers to issue punitive fines for those found to have wilfully left a pension scheme under-resourced and, if necessary, powers similar to those already held by the Insolvency Service to disqualify the company directors in question.” Though the policy itself is not new, Rudd’s promise of unlimited fines and the potential of serious jail time for the worst offenders is starting to give it a more definable shape, and we will await to see if there are any further developments in this proposed legislation.

Is it time to scrap GCSEs?

by Thomas Badham

T

his week, the Chairman of the Education Select Committee, Robert Halfon, has expressed an interest in the abolition of GCSEs in England. The Conservative MP for Harlow has recently suggested that “pointless” GCSEs should be replaced with a mixture of vocational and academic subjects, whilst A-Levels should be replaced by a qualification similar to the International Baccalaureate.

Halfon criticised GCSEs for failing to prepare students for a future workplace dominated by new technology, calling for changes. He argues apprenticeships have become a popular alternative to GCSEs and A-Levels. Over 800,000 people entered apprenticeships last year alone, with intermediate apprenticeships being the equivalent of five A-C GCSEs. Moreover, like GCSEs, they lead into further training at an advanced level.

Many schools have already shunned GCSEs in favour of alternative qualifications. In the private sector, some schools have created their own qualifications with almost half of privately educated teens sitting International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSEs) instead in 2017. IGCSEs were introduced around 25 years ago for pupils overseas, whose first language was not necessarily English.

Julie Robinson, General Secretary for the Independent Schools Council, argues that private schools choose IGCSEs “due to their rigour and reliability compared with GCSEs”.

The impact these proposed changes would have upon university applications across the UK remains to be seen.

Following recent government reforms, A-Levels are completed through one set of assessments at the end of twoyears of study, rather than being split between AS-Levels and A-Levels.

However, these newly proposed reforms are far more divergent. The scrapping of GCSEs and replacement of A-Levels will complicate the university applications process and converting grades from different qualifications will present its own set of challenges.

Moreover, the radical rewriting of these qualifications may be a huge burden on teachers who might need retraining to teach these new courses.

In Wales, education is a devolved issue so changes to the English education system will not necessarily be reflected across the border. Nevertheless, Wales is a net importer of students from elsewhere in the UK with around 9,000 more students entering Wales than leaving for university education.

Government figures show that 40% of all undergraduates in Wales were educated in England - it is unlikely Welsh universities will turn away such a large proportion of their market if these new changes take place.

However, the Department of Education is firmly opposed to Halfon’s suggestion, arguing GCSEs are “gold standard” exams. Hence, it does not seem likely that we will see any radical reform of England’s education system

18

POLITICS

Ageing populations in Europe: Will Hungary’s What they new approach work? have said...

Hungary to introduce tax-exemptions and loan cancellations for larger families

by Callum Sloper

M “It’s a political war of the United States empire, of the interests of the extreme right that today is governing, of the Ku Klux Klan, that rules the White House, to take over Venezuela.”

Nicolas Maduro 12/02/19 Venezuela’s President Maduro accuses the White House of being led by white extremists in a recent interview with the BBC.

“At the moment, I think I am a reason for Tunisian women and more in general Arabic women to be proud. Islam belongs to all Tunisians. There cannot be differences among us based on religion.

I believe it is the State that brings us together.”

Souad Abderrahim 10/02/19 The first-ever female mayor of Tunisia elected last August. She ran as an independent but was backed by the Islamist Ennahda (Rebirth) party.

“Basically, the system that I grew up with was within the U.N. There were attempts to have some kind of an international system, democracies were thriving, and all of a sudden the system is very different and we don’t have a functioning system in so many ways.”

Madeleine Albright 08/02/19 Former U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and member of the National Security Council, Madeleine Albright, has been a vocal critic of President Trump when it comes to his antipathy for multilateralism. She is the author of Fascism: A Warning.

any European countries are facing the consequences of ageing populations, though only a handful of them are also having to cope with the problem of a declining population. Hungary is one example where the government is dealing with both an ageing population and a higher death rate than birth rate. This causes social and economic issues, such as a deficit in the labour force which in turn may lead to a lack of tax revenues needed to fund the evergrowing pension funds on which millions of people depend. Whilst most Western countries depend on young, economically active immigrants to counter declining birth rates and ageing populations, Hungary has taken a different approach.

Since 2010, the country has been led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, head of the governing Fidesz party.

75

Average life expectancy in Hungary (2016)

Orbán and his ‘national conservative’ Fidesz colleagues’ approach to the demographic issue starkly contrasts the methods used by of most of their European neighbours. The current Hungarian Government has chosen to avoid using immigration as a solution to their population crisis, instead promoting what it considers to be ‘family values’ to reverse the current trends.

Orbán recently announced that Hungarian women who have four children or more will become exempt from paying income tax for life. The government will also offer couples a loan of roughly £27,400, which will be cancelled once they have three children. Orbán used the announcement of the new policy to criticise Europe’s immigration-dependant approach and claimed that “Hungarian people think differently.” In his State of the Nation Address, held on Feb-

1.45

Average number of children per woman in Hungary

ruary 10, he claimed that “We do not need numbers. We need Hungarian children.”

While it is true that many European governments use immigration to fill the gap in the workforce, some countries such as Serbia also use tactics similar to Hungary’s in an attempt to increase national birth rates. In March 2018 the Serbian government announced that first-time mothers would get a one-time payment of £740, followed by further monthly allowances for their second and third children. Finland offers new mothers a baby care package or a grant of 140 euros. Sweden offers mothers and fathers up to 240 days of paid parental leave. Many countries in Western Europe also use similar child-support systems where parents receive financial help to raise children, although they do not tend to give anywhere near as much as what Hungary has

14.5%

Percentage of 0-14 year olds in Hungary (2017)

proposed.

The UK has a fertility rate of 1.80 which is below the recommended 2.33 which would ensure a stable worldwide population. The UK population is also aging with the percentage of over 65 year olds reaching 18% and 2.4% for those aged 85 and over.

This will have to be addressed in the near future in order to maintain economic stability.

A major factor in the decision to try and increase Hungarian birth rates to fix demographic issues has to do with Orbán’s anti-immigration program.

The Fidesz party passionately believes in protecting their national culture and feels that immigration negatively impacts this, with Orbán taking particular issue with Islamic and MiddleEastern immigration. Whether this strategy to increase birth rates will succeed or not will only become apparent in time.

18.7%

Percentage of over 65year olds in Hungary (2017)

“Death to Britain” and “Death to America” 40 years on from the Iranian Revolution, how have Iran-West relations evolved?

by Lowri Pitcher

A

lthough the contentious relationship between Iran and the Western world runs far deeper than the 1979 Iranian Revolution, this event which led to the collapse of Iran’s 2,500 year old monarchic regime marked a seismic shift in the political relationship between Iran and the West and we have seen no major changes to Iranian-Western relations as of yet.

One of the primary factors behind the 1979 revolution was the Iranian desire to move away from Western influence in Iran. Ruhollah Khomeini, who became the first Supreme Leader of Iran, definitively turned the country away from US influence, whilst demonising the West. For example, he popularised the antiAmerican slogan “Death to America” which is still being chanted four decades later. More recently, similar chants such as “Death to [Theresa] May”, “Death to Britain” and “Death to Israel” have also been chanted by Iranian protesters in Tehran.

Today the current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, still supports these slogans. He claims, “As long as America continues its wickedness, the Iranian nation will not abandon ‘Death to America.’” However, Khamenei confirmed that this comment was aimed at American

leaders only and Iran holds nothing against the American people. Despite this, endorsing such anti-western rhetoric, which also includes statesponsored graffiti and the burning of British and American flags, does little to improve diplomatic ties.

Donald Trump weakened the US-Iran relationship in 2018 by withdrawing from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran Nuclear Deal. Signed by the US, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany, the deal agreed to limit Iran’s nuclear ac-

tivities in return for lifting UN, US and EU economic sanctions. However, during a recent public address to mark the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, President Hassan Rouhani stated that “We [Iran] have not asked and will not ask for permission to develop different types of...missiles and will continue our path and our military power”.

In response to the US withdrawal from the deal, the UK defended Iran, claiming that they had been compliant and that the UK would continue to support the accord.

Death to America: Burning flags is a common occurance during protests in Iran. Source: Wikipedia Commons.

Nevertheless, the UK also has a contentious relationship with Iran.

In 2016, Prime Minister Theresa May urged Gulf leaders to “push back against Iran’s aggressive regional actions” and Khamenei responded by claiming that the UK is the true “source of evil and misery” in the Middle East. Additionally, the imprisonment of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual national citizen, also highlights the shortcomings of our diplomatic relationship with Iran. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained in Iran for allegedly plotting to topple the Iranian government and was later imprisoned, an act which the UK government deemed was unjustified. Yet to this day, Iran has not allowed her to return to the UK. Ultimately, despite the nuclear agreement and a limited number of other trade accords with Iran, the UK/US-Iran diplomatic relationship is unlikely to drastically improve due to one fundamental issue: in Middle Eastern conflicts, such as the Yemeni and Syrian civil wars, the US and UK historically have, and continue to, side with Iran’s arch enemy in the region, Saudi Arabia. This historic rift is not likely to be resolved in the foreseeable future, and until then, Iranian relations with the West will likely continue to remain compromised and volatile.

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20

The truth about sexual health

by Ashavari Baral

‘‘It’s MY vagina’’

T

he conversation of sex education and sexual health is much more open than it was a couple of years ago. Earlier this year Netflix came out with a show called ‘’Sex Education’’ that basically addressed the communication barriers young adults face when talking about sex. The show focuses on a variety of topics such as the common misconceptions we have of sex, consent, abortion and the insecurities people feel about their body image. Renewed for a second season, the show also highlights that young adults feel they know a lot about sex, but in reality they are riddled with delusion.

A common sexual misconception is that ‘’you cannot get an STI from oral sex’’. While the risk is less than when you have vaginal/anal sex, many STIs, including syphilis, gonorrhoea, herpes and chlamydia, can be spread through oral sex. STI tests are not only for those who have an active sex life, Anyone who has unprotected oral, vaginal and anal sex can become infected with an STI, so it is always best to practice safe sex and get yourself and your partner tested.

Another myth especially amongst us ladies is that ‘’women on their period can’t get pregnant’’. Chances of pregnancy are highest during ovulation, however ‘’the egg can live for several days in your body, and additionally, not all women ovulate two weeks before their period; some ovulate closer to the time of their actual period’’ (health24.com). Sperm can also live in your body for up to a week, the combination of the two can often lead

er, your fantastic personality always comes first.

In a world that emphasises appearances it is okay to be concious about your body and image...

Some sexual health mysteries debunked. Source : Becca Tapert (via Unsplash) to an unplanned pregnancy.

Another common misconception is also around ‘’the morning after pill’’, this pill need not be taken only the morning after, emergency contraception pill can be given up to 3-5 days after unprotected sex but the sooner they’re taken the better. A realisation that most young adults feel during their first time is that sex feels and looks like it does in the movies, this is never (or most of the times) not the case - It will possibly hurt the first time and may not be what you pictured it to be.

A lot of people also believe ‘’pulling out’’ is a safe substitution for birth control. It only takes one sperm to get a woman pregnant. So, it’s better to

be safe and use a condom. Lastly, contrary to what the students on the show believe, not everyone is having sex.

Sex is a choice that every individual should be making in their own time, without feeling pressured. Don’t listen to the banter about being a ‘40 year old virgin’ and push yourself to do something that you are not comfortable with. Navigating these pre-requisites can boost your self confidence and when you finally do have intercourse, you will be happy that you took your time with it. Also, remember there is way more to sex than just the physical aspect, in a world that emphasises appearances, it is honestly okay to be conscious about your body and image. you are not alone. But just a remind-

SHAG (Sexual Health Awareness Group) is a student-led service within Cardiff University Student’s Union, SHAG is based on helping Cardiff ’s students deal with sexual problems and give them the knowledge to be aware of sexual health issues that are commonly faced. You can always message them for help on Facebook and use their services (they have a condom dispenser at the SU!). If you notice anything abnormal such as genital problems, abdominal discharge visit Cardiff Royal Infirmary. Other clinics around the city by the Sexual Heath Department are always at your disposal.

For up to date clinic information please see: www.cardiffandvaleuhb. wales.nhs.uk/sexualhealth

How to properly deal with rejection

Read this if you’ve ever been told ‘It is not you, it is me’

by Iona Middleton

R

Your advice desk Ashavari Baral Katie Lewis Columnist Sam Saunders

ejection can come in many shapes and sizes, from job interviews to nights out, and no version is fun.

In an ideal world, the word ‘no’ would seize to exist. However, until that magical day occurs when people learn to be compassionate, it might be easier to consider some effective ways of dealing with rejection.

One of the worst things about rejection is the fear it brings that we will remain alone, unsuccessful and isolated forever. Yet, in reality, it doesn’t take two minutes to rationalise and see how one rejected date does not equal a lifetime alone. Being rational is something we all forget to do when we are hit with a wave of sadness or anger which can often lead to us overreacting and spiralling. While acting out might feel good at the time by allowing you to let off steam, in reality it nearly always just ends up creating a series of issues and regrets for us to handle at a later date.

Whether it is the right decision or not, rejection is no fun for either party, and making a drama out of it will only ever make it worse- so always try to think of rational reasons for someone saying no.

While those reasons might not always

be as light hearted and simple as assignment deadlines or lack of sleep, and they could actually be personal and hard hitting, that does not mean they are not valid. We often try to make other people feel as though they are the bad ones for not accepting our own character flaws when we do not even take the time to deal with them ourselves.

Focusing on you and admitting that is a ‘you problem’ not a ‘them problem’ won’t just help you understand yourself better but will also make you less offended by rejection. It is important to learn how to do things alone, so if you wanted to go on a date to the cinema or cafe, go on your own. Do not stop just because the other person doesn’t want to. Learn how to love your own company before expecting anyone else to.

Also always try to remember the times you have rejected other people, and maybe how you rejected them because you were too busy, or they were sometimes too loud, and it did not mean you suddenly hated them. We have to put our personal needs first, and while sometimes that could be going out and being loud, other times, we just need to be relaxed at home in our pyjamas. It is important to understand that rejec-

Don’t take it to heart, sometimes things just don’t work out.

Source: Ben White (via Unsplash) tion does not always equal dislike. Of course, there are some occasions when that could be the case, but that does not mean you are no longer a good person, it just means that person probably is not right for you.

So, whether your rejected by your best friend who does not want to go to Spoons or someone you believe to be your soulmate, remember to rationalise and reflect on yourself before you go burning down bridges like its 1666.

How to keep safe in Cardiff

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21

Look out for yourself and and your friends

by Katie Lewis

T

here’s no doubt that Cardiff is a great place to live, in fact, it was ranked the third best place to live in 2016. But it doesn’t matter where in the world you might live, there are still some dangers to be aware of. Between January and December 2018 there were 11,583 violent and sexual offences reported to the police in Cardiff, which topped the chart and was followed closely by 10,561 reports of anti-social behaviour. This proves that unfortunately Cardiff isn’t always the happy and jolly place we know it to be. I’m going to give you some words of advice of how to avoid situations, and how to better prepare yourself if danger comes your way.

Sometimes, as hard as you may try, certain situations are hard to avoid. It’s common for harassment to take place in the city, whether you’re getting catcalled, whistled at, or propositioned in the street. Unfortunately, you can’t stop people from doing these things, but you are completely in control of how you deal with it. I would suggest, as hard as it may be, to ignore the perpetrators of the harassment if you can, as the situation could become unsafe.

Especially if you’re on your own, you should try to avoid agitating the harasser as they might turn nasty. If you find that someone is relentlessly harassing you, and you are alone, go to a safe space like a university building or enter a shop and phone a friend to come and meet you. They are less likely to harass you if there are people around and CCTV cameras are watching their every move. If you feel you are being continuously harassed,

or even stalked, you can report it by calling 101 or by popping into the police station.

From October 2017 to May 2018, Cardiff University recieved 101 incident reports, categorised as follows:

Source: Bethan Lewis (via BBC.co.uk) If you’re walking around the city at night, make sure you know your route and stick to roads with good street lighting and avoid short cuts through back streets or alleyways. If you can, avoid walking alone at night, because if you have a friend with you, you can look out for each other. Keep your phone charged, in case you lose your way or need to contact someone if you’re feeling concerned about something.

If you feel unsafe and haven’t got money on you to pay for public trans-

Cardiff may be beautiful: but it isn’t perfect. Raise your awareness of dangers. Photo credit: Katie Lewis port, students of Cardiff University and Metropolitan can use the Safe Taxi Scheme. In partnership with Dragon Taxi’s, this service allows you to phone 029 2033 3333 and quote ‘Cardiff University Safe Taxi Scheme’ and simply give them your name and student number. You can pay the bill within the few days after your trip in the Finance Office at the SU. The scheme is available 24 hours a day, so if you feel unsafe or just want to get home after a night out, you can use this scheme to ensure a safe trip.

Keeping safe on a night out is a different ball game, because we all know when under the influence, our judge-

ment can become clouded. But if you get into the habit of looking out for yourself and your friends on a night out, it becomes second nature.

Recently, on a night out, one of my friends suggested adding each other on the ‘Find My Friends’ app, so that if we got split up, we could reunite easily. I can imagine this coming in handy for those of you who go out in large groups, as there is always someone who decides to stray from the pack and go solo in the club. Also, you can be sure that your friends made it back home safely, so you can all sleep soundly.

Whilst on the subject of nights out, a danger to be aware of in a busy nightclub, is someone spiking your drink.

There are plenty of horror stories in the press about spiking, and unfortunately, it’s on the rise in the UK, with a 108% increase in cases reported in the UK since 2015. Spiking is often followed by instances of sexual assault or robbery, whilst the victim is under the influence of unwanted drink or drugs.

If you’re on a night out with friends, make sure you’re looking out for each other and are aware of the people surrounding you.

If you see any suspicious people possibly lurking too near to you or looking noticeably shifty, don’t ignore it, move away as soon as you can. You can report them to a member of staff like a bouncer, and they can keep an eye on them. But how do you spot symptoms of a spiked drink? Spiking victims often become nauseous, have problems with their vision, find it difficult to speak and often feel paranoid and disorientated.

If you suspect yourself or a friend to have been spiked, you should act quickly and take them to a first aid room where they can be examined and possibly taken to hospital.

If you get into the habit of looking out for yourself and your friends on a night out, it becomes second nature.

Remember to never leave your drink unattended, or to accept a drink from someone that you don’t know, because then what happens to that drink is out of your control.

But while I’ve talked a lot about some of the horrors of big city life, it’s important to remember that there are so many helpful services if you ever feel unsafe. Not only are there police, but there are helplines like C.A.L.L. which is a listening line offering emotional support to those suffering with personal issues. You can phone C.A.L.L. on 0800 132 737. There is also the Cardiff Nightline service that you can phone on 02920 870555 at any time between 8pm and 8am. This is a student led service where you can be listened to without judgement. So, if you’re struggling with anything, or you’ve been through something and want to talk about it, there are people out there that will listen. Know that you’re not alone.

The differences between banter and bullying

by Max Wigfield

C

yber bullying is a term almost every young adult is acquainted with. Growing up in a world where Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are often inescapable aspects of everyday life, it is a modern phenomenon that poses some serious threats to people’s lives. Cyber bullying is also a growing problem; a report from the charity Young Minds in 2016 suggested that 39% of young people had experienced online bullying in their lifetime, while 60% had witnessed another person being harassed or bullied online. This has led to recent calls for social media platforms to follow a stricter code of conduct in order to protect young people online by regulating harmful content. And what content should be regulated?

Everyone has that one friend who prides themselves on their banter abilities. They enjoy making a joke and then sharing it with everyone, always proclaiming it in the name of banter, and can even share this on every platform of social media to spread their jokes even further. But sometimes the jokes can go too far, and the banter becomes bullying. With the constant stress of exams, assignments and lectures, university presents an already challenging environment for young

adults to overcome. This can make students more vulnerable to the dangers of cyber bullying. It is therefore important to define when banter becomes bullying, and if you do feel like a joke has gone too far, how to make it stop.

Cyberbullying is generally defined as the deliberate and repeated harm of someone through the means of communications and computers, usually through direct messaging or posting harmful content on social media platforms. There is a blurred line between what is a joke between two friends and what is publicly mocking a person on the internet; usually, that line is crossed when a joke becomes onesided and the privately shared joke is brought into the public sphere where people do not know the context of the relationship.

So, by publicly posting a joke about a friend, the ‘banter’ which you share with this person can become hurtful once taken out of the context of private friendship, particularly if it is a repeated occurrence.

If you feel like a joke is repeated too often or made too public, you are within your rights to ask for this to stop. A further issue that has arisen in recent years is the dangers of sexting and the vulnerable position it can put

this context is also important, as well as reporting accounts who are consistently sending you unsolicited posts despite signs they are not wanted. And remember, there is the support available from both Nightline and the Student Support services.

They are always available and will be able to offer help for anyone who needs it. Never be too shy to ask your friends or these institutions for assistance when you need it.

Make sure you don’t cross the line, there is a difference between banter & bullying, Source : rawpixel (via Unpslash) people in.

So, what can you do to reduce the dangers of cyberbullying? The first action you can take is simply making the person responsible for your discomfort aware of their actions and ask them to stop. It is quite possible they still think they are having a joke with you, and don’t realise their actions are having a harmful effect. If this has no effect, there are measures built into social media platforms for reporting constant bullying. You can report accounts which are causing you distress, and therefore stop the problem head

on. You can also manually stop the accounts that are responsible by blocking them, therefore not allowing them to send or post any content to your social media accounts. The dangers that are presented when sexting goes bad are amplified by their confidential nature.

The best and most effective precaution you can take is not send nude images in the first place; this way, there will be no chance of putting yourself in a vulnerable situation.

Disengagement with the person who is sending you harmful content in

1 IN 4 young people have recieved racist or hate messages online.

Source: nspcc.org.uk

If you have been affected by any of the issues covered in this section you can seek help via the Student Support Service provided by Cardiff University.

22

COLUMN

Saunders’ Corner Sam Saunders

How sport brings us together

W

ith the highly anticipated Six Nations clash between Wales and England scheduled for this weekend in Cardiff, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on the fact that, in spite of its inherently partisan nature, sport really does have the power to bring people together in moments of great joy and great sorrow. It’s been on exhibit very recently and it certainly will be again. That said, and as some people will undoubtedly be thinking at the moment, there is also an ugly side to sport; racism, hooliganism, rampant corruption, doping and madcap foreign investment are or have been huge issues in sport. However, I think that we can too often focus on all of the negatives, and ignore what has always been good about these events that are so loved. That’s what I want to look at in this column, by touching on recent events, as well as some more historic examples.

We’ll start with Wales v England, which is always an unmissable occasion, mainly due to the shared history between the two countries and the rugby rivalry that has existed for as long as anyone can remember. The clash has added spice this year because whichever team emerges victorious will be well placed to win the Six Nations Grand Slam, a seriously significant achievement. Despite the nationalist fervour that I’m sure will be on show, and the fact that the entire city will be buzzing, I doubt that we will hear about any fights or crowd trouble during the match. Perhaps it is just the nature of rugby, but it seems that we can all get fired up for the game, enjoy it and then still have a pint together at the end.

This was exhibited brilliantly by the pic-

Images: England and France players stand in a circle ahead of kick-off at Wembley (Main, credit: Ben Sutherland via Flickr), Flowers laid for Emiliano Sala outside the Cardiff City Stadium (via Wikimedia Commons) tures from inside the stadium in 2017, with English and Welsh fans mixed in with seemingly no trouble. It’s testament to the fans and the players that such a charged event can be celebrated with little to no trouble from the crowd or supporters outside the stadium, no matter the result.

Vigils were held in the centre of Nantes and flowers were laid outside the Cardiff City Stadium Away from a specific fixture, tragedy in sport always brings a moment for introspection and reflection, as well as providing the opportunity for everyone from across a sport to come together at a difficult time. Unfortunately, this season’s Premier League has provided two such moments, with the deaths of Cardiff City striker Emiliano Sala and the helicopter crash at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, which claimed the lives of Leicester City’s chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others on board. The outpouring of support from the footballing world after the disappearance of the plane carrying Sala and the pilot, David Ibbotson, has been nothing short of outstanding.

Vigils were held in the centre of Nantes, where Sala had spent around three and half years, and flowers and tributes were laid outside the Cardiff City Stadium. It

was also classy for Arsenal to include Sala in the programme for their game against Cardiff City at the end of January, with a daffodil printed next to his name instead of a shirt number. The Cardiff supporters were also excellent in the three games since Sala’s disappearance and subsequent death, with the match against Bournemouth on 2 February particularly noteworthy for its charged but melancholy atmosphere.

The togetherness of the sport was exemplified not just in the actions of fans in Nantes and Cardiff, but by the contributions from across the game to fund private searches for the bodies of both Sala and Ibbotson; a notable donor to both funds was the Paris Saint Germain striker, Kylian Mbappe. The outpouring of emotion around Sala’s death really shows how sport can bring people together and that even in moments of great tragedy, a simple game of football can help everyone express their sadness and attempt to move on.

As previously mentioned, the death of Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha last October was another case of when sport can bring people together. In addition to various tributes in the form of scarves, shirts and flowers being left outside the King Power Stadium in Leicester, the togetherness shown by the players and staff, who all lined up on the pitch at Cardiff during the minute’s silence was exceptional.

Again, there were thousands of messages of gratitude on social media from fans and tributes from those around the world of sport, especially because Srivaddhanaprabha’s investment in the club had helped fire Leicester to an un-

likely Premier League triumph in 2016.

What struck me about this tragedy was that again, there was no hate or vitriol directed here, and sport provided the opportunity for everyone to express their grief, as Cardiff played host to Leicester’s 1-0 win.

We could argue that the 1980 Olympics in the USSR and the 1984 Games in the USA brought people together, as they celebrated communism and capitalism There are too many historic examples to mention here, so I’ll select a few that I think are pretty exemplary.

Firstly, England’s match against France at Wembley in November 2015 was played in the shadow of the terrorist attacks that had happened at the Stade de France and across Paris several days earlier. Whilst I was of the opinion that the match should never have been played in the first place, the sight of thousands of English and French fans singing La Marseillaise before kick-off was stirring and truly emphasised the unity between the two countries in the face of adversity, despite the historic rivalry both on and off the field. Sticking with France, the whole country was able to unite behind their

national football team, known as Les Bleus, during their world cup triumphs of 1998, 2018 and their run to the final of Euro 2016. The 1998 campaign was a victory for the so-called ‘Black, Blanc, Beur’ team, which was made up of the sons of both French nationals and those who had come to France from its colonies, which had caused consternation in some sections of French society. Whilst racial tensions still exist in France today, it marked an important first step in showing that this new France could be successful on the world stage.

The Olympics are another prominent example of how sport can bring people together, even if they have sometimes been used for more nefarious goals. We can consider London 2012 as an example of the former, as a nation somewhat disconnected from their Olympian stars basked in the warmth of a British summer and outstanding sporting success, a feat that was repeated four years later at Rio 2016, where Great Britain finished a record 2nd in the medals table. Even the aforementioned examples with less noble intentions, we could argue that the 1980 Olympic Games in the USSR and the 1984 Games in the USA did bring people together, as they were a celebration of communism and capitalism, even though many countries chose to boycott these events.

Overall, I agree that modern sport has a lot of problems that need solving in order for it to retain its popularity and entertainment value moving forward, however, there should be a recognition that sport still has many benefits, such as the ability to bring people together and to demonstrate emotion and feeling.

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24

UK-China collaboration to develop superbug cure The £1.8m project seeks to eradicate antibiotic resistant microbes

by Holly Giles

A

ntibiotic resistant bacteria are among us and increasing every second. Antibiotic resistant bacteria are tolerant to antibiotics, meaning the drug no longer has the effect intended. These bacteria are causing havoc for the medical practice where previously successful medication no longer works and new drugs are needed. However, all is not lost; here in Cardiff researchers in the School of Dentistry have teamed up with Destiny Pharma and Tianjin Medical University to tackle the issue. They aim to develop drugs which can prevent, control, and eradicate superbugs without generating resistance.

50% of prescribed antibiotics are not optimally effective due to resistance As part of a £1.8 million project the team, led by Professor David Williams, will develop products created

by Destiny Pharma to combat resistant bacteria. They will combine new compounds with existing antibiotics in a hope to restore the previous efficiency of the medication. Heading up the Cardiff team, Williams said: “the widespread emergence of antimicrobial resistance in recent years has highlighted the need for alternative and effective antimicrobial agents.

“We, therefore, feel that the XF drug platform from Destiny Pharma provides timely and significant tools in our armoury against antimicrobial resistance”. As hinted by Williams the need for such medication is growing, with 50% of prescribed antibiotics not being optimally effective due to resistance. This has an estimated cost of £20 billion to the NHS each year and its rate is exponentially growing.

The funding for the project comes from the UK-China Antimicrobial Resistance fund which was set up

by Innovate and the Department of Health. Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide issue and neither country could carry out this research on their own. Neil Clark, from Destiny Pharma, said: “the funds awarded under the new UK-China collaboration, will help […] investigate the utility of our XF drug platform especially in

Infection: Staphylococcus bacteria can develop resistance which the project aims to combat. Source: Wikipedia the treatment of dermal and ocular infections.

“This collaboration may help us identify additional clinical candidates that are safe, effective and with a significantly reduced level of antimicrobial resistance.”

The project is still in its early phases but is very promising with the identification of new options for

pharmaceutical companies and new hope in our fight against bacterial resistance. Until then, there are certain actions we can take to prevent the spread of resistance.

Don’t take antibiotics when they’re not needed and if you do take them always make sure you complete the course; ultimately follow your doctor’s advice.

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

SCIENCE

Habitat fragmentation threatening rare leopard species

Your science desk Danny Brown Jonathan Learmont

by George Blake

It is thought just 754 Sundra clouded leopards remain

to palm oil.

Habitat fragmentation is not an issue solely affecting Sundra clouded leopards; habitat loss and fragmentation is the main threat to terrestrial biodiversity.

A

recent study by Cardiff University has found the Sundra clouded leopard is under threat due to habitat fragmentation and a lack of forest connectivity within Sabah (Borneo), Malaysia.

In collaboration with Oxford University’s WildCRU, the US Forest Service and Sabah Wildlife Department, Cardiff University’s Danau Girang Field Centre has been monitoring clouded leopards.

This reduced dispersal is limiting gene flow, endangering the long-term future of the species

Using a combination of field data and modelling simulations, they mapped population connectivity patterns across Sabah.

Their findings indicated isolated patches of forest or areas of reduced forest cover are jeopardising the dispersal of individual clouded leopards.

This reduced dispersal is limiting gene flow, endangering the long-term future of the species.Dr Andrew Hearn, from WildCRU said: “Sabah is a stronghold for the Sundra clouded leopard in

Main cause of fragmentation in Sabah is conversion of forest habitat to produce palm oil

Endangered: Habitat loss and fragmentation is the main threat to terrestrial biodiversity. Source: Ltshears (Wikimedia Commons) Borneo, yet this rarely seen animal is found at very low population densities, typically as few as 1-5 animals for every 100 square kilometres of forest. “Such rarity, coupled with the fact that their forest home is shrinking and becoming increasingly isolated, may expose these beautiful cats to the negative effects of population isolation, as individual animals struggle to disperse across the landscape.”

The Sundra clouded leopard is only

found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra and is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. Numbers have rapidly declined in recent years and it is thought just 754 individuals remain in Sabah, down from 1,500 – 3,200 in 2006. It is thought once numbers drop below 500 individuals, there is insufficient genetic diversity to withstand environmental change or disease. The main cause of fragmentation within Sabah is the conversion of forest habitat

Anthropogenic disturbance such as agricultural expansion has resulted in dramatic global losses.

Giant Pandas, one of the most endangered species in the world, are at risk of disappearing unless efforts are made to reduce the breakup of their habitat.

In the UK, a species under threat from fragmentation is the dormouse, as continued declines in native woodlands and hedgerows have contributed to a 50% decline in numbers since 1995.

To avoid significant biodiversity loss, future research must focus upon more taxonomic groups and accompanying global threats such as climate change in order to increase our ability to manage landscapes and effectively improve species conservation efforts.

GWYDDONIAETH 25

Chang’e-4 probe lands on far side of the Moon China’s latest lunar mission could launch extra-terrestrial agriculture

by Milo Moran

C

hina have successfully landed the first ever robotic probe on the far side of the Moon.

Chang’e-4 will study geology, listen for radio signals from space, experiment with growing plants and is being heralded as a major milestone in space exploration, not just for China but for the world.

The dark side of the Moon is relatively unexplored, with only a few probes having flown over it to take images. This is because the Moon is tidally locked, meaning one side always faces us and the other always faces away into space. The difference between the two is major: the darker patches you may see on the near side of the Moon are called “seas” and are formed by ancient volcanic activity.

The far side has far fewer of these, and many more craters, as it is always exposed to space. Chang’e-4, which is named after the Chinese Moon goddess, has already sent back photographs from the surface, which have to be bounced off a satellite in order to reach Earth.

We are entering a renaissance for space exploration China have landed the probe in the middle of the Von Kármán crater.

This depression sits within the larger South Pole-Aitken Basin, which is the result of an impact billions of years ago by something 5,000 km in diameter. The SPA Basin is huge, as

Uncharted: Previous Chang’e missions have offered a new perspective of the Moon. Source: Justin Cowart (via Flickr) wide as the distance from London to Athens. Scientists believe that this impact exposed rocks from the inner mantle of the Moon. Chang’e-4 is equipped with scientific instruments to analyse the composition of the rocks, and this will provide fascinating new data about the formation of the Moon. The far side of the Moon is also ideal for carrying out radio astronomy, because the probe will be outside the range of man-made radio interference, letting it ‘listen’ to cosmic phenomena we cannot observe from our planet.

In a major step forward, Chang’e-4 also carried cotton and potato seeds,

yeast, and fruit flies. This is part of an experiment to see how biological matter fares in space, especially as the far side of the Moon regularly varies in temperature between 200 and -180°C. Growing plants on the Moon would be vital for missions to other places in the solar system, and as the first cotton seeds have sprouted, possibilities for Mars missions have been opened up.

China first sent an astronaut into orbit 15 years ago, and have since invested billions in their space project, but Caltech astronomer Ye Quanzhi said that this was the first time China has “attempted something that other

space powers have not”. They seem intent on pushing further, with plans for a permanent moon settlement and a Mars lander that is scheduled for 2020. Chang’e-5 has already been lined up, but more ambitiously it will take samples of lunar rocks and soil to be returned to Earth for analysis.

We are entering a renaissance for space exploration: India are due to land on the Moon this year, SpaceX are planning space tourism by 2023, and the European Space Agency will be launching a Mars rover built in Britain and named after Rosalind Franklin.

You would be forgiven for think-

ing that this is the beginning of a new ‘space race’, but this seems unlikely. Although US Vice President Mike Pence has been unveiling plans for America to advance further into space, the UK’s Professor Keith Hayward says that it’s “difficult to respond quickly - you are dealing with some very long-term plans”, making it unlikely that other countries will accelerate their programmes in response. With major international players investing large sums of money into space exploration, we can only hope that the new knowledge we acquire and technology we develop are put to good use.

North-South America land connection formed from volcanic activity

by Milo Moran

I

t’s the narrow piece of land that connects North and South America, shaped the last 25 mil-

Chemical data reveals history of landmark geological event

lion years, and formed the Arctic ice cap, but the events which led to the creation of the Isthmus of Panama

Continental: The formation of the Isthmus of Panama has been much debated. Source: Wikimedia Commons

are largely disputed. However, data collected by Cardiff University scientists may sway the debate once and for all.

For a long time, it was believed that the Isthmus was created by the collision of the South American and Caribbean tectonic plates, which formed underwater volcanoes. A combination of volcanic activity, the upward pushing of the two plates, and sediment deposited by ocean currents eventually formed the land.

Geochemical data taken from the Panama Canal shows that there were high levels of volcanism in the region, suggesting that it was this which formed the new land, and not sediment. Because the Panama Canal was deliberately built in a low-

It has played a huge part in Earth’s biological history lying, flat region of the country, scientists believe it was one of the last parts of the Isthmus to emerge from the ocean, and therefore holds the most recent data.

The Isthmus has caused major changes since it formed, as the division of the Pacific and Atlan-

tic forced warm Caribbean water north, providing the moisture that formed the Arctic ice cap, and warming North-Western Europe. If the Gulf Stream were to stop for any reason, Britain could become up to 10°C colder!

The Isthmus also played a huge part in the Earth’s biological history, allowing plants and animals to migrate between North and South America. Cardiff University’s Dr David Buchs, lead author of the study, quite rightly said “The formation of the Isthmus is without doubt one of the most significant geological events to have happened on Earth”, and anyone who has been feeling the cold lately will probably agree.

Meet & Mingle Tuesday 26th February 20:30 - 23:00, The Lodge

Come and celebrate all the great work our volunteers have completed over the year.

All are welcome, volunteer or not! Open bar, food provided, as well as goodies and music!

Tickets: ÂŁ2 / Purchase from:

cardiffstudents.com/volunteering/events/

Make The Most Of Your Money £2.46 a day = £17.22 a week = £895.44 a year

A cappuccino a day in Cardiff, every day, could cost you over £895 per year... budget before you buy!

cardiffstudents.com/advice/money

SPORT

28

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England are the acid test for the turbulent times ahead.

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What is really striking about this current crop of Welsh players is opportunity they have to achieve something special

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England dominated the first two weekends of the Six Nations by dismantling Ireland and France.

Wales

A

fter two away games that have provided many questions for head coach Warren Gatland, Wales now enter the most important stage of the Six Nations.

But, if Wales are to challenge against the home nations, they will need to review their performances against France and Italy.

First, against France in Paris, Wales appeared off the pace in the first half and ultimately won because of two detrimental French handling errors.

George North proved clinical to convert the chances provided by the lacklustre French, but Wales will need to show vast improvement if they are to challenge England this week in Cardiff.

In what was a starting XV containing 10 changes to face Italy in Rome, Gatland probably didn’t get the reaction he wanted from some players he was handing a golden opportunity to.

We will discuss Biggar and Anscombe’s competition for the half back jersey in due course, but what is really striking about this current crop of Welsh players is the opportunity they have to achieve something special.

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Italy

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After the first two matches of this years Six Nations, Italy find themselves winless and bottom once again.

by Reece Chambers & Gareth Axenderrie In a World Cup year, every jersey is up for grabs and the final three games of this Six Nations Championship should be viewed as a great opportunity for each Welsh player to make a name for themselves.

It is often said in sport that competition can only be healthy for a group of players.

However, the battle for certain positions across the pitch prove to be limiting Wales of their full potential right now.

The balance between competition and good performances is probably something that Gatland’s side has failed to fully get to grips with in the first two weeks of the Six Nations, but playing England next gives Wales the ultimate opportunity to get to the best out of their squad.

Time to choose at 10?

It seems odd to talk of crisis following a Welsh victory that equalled a record eleventh win in a row.

However, the uncertainty of who wears the famous outside-half jersey is reaching a critical stage as the Six Nations reaches a mid-term climax and the World Cup looms on the horizon.

England

ast year, England finished fifth in the Six Nations and were bitterly disappointing, but what a difference a year can make.

Eddie Jones travelled to Dublin with one of the strongest English sides for years, bolstered by the return of both Vunipolas and Manu Tuilagi.

Had Jones dreamed of how the 80 minutes against the Irish would have gone then it would have been pretty similar to the reality.

Jonny May dived over within the first two minutes after some beautiful passing from Owen Farrell.

Ireland played the game that every pundit, fan and player had predicted, bombarding England’s back three with challenging kicks.

May and Elliot Daly dealt with this comfortably after suitable preparation for a classically predictable Ireland.

Ireland’s recent success has been

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wo games, two defeats and an all too familiar pattern for Italy who extended their winless Championship run to 19-straight defeats.

Going into the competition, expectations for this Italy side were low.

But, with not even a solitary bonus point to show for their efforts, fears of another extremely disappointing campaign looms.

In their opening fixture, Italy showed that there is character amongst the camp.

After falling behind early against Scotland at Murrayfield, which is a challenging environment at the best of times, Italy fought back to record three tries in seven minutes to close

Fixtures & Results

Three different men have worn it during Wales’ recent purple patch, with Gareth Anscombe and Rhys Patchell taking turns to front challenges to a jersey Dan Biggar has called his own for so long.

Last Saturday, it was Biggar’s turn once again.

With Anscombe found wanting in Paris a week earlier, and Patchell blowing hot and cold since suffering a series of concussions, it appeared the stars had aligned in Biggar’s favour.

A dominant performance in Rome would have cemented his place in Wales’ most important position once more.

Biggar had an off-day, however.

A series of unforced errors and a failure to get the Welsh backline firing were combined with an uncharacteristic lack of game management and decision making, areas where he is usually so highly regarded.

When you look at the world’s other leading sides, confidence and continuity is associated with the number 10 shirt.

When England march down the M4 this weekend, it will be the imperious Owen Farrell engineering everything

they do from outside half.

It’s the most important position in rugby, and he who wears it needs to balance knowing when to unleash an attack and when to control the game.

These decisions are helped enormously when you add familiarity and consistency, something severely lacking in Wales’ half-back department.

It doesn’t help that Wales aren’t sure of their first choice scrum-half either.

Some commentators still believe that Rhys Webb will come home from his French exile in time for the World Cup, but even this only negates any semblance of certainty.

Wales have ridden the crest of a winning wave over their last eleven wins.

Their ship now turns to far more challenging waters and they find themselves in a struggle for who will chart its course.

England are the acid test for the turbulent times ahead.

Warren Gatland must now put an end to the discontinuity and choose the man he sees as the fittest to steer the ship from here on.

If uncertainty continues, confidence and momentum could sink at the worst possible time.

prior to the World Cup later this year.

In truth, there was not a player wearing the red rose who could be faulted, with all playing perfectly as Jones pulled the strings.

England continued this form into their match against France, a different approach for a side who are a polar opposite to the Irish.

Again, May stole the show with a wonderful hat-trick, secured within the first 30 minutes of the match, stunning France with a try during the game's opening play.

Courtney Lawes was phenomal, produced bone-crunching tackle after bone-crunching tackle, as the French were made to look like an amateur side who won a competition to train against England.

Jones’ side will be disappointed not to have registered a recordbreaking victory, yet they are look-

Italy

Rome February 9th 15-26 (W)

England

Cardiff February 23th

Scotland Edinburgh March 9th

Ireland

Cardiff March 16th

Dublin

ing well poised to challenge Wales February 2nd at the Principality, a match that 20-32 (W) promises to be a treat for all rugby fans.

Henry Slade and Manu Tuilagi London were once again brilliant in the February 10th midfield, and Jones will hope that 44-8 (W) both can retain their fitness for the rest of the Six Nations and indeed the World Cup. Cardiff Ben Youngs also impressed both February 23th in Dublin and at Twickenham, with a markedly improved kicking game and an impressive temperament for setting the pace of England's game.

London Tom Curry recorded two solidMarch 9th performances, and with Sam Underhill set to return for the World Cup, the battle between these two for the 7 shirt is heating up.

London After stunning the Irish and March 16th outclassing the French, Eddie Jones' side certainly look the ones to beat.

France Wales Italy

Scotland

Scotland

by George Willoughby out the game.

Sadly, the game was all but over at this stage, as a ruthless Scotland side piled on the points in the first 60-minutes of the game and never looked back.

In fairness to Conor O’Shea’s men, they did look dangerous when they had possession. Italy have some individual talent in their ranks, but keeping the points out seems to be their constant undoing.

No matter how good you are going forward, if you're defensively frail, then there will only be a losing outcome.

In the second-round of fixtures, Italy put up a much better fight against a very talented Wales side that were in search of their 11th

Paris February 1st 19-24 (W)

Ireland

by Jack Vavasour

built on the breakthrough of such players as Jacob Stockdale and James Ryan, but the former was kept quiet throughout the game by an impressive Jack Nowell, who forced a mistake from him to create a try for Daly.

Mako Vunipola and Mark Wilson were freakish throughout the game, registering 27 tackles each, a Championship record.

The emergence of Wilson is one of the key components in England’s success, a player who silently goes about his business slowly pushing his side towards victory.

Henry Slade also finally had his ‘coming of age’ performance in an England shirt.

Slade is a player who appears to glide through Premiership matches, yet had never looked entirely comfortable at international level.

Now he looks to be in full swing

France

consecutive win.

Wales’s Dan Biggar was excellent, and he began proceedings with four penalties to leave Italy 12-0 down after 30 minutes.

The Italy of old would have folded there and then, but they responded brilliantly through a Braam Steyn try and Tommaso Allan, who placed his penalty through the posts, giving Italy a real chance of an upset result.

Italy tried to keep pace, but their lack of squad depth was very apparent after they struggled to maintain the competitive intensity which kept the game a tight affair.

Edoardo Padovani recorded himself a try five minutes from time, but Italy fell to their second defeat

of the tournament.

It’s hard to gauge just how many positives Italy can take from the two defeats.

Yes, the three tries against Scotland showed promise, but the game was already out of reach at that point.

As well, Wales made a variety of changes to their matchday squad so there was almost an expectance for them to compete to some extent.

With England and Ireland next up, it seems that Italy’s best chance of victory will be against France, who they host in Rome in the final match of the tournament.

Desperate to avoid another Six Nations without a win, expect Italy to show a heightened level of effort.

Edinburgh February 2nd 33-20 (L)

Wales

Rome February 9th 15-26 (L)

Ireland

Rome February 24th

Wales

Cardiff March 11th

England London March 16th

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CHWARAEON

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

France ‘‘ J France would have been devasted losing the way they did to Wales having controlled large parts of the game.

ournalists have been reluctant to use the oft-repeated phrase ‘you never know which France is going to turn up’ in this year’s Six Nations, but Les Bleus have tried their hardest to keep the adage in use.

Conceding a 16-0 lead – a tournament record – against Wales in their opening game in Paris, followed by a 44-8 thumping at Twickenham in their last match has left little meaning in this campaign for France, whilst also dealing a serious blow to their hopes of progress in Japan.

What is so frustrating is that for 40 minutes in Paris, France put in an almost complete performance, full of verve, zip and energy, mostly thanks to a new style of play, as well as some new and returning faces, such as Wesley Fofana and Romain Ntamack.

Throughout the first period, Yoann

Huget looked particularly bright on the wing, whilst France were incredibly resolute defensively. Though Camille Lopez and Morgan Parra left kickable points on the field, the French went into half-time firmly on top, with a Welsh comeback seemingly unthinkable.

However, a stunning second half selfimplosion saw George North pounce as Huget calamitously spilled the ball on his own try-line, before the Osprey’s winger intercepted Sebastien Vahaamahina’s unnecessary lofted pass and dashed the length of the French half to seal a famous Welsh comeback.

After playing one half of good rugby, ahead of facing England, Jacques Brunel rang the changes and went back to trying to overpower the opposition, with the decision to recall Mathieu Bastareaud to the starting line-up particularly noteworthy.

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Ireland

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Ireland lost their opening game to England but redeemed themselves with a win at Murrayfield.

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he opening weekend of the Six Nations did not go how many Irish fans thought it would.

Ireland slumped to defeat against England but fought back against Scotland and left Edinburgh victorious.

England came to the Aviva and took charge.

From the off England were targeting Johnny Sexton and it disrupted Irish attack.

At half time England were leading 17-10 with tries from Jonny May and Elliot Daly.

Cian Healy crossed the line for Ireland ensuring that the win was still in reach.

However, it was not meant to be.

Henry Slade scored two more tries in the second half.

With John Cooney scoring Ire-

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Losing to Ireland would have been gutting for the Scotland camp, but they showed that they can more than compete with the best teams in the competition.

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One of 10 changes from the opening game, the colossal centre didn’t even make Brunel’s bench against Wales, but was looked upon largely to neutralize the physical threat posed by England’s Manu Tuilagi.

Unfortunately for Brunel and France, this didn’t work either, as Les Bleus’ defensive flaws were brutally exposed by England’s physicality and kicking game.

Outclassed throughout, the French were steamrollered in a devastating first period, which saw an electric Jonny May cross after just over a minute played, before sealing his hat-trick ahead of the half hour mark, with Henry Slade also getting in on the act to secure the bonus point before the break.

France’s back three of Huget, Gael Fickou and Damian Penaud were bamboozled by the relentless aerial assault launched by Owen Farrell, and

their misery was later compounded

by Fickou’s desperate hauling down of Chris Ashton, which saw a penalty try awarded to the hosts.

In stark contrast to their opponents, it was difficult to see any discernible style of play from the French, and, whilst particularly brutal in its nature, defeat at Twickenham was undoubtedly the fairest result.

Eight losses in their last nine tests makes grim reading for both Brunel and Les Bleus, who must now surely put the power game to bed and focus on the positives from the first half against Wales.

It will be difficult to put these games behind the team, however, and with Scotland and Ireland up next, France are sliding towards Rome, where a final to avoid the wooden spoon seems increasingly like to await them.

Fixtures & Results

Wales

Paris February 1st 19-24 (L)

England

London February 10th 8-44 (L)

Scotland

Paris February 23rd

Ireland

Dublin March 10th

Italy

Rome March 16th

England

by Rosie Foley

land’s only points of the second half, it was too little too late.

Joe Schmidt admitted that England were the better team on the day and Ireland couldn’t bring the physicality to the game.

‘Today they were better for sure, they beat us up.’

‘We got out muscled, they had a physical intent from the start’ Ireland suffered a big loss after this game as C J Stander suffered a fracture to his eye socket and cheekbone. He would not play against Scotland.

Looking for redemption after a monumental loss to England, Ireland looked to conquer at Murrayfield.

Captain Rory Best said how it was vital that his side won as losing two games in a row would have been devastating for the team’s con-

Scotland s the distinctive skirl of bagpipes reverberated around Murrayfield on the opening weekend of the Six Nations, there was optimism etched on the faces of Scotland’s scarfed supporters.

Beaten only twice at Murrayfield since December 2017, and facing an Italy side with three consecutive wooden spoons, Scotland had a real opportunity to get their 2019 Six Nations campaign off to a flyer.

And, for 70 minutes at least, fly they did.

After an early Tommaso Allan penalty put the visitors ahead, Finn Russell’s spectacular vision saw him deliver an inch-perfect cross-field kick to Blair Kinghorn, who darted over for Scotland’s first points.

From then on out, Gregor Townsend’s side were relentless, camped deep within the Italian half, and controlling the game with sharp kicking and consistent pressure.

Russell, unsurprisingly, continued to

by Sam Saunders

29

fidence.

The visitors started behind the home team with a penalty for the Scots but tries from Conor Murray and Jacob Stockdale put Ireland ahead.

Just before half time Sam Johnson scored a try and closed the gap between the two teams by just two points.

However, Keith Earls extended the visitors lead just after 60mins.

Scotland had opportunities in the second half but their clinical errors meant that they could not execute their chances.

A significant substitution was Joey Carbery on for a blood replacement for Johnny Sexton.

Carbery showed that he is a strong substitute for fly half and had an outstanding game.

Captain Peter O’Mahony praised

the young 10 stepping into Sexton’s shoes.

‘I thought Joey did super and that’s ultimately what you need, when you lose a world-class player like Johnny so early on’.

Rob Kearney made his return at full-back for Ireland and it showed.

He was dangerous under the high balls and hitting lines cutting through Scotland’s defence.

Ireland travel to Rome to take on Italy, if they build from their victory over Scotland they should come away from Stadio Olimpico with the win.

What is interesting for Ireland is that yes, they have lost a game, but if Wales can defeat England then the Championship is wide open. Ireland play Wales in the final game of the tournament so if results go their way, this could be a pivotal matchup.

Dublin February 2nd 20-32 (L)

Scotland Edinburgh February 9th 13-22 (W)

Italy

Rome February 24th

France

Dublin March 10th

Wales

Cardiff March 16th

by John Jones

be at the heart of the action, linking up well with his fellow backs in a stunning move that saw Kinghorn grab his second, before delivering a delicate grubber through the Italian defence for Stuart Hogg to get his fingertips to shortly after the break.

A Kinghorn hattrick secured the bonus point, before Chris Harris’ first try for Scotland put his team 30 points clear.

Scotland were dominant, but could have easily scored more, and nearly suffered the most spectacular late collapses as Italy scored three tries in the final ten minutes to take the score to 33-20.

An impressive performance for the most part, but the Scots knew that a failure to take their chances and see the game off would severely damage their chances against better teams.

Scotland’s next opponents, Ireland, were still reeling from their shock 32-20 defeat to England a week earlier, and the visitors looked

shaky in the opening exchanges, with Laidlaw slotting a deserved penalty after sustained early pressure.

However, a moment of confusion between Sean Maitland and Tommy Seymour was Scotland’s undoing, as Conor Murray pounced on the loose ball to score, before Jacob Stockdale crossed minutes later.

Between the Irish scores, two of the game’s key actors left the stage, as a targeted Jonny Sexton departed shortly after Stuart Hogg was forced off after 16 minutes through a late challenge from Peter O’Mahony and Rory Best that went unpunished.

More Russell brilliance closed the gap to two before half-time, as he intercepted Carbery’s pass on halfway, and offloaded to Sam Johnson metres from the line for the centre to score.

However, a Keith Earls try midway through the second period took the game away from Scotland, and

an attritional half saw Townsend’s team emerge on the wrong side of a 22-13 scoreline.

Whilst captain Greg Laidlaw was quick to blame the performance of referee Romain Poite, two main issues remain clear for Scotland after the second weekend.

Firstly, whilst Ireland were poor, Scotland were poorer, and shot themselves in the foot with numerous missed chances, onedimensional play and 14 (fourteen) handling errors.

Furthermore, Townsend, unlike Joe Schmidt, simply does not have the squad depth to cope with injuries to talismans like Hogg, whilst Ryan Wilson was also a big loss for the Scots.

With sharper finishing and greater squad depth, Scotland would pose a significant threat to rugby’s big boys.

They are right on the periphery of excellence.

Italy

Edinburgh February 2nd 33-20 (W)

Ireland

Edinburgh February 9th 13-22 (L)

France

Paris February 23rd

Wales

Edinburgh March 9th

England London March 16th

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30

SPORT

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/sport

England struggle in paradise

It's not over until it's over

by Reece Chambers

K

enneth Zohore's late-late strike at the St Mary's Stadium on the weekend sent the travelling away fans into raptures as Cardiff City moved out of the relegation zone.

An away win, only their second of the season, moved Neil Warnock's side above their south coast opponents and out of the relegation zone at a crucial point of the season.

Tipped at the start of the season to be favourites for relegation, Cardiff have continually defied the odds and picked up some impressive results along the way.

There is certainly no hiding the fact that Cardiff don't have the funds of other clubs in the bottom half of the Premier League - Fulham, for example, who have spent a large amount on their current squad - but what they do have is a tremendous collective spirit that can only help them in their bid against relegation.

Last month's tragic events involving Emiliano Sala of course hit the entire footballing world with incredible shock.

However, Cardiff City have created a siege mentality from the situation and look to remain in the Premier League - at least in part - in honour of Sala.

The collective nature of the club at the moment - exemplified by recent wins against Bournemouth and Southampton - is one that is rare in clubs that have had to overcome such challenges in the world's most competitive league.

A 5-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Cardiff City Stadium back in September springs to mind when thinking of the unique nature of Cardiff City Football Club. 5-0 down to one of the all-time Premier League greats in the pouring Welsh rain probably should have seen home fans downbeat and ready to go home.

However, the club's fans were impeccably supportive of their side just as they have been for the majority of the season.

Such loyalty and support for the Bluebirds over the season appears to be rubbing off pretty well of late. The club have climbed out of the relegation zone and are defying the odds.

The connection between fans and players at Cardiff City is something very rare in the Premier League.

Unlike other clubs who may have lost such a connection, the Bluebirds have created an atmosphere within the club that gives the players to play at their absolute maximum potential and give everything for the club.

Looking ahead, the Bluebirds have a handful of crucial home games, starting against Watford next weekend after a break during the latest FA Cup round.

Out-of-form Everton then visit the Welsh capital in what currently looks like a good opportunity to get more points on the board.

With Cardiff having a rather poor away form record this season, home games coming up could well define the remainder of the season.

Home games coming up against Watford on the 22nd February and Everton on the 26th, just four days later.

Lords Cricket Ground: Source: Mark Hillary (via Flickr)

by George Willoughby

A

superb,record-breaking whitewash victory in Sri Lanka had confidence levels in the England camp at an all-time high.

But, coach Trevor Bayliss and his team had a reality check when they were beaten 2-1 in an eye-opening series in the West Indies.

There has always been some areas of uncertainty around this England team, mainly concerns regarding the frailties of the top-order.

A dependable opening pairing is paramount to success in Test Cricket, and since Andrew Strauss retired, and now Alastair Cook, the questions have re-surfaced once again.

The first two tests of the series are great examples of this.

England's batting was far short of the required level, and the West Indian bowlers exploited this very effectively.

Granted, the onus doesn't just fall on the opening batsman to score the bulk of the runs, but when the middle order are having to face a relatively new ball, that is where the problems occur.

Even the usually reliable Joe Root underperformed recording only one score above 30, albeit scoring a century.

England's tour of the Carribean was the last test series they will partake in

before the Ashes come around in August, apart from a one off Test against Ireland in July.

So, in terms of building some momentum, captain Joe Root will be slightly concerned with his teams performances, especially in the opening two matches where they were significantly the inferior opposition in all facets.

Partnerships are vital in building a formidable total, and when England only managed to score above 200 in one innings out of the first four, there was no surprise they ended up on the losing end of some comprehensive defeats.

Take nothing away from the West Indies though.

Test cricket has seemingly taken a back seat in the Caribbean, with the shorter formats of the game making the headlines.

However, skipper Jason Holder, and his cohort of exciting talent are creating a buzz factor around a West Indian team once again.

Young talents such as Roston Chase, Shai Hope, John Campbell and Alzarri Joseph really impressed.

They should take pride in the fact that for the majority of the series, they dominated their English counterparts who had no answer with both the bat and ball.

But, the West Indies weren't able

to secure a flawless test series victory as a resurgent England fought back to claim a consolatory 232 run win in Saint Lucia.

Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Joe Root all had timely knocks, but it was the England bowling attack that was the determining factor.

Mark Wood, who has flirted with the International scene, was introduced back into the squad.

This was an astute, and necessary alteration as the pace of Wood is unlike anything the rest of the bowling unit can offer.

Known for his short, yet rhythmic bowling action, the 29-year old dismissed the Windies batsmen at ease.

It was a much needed injection of energy into the England squad that has looked flat off the back of two humbling defeats.

Wood took a total of six wickets on his return, which included a maiden international five-wicket haul in the first innings.

This put the England batsmen in a commanding position to put the game out of reach.

On a personal note, talking about his performance, Mark Wood opened up about his challenges mentally.

Wood has had a track-record with injuries that clearly have created some confidence issues, but he displayed his abundance of pace, power and accu-

racy in an electric return to International cricket.

Wood's performance will ask questions of the England selectors, as the raw pace that he has is invaluable.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad are two of the world's best bowlers, but they don't trouble batsmen with pace, more so their exquisite control.

This is when you need variation, making Mark Wood a fantastic player to have.

He can be used in short bursts which stops the opposition batters from becoming comfortable at the crease, which can sometimes be the case if the ball isn't swinging.

Despite the significantly improved performance in the final match, there is no escaping the fact that England were outplayed and deserved to lose the series.

Credit where credit is due, but I am sure a handful of individuals will be disappointed with their contributions across the three tests.

England now have one day series against the West Indies and Pakistan which should be entertaining viewing.

As well, the ICC World Cup is approaching with England undoubtedly one of the pre-tournament favourites.

After all that it's the Ashes, so England will be hoping to be at their best in the build-up to the biggest spectacle cricket has to offer.

Disappointing start for Wales Women

Wales Women haven’t shown a promising start to their Six Nations campaign

R

eigning champions France were Wales' first team of the tournament. They knew it was going to be a tough match and the score reflects that, France winning 52-3.

Wales attempted to make the journey to Montpellier on the Thursday before their game but they’re flights were cancelled due to the snow.

They had to travel down to London on the Friday and catch a flight in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Although, Captain Carys Phillips did not use that as an excuse as to why the team suffered such a loss.

Wales Head coach, Rowland Phillips noted that they needed to ‘stand up to the physical challenge’ that France would bring. Unfortunately, Wales couldn’t quite stop France from securing the bonus point win.

Before half time there were tries from Caroline Thomas, Safi N’Diaye and Lea Murie. The only points from Wales came from Robyn Wilkins penalty. The second half brought Wales no more points but plenty for France. Thomas scored her hattrick, with Murie getting her second of the night, two from Romane Menager’s and a pitch length try from Doriane Constanty. However, Rowland Phillips' side can be proud of how they played against a dominant French side.

With a hope of redemption from their opening match. The Welsh squad travelled to Italy for their second match.

Phillips made two changes from the opening team with a new second row partnership with Osprey players Natalia John and Gwen Crabb, with

Siwan Lillicrap moved to No.8. Phillips wanted to emphasise how these changes were ‘important to continue with’ his ‘team’s development’.

It would be wrong to underestimate Italy, they have some excellent players Phillips knew that ‘physicality’ would be ‘key’ against Italy and a physical game it was. Wales had hoped that they would have came away with the win, but both teams fought hard, resulting

in a draw, 3-3. Robyn Wilkins’ penalty were the first points of the match just after 30 minutes, with Centre Michaela Sillari, levelling after 60.

Neither side were able to make the most of their chances.

Elinor Snowsill’s forward pass to Jasmine Joyce denied her a breakaway try and Italy’s added-time penalty was kicked wide by Sillari.

Although, some positives came away from Wales second Six Nations game.

Elinor Snowsill gained her 50th cap and the visitors rose from the bottom of the table, to 5th above Scotland.

The women now have a well-deserved break to re-coup before they play another physical game against the professionals England at home in the Arms Park. Kick of is at 12:30pm on Sunday 24th February, with the game being televised on S4C.

CHWARAEON

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

BUCS Highlights

31

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

Cardiff 34-5 Bath Women's rugby

by Rosie Foley

T Lacrosse: Source: Cardiff University Lacrosse Club

Cardiff 9-14 RAU

by Sara Disney

C

Women's Lacrosse

ardiff University Women’s Lacrosse 3rd Team played Royal Agricultural University 1st Team for an away game this week.

Captained by Sara Disney and vice Michaela Minkin, this team has made a resounding entrance into its first year of BUCS league.

Fast breaks following centre draws, taken by Lils Ross, secured many goals for the Cardiff team. By the first half the Cardiff team were drawing 7-7 to RAU. Several illegal checks made by the rival team led to 3 yellow cards for RAU players and created many chances for Cardiff to utilise, but in the last quarter our attack could not

get through their defence to convert these opportunities into goals.

Despite great efforts by defence unfortunately Cardiff conceded 7 further goals in the second half with a final score of 14-9 to RAU. Goals were scored by Chloe Pereira (3), Heather Pope (3), Melissa Roberts (2) and Phoebe Wood (1).

Player of the match was awarded to Adele Teasdale for excellent mid defensive play, with high appraisal to goalie Thea Evans who saved some tricky shots.

The team are currently placed 4th in the league above teams involving Swansea 1st and USW 1st. The final match is away at Swansea on 6th March.

his week the women's team mixed the side up to play against Bath. Allowing girls who previously hadn't had much game time the opportunity to show what they can bring to the team.

The game started slow for Cardiff as new players in new positions. First points of the match came from Karolina Thomas as she broke through Bath's defence.

Bath managed to scatter through a unorganised Cardiff defence to put their only points of the game on the board.

Centre Ceri Edwards was playing extremely well cutting through Bath players defence putting one over the line. Winger turn centre for this

match Gen Harvey also managed to cross the line using her quick pace.

Debut winger Eve Burns was able to break through Bath's defense and score

The second half saw more changes for the cardiff side but it didn’t stop their winning ways. A methodically worked forward try came from Rosie

Foley as Jody Yandle pushed her over the white wash.

Cardiff had plenty of opportunities to score more tries but clinical errors yet again meant that they were not able to.

Edwards whilst running towards the try line suffered a big hit which knocked her out completely. This shook some of the Cardiff players but they did not lose focus.

Edwards came round and was fine.

Game restarted and it was Cardiff 's ball from which debut winger Eve Burns was able to break through Bath's scattered defence and score.

Thomas scored the final try of the match. Finishing the game 34-5.

Back of the match went to Karolina Thomas and Forward to Julia Rooke.

Wednesday winners: Source: Cardiff University Ladies Rugby Club

BUCS League Table University

Points

1

University of Nottingham

3380

2

Loughborough University

3199.2

3

Durham University

3014

4

University of Exeter

2697

5

University of Edinburgh

2522.5

6

University of Bath

2356.5

7

University of Bristol

2208.5

8

University of Birmingham

1954.5

9

Newcastle University

1759.2

10

Nottingham Trent University

1616.5

11

Cardiff University

1605.5

Athlete of the week: Adam Brenton

A

thlete of the week is a new section within Sport that will be highlighting the individual sporting achievements of players and athletes around the University. This week's Athlete of the Week is Adam Brenton of CUFC. I would like to nominate Adam Brenton for his performance for the Men’s Futsal 1st team in a must win game Vs USW last Sunday.

The team are currently 2nd in the BUCS Prem South and the local derby was a must win game to keep title winning aspirations alive.

Adam played a significant role in helping the team to a 10-5 win by scoring 4 goals. The performance epitomised his commitment to the team as he has played in all 9 league matches to date this season and scored 19 goals in the process.

This currently puts him as the team’s top scorer. It is also worth noting that Adam balances training and playing for the Futsal team with his role as Chairman of the Football Club and member of the Football 2nd team squad.

Gair Rhydd takes a look at the BUCS league table and Cardiff's performance this academic year Your sport desk Reece Chambers Rosie Foley John Jones Jack Vavasour George Willoughby Laura Price sport@gairrhydd.com

sport

chwaraeon

Six Nations So Far Page 28+29

32

BUCS Highlights Page 31

BUCS Showcase: Showcasing talent to celebrate 100 years of BUCS: Source BUCS official website

BUCS to celebrate 100 years of Higher Education sport What BUCS does and how Cardiff will be celebrating BUCS’ 100th birthday

by Laura Price

T

his year BUCS is celebrating its 100-year anniversary. As a founding member, Cardiff will be putting on some exciting events and campaigns in order to commemorate our commitment to BUCS over the years.

As a founding member Cardiff will be putting on some exciting events To kick off our celebration of BUCS, we at Gair Rhydd want to tell you a little bit about who BUCS are

and what they do.

BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) is the national governing body for Higher Education sport in the UK. An organisation whose sole aim is to “create the best university sport experience in the world”.

BUCS aim to promote the benefits of sport, education and student lifestyle by bettering the university sporting experience.

BUCS offer more than 50 sports to the United Kingdom’s Universities - across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland - of which Cardiff University currently takes part in 18. With nearly 170 members, BUCS organise matches and events for more than 5800 teams.

Over the past 100 years BUCS have taken their events to some

phenomenal venues including the world-famous Twickenham Stadium for rugby and the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome to name but a few.

Not only do BUCS host weekly matches and annual championship events, they also help graduates with professional and personal development putting on enriching events all over the UK throughout the year.

Alongside nine other universities (including Aberystwyth and Bangor), Cardiff form the Founding 10 institutions that helped pave the way for BUCS as we now know it.

Over the coming year, there will be various things each institution will be planning to commemorate the centenary.

One such way is the ‘100 stories of sport’, where a mixture of athletes, coaches, and supportive staff from dif-

ferent institutions will be profiled, and their contribution to university sport will be celebrated.

Over the next few weeks Athletic Union Vice President, Georgie Haynes will be asking clubs for nominations for these profiles. Sporting excellence is always great to celebrate, however it is often voluntary staff that work tirelessly behind the scenes that go unnoticed.

For Cardiff University, there are a number of sporting clubs who have fully utilised the BUCS structure to the best of their ability. Most impressively, the men’s rugby team are currently one of the top eight teams in the UK. Therefore, it would be great to showcase some of the volunteer coaches and staff members that have contributed to the different sporting success stories here at Cardiff.

West Indies test series review

by George Willoughby

A

superb, record-breaking whitewash victory in Sri Lanka had confidence levels in the England camp at an all-time high.

But, coach Trevor Bayliss and his team had a reality check when they were beaten 2-1 in an eye-opening series in the West Indies.

There has always been some areas of uncertainty around this England squad, mainly concerns regarding the frailties of the top-order.

A dependable opening pairing is paramount to success in Test Cricket, and since Andrew Strauss retired, and now Alastair Cook, the questions have re-surfaced once again. Read: Page 30