Issue 1146 (General Election extended edition) - Monday 2 December

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gair rhydd

2 rhagfyr 2019 2 december 2019

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UCU strikes hit Cardiff University

Hallum Cowell Politics Editor

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or the last seven days, staff at Cardiff University have been taking industrial action as part of the University and College Union (UCU) Strike action occuring in 60 universities across the country. Lectures are striking over pay and pensions, working hours, inequality, and job insecurity, while also taking part in Action Short of Strike (ASOS) which sees staff working strictly to contract, refusing to reschedule lectures lost to strike action, and no longer covering for absent colleagues.

This ASOS could be ongoing until April 2020 and comes following a UCU ballot in October which saw 77% of members backing strike action in light of ongoing disputes. This is the second time Cardiff University staff have taken part in industrial action in the last two years.

This year’s strike action began on November 25 and is lasting eight days.

It has seen some Cardiff University lecturers holding rallies in Alexandra Gardens, forming picket lines outside university buildings, and holding ‘teach-out sessions’ which UCU describes as “free workshops and discussions that take place in the community and are open to staff, students and the public.”

The UCU Strike action began with a well-attended rally on Cathays Park campus where multiple speakers expressed their thoughts on the action whilst offering messages of support and solidarity to UCU members. Speakers included Jo Stevens, Labour candidate for Cardiff Central; Catherine Walsh, Cardiff University lecturer; Dave Reid, a member of Cardiff Trades Council; and various other speakers including other higher education staff members and union representatives. Over the course of the speeches it became clear that amongst staff, students and various unions, there seems to be a big support network for the lecturers who have chosen to go on strike.

Speaking at the initial rally, Jo Stevens expressed: “Our universities are world-leading; therefore, they should be world-leading in how they treat and reward those who work there”, calling on the crowd to “[end] the marketisation of education”.

A following speaker, Shavanah Taj, Vice President of the Wales Trade Union Congress (TUC), asked the crowd

“How much recognition do you get from your work?” to which there were many shouts of “not enough”, but dispersed grumblings of “I feel quite satisfied actually” emerged from the crowd too. Dave Reid from the Cardiff Trades Council, also commented on university investments, pointing to the new Centre for Student Life (CSL) being constructed outside of the Students’ Union, saying that the University should not “spend £100 million on vanity projects”, insinuating that money should be directed towards staff members and their wellbeing, instead.

Cardiff University rejects claims that the CSL is a “vanity project”. A spokesperson for the University said: “The [CSL] will allow the University to provide far more joined up pastoral services to students - a unique and important element of Cardiff University’s offer.

The [CSL] is being delivered in partnership with the Students’ Union. It is the fruition of a successful and dynamic partnership that the University is proud to enjoy with its student body.”

Gair Rhydd contacted Cardiff University’s Students’ Union for a response but they declined to comment, noting that they have provided a number of statements previously about the CSL. The strike action has received a mixed response from Cardiff University students. At the opening rally, a group of postgraduate students stood in front of the crowd to express their support for those striking. They emphasised that this strike action should not “create an us and a them” between staff and students but rather they should “stand together in solidarity” because they believe the issues over which lecturers are striking are issues which affect all students, too.

However, not all students are in support of the UCU strike action. One student told Gair Rhydd: “The lecturers already have their degrees whilst as students, we do not. We are already paying the extortionate amount of £9,000 a year and if I’m paying that money, I’m expecting to be taught.

“If staff are having issues and want changes, there must be other ways to approach the situation instead of striking because all they’re doing is putting us students in an unfortunate position; we’re going to end up worse off because of it.”

Story continues on page 3.

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Pleidlais i barhau yn ôl yr arfer: Gwnaeth myfyrwyr yn y CCB bleidleisio o blaid cadw’r system bresennol o swyddogion sabothol. Tarddiad: Tim Marsh

CCB yn pleidleisio o blaid cadw swyddogion yr Undeb yr un fath

Deio Jones Golygydd Taf-od

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ng nghyfarfod blynyddol CCB Undeb Myfyrwyr Caerdydd, plei-

dleisiodd myfyrwyr i barhau â’r system swyddogion sabothol presennol yn hytrach nag ail-strwythuro i gynnwys Swyddog y Gymrae llawn-amser.

Er nid yw’r Undeb am gyflwyno’r swydd, dywedodd Llywydd yr Undeb

ei bod yn cydnabod pwysigrwydd y Gymraeg. Taf-od sy’n adrodd ar y newyddion yn sgîl y cyfarfod CCB. Ewch i dudalen 6 i ddarllen rhagor am y sefyllfa.

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Caerdydd and Hong Kong citi- Men’s volleyball Me: The story of zens take protest reach national Cardiff’s homeless to the polls finals Tirion Davies @Caerdydd Editor

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his week, our @Caerdydd desk spoke to Rowan*, a homeless man living on the streets of Cardiff.

Rowan is experiencing homelessness for the second time and has opened up about life on the streets, the stigma of being homeless, and the struggles of living on the streets during the cold winter months. *Name changed to protect his identity.

To find out more about Jordan’s 22 story, turn to page 24.

Alex Payne Contributor

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eople in Hong Kong have taken to the polling stations to voice their anger in the recent local elections. With record turnout of over 70% many are hailing this as a huge victory for democrat candidates while pro-China candiadtes lose safe seats.

This election has also been seen as a referendum on Carrie Lam’s handling of the extradition protests, a referendum she seems to have lost. Read more about the Hong Kong council elections on page 12.

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Alessio Grain & Costanza Tinari

Contributors ins against Sussex University, Surrey University and City, University of London saw the Cardiff University Men’s Volleyball team qualify for the national finals of the 2019/20 Indoor Student Cup. The games saw Jon Kuan, John Morgan and Alex Chavasse excel for Cardiff as the team showed determination, grit and togetherness to come away victorious. They’ll now face one of the UK’s 16 best university volleyball clubs in February. Turn to page 29 to read more.

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EDITORIAL

Gair Rhydd 2019/20 Coordinator Elaine Morgan

Editor-in-Chief Tomos Evans

Deputy Editors

Charlotte King George Willoughby

News

Charlotte King Olly Davies Anna Dutton Zoe Kramer

Features

Mustakim Hasnath Sam Tilley

Taf-od

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com

A note from the Editor Nodyn gan y Golygydd Kindness: the key “Gwnewch y to happiness pethau bychain”

Llion Carbis Aled Biston Rhodri Davies Deio Jones

Politics

Lowri Pitcher Hallum Cowell Tom-Henry Jones Maisie Marston

Comment

Adam Clarke Harry Clarke-Ezzidio Kat Smith Tehreem Sultan

Column Road Indigo Jones

Advice

Molly Govus Rhiannon James

Satwik Speaks Satwik Shivoham

Science

Liv Davies Holly Giles

@Caerdydd

Tirion Davies Natalie Graham

Five Minute Fun Michael Ash

Sport

Reece Chambers Olly Allen Ella Fenwick Luke Wakeling George Willoughby

Head of Digital Media Aliraza Manji

Social Media Manager Ashley Boyle

Digital Media Editors Matt Hancock-Bruce Daniel O’Callaghan Tom Walker

Graphics Editor Oli King

Copy Editors

Boadicea Dowd Anurag Hegde Dewi Morris Devika Sunand

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 and opinion pieces 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.

Kindness is key: Just be kind. Source: reneebigelow (via Pixabay) Tomos Evans Editor-in-Chief

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n this week’s editorial I look at what a small act of kindness can do to immeasurably improve someone’s life.

Whilst they may appear insignificant on the surface, they make a huge improvement to the mental well-being of those you show kindness to.

Last week, I was on a train travelling back to Cardiff from home. When I got off the train, I realised that I had left without my wallet, with it now on a train destined for Manchester.

After frantically freezing my bank card and calling all train-related phone numbers I could find, I thought that my wallet was gone for good.

However, that evening I received a message request on Facebook from someone asking if I’d lost my wallet. I couldn’t believe my luck and thanked her a lot for handing it in. It may appear a small thing to most people but her act of kindness really did improve my day.

Kindness is something that is often taken for granted, undervalued, unappreciated. It was refreshing to see that recently a kindness pop-up museum was set up in Norfolk. The museum was a celebration of random acts of kindness, with members of the public contacting the owners with their stories which, in turn, were

transformed into pieces of art.

There are several examples of these acts of kindness that take place within our communities here in Cardiff.

People who live amongst us, who do remarkable things to improve the quality of life for those around them.

We’ve seen, over the last few months alone, people participating in events such as the Cardiff Half Marathon, raising money for important causes.

This week, our News section features a couple of acts of kindness that have recently taken place within our city.

On page 4, we learn about 10 Feet Tall, the cocktail bar in the city centre which gave homeless people the opportunity to register to vote using their address ahead of the registration deadline for the upcoming General Election.

On the same page, we get the lowdown on Cardiff Marrow Society’s work during ‘Hero Week’, a week of activities aimed to get more stem cell donors.

This winter, when the nights are drawing in and it’s becoming ever colder, do something kind. Whether that be buying some food for a homeless person or visiting an older neighbour, kindness is the key to happiness.

The words of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, “Do the little things”, are truer than ever. Those little things are likely to have a big impact on those around you.

Caredigrwydd: Achos hapusrwydd. Tarddiad: reneebigelow (via Pixabay) Tomos Evans Prif Olygydd

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n nodyn golygyddol yr wythnos hon, edrychaf ar beth all un darn o garedigrwydd ei wneud er mwyn gwella bywyd rhywun. Tra eu bod nhw efallai’n ymddangos yn ddibwys i chi, maent yn gwneud cyfraniad sylweddol i wella iechyd meddwl y rhai sy’n derbyn eich caredigrwydd.

Yr wythnos ddiwethaf, roeddwn yn teithio ar drên i Gaerdydd o fy nghartref. Wedi imi ddod oddi ar y trên, sylweddolais fy mod wedi gadael heb fy waled, gyda’r waled bellach ar drên a oedd ar y ffordd i Fanceinion.

Wedi rhewi fy ngherdyn banc ar hast a ffonio pob rhif ffôn a oedd unrhyw beth i wneud â threnau, roeddwn yn meddwl fod fy waled wedi mynd am byth.

Ond, y noson yno derbyniais gais am neges ar Facebook wrth rhywun yn gofyn a oeddem wedi colli fy waled.

Doedden i ddim yn gallu credu pa mor ffodus oeddwn i a diolchais yn fawr iddi am ei ddychwelyd i’r ddesg eiddo coll.

Efallai ei fod yn ymddangos fel rhywbeth bach i’r rhan fwyaf o bobl ond gwnaeth ei charedigrwydd wella fy niwrnod yn sicr.

Mae caredigrwydd yn rhywbeth sy’n aml wedi ei gymryd yn ganiataol ac heb ei werthfawrogi. Roedd hi’n deimlad braf i weld fod amgueddfa caredigrwydd dros-dro wedi ei sefydlu yn Norfolk yn ddiweddar. Roedd yr amgueddfa

yn ddathliad o wahanol weithredoedd o garedigrwydd, gydag aelodau o’r cyhoedd yn cysylltu â’r perchnogion gyda’u straeon a fyddai, yn eu tro, yn cael eu troi’n ddarnau o gelf.

Ceir nifer o enghreifftiau o garedigrwydd sy’n digwydd ar hyd a lled ein cymunedau yma yng Nghaerdydd.

Pobl sy’n byw yn ein plith ac yn gwneud pethau anhygoel i wella answadd bywyd y rheiny sydd o’u cwmpas.

Rydym wedi gweld, dros y misoedd diwethaf yn unig, pobl yn cymryd rhan yn Hanner Marathon Caerdydd, gan godi arian ar gyfer achosion pwysig.

Yr wythnos hon, mae’n hadran Newyddion yn cynnwys ambell i enghraifft o garedigrwydd sydd wedi diwgydd yn ddiweddar o fewn ein dinas.

Ar dudalen 4, cawn ddysgu am 10 Feet Tall, bar yng nghanol y ddinas sydd wedi rhoi’r cyfle i bobl ddi-gartref gofrestru i bleidleisio yn yr Etholiad Cyffredinol fis yma.

Ar yr un dudalen, cawn hanes Cymdeithas Mêr Caerdydd a’u gwaith yn ystod ‘Wythnos Arwr’’ o weithgareddau wedi eu trefnu er mwyn ceisio sicrhau mwy o roddwyr bôn-gelloedd.

Y gaeaf hwn, pan mae’r nosweithiau’n dywyllach yn gynharach ac mae’n mynd yn oerach, gwnewch rhywbeth caredig.

Caredigrwydd sy’n gwneud i’r galon guro’n gryfach.

Mae geiriau Dewi Sant, “Gwnewch y pethau bychain”, yn fwy gwir nag erioed.

Mae’r pethau bychain rheiny yn debygol o gael effaith fawr ar y rhai o’ch cwmpas.

Hallum Cowell Politics Editor

Continued from front page.

One student speaker at the rally was Hebe Fletcher, the student who proposed the motion at the Students’ Union’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 21 which called on the SU to support the strike action. Gair Rhydd contacted the SU to enquire about the support the Union has provided to the UCU in light of their new mandate. A

Precarity

Lecturers are protesting to “stamp out casual contracts”, arguing these contracts provide unstable working conditions and jeopardise continuity of employment.

Why have some lecturers gone on strike?

Inequality Workloads Lecturers are also demanding “concrete action” to close both gender and ethnicity pay gaps in the higher education sector through their strike action.

The UCU reports that academic staff are working, on average, two unpaid workdays each week so are protesting high workloads and unpaid overtime.

told Gair Rhydd, “It is unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of sex and this includes paying people of one sex less than the other for comparable work...As a University we are committed to gender pay equality.”

Official picket line.

Source: Tim Marsh Cardiff University states they regularly undertake their own equal pay audits, but accept they still have work to do as do all across the wider higher education sector. The University expresses it is committed to identifying the causes of the pay gap and is working to find solutions, including: encouraging career development and providing development opportunities for individuals affected by the pay gap; creating external benchmarks; and in recruitment, employees undertake unconscious bias training, for example.

The UCEA and Universities UK (UUK), another negotiating body, have also stated: “USS employers have made huge efforts...to find a jointly acceptable solution” to the pension dispute, and also feel a “fair and realistic outcome has been reached on pay”. They express that disruption to students is “deeply regrettable”.

On November 22, Cardiff University Vice-Chancellor, Colin Riordan, wrote open letters to both staff and students.

In his letter to Cardiff University staff, Riordan expressed that he respects the right of staff members to take industrial action and that he will do all he can to “exert [his] influence” in solving these problems, hoping for a solution that meets the needs of both employees and employers. To students, Riordan offered sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused by the strike action and promised he prioritises ensuring disruption to “education and the student experience” is minimised.

The strikes are due to continue this week until Wednesday December 4.

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

Supporting the strikes.

Source: Tim Marsh

this uplift is on top of an annual increment for some staff and given the tough financial environment, the University feels this is fair.

The University spokesperson continued saying, “We all recognise that the period after the financial crash between 2009-10 and 2013-14 was characterised by high inflation and a weak economy” alongside public sector austerity, leading to a squeeze on real pay across the entire UK economy. Ultimately, the University expresses that paying more in pensions or pay is unaffordable for many universities and could lead to “severe cuts in teaching, student services and research”.

UCU members are also unhappy about the alleged casualisation of the higher education sector wherein more and more staff are being employed on low hour or zero-hour contracts. Lecturers are also concerned with their workload which has now become a key issue as part of the strike action, with many lectures arguing that the job they do requires far more hours than they are paid for and is having a real impact on the mental health of staff.

Speaking to Gair Rhydd, a Cardiff University spokesperson said: “Cardiff University does not employ staff on zero hours contracts or their equivalent. We employ some staff on variable hours contracts with these staff submitting time sheets for the hours they have worked...Some work is predictable and long term; other work becomes available for short periods or relates to specific projects which have a prescribed time limit.” Therefore, the University expresses that the terms of contracts are determined by the “nature, type and extent” of the work being undertaken and all employees are made aware of this at their time of employment.

Regarding high workloads, a Cardiff University spokesperson said: “The University takes the welfare of its staff extremely seriously. We are committed to working with all members of the University community, including the recognised trade unions, to ensure the welfare of our staff.”

Finally, UCU members are also striking in response to perceived inequality in higher education; at Cardiff University, the mean gender pay gap was reportedly 21.6% in 2018, according to a report published by the University. Lecturers are not only striking over gender inequality but also ethnic inequalities too.

In response to allegations of gender and ethnic inequality at Cardiff University, a spokesperson for the University

NEWS

Labour Students was also in attendance at the opening rally. Gair Rhydd spoke to the society’s President, Leo Holmes, regarding the strikes. He expressed that Labour Students supports the strike action because “every day, we see lecturers and postgraduate research students going above and beyond the call of duty to help their students...This is about workers’ rights.”

Gair Rhydd also contacted the presidents of Cardiff University Students’ Union’s other political party societies for comment. Wiliam Rees, of Plaid Ifanc, stated that they “support the rights of UCU members to strike for better pay, pensions and working conditions” despite the short-term negative impacts for students. James Wallice from the Conservative student group said: “Whilst we understand and accept the reasons behind the strike, we fundamentally disagree in the way UCU members are going about achieving their goals.” Finally, the Liberal Democrats’ student society leader, Matthew Morgan, said: “We understand the frustration of academic staff, who are being forced to accept worse pensions whilst watching university [Vice] Chancellors being paid more and more. We also sympathise with students whose study has been disrupted.”

Students’ Union spokesperson said: “Following the mandate given to the Students’ Union at the AGM last week, there are a number of ways in which the elected officer team are supporting the UCU strike”, including booking rooms to make banners for strike rallies, offering facilities in the SU building so people can avoid crossing the picket line, and promoting all UCU teach-out sessions on the SU website. They also stated that the SU is continuing to engage in conversations with the UCU and students to identify further support needed throughout the strike action.

Last week, Gair Rhydd spoke to Catherine Walsh, a UCU member representing JOMEC within Cardiff UCU, who is taking part in the strike action. She expressed how the UCU higher education staff members are receiving 20% less pay than they would if their pay had kept up with inflation and that any victories won during last year’s strike action “have slowly been eroded”. She continued: “As far as I know there aren’t even formal negotiations going on” therefore “it’s pretty easy to see it rolling on past eight days...I see no reason to see this ending quickly.” However, last week, the UCU and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), a body which negotiates on behalf of universities, held a meeting to, according to a UCEA statement, “enable dialogue on the issues currently in dispute”.

But what are the specific demands being made by the UCU? They claim they are involved in ‘four fights’ with the higher education system.

Firstly, the dispute surrounding pension contributions arose from changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) which allegedly meant that staff could miss out on hundreds of thousands of pounds. According to the UCU, “a typical member will pay around £40,000 more into their pension but receive almost £200,000 less in retirement”, but the strikes are also about pay. UCU General Secretary, Jo Grady, stated: “We believe the true decline [in staff wages] is over 20%, but whichever way you look at it staff pay has plummeted. Universities need to immediately take steps to reverse the decade of decline.”

Cardiff University spoke to Gair Rhydd about pay and pensions and a spokesperson said: “Pay is negotiated on a national basis by UCEA on behalf of universities [and] Cardiff University staff have already received a nationally negotiated minimum 1.8% pay uplift backdated to August 2019.” They state

NEWYDDION

But have been met with mixed responses from students

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/news

UCU strikes hit Cardiff University

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Pensions and pay

Lecturers are also demand pay increases keep up with the Retail Price Index (RPI), with an additional 3% pay to catch up and for pensions contributions to be raised.

What has been the response from the UUK and UCEA? In an open letter to staff impacted by the UCU pensions and pay disuptes, Universities UK (UUK) and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), the bodies who negotiate on behalf of the universi-

ties, said that the complexity of the disputes makes a national resolution to lecturers’ demands “very difficult”.

The UUK and UCEA say that to meet the UCU’s demands, unsustainable amounts of money would have

to be diverted from other budget areas which could have negative consequences for jobs, course closures and more.

They respect UCU members’ concerns and feel they have taken significant steps to protect both pensions and

pay, and feel sorry that UCU has called industrial action because it likely causes “unwelcome disruption to students”.

They hope they can all work together towards “a more constructive dialogue” to reach fair solutions to these disputes.

Your news desk Charlotte King Olly Davies Anna Dutton Zoe Kramer

4 NEWS On an unrelated note...

Cameroonian man reuses plastic bottles to make fishing boats

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young man from Cameroon has been building boats from wasted plastic water bottles. The initiative began in 2011 after he saw plastic bottles floating along as a storm tore through his village. Ismaël Essome Ebone then invested all of his money into launching Madiba & Nature: a not-for-profit charity dedicated to collecting plastic waste from around the region and turning it into “Ecoboats” for ecotourism and fishermen in need.

Sustainable solutions.

Source: siryart903 (via Pixabay)

President Trump signs in bill criminalising animal cruelty in the US

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resident Trump has signed the bipartisan bill, Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, into law. The bill criminalises particular acts of animal cruelty.

According to Senator Pat Toomey, “Passing this legislation is a major victory in the effort to stop animal cruelty and make our communities safer.”

70 potential stem cell donors recruited during ‘Hero Week’ at Cardiff University

Cardiff Marrow Society have been spreading the word about life-saving stem cell donations Tomos Evans Editor-in-Chief

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olunteers at the Cardiff Marrow Society recently recruited 70 new stem cell donors and raised over £200 for charity. This was achieved as part of ‘Hero Week’ – a week of activities aiming to get more people registered as stem cell donors.

The week of activities took place between 18 and 22 November and included events such as a pub quiz and raffle at the Flora and several donor recruitment events taking place across campus.

Asked what the main achievement of ‘Hero Week’ was, Hannah Rossiter, Co-President of Cardiff Marrow told Gair Rhydd: “I think the main thing is definitely raising awareness because so many students are just unaware of the fact that there is a stem cell register, that it’s so simple to sign up and that you can actually save a life just by spending five minutes of your time.”

Run by students at Cardiff University, Cardiff Marrow is part of a wider student volunteering network from the blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan. The charity was established in 1974 when three-year-old Anthony Nolan was requiring an urgent bone marrow transplant.In light

European Investment Bank to stop funding fossil fuels

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he investment arm of the European Union will cease its support for fossil fuels after 2021.

This comes about as a result of the bank trying to make lending decisions in line with the Paris Climate Accords, pledging to invest €1trn in climate-focussed and sustainable projects in the next decade. Werner Hoyer, President of the EIB, called the change in approach “a quantum leap in its ambition.”

“A quantum leap”. Source: Alfred T. Palmer (via Wikipedia)

of this, Anthony’s mother, Shirley Nolan, set up the first stem cell and bone marrow register to make it easier to find potential matches for those in need of a transplant.

Currently, according to research by the Anthony Nolan charity, only 2% of people in the UK are registered donors, compared with 12% in Israel and 13% in Cyprus.

The gravity of the situation is such that every 14 minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer or a similar condition.

This means that Anthony Nolan

are busy trying to recruit more donors in order to provide matches for those diagnosed with blood cancer or related conditions. Currently, the charity helps three people every day be matched with a donor.

Ahead of Cardiff Marrow’s ‘Hero Week’, Charlotte Hughes, Volunteer Engagement Manager for Marrow at Anthony Nolan, said: “The amazing volunteers from Cardiff Marrow deserve special recognition for their tireless efforts to save the lives of people with blood cancer – with or without capes

Cardiff cocktail bar, 10 Feet Tall helps the homeless register to vote

The bar’s owners wanted to make sure everyone has a say in the upcoming GE Anna Dutton News Editor

It could be punishable by 7 years in prison. Source: Goodfreephotos

1,350 lives potentially saved: Around 2,000 people in the UK need stem cell transplant every year. Source: Cardiff Marrow Society

and masks, they are truly heroic.”

Leading on from ‘Hero Week’, Cardiff Marrow has several other events in the pipeline, including carol singing on Queen Street.

Cardiff Marrow is currently looking to get in touch with any societies that would be interested in organising donor recruitments in any of their socials. Hannah added, “We hold really regular recruitment events. For example, we’re working with the ladies’ rugby team at the moment, organising a donor recruitment at one of their socials and we’re always keen to get in touch with other societies so we can come along to any of their training or rehearsals and just sign up their members there.”

If anyone is thinking about registering but unsure whether to sign up, Hannah said: “It’s not something to be scared of because it takes so little of your effort and makes the world of difference to somebody in need and their family.”

If your society is interested in organising a donor recruitment event, get in touch with Cardiff Marrow Society via their Facebook page, @cardiffmarrow. Or, to register as a potential stem cell and bone marrow donor, visit the Anthony Nolan charity’s website.

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ith the upcoming General Election on December 12, it’s been reported that 3.2 million people have registered to vote this year. However, many people believe that in order to register to vote, you need a permanent address. For most people this is not a problem, but for members of the homeless community, not having a permanent address means many do not register to vote.

However, 10 Feet Tall, a cocktail bar in Cardiff city centre, has come up with

a solution.

In order to be eligible to cast a vote in the General Election, you must have registered online, and after the Bristol Beer Factory offered the homeless community to register using their address, 10 Feet Tall’s marketing manager, Caitlin Whelan, said homeless individuals were welcome to drop into the bar for a hot drink and to fill in the required forms using their address, too.

Rather than needing a permanent address in order to register to vote, individuals are actually allowed to use a part-time address near to where they

Helping the homeless: 10 Feet Tall has offered homeless people to use its address to register to vote. Source: Anna Dutton

spend a lot of their time. For those who are homeless in the city, the centrality of the cocktail bar has been very useful in allowing them to register.

Speaking to Wales Today, Whelan said: “We are a city venue and we feel it is really important this time around, as it is any time, to give people the opportunity to have their say.”

She said that “homeless shelters have spread the word” in order to try and get more people interested and aware of the service on offer, and in Swansea, the business Cinema & Co. also announced they would be offering a similar service.

This story highlights the extent of the efforts made this year to ensure as many individuals registered to vote as possible, including ensuring the homeless community have the opportunity to have their say in the General Election taking place next week.

The service provided by 10 Feet Tall in Cardiff, Bristol Beer Factory in Bristol and Cinema & Co in Swansea has also been offered in establishemnts up and down the country, and the Big Issue also ran their own campaign before the registration deadline to spread awareness of how you don’t need a permanent address to register, nor do you need access to your own computer or the internet.

The deadline for registering to vote was November 26, and according to

BBC News, since MPs agreed to hold the General Election at the end of October, over three million have already registered to vote and, according to the Electoral Reform Society, a million more people have registered compared to the pre-deadline period for the last general election in 2017.

We are a city venue and we feel it is really important this time around, as it is any time, to give people the opportunity to have their say.

Caitlin Whelan, 10 Feet Tall, Marketing Manager

With this increasing number of individuals registering to vote, it shows people’s increasing interest and desire to have their say.

As the deadline has now passed to register to vote, people will be preparing to go to the polls in December and have their say in what it is set to be an interesting election night.

Mental health conditions can vary from loneliness, depression, anxiety, and stress amongst other issues. It is important to remember that you are never alone, and there is support available through both the Students’ Union and University.

For help and support you can visit cardiffstudents.com/advice to see all the services available to you. You can also check out the University Intranet for more information.

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taf od

Eich unig gyhoeddiad myfyrwyr wythnosol trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.

Sefydlwyd: 2003 Am fwy o gynnwys, ewch i gairrhydd.com/tafod

Eich adran taf-od Llion Carbis Aled Biston Rhodri Davies Deio Jones tafod@gairrhydd.com

Ennillwyr Newyddiaduraeth Gymraeg Orau - Gwobrau SPA Cymru 2019

Barn y Bobol

Gyda’r Nadolig yn brysur agosau, Un o brif anrhegion y genedl yw’r dychwelyd o Gavin and Stacey.

Dyma oedd gan gwylwyr selog Gaerdydd i’w ddweud.

Sara Dafydd

Myfyrwraig trydedd blwyddyn Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth Teg yw dweud bod llawer ohonom yn disgwyl ymlaen i rifyn Nadolig Gavin and Stacey yn fwy na diwrnod Nadolig ei hun. Ond wedi i mi wylio’r cip olwg ar y rhifyn ar BBC iPlayer, wnes i feddwl pa mor wahanol fydd hi i’r gyfres wreiddiol - sydd dros deg mlwydd oed erbyn hyn! Bydd rhaid cofio bydd ansawdd, steil a theimlad gwahanol i’r rhifyn yma. Ond gobeithio bydd y cymeriadau annwyl dal i fod, ac yn dymuno Nadolig Clarins i ni gyd!

Sara James

Myfyriwraig ail flwyddyn Cymraeg ac Addysg Mae uchafbwynt y flwyddyn ar y gorwel. Mae’r cyffro a’r dirgel o bennod Nadoligaidd Gavin and Stacey wedi bod yn cylchu ynof ers y cyhoeddiad. Mae cymaint o gwestiynau i’w hateb- beichiogrwydd Stacey, Nessa a Smithy, heb anghofio’r daith bysgota…

Rwy’n ffyddiog y bydd y bennod yn wych, ac yn werth yr holl aros. Hir yw pob aros yn wir, ac mae hi’n hen bryd cael aduniad gyda’r cymeriadau anhygoel yma. Nôl â ni i’r Barri ar ‘Dave’s Coaches’!

Anna Hughes

Myfyrwraig trydydd blwyddyn Cymraeg a’r Gyfraith Gyda mis i fynd nes i un o raglenni comedi mwyaf Prydain ddychwelyd yn ôl i’r sgrin fach ‘cyffrous’ yw’r unig air. Yn dilyn cipolwg a ryddhawyd, codir llawer o gwestiynau; ydi’r Nadolig yn cael ei gynnal yn y Barri? Fydd Smithy a Nessa gyda’i gilydd? Ai Dic Powell fydd yn dod a’r twrci? Mae fy ngobeithion i’n uchel am raglen yr un mor ffraeth a doniol a’r gyfres ddiwethaf a gyda dau athrylith comedi wrth y llyw, rwy’n ffyddiog y bydd hi’n llwyddiant.

NEWYDDION

CCB yn pleidleisio o blaid cadw swyddogion yr Undeb yr un fath

Cynnig i gadw’r system sabothol yr un fath yn derbyn y gefnogaeth fwyaf Deio Jones Golygydd Taf-od

A

r y 21 Tachwedd, cynhaliwyd cyfarfod blynyddol (CCB) Undeb Myfyrwyr Caerdydd. Yn y cyfarfod hwn trafodwyd syniadau i gyflwyno swyddog y Gymraeg llawn amser yn yr Undeb wedi pleidlais o blaid creu’r swydd yn CCB 2018.

Roedd tri opsiwn, sef opsiwn A: Disodli rôl yr Is-Lywydd (IL) Ôl-raddedig, opsiwn B: Uno rôl yr IL Addysg a’r IL Lles ac Ymgyrchoedd a opsiwn C: Aros yr un fath gydag adolygiad. Ennillodd yr opsiwn fod pethau’n aros yr un fath am y tro gydag adolygiad i geisio cyfuno’r Gymraeg ar draws dyletswyddau’r swyddogion sabothol eraill, gyda 335 pleidlais o blaid ymysg y 434 a oedd yn pleidleisio. Mi aeth y Llywydd UMCC, Wiliam Rees, a Swyddog y Gymraeg rhan-amser, Jacob Morris, yno ar ôl anfon llythyr at lywydd yr Undeb yn honni bod bwrdd yr ymddiriedolwyr yn “gwneud popeth yn eu gallu i lesteirio mandad clir y myfyrwyr” er mwyn “diwygio’r opsiynau i greu wythfed swyddog ychwanegol i’r Gymraeg”. Dywedodd Llywydd yr Undeb mewn ymateb i’r gwrthodiad, “Er na farnwyd bod wythfed swyddog yn ymarferol, ers hynny mae’r Bwrdd Ymddiriedolwyr wedi cymryd ysbryd y cyn-

nig CCB, gan gydnabod pwysigrwydd yr iaith Gymraeg a lansio ymgynghoriad i gyflwyno’r cylch gwaith fel rhan o’r saith rôl swyddog cyfredol. Roedd yr ymgynghoriad hwn yn cynnwys ymgysylltu ag ystod o randdeiliaid gan gynnwys cynrychiolwyr myfyrwyr. Ar hyn o bryd mae pob cynnig newydd yn cynnwys rôl llawn-amser gyda chylch gwaith iaith Gymraeg, bydd y rhain yn cael eu cyflwyno i’r CCB i’w penderfynu.’’

Dywedodd Wiliam Rees: “Fe wnes i geisio cynnig gwelliant i’r opsiynau ger bron y CCB er mwyn rhoi’r gwir ddewis i fyfyrwyr i bleidleisio dros opsiwn ag oedd yn creu’r wythfed Swyddog i’r Gymraeg gan ddim effeithio cynrychiolaeth myfyrwyr eraill. Yn anffodus gwrthodwyd y gwelliant ddwywaith gan y Cadeirydd. Dyna pam fe wnaethom alw ar bobl i ymatal o’r broses yma, nad oedd yn gwireddu ar ysbryd cynnig y llynedd. Mae’r canlyniad yn un siomedig, gan mae’n debygol na fydd Swyddog Gymraeg llawn-amser yn yr Undeb erbyn blwyddyn nesa oherwydd mae’r Bwrdd Ymddiriedolwyr wedi camu nôl o’i addewid i weithredu ar fandad clir myfyrwyr y llynedd. Rydym yn ystyried yn ofalus y camau nesaf ymlaen er mwyn ceisio sicrhau cynrychiolaeth deg i fyfyrwyr Cymraeg o fewn Prifysgol Prifddinas Cymru.”

Pleidlais i barhau yn ôl yr arfer: Gwnaeth myfyrwyr yn y CCB bleidleisio o blaid cadw’r system bresennol. Tarddiad: Tim Marsh Er y siom, roedd Jacob Morris yn ffyddiog tuag at y dyfodol, “Er mawr siom oedd y canlyniad yr wythnos ddiwethaf, teimlaf nad yw’r frwydr dros Swyddog y Gymraeg drosodd. Rwy’n grediniol, mai dim ond drwy sicrhau y rôl hon fydd gan y Gymraeg le cydradd o fewn ein prifysgol, a chanddi’r cyfle i andalu’n naturiol gan wynebu’r dyfodol gyda hyder. Â minnau yn fy mlwyddyn olaf, fy mhrif ddiben yw i frwydro dros ddarparu Swyddog llawn-amser, er mor fawr yw’r dasg teimlaf ei bod yn hanfodol er mwyn sicrhau nad yw Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd ar ei hôl hi o gymharu â

phrifysgolion Aberystwyth, Bangor ac Abertawe.”

Buodd gefnogaeth i’r myfyrwyr yn y Senedd gan Weinidog y Gymraeg, Eluned Morgan. “Mae’n fater i’r Undeb Myfyrwyr eu hunain... ond dw i yn meddwl ei bod yn werth nodi bod Bangor ar y blaen, bod Aberystwyth ar y blaen a bod Abertawe ar y blaen yn y maes yma.

Hefyd, mae’n werth nodi bod mwy o siaradwyr Cymraeg yn mynd i Brifysgol Caerdydd na sy ‘na i’r holl brifysgolion eraill, felly dw i yn meddwl bod hi’n bwysig eu bod nhw’n ystyried o ddifrif am yr hyn sy’n digwydd.”

“Nad ydym eisiau gwneud hyn”

Pam fod darlithwyr a staff Prifysgol Caerdydd yn streicio?

Llion Carbis Pennaeth y Gymraeg

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ros yr wythnos diwethaf, mae darlithwyr a staff dysgu mewn 60 o Brifysgolion y Deyrnas Unedig wedi streicio.

Mae aelodau’r University and Colleges Union yn streicio dros eu pensiynau, tâl ac amodau gweithio; gyda bron hanner o brifysgolion y Deyrnas Unedig yn cael eu heffeithio, gan gynnwys tair o brifysgolion Cymru.

Mae’r streicio wedi bod yn ganfyddadwy yma ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd gyda llinellau piced yn ymddangos ar draws nifer o adeiladau’r Brifysgol. Es i i’r llinell biced tu fas adeilad JOMEC, Sgwâr Canolog, i ddeall yn well pam fod y darlithwyr yn streicio.

Fel llefarydd University and Colleges Union, Prifysgol Caerdydd, siaradais gyda Dr Andy Williams am resymau darlithwyr dros streicio.

Dywedodd wrth Taf-od bod pum prif reswm mai darlithwyr yn streicio sef, pensiynau, tâl, amodau gwaith an-

sicr, pwysau gwaith a’r bwlch cyflog rhwng dynion a menywod. Soniodd Williams am y pwysau ariannol mae darlithwyr yn wynebu, “Mae gwerth ein tâl wedi gostwng 20% ers 2009, mae ein gallu prynu (purchasing power) fel gweithwyr prifysgol wedi’i heffeithio’n ddifrifol dros y ddegawd diwethaf. Rydym yn gofyn am gynnydd teg yn ein tâl; nid cynnydd anferthol. Rydym wedi derbyn codiadau tâl sydd wedi bod yn is na lefel chwyddiant dros y degawd diwethaf, sy’n effeithio ar ein waledi.”

Ffactor ganolog arall yw’r ansicrwydd ar sail amodau gweithio staff dysgu’r brifysgol, yn enwedig tiwtoriaid PHD, sy’n cael eu hecsbloetio fwy na unrhyw un arall yn ôl Williams, “Dydych ddim yn dueddol o gysylltu prifysgolion ac amodau gwaith y gig economi, ond dyna’r hyn mae llawer o’m haelodau yn wynebu. Y rhai sy’n cael ei ecsbloetio mwyaf yw tiwtoriaid PHD sy’n cael eu talu yn ôl yr awr. Does dim cytundebau ganddynt, nad ydynt yn cael eu cydnabod

fel gweithwyr gan y brifysgol. Golyga hyn, does dim amddiffyniad cyflogaeth ganddynt o dan gyfraith y DU.” Soniodd yn ogystal am effaith pwysau gwaith ar iechyd meddwl darlithwyr ynghyd a’r bwlch cyflog rhwng dynion a menywod, “Wrth edrych ar holiadur staff y Brifysgol, mae modd gweld bod cyfran anhygoel o uchel ohonom [staff] yn gweithio fwy o oriau nag oriau ein cytundeb, yn gyson. Mae’n achosi ni i fod yn sâl.”

Mewn ymateb i gwynion ynglŷn â phwysau gwaith, dywedodd llefarydd ar ran Prifysgol Caerdydd ei bod yn ymdrin â’r mater yn ddifrifol, “Mae’r Brifysgol yn ystyried lles ei staff yn ddifrifol iawn. Rydym yn ymroddedig i weithio gyda holl aelodau cymuned y Brifysgol, gan gynnwys undebau llafur, i ddiogelu lles ein staff.”

Er gwaethaf y holl broblemau mae darlithwyr a staff dysgu yn wynebu, pwysleisiodd Williams fod y penderfyniad i streicio, sy’n effeithio ar fyfyrwyr, yn un anodd ei gwneud, “Nad wyf erioed wedi gweld gymaint o gydweithwyr yn crio yn gyhoeddus

oherwydd yr effaith maent yn cael ar fyfyrwyr… nad ydym eisiau gwneud hyn [streicio].”

Roedd Sian Morgan Lloyd, un o gydddarlithwyr Williams yn JOMEC, yn cytuno a’i safbwynt gan sôn am yr effaith mae’r drefn bresennol yn cael ar fyfyrwyr y dyfodol.

“Chi’n [myfyrwyr] haeddu’r addysgwyr gorau yn y byd a dyna mae’r brifysgol yma wedi denu erioed. Os mae’r pecyn tâl a’r pecyn pensiwn yn parhau i fod yn sâl, yna, da ni’n mynd i gael trafferth sicrhau’r bobl gorau i ddysgu chi a da chi’n haeddu gwell.”

Mewn llythyr agored i staff sydd wedi’u heffeithio gan anghydfodau tâl a phensiynau UCU, mae Universities UK a Universities and Colleges Employers Association, y cyrff sy’n gyfrifol am negydu ar ran prifysgolion, yn dweud bod cymhlethdod yr anghydfodau yn gwneud datrysiad cenedlaethol i orchmynion darlithwyr yn anodd iawn. Maent yn gobeithio ei bod yn gallu gweithio gyda’i gilydd tuag at “deialog mwy adeiladol” er mwyn cyrraedd datrysiadau teg i’r anghydfodau.

TAF-OD

Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf yn serennu

Pryd o Daf-od Anell Dyfri

Yn ddiweddar cynhaliwyd cystadleuaeth Junior Eurovision yng Ngwlad Pwyl.

Cystadleuaeth yw hon sy’n rhoi’r cyfle i

Trafod gyda’r

taf-od 1. Pwy wyt ti a beth wyt ti’n astudio?

Martha o’r Felinheli a dwi’n astudio Seicoleg 2. Beth yw’r digwyddiad sy’n codi’r mwyaf o embaras arnat?

Yn Trafod gyda’r Taf-od wythnos yma mae...

Martha Owen

9. Beth oedd y diwrnod gorau iti ei gael erioed?

Dydd olaf ysgol, achos oedd hi’n benblwydd 18th fi hefyd. Noson fler.

10. Beth yw dy gas beth?

Aderyn yn cachu arnai yn Rhyngol.

Golchi dillad.

3. Beth oedd dy air cyntaf?

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

“Cwch”, achos oni wastad yn edrych ar y cychod o ffenast llofft adra.

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

Unrhyw gân Adele, achos maen nhw gyd yn tiwns.

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

Veggie curry (sori ffarmwrs).

6. Pwy oeddet ti’n ffansio pan oeddet ti’n iau?

Zac Efron.

thrwy hynny, gryfhau dealltwriaeth cyfandir cyfan am Gymru a’i diwylliant. Ac wrth gwrs, fe ganodd Erin yn Gymraeg, gan dynnu sylw miliynau o wylwyr at fodolaeth y Gymraeg fel iaith fyw hynaf Ewrop gyfan. Tipyn o gamp, chwarae teg iddi.

Fel y sicrhaodd pencampwriaeth pêldroed yr Ewros sylw mawr i Gymru ryw ddwy flynedd yn ôl, felly hefyd cystadleuaeth Eurovision eleni. Mae’r gystadleuaeth yn rhoi llwyfan i holl wledydd Ewrop, y rhai bychain a’r rhai mawrion fel ei gilydd. Mor braf yw hynny mewn byd lle caiff y gwledydd cryfaf gymaint o sylw. O wylio’r rhaglen, byddai’r gwylwyr wedi dysgu cymaint am Gymru ac, o bosib, wedi eu hysbrydoli i ddarllen am y wlad neu hyd yn oed ymweld â hi yn y dyfodol.

Darlledwyd y gystadleuaeth – a’r rhagbrofion wrth gwrs – ar S4C, a rhaid canmol y sianel am fod mor barod i roi cyfleon perfformio fel hyn i’n pobl ifanc.

Y sianel genedlaethol yn gweithredu’n rhyngwladol yng ngwir ystyr y gair, fel y gwnaeth droeon yn y gorffennol drwy ddarlledu’r Eurovision Choir Competition. Ddwy flynedd yn ôl, roeddwn i’n digwydd bod yn un o aelodau Côr

Noson allan yn Glob efo criw adra.

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

Aderyn, i fi gal pw ar bobol erill

Cymdeithas Clwb Ifor: Martha a’i ffrindiau’n cymdeithasu.

Tarddiad: Martha Owen

13. Disgrifia dy hun mewn 3 gair.

Methu dal diod.

14. Pwy fydd yn trafod ‘da’r Tafod wythnos nesaf?

Catrin Walker.

Merched Sir Gâr a gynrychiolodd Cymru yng nghystadleuaeth gorawl Eurovision yn Latvia. Am brofiad! Cael cynrychioli Cymru mewn gŵyl ryngwladol gan wybod fod miliynau yn eich gwylio led-led Ewrop.

Mae’n siwr fod cryn gostau i’r sianel wrth ddarlledu rhagbrofion, dwy raglen am Erin Mai a’r rownd derfynol o Wlad Pwyl. Ond fe ddadleuwn i fod y buddsoddiad hwnnw wedi bod yn werth chweil yn nhermau codi ymwybyddiaeth y cyfandir cyfan o Gymru. A phwy a ŵyr, efallai y byddai ambell wyliwr yn Nhonypandy, yn Arberth neu’n Llanrhystud wedi dysgu rhywbeth o’r newydd am eu gwlad eu hunain. Fyddai hynny ddim yn beth ffôl chwaith.

Arena Gliwice: Lleoliad y gystadleuaeth. Tarddiad: Pawel Niemczuk (drwy Wikimedia Commons)

Llion Carbis Pennaeth y Gymraeg

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n ôl y Sunday Times Schools Guide 2020, Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf yw’r ysgol uwchradd y wladwriaeth gorau yng Nghymru. Ynghyd â Glantaf, mae Cardiff Sixth Form College wedi’i enwi fel yr ysgol annibynnol gorau yn y Deyrnas Unedig gan guro rhai o ysgolion fwyaf elît y DU. Fel rhan o’r ‘Parent Power’ sy’n cael ei chyhoeddi yn flynyddol gan y Sunday Times, mae deg o ysgolion annibynnol ac ysgolion uwchradd y wladwriaeth gorau Cymru yn cael eu datgelu. Mae’r rhifyn diweddaraf o ‘Parent Power’ yn mesur yr ysgolion yn ôl y canran o fynediadau arholiad a sgoriodd rhwng A*-B ar eu canlyniadau Lefel A yr Haf yma, yn ogystal â’r canran o fynediadau arholiad a sgoriodd rhwng A*-A ar eu canlyniadau TGAU. Mae Glantaf wedi’i leoli yn Ystum Taf, a nhw yw’r ysgol uwchradd Gymraeg hynaf yn y brifddinas. Wrth siarad â Wales Online am gyrhaeddiad yr ysgol, soniodd y pennaeth, Alun Davies, am y fraint o weld Glantaf yn cael ei enwi fel yr ysgol gorau yng Nghymru. Dywedodd Davies, “Mae hyn yn newyddion gwych i bawb yn Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf.

Mae bod yn rhan o’r deg ysgol uwchradd gorau’r wladwriaeth yng Nghymru yn wych, ond, i gael ein henwi fel ysgol uwchradd gorau yng Nghymru yw’r eisin ar y gacen.”

“Mae hyn yn deillio o ymroddiad diwyro ein staff ac o gyflawniadau rhagorol ein pobl ifanc. Dw i mor falch ohonynt.”

Nid Glantaf yw’r unig ysgol cyfrwngCymraeg o’r brifddinas i gyrraedd y deg uchaf. Cafodd Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr ei leoli yn y pumed safle, gydag Ysgol Bro Myrddin o Gaerfyrddin yn cyrraedd y pedwerydd safle. Cafodd ysgolion sy’n dysgu’n rhannol trwy’r Gymraeg fel Ysgol Y Preseli (ail safle) ac Ysgol Calon Cymru (seithfed safle) eu henwi yn y deg uchaf, yn ogystal.

Mae llwyddiant Glantaf, Plasmawr a Bro Myrddin yn ddangosydd defnyddiol o bwysigrwydd a gwerth derbyn addysg trwy’r Gymraeg. Ymhellach, fel yr ysgol uwchradd y wladwriaeth gorau yng Nghymru, mae cyrhaeddiad Glantaf, yn ogystal â Plasmawr, yn dangos bod addysg Gymraeg yn ffynnu yn y brifddinas.

Mae’r fath lwyddiannau yn debygol o ddenu rhagor o blant i astudio trwy’r Gymraeg a gall profi i fod yn hwb mawr i’r Llywodraeth wrth iddynt geisio cyrraedd miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050.

taf od

Anell Dyfri sy’n asesu cystadleuaeth Junior Eurovision a’i harwyddocâd i hybu cynrychiolaeth ac ymwybyddiaeth o Gymru ar lefel ryngwladol.

unigolion o wahanol wledydd ar draws Ewrop gystadlu yn erbyn ei gilydd am y teitl Junior Eurovision 2019. Er bod y gystadleuaeth wedi cael ei chynnal ers blynyddoedd, hon oedd yr ail flwyddyn yn unig i Gymru gystadlu a sicrhau bod ‘gwlad y gân’ yn cael ei rhoi ar fap cerddorol Ewrop. Yn dilyn wythnosau o glyweliadau ar draws Cymru, dewisodd y panel - Lloyd Macey, Tara Bethan a Connie Fisher - y ferch dair ar ddeg oed o Lanrwst, Erin Mai, i’n cynrychioli eleni.

Mae’n siwr y teimlodd y sawl a welodd Erin yn perfformio gryn falchder o weld Cymraes ifanc yn canu mor hyderus ar lwyfan mor eang. Creodd argraff ffafriol ar y gwylwyr, boed y rheini yn y theatr neu’r rheini a wyliai’r rhaglen gartref.

Roedd yn berfformiad egnïol, llawn potensial y byddai perfformwyr llawer mwy profiadol wedi bod yn falch ohono.

Er yr adwaenir Cymru fel gwlad gerddorol, anaml iawn y gwelir ei chantorion yn perfformio y tu hwnt i Glawdd Offa. Gwell o lawer gan ei pherfformwyr ganu ar lwyfannau eisteddfodau led-led yr hen wlad. Ond trwy ganu ar lwyfan sylweddol Eurovision, cafodd Erin y cyfle i roi Cymru ar y map rhyngwladol a,

7

7. Pwy yw dy hoff fand/artist?

Tame Impala.

8. Prosecco neu champagne?

Pam? Prosecco, atgoffa fi o dolig.

Dawnsio’n y drych: Joio mas draw!

Tarddiad: Martha Owen

Coron gwlad ein mamiath: Glantaf y gorau yng Nghymru. Tarddiad: Jaggery (drwy Wikimedia Commons)

8

TAF-OD

Robbie Savage yn dychwelyd wedi wyth blynedd o ymddeoliad

CHWARAEON

Gatland yn galw ar ail strwythuro Rhanbarthau

Cyn-brif hyfforddwr Cymru yn cynnig uno rhanbarthau yn ei lyfr newydd

Llion Carbis Pennaeth y Gymraeg

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ae’r Cymro, Robbie Savage, a enillodd 39 o gapiau dros ei wlad wedi dychwelyd i chwarae pêl-droed wedi wyth blynedd o ymddeoliad.

Mae cyn chwaraewr canol cae Caerlŷr wedi ymuno â’r clwb di-gynghrair, Stockport Town, sy’n chwarae yn y degfed gynghrair o byramid bêldroed Lloger.

Wedi iddo gyhoeddi ei fwriad i ddychwelyd i’r cae chwarae ar ddydd Sul, 24 Tachwedd, fe ymddangosodd yn ei gêm gyntaf dros Stockport ar ddydd Llun, 25 Tachwedd, mewn buddugoliaeth o 3-2 i’w dîm newydd yn erbyn Oswestry Town, arweinwyr y gynghrair.

Wrth iddo ymuno â’i glwb newydd, dywedodd Savage - sydd bellach yn 45 mlwydd oed – wrth BBC Radio 5 Live nad stỳnt cysylltiadau cyhoeddus yw ei benderfyniad i chwarae dros Stockport. Roedd y Cymro yn benderfynol ei fod am helpu a chynorthwyo chwaraewyr ifanc y clwb, yn enwedig rhai sydd eisoes wedi’u ryddhau gan glybiau eraill.

Soniodd am yr her o ymateb i bwysau wrthodiadau gan glybiau eraill, a’i fod yn eiddgar i helpu chwaraewyr ifanc gyda’r straen o chwarae pêl-droed.

Yn ystod ei gyrfa broffesiynol, chwaraeodd Savage mewn 623 o gemau dros glybiau megis Caerlŷr, Blackburn, Derby, Birmingham, Crewe a Brighton. Fel chwaraewr llawn angerdd, roedd gan Savage enw o fod yn nerthol yn y dacl ac unigolyn nad oedd yn ufuddhau yn gorfforol ar y cae. Yn wir, llwyddodd i gael 89 o gardiau melyn yn ystod ei yrfa yn uwch Gynghrair Lloegr, sy’n adlewyrchu pa mor ymladdgar ydoedd wrth chwarae.

Yn ei ymddangosiad gyntaf dros Stockport Town, ac er iddo ond chwarae deng munud, roedd 225 o gefnogwyr yn bresennol i’w wylio – sef y dorf fwyaf mae’r clwb wedi denu’r tymor yma. Nid codi statws y clwb yn unig mai Savage yn ei wneud, ond mae hefyd yn astudio am ei drwydded hyfforddi UEFA B gyda’r tîm.

Ymddengys mai am resymau anhunanol iawn y digwyddodd y penderfyniad hwn, a rhaid canmol Savage am ei fodlonrwydd i helpu eraill wedi gyrfa sefydlog yn Uwch Gynghrair Lloegr. Yn ôl perchennog ei glwb newydd, a oedd yn siarad gyda BBC Sport wedi’r fuddugoliaeth yn erbyn Oswestry, roedd Savage yn ddigon bodlon i gwrdd â sgwrsio gyda chefnogwyr.

Tybed os bod cyn chwaraewr Caerlŷr wedi arwain y ffordd i eraill sydd wedi ymddeol i ddychwelyd i’r caeau pêl-droed? Wedi’r cyfan, nid fe yw’r person cyntaf. Ond cwpl flynyddoedd yn ôl chwaraeodd Paul Merson dros Gaerau ym mhedwerydd gynghrair pêl-droed Cymru. ‘Yr unig gwestiwn sy’n weddill, pwy fydd nesaf?

Timau’n cyfuno?: Os ddigwyddith, mi fydd yn ddigwyddiad hanesyddol Tarddiad: Sum_of_Marc (drwy flickr) Gastell-Nedd ac Abertawe gyfuno i greu’r Gweilch, Pen-y-Bont a PhonOwain ap Myrddin typridd gyfuno i greu y Rhyfelwyr Cyfrannydd Celtaidd, Caerdydd yn creu Gleiae’r ddadl dros sion Caerdydd a Glyn Ebwy a Chasranbarthau Cymru yn un newydd yn creu Dreigiau Gwent. sydd wedi bodoli ers y Bu llawer iawn o ddadlau dros hyn dechrau un yn 2003. Yr adeg hynny yn bennaf gan fod cyn elynion mependerfynodd Undeb Rygbi Cymru gis Abertawe a Chastell Nedd i fod i greu 5 rhanbarth proffesiynnol i gyfuno i fod yn un tîm. Yn ogysnewydd yng Nghymru yn hytrach tal roedd hyn yn golygu gostyngiad na’r 9 tîm a oedd yn cystadlu cynt sylweddol yn nifer y chwaraewyr yn y gyngrair Geltaidd. Bu i Lanelli proffesiynnol yng Nghymru, ond droi yn y Scarlets gan gynrychioli gobaith y WRU oedd y byddai saGorllewin a Gogledd Cymru, bu i fon y chwaraewyr yn codi. Ond ar ôl

M

blwyddyn oherwydd diffyg arian bu rhaid dymchwel y Rhyfelwyr Celtaidd gyda Pontypridd yn ymuno a’r Gleision a Phen-y-Bont yn ymuno a’r Gweilch.

Mae nifer o broblemau gan y rhanbarthau ond diffyg arian a nifer isel o gefnogwyr yw eu prif rai.

Mae’r cysylltiad cryf rhwng y ddwy broblem oherwydd heb arian i gael chwaraewyr o safon ni fydd cefnogwyr yn barod i dalu i’w gwylio.

Ond mae’n rhaid cyfaddef fod perfformiad y rhanbarthau a’r llwyddiant y mae 3 ohonynt wedi ei gael yn rhyfeddol o feddwl faint o arian maent yn ei dderbyn o’i gymharu a thîmau eraill Ewrop.

Mae Warren Gatland wedi cyfadde yn ei lyfr diweddar ei fod ef yn credu fod angen ail strwythuro’r rhanbarthau eto i gael rhanbarth yn y Dwyrain sef Y Dreigiau, rhanbarth yn y De sef Gleision Caerdydd, rhanbarth yn y Gorllewin sef cyfuno’r Scarlets a’r Gweilch a rhanbarth yn y gogledd sef RGC. Mae hyn yn anodd i’w gredu i raddau gan mai’r Scarlets a’r Gweilch yw dau o ranbarthau gorau Cymru. Rydwyf i’n gefnogwr Scarlets brwd ond mae’n rhaid i mi

gyfadde fy mod yn cytuno a Gatland.

Y rheswm pam fod cyn lleied o dyrfa yn gwylio’r Scarlets a’r Gweilch yw eu bod yn rhy agos at ei gilydd, 15 milltir i fod yn union gywir! Maent felly yn cystadlu am yr un cefnogwyr ac er ei bod yn ardal rygbi gref nid oes posib iddynt gael tyrfaoedd.

Dywedodd David Moffat nol yn 2003 fod angen rhanbarth yn y gogledd gan fod miliwn o bobol yn byw yno, ac ar ben hyn nid oes yr un tîm chwaraeon proffesiynnol yn chwarae yno oni bai am glwb pêl droed Wrecsam. Mae hon yn farchnad enfawr i’r Undeb felly ac er nad yw gwreiddiau rygbi mor ddwfn yn y Gogledd ac ydynt yn y De mae’n amser i Gymru dorri tîr newydd. Fe wnaeth Seland Newydd hyn wrth greu eu rhanbarthau nhw yn 1996 gan eu rhannu yn hafal bron iawn o ran poblogaeth i bob rhanbarth ac o edrych ar lwyddiant eu tîm cenedlaethol a’u tîmau rhanbarthol mae’n amlwg fod yn gweithio.

Efallai mai gwers fawr olaf y Cymro o Seland Newydd Warren Gatland i Gymru felly, yw i ddilyn ôl troed ei famwlad gan ei fod yn amlwg yn lwybr i lwyddiant.

Hal Robson-Kanu i ddychwelyd i garfan Cymru?

A fydd ymosodwr West Brom yng ngarfan Ryan Giggs am Ewro 2020?

Llion Carbis Pennaeth y Gymraeg

W

rth edrych ar hanes diweddar y tîm pêldroed cenedlaethol, anodd ydyw i ddarganfod chwaraewr a lwyddodd i dwyn edmygedd y Wal Goch cystal â Hal Robson-Kanu.

Hyd yn oed cyn iddo serennu ar un o brif lwyfannau pêl-droed rhyngwladol yn Haf 2016, roedd cefnogwyr Cymru yn ei garu yn ddiwyro. Yn wir, dim ond dwy gôl y sgoriodd cynymosodwr Reading cyn iddo ddenu sylw’r byd yn ystod yr haf bythgofiadwy yna yn Ffrainc.

Nid oedd cefnogwyr Cymru yn dwlu ar Robson-Kanu am ei fod yn chwaraewr hynod dalentog, onid ei fod yn unigolyn gweithgar, hynod angerddol a llawn cymeriad. Braidd i unrhyw un ddisgwyl y gôl anhygoel yna yn y fuddugoliaeth hanesyddol yn erbyn Gwlad Belg. Wedi’r bencampwriaeth, bu adroddiadau’r wasg yn sôn bod rhai o brif glybiau Sbaen megis Atletico Madrid a Sevilla yn awyddus i arwyddo’r Cymro, cyn iddo ymuno a â West Bromwich Albion.

Bellach, mae adroddiadau’r wasg yn sôn am y posibilrwydd o Hal-Robson Kanu yn dychwelyd i chwarae dros Gymru. Yn Awst 2018, cyhoeddodd ymosodwr West Brom ei fod am ymddeol o chwarae pêldroed rhyngwladol, ond mewn trydar diweddar gan y newyddiadurwr Phil Blanche, datgelodd Hal RobsonKanu ei fod wedi cael trafodaethau gyda Chymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru am ddychwelyd i’r garfan.

Bydd emosiwn a nostalgia y Wal

Helo Hal: Ydyn ni am weld Hal Robson-Kanu yn chwarae dros Gymru eto? Tarddiad: Wikimedia Commons Goch yn golygu bydd cefnogaeth erts gyda’i gilydd. gallu creadigol Bale a Ramsey. unfryd i’r ymosodwr petai ei fod yn Yn ychwanegol, mae arddull Yn bwysicach oll, mae gan Hal dychwelyd i Gymru, ond a fydd pre- chwarae Hal Robson-Kanu yn wa- Robson-Kanu profiad amhrisiadwy. senoldeb Robson-Kanu yn cryfhau hanol i ymosodwyr mwy uniongyr- Wedi iddo serennu yn yr Ewros a carfan Ryan Giggs? chol a thraddodiadol Ryan Giggs chwarae 75 o gemau yn Uwch GynNid oes modd cwestiynu ei fod megis Sam Vokes a Kieffer Moore. ghrair Lloegr (yn ôl Transfermarkt), wedi chwarae’n arbennig o dda dros Yn gyntaf, nid ymosodwr confensi- bydd chwaraewr o’r fath brofiad a West Brom yn ddiweddar. Mae’r ynol yw Robson-Kanu, ond asgellwr deallusrwydd yn hynod ddefnyddiol Cymro wedi sgorio pum gôl yn ei sydd yn medru chwarae mewn safle i Giggs a’i garfan ifanc – hyd yn oed saith gêm ddiwethaf dros y Bag- fyw ganolig. Hefyd, er bod ganddo’r os ni fydd yn chwarae. gies, gan gynnwys goliau hollbwysig gallu i ddal y bêl yn debyg i Vokes a Er bod gan Giggs toreth o mewn buddugoliaethau yn erbyn Moore, mae ganddo allu arbennig chwaraewyr ifanc talentog sy’n Middlesbrough a Sheffield Wednes- i redeg y sianeli gan greu gwagle i chwarae mewn safleoedd ymosodol, day. Gyda chyfanswm goliau o bump, eraill. Ymosodwr deallus a symu- nid oes modd diystyru Robson-Kanu mae Robson-Kanu wedi sgorio fwy o dol ydyw sydd yn aml yn chwarae’n am ei fod yn opsiwn unigryw i Giggs, goliau yn y Bencampwriaeth na Sam anhunanol er budd y tîm; nodwedd ac un gall profi i fod yn effeithiol Vokes, Kieffer Moore a Tyler Rob- hynod o bwysig wrth geisio uchafu iawn.

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GWLEIDYDDIAETH

10

General Election Jargon Buster

An introduction to political terminology you are likely to encounter during the run up to the election, on polling day, and after the results are announced

I

POLITICS

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

Lowri Pitcher Hallum Cowell Tom-Henry Jones Maisie Marston

Three-line Whip

n both pre-election and postelection coverage, it is sometimes hard to rise above the noise of complicated jargon and ancient terminology and fully understand what is going on. This article will help you make sense of some key, but perhaps less wellknown terms you are likely to encounter in manifestos, in debates, or during the coverage of the election itself.

If a vote is particularly important, they will be underlined three times in the document (‘The Whip’). If MPs or Lords choose to go against the party line, it is taken very seriously. In some circumstances, defying the three-line whip has resulted in the whip being withdrawn. This means the MP or Lord is kicked out of their party and must sit as an independent until their party decides to restore the whip.

Austerity

This refers to budget cutting measures taken by a government.

The term is associated with the spending cuts made by the Conservative-led government beginning in 2010. These cuts came in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, and the objective was to get rid of budget deficits.

Deficit

The deficit is the difference between how much the government collects in tax, and what it spends.

Hustings

These are meetings where candidates or parties can debate policies and answer audience questions.

They serve as an opportunity for voters to hear the views of candidates, and candidates are able to try to persuade voters.

Exit/Opinion Polls

Your politics desk

lines underneath them, the more important they are.

Maisie Marston Politics Editor

An exit poll is slightly different to an opinion poll. Rather than asking which parties the public intend to vote for in advance of the election, an exit poll surveys voters as they leave the polling station. Of course, like opinion polls, exit polls also have a margin of error.

For instance, in 1992, two exit polls predicted a hung parliament, but in reality the Conservative Party held onto power but with a reduced majority. It is a criminal offence to release exit poll figures before all polling stations have closed, so the results will come out after 10pm on the 12 December this election.

Teller

You may encounter one or more tellers at the polling station. These are people who work on behalf of political parties to collect electoral registration numbers of voters as they enter or leave the polling station. The reason they do this is to help their parties to identify which of their supporters are yet to vote so they can contact them and encourage them, or facilitate them voting.

There is no obligation to speak to tellers, and the police are able to intervene if they “irritate voters, exert undue influence or obstruct the polling station”.

The Irish Backstop

The Irish border: Sinn Féin protesting against a hard border. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Returning Officer

The returning officer is responsible for elections in each constitituency. Their job is to read out how a constituency voted (a declaration) in alphabetical order (by surname).

Psephologist

No election night broadcast is complete without an appearance of the resident ‘psephologist’. This is an individual who analyses how people vote in order to estimate the outcome of an election. As with exit polls and opinion polls, there is of course a margin of error. Sir John Curtice is a well-known British psephologist who you are likely to become familiar with during the election coverage.

First Past the Post

This is the voting system that is used in the UK. In essence, it means the canidadate who gets the most votes wins. Therefore, it’s winner takes all.

Majorities

If a party has a majority in Parliament it has at least one more seat than all other parties in Parliament put together. In this scenario, it can also be referred to as a ‘working majority’ as the largest party is likely to have the legislation it supports pass in Parliament.

‘confidence and supply’ agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) so they would be able to form a new minority government.

Kingmaker

If an election returns a hung parliament, smaller parties could act as ‘kingmakers’. This means they could supplement larger parties who are in need of extra MPs to form a government.

The Chief Whip

This is a senior position, and they are often involved in important party discussions.

Whips

Each party will appoint an MP each who will be in charge of organising the other members of the parliamentary party. Their job is to inform and organise their MPs, and make sure they vote in divisions in accordance with party policy.

The Whip

A document which is sent around weekly to MPs and Lords and outlines what parliamentary business will be occurring. Divisions (votes) occuring in the week are underlined a number of times - the more

This one is a bit more complicated to explain concisely, but fundamentally it is an arrangement which concerns the Irish border which was set out in Theresa May’s original withdrawal agreement. In the event that no other solution is agreed upon and the UK leaves the EU, the backstop arrangement would have come into effect. It’s purpose was to protect the Good Friday Agreement/Belfast Agreement by keeping the whole of the UK in the EU’s Customs Union which would allow an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The alternative is having a ‘hard border’; a scenario where there would be physical checks and infrastructure between the two countries. This would mean the UK is unable to ratify trade deals with other countries as an independent country, hence why many brexiteers opposed the policy.

Under Boris Johnson’s revised Withdrawal Agreement, the whole of the UK would foster the same tariffs on imports so if the UK agrees new trade deals, Northern Irish businesses would trade with those deals. In addition, Northern Ireland will remain a part of the EU’s custom rules which will allow it to trade with Ireland. Therefore, no tariffs or restrictions will be imposed on goods crossing the Irish border. There are of course many complexities to the Irish border issue, but these are the fundamentals of the two approaches.

Hung Parliament

The scenario where no party wins a majority is referred to as a ‘hung parliament’. Normally the party which won the most seats will try and form a coalition (where two or more parties form a government) or another arrangement with smaller parties. Some examples of this include in 2010 when the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government after the Conservatives failed to achieve a majority. In 2017, after the snap election resulted in a hung parliament, instead of forming a coalition the party entered a

Election Night: Vote counting in Llandudno at the 2017 election.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 11

Weekly general election round up

A recap of all the events that happened in another exciting week on the election campaign trail Tom-Henry Jones Politics Editor

T

he General Election campaign is now in full swing and it has certainly intensified. With only two weeks left until polling day, all the parties have now released their manifestos, and are campaigning hard before December 12.

Conservative Manifesto

The Conservative Manifesto was released on Sunday November 24.

Unsurprisingly the headline policy was about Brexit. Johnson promises to pass his deal by Christmas but also to secure a free trade deal with the EU by December 2020, which many critics feel is an unrealistic target. The other headline policies of delivering 20,000 more police officers and extra funding for the NHS were also included.

It was Theresa May’s disastrous 2017 manifesto which ultimately led to the loss of th Conservative majority. Boris Johnson attempted not to repeat the same mistake. In doing so the manifesto was relatively brief. It was only 64 pages long compared to the Labour Party’s 107 page manifesto. In May’s manifesto it was her social care policy which attracted the most criticism. In the 2019 manifesto, the Conservatives have

stated they intend to create their social care policy though cross-party cooperation rather than pursuing a policy designed purely by themselves.

Other highlight policies include investing in 50,000 more nurses, the 2050 carbon-neutral target and also promising that neither Income Tax, VAT or National Insurance will rise under a new Conservative Government. The manifesto is in stark contrast to the promised extensive spending plans of the Labour Party.

Corbyn NHS Speech

Jeremy Corbyn was interviewed by the BBC’s Andrew Neil last week. It was widely held that the interview was a disaster for Corbyn, as his track record on Anti-Semitism was attacked by Neil. Corbyn failed to apologise to the Jewish community for the lack of action in the Labour Party. The BBC is still in talks with the Conservative Party regarding the date and venue of Boris Johnson’s interview with Andrew Neil.

The next day Corbyn held a press conference to show secret Government documents that revealed intense British and US trade talks back in 2018. Corbyn believed the documents showed the British attempts to ‘sell the NHS’ in a new trade deal with the US. Johnson had previously stated the notion that the

Labour Leadership: Recent polling puts Corbyn and McDonnell under pressue. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Boris Johnson : The Conservative Leader unveilved his party’s manifesto last week. Source: Andrew Parsons (via Flickr) Conservatives would sell the NHS as an ‘absolute invention’. The attack on Johnson is part of the Labour Party’s strategy of putting the NHS at the heart of the general election campaign narrative.

Revealing Polls

As reported in last week’s issue, the Liberal Democrat policy on Brexit as shown in their manifesto is to revoke Article 50 in the first day of a Lib Dem majority government. However, only one week on the party has seemingly backtracked on that headline policy and instead has chosen to advocate for a second referendum on Brexit.

The Lib Dems suffered a poor start to the campaign and many within the party feel it is because of its Brexit policy. They hope the change in direction will bring a change in fortune in remain voting parts of the country, that they need to gain in the election.

The shift in policy is a major moment in the Lib Dem campaign, as originally the revoke stance was the headline of their manifesto that was released just two weeks ago. The central message however from the Lib Dems is still their intent to ‘Stop Brexit’.

The largest poll of the election campaign was conducted by YouGov and released by The Times on Wednesday evening. It predicted a large Conservative majority of 68 with the total number of seats being 359.

The scale of the poll means it has received large amounts of press attention. The poll surveyed the voting intention of 100,000. It was conducted over seven days and adapted the answers for age, gender and voting history.

It was the same YouGov poll that in the 2017 campaign was the first to predict the result as a hung parliament. A poll like any other does need to be treated with suspicion, but it is a telling indicator to see how the party’s campaigns are fairing so far in the election.

Labour has since openly stated that it will change its campaign strategy to heavily target the seats that it are set to lose according to the poll. Labour is to set out more clearly their stance on Brexit and explain more openly what a Labour Brexit deal might look like. The shift in direction by the Labour leadership is very significant and shows the findings of the poll could be a turning point in the general election campaign.

Register to Vote

Conclusion

Liberal Democrat Brexit Policy

The deadline for registering to vote was last week. A record of 650,000 people registered to vote just on the deadline day of Tuesday, November 27. Of those who applied on the deadline day 70% were under the age of 34 years old. Since the general election was called there have been 3.85 million new applications. The figure is around 67% higher than the record set at the last election.

It was the surge in young voter turnout at the 2017 General Election that many felt tipped the balance towards the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn.

Labour will be hoping for the same surge in turnout this time around.

This week has certainly altered the direction of the campaign. The manifesto launch by the Conservatives was the last of all the parties, and now the parties are seeking to campaign harder about their vision for the country.

As shown in the YouGov poll the Labour Party is behind and the ensuing change of their campaign strategy could alter the narrative of the election. Check out our 16-page supplement in this week’s issue for more in-depth analysis on the 2019 UK general election.

For a more extensive look at policies read our ‘Special General Election Supplement.’

What will the parties do for Wales?

Lowri Pitcher Head of Politics

E

ach of the UK’s main political parties have launched manifestos in anticipation of the general election in December. However, some manifestos did not explicitly mention what the party would do to benefit Wales.

Firstly, it should be noted that the number of times “Wales” is written in the manifesto is not a totally accurate measure of the importance the nation plays on the national agenda. It is important to remember that many policies will not apply to Wales due to devolution, or the policies being advocated for, apply to the whole of the UK .

Unsurprisingly, Plaid Cymru uses “Wales” more than any other manifesto, with 232 mentions. This party seeks Welsh independence and large-scale economic and social reform, including the party’s key policy of a “Welsh Green Jobs Revolution.”

In the Liberal Democrat manifesto “Wales” appears 22 times and Wales-specific pledges include promoting more devolution to the Welsh Assembly. This will include the devolution of Air Passenger Duty “to put Wales on a fair playing field with Scotland and Northern Ireland and put Cardiff Airport on a fair playing field with regional airports in England.” It would also include establishing a distinct legal jurisdiction for Wales and the devolution of powers over youth justice, probation services, prisons and policing.

The Labour manifesto mentions “Wales” 16 times and some of its Welsh-specific policies include making long-term reform of how the UK allocates public expenditure, investing an extra £3.4 billion in Wales and improving the justice system in the country.

The party also states that it will go ahead with the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project and work with the people on Ynys Mon to maximise its potential for new nuclear energy, alongside investment in renewables.

The Conservative manifesto features “Wales” 15 times. The party vows to upgrade the A55 as the main road transport artery for North Wales, deliver the M4 relief road, fund the building of the West Wales Parkway Station outside of Swansea and invest in the automotive industry.

The Conservatives will also support Welsh institutions such as S4C, the National Library and Museum, the Urdd and the National Eisteddfod; as well as supporting the ambition of reaching one million Wales speakers in Wales by 2050.

The Green Party includes “Wales” 15 times and also encourages further devolution to the Welsh Assembly.

The Brexit Party ‘Contract With The People’ did not use the word “Wales” once in the 24-page document. This is largely due to the party’s flagship policy to deliver a Clean Break Brexit which would apply to the whole of the UK. Full versions of the manifestos can be found on the parties’ websites.

12 POLITICS In other news...

Hong Kong election turnout breaks records

Turnout in the Hong Kong local elections was at over 70% resulting in a victory for pro-democracy candidates

Alex Payne Contributor

In the United States, billionaire and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has joined the 2020 presidential race. Despite previously being a Republican, Bloomberg will stand to be the Democratic Party presidential nominee. His wealth is likely to prove controversial inside the Democratic party.

Uruguay has gone back to the polls for a second time to elect their next president. In the first round, no candidate secured enough votes to win outright, but Daniel Martínez leader of the centre-left Broad Front Coalition had the most votes. He will now face Luis Lacalle Pou of the conservative National Party.

13 French soldiers have died after two helicopters collided while on operation in Mali. It is the biggest single loss of life for the French military since the 1980s.

The French military has been present in Mali since 2013 after Jihadists took over the north of the country. France now has 4,500 troops to support the forces of Mali against the fight of the Jihadists.

L

ocal Hong Kong media outlets are reporting that pro-democracy candidates have made unprecedented gains in the District Council elections on November 24.

Significantly, the election experienced the highest turnout yet with a record 71% of the electorate voting compared to just 47% in 2015, and nearly 400,000 voters adding to the electoral roll in last-minute registrations. Fears that the election would be either disrupted or cancelled were not realised, as it was the first weekend in months without the police deploying tear gas against protesters, and with one exception, it was largely conflict-free.

While in Hong Kong the District Council only directly deals with public facilities and services such as bus routes and waste collection, it’s impossible not to view this election result in the context of the continued protests that have dominated the region’s politics since last summer.

Pro-democracy supporters initially protested China’s decision to pass legislation that would allow the Beijing government extended powers to extradite residents to the mainland.

Critics have highlighted the dangers this will introduce to dissidents of Beijing, and the potential to un-

Albania has been hit by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake, killing at least 13 people. The earthquake hit 21 miles north of the capital Tirana. More than 600 people are being treated in hospitals.

The Government has brought in the army in order to help residents caught under the rubble.

ua Wong, have described the result as “historic” and highlighted how it shows that public support for protestors remains strong.

Going forward, the rise in prodemocracy District Councillors increases the chance of a pro-democracy Chief Executive in the future, as the 117 District Councilors form a part of the 1200 member committee responsible for their election.

However, it’s clear that the real power of this election has been symbolic as it has largely been seen as

a referendum on Lam’s handling of the protests, simply because it has been the first opportunity for citizens to vote since China announced its controversial bill last April. This crushing defeat for the establishment, which has been described by some as “democratic tsunami”, is contrasted by the Beijing Communist Party’s apathetic response. Only time will tell if the result will have a practical impact or if it will simply be a significant display of resistance for the people of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong: Protests against the extradition bill began in March 2019.

Source: Studio Incendo (via Flickr)

Iraqi protests intensify as death toll rises Government forces have been reported firing on protestors with live ammunition and tear gas canisters

Hallum Cowell Politics Editor

P The Maltese Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat is facing public backclash agaisnt the murder of journalist Daphane Caruana Galizia. Muscat’s Chief of Staff, Keith Schembri has resigned, but he is assisting with the police inquiry.

The journalist was murdered in a car bomb in 2017, after writing a series of blogs about corruption in Malta.

dermine Hong Kong’s judicial independence.

With the ejection of all but 10% of the pro-Beijing politicians from their seats, it clearly challenges Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s previous refusal to acknowledge the protestor’s “wishful thinking”, stating that she was supported by a “silent majority”.

Lam’s reaction to the result has represented progress, as she says she will “listen humbly” to the views of the public.

However, it appears that this subdued response is not one that’s strongly shared by her pro-Beijing party.

Junius Ho, a controversial politician who vocally shares her proBeijing stance, suffered a shock defeat in what was traditionally a safe seat, and described the experience as “heaven and earth have been turned upside down”.

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Alice Mak, who has been a District Councillor since 1993 and has previously strongly criticized Lam in leaked reports, blamed Lam’s administration for the influx of pro-democracy support.

Indeed, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, stood firm during a visit to Japan, claiming: “Whatever happens, Hong Kong is always a part of China and any attempts to create chaos … will not be successful.” However, pro-democratic voices, such as Josh-

rotestors in Iraq have been continuing their anti-government marches as government forces have begun using force. On the weekend of November 23, five people were shot dead and 90 injured after government forces opened fire on protestors.

Since unrest began in October

more than 300 people have been killed and thousands injured. Protestors have also been setting government buildings on fire and blocking bridges and roads. The government, on Sunday, November 24, issued a directive to reopen schools (Sunday is the first day of the Iraqi working week) however protests have continued, and this directive has been largely ignored.

People’s anger is focused on the

Protests continue in Iraq: Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi’s prom-

ises have not been fulfilled. Credit: Wikicommons

government and Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi who took office just over a year ago.

The Prime Minister promised reform but these changes have not yet materialised. The protesters are demanding an end to corruption, better public services and more jobs.

Mr Abdul-Mahdi, promised after the first week of nrest that he would reshuffle his cabinet, cut salaries of high-ranking officials and announced schemes to tackle youth unemployment. Protestors argue that these promises have gone unfulfilled and so more and more take to the streets to voice their unrest.

Many protestors also want a complete re-work of the government.

Protests have largely been seen in the south of the country and in the capital, Baghdad. This wave of protests is the largest in the country since the end of the US occupation.

Yassin, a 27-year-old doctor who leads a triage centre in the country told the Guardian “we received 50 injuries from direct hits from canisters and two dead, who were hit in the head”.

In the early days, the protestors’ actions were largely peaceful with politicians promising reform however since those in power began to scale back their reforms, protests have

turned into riots.

The protest now also transcends class lines with working-class and middle-class people taking to the streets.Who is the most aggressive is a matter of controversy in the country, with some accusing government soldiers and others accusing Iranlead Shia militia.

Hussein, organiser of a makeshift tent-camp told the Guardian: “We are here to remind the government of the law, it is clear that militias are illegal and that political parties are urban militias who are looting this country”. Protesters have also claimed that tear gas canisters are being fired directly into protestors, causing blunt trauma.

Iraq’s top Shia cleric has also given his support to protestors and calls for an end to corruption and mass unemployment. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani said “If those in power think that they can evade the benefits of real reform by stalling and procrastination, they are delusional,” adding that “What comes after these protests will not be the same as before, and they should be aware of that.”

This show of support gave a major boost to protestors and it is clear that the unrest gripping the country will not come to an end any time soon.

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Thursday 12th December

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Your comment desk Harry Clarke-Ezzidio Kat Smith Adam Clarke Tehreem Sultan Columnist Indigo Jones

The toughest battle of all

How can we help to improve men’s mental health?

Sarah Harris Contributor

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very year on the 19th of November, the world unites to celebrate International Men’s Day. Like International Women’s Day, the purpose is to improve gender relations and promote unity. But since the day was first celebrated in 1991, how far have we really come in opening up and discussing men’s issues? According to statistics published by suicide prevention charity, Samaritans, men in the UK are three times as likely to die by suicide than women.

The Dunelm Store in Nottingham was just one of many workplaces that participated in International Men’s Day. Staff at the store took part in an activity that allowed them to praise their male staff and compliment them throughout the day.

An employee of the store said, “I felt like it was nice to hear what people have to say about you and it makes a change from everything always being focused on women. Although Women’s International Day etc. is great, it’s nice to know that men are also appreciated in society.”

Despite how far we’ve come in terms of gender advancement, there still remains a stigma around male mental health. As a result of wanting to seem ‘tough’ and ‘manly,’ many

men bottle up their emotions or simply deal with them on their own, which leads to a vicious cycle of selfdoubt and poor mental stability. But even the men who speak out and ask for help aren’t taken seriously.

As a result of wanting to seem ‘tough’ and ‘manly,’ many men bottle up their emotions or simply deal with them on their own.

I asked a masters student in the University’s School of Engineering whether he thought this was the case. “The short answer is yes, when I have asked for help from people when I’m struggling, probably nine times out of ten I get nothing. I’m either ignored because they think my problem is minor compared to what they or other people are going through, or I’m flat out told ‘man up’ and find my own solution, sometimes both. When I was speaking to my mum about this, her response was “well men just don’t talk, that’s the problem” which in some cases is true, but like I just said, most people I’ve reached out to for help don’t even register that my problems are even something worth caring about.”

So why is it that we’re so dismissive of male mental health and what

Progress: Although strides have been made, there’s still a stigma surrounding male mental health. Source: pxhere

can we do to change this? Of course, days like International Men’s Day are a step in the right direction in promoting awareness and encouraging change, yet how do we completely abolish the stigma?

Maybe as generations go on, things will get better.

After all, today’s youth are as open and vocal about mental health as ever thanks to the power of social media, but it is hard to change the views of previous generations who

may not be as open to the concept.

One thing we can do is make it a safe and comfortable environment for the men in our lives to talk about their issues.

When was the last time you asked any of your male friends how they’re really doing? Well, there’s no better time than now to find out what’s really going on behind the curtains.

Talking about your issues can make an unexpectedly huge difference - and could even save a life.

The problem with PBSAs

What should change so students get the best deal?

Chris Colbourn Contributor

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f you’re a Cardiff Uni student, you probably live in some sort of Victorian-ish terrace house.

Maybe it’s been divided into flats, or maybe it’s just had a bed shoved into every available room, but there’s a pretty good chance it’s somewhere on a spectrum between “shabby” and “a deathtrap”. Dirt, mould, insufficient maintenance and withheld deposits are depressing, but to be expected, and it’s easy to focus on estate agents and landlords getting up to scummy practices, as they’re the people we deal with face to face.

However, they aren’t the only people that benefit from exploiting the city’s student population.

If you had any involvement with the Save Guildford Crescent campaign, or you’ve ever studied gentrification at school, you’re probably used to developers ripping the cultural heart out of anywhere that’s still got some charm. Booming student populations only contribute to this problem and marginalise people that have lived in Cardiff for decades, as the local economy pivots to meet our needs and whims above all others’.

Purpose Built Student Accommodations (PBSAs) could provide an alternative to slapdash house conversions, but a lot of recently built or proposed PBSAs are marketed as luxury accommodations for stu-

dents with money to burn. As such, they are beyond the reach of most Cardiff students, and don’t provide a credible alternative to the HMAs in Cathays, Roath and Adamsdown.

These HMAs are pretty obviously not up to serving the needs of ten, twelve adults, even if you only consider the piles of rubbish on Colum Road.

These luxury accommodations are often built with the intention of reclassifying them as serviced apartments (think AirBnB), or as flats for families and professionals.

This has already happened in many PBSAs, including to 401 rooms in Zenith which failed to let to students. New luxury student housing developments are well beyond most students’ budgets, so they can only compete with each other for the same small-to-non-existent market.

Building a PBSA allows developers to avoid paying the taxes levied against new buildings, like hotels and luxury housing that could have a negative impact on local communities. These contributions are used to fund things like affordable housing and schools, but student housing schemes are exempt, even if their owners get permission to let them to other markets.

So why are developers allowed to exploit this obvious loophole? Nevermind that these developments aren’t designed for long-term occupation and would never be approved if they were for any market other

than students; there aren’t even enough students in the city that can afford to live in these monstrosities. Developers’ claims that they offer a credible alternative to older, repurposed housing in Cathays, Roath and Adamsdown are transparently ludicrous. Better a house for £300 a week each where a bed’s been crammed into every room that will take one, than £600 a year for a studio in a dystopian building you never need to leave.

Developers continue to get away with this sham because the lack of a market for luxury student accommodation is apparently not a good enough reason for the council to

reject planning permission. Maybe once we have an MP again, you can badger them to fix this sorry state of affairs. Or write to your ViceChancellor to ask if the uni can find some room in the budget to invest in some proper housing.

Former Cardiff Central MP Jo Stevens has previously expressed her hope that future PBSA developments will be held to the same building standards as social housing, so they can be more easily taken over by the council to provide some much-needed affordable homes, without the added expense of making them suitable for long-term tenants.

Vacant: Zenith is one of many PBSAs that have been repurposed to help fill empty rooms. Source: Alex Liivet (via Wikipedia)

SYLWADAU

Religious symbols banned in France French secularism in crisis?

Tehreem Sultan

Comment Editor

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s a free and independent state, France ‘apparently’ observes ‘secularism and religious freedom’. However the recent step taken by France suggests otherwise. This month, France’s Senate approved an amendment that would extend a controversial 2004 law banning people from wearing religious symbols, including the islamic veil known as the niqaab/burqa, while also banning the Jewish Kippah and large Christian crosses. These restrictions are based for adults accompanying their children on school trips, and thus the law currently prohibits such symbols from being worn in ‘all’ public institutions including schools, libraries and government buildings.

Living in this era amidst human rights activism and the freedom of being able to manifest one’s religious beliefs without any question, France’s latest move had stirred up great controversy amongst people of all religions. As the news has struck, France was already previously known as the very first European country to impose a full ban on face-veils in public areas, and was followed by Denmark, Netherlands, and Austria in 2017. A background to these measures is the very first instant where the French govern-

ment’s actions towards a ban on religious symbol can be traced back to the “Scarf Affair” of 1989. Under this law hijabs/scarves were no longer allowed to be worn in French Public schools. Contempt for this bill led to the adaption of a nation-wide and religiously consistent plan. After which the next step was the Law of Secularity and Conspicuous Religious Symbols in Schools which was passed in September 2004.

As a free, indivisible, secular and democratic state, every nation shall respect the rights and freedoms of its residents

With mixed reactions from people around Europe, critics say the decision is the latest example of France’s renowned secularism having gone too far. Eric Roux, the President of the European Inter-religious Forum for Religious Freedom and a wellknown activist spoke to New Europe about the French Government’s recent decision and the fresh wave of protests that the move has sparked.

A mother claimed pupils were too disturbed and traumatized when a far-right politician told her to take off her headscarf in a regional Parliament in eastern France, followed by a French nun forced to turn down a place in state retirement home due

T

Discrimination: Muslims are one of many religious groups impacted by the new law in France. Source: Liz Lemon (via Flickr) to her religious symbol and habits.

These incidents have reignited an on going row over French secularism and whether politicians can decide how people can be limited from manifesting their religious beliefs.

With increasing pressure, and an outbreak of fierce rows, it is unfortunate for the 5,720,000 muslims residing in France, being unable to manifest their religion.

Despite this recent law targeting various religions, the law seemed to unevenly target the muslim population as felt by the residents. As a free, indivisible, secular and democratic

state, every nation shall respect the rights and freedom of its residents, regardless of their origin, race or religion. These various steps taken by nations including France have clearly increased the religious discrimination amongst people, not forgetting how muslim women observing the veil were called out as ‘letterboxes’, which indicates the fluctuation of Islamophobia, hatred acts after the enactment of these laws. Such actions rasie one question whether French Secularism is really in crisis or are these laws just for the protection of society?

Homeless people have been able to register to vote, thanks to some businesses

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s (I hope) you all know, the deadline for registering to vote in the upcoming election was on Tuesday and there was, by all accounts, a massive rise in the amount of last-minute registrations this year compared to previous elections. 300,000 people registered

within 24 hours on Tuesday and at least two thirds of the 3.2 million people who registered in total are thought to be first-time voters.

However, when registering you may have noticed that it asked you a few questions about your address, where you live or have lived and how long you have lived there.

What if you don’t live anywhere?

Can you still vote? Or are you ex-

Registration time: For many people, including those homeless, this was the first time they had been given the opportunity to register to vote Source: Wikimedia Commons

Coldplay weary over environmental impact Laura Dazon Contributor

No home? No problem!

Adam Clarke Comment Editor

15

cluded from the electorate by being homeless?

The short answer is no, you aren’t excluded, and the government website does allow you to register to vote if you have no fixed abode.

However, you do need some sort of address, and that can be a problem if you don’t live anywhere permanently or don’t have a job.

Help came from perhaps an unlikely source, in the form of private business owners who allowed homeless people to register to vote using their address.

This began in Bristol with the Bristol Beer Factory and other businesses around the country, from Glasgow to Bournemouth, have followed their lead, including Ten Feet Tall right here in Cardiff.

Caitlin Whelan, the marketing manager of the bar in Cardiff said in an interview to ITV, “We are a city centre venue and we feel it is really important this time around, as at any time, to give people the opportunity to have their say.”

A noble sentiment when you consider how a change in policy or party can have such a massive impact on the plight of homeless people.

It would be ludicrous if these people who could be so affected by the outcome of the election, were to have their right to vote removed by

a technicality.

The impact this could have is obviously unknown but the numbers of homeless or vulnerably housed people in Cardiff alone could sway a marginal seat.

For example, in the constituency of Cardiff North, after the 2017 election Labour gained the seat from the Conservatives with a majority of approximately 4000 votes, in the election before that, in 2015, the Tory majority was under 2000 votes.

Last year, over 4000 people asked Cardiff council for help with regard to homelessness.

The vast majority of these people were provided with suitable accommodation. However, if even a quarter of these people remain in vulnerable or non-fixed abodes having them registered to vote could sway a vote one way or the other.

I can think of no group of people in this country who deserve their right to vote more than the homeless.

Anything that allows them to have a say on the future of this country, and by relation, themselves is a good thing in my book.

So, good on Ten Feet Tall and any other business or organisation that make it easier for the homeless or vulnerable to vote.

It’s our election to define our future, and that includes all of us.

his week, Coldplay announced that they would not be touring their new album ‘Everyday Life’ due to concerns around the adverse effects touring would have on the environment. It is not the first time that Coldplay have shown interest in supporting good causes. They are engaged with many charities and foundations such as Amnesty International or Kids Company, and a portion of the profit from their ticket sales regularly goes to supporting them. But this time, the British band have decided to pause their tour until their concerts are more sustainable and ‘environmentally beneficial’.

Coldplay are currently actively rethinking their tours in order to drastically limit their carbon footprint and make them more environmentally friendly or even, beneficial. Chris Martin expressed a dream to hold shows that are primarily solar-powered and use no single-use plastic. Indeed, reports from Julie’s Bicycle, a charity that supports the creative community to act on climate change and environmental sustainability, shows that live music generates 405,000 tonnes of greenhouse-gas every year in the United Kingdom. This comes from the band flying from one country to another, fans travelling to see the artists, venues and the use of lights and technology as well as promotion and merchandise. Chris Martin expressed that he would be disappointed if they could not achieve carbon neutrality. In his words, after having done many big tours, it is now about finding a way to “turn it around, so it’s not so much taking as giving”.

Is this just a promotional stunt for their new album, ‘Everyday Life’ that came out on the 22nd of November, or a sign of a genuine concern for the environment? The backlash came immediately following the announcement, taking aim at the practicalities of their goal. Many saying that it was unrealisable and even hypocritical when records will be selling globally, probably packaged in plastic. Mike Graham mocked the band on TalkRadio, saying they should “stick to music” and addressing them directly with “you are not going to save the planet by not touring.”

Many artists like Adele or Billie Eilish have already vowed to limit their carbon emissions and attempt to make their tours as green as possible. Indeed, the worldwide known of Coldplay guarantees their decision will reach a global audience. It can be hoped that more artists will take similar steps to have more sustainable tours, and that it raises awareness amongst the fans.

Emma Banks, a music agent at the Creative Artists Agency says “change will be gradual, but every little helps.”

If some may argue that this is not the role of artists to do so, Garth Redmond-King, the organisation’s head of climate change, affirms that “inaction is not an option.” By deciding to pause their tour, not only do Coldplay send a strong message aligning with the stance of environmental emergency, but they hopefully pave the way for future artists to take action and reshape the music industry.

COLUMN 16

Indigo Jones

COLUMN ROAD

Merry commercialisation

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Holidays are coming: Christmas has lost its meaning and instead is replaced by a commercialised holiday. Source: W_Minshull (via Flickr)

hristmas: a time for celebration and contemplation. A time for us to spend with our nearest and dearest, reflecting on the events of the previous year, to be thankful for what we have.

In recent years, however, I believe that Christmas has lost its meaning.

Its traditional and religious essence is instead overshadowed by companies that feel the need to push their products. Instead of Christmas being the biggest day of the year to celebrate with family and friends, it has been put on the backburner as the needs for giving and receiving gifts increase. Almost every child has the memory of circling the gifts they want for Christmas in an Argos catalogue, therefore we become accustomed to this commercial aspect of Christmas from a very young age.

We were told to write lists to Santa of what consumer items we wanted, different toys, games, perhaps consoles or even a bike, not realising that this bought into the increasingly commercialised nature of Christmas.

I think that Santa undoubtedly gets children excited for Christmas, and don’t get me wrong my own childhood Christmases were made very special by Santa’s visits; but now as I am older I believe that Santa adds pressure on parents to make sure they buy presents for their children and feeds the money hungry companies and brands that provided the

toys we believed we needed.

We spend an extra £800 at Christmas in comparison to the average £2,500 a month.

Annually, the first sign of Christmas is the adverts that brands use to promote themselves during the holiday season. Whether this be the beloved John Lewis advert, where you never know what you are going to get but you are guaranteed a heart-warming advert with a very large production value. Perhaps it’s the Coca Cola advert with their tradition of taking the truck used in the adverts on a tour of the UK. Coca Cola had formally dominated the Christmas advert scene, with rumours that they inspired Santa Clause’s famous red and white suit.

Although, in the last 10 or so years the excitement and pressure surrounding the John Lewis advert has been more and more apparent, as fans are excited to hear what song is being featured, whether the advert will make them cry, or what loveable animal is involved.

It has become a part of Christmas for some people as they look forward

to this commercial aspect of the holiday and thrive in the gimmicks brands sell after their adverts, for example Aldi sells “Kevin the Carrot” a character they used within their Christmas adverts. We as consumers allow brands to take advantage of our need to consume, especially during the holiday season. These companies also strive to get the best advert constantly by trying to one up each other and surpass their previous adverts, creating a commercial competition as a result. They assume that the better the advert, the more money consumers will spend in their stores, and they are probably right.

Similar to other holidays like Easter and Valentine’s Day, card shops take pride in the fact they know they can charge outrageous amounts for Christmas cards and wrapping paper as it has become normal to do so. This then adds to the supposed £3,300 the average British household spends at Christmas. According to the Bank of England, we spend an extra £800 at Christmas in comparison to the average £2,500 a month.

But perhaps as consumers we should take a stand, not just because we end up spending ridiculous amounts at Christmas, but because the use of wrapping paper and cards are just wasteful and very difficult to recycle, thus leading to wider problems in society. This year lets, send e-cards or perhaps we should not wrap our

presents; the thought means more than presentation after all.

Even the word Christmas has been thrown away as many people say “Happy Holidays” to cover the numerous religious holidays surrounding the festive period. What does this mean for Christians who feel strongly about the meaning and story behind Christmas, are they meant to stop celebrating their own traditions? There are holidays such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa that don’t receive the same publicity as Christmas which perhaps other religions believe they deserve. Perhaps this is a result of the majority of the UK celebrating Christmas or maybe it is companies and brands that feel less of a need to put a spotlight on these holidays.

We have been conditioned to overindulge in excessive amounts of food and commercial goods for this one day a year, while there are many people who struggle to eat.

We splurge on unprecedented amounts of food that would be im-

possible to eat in one day, due to the consistent pressure from food adverts to buy new and exciting things to add to meals. We have been conditioned to overindulge in excessive amounts of food and commercial goods for this one day a year, while there are many people who struggle to eat. There are charities like Crisis that make it their aim to help shelter and feed the homeless during Christmas; perhaps we should all play a part and donate food rather than waste what we don’t eat. When describing Christmas, we normally hear that it’s “a time for giving” or the time of year filled with joy, although the pressure at Christmas for spending sprees can only hurt those who are financially unable to do so.

This year more than before, I have realised the increasing pressure put on us by Christmas, as I am knee deep in an overdraft in the lead up to the most wonderful time of year, and I can’t help but feel stressed about being able to afford presents for the ones I love. But why should we, as a society, put such pressures on giving, and receiving to display our affection towards people? Isn’t Christmas meant to be about spending time with those around us and being thankful for the good that we have in our lives? Perhaps instead of buying that extra gift or eating another mince pie, maybe we should spend our money and time doing what matters.

2 December 2019 2 Rhagfyr 2019

General Election Pullout Atodiad Arbennig Etholiad Cyffredinol

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UK to face third general election in five years

s the UK heads to the polling stations for the third general election in five years, Gair Rhydd has compiled an ‘all you need to know’ guide. This edition will take you through some of the parties’ manifesto pledges, the state of the parties across the four nations of the UK and will dissect some of the biggest issues throughout the campaign.

Why is the UK having a general election?

When Boris Johnson became Prime Minister on July 24, he did so on the premise of delivering Brexit by October 31. Despite Parliament passing his Withdrawal Agreement in principle, Brexit was not resolved. MPs rejected the timetable motion which would have seen the Brexit deal passed through Parliament by the Halloween deadline.

In response to this, the Prime Minister’s solution was to seek an early general election. Having unsuccessfully attempted to call an election three times through the Fixed-term Parliaments Act which required a two-thirds majority in the House of Commons; Boris Johnson proposed the election through a ‘one line bill’ which only required a simple majority and was passed on October 29.

The date of the election was confirmed for December 12 and will mark the first December poll since 1923.

This election comes almost three-and-a-half years after the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016.

For the Conservatives, this election could be an opportunity to restore its majority after the 2017 election resulted in the party losing its majority

and leaving Theresa May’s government dependent on a confidence and supply agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party.

For Labour and the other political parties this marks an opportunity to deliver what they consider to be the best Brexit solution and gain power during one of the most tempestuous periods of British politics over the last decade.

However, while Brexit dominates the political discourse, each party is incredibly eager to promote their policies in other sectors. Radically divergent economic, health, education and democracy-based policies have been announced by each party. Be it Brexit or the other policy areas mentioned above, the results of this general election will certainly shape the direction of the UK for a long time to come. Therefore it is essential to have

an understanding of what is happening.

This special edition will include: • • • • • •

An introduction to Cardiff Central and Cardiff North.

A message from Cardiff Central and Cardiff North candidates explaining why you should vote for them.

Detailed, thematic breakdown of the main parties’ manifesto pledges.

Analysis of the safe and marginal seats in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

A look at what to expect during election night.

Welsh analysis of the possible impact of this election on the political landscape of Wales.

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GENERAL ELECTION

Gair Rhydd 2019/20 Supplement Editor-in-Chief Lowri Pitcher Politics Editors Hallum Cowell Tom-Henry Jones Maisie Marston Gair Rhydd Editor-in-Chief Tomos Evans

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

GWLEIDYDDIAETH

Contributors Aled Biston Rhodri Davies Daniel Greenway Indigo Jones

An introduction to Cardiff Central

All you need to know about Cardiff Central; home to over 24,000 students and various universities, including Cardiff University’s Cathays campus Hallum Cowell Politics Editor

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ardiff Central is currently a comfortable Labour constituency, with Jo Stevens holding a majority of 17,196. During the 2017 General Election the Conservative Party came second with the Liberal Democrats coming third. Cardiff Central is where most of Cardiff University’s student population lives with much of Cathays, Roath and Plasnewydd within the boundaries.

A result of this is the incredibly high demographic of young people living in Cardiff Central. It is estimated that 47% of the constituency’s residents are aged between 18 and 35, more than double the average 22.8% of 1835 year olds in other constituencies.

Home to Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitain and University of South Wales, an estimated 24,000 students live in the area.

In the 2015 election many of the parties that held under 1,000 votes each have not stood candidates for the seat and have opted instead to join the Unite to Remain alliance. Plaid Cymru and the Green Party have agreed to step aside and have asked voters to vote for the Liberal Democrat candidate, Dr Bablin Molik.

The remain alliance is a pact between the Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Plaid Cymru. In 60 seats across England and Wales, only one of these parties will stand, with the others standing down. The aim of this pact is to concentrate ‘remain’ voters into electing a ‘remain’ MP to influ-

Cardiff Central: Cardiff Central constituency had the largest majority in Wales in 2017.

Source: Wikimedia Commons. ence the future of Brexit. This pact was based upon the tactics used in the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election which saw a Liberal Democrat candidate elected.

Cardiff Central was won by Labour’s Jo Stevens in 2015 after the Liberal Democrats won in 2010. Interestingly, in 2010 the Liberal Democrats

pledged to lower tuition fees and this may be used to explain why they won the seat. After this pledge was unfulfilled the seat flipped to Labour, with a lead of 5,000 votes, showing that getting student votes is key in Cardiff Central. Additonally in the 2017 election Labour pledged to completely remove tuition fees which could have further attributed to the increased Labour majority, the largest majority across all Welsh constituencies.

Cardiff Central voted ‘remain’ during the Brexit referendum with 68% of the area voting in favour of the UK’s continued membership of the EU. It would be fair to assume that this result will influence the coming election, an issue which the pro-Brexit parties will have to wrestle with.

In the EU elections, Wales elected four MEPs to the European Parliment using proportional representation.

The Brexit Party took two of these seats, while Plaid Cymru took one and

Labour took another.

During the EU Parliament election in 2014 where Labour took South Wales with Plaid Cymru, the Conservatives and UKIP also taking one seat each.

The pattern of parties gaining one seat each in Wales has been a trend since 2004 when beforehand it Wales was represented by two Labour seats, one Conservative and one Plaid Cymru MEP. Historically, Wales predominantly elected Labour MEPs from 1979 until 1994 and despite the range of MEPs diversifying, South Wales has been historically represented by Labour in the EU Parliament.

The candidates for Cardiff Central candidates are; Meirion Jenkins for the Conservative and Unionsit Party, Sian Caiach for Gwlad Gwlad, Akil Kata as an Independent, Jo Stevens for Labour, Bablin Molik for the Liberal Democrats, Gareth Pearce for the Brexit Party and Brian Johnson for the Socialist Party.

POLITICS

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/politics

Previous Results 2017 General Election 2015 General Election

Labour: 25,193 Conservative: 7,997 Liberal Democrat: 5,415 Plaid Cymru: 999 Green: 420 UKIP: 343 Majority: 17,196 Boundaries: The constituency encompasses Cardiff city centre.. Source: OpenStreetMap (via openstreetmap.org)

Labour: 15,462 Liberal Democrat: 10,481 Conservative: 5,674 UKIP: 2,499 Green: 2,461 Plaid Cymru: 1,925 TUSC: 110 Independent: 34 Majority: 4,981

ETHOLIAD CYFFREDINOL

A message from the candidates

Gair Rhydd Politics asks each candidate for Cardiff Central to respond in 100 words: “Why should students vote for you?”

Brexit Party, Gareth Pearce Being a student in the UK now means leaving higher education with huge debts due to high tuition fees and maintenance costs. With the Conservatives offering no extra help to students, and the Labour Party offering false hopes, it’s time to look to an alternative solution at this election.

The Brexit Party has a realistic aim of scrapping interest on tuition fee repayments, which have risen to 6% in recent years meaning students owe back far more than they even borrow to fund their education. Scrapping interest would be a small step in the right direction to helping students, by putting more money in graduates pockets to help with other aspects of life such as getting on the housing ladder.

Conservative and Unionist Party, Meirion Jenkins I was born and bred in South Wales and went to school in Ynysawdre. In my professional life, I founded, built and sold a software business and am currently a director of a number of software and IT businesses.

I would commend students to vote Conservative for three reasons; 1. It’s us or a hard left Corbyn govt. If Corbyn wins and does what he says, he will cause severe damage to the economy in which you are about to start building your career. You will have fewer opportunities and you will earn less. The savings that your families have built up over decades of hard work could be decimated.

2. Labour cannot tax Wales to prosperity (+£2400 a year for each of us). It is proven that low taxes and free markets are the only way to bring prosperity to all and only the Conservatives will deliver this.

3. Voting Conservative is the only way to deliver a proper Brexit, which I believe is in the UK’s best interests and, besides anything else, if you believe in democracy, Brexit is a democratic mandate from the British people.

Gwlad Gwlad, Sian Caiach

Independent, Akil Kata

I’m 62, I went to University in the 70’s when everyone’s fees were paid and students from poorer backgrounds like my own had subsistence grants as well, which covered our costs. My own children have not been so fortunate.

Students can see me coming through this hard life, with being students they’ve struggled. All I say is that students, like I myself was, look at alternative options. Why should they go for this party ot that party when they have not delivered?

Its a great concern to me that the current fees and costs paid for by loans are going to be a severe burden to many, for years after graduation, many loans never fully paid off.

I’d like to see the debt burden on students reduced drastically, in fact I don’t agree with any interest on student loans for fees or living costs.

Labour Party, Jo Stevens From fighting Brexit and its catastrophic effects on our universities and our country, to helping students challenge dodgy landlords and rip-off letting agents and running student specific advice surgeries in the Students’ Union, I’ve been your strong voice in Cardiff Central and Parliament.

A UK Labour Government will tackle the climate emergency with our Green New Deal, give you the final say on a Brexit deal or remaining inthe EU, abolish tuition fees and provide every home with free full-fibre broadband.

With me as your Labour MP you’ll know you’ll have a hard-working, effective and independent minded representative.

The last three years we have been wasting time, or politicians have been wasting our time and our money. For the next election I have a great idea. It will be put forward later because we’re wasting roughlly £100 million a year on election campaigns.

That would be helping the climate. Instead of wasting all this paper on party electoral campaigning, I would say use technology for the next election where we can introduce a safe system for every voter. Me, as a technologist can say it will be safe with data protection, we can get rid of all this paper. It is time for the people of Cardiff to think again about what their politicians have offered and what they have delivered.

Liberal Democrat, Dr Bablin Molik I am a Cardiff University alumni & spent several years doing my BSc, PhD and then teaching at the university.

Cardiff Central in Numbers The constistuency encompasses:

Adamsdown, Cathays, Cyncoed, Pentwyn, Penylan, and Plasnewydd

Cardiff Central has an electorate of 64,225 (December 2010)

Labour’s Jo Stevens was elected Cardiff Central’s MP in 2015

Labour won a majority of 17,196 in 2017

Turnout during the

2017 general election was

68.1%

I stand on the liberal democrats manifesto: ‘Plan for a Brighter Future’.

The commitments we make in this manifesto is to stop Brexit and ensure that every person has the opportunity to grow and relish their aspirations in life. That no-one is held back due to where they were born, their gender, colour, creed or disability.

As a mother to two young girls, I want to see them progress and achieve their ambitions in life; as I want for every single young people growing up in this country. Whether it’s through our ambitious plans to tackle climate change; investing in our education system, NHS and public services; or in tackling injustice to mental health; I stand with Liberal Democrats to make sure our young people have a better future they deserve; a future that we can pass to them without any regrets.

Socialist Party of Great Britain, Brian Johnson We were unsuccessful in receiving a response.

3

Approximately 25,000 students live in Cardiff Central

Past results 2001: Labour 2005: Liberal Democrat 2010: Liberal Democrat 2015: Labour 2017: Labour

4

GENERAL ELECTION

Cardiff West + Cardiff South and Penarth Lowri Pitcher Head of Politics

W

hile most Cardiff University students live in Cardiff Central and Cardiff North, Cardiff is in fact divided into another two constituencies; Cardiff West and Cardiff South and Penarth.

Cardiff West encompasses the areas of Caerau, Canton, Creigiau and St Fagans, Ely, Fairwater, Llandaff, Pentyrch, Radyr, and Riverside. It has been a Labour stronghold since the party took over from the Conservative Party in 1987. The Conservatives have followed in second place ever since.

In 2017 Labour’s Kevin Brennan, currently the Labour candidate for the seat won with a majority of 26.9% the equivalent of 12,551 votes.

The seat is therefore considered a safe seat. During the 2017 election Labour won, the Conservatives were second and followed by Plaid Cymru, the Liberal Democrats and finally UKIP. Given that Cardiff West voted to remain in the EU in 2016 by a margin of 56.18% - 43.82% this election may provide a chance for the Liberal Democrats or Plaid Cymru to increase their share of the vote due to their strong ‘remain’ policies.

The full list of candidates contesting Cardiff West include; Carolyn Webster for the Conservative and Unionist Party, David Griffin for the Green Party, Kevin Brennan for the Labour Party, Callum James Littlemore for the Liberal Democrats, Boyd Clack for Plaid Cymru and Nick Mullins for the Brexit Party.

The final Cardiff city constituency to be discussed is Cardiff South and Penarth. The constituency encompasses Butetown, Grangetown, Llanrumney, Rumney, Splott, Trowbridge, Cornerswell, Llandough, Plymouth, St Augustine’s, Stanwell and Sully. Similarly to Cardiff West, Cardiff South and Penarth is another Labour stronghold with the party controlling the seat since its creation in 1983.

In 2017 the seat was won by Labour’s Stephen Doughty with a majority of 14,864, winning a total of 30,182 votes, almost double the number of votes than the Conservatives in second place. During the 2017 election Plaid Cymru came third followed by the Liberal Democrats, UKIP, the Green Party and finally the Pirate Party. With this being another strong ‘remain’ constituency which voted to remain in the EU by a margin of 57.18% - 42.82% the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru may see their vote share increase. Meanwhile, the Brexit Party and the Conservative Party may be hoping to pick up the 942 UKIP votes during 2017.

The candidates standing in Cardiff South and Penarth are; Philippa Ann Broom for the Conservative and Unionist Party, Ken Barker for the Green Party, Stephen Doughty for the Labour and Co-operative Party, Dan Schmeising for the Liberal Democrats, Nasir Adam for Plaid Cymru and Tim Price for the Brexit Party.

An introduction to Cardiff North

All you need to know about Cardiff North, home to Cardiff University’s Heath campus Hallum Cowell Politics Editor

C

ardiff North is considered a swing constituency between Labour and the Conservatives with Labour winning the seat in 2017 by a majority of 4,174 votes.

Labour’s Anna McMorrin won the seat and took over from the Conservatives in 2017. Although most Cardiff University students live in Cardiff Central, the boundaries of Cardiff North encompass all bar one accommodation blocks in Talybont South (the furthest south) while it does encompass the entirety of Talybont North and Talybont Gate.

Cardiff North also covers areas such as; Heath, Old St Mellons and Whitchurch to name a few. The constituency has a much smaller student population with an estimated 23.9% of voters aged 18-35 including an estimated 8,268 students while having an over 65 population of roughly 18.4%.

In the last five elections Labour have won three, 2001, 2005 and 2017, while the Conservatives have won two, 2010 and 2015. In every election result since 2005 Cardiff North has been considered a swing seat, most likely due to the dichotomy between the influx of students living in Talybont and the Heath while the rest of the constituency lives in more conventional towns and villages in more rural areas.

Talybont student halls were built in 1995 and before that, the Conservative Party won every election since 1950 bar the 1966 general election.

However, in the election after Talybont was built the seat was taken by Labour with an approximate 6,000

University Hospital of Wales: The constituency is home to Wales’ largest university hospital Source: Wikimedia Commons. vote majority. Since then it has been contested between the Conservatives and Labour.

In the Cardiff local elections in May 2017 where council members were chosen, the northern-most areas of Cardiff voted Conservative and while the council overall remained Labour the Conservatives gained 13 seats. Labour lost four seats, Liberal Democrats lost six and independents lost three.

In the referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership of the Euro-

pean Union in 2016, Cardiff North voted to remain by 60.85%.

During the last few elections, the majorities have been slim with the Conservatives winning by 194 votes in 2010, 2,137 in 2015 and Labour winning by 4,174 votes in 2017.

With turnout during the last election recorded at 77.4% the student vote in this election may well determine the result of this seat.

Running in this year’s election are; Christopher John Butler for the Brexit Party, Mohamed Ali for the

Conservatives, Michael Cope for the Green Party, Richard Jones as an Independent, Anna McMorrin for Labour, Rhys Taylor for the Liberal Democrats, Steffan Webb for Plaid Cymru.

Previous Results

Labour: 26, 081

2017 General Election

Conservative: 21, 907 Plaid Cymru: 1, 738 Liberal Democrat: 1, 714 UKIP: 582 Majority: 4,174

2015 General Election Conservative: 21,709 Labour: 19, 572 UKIP: 3, 953 Plaid Cymru: 2, 301 Liberal Democrat: 1,953 Green: 1,254 Christian: 331 Alter Change: 78 Boundaries: Cardiff Central constituency had the largest majority in Wales in 2017.

Source: OpenStreetMap (via openstreetmap.org)

Majority: 2,137

ETHOLIAD CYFFREDINOL

A message from the candidates Gair Rhydd Politics asks each candidate for Cardiff North to respond in 100 words: “Why should students vote for you?”

Brexit Party, Christopher Butler Students voted Lib-Dem in large numbers in the 2010 Election because of their promises on student fees. They were let down. The Lib-Dems/Conservative pact then tripled tuition fees. Young people shouldn’t be burdened with vast debt after going to university: my generation wasn’t, so why should this one be? The Brexit Party will relieve students of accumulated debts on their loans and charge 0% interest going forward – the difference is we mean it.

Students are investing in themselves for their future. In Venezuela, the Socialist economy so admired by Corbyn, the youth unemployment rate is 17%, GDP is tanking and inflation last year was 130,060% - not a shining path to follow.

Conservative and Unionist Party, Mohamed Ali I was born in Somalia and moved to Cardiff aged 3 as a child refugee. I was raised in Cardiff, worked and lived in the community I want to represent.

This is our chance to get real change for Cardiff, someone who passionately cares about our NHS, school, environment - rather than standing on a platform to stop Brexit. Over the last 3 years, we’ve seen the Lib Dems & certain Labour MPs continually vote against every chance of getting Brexit over and done with, instead they’ve voted for delay after delay causing more uncertainty.

A vote for me is to get Brexit done, so we can start talking about the issues that really matter to you.

5

Cardiff North in Numbers The constituency covers: Gabalfa, Heath, Lisvane, Llandaff North, Pontprennau, Old St Mellons, Rhiwbina, Whitchurch and Tongwynlais.

Cardiff North has an electorate of approximately

67,194

(December 2010)

Green, Michael Cope

Independent, Richard Jones

Labour’s Anna McMorrin was elected Cardiff North’s MP in

2017

To tackle climate change, we must introduce policies now to radically transform our economy, environment and society and make them fit for the future. Only the Green Party will do this.

Our Green New Deal will create a green inductrial revolution through massive investment in green energy, infrastructure and housing, creating millions of new jobs and making the UK the world leader in the fight against climate change.

The Green Party is the originator of the Green New Deal. Our manifesto is the most ambitious of any party. Voters should accept no imitations. Vote Green

I’m working class guy who has had enough of politicians putting themselves before the people that they are supposed to represent. Speaking to Cardiff North residents, they want an MP to be in touch with the needs of their community instead of trying to constantly pull the wool over their eyes.

I am running as an independent, representing the unheard voices of the Cardiff North Community and am supporting all forms of mental Health, Anxiety, Bipolar, BDD, BPD, Depression, Drugs & Alcohol, Eating Problems, Loneliness, OCD, PTSD, Schizophrenia, Self-Harm, Stress, Suicidal Feelings. too name a few.

Labour Party, Anna McMorrin

Liberal Democrats, Rhys Taylor

In Cardiff North it is a straight fight between the hard right hard brexiteer tories and I’ve stood up against tory austerity and cutbcacks for the last two and a half years since I was elected. I’ve also stood on my platform as a passionate remainer fighting to remain in the EU. With the deal we have now I want to put it back to the people for a final say, but I will be campaigning to remain.

Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to stop Brexit. We will Stop Brexit and use the £50 billion Remain Bonus to properly fund our public services and tackle inequality.

I believe that is in the best interests of young people and students. especially university students who rely on research, European funding, the ability to travel and work like I did in European states.

I am also a big campaigner against the climate emergency, that is a real issue for me. That’s my proffesional background in campaiging against carbon emmissions and the increasing threat we face from the climate emergency at the moment. That I think needs to be absolutely paramount.

Labour had a majority of 4,174 in 2017

Turnout during the

2017 General Election was

We’re in the middle of a climate emergency. The Liberal Democrats have a radical and credible plan to reverse climate change. We’ll generate 80% of our electricity from renewables by 2030, ban fracking and diesel and petrol cars, and tackle fuel poverty.

We believe in an internationalist, inclusive, and free society where everyone has the freedom to be who they are free from discrimination and prejudice.

Plaid Cymru, Steffan Webb Students should vote for Steffan Webb in Cardiff North to get an MP to: • Work tirelessly for a Climate Crisis Bill. This is the key issue.

• Call for additional funds for the NHS and oppose privatisation. This is devolved but Labour run it badly in Wales and the Conservatives want to sell it off.

• Commission credible plans for Welsh independence. UK politics leaves Wales poor but it doesn’t have to be like that.

• Get a Brexit vote between a specific deal or remain. We are the remain party in Wales but there’s a question of democracy.

77.4%

Approximately 8,200 students live in Cardiff North

Past results 2001: Labour 2005: Labour 2010: Conservative 2015: Conservative 2017: Labour

6

W

GENERAL ELECTION

ith each party declaring pledges about their visions for the United Kingdom, it is easy to get confused about who is promosing what, should they get a majority in the House of Commons.

To simplify this, Gair Rhydd has compiled a list of some of the main parties’ manifesto pledges and organised them thematically.

We have compiled manifesto pledges from each of the main parties contesting over half the seats across Wales. The policies pledged below are not exhaustive, and only cover pledges related to Brexit, democracy, the economy, education, environment, health, housing, security & defence, social matters/ welfare and transport. Full versions of each party’s manifesto can be found online or on the respective parties’ websites.

Of course, there are candidates seeking election who do not represent the parties mentioned here.

Information about their pledges can be found on the individual candidates’ social media platforms.

While the Conservative Party, Green Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrat Party and Plaid Cymru have each released manifestos, the Brexit Party opted to publish a ‘Contract with The People’. This is a shorter document than a manifesto comprising of 24 pages detailing the party’s pledges. The reason behind this break with convention is that the party has said the term ‘manifesto’ has some to mean ‘lie’ as party after party fail to deliver on their promises.

In order to assess the feasibility and financial impact of their pledges, many parties have also released costing documents on their websites.

Manifesto

Brexit, Conservative, Green, Labour, Brexit Party

Brexit

Democracy

Economy

Education

Leave the EU with a CleanBreak Brexit.

Abolish the unelected House of Lords.

Abolish Inheritance Tax (IHT).

Maintain subsidies and grants paid by the EU to UK businesses such as farmers, fisheries, universities and research bodies.

Introduce Citizens’ Initiatives to allow people to call referendums, subject to a 5m threshold of registered voter signatures and time limitations on repeat votes.

Invest £2.5bn in Fishing and Coastal Communities.

Require Universities to incorporate an obligation to protect legal free speech.

Reform the Supreme Court.

Judges who play a role in politics must be subject to political scrutiny.

Reduce tariffs to zero on certain foods, footwear and clothing.

Implement a zero rate Corporation Tax for the first £10,000 of pre-tax profits.

Introduce a fair points imMake MPs who switch parties migration system. subject to recall petitions.

Save 50% of the foreign aid budget.

Conservative Party

Deliver Brexit in January 2020.

Scrap the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011.

Ensure no VAT, National Insurance or Income Tax rises.

Negotiate a free trade deal by the end of next year.

Updated and equal parliamentary boundaries.

Increase pensions by 2.5% a year.

Will not extend transition period beyond Decemeber 2020.

Maintain the voting age at 18.

Increase Living Wage to £10.50 per hour.

Leave the European Union customs union and single market.

Make it easier for British expatriates to vote.

Introduce identification requirements when voting.

Increase National Insurance threshold to £12,500. public sector net investment will not average more than 3 per cent of GDP.

Scrap interest on student loans.

Further expand parental choice about sending their children to academies and free schools Abolish the target to push 50% of young people into Higher Education.

Improve tax incentives for employers to take on genuine apprentices.

Provide £780 million new funding to support children with special education needs next year.

Invest an extra £14 billion in funding for schools.

Raise teachers’ starting salaries to £30,000 per annum.

Strengthen academic freedom and free speech in universities.

if debt interest reaches 6 per cent of revenue.

Green Party

Seek a People’s Vote to decide the way forward on Brexit, in which the Green Party will campaign for remain.

Replace the First Past the Post Introduce a Universal Basic system with a proportional Income of £89 a week paid to voting system. all UK residents regardless of employment status.

Give 16-year-olds the vote.

Pensioners will receive a Create a fully elected House weekly payment totalling of Lords. £178.

Implement a system where voters elect half the Council every two years to ensure that fast changing local concerns can be expressed regularly.

Implement state funding for political parties to eliminate dependence on large private donations.

Increase the rate of Corporation Tax to 24%.

Move away from consumption and GDP as measures of success, instead measure human and ecological wellbeing.

Phase in an increase in spending on foreign aid from 0.7% to 1% of the UK’s GNI.

Focus funding to reduce class sizes down to under 20 in the long term.

Remove charitable status from private schools and charge full VAT on fees.

Write off existing debt for former students who studied under the £9k tuition fee regime.

Fully fund every higher education student and scrap undergraduate tuition fees.

ETHOLIAD CYFFREDINOL

Breakdown

Liberal Democrat and Plaid Cymru

7

Environment

Health

Housing

Security & Defence

Social

Transport

Recycle our own waste and make it illegal for it to be exported across the world to be burnt, buried or dumped at sea.

There should be no privatisation of the NHS; where existing private initiatives have failed to deliver we will return them to public ownership.

Simplify planning consents for Brownfield sites.

Abolish distortive targets and introduce sentence ‘ranges’ for young offenders, to encourage rehabilitation.

Phase out the BBC licence fee.

Cancel HS2.

Invest at least £50bn in local road and rail schemes in our development-starved regions.

Plant millions of trees to capture CO2 and promote a global initiative at the UN.

Stop the taxpayer being ripped off by pharmaceutical companies.

Offer free base level domestic broadband in deprived regions and free Wi-Fi on all public transport.

Imtroduce zero rate VAT on domestic fuel.

Abolish all politically imposed hospital targets that distort clinical priorities.

Change the funding model to make it easier for councils to borrow from central government to build council houses.

Allow more flexibility in the number of affordable homes within a development scheme.

Change the process for outline planning consent.

Introduce 24-hour GP surgeries to relieve the strain in A&E Introduce more flexibility on departments. the size and type of units as part of a development.

Discuss ring-fencing the NHS budget and the tax revenues that pay for it.

See the UK become carbon neutral by 2050.

Fund the NHS with an additional £34 billion per year.

Encourage long-term fixed mortages which slash the cost of deposits.

Begin work on building 40 more hospitals.

Extend the Help to Buy scheme.

Temporarily stop fracking in England until it’s categorically proven it can be done safely.

Deliver 50 million extra GP appointments a year, making waiting times shorter.

Maintain commitment to a Right to Buy for all council tenants.

Set strict new laws on air quality.

Deliver 50,000 more nurses with students receiving an £8000 annual grant.

End the blight of rough sleeping, by expanding programmes like the Rough Sleeping Initative.

Invest £500 million to encourage industries to move to lowcarbon techniques.

Bring back ban on imports on ivory from trophy hunting.

Plant 700 million trees.

Reduce the UK’s carbon emissions to net-zero by 2030.

Invest of over £100 billion a year in the Green New Deal.

Ban all hunting.

Apply a Carbon Tax on all fossil fuels.

Ban fracking and other unconventional forms of fossil fuel extraction.

Prohibit the construction of nuclear power stations.

Ensure that the UK maintains its commitment to NATO and meets its commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence.

Withdraw from the European Defence Union.

Increase police numbers.

Ensure that the UK maintains Cut taxes for small retail busiits commitment to NATO and nesses and for local pubs and meets its commitment to spend venues.

2% of GDP a year on defence. £250 million investment in Maintain the nuclear deterrent support of local libraries and Trident. regional museums.

Invest in rail infastructure across the country, particular the Northern Powerhouse project between Manchester and Leeds.

Review costs and viability of HS2.

Add 20,000 more police officers to the force.

Make it easier for fathers to achieve paternity leave.

Increase stop and search powers and enforce harsher sentences on convicts.

Introduce a railcard for British Armed Force Veterans.

Significantly reduce the number of short-term prison sentences handed out, replacing them with restorative justice projects.

Reinstate free TV licences for over-75-year-olds.

Spend £2.5 billion a year on new cycleways and footpaths.

Install a 40% quota for women on major company boards.

End the sale of new petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles by 2030.

Create 100,000 new energy efficient council homes a year.

Cancel the Trident nuclear weapons system and nuclear powered submarines.

Provide 35 hours a week of free childcare for all.

Cancel HS2.

Reduce heating bills by improving 1 million existing homes and other buildings a year so that they reach the highest standard of energy efficiency.

Replace the Ministry of Defence with a Ministry for Security and Peace, a central part of this will be defending environments around the world from the effects of climarte change.

Invest £28.8 billion on improving local roads/potholes.

Extend conactless payment to 50% of all rail journeys.

Better housing for disabled people

Provide an additional £4.5 billion a year to fund councils to provide free social care to people over 65 who need support in their own homes.

Increase funding for the NHS by at least £6 billion per year each year, until 2030.

Make heroin available on prescription after a medical assessment by a doctor.

Deliver our Green New Deal in housing.

Deliver major heating upgrades for 1 million homes a year.

Make cannabis, labelled according to laboratory-tested strength, available to adults from licensed small businesses. Aim to have 10 million homes generating their own renewProhibit commercial advertisable energy by 2030. ing of alcohol.

Guarantee the principle of animal sentience.

Create a government-owned rolling stock company which would invest in a fleet of new electric trains.

Ban advertising for flights, and introduce a Frequent Flyer Levy - only applies to people who take more than one (return) flight a year.

Stop the building of new runways and all increased road capacity.

Make 40 miles per hour the default speed limit in nonresidential areas except on major roads.

8

GENERAL ELECTION

T

he November Welsh political barometer was released on November 25. This is a joint venture between Cardiff University and ITV-Cymru Wales which has a sample of 1,116 Welsh adults and was carried out by YouGov. This particular polling took place between November 22 and 25. The poll’s results are detailed below which detail each party’s projected success, noting the number of seats each party will win.

The poll predicts that the Conservatives will gain Gower, Vale of Clywyd and Wrexham as well as Cardiff North from Labour. This would be a blow for Labour but still keep them as the largest party in Wales by 12 seats. The poll also predicts that the Conservatives will gain Brecon and Radnorshire back from the Liberal Democrats, undoing their defeat in the by-election over the summer. Finally it is predicted that the Liberal Democrats will gain Ceredigon from Plaid Cymru.

The results show that Labour is projected to lose four seats in Wales, a decrease to 24 from the current 28.

It is also projected that the Brexit Party will fail to gain a single seat and Plaid Cymru will lose one.

Manifesto

Brexit, Conservative, Green, Labour, Labour Party

Brexit

Democracy

Economy

Education

Get Brexit sorted in six months by giving people the final say with a choice between a sensible leave deal or remain.

Reduce the voting age to 16.

Introduce a Real Living Wage of at least £10 per hour for all workers – with equal rights at work.

Abolish tuition fees and bring back maintenance grants.

Give full voting rights to all UK residents.

Introduce a system of automatic voter registration and abandon plans to introduce voter ID.

End zero-hours contracts.

Promote strong trade unions.

Create a Sustainable Investment Board.

Work to abolish the House Create a National Investment of Lords in favour of an Bank. elected Senate of the Nations and Regions.

Develop a planned model of joined-up community care, enabling people to live longer lives in better health in their own homes.

Provide an additional £1.6 billion a year to ensure new standards for mental health are enshrined in the NHS constitution.

Bring rail, mail, water and

energy A renewal of Parliament into public ownership. subject to recommendations by a UK-wide Constitutional Convention, led by a citizens’ assembly.

Repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011.

Liberal Democrats

Welsh Political Barometer polling predictions Labour

With a majority government: Stop Brexit - revoke Article 50 and stay in the European Union.

Introduce a legal requirement for councils to inform citizens of the steps they must take to be successfully registered and make the necessary changes In ‘other circumstances’ fight to ensure that the UK has an for a People’s Vote with an op- autonomatic system of inclution to remain in the EU, and sion in elections. the Liberal Democrats would campaign to remain.

Polling at: 38% Projected Seats: 24

Invest £130 billion in infrastructure to upgrade transport and energy systems, build schools, hospitals and homes, empower all regions and nations of the UK and devlop the climate-friendly infrastructure of the future.

Restore Corporation Tax to 20 per cent.

Set a 20 per cent higher minimum wage for people on zero-hour contracts.

Conservatives

Provide free, high-quality childcare for children of working parents from nine months.

Reverse cuts to school funding, employ an extra 20,000 schoolteachers, and clear the backlog of repairs to school and college buildings.

Scrap mandatory SATs, and replace existing government performance tables with a broader set of indicators.

Empower individuals through new Skills Wallets worth £10,000 for every individual.

Polling at: 32% Projected Seats: 12

Plaid Cymru Polling at: 11% Projected Seats: 3

Liberal Democrats

Plaid Cymru

Campaign for a People’s Vote to end the Brexit crisis.

Polling at: 9% Projected Seats: 1

Wales to Become an independent member of the European Union.

Brexit Party

Advise greater financial powers to enable the Welsh Government to tailor taxation and funding to meet the needs of Wales.

Polling at: 8% Projected Seats: 0

Green Party Polling at: 1% Projected Seats: 0

Others

Polling at: 1% Projected Seats: 0

Seek further devolution to Wales in the sector of justice, economic development, welfare and culture.

Invest an extra £15 billion through a Welsh Green Jobs Revolution.

Replace the Barnett Formula with an Office for Fair Funding, with statutory obligation to deliver geographic wealth.

Press the Treasury to allow the Welsh Government to borrow on its account up to £5 billion for capital investment.

Reform the House of Lords so that it becomes directly elected.

Reverse the British Government’s planned cut on corporation tax.

Extend the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds for Westminster elections.

Increase funding for degree apprentices in Wales.

Increase college lecturer pay in Wales.

Provide funding for English and Welsh language tuition, to encourage successful integration in Welsh society.

ETHOLIAD CYFFREDINOL

Breakdown

Liberal Democrat and Plaid Cymru

Environment

Health

Housing

Security & Defence

Achieve the substantial majority of our emissions reductions by 2030.

Fund free personal care for older people and extra care packages.

Build 7,000 new offshore wind turbines and 2,000 new onshore wind turbines.

End NHS privatisation.

Create a New Department for Housing, make Homes England a more accountable national housing agency and put councils in the driving seat.

Call for a War Powers Act to ensure that no prime minister can bypass Parliament to commit to conventional military action.

Utilise new nuclear power needed for energy security.

Install enough solar panels to cover 22,000 football pitches.

UK National Energy Agency will own and maintain the national grid infrastructure.

Increase expenditure across the health sector by an average 4.3% a year.

Provide free annual NHS dental check-ups.

Ensure the NHS becomes a net- zero-carbon service with an NHS.

Labour will stop runaway rents by capping them with inflation and give cities powers to cap rents further.

End rough sleeping within five years, with a national plan driven by a prime minister-led taskforce.

Introduce a New Clean Air Act, with a vehicle scrappage scheme and clean air zones.

Support the Paris Agreement by playing a leading role in international efforts to combat climate change.

Rapidly reduce emissions from the UK economy.

Aim to persuade all countries to commit to net zero climate goals by the 2020 UN climate conference in Glasgow.

Set a binding, EU-wide net zero target of 2050.

Ensure at least 80 per cent of UK electricity is generated from renewables by 2030 – and banning fracking for good.

Raise £7 billion a year in additional revenue by putting 1p on Income Tax, with this money to be ring fenced for spending on the NHS and social care.

Transform mental health treatment by treating it with the same urgency as physical health.

Reforming the Health and Social Care Act as recommended by the NHS. Use £10 billion of our capital fund to investment in equipment, hospitals, community, ambulance and mental health services buildings.

Plant 60 million trees a year.

Introduce a legal, regulated market for cannabis.

Make Wales a carbon and single-use plastic free nation by 2030.

Provide free social care for the elderly and other vulnerable citizens.

Build Tidal Lagoons for Swansea Bay, Cardiff and Colwyn Bay.

Employ 1,000 new doctors, 5,000 new nurses, and 100 new NHS dentists.

Build an Ynys Môn offshore windfarm.

Decrease the money spent agency nurses.

Create a network of ocean sanctuaries covering at least 30% of oceans by 2030.

Provide for a 5% increase in mental health expenditure every year for the next decade.

Establish a new Ministry for the Future be tasked with taking a long-term view of our environment.

Establish a 24/7 Mental Health Crisis service for those in acute distress.

Establish a national energy agency, Ynni Cymru.

Call for a National Commission on reforming drug law.

Increase Local Housing Allowance in line with average rents in an area.

Abolish the bedroom tax and introduce positive incentives for people to downsize.

Build 300,000 homes a year by 2024, including 100,000 social homes.

Social

Deliver full-fibre broadband free to everybody in every home in our country by creating a new public service,

Introduce four new bank Support for UN reform, inholidays celebrating our four cluding assessing and develop- patron saints’ days. ing democratisation initiatives.

Deliver gender pay equality by Prioritise our responsibility to making the state responsible prevent conflict by investing in for enforcing equal pay legislalocal capacities for peacebuild- tion for the first time. ing in areas of conflict – advocating for political, multilateral Scrap Universal Credit and imstrategies for peace. mediately stop moving people onto it and design an alternaSupport the renewal of the Tri- tive system that treats people dent nuclear deterrent. with dignity and respect.

Commit to the principle of collective self-defence as laid out in the North Atlantic Treaty and spend two per cent of GDP on defence in line with NATO recommendations.

Protect the independence of the BBC and set up a BBC Licence Fee Commission.

Recruit STEM graduates to be armed forces engineers, providing ‘golden handshakes’ of up to £10,000.

Protect the funding and editorial independence of Welsh language broadcasters. ●

Increase council tax by up to Maintain a minimum nuclear 500 per cent where homes are deterrent, while pursuing mulbeing bought as second homes tilateral nuclear disarmament. with a stamp duty surcharge on overseas residents purchasing such properties.

Maintain Channel 4 in public ownership.

Protect sports and arts funding via the National Lottery.

Ban the use of credit cards for gambling. ● Restrict gambling advertising.

Establish a n Help to Rent scheme to provide government-backed deposit loans for all first-time renters under 30.

Build 20,000 green social homes. £5bn Greener Homes programme to improve the energy efficiency of housing in Wales and reduce fuel poverty.

Create a National Housing Company which will borrow against rents to build a new generation of public rental housing in Wales, target of 20,000 homes over five years.

Commit to the devolution of policing and justice to the Welsh Assembly Recruit an extra 1,600 police officers – two for each community.

Implement a long-term substance use harm reduction strategy.

Support a dedicated, small, prison or secure centres for female prisoners in Wales.

Opposing the replacement of Trident. Scrap the upgrade and invest the money in public service and infatructure.

Universal free childcare for 40 hours a week, and a new £35 a week payment for every child in low income families.

Creating a publicly-owned Welsh Broadband Infrastructure.

Require the BBC to reverse the cuts to free TV licences.

Reach one million Welsh speakers by 2050.

Make 1st March a national St David’s Day bank holiday in Wales.

Seek the devolution of broadcasting.

9

Transport Introduce free bus travel for under-25s.

Reinstate the 3,000 bus routes that have been cut, particularly hitting rural communities.

Complete the full HS2 route to Scotland.

Deliver rail electrification and expansion across the whole country.

Increase the funding available for cycling and walking.

Invest in public transport, buses, trams and railways to enable people to travel more easily while reducing their impact on the environment.

Place a far higher priority on encouraging walking and cycling.

Accelerate the transition to ultra-low-emission transport – cars, buses and trains – through taxation, subsidy and regulation.

Support High Speed 2, Northern Powerhouse Rail, EastWest Rail and Crossrail 2.

Build a super-Metro for southeast Wales.

Build the new Swansea Bay and Western Valleys Metro.

Create a new publicly owned regional bus company for southern Wales.

Scrap HS2.

Oppose the construction of a third runway in Heathrow.

10

GENERAL ELECTION

Pwerau datganoledig Amaethyddiaeth - fforestiaeth a physgodfeydd

Addysg

Amgylchedd

Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol a Llesiant

Llety

Ydy dyfodol Plaid Cymru yn y fantol?

Gyda Phlaid Cymru yn cytuno ar gytundeb gwleidyddol gyda’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol a’r Blaid Werdd, a oes gan y blaid ddyfodol addawol?

Aled Biston Golygydd Taf-od

Y

n dilyn galwad etholiad cyffredinol ar Ragfyr 12, mae Plaid Cymru wedi cytuno ar gytundeb gwleidyddol gyda’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol a’r Blaid Werdd er mwyn ceisio sicrhau mwy o seddi ‘remain’ yn San Steffan. Gelwir y cytundeb yma yn ‘Unite to Remain’ a’i nod yw ceisio atal Brexit a sicrhau ail bleidlais i’r bobl ar y mater. Ond sut bydd y cytundeb yma yn effeithio ar ddyfodol Plaid Cymru a’i ymgyrch etholiadol?

Nid dyma’r tro cyntaf i Blaid Cymru cytuno i gytundeb o’r fath hefyd. Yn gynharach yn y flwyddyn, ni safodd Plaid Cymru yn isetholiad Brycheiniog a Faesyfed, gyda’r gobeithion bod ymgeisydd y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol yn cipio’r sedd o’r Ceidwadwr, a dyna beth ddigwyddodd. Cwestiynwyd y cytundeb yma gan bleidiau Brexit a Ceidwadol, er i’r Blaid Brexit cadarnhau nad ydynt am gystadlu yn y seddi a enillwyd gan y Ceidwadwyr yn 2017.

Dywedodd David Davies o’r Ceidwadwyr fod Plaid Cymru yn “Plaid rhan o Gymru” gan nad ydynt yn sefyll ym mhob sedd yng Nghymru.

Mae’n amlwg fod Plaid Cymru wedi blaenoriaethu Brexit fel un o’i brif egwyddorion yn yr etholiad

Blaid Cymru?

Y gwir yw, nid llawer, mae rhan fwyaf o aelodau/pleidleiswyr Plaid Cymru yn erbyn Brexit, ac mae Gwlad Gwlad ei hun yn dweud nad ydynt yn bodoli er mwyn hollti barn ar ba blaid i gefnogi yn yr ymgyrch dros annibyniaeth. Yn y blaid yma, maen nhw wedi wynebu nifer o broblemau megis honiadau o fod yn eithafol ar yr asgell dde ac ymddiswyddiad y cyn-gadeirydd, Gwilym ap Ioan.

Beth gallwn ni ddisgwyl o’r prif bleidiau?

Daniel Greenway Cyfrannydd

Datblygiad economaidd

Annibyniaeth: Gorymdaith dros annibyniaeth gyda dros 10,000 yn bresennol. Tarddiad: Wikimedia Commons Maen nhw hefyd wedi cael ei barnu am ei ymateb i un o gyn-ymgyrchwyr Plaid Cymru, gan honni nad yw hi’n Gymraes oherwydd ei bod yn wisgo ei niqab, sydd ond yn datgelu ei llygaid.

Bydd y cytundeb rhwng Plaid a’r pleidiau ‘remain’ eraill yn cael effaith fawr ar siâp gwleidyddiaeth Prydain wedi’r etholiad a sefyllfa Brexit.

Ond mae dyfodol Plaid Cymru yn un sydd gyda photensial yn y cyddestun gwleidyddol sydd o’m blaen.

Dyfodol Llafur yng Nghymru

Llywodraeth lleol

Gwasanaethau tân ac achub

yma, gyda’r nod o atal Brexit a dychwelyd ail bleidlais i’r bobl. Honiad Plaid Cymru yw mai nhw yw’r blaid ‘remain’ cryfach yng Nghymru, ond er yr honiad hynny maent yn ymddiried ar bobl i bleidleisio ar sail Brexit yn unig yn yr etholiad yma.

Ni ellir dadlau na fydd Brexit yn chwarae rhan ganolog yn yr etholiad yma, ond mae yna faterion eraill i’w hystyried hefyd. Wrth gytuno i’r cytundeb yma gyda phleidiau ‘remain’ eraill, mae Plaid Cymru yn rhoi ei holl obeithion ar bobl yn pleidleisio drostynt ar sail Brexit yn unig.

Mae’n risg anferthol, enwedig wrth ystyried bod Cymru fel gwlad wedi pleidleisio i adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd (UE) nol yn 2016.

Prif nod Plaid Cymru fel plaid ers iddynt ffurfio wir, yw cael annibyniaeth i Gymru, a chyn y misoedd diweddar, nhw oedd yr unig blaid yng Nghymru oedd yn sefyll dros hwn.

Fel Plaid, maent wedi cyd-weithio gyda grŵp annibyniaeth i Gymru ‘YesCymru’, i gynnal nifer o orymdeithiau dros annibyniaeth dros Gymru gyfan. Ond yn ddiweddar, mae plaid Gwlad Gwlad wedi dod i’r arwyneb, gan gynnig ‘Annibyniaeth x3’ i bobl Cymru. Maent yn sefyll mewn pedair sedd lle nad yw Plaid Cymru yn sefyll. Mae’r blaid yn honni ei fod yn ganolog dde ac o blaid Brexit, ond faint o fygythiad ydynt i

Y

n 2017, fe wnaeth Llafur Cymru bob ymdrech i bwysleisio eu hynodrwydd oddi wrth y blaid yn Llundain, gan ddefnyddio ei arweinydd Cymreig, y gyn-prif weinidog Carwyn Jones. Dywedodd Roger Awan-Scully, academydd ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd er bod Drakeford yn rhagori yn ei feistrolaeth ar fanylion polisi, byddai hyd yn oed ei gefnogwyr cryfaf yn cyfaddef ei fod yn edrych yn hynod anghyffyrddus wrth ddelio ag ochr gwleidyddiaeth sy’n wynebu’r cyhoedd. Fe wnaeth Drakeford cael ei drechu yn yr etholiad Ewropeaidd nid

yn unig gan y Blaid Brexit, ond hefyd am y tro cyntaf erioed mewn pleidlais ledled Cymru - gan Blaid Cymru.

Mae’n bosib y bydd presenoldeb cyhoeddus y blaid Lafur yn niweidio’u canlyniadau o gymharu a phwer ymgyrchu Boris Johnson. Yn ôl pôl ddiweddar, tybiwyd bod y nifer o bleidiau Llafur am ostwng i 18 o’r 28 sydd ganddynt ar hyn o bryd. Mae’r ardaloedd mwyaf bregus i’r blaid Lafur yng Nghymru wedi’u lleoli yng ngogledd-ddwyrain Cymru: Wrecsam a Bro Clwyd.

Yn ogystal, nid yw’r Ceidwadwyr Cymraeg chwaith wedi cael cychwyn da o gwbl i’r ymgyrch etholiad cyffredinol. Canfuwyd bod yr ymgeisydd ar gyfer Gŵyr, sef sedd ymylol, wedi

Trafnidiaeth

Treth incwm, toll stamp Treth Gwarediadau Tirlenwi

Yr Iaith Gymraeg Y Cymoedd: Gallai’r Blaid Lafur golli pleidleisiau i’r Blaid Brexit ac eraill.

Tarddiad: G.Evans91 ar Wikipedia

datgelu ar-lein y dylai pobl a oedd wedi ymddangos ar y sioe deledu realiti Benefits Street gael eu ‘rhoi i lawr’. Daeth hyn yn fuan ar ôl ymddiswyddiad Alun Cairns fel Ysgrifennydd Cymru, ar ôl honiadau bod gyngynorthwyydd iddo wedi “ddifrodi” achos trais.

Yn ystod yr etholiad diwethaf, honnir gan rhai nad oes gan y Torïaid arweinyddiaeth glir yng Nghymru, fel y gwelwn yn yr Alban, rhennir arweinyddiaeth rhwng y Cynysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru Alun Cairns, arweinydd Cynulliad Cymru Paul Davies, a Chadeirydd y Blaid yng Nghymru Byron Davies. Mae yna seddi bregus lle daeth Llafur yn ail yn 2017, ac mae bron pob targed Ceidwadol o bosib yn cael ei ddal gan Lafur gyda’r eithriad o Frycheiniog a Sir Faesydd lle llwyddodd y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol ennill.

Mae Plaid Cymru, y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol a’r Blaid Werdd wedi cytuno ar gytundeb etholiadol mewn 11 o’r 40 sedd yng Nghymru. Bydd ymgeiswyr yn sefyll o’r neilltu dros ei gilydd yn yr etholaethau hynny i gynyddu’r siawns y bydd ymgeiswyr sy’n cefnogi aros yn yr UE yn cael eu ethol. Mae rhai o’r seddi yr effeithiwyd yn cynnwys Bro Morgannwg, Caerdydd Canolog, Ynys Môn a Chaerffili.

Mae’n eithaf anrhagweladwy i weld os fydd y cytundeb yn un effeithiol yn enwedig gan nad ydym yn gwybod eto sut y bydd yr arolygon yn ymateb i dynnu Plaid Brexit yn ôl o hanner yr

ornest etholiadol. Ond, diolch i gytunedeb tebyg fe wnaeth Jane Dodds gipio’r sedd yn yr isetholiad ym Mrycheiniog a Sir Faesydd yn ystod mis Awst.

Mae gwyddonydd gwleidyddol, Heinz Brandenburg, wedi dweud y byddai Plaid Cymru yn ymestyn eu harweiniad yn yr etholaethau sydd ganddynt ac y gallai arwain at Blaid Cymru yn ennill yn Ynys Môn, Pontypridd, Llanelli, a Chaerffili. Er hyn, dywedodd yr Athro Roger AwanScully y byddai etholiad yn cynnig ychydig o gyfle i Blaid Cymru i ennill, a digon ar gyfer colledion. Yn 2010, enillwyd dwy o’r pedair sedd hynny gan ymylon agos iawn. Mae Arfon sydd a mwyafrif o llai na 100 pleidlais yn amlwg yn agored i niwed pe bai Llafur yn cael ymgyrch dda, tra bod sedd Ceredigion yn sicr o dan fygythiad o adfywiad y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol.

Mae graddfeydd yn dangos bod y Blaid Brexit wedi dirywio ers etholiad Ewropeaidd yn mis Mai. Mae’n debygol y bydd yn anodd iawn iddynt ennill sedd seneddol yng Nghymru.

Fodd bynnag, mae yna siawns uchel byddent yn derbyn swm sylweddol o bleidleisiau o bobl sy’n teimlo’n angerddol iawn dros adael y UE ond sydd erioed wedi nac yn bwriadu pleidleisio am y Ceidwadwyr. Mae’r seddi sy’n debygol o weld cryn gefnogaeth dros y Blaid Brexit yn cynnwys seddi megis yng ngogledd ddwyrain Cymru ac yng nghymoedd dwyreiniol de Cymru.

ETHOLIAD CYFFREDINOL 11 Beth Canolbwyntio ar Ogledd Caerdydd a Barn: yn y byd sy’n Chaerdydd Canolog digwydd?

Beth gallwn ni ddisgwyl ar noswaith Rhagfyr 12?

Rhodri Davies Golygydd Taf-od

Y

ng Nghymru, mae pob Aelod Seneddol yn cynrhychioli 56,000 o bobl. Dyma’r nifer lleiaf o bobl o bob gwlad yn Deyrnas Unedig. Oherwydd hyn, mae gan Gaerdydd sawl etholaeth er mwyn eu bod nhw’n cael eu trin yn gyfartal a gweddill Cymru a’r Deyrnas Unedig.

Mae’r rhan fwyaf o fyfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd yn byw yn ethola-

ethau Canol Caerdydd a Gogledd Caerdydd.

Yng Nghanol Caerdydd, cawsant eu cynrhychioli gan Jo Stevens Aelod Seneddol o’r blaid Lafur. Fe ennillodd hi ei sedd yn 2017 ar ôl cadw’r sedd ennillodd hi yn 2015.

Cyn hynny, sedd i’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol oedd hon ond fe fuodd gogwydd (swing) o 12.8% i’r Blaid Lafur yn 2015. Cynyddodd ei phleidlais eto o 8.4% yn 2017 sy’n dangos bod hon yn etholaeth gyda 62.4% yn cefnogi’r blaid Lafur ddwy flynedd

Caerdydd Canolog: Mae’r etholaeth wedi’i chynrychioli gan Jo Stevens o’r blaid Lafur ers 2015. Tarddiad: Jon Candy (ar Flickr)

yn ôl.

Dyma’r marc mwyaf diweddar gallwn gymryd er mwyn rhagfynegi’r bleidlais yng Nghaerdydd Canolog.

Mae gennym bolau piniwn gan Brifysgol Caerdydd o Gymru’n gyfan gwbwl sy’n dangos mae’r Blaid Lafur sydd â’r gefnogaeth fwyaf yn genedlaethol. Yn ogystal â Jo Stevens, mae Meirion Jenkins o’r blaid Geidwadol, Brian Johnson o Blaid Sosialwyr y Deyrnas y Unedig; Akil Kata sy’n ymgeisydd annibynnol, Bablin Molik o’r Democratiaid Ryddfrydol; Gareth Pearce o Blaid Brexit a Sian Caiach o Gwlad Gwlad yn sefyll yma.

Mae’r sedd yn dod o dan y gytundeb rhwng Plaid Cymru, y Democratiaid Ryddfrydol a’r Blaid Werdd. Golyga hyn felly nad yw’r Blaid Werdd na Phlaid Cymru am gynnig cynrhychiolydd i geisio ennill y sedd. Doedd Gwlad Gwlad ddim am sefyll yn yr etholaeth yn wreiddiol ond oherwydd nad oedd Plaid Cymru am sefyll yma, teimlant bod angen cynrhychiolaeth ar gyfer trosglwyddo neges annibynniaeth i Gymru.

Yng Ngogledd Caerdydd, mae’r etholaeth wedi cael ei chynrychioli gan Anna McMorrin o’r blaid Lafur a ennillodd y sedd yn 2017 wrth y Ceidwadwyr a’u cynrhychiolydd Craig Williams. Ennillodd y Blaid Lafur 50.13% o’r bleidlais yn 2017.

Mae hon yn sedd darged sy’n golygu

fod plaid sydd wedi ennill hon yn y gorffennol yn canolbwyntio arni er mwyn ceisio ei hennill hi yn ôl.

Bydd Anna McMorrin yn sefyll ar ran y blaid Lafur; Mohamed Ali yn cynrhychioli’r Ceidwadwyr; Christopher John Butler o Blaid Brexit; Michael Cope o’r Blaid Werdd; Richard Jones sy’n ymgeisydd annibynnol, Rhys Taylor o’r Democratiaid Rhydfrydol a Steffan Webb o Blaid Cymru bydd yn cystadlu hefyd.

Dyma’r etholaeth y bydd trigolion Preswylfeydd Talybont yn gofrestredig ynddi. Oherwydd bydd hon yn sedd darged i’r Ceidwadwyr, mae’n debygol y bydd hi’n ornset gyffrous.

Mae hon yn etholiad sy’n wahanol i unrhyw etholiad blaenorol yng Nghymru oherwydd bod blaenoriaethau’r pleidiau wedi newid yn bennaf ond hefyd oherwydd bod nifer o fyfyrwyr sy’n preswylio yn yr ardaloedd lle mae na Brifysgol yn gallu pleidleisio.

Gall rai sydd wedi’u magu mewn ardaloedd sy’n gadarnle un plaid effeithio ar y nifer o bleidleisiau mae plaid arall yn ei gael. Mae rhai hefyd o’r farn bod cynydd yn y nifer o bobl ifanc mewn etholaeth yn medru cael effaith ar y bleidlais, un rheswm pam bod rhai pleidiau i’w weld yn awyddus cynnal etholiadau yn ystod y tymor prifysgol. Bydd rhaid cadw llygad manwl ar yr hyn sy’n digwydd nos Iau 12 Rhagfyr.

Beth y mae’r pleidiau’n cynnig i Gymru?

Cipolwg ar y polisiau mae’r prif belidiau’n eu cynnig i Gymru.

Lowri Pitcher

Pennaeth Gwleidyddiaeth

W

rth i’r Etholiad Cyffredinol agosáu mae pleidiau’n datgan eu polisïau er mwyn denu pleidleiswyr ledled y wlad. Serch hynny, yn fuan ar ôl i’r maniffestos gael eu cyhoeddi roedd defnyddwyr ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol yn glou i dynnu sylw ar y ffaith ni ddefnyddiwyd y gair “Cymru” unwaith o fewn “Cytundeb gyda’r bobl” a lansiwyd gan y Blaid Brexit.

Yn gyntaf, dylid nodi nid yw’r nifer o weithiau mae “Cymru” yn cael ei hailadrodd o fewn dogfen yn ddull dilys o feirniadu faint mae’r pleidiau’n cynnig i Gymru.

Mae hyn oherwydd unai bydd y polisïau’n rhan o faes sy’n effeithio ar y Deyrnas Unedig i gyd, neu mae’n fater sydd wedi’i ddatganoli ac felly nid yw’n berthnasol i Gymru. Yn lle, dylid canolbwyntio ar beth yn union mae’r pleidiau’n addo i’r Cymry.

Fel y disgwyl, o’r prif bleidiau, Plaid Cymru sy’n sôn am Gymru mwy nag unrhyw blaid arall gyda Chymru’n cael ei grybwyll 232 gwaith. Mae Cymru’n cael ei sôn amdan 15 gwaith gan y Blaid Werdd, 15 gan y Ceidwadwyr, 16 gan Lafur a 22 yn maniffesto’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol tra nad yw’r Blaid Brexit yn defnyddio “Cymru” unwaith.

Mae Plaid Cymru yn ymgyrchu i Gymru aros yn yr Undeb Ewropeaidd ar ôl ail refferendwm, fel aelod annibynnol o’r DU, (mae’r blaid hon hefyd yn annog annibyniaeth i Gymru). O ran isadeiledd, mae’r blaid yn addo trydanu prif reilffyrdd y wlad erbyn 2030 yn ogystal â gwrthwynebu gormod o ddatblygiadau ynni niwclear. Tra mae’r blaid yn enwog am ymgyrchu am annibyniaeth Cymru, ar hyn o bryd mae Plaid Cymru hefyd yn annog mwy o bwerau datganoledig fel pŵer i newid trethi, yn ogystal â newidiadau economaidd a chymdeithasol ledled y wlad.

Nid Plaid Cymru yw’r unig blaid i annog mwy o ddatganoli. Mae’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol yn galw ar y Senedd i gael pŵer dros doll teithwyr awyr er mwyn caniatáu i faes awyr Caerdydd fod yn fwy cystadleuol. Buasai’r blaid hefyd yn galw am ddatganoli dros gyfiawnder plant, gwasanaethau prawf, carcharau a phlismona. Mae’r Blaid Werdd a’r blaid geidwadol hefyd yn galw am fwy o ddatganoli.

Mae Llafur yn galw am newidiadau i’r ffordd mae’r Fformiwla Barnett yn effeithio ar Gymru a sut mae arian yn cael ei neilltuo i wledydd gwahanol y DU. Mae’r blaid yn addo buddsoddi £3.4 biliwn yn fwy yng Nghymru a chefnogi cynllun egni adnewyddadwy lagŵn Abertawe ac mae Llafur yn cefnogi cyd-weithredu gyda thrigolion Ynys

Môn er mwyn datblygu potensial ynni niwclear ar yr ynys.

Yn yr un modd, mae’r Ceidwadwyr yn awyddus i gefnogi prosiectau gwella isadeiledd yng Nghymru.

Mae’r Blaid Geidwadol yn cefnogi diweddaru’r A55 yng Ngogledd Cymru, adeiladu ffordd liniaru’r M4 a buddsoddi yn sector cerbydau Cymru. Mae’r blaid hefyd yn datgan ei chefnogaeth o gyrraedd miliwn

o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050 a chefnogi sefydliadau fel S4C a’r Urdd.

Wrth gwrs, nid y polisau a soniwyd amdanynt yn yr erthygl hon yw’r unig bolisiau bydd yn effeithio ar y wlad. Er mwyn darganfod mwy o wybodaeth manwl am bolisiau’r pleidiau uchod gallwch ddarllen fersiynau llawn o bob maniffesto ar wefannau’r pleidiau.

Croeso i Gymru: Mae nifer o bleidiau’n frwdrydig i fuddsoddi yng Nghymru a datganoli mwy o bwerau. Tarddiad: Alex Liivet (ar Flickr)

Indigo Jones Colofnydd

G

wleidyddiaeth, y peth mwyaf cymhleth i ddeall ar y funud, efallai mae hi hyd yn oed yn fwy cymhleth ‘na gwyddoniaeth roced. Yn aml, dw i’n aros yn ddiduedd pan rydw i’n siarad am wleidyddiaeth.

Fel arfer mae hyn o ganlyniad i’r ffaith nad wyf eisiau dechrau dadl, ond mwyafrif o’r amser mae hi o ganlyniad i fy ansicrwydd o beth sydd yn digwydd ym myd gwleidyddiaeth.

Mae hyn yn broblem gyda nifer o bobl yn y DU, yn enwedig pobl ifanc.

O ganlyniad i’r ansicrwydd am beth sy’n digwydd, mae yna nifer fawr o bobl yn pleidleisio heb ddealltwriaeth lawn neu sydd ddim yn pleidleisio o gwbl.

Ar y llaw arall, gallech chi ddadlau fod yna ddealltwriaeth newydd gan bobl ifanc, trwy’r defnydd o gyfryngau cymdeithasol a’r ffaith bod hi mor hawdd i ddod o hyd i wybodaeth am etholiadau a gwleidyddion. Galwodd y cyfryngau’r cynnydd mewn diddordeb gan bobl ifanc mewn gwleidyddiaeth yn “Youthquake”, ac efallai wnaeth pobl ifanc siglo sefydliad gwleidyddol a sut mae gwleidyddion yn targedu pobl ifanc.

Mae’r pleidiau mwy yn gallu talu am hysbysebion ar Drydar a Facebook i dargedu pobl i bleidleisio amdanyn nhw. Hefyd, os ydych yn dilyn nifer fawr o bobl sydd yn pleidleisio am yr un blaid, wedyn yr hyn byddwch yn gweld ar eich tudalennau yw tuedd tuag at y pleidiau yma. Mae hi’n galed dadlau yn erbyn eich ffrindiau a dod i gasgliad eich hun, yn enwedig os ydych yn fyfyriwr oherwydd gall effaith eich amgylchedd a barnau pobl eraill effeithio ar eich barn chi.

Ar y newyddion mae’n galed iawn darganfod y gwir am y pleidiau a gwleidyddion, yn enwedig o ganlyniad i “spin doctors” a’r cysyniad o reoli’r cyfryngau. Mae’n anodd gweld beth sydd yn cael ei lunio gan wleidyddion a beth yn union sy’n digwydd. Esiampl dda o hynny oedd yn ystod yr ymgyrch refferendwm Brexit, pan welon ni ddeunyddiau marchnata wedi’u hargraffu ar ochrau bysiau a gafodd hyn lot o sylw yn y cyfryngau, ers y refferendwm. Mae hyn yn gymhleth i bobl ddeall yn enwedig wrth i wleidyddion fanipwleiddio ystadegau yn ystod ymgyrchau etholiadau mewn cyfnod pan mae pobl yn brwydro i ddeall beth sy’n digwydd.

Wrth ddod i gasgliad, fel canlyniad i’r effaith amgylchedd a diffyg addysg ar y materion yma, gall pobl wneud y dewis anghywir wrth bleidleisio.

Dw i’n teimlo’r straen a dw i’n sicr fod nifer fawr o bobl ifanc yn teimlo hynny hefyd. Mae gwleidyddiaeth yn ddryslyd yn ystod ymgyrch etholiadol.

Felly wrth i ni agosau at etholiad mae rhaid i ni ddarllen tu hwnt i’r ffigurau arwynebol ac addysgu ein hunain am beth nad ydym yn deall yn llwyr i sicrhau’r dewis cywir.

Yn ystod etholiadau mae’n rhaid i wleidyddion fod yn dryloyw a lleihau’r maint o farchnata yn y cyfryngau rydyn ni’n gweld. Fel canlyniad o fod yn ansicr am beth sy’n digwydd ar y funud yn ein gwlad ni, mae gwneud y penderfyniad ar Rhagfyr y 12fed yn mynd i fod yn un anodd.

12

GENERAL ELECTION

Wales in Numbers

What to expect in Wales

Which of Wales’ 40 seats are safe and which may change hands on December 12?

2017 General Election results

Devolution in Wales

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Seats per party at time of dissolution: 28 Labour 6 Conservative 4 Plaid Cymru 1 Liberal Democrat 1 Independent

The size of the electorate in Wales is:

2,230,100

(December 2018, ONS)

During the EU referendum in 2016 Wales vote to leave the EU by:

52.5% - 47.5%

MEPs elected in 2019 European election:

2 Brexit Party 1 Labour 1 Plaid Cymru

Seat with the largest majority:

Cardiff Central 17,196 majority Held by Labour since 2015

Seat with narrowest majority:

Arfon 92 majority Held by Plaid Cymru since 2010

W

ales is divided into 40 constituencies of which 28 are held

by Labour, 6 are held by the Conservative Party, 4 are represented by Plaid Cymru while one is represented by an Independent and another by the Liberal Democrats.

Of these, 17 constituencies have majorities of over 10,000 votes. This means that they are relatively ‘safe’ seats for the preceding MPs and are quite unlikely to change hands on December 12.

These seats include Cardiff West represented by Labour’s Kevin Brennan who won with a majority of 12,551 in 2017, as well as Stephen Doughty representing the Labour Party in Cardiff South and Penarth who won a 14,864 in 2017.

Labour Party

The seat which gained the largest majority in Wales is Cardiff Central, the seat encompassing Cardiff University’s Cathays campus including the areas of Cathays and Roath. Labour’s Jo Stevens won with a majority of 17,196 votes during the last election and the seat has been Labour-held since 2015 when Labour took the seats from the Liberal Democrats who held it since 2005.

As well as the three seats mentioned above there are 14 other ‘safe’ seats in Wales represented by Labour. These include Rhondda (13,746 majority), Cynon Valley (13,238 majority), Caerphilly (12,078 majority), Ogmore (13,871 majority), Islwyn ( 11,412 majority), Llanelli (12,024 majority) Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (16,334 majority), Aberavon ( 16,761 majority), Swansea East (13,168 majority), Swansea West (10,598 majority), Neath (12,631 majority), Blaenau Gwent (11,907 majority), Pontypridd (11,448 majority) and Torfaen (10,240 majority).

Despite the 17 ‘safe’ seats, Labour controlled 11 seats with majorities of less than 10,000. Two of the seats with the lowest Labour majorities include Wrex-

Planning (except major energy infrastructure) Water supplies Agriculture - Fisheries + Forestry Culture Welsh language Environment

Education and training Fire and rescue services Health services Highways and transport Housing Local government Social welfare

Plaid Cymru Conservative Labour Source: Wikimedia Commons

Lowri Pitcher Head of Politics

After a referendum on the prosition of devolving power to Wales in September 1997, the Government of Wales Act 1998 provided the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales. Since this time, more and more powers have gradually become devolved. The most recent Wales Act 2017 provided further powers to the devolved Assembly which currently can legislate for the local delivery of the following:

ham with a majority of 1,832 and Newport West with a majority of 1,951 following a by-election on 4 April 2019. This by-election saw a swing of -12.7% after the passing of long-standing MP Paul Flynn. The constituency voted to leave the EU and in the recent by-election, UKIP came third after Labour and the Conservatives, however with the Brexit Party standing a candidate, Labour may retain the seat if pro-Brexit voters split between voting Conservative or Brexit Party.

Conservative Party The 6 seats held by the Conservative Party before Parliament was dissolved have majorities of less than 10,000. Of these, the two seats with the highest majorities are Montgomeryshire and Monmouthshire which have majorities of 9,285 and 8,206 respectively. With majorities of approximately 3,000 votes are Camarthen West and South Pembrokeshire with a 3,110 majority and Clwyd West with a majority of 3,437.

Meanwhile, the constituency of Vale of Glamorgan represented by former Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns, has a majority of 2,190 which could be impacted by Cairns’ recent resignation from Cabinet.

The most marginal seat held by the Conservative Party is Preseli Pembrokeshire held by Stephen Crabb since 2005, currently with a majority of 314. Despite this narrow majority, Crabb had a majority of 4,605 in 2010 and 4,969 in 2015 but saw this fall dramatically in 2017 where the Labour Party in second place saw a swing of +14.5%. The constituency voted to leave the EU in 2016 by 55.32% - 44.68% which may mean that Conservative Leader Boris Johnson’s pledge to leave the EU in January 2020 may win more votes than Labour’s pledge to hold a second referendum. During the European election in May 2019 the Pembrokeshire area pledged 13,768 votes for the Brexit Party with Plaid Cymru in second, the Liberal Democrats in third place, Labour in fourth and the Conservatives in fifth. However, due to the

Brexit Party’s decision not to stand in the 317 seats won by the Conservative Party in 2017 there will not be a Brexit Party candidate in this constituency.

Plaid Cymru

Of the four seats held by Plaid Cymru, Westminster leader Liz SavilleRoberts held a 4,850 vote majority in Dwyfor Meirionydd. Jonathan Edwards who became the MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr in 2010 holds a majority of 3,908. The other two Plaid Cymru MPs represent far more marginal seats.

Ben Lake representing Ceredigion only has a majority of 104 with the Liberal Democrats following closely. Meanwhile, Hywel Williams for Arfon has a majority of 92 as Labour saw its share of the votes increase by 10.2% during 2017.

However, in Arfon constituents voted very strongly to remain in the EU by a margin of 64.15%-35.85% so Plaid Cymru’s strong remain stance may attract voters.

Liberal Democrats The only seat to be held by the Liberal Democrats was Brecon and Radnorshire which was taken from the Conservatives during a by-election on 1 August 2019. The Liberal Democrats held the seat from 1997 - 2015 when the Conservatives took the seat and held its majority until the by-election. Jane Dodds, the Liberal Democrat candidate had a majority of 1,425 gaining a total of 13,826 votes. However, the Brexit Party was competing in the by-election and received 3,331 votes while the Conservative Party received 12,401. In this election, the Brexit Party will not be contesting the seat so if the Conservative Party were to receive the Brexit Party supporters’ votes, they could take back the seat once again.

Independent

The seat of Aberconwy was won by Guto Bebb in 2010 but after his suspension from the Conservative Party

and the announcement that he will be standing down at this election, the Conservatives’ narrow majority of 635 may come under threat. The constituency’s stance on Brexit is also close with 52.2% voting to leave the EU vs 47.8% remain although with the Brexit Party not contesting, the Conservatives may retain the seat.

Summary In summary, there are 17 ‘safe’ seats in Wales, each with a majority of over 10,000 and held by Labour. In each of the other seats and potentially those with larger majorities, factors such as Brexit may prove integral to the result of these seats. With the Brexit Party contesting all Labour-won seats, there is a possibility that the pro-Brexit vote will be diluted between the Conservative Party and the Brexit Party. However, for those Conservative won seats, this may strengthen the incumbents’ chances of retaining their seat. Moreso, in Labour heartlands such as the Welsh Valleys, the strong pro-leave viewpoint of many voters may do unprecedented damage to Labour’s hold.

Seats to look out for:

Aberconwy Arfon Brecon and Radnorshire Ceredigion Preseli Pembrokeshire Newport West Vale of Clwyd Wrexham

ETHOLIAD CYFFREDINOL 13

What to expect in England

Which of England’s 533 seats are safe and which may change hands on December 12?

2017 General Election results

Green Conservative Labour Liberal Democrat

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Hallum Cowell Politics Editor

I

n this section we’re going to take a deep dive into the English political sphere and take a look at the key constituencies for election night.

Breaking it down by geographic area gives a clear image of where England is politically and where it might be on the 13th of December.

East Midlands

The East Midlands include; Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire among others. At the 2017 election this area was largely Conservative with 31 Conservative seats and 15 Labour seats. The vote share however is much closer than the number of seats would suggest with the Conservatives on 50% and Labour on 40% of the votes. The Midlands is a core leave territory so it’s likely that pro-Brexit parties will do well here. A key marginal seat will be Warwick and Leamington, with a Labour majority of 2% and a Labour gain in 2015 from a history of Conservative MPs. The area also voted remain with 58.36% and all the remain alliance members are running in the seat. If this constituency goes to the Conservatives or Brexit Party, it could be a sign that the remain vote has been split. Peterborough is also a key seat to follow, with a 2% Labour lead on the Brexit Party and a Liberal Democrat surge in the 2019 by-election. The result could be an indicator of the strength of tactical voting if the ‘leave’ vote has split between the Conservatives and Brexit party.

East England

East England includes Essex, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Norfolk among others. This area is heavily Conservative with 50 out of 58 seats voting Con-

the 29 constituencies in the area being Labour and three being Conservative.

The Liberal Democrats hold no seats in this area and are not close to taking any. The North East is Leave territory so while it is unlikely that the constituencies will go to the Liberal Democrats the Brexit Party may be able to make a dent in Labour and Conservative majorities. Marginal seats like Bishop Auckland with a Labour majority of 502 and Stockton South with a Labour majority of 888 will be good indicators of whether Labour Leave voters have decided to vote for the Brexit Party over their traditional allegiances. Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland will also be interesting with its’ Conservative majority of 1,020. It will be a good indicator of whether Conservative voters have drifted to the Brexit Party.

North West

servative while seven went to Labour and one to the Liberal Democrats. In the 2017 election Labour made gains taking two seats from the Conservatives and one from UKIP and gaining 10.8% of the popular vote. Norfolk North is a Liberal Democrat seat with a majority of roughly 8% making it a swing seat.

With the Conservatives coming in second it could become a microcosm of ‘leave’ vs ‘remain’., The constituency voted 58.4% leave meaning we could see a Liberal Democrat loss here, however it has been Liberal Democrat since 2001 so will be a seat to watch on election night.

London

Due to its large population London is split into 73 different constituencies. At the 2017 elections 46 seats were taken by Labour, 19 by the Conservatives, four by the Liberal Democrats, two for independent candidates and two seats are held by the Independent Group for Change (IGC) which is made up of MPs who defected from Labour and the Conservatives. It is very likely in this election that those seats held by the IGC will be lost as they are polling at below 1%. London also holds the constituency with the lowest majority, a Labour victory by 20 votes. Kensington voted by 68.8% to remain and this could influence the electorate. A Labour victory in Kensington could represent a good night for the Labour party however a Labour defeat here could represent a split in the remain vote as pro-remain voters divide between the Liberal Democrats and Labour.

North East

The north of England often follows the pattern of Labour strongholds in the cities and Conservative majorities in the rural constituencies. In the North East this pattern continues with 26 of

The North West follows the same pattern as the North East with Labour in the cities and the Conservatives in the rural areas. Of the 75 seats in the area, 54 are held by Labour, an increase of three in the 2017 election while the Conservatives hold 20 and the Liberal Democrats have one seat. Seats to look out for on election night are Crewe with a Labour majority of 48, Barrow and Furness with a Labour majority of 109 and Westmoreland and Lonsdale, Tim Farron’s seat which holds a majority of 777 with the Conservatives coming in second. Considering that Westmoreland and Lonsdale voted to remain in the European Union with 52.94% of the result we could see a Liberal Democrat hold based on Brexit.

South East

The South East of England encompasses areas such as West Sussex, Kent, Oxfordshire and Surrey. This area is often considered a Conservative stronghold with 72 of its 84 seats being held by the Conservatives. As such many key Conservative ministers are placed here in ‘safe’ seats. The area does have a minor Labour and Liberal Democrats presence too with eight labour seats, doubling after 2015, and two Liberal Democrat seats gained in 2017. The area is also home to the country’s only Green seat in Bornemouth. The former speaker John Bercow’s seat was also in the South East constituency of Buckingham. Historically the south east has been Conservative. The Conservatives did however lose seats in the 2017 election, losing six seats to Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

South West

Looking back at 2010 and 2005 the South West was not a battle between Conservative and Labour; rather it was a fight between Liberal Democrat and Conservative. Since the end of the coalition government however that support has collapsed with the Lib Dems going from 15 seats in 2010 to one seat in 2017. The area is now dominated by the Conservatives with them holding 47 of the 55 seats and Labour holding 7. We could however be seeing a Lib Dem re-

surgence however as they become more popular again however the South West is mainly Leave constituencies and so equally the Liberal Democrats could struggle. A key seat to keep an eye on is St. Ives, held by the Conservatives with a majority of 312. If St Ives flips to Liberal Democrat, it could be a sign that they have a chance in the South West.

England in Numbers

Source: Wikimedia Commons

West Midlands

279 Conservative 208 Labour 22 Independent 15 Liberal Democrats 5 The Independent Group 2 Vacant 1 Speaker 1 Green

The West Midlands is pretty split between Labour and the Conservatives with 35 seats going to the Conservatives and 24 to Labour. There are quite a lot of marginal seats with Dudley North and Newcastle-under-Lyme being Labour held by a majority of 0.1% of the vote share and both Stoke-on-Trent South and Telford being Conservative held with 1.6% of the vote share. Expect the West Midlands to become a microcosm to which you can judge how the parties are doing in the rest of the country.

The size of the electorate in England is:

Yorkshire and the Humber

38,371,400

This is Labour heartland with Labour holding 37 seats to the Conservatives’ 17. The Conservatives have never been beat Labour in this area so if they do,i it could be a sign of a disastrous night for Labour.

Brexit policies could determine the results in these constituencies. Much of the region voted ‘leave’ so it could be possible that they either flip to the Conservatives or the Brexit Party if the voters disagree with Labour’s Brexit policy of holding a second referendum on remaining in the EU or leaving on a deal negotiated by the party.

Places to keep an eye on during election night would be Keighley which Labour holds by 239 seats and Pudsey and Calder Valley which are both Conservative and held by 1% or less.

(December 2018, ONS)

During the EU referendum in 2016 England vote to leave the EU by:

53.4 % - 46.6%

MEPs elected in 2019 European Election:

Seats to look out for:

25 Brexit Party 3 Conservative 15 Liberal Democrat 9 Labour 7 Green

Barrow and Furness Bishop Auckland Crewe Kensington Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland

Seat with the largest majority: Knowsley

42,214 majority Held by Labour since its creation in 2010

Norfolk North Peterborough St. Ives Stockton South Warwick and Leamington Westmoreland and Lonsdale

Seats at time of dissolution:

Seat with narrowest majority:

Kensington 20 majority Held by Labour since 2017

14

GENERAL ELECTION

What to expect in Scotland

Scotland in Numbers

Which of Scotland’s 59 seats are safe and which may change hands on December 12?

Devolution in Scotland

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Seats per party at time of dissolution: 35 Scottish National Party 13 Scottish Conservatives 7 Labour 4 Scottish Liberal Democrats

The size of the electorate in Scotland is:

In 1997 Scotland held a second referendum on proposals for devolution, after an initial referendum in 1979 was unsuccessful. The affirmative result of this referendum led to the passing of the Scotland Act 1998 and the estblishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. Since then, more powers have been devolved to Holyrood. The current devolved areas include:

Agricultural, forestry and fisheries Education and training Environment Health and social services Housing

Land use planning Law and order Local government Sports and the arts Some forms of taxation Many aspects of transport

3,925,800

(December 2018, ONS)

During the EU referendum in 2016 Scotland voted to remain in the EU by:

62.0% - 38.0%

Tom-Henry Jones Politics Editor

S

cotland is heavily comprised of marginal seats. Out of the 59 seats, around a quarter of those were won by fewer than a thousand votes in 2017. It is therefore a key battleground for all of the major parties making it an area that could determine the overall result of the General Election.

Key Battlegrounds North East Fife

MEPs elected in 2019 European election:

2 SNP 1 Conservative 1 Brexit Party 1 Liberal Democrat

Seat with the largest majority:

Edinburgh South 15,514 majority Held by Labour since 1987

Seat with narrowest majority:

North East Fife 2 majority Held by SNP since 2015

2017 General Election results

The smallest majority of any constituency in the last century with only 2 votes separating the Lib Dems and the SNP. The Conservatives are also not far behind, only being 3,500 votes behind the SNP. It is this seat that could symbolise the election narrative of Scotland.

Whether this election becomes a proxy referendum on Brexit or on Scottish independence, it ought to favour the SNP. Support for independence has risen since 2017. However, like in other parts of the UK, if the Remain issue becomes prevalent in this particular seat, and potentially more, it could open the door for the Tories to take the seat.

Previously in 2015 the SNP held a 4,000 majority over the Lib Dems, with the reduction of its majority to simply 2 votes, highlightin the wider weakening of the SNP’s stranglehold over Scotland.

The North East Fife constituency is certainly the most interesting seat in the whole of Scotland. The seat exemplifies the closeness of the election in Scotland, and how parties can claim seats by only the barest of margins.

Gordon Gordon, a rural seat, in Aberdeenshire, is another fascinating seat in Scotland. In 2015 it was held by the Ex

Leader of the SNP Alex Salmond, but in 2017 a massive 29% swing for the Tories, the largest swing for the party across the whole of the UK, meant they gained it from the SNP, with a 2,000 majority.

This seat is the best example of the Tories picking up rural Scottish seats that are sympathetic supporters of Scotland remaining in the UK. Gordon in the 2014 Independence Referendum voted around 60% for No. It is in this seat that the SNP’s new proposals for ‘IndyRef2’ may be unpopular, and it could be reflected at the ballot box.

It is these sorts of rural constituency’s that the Conservatives need to hold onto to keep a foothold north of the border in Scotland, in order to secure a majority in Westminster.

The battle, therefore, will not just be kept in the confines of ‘Leave vs Remain’ but also ‘Independence vs the Union’. The Tories will hope their Unionist stance will help carry them over the line in tight marginals like Gordon.

Stirling

Like Gordon, Stirling was another seat where the Tories experienced a big swing against the previous holders of the seat, the SNP. A 13% swing from 2015, ensured the Tories gained the seat by only a small majority of 150 votes.

Stirling, a predominately affluent area, has traditionally voted Conservative in the 1980’s and 1990’s. However, in 2015 as was experienced almost everywhere in Scotland, the insurgent wave of SNP support ensured the seat changed hands.

However, it is important to recognise the strength of the Scottish Conservatives in 2019 is certainly not what it was in 2017. Ruth Davidson, a talismanic figure, spearheaded the Conservatives to campaign passionately for the Pro-Union vote. It was also the organisation and leadership she showed which enabled the Conservative Party

Scottish National Party Conservative Labour Liberal Democrat Source: Wikimedia Commons to counter the SNPs monopoly of 56 seats out of 59 in Scotland.

After Davidson’s resignation from the party in July, the Conservatives are not predicted to offer quite the same standard of opposition to the SNP. It is marginal seats like Stirling that Johnson and the Conservatives must hold if they have any chance of securing a majority on December 12.

Midlothian

Midlothian is one of Labours seven seats in Scotland. It gained the seat from the SNP in 2017 with a majority 900 votes.

The seat is also closely contested by the Conservatives, making it a threeway marginal. The seat, therefore, further highlights the closeness of the contest throughout most of the seats in Scotland.

Labour in the 2015 election suffered catastrophic losses in Scotland which cemented their defeat in the polls.

Once a stronghold for Labour, Scotland now represents an opportunity to regain many of the urban workingclass seats that they have a chance of winning. Midlothian was a prime example of this, and Labour must replicate this in many other seats in order to achieve success.

Perth and North Perthshire This seat is another ultra-marginal that the SNP hold in Scotland. The SNP hold a very slim 21 vote majority over the Conservatives.

This seat represents the wider battle the SNP have in order to hold onto their electoral dominance of Scotland, whereas for the Conservatives it represents a very good opportunity for them to nationally gain the nine seats they need for an overall majority.

The SNP will hope their anti-Brexit message will take them over the line in a constituency that voted 62% to remain in the EU. The seat therefore symbolises the

wider narrative of the election in Scotland between the anti-Brexit vote against the pro-Union Conservatives.

Tactical voting by Remainers could hold back the advances of the Tories, and this seat is no different.

Summary

Of the 21 seats the SNP lost in 2017, nearly all voted to Remain in the EU referendum. The hopes of the SNP rely therefore on their anti-Brexit stance to help them recapture those lost seats. The chance of a coalition with Labour in a minority Government also increases the chances of a 2nd referendum on Scottish independence and could help swing many nationalist voters back to the SNP. The Conservatives are without their leader Ruth Davidson, who inspired them to a good result in Scotland in 2017. Many in the party fear for their chances north of the border without her leadership while for Labour and the Lib Dems expectations remain low as recent Scottish polls seem to suggest a weaker performance than in 2017.

On the whole the election in Scotland represents a key battleground.

Littered with marginal seats it could become one of the influential regions when deciding who will be the next resident of Number 10.

Seats to look out for:

North East Fife Gordon Stirling Midlothian Perth and North Perthshire

ETHOLIAD CYFFREDINOL 15

Ireland What to expect in Northern Ireland Northern in Numbers Which of Northern Ireland’s 18 seats are safe and which may change hands on December 12?

2017 General Election results

Devolution in Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Parliament and Executive governed between 1921 and 1972. When they were suspended in 1972, Northern Ireland came under Direct Rule from Westminster. On 2 December 1999, the UK Parliament devolved powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly for the first time. The system established by the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement (1998) is a power-sharing, consociational model of democracy. The Northern Ireland Assembly has full legislative powers over:

Agriculture Culture and Sport Economic development Education Employent Environmental issues and planning Equal opportunities Health and social services

Sinn Fein Democratic Unionist Party Independent Source: Wikimedia Commons

Lowri Pitcher Head of Politics

T

here are 18 Westminster constituencies in Northern Ireland with electorates ranging between 60,000 to 80,000. Before the dissolution of Parliament the Democratic Unionist Party held 10 seats, Sinn Féin held seven (although Sinn Fein MPs do not take their seats in the House of Commons due to a longstanding policy of abstentionism) and one seat is held by an independent.

Safe Seats

Normally, seats with large majorities are considered ‘safe’ seats and would require a substantial swing towards opposition parties in order to switch hands on December 12.

Eight seats in Northern Ireland have significant majorities (over 10,000). These seats include: Belfast West with a majority of 21,652 held by Sinn Fein, East Antrim with a majority of 15,923 held by the DUP, Lagan Valley with a majority of 19,229 held by the DUP, Mid Ulster with a majority of 12,890 held by Sinn Fein, Newry & Armagh with a majority of 12,489 held by Sinn Fein, North Antrim with a majority of 20,643 held by the DUP, Strangford with a majority of 18,343 held by the DUP and finally, West Tyrone with a majority of 10,342 held by Sinn Fein.

Marginal Seats There are three seats in Northern Ireland with majorities of more than 7,000 but less than 10,000. These are Belfast East with a majority of 8,474 held by the DUP, East Londonderry with a majority of 8,842 held by the DUP and Upper Bann with a majority of 7,992 also held by the DUP. One of the most marginal seats is Belfast North with a majority of 2,081 held by the DUP, whose representative is Nigel Dodds, Westminster

leader of the party. Other marginal seats include Belfast South with a majority of 1,996 held by the DUP, South Antrim with a majority of 3,208 also held by the DUP and South Down with a majority of 2,446 held by Sinn Fein.

Finally, the seat of North Down held by independent MP Lady Sylvia Hermon has a narrow majority of 1,208. However with Lady Hermon’s announcement that she will not be seeking re-election the seat may well change hands to the DUP which follows closely behind.

Ultra-marginal Seats

Two of the seats with the narrowest majorities include Fermanagh & South Tyrone which has a majority of 875 votes held by Sinn Fein with the Ulster Unionist Party in second place; and the seat with the narrowest majority in Northern Ireland, that of Foyle where Elisha McCallion representing Sinn Fein won by a margin of 169 votes during the 2017 General Election.

Electoral Pacts

As has become quite commonplace in this election, similar electoral pacts have been agreed upon in Northern Ireland. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) announced that it won’t run in Northern Belfast, East Belfast, or North Down; while Sinn Fein will stand aside in South Belfast, East Belfast, and North Down.

In Belfast North, Nigel Dodds’ seat, Sinn Fein now gets a clear run to unseat. During the 2017 General Election, they lost by 46.2 per cent to 41.7 per cent. The SDLP took 4.5 per cent of the vote, meaning that Sinn Fein is now a firm contender.

Additionally, the SDLP may be able to win back Belfast South, where it lost to the DUP by 30.4 per cent to 25.9 per cent. In 2017 Sinn Fein received 16.3 percent of the vote which leaves the SDLP with a good chance of win-

Housing Justice and policing Local government Pensions and child support Social security The Northern Ireland Civil Service Transport

ning back the seat.

The pact came about on the basis of trying to elect pro-remain representatives in a region that voted 56 per cent to remain in the 2016 EU referendum.

The aim is to ensure reduce the number of seats held by pro-brexit DUP. However, it should be noted that if Sinn Fein were to win more seats, given their abstention in the House of Commons, the pro-remain seats would not transpire into pro-remain votes in the Commons. It would simply mean there were less pro-leave votes as there would be less DUP representatives.

leader Arlene Foster has described Corbyn as “an anathema to anyone who believes in the United Kingdom”, adding that “If it comes to be the case that someone else is leading the Labour Party, then we will judge it against not only our 12-point plan but whether it’s good for Northern Ireland to be in communication with whoever’s leading the Labour Party at that time.”

The DUP is hopeful of its chances of becoming a Kingmaker once more.

It is wishful for a hung parliament in order to replicate the height of the influence they secured over Government proceedings during the last three years.

After the 2017 General Election, the Conservative Party lost its majority.

This led to Theresa May’s government negotiating and entering into a confidence and supply agreement with the DUP. However, the party opposed both Theresa May and Boris Johnson’s Withdrawal Agreements mainly over the controversial issue of the Northern Ireland Backstop, meaning relations between the parties became very strained.

At this election, according to Jon Tonge, professor of politics at Liverpool University, the DUP is “desperate for another mathematical miracle” in order to retain their role as kingmakers. However, as Professor Tonge has also acknowleged; that is a scenario that is unlikely to reoccur. For another minority government to be formed, the Conservatives would not have achieved a majority, and the DUP would have to hold a number of seats which would supplement the number the Conservatives have won.

It is fairly certain the DUP would not go into coalition with Labour, even if they have the numbers. Whilst the DUP have hinted at collaborating with Labour in the event of a hung parliament, the party’s chief whip Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said that a government led by Corbyn would be a “disasterous” scenario for the UK. Party

Summary

Supply Agreements

Alongside the presence of new mini electoral pacts, the most intriguing aspect in Northern Ireland is Nigel Dodds’ seat. An MP who over the last 3 years has recieved large amounts of press attention in Westminster through his parties influence in the Brexit negotiations. Otherwise, most seats hold large majorities and the landscape is only expected to change marginally.

Seats to look out for:

Source: Wikimedia Commons

10 Democratic Unionist Party 7 Sinn Fein 1 Independent

The size of the electorate in Northern Ireland is:

1,248,400

(December 2018, ONS)

During the EU referendum in 2016 Northern Ireland vote to remain the EU by:

55.8% - 44.2%

MEPs elected in 2019 European Election:

1 Sinn Fein 1 Alliance Party 1 Democratic Unionist Party

Seat with the largest majority:

Belfast West 21, 652 majority Held by Sinn Fein since 1997

Belfast North Belfast South Fermanagh & South Tyrone Foyle North Down South Antrim South Down

Seats per party at time of dissolution:

Seat with narrowest majority:

Foyle 169 majority Held by Sinn Fein since 2017

16

GENERAL ELECTION

Looking past election night Gair Rhydd Politics looks at what could happen next...

In the event of a parliamentary majority The main requirement to form a new government is to find a party which can command the confidence of the House of Commons. This is normally secured by appointing the leader of the party with an overall majority of seats in the Commons (326 seats). The Queen will ask him or her whether he or she will form a government.

The Prime Minister will then select his or her cabinet members.

House of Commons: Who will take a seat in the Commons?

Source: Wikimedia Commons

What have the parties said about the chances of coalition?

Brexit Party

Conservatives

Democratic Unionist Party

Green Party

Labour

Liberal Democrats

Plaid Cymru

Scottish National Party

Sinn Fein

The Brexit Party’s main focus is to deliver Brexit and as such, it is possible that they may enter into a coalition with any pro-Brexit party who could give them a good deal or a Clean Break Brexit in Parliament.

The Conservative Party has been quite quiet on the possibility of entering into any coalitions.

When the party lost its majority in 2017, it entered into a confidence and supply agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party.

Given that the DUP has voiced its disapproval of Boris Johnson’s Withdrawal Agreement, should Johnson need to seek the DUP’s confidence while still supporting his deal, a coalition or confidence agreement seems unlikely.

The House of Commons and the House of Lords sit for a few days before the State Opening of Parliament, the formal start of a parliamentary session.

During this time the re-election, or election, of a Speaker of the House of Commons takes place. MPs and Lords take the oath or affirmation.

After the State Opening members of both Houses debate the content of the Queen’s Speech.

The House of Commons votes on the Queen’s Speech.

In the event of a hung Parliament When there is no majority in Parliament, the Prime Minister in power before the general election is given the first chance to create a government.

The incumbent Prime Minister can then do one of the following: Resign, usually after failing to negotiate a coalition, and recommend that the leader of the largest opposition party be invited to form a government. They may decide to form a coalition or govern as a minority government.

The Green Party has remained relatively quiet on its plans for any coalitions, however, with only one safe seat it is unlikely the party will have the numbers to be a major stakeholder in any coalition.

Negotiate with another party or parties to build a coalition.

The Labour Party has ruled out a Liberal Democrat-Labour coalition and the SNP has refused to enter into a formal coalition.

What could happen if Labour or the Conservatives lose?

The Liberal Democrats have ruled out any coalitions. However, in the past, the party has formed coalitions with both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price has said that he would work with the Labour Party on a “case by case basis” but criticised Corbyn’s repeated refusal to “say whether he is, even in principle, in favour of remaining in the European Union.”

The SNP has said it is open to forming a “progressive alliance” with other parties but has ruled out doing a deal with the Conservatives or entering into a coalition with Labour.

Sinn Fein holds a policy of abstentionism when it comes to Parliament meaning that they don’t take part in the Parliamentry process. As such it is very unlikely that they will form coalitions with anyone.

Try to govern with a minority government.

A Labour defeat could mean: If Labour were to lose this election it is likely there would be a serious shift of power within the party. John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor has himself said he would resign as a result of defeat and he feels that current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would also leave. Jeremy Corbyn himself has declined to comment on whether he would resign or not.

A Conservative defeat could mean: If the Conservative Party loses this election Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal will likely be ditched. Each Conservative candidate has pledged their support for the deal so without needing to rely on the support of cross-party MPs, the party must win a majority to ensure the smoother passing of the agreement.

The other possibility which could complicate the situation in Parliament is that of Conservative leader, Boris Johnson, losing his seat, Uxbridge and South Ruislip. The Conservative majority in the constituency is only 10.8% of the vote share and the Labour Party are pushing heavily to unseat Johnson. Although Boris Johnson would not need to be a Member of Parliament to be Prime Minister.

Big Ben: The exit poll will be released after polls close at 10pm on December 12.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

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18

Teaching: the profession that sparks magic Going into teaching as an undergraduate student

Molly Govus Advice Editor

T

eaching has long been a profession that has come under criticism from other subject fields. It may seem easy due to the six week holiday, the Christmas holiday, the alwayswell-behaved children...you really do get people who think that teaching is a ‘throw-away’ profession. As the daughter of a teacher and an aspiring teacher myself, I can assure you that most of these preconceptions are far from the truth.

There is a certain art that comes with being able to control a classroom. To have a room full of bright-eyed, nervous and uniquely students looking up to you takes a lot of effort, time and care on the part of a teacher. Let me tell you, it is not an easy profession. I had my first taste of full-time teaching this summer at a German summer school in Cambridge; it was an eye-opening experience I have had as of yet. With a full timetable, planning lessons every spare moment I had the chance, constantly on my feet and prepared for whatever questions the students had for me. It’s important to remember that, as a teacher, you are not only academically responsible for the students that you have in your classroom. You must always keep an eye and an ear open for

The ‘throw-away’ profession: there is much more behind teaching than the seemingly long holidays, fun atmosphere and ‘stress-free’ environment Source: @neonbrand (via Unsplash) any hidden issues your students may have. In one job title alone, you are their greatest counsellor, support and guidance - as well as their teacher.

Once you step out of the school doors, you do not leave your job there behind you. You carry your responsibility for your students with you constantly, whether that’s marking their work at 11pm or printing out worksheets at 5am before the school day has even started. Daily, teachers make a conscious decision to put their all into the

experience of their students: psychologically, academically and mentally.

As an undergraduate, it is often confusing knowing how to get the correct experience and expertise in order to stand out in the applications for programmes such as PGCE’s and alternative routes such as TeachFirst. The responsibility I had over summer is rare to get, but I am eternally grateful for being able to teach a full-time class. Until an opportunity like that comes around, I would reccomend volunteering or sign-

How to cut your Christmas spending DIY gifts, student discount and keeping to your strict budget

Yi Lam Tang Contributor

C

Your advice desk Molly Govus Rhiannon James Columnist Satwik Shivoham

ing up for language cafes. With Cardiff being so multicultural, there is a huge need for language partners. This is something fun and free to do in order to build up a teaching portfolio that will make you stand out, especially if you do it voluntarily.

If you are looking for paid experience, there’s nothing wrong with contacting local schools in the area. Most of them have after-school groups that need an extra pair of hands and this could provide you with a good reference. If you wish to specialise in a particular age-group, don’t feel like you just need to get experience in that field. All experience is beneficial and having primary and secondary experience would make you the perfect, well-rounded candidate.

There is an abundance of online tutoring vacancies, where you can teach part-time for as long as you wish. This may be ideal if you have a busy timetable and only wish to do a few hours a week; nevertheless, you will still have responsibility. Travelling is another option you could look into; there are lots of programmes that offer TEFL qualifications which allows you to teach English in an overseas country.

There are so many ways to get into teaching, and it is really never too early to start looking into the different pathways that are available.

hristmas is coming, with all the joy to the world, and capitalism, followed by a tight budget living. It is important to manage your money to get through the winter. Here are a few suggestions on how to save money on presents this Christmas.

Firstly, plan your budget. It is important to have a budget in order to keep your finances in check, especially around Christmas, the celebrations of giving. Plan out your budget by writing down what you are planning to give, how much you are planning to spend on it and try to find the cheapest options possible.

Remember that December is a busy month for most people, so incorporate the Christmas parties and the usual mundane bills into your budget as well the present pot. It would also be easier to manage if you can plan out your daily budget and make sure your expenditure doesn’t exceed your budgets.

Secondly, get your presents in advance. When demand increases with little variation on supply, the price will go up, simple economics. We all know Christmas is a time when

Season of spending: December is an expensive month with presents to buy and parties to attend. Source: Ben White (via Unsplash) everyone is searching for presents, therefore to make a greater profit businesses might set the price of their product higher than usual. Getting a present way ahead Christmas would be budget-friendly, save you from the stress of choosing a gift in a short period, and possibly get a greater deal if you get something on Black Friday. Additionally, if you are shopping online, buying presents in advance will cost less shipping

fee than buying around the time of Christmas.

It is fun to buy a surprise gift or buy things intended as a joke for your friends. But budget-wise, it would be a splash of money for a moment of joy. Talk to your friends, find out if they want something in particular, or maybe they genuinely don’t want anything – this ensures that you’re not wasting your money on a gift that’ll be forgotten. Also,

instead of buying everyone gifts, try exchanging presents with random draws such as the class ‘secret santa’.

You’ll only have to get one present instead of many.

DIY gifts are a cost-effective alternative to the usual presents. Sometimes it is cheaper to make your presents from scratch; a batch of cookies for everyone, DIY candles instead of branded, homemade Christmas decorations, etc. DIY gifts are often thoughtful, for example personalised vouchers. Christmas is about giving, but not necessarily spending. All you need is a piece of paper, write down nice gestures you are willing to do for your family, for example, a voucher for a home cooked meal, or 20 minutes massage session voucher, a chore helping voucher. It doesn’t cost any money and allows you to spend time with your loved ones.

Lastly, redeem your loyalty. As a university student you’ll receive offers and discounts from multiple stores. Always ask for student discounts to max out the benefit of being one. Browse through Student Bean to choose presents. Also, redeem your loyalty point. Convert them into vouchers or use them as cash, you would be surprised by the amount of money you can save.

The power of vulnerability

CYNGOR

Discovering new opportunities

Muskan Arora Politics Editor

R

emember how as kids we used to look forward to buying a new toy or visiting the theme park, or go to school to make new friends? I am sure, for some of us, our parents used to send us to summer and winter camps. I used to eagerly await to visit those camps throughout the year. Back then, all we knew was eating, sleeping, playing and making new friends; but what has happened to us as we have grown up? Some of us let the child inside of us disappear and some of us keep it alive, some of us explore different shades of ourselves and some of us are joyful in exploring these shades.

As children, we all are vulnerable to certain situations and outcomes, but as we grow up, we become more constrained and comfortable in dealing with situations. I have always been an extroverted person and it has not always been easy for me. I am sure all the extroverts reading this right now can empathise with me; we are often asked to keep our voices down.

We have been given one opportunity at this life and we should live it to our best, whether that be by exploring and meeting new people or eating different cuisines. To muster up the courage to act on this and live life to the full is not for everyone. There

‘Unplanned’ road-trips: Making spontaneous plans, ready to explore and live a carefree life : @averieclaire (via Unsplash) are numeous pros and cons to this. Every experience or a visit to a new place gives us an insight into their culture and tradition and we learn about so many new things. Even though globalisation has made the world a small place, we discover that there are millions of cultures and languages and delicacies, which are unexplored by us. Vulnerability is the sense of being open to new experiences and travelling and meeting new people.

My father is a very disciplined man and works everything out by planning but something that was never planned were his road trips. He used to wake us up and would ask us to pack our bags for the visit. He never carried a map or made reservations.

I have always aspired to be like my road trip father, ready to ex-

plore without fear, living a carefree life.

Hardships have made us who we are today. I am sure everyone reading this agrees with it.

Take a moment and think about how you were a couple of years ago and how that person was different from who you are today?

Having learned from our experiences, we are definitely a better version of ourselves today. All of us are the heroes of our own battles and we should never stop striving to be the best version of ourselves.

Why is asking for help always considered so wrong? Yes, I am in trouble or confused and I need to ask someone for help. I never understood why it was considered so negative because asking for help only leads us to a better outcome. You can see from a per-

spective, which you never knew existed. Never be afraid to use the “foot in the door” method. Be smart enough to ask for help using multiple channels and decide who is the person you want to ask for help.

Sometimes I feel as though we are afraid that the other person will laugh at us or will be burdened by our problem but imagine someone coming to you for help, I am sure you will be more than happy to help. Never step back from speaking about how you feel because you never know there might be many others in the same boat but lacking the courage to speak. Offer to speak with your friends, you might be able to help solve their problems.

Everyday we all learn something new and we are in universities because we have more to learn about these concepts or about these subjects. Some people might know more than us but we should never be intimidated by them. We should understand that it is okay to not know everything.

Learn from as many people, articles or stories as you can. Don’t be too harsh on yourself just because you have made mistakes.

Give yourself space to make mistakes because no one can teach you better than you can teach yourself. Be proud of your mistakes. Your mistakes are your lessons and will shape you to be a better person.

Under-grad to Post-grad

Deciding what to do after graduation: A masters student’s perspective

Tom-Henry Jones Politics Editor

T

he pressures of planning for your life after University can be quite overwhelming. It is around this time of year students in their final year begin to think about the big question “what next?”. Most of your friends will have planned ahead, applied for graduate schemes and various other jobs. However, doing a Master’s degree can be quite an exciting and benefecial alternative.

Personally, I found the application for a Master’s degree to be far less stressful than my experience of applying for University via UCAS at the age of 18. Firstly, I applied quite late in the year, around Easter time, as it was only then that I had decided to go forward with a Masters. The course I applied for had a relatively relaxed deadline and it therefore allowed me the time to think carefully about my application and the future ahead.

The Postgraduate open days the University provided were very beneficial in aiding my application. I gained first-hand advice from the course leaders on various tips and tricks for the personal statement within the application. I would defi-

Advantages : Meet new contacts, strengthen your knowledge and further your career prospects. Source: Charles DeLoye (via Unsplash ) nitely advise a student considering applying for a Masters, to attend the Open Days, as it was these Open Days that confirmed my intent to apply.

The advantages of doing a Masters, in my opinion are endless. A new course allows you to explore new ideas and concepts that an undergraduate degree could not provide.

It extends your understanding and knowledge of the particular course.

You’ll be taught by specialized academics in the field you’re interested in. The research project that comes with doing a Master’s degree will be hard work, but it will open up new avenues and opportunities for the future. You will meet and develop helpful contacts and relationships in the field, which will be beneficial to you in your life after the University. Additionally, improving your research skills could be beneficial to you in

future. If you chose to study in either Cardiff or elsewhere, a Masters also provides the opportunities of making new friends and exploring a new city. The enrichment programme at Cardiff is also well developed and can be highly beneficial, while trying to make yourself a more employable candidate for the future.

Admittedly, there are some negatives with opting to do a Masters.

Financing a masters can be challenging. Student Finance, on the whole, give you a smaller loan, and it can mean you might have to rely on a job during your studies. But, having a Master’s degree could result in achieving a higher- paid job, therefore the money you spend on the Masters will hopefully pay off later in life. The extra qualification is highly valued, and it highlights the specialization of your education.

The best advice I can give to those considering doing a Masters, is to think carefully about the course. The key is to find a course that suits you, will interest you the most, and will concentrate your focus for future job prospects. Ultimately the opportunities a Masters degree can provide, I believe, makes it wholly worthwhile, and a great option for those unsure about life after University.

19

Overcoming stage fright Beth Hall Contributor

S

tage fright isn’t just something that affects us thespians on opening night, it happens to everyone that has a group presentation to do or has a speech to give, or even a job interview. Shakespeare wrote that ‘all the worlds a stage’ and it certainly does feel like that sometimes.

There are many ways we can overcome stage fright, and if not overcome at least side-line until those bright lights hit you. Of course, the first thing we all think of is being as prepared as possible.

So, that means not leaving learning your lines to the dress rehearsal or writing up your presentation cuecards right before the seminar.

Give yourself some time to really look over them. Stick them on your

Change your perspective, picture your nerves as excitement wall or make them your phone background to make sure you’re always topping up your knowledge of those lines.

Personally, I find that it always helps to read things over with a friend or family member, that way you can practice your performance in front of a fresh pair of eyes and familiarise yourself with what it feels like to deliver those lines in front of someone who hasn’t seen it before.

Now this one is a bit weird but, eat a banana. For me, whenever I have to go on stage, I get an overwhelming feeling of butterflies in my stomach and I’ve found that the best way to hinder this it to eat a banana before showtime.

Obviously don’t be chomping the second you get on stage but do have a snack when you get to the venue; make sure you feel hydrated and full. Whatever you do, don’t have 5 cups of coffee, that will only make it worse and probably feel like your heart is going to jump out your chest, and we don’t need anymore jitters before the big moment. Avoid stress by ensuring that you’re on time and have plenty of spare moments before it starts to relax and prepare yourself.

Most importantly, you need to embrace the nerves. Although it may make you feel slightly sick when you get that 5-minute warning and make you want to run out the fire exit, nervousness gets your adrenaline going and as long as you imagine those nerves as excitement you’ll have great onstage energy and will absolutely smash it! But if that doesn’t work out you could always try imagining that the audience are in their underwear?

COLOFN

20

SATWIK Speaks

Satwik Shivoham

Dealing with a toxic boss

A

Toxic boss: Three ways to handle any situation. Header: Jon Candy (via Flickr), Left: freeimage4life (via Flickr), Right: rawpixel.com (via pxhere)

lot of us students work to satisfy our financial needs, or to gain experience and enhance our CVs. We’re motivated by either of these reasons, but we work all the same.

We aren’t too fussy about the kind of work we do; call it not being picky or being desperate for money, so it got me thinking about why some people love their work, and why others hate it. It can’t be money because we continue to do the work anyway, nor can it be the environment because a couple of hours a week, part-time, of unpleasant warehouse work, can’t break anyone. It can’t be the weather (or can it?). Why, then, do some hate their jobs?

I’ve noticed that no matter what the job, my willingness to go to work depends entirely upon my relationship with my colleagues/supervisors, and it’s safe to assume it’s the same for a lot of students too. Toxic bosses can be found everywhere. All institutions and organisations have them, and you are likely to encounter a few in your life.

If you’ve already encountered one, you probably have a mental block against working now and this column may help you tend your relations with your supervisor, or resurrect your will to work. If you haven’t had one yet, consider this to be a crash course in professional etiquettes and conflict

resolution.

It is crucial that one knows how to deal with such bosses. In real life, one can’t think on the lines of Horrible Bosses, nor can you just walk away because there’s money at stake, your reputation too perhaps, and it is not the best practice to run away from all problems in life; you would have to confront them eventually.

As impossible as it sounds, there are some professional ways of dealing with a bad boss. Whether they hold personal grudges against you or simply dislike you, there are some troubleshooting options which will make going to work a better experience for you.

If you have a toxic boss/manager/supervisor, try the following: Rather than being affected by their negative focus on you, begin to deliver results and focus on your work. Toxic bosses (probably) don’t care about you as an individual, but critique you for your work as a professional. Whether it’s reasonable or not is a different question, but nonetheless, think of it differently- if you are being called upon for a certain task, it means your supervisor cares deeply for it. Think of ways you can cater to your supervisor’s needs.

Is there a way to over-deliver? What would make the boss beyond satisfied?

Could you personalize it for them, per-

haps make the process more convenient for them?

I know it sounds like you’re helping them, and while it takes extra effort, you get spared from all that stress in your life. It is not always worth it to put up a fight or walk away. One can always step down, “submit” too if the situation calls for it. Tell them what they want to hear, a little diplomacy never hurt anyone. It will do you and your team good.

Find the solution to the toxic boss in

A little diplomacy goes a long way- tell them what they want to hear. yourself, not them. Be the bigger person against the bigger designation.

It is possible that this doesn’t work.

Sometimes, the issue is just with them and not you. In such a situation, however, the change must come in you. It only ever hurts if you keep expecting them to act better towards you. Understand, that most likely, they won’t.

Being stuck in that boss-employee relationship will restrict you from changing them. There is only so much you can do because that relationship isn’t a very dynamic flux. There is pow-

erplay involved, a sense of heredity.

Thus, you can never lead your “leader”, but you can change yourself as much as needed. A bully only bullies because the bullied naturally adopts a passive, inferior position.

If they continue to act toxic, focus instead on how you can stop being affected by it. If their continuous harassment isn’t causing your career or your mental well-being any damage, you can let it slide. Think of it as a job you just do to cover basic needs- food, clothes, shelter and leisure, nothing more than that. Don’t attach sentiment to your work and you will always be content.

For sentiment-sharing, you can always find someone empathetic to talk about it with, it’ll help a great deal.

Lastly, try to express your feelings in a letter (which you will never send). I’ve always seen people in troubled times maintaining diaries which nobody reads, or scribbling away feelings and burning the paper, and never quite understood why they do so. “How does it even help?”, I wondered.

Writing a diary is all about discovering, confronting and exposing your worst fears, most vulnerable situations or the things that make you most happy. A friend told me it adds order in a chaotic world, and even though nobody gets to read it, you feel very

unburdened after writing just a page of unfiltered, true feelings.

Remember, if you don’t express, whether through venting out loud or writing a diary, you will bottle up hate inside which will make you the same toxic person you wish to avoid. Remember- paper, despite its passivity, makes for a great friend.

You’ve probably noticed by now that all the advice I’ve given focuses on you, as an individual. I could recommend other things, but I won’t. One can always raise the issue with a superior authority, or one can confront the boss directly, but neither of the two ever work or solve the problem in the long term.

Avoid radical measures - you can’t use a pebble to fight a ripple.

It’s easy and convenient, but you can’t fight a ripple with a pebble- if anything, you will “make it worse”. So metaphorically speaking, calm the waters inside you and try to do the same with them.

Of course, if none of these methods work, you can adopt more radical approaches but it is your responsibility to first try.

Looking for work?

Here’s just a selection of opportunities currently available through Jobshop!

Food & Beverage Assistant

PAY: £8.24 per hour DAYS/HOURS OF POST: TBC with applicants –predominantly over the Christmas period/ to fit around studies DETAILS & MAIN DUTIES: A city centre hotel are looking for a customer focused individual to join our Food and Beverage Team, working within the Conference and Banqueting department, restaurant and/or bar, serving various conferences, dinners, weddings and private functions. This position is ideal for students who can fit shifts around their studies during the busy Christmas period.

General Assistant

PAY: Meets National Minimum Wage (Higher than NMW for 18-20 year olds) DAYS/ HOURS OF POST: Saturdays and holiday periods (Immediate start)

DETAILS & MAIN DUTIES: Serving customers and general duties at a Cardiff Market fishmongers. Must be available for Christmas holiday period.

School Exam Invigilator

PAY: £7.70 p/hour (U25) / £8.21 p/hour (25+) DAYS/ HOURS OF POST: Various dates/times throughout December/January DETAILS & MAIN DUTIES: A local secondary school in the Roath Park area of Cardiff requires invigilators to assist with their examinations. This work will involve the general supervision of candidates to ensure no malpractice during the examination period. No previous experience is necessary, but a mature and calm manner is required.

cardiffstudents.com/jobshop

Contact Jobshop for details on how to apply. To start receiving job alerts for all our vacancies please head to our website for details of how to sign up.

2nd floor, Students’ Union

029 2078 1535

Jobshop@cardiff.ac.uk

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22

Your science desk Liv Davies Hollly Giles

Cardiff University’s ECHO research centre finds hidden genetic link Sleep problems and genetic disorders: the deletion syndrome

Devika Sunand Contributor

T

he Cardiff University ECHO research team who aims to understand the life course of individuals with 22q112.2 Deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) has found a link between sleep patterns and mental health issues.

22q12.2 Deletion syndrome, also known as DiGeorge syndrome, is caused by the deletion of a small segment of a chromosome. Almost 90% of cases occur due to new mutation of a chromosome during the early stages of development while 10% is inherited from the parents.

Even though the symptoms vary, some of the common ones include congenital heart problems, specific facial features, frequent infections, developmental delay, learning problems, and cleft palate. It is estimated that people affected by deletion syndrome can range between 1 in 2000 to 1 in 4000 live births but the actual figure can be higher than expected since not all of the individuals may be diagnosed.

The study was conducted on children and adolescents in the age group of 17 and below with the deletion syndrome. Researchers found that 60% of the group experienced insomnia or restless sleep and a higher proportion of these had conditions like ADHD, anxiety disorders and conduct disor-

der. Also, sleep problems are likely to lead to movement problems which can make them more clumsy and reduce their planning ability.

For the study, the children diagnosed with the deletion syndrome participated along with their siblings. This was to understand the difference in sleep patterns as a result of the mutation. The mental

health and intelligence of children with the syndrome were investigated and compared to their siblings who did not have the syndrome.

Studies have shown that 54% of children met the criteria for a mental health condition, compared to 10% of their siblings. The average IQ of children with the deletion syndrome was 77, which was

The importance of sleep: Babies born with the 22q11.2DS deletion syndrome have atypical ADHD symptoms.

Source: Vera Kratochvil (via Public Domain Pitcures)

considerably less than their siblings who had an average IQ of 109.

It was also found that children with the syndrome are likely to perform worse on tests of attention, planning and reaction time.

However, no relationship was found between the presence of a mental health condition and the child’s intelligence.

A separate study to understand whether ADHD is similar or different in children with and without the syndrome showed that children with deletion syndrome were less attentive and more anxious.

They were less hyperactive and had less conduct issues compared to children who did not have the syndrome. The percentage of children receiving treatment for ADHD was as low as 2%.

In conclusion, the clinical representation of ADHD in children with the deletion syndrome were found to be different to typical ADHD, potentially leading to an under-recognition of ADHD in this patient group by clinicians.

Awareness of deletion syndromes have become extremely important, due to the confusion is causes parents because of its varied symptoms.

Studies showed that while 78% of parents were aware of the deletion syndrome, they were almost twice as likely to have found out about this condition from the internet than their clinician.

Cardiff University researchers discover new treatment for muscle-wasting disease Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science may have found a novel approach to treat this one in a million disease

Holly Giles Science Editor

G

NE myopathy is a rare condition that causes muscles in the arms and legs to become increasingly weak. Symptoms usually present themselves when patients are 20-30 years old and within two years of diagnosis most are wheelchair bound. It is estimated to affect 1 in 1 million people worldwide meaning it is officially classed as a “very rare condition”.

The weakness occurs in patients due to a problem in the GNE gene.

This means the gene cannot function as well and from this an enzyme

essential to the production of sialic acid cannot be formed. The body needs sialic acid for muscles to function properly. Without this the muscles become progressively weaker until the body can no longer support itself. Despite the catastrophic effects of the condition, there are currently no approved treatments apart from sugar supplements which can lead to weight gain, raised cholesterol and liver failure.

However, researchers at the Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have found a way to deliver a chemical product which allows the body to make sialic acid again, restoring muscle func-

tion. Dr Fabrizio Pertusati, joint leader of the study, explained this theory; “It’s like a van trying to deliver food to a location but is stuck in a traffic jam.

If you open a new route to bypass the bottleneck, the food will be delivered as normal. By administering our compound, sialic acid synthesis can be performed again by the cell machinery and its normal function is then restored.”

The research is still in its early stages but Dr Kate Adcock, direct of research and innovation at the chaity Muscular Dystrophy UK, confirmed “this is a promising first step in the journey.” Researchers are now

Word of the week: Enzyme

working on improving the chemical properties of the compound in order to make it simpler to administer to patients.

It will then need to be tested in animal models and finally in human clinical trials before it can be expected to be seen as common medical practice but it is an exciting proof of concept.

Dr Pertusati said: “We are in the early sages of this research, but it’s exciting to think about the potential to develop and trial a new drug to decrease the symptoms, severity and progression of muscle weakness and wasting to enable patients to enjoy greater mobility and quality of life.”

A group of proteins which speed up reactions without being used up.

They allow chemical changes to take place in organic substances, including the digestion or breakdown of substances Enzymes are essential in the body for: breaking down molecules, transformation of chemical energy and making small molecules.

Enzymes are essential outside the body for: fermentation of wine, rising of bread, curdling of cheese and brewing of beer.

GWYDDONIAETH 23

Scientists fear the Earth has passed over Malaysia’s half of climate change tipping points last known They urge all to declare a state of planetary emergency

Charlotte King Deputy Editor

I

t’s come to light that some fear more than half of climate tipping points identified approximately ten years ago have become “active”, according to a leading group of scientists from the University of Exeter.

The group of scientists are now calling for “urgent action” to drastically reduce the volume of greenhouse gases being emitted in order to prevent us from going past more key tipping points. It’s believed that a “cascade of changes” have occurred, sparked by steadily rising temperatures which researchers fear could threaten the existence of human civilisations.

It is no longer responsible to wait and see...

To err on the side of danger is not a responsible option.

Tim Lenton, Director, Global Systems Institute

Reaching a tipping point happens when the impacts of planetary warming become uncontrollable and ultimately irreversible. Previously, it

was thought that global warming of 5C was needed to pass tipping points, but that has not been the case.

Professor Tim Lenton, Director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, an institute which specialises in applying Earth science to generate more sustainable practices, and lead author of the report, said: “A decade ago we identified a suite of potential tipping points in the Earth system, now we see evidence that over half of them have been activated.

“The growing threat of rapid, irreversible changes means it is no longer responsible to wait and see.

The situation is urgent and we need an emergency response.”

It is now thought that there are nine active tipping points worldwide, including Arctic sea ice, the Greenland ice sheet, the Amazon rainforest, and warm-water corals.

The report states that if major ice sheets in Greenland, West and parts of East Antarctica were to collapse, the world would experience approximately ten metres of sea-level rise which would prove irreversible.

Moreover, if the tipping points in rainforests, permafrost and boreal forests are crossed, there would be an inevitable release in additional greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, amplifying the effects of global warming.

Johan Rockström, co-author of the paper and Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, which specialises in addressing scientific questions in the field of global change, climate impacts and

sustainable development, also said: “It is not only human pressures on earth that continue rising to unprecedented levels.

“It is also that as science advances, we must admit that we have underestimated the risks of unleashing irreversible changes, where the planet self-amplifies global warming.”

He continued, “Scientifically, this provides strong evidence for declaring a state of planetary emergency, to unleash world action that accelerates the path towards a world that can continue evolving on a stable planet.”

Ultimately, scientists claim these tipping points have been reached far earlier than previously expected.

The report states that we are already at 1C global warming, and even if all countries signed up to the Paris Climate Agreement stuck to their emissions goals, the world will still see “at least” 3C of planetary warming by the end of this century, which would have both environmental and socioeconomic consequences.

Lenton also fears that “we might have already crossed the threshold for a cascade of inter-related tipping points [but] the rate at which they progress, and therefore the risk they pose, can be reduced by cutting out emissions.”

However, in the report, the researchers state that the science surrounding tipping points is complex, meaning there is still a lot of uncertainty with regards to the potential damage of passing tipping points.

But, they stress that “to err on the side of danger is not a responsible option”.

The Earth’s tipping points Arctic sea ice Greenland ice sheet Boreal forests Permafrost Atlantic Meridonial Overturning Circulation Amazon rainforest Warm-water corals West Antartic Ice Sheet Parts of East Antarctica

New privacy-based browser predicted to replace Google Chrome

Brave, a new browser, allows users to send money to websites they enjoy Anurag Hegde Contributor

W

e live in a world of surveillance. Nearly everything we do is tracked, especially online.

Chances are, you use Google Chrome as your default browser, just like 63% of the people that use the internet. Chrome as you might know, is owned and operated by Google.

The problem with this is that Google is in the big data business, which means they analyse and sell user data that they collect. Chrome collects vast amounts of user data through cookies, IP addresses, user behaviour and the list goes on.

This is then passed on to Google’s databases. Google can use this information to determine your interests and show you more specific ads. If you’re concerned about your

Google Chrome: Will Brave be brave-enough to dethrone Chrome?

Source: James Beggs (via Pexels) privacy, unfortunately there’s not much you can do unless of course, you install Brave. Or so they claim.

Brave like most browsers is free to download and is available on most platforms such as Windows, MacOS, Android and iOS. It was built

by Brendan Eich (co-founder of Mozilla) on Google’s open-source Chromium platform. Brave blocks all adverts by default.

However, it’s not an ad-free browser as it replaces them with its own ‘private ads’. Brave allows users

to opt into a rewards-based scheme which turns on these ads and uses blockchain based tokens known as BAT, that are given to both the viewer and the advertiser when an ad is viewed.

People can then choose to send these BAT tokens that they’ve earned to ‘creators’ of their choice.

In essence people can send money to websites they enjoy reading.

Brave also promises faster browsing speeds when compared to its competitors as it doesn’t need to load ads with trackers built into them. It’s also got most features you’d expect in any other modern browser such as a built-in password manager and the ability to pick a search engine of your choice.

With already having eight million active users every month, one can only wonder if Brave is indeed brave-enough to dethrone Chrome as the world’s most used browser.

Sumatran rhino dies Liv Davies Science Editor

I

n the country of Malaysia, the last Sumatran rhino, or hairy rhinoceros died on November 23. The 23-year-old female named Iman died of uterine cancer in captivity where she was kept for a captive breeding program in order to increase the number of these types of rhino in Malaysia.

The rhino was kept in the Malaysian Bornean state of Sabah with help from the local wildlife department.

Despite Iman’s health deteriorating over the past year, due to the cancer, her death still comes as a shock to Sabah and the country of Malaysia. Christina Liew, the state environment minister was quoted by local media - “Its death was a natural one, and the immediate cause has been categorised as shock. Iman was given the very best care and attention since her capture in March 2014 right up to the moment she passed.”

This death marks the final chapter in the quest to keep the Sumatran rhino species alive in Malaysia. The last surviving male Sumatran rhino died on May 2019 this year, Malaysia’s last chance of a breeding couple.

The species has under 10 individuals in the Indonesian region of Borneo and eggs have been extracted from Iman in order for IVF to occur.

“This will allow us to continue with the programme to try to create embryos of this critically-endangered species” says Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga.

The number of Sumatran rhino’s has decreased by 70% in the past two decades, due to poaching. Since females usually give birth once every two to five years, the chance of the population rapidly increasing is low.

This gives a bleak outlook on the possibility of population regrowth.

With widespread degradation on some of the world’s most precious habitats, this recent death of Malaysia’s last Sumatran rhino signifies one of many future extinctions that are predicted to come in future years.

With fewer than 80 Sumatran rhinos left on the planet, the species’ last hope lies in Indonesia. Iman’s death underscores the urgency of the global community’s efforts to save the Sumatran rhino from extinction.

Jon Paul Rodriguez IUCN Species’ Survival Comission

@CAERDYDD

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

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/@caerdydd

24

Caerdydd and Me

Stories from the citizens who make Cardiff amazing Tirion Davies @Caerdydd Editor

Events - December 2019 50 shêd o Santa Clôs December 5, 8:00pm Connie Orff: A Christmas con: Decmber 6, 8:00pm

Tirion Davies Natalie Graham

Cardiff Events:

DEPOT Cardiff:

C

ardiff has a vast array of citizens. From those who were born and raised here, to some who have moved from other parts of Wales, to even some who have travelled to Cardiff from all corners of the world. Cardiff is a big city, and around Christmas the streetlights get turned on and everything feels so much more festive. The colder months are bearable for us because we have Christmas and warm homes to look forward to. The same can’t be said unfortunately for many living on the streets in Cardiff.

When discussing the people who make Cardiff what it is, it’s practically impossible to not mention the homeless. Cardiff council have been trying to tackle the number of homeless people on our streets, but with the amount of those living in poverty continuing to increase in Wales, it’s undoubtedly getting harder to combat the problem. For those living on the streets, it's getting colder and colder and harder to live without shelter during the harsh Welsh winter.

Gair Rhydd spoke to one of the many living on Cardiff streets. Rowan*, who has recently been left in a position which meant his only option was to return to being homeless.

Having lived on the streets off and on since 14, Rowan has seen the vast extent of the treatment homeless people receive in Cardiff. He says, “students tend to be very kind. Snooty people don’t stop, but young people do give me some food, which is great.

The people in Cardiff tend to be really nice, to be fair. Like any city, you get your good people and your bad people but it feels like Cardiff have a lot of good people. Other than when people are drunk, you don’t get a lot of people being rude”.

Following the breakdown of his second relationship, Rowan found himself on the streets again. “My second baby mother switched up on me. One day I was with her when she was having our son and the next day when I went to the hospital to see my son, the nurse told me she’d left.

Wales Millennium Centre:

Your @Caerdydd desk

that used to be homeless don’t forget how hard it is. You never forget”.

Rowan recalls how many of the homeless people he’s met on the streets of Cardiff have been involved in petty thefts in the past as a way of getting sent to prison over the colder months. An extreme to many, but the aftermath of utter desperation for some. Winter is the worst time for homeless people to be living on the streets, especially in Cardiff. It’s hard to keep their items dry due to the heavy rainfall in Wales, and without the ability to buy extra blankets, they have to do with what they have – which is never a lot.

Rowan tells of how donations are always welcome, “it’s good to give clothes to charity shops, but we [homeless people] won’t ever see any of those things. Sometimes it feels like if there was a way of giving half to charity and half to a [homeless] bank it would be great”. Projects like Cardiff University’s Bare Necessities are much appreciated. When Rowan gets the opportunity to bathe himself or use a shower somewhere, he finds the soap in public bathrooms irritate his skin. With shower gel and soap donated by projects like Bare Necessities, he’s able to stay clean.

It’s hard to maintain hold of items in certain areas. “People can be ter-

ritorial. You’ll see a lot of fights if one person gets too close to someone else’s turf ”, Rowan says. Some of the homeless resort to stealing from others, and according to Rowan, “if someone steals your bag when you’re asleep there’s nothing you can do, it’s gone.”

Rowan moved to Coventry for a while, but moved to Cardiff soon after he met the mother of his first child. He noted however, that the people in Cardiff seem more sympathetic to the homeless than in the other cities he’s been to, “from everywhere else I have been homeless, I’d say it’s pretty good down here.

Maybe it’s because you see them everywhere here, but people in Cardiff seem really nice to us”.

Rowan hopes to gain work cleaning up Cardiff streets, "I’m going to start working on the bins for a few months, so that I have enough money to put down a deposit on private rent; my priority is to get off the streets”.

Having battled with sobriety, finding a shelter (where substance abuse is often a problem) doesn’t seem worth risking his sobriety for. Rowan hopes to gain any kind of work around Cardiff city centre; his aim is to be able to offer his children a sense of stability through a house so that he can see more of them.

Christmas will be hard this year.

He doesn’t want to impose on his friend’s Christmas with his own family but feels he won’t be welcome spending the holiday with either of his children due to the relationship he holds with their mothers. Christmas will likely be spent on the street this year, but he looks forward to any kind of hot meal which may be available across the city.

Despite the situation he’s been put in, Rowan seems optimistic. Having been homeless before means that he’s sure he’ll get back on his feet soon.

It’s incredible to see such optimism from someone in a hard situation. *Name changed to protect his identity.

To learn more about ways of helping the homeless this Christmas, visit: http://www.huggard.org.uk/ and: https://thewallich.com/

Being homeless at Christmas: A homeless man sells The Big Issue during the 2010 snowstorm on Cardiff's Queen Street. Source: Jon Candy (via Flickr) When I went back to her place, she changed the locks and wouldn’t let me in. I have a friend who's been kind and let me use his place as an address for letters and interviews, but living with him would be unfair. He's got a family of his own, he doesn't need me there as well".

Rowan says many are reluctant to offer money to the homeless, as the assumption is that the money will be spent on drugs. The little money Rowan might receive from kind passers-by will often go straight to his two children “it’s coming up to Christmas and I’ve given her [my daughter] everything I can – everything I can afford. I want to give them nice things at Christmas, so if I ever get money it’s just easier to spend it on the kids than on myself. I just want to get myself in a good place for them, so that they get some stability”. Before the breakdown of the relationship, Rowan was a stay-athome dad to his daughter and raised her until she was three. He doubts he'll get to spend Christmas with her this year.

Recently, Rowan received £20 from a man walking past where he was huddled in the shelter of a doorway.

Rowan says “he told me that he’d slept in the same doorway the year before. It’s nice to see that people

Clwb Ifor Bach:

Souljam: Return of the Disco: Tuesday December 3, 11:00pm Blanck Mass: Tuesday Decmber 3, 7:00pm WSTR: Thursday December 5, 7:00pm

50 shêd o Santa Clôs.

Source: Imagine Conmongt (via Pixabay)

The Curious Muchness of Stuff and Nonsense: December 5-7, matinee and evening performances available

Dazed Disco: Winer Boogie: Thursday Decmber 5, 11:00pm 3 Hwr Doeth Friday December 6, 7:30pm Skip Curtis Saturday December 7, 7:00pm

The Welsh Vegan WinterFest/Yr Ŵyl Aeaf Feganaidd Cymru: City Hall Cardiff December 8, 10:30am Cirque du soul: Y Plas December 5, 10:00pm Big Bones, Big Politics, and High Culture: How Dippy Became the Poster child of Peace (and War): National Museum of Cardiff December 7, 7:00pm Quids In! Pigs in blankets party: Pryzm Cardiff Monday December 2, 10:00pm

DEPOT Christmas Deck Chair Cinema: Decmber 8, 2:00pm, 5:00pm and 7:30pm Gavin & Stacey Christmas Quiz at DEPOT!: Monday December 9, 6:00pm

Walkabout:

Bad Santa Party: December 7, 8:00pm

Tramshed Cardiff:

Triple Cooked Cardiff: Christnas Carnival: December 6, 10:30pm

Bury Tomorrow

December/ Rhagfyr Devin Townsend 05/12/19, £25 ADV

LIVEWIRE THE AC/DC SHOW 06/12/19, £16 ADV

Bury Tomorrow

Gentleman’s Dub Club

Stiff Little Fingers

15/12/19, £20 ADV

16/02/20, £18.50 ADV

13/03/20, £22.50 ADV

Shed Seven

BABYMETAL

Jake Bugg

16/12/19, £28.50 ADV

20/02/20, £32.50 ADV

SOLD OUT/WEDI GWERTHU ALLAN

14/03/20, £22.50 ADV SOLD OUT/WEDI GWERTHU ALLAN

Sigala

Fish

January/ Ionawr

21/02/20, £18 ADV

14/03/20, £25 ADV

24/01/20, £33.27 ADV SOLD OUT/WEDI GWERTHU ALLAN

Hot 8 Brass Band

April/ Ebrill

13/12/19, £18.50 ADV SOLD OUT/WEDI GWERTHU ALLAN

Ashanti

March/ Mawrth

Dermot Kennedy 14/12/19, £18.50 ADV

February/ Chwefror

Bedlam presents: Hybrid Minds Outline Tour

Shellac

Kano

Gabrielle Aplin

Against The Current 10/12/19, £15 ADV

Sam Fender

14/12/19, £20 ADV SOLD OUT/WEDI GWERTHU ALLAN

Bombay Bicycle Club

26/01/20, £30 ADV

01/02/20, £30 ADV

29/02/20, £20 ADV

King King 03/04/20, £28 ADV

06/03/20, from £17.50 ADV 13/03/20, £20 ADV

All tickets subject to booking fee. Codir ffi archebu ar bob tocyn. | cardiffboxoffice.com | cardiffstudents.com/boxoffice

Crunch time. Everyone is so busy worrying about that little thing that might be happening next week. You know, that thing you definitely registered to vote in, right? Yes. Good.

Now forget about it and your degree for five-twenty minutes and take some time out to do what matters most - puzzles!

Place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, column and 3x3 box contains the same number only once.

easy / hawdd

Fill in the blanks with consecutive numbers. Circles mark the start and end of the path. The path must be continuous.

Hidato

Sudoku

FIVE MINUTE FUN

26

Word Wheel

Kakuro

Using the central letter, find as many 4+ letter words as you can.

Each letter can be used only once.

Can you find the 9-letter conundrum?

Clue: Unrighteously

Quick Maths 12

4

24

+58

÷7

x8

HALF IT

3/8

x3

OF

HALF TREBLE IT IT

÷4

DOUBLE IT

DOUBLE IT

+2

÷5

x4

+32 ÷4

3/4

+5

-9

SQUARE IT

3/4 OF

+5

-7

HALF IT

OF

÷8 +44 ÷3

Here are a few quick brainteasers to give your maths mind a little run out.

Can you solve them?

Fill in the grid using the numbers 1-9, each number can only be used once per sum.

Make sure you check last week’s answers at www.gairrhydd.com

The numbers in grey are the total that the sum of the numbers in the white cells in the adjacent row or column add up to.

Codeword We’ve got a lovely bunch of codewords (diddlee-dee) in the bank and here’s one for you this week!

These are tricksy puzzles which were first used during WWII to communicate information undetected. That was a complete lie - I have absolutely no idea if they were used for real codes, but one can dream and you probably believed me anyway...

E F

Fill in the grid with the letters A-Z. Each number corresponds to one letter. I’ve decoded a few letters to get you started!

L

Get involved on Twitter with #FMF and share your pictures with the puzzle page around the University!

Most audacious photo wins the grand prize of one gallon of fresh Cathays air. Mmm, delicious!

Keep your best suggestions for Freshers to do flowing in to @gairrhydd too!

Your puzzle master Michael Ash

WELSH WORD OF THE WEEK

ETHOLIAD

ELECTION

Got questions about housing?

Kate, Alex and Matt

We visited Student Advice

cardiffstudents.com/advice

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/sport

CHWARAEON

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

SPORT

28

Your sport desk Reece Chambers George Willoughby Ella Fenwick Luke Wakeling Olly Allen

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/sport

Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz: Will AJ be beaten again?

Gair Rhydd Sport preview the rematch between Joshua and Ruiz as the pair go head to head in the ring on Saturday in Saudia Arabia Matt Hancock-Bruce Digital Editor

O

n June 1 2019, Maddison Square Garden, New York, one of the biggest shocks in modern boxing occurred. Andy Ruiz knocked out the undefeated world champion Anthony Joshua at the seventh round to change the face of the heavyweight division. Now the two head to the opposite side of the world for the most anticipated fight of the year.

Not many could have predicted that Anthony Joshua would come into this Saturday’s fight as the challenger, but that is the status the former heavyweight champion finds himself. Joshua was scheduled to fight Jarrell Miller but the American was pulled from the bill for a failed drugs test. The fact that Andy Ruiz was seen as a significant downgrade to the man dubbed ‘Big Baby’ says it all. Ruiz was thought to have no chance, especially considering he had only a month to prepare.

The underdog stunned the world, beating Joshua, and to be honest, it wasn’t even close. ‘AJ’ knocked the late-

comer down in the third round, but this would prove to be the turning point.

Seconds later the champ was down.

The fight switched immediately, and it looked as though Ruiz might even finish it that same round until Joshua was saved by the bell.

Having survived the next few rounds, the seventh proved to be the end for Joshua. Ruiz knocked the Olympic gold medallist to the floor twice before referee Mike Griffin waved the fight off.

Anthony Joshua couldn’t believe it, nor could the millions watching around the world.

Dubbed the Clash on the Dunes, this Saturday’s bout takes place in a purpose-built venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the two will touch gloves around 10pm UK time. Almost £100 million has been invested in the event.

However the location of the fight has come under a large amount of scrutiny.

The three-sided gladiator-style arena has been built at the UNESCO world heritage site, Al-Turaif. The venues 15,000 capacity pales in comparison to Joshua’s previous bouts at Wembley and the Principality. There are also concerns regarding working conditions

and human rights.

Saturday also sees the return of British heavyweight Dillian Whyte who, despite reports of a failed drugs test before his previous fight in July, will be aiming to cement his place as number one contender when he takes on Mariusz Wach.

Elsewhere on the card, former worldtitle contenders Alexander Povetkin and Éric Molina look to fire themselves back into contention in their respective bouts. Predicting the result of the main event is an almost impossible

task. Joshua comes into the clash as the bookies favourite and his performances pre-2019 suggest he should be capable of claiming his titles back.

However, Ruiz was barely expected to make a mark on Joshua the first time around and his domination in that encounter suggests you cannot underestimate the champion. A probable unification match with the winner of Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury (scheduled for February) awaits the victor but for Joshua, there is much more at stake and that could prove the difference.

KO: December’s fight has a lot riding on it. Source: Flickr

Is Real Madrid’s criticism of Gareth Bale justified?

The Welsh star has faced backlash after he paraded with the ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid.’ flag Tom Walker Digital Editor

A

fter Wales’s historic victory against Hungry which saw them gain qualification to the European Championships next summer, Gareth Bale and his teammates paraded a Welsh flag around the Cardiff City Stadium with the words ‘Wales. Golf.

Madrid. In that order’ printed above the famous red dragon. Although the images from the celebrations became many Welsh fans’ screensavers overnight, they did not go down well in Bale’s third home, after the golf course, Madrid.

The Spanish media felt that Bale had overtly disrespected the historic club, with the front cover of daily sports newspaper Marca reading: ‘Disrespectful. Wrong. Ungrateful. In that order.’ In his first game back for Madrid against Real Sociedad, Bale was jeered onto the pitch in the 67th minute by the Madrid fans.

In isolation, it may seem that the response from the Madrid fans was justified. However, this incident is just one in a long running saga between the Madrid faithful and the Welsh superstar.

Bale made an unbelievable start to his Real Madrid career following a world record move from Tottenham in the summer of 2013. In his first season,

he helped Madrid to Spanish Cup and Champions League glory by scoring in both finals.

But in his third season at Madrid, things took a downturn for Bale. When Rafa Benítez was fired in January 2016, Bale was publicly displeased by the decision, and when Zidane took over his playing time was limited by injury.

In Zidane’s first full season as Madrid manager, the Welshman was again kept out for large chunks through injury, and in a search for a solution, Zidane switched to a diamond in midfield which left Bale surplus to requirements and turned the relationship between the two frosty.

The following season was much of the same, with Los Blancos picking up their third consecutive Champions League title, and Bale subject to just a bench role.

After scoring two goals in the final, Bale publicly expressed his desire to leave in a post-match interview. It did not go down well with the Madrid fans who felt he was casting a shadow over their historical success. However, he chose to stay as Zidane and Ronaldo’s departures presented a chance for him to make it ‘his’ team. But Madrid missed the Portuguese’s presence more than they expected, and tensions reached their peak after Bale scored in a game against Atletico but celebrated with a provocative hand gesture which was widely interpreted as

Viva Gareth Bale: The 30-year-old celebrates with Aaron Ramsey Source: FAW

an ‘up yours’ to his critics.

Now back under Zidane’s management, Bale has missed many games for the Spanish side, yet has played for his national team at every opportunity, which has provoked more questions over his commitment to his club team.

The speculation surrounding his integration, or lack of, into the Madrid team and culture has meant the Madrid fans and media have seen the Welshman as an easy scapegoat for when things get tough. From the outside, the criticism

levelled at Bale seems completely unjust, especially when taking into account his goal scoring record and trophy cabinet.

But injuries and his fractious relationship with Zidane have meant he has fallen short of the notoriously impatient Madrid fans’ expectations. It does not seem like a move away is too far into the future for Bale, and in the current climate it is probably best for both parties.

But no matter what happens next for Gareth, he will always be adored when he puts on the red shirt of Wales.

CHWARAEON

ToTo contact contact our our sport sport desk, desk, drop drop usus anan email email atat sport@gairrhydd.com sport@gairrhydd.c

Cardiff University Men’s Volleyball N through to the National Finals

29

George Willoughby Cardiff City Column

The team travelled to Dorking’s Ashcombe Volleyball Centre where they faced Sussex University, Surrey University and City University of London

Alessio Grain & Costanza Tinari

Contributors

E

arly on the morning of Friday 22 November, two buses left Cardiff Students’ Union in the dark. Their destination? Dorking.

The little town just south of London is home to the Ashcombe Volleyball Centre, which was hosting the Southern qualifying group in the first round of the 2019/20 Indoor Student Cup, the nationwide knockout competition organised by Volleyball England. Kettering and Leeds had hosted the Central and North qualifying groups on the previous two weekends respectively.

Teams from all over the UK meet in one of the selected locations with a common goal: reaching the national finals. The Cardiff University men’s and women’s teams faced a round robin group, up against Sussex University, Surrey University and City, University of London.

Unfortunately the women didn’t have it easy in their group, narrowly losing against City and Surrey by a few close points in their first two

matches. They did however end the day with a win, bringing home the match against Sussex two sets to love. Sydney Jakobs and Alice Dunlop were the stand-out performers despite the results.

The men’s team were very successful, playing some fantastic volleyball and winning all three of their games, though they had to fight for all of them. Each game went right to the wire, as they fought for the third set every time. Jon Kuan, John Morgan and Alex Chavasse were particularly impressive as the team excelled.

The results saw them top the group, eliminating the other three university teams and progressing to the round of sixteen finals.

The national finals will be held on the first weekend of February 2020, where Cardiff will find itself drawn against one of the UK’s top sixteen volleyball clubs who have won their own regional heat. It is the first time in three years that the Cardiff University Volleyball Club has qualified.

“We definitely did not expect this at all,” Alessio Grain, Cardiff University Volleyball Club media officer said. “It was great to see us finally

Qualified: The men’s team won all three of their games over the weekend Source: CUVC

coming together as a team and rallying to the end. We showed real fight and grit, and when we play well we can beat anyone. Everyone is excited and supportive of the boys. Good luck and bring it on.”

Success for both the men’s and women’s volleyball teams continued

into the most recent round of BUCS matches, which were hosted at the Talybont Sports Centre last Wednesday. The men’s team faced up against Bournemouth second team and the women’s team battled Southampton, and both games finished a solid 3-0 to Cardiff.

Cardiff University Martial Arts Club set to host charity event Seven Cardiff University martial arts clubs will be involved on December 8

Ella Fenwick Sport Editor

C

ardiff University students are spoilt for choice with access to a variety of martial arts clubs, many of these being traditional arts which includes: Taekwondo, Kung Fu, Jiu Jitsu, Aikido and Karate which is one of the oldest founded in the UK. As well as modern practices including Kickboxing and the newly founded MMA society.

With many of the clubs competing nationally and in Varsity, Cardiff University is represented by some very high achieving martial arts clubs. Taekwondo has won nine consistent Welsh Varsity’s and has some incredible medal winning athletes on their team. Over the past year Kickboxing has also brought home some great wins, one of which included a University Championship title. However, recently all the clubs have teamed up to create the Cardiff University Martial Arts Organisation (CUMAO).

Gair Rhydd Sport took the opportunity to interview, George Richards, President of Taekwondo about the charity event being hosted on December 8 by the CUMAO. Richards created the platform by clubbing together all the martial arts in-

volved within Cardiff University.

“At the moment, we are trying to build the foundations for the organisation so that it can thrive in the years to come. With this in mind we want to get some big socials running and raise lots of money for charity,” Richards explained about the union.

“It creates a network in which lovers of martial arts can explore the sports they love and get more from them.”

The first charity event to be hosted

by CUMAO is a “kick-athon” at the students’ union where spectators are free to watch with a donation appreciated.

Each club will have the opportunity to go head to head by throwing any style of kick on the pads that are provided.

“The charity event entails doing as many kicks as possible in a set two hours”, Richards detailed further.

The competitive streak is to be released by each club but in a fun and creative way to raise money for charity.

The event is inclusive to all members of any ability from each club.

“My vision was that we could do so much more work and help so many more people by coming together as a collective and to work on big events.”

Richards explained.

Each club is raising money towards separate local and international charities. Kickboxing is supporting the local

Thwack: Cardiff ’s Taekwondo face up to Swansea in Varsity 2019.

Source: CUSU

Dogs Trust branch in Bridgend and Karate are collecting for the Llamau, which is the leading homelessness charity in Wales. Jiu Jitsu will be supporting the Lucy Ellis Foundation, which is in aid of sepsis, through their participation in the event. The MMA society have chosen to collect for Cancer Research.

“Our chosen charity is Ty Hafan and the reason we chose to support them is because they are a charity that is close to the club and some of its members,” said

Richards.

On the official CUMAO Facebook page, all clubs can be supported in this event by donating to their specific individual justgiving pages, which are all available online.

“We are also trying to end the academic year on a high with a massive charity event open to all that will showcase all that our martial arts have to offer, so keep your eyes open for things to come.”

ew Cardiff City manager Neil Harris has made a promising start in his time as the Bluebirds boss. He has recorded four points from his first two games - a 2-2 draw against Charlton Athletic and 1-0 win over Stoke City.

Harris and Cardiff fans can be pleased, as replacing the beloved Neil Warnock was always going to be tricky. But, good performances on the pitch will go a long way in getting the fans on board with his philosophies. Speaking after the Stoke match, the 42-year old wanted to put across his message that a lot of work is required to get this Cardiff team competing at the top of the table once again.

“Time on the grass to work on things is difficult at the moment,” said Harris. “It is hard work, and fitness levels need to improve hugely.

Some players need to get up to speed as quickly as possible.

“When a new manager walks in they have to show that desire and application to play. Selection is not going to be easy, but they are selections I am going to make.”

This was Harris speaking after his side came away victorious against a struggling Stoke side. It was a functional performance, with the Cardiff manager looking for more structure from his defence that conceded two against Charlton the previous weekend. This was evident in the Stoke match, and it paid off as the visitors struggled to break down a resolute Cardiff backline that has not gone without criticism this season.

In particular Aden Flint, who continues to divide opinion. Flint partnered Curtis Nelson at the back and it was a decision that worked. Both defenders kept Lee Gregory and Sam Vokes very quiet.

What was noticeable was fullbacks Joe Bennett and Lee Peltier providing overlapping runs. This is an area Neil Harris has wanted to improve upon, as it can provide more width and extra attacking options.

Going forward, there are still questions to be asked as to where the goals are going to come from. Gary Madine has featured under Harris, a player who became an almost forgotten man whilst Neil Warnock was at the helm. Madine is definitely more suited to a direct approach, and he showed some great touches last Tuesday.

He assisted the only goal in the match with a great backheel and was a useful outlet all evening.

Omar Bogle has yet to really make his mark in Cardiff blue, so the striking options are fairly limited. Callum Paterson is very similar to Madine so maybe Harris will look to strengthen in the forward department in January. Junior Hoilett and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing are also strong options out wide.

Overall, this Cardiff side just needs refining. Harris seems to have given the squad a new sense of purpose and they are buying into his beliefs.

Winning his first league game at home was a great way to start life as the Bluebirds boss, and Harris will be looking to maintain his unbeaten run when he faces Nottingham Forest.

30 SPORT Jack Vavasour Cardiff Blues Columnist

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ver the last two weeks, European Rugby returned to our screens and we were reminded of why this is the pinnacle of rugby in the Northern Hemisphere. The Titans from all Six Nations take each other on in a battle of ideologies and styles. These are truly the giants of the game facing up to each other.

On the other end of the spectrum, Cardiff Blues travelled to Italy to face Rugby Calvisano. Calvisano are a side who play in the Italian Top 12. This is a side who don’t even have access to their nation’s best players as the talent pool is focused on the Pro 14 sides Treviso and Zebre.

Regardless, Cardiff still had to win this game, despite how easy it should have been. Fortunately, the Blues were able to beat the Italians 16-38. This was a good start to their European campaign and gifted them a bonus-point victory.

Following this, the Blues returned to the competitive end of the European spectrum as they welcomed Leicester Tigers. Both sides can be considered to be two of the most underwhelming sides in Europe at the moment.

This is not merely due to their poor performances but mainly since they both used to be European competitors, or in Leicester’s case a European giant.

Leicester won back-to-back European Cups at the beginning of the millennium. This was followed by a domination of the English competition.

For years Leicester appeared unstoppable, their forward domination was feared across the globe. Now they look like a shell of their former selves following the departure of Richard Cockerill.

Now they find themselves residing at the back end of the English Premiership.

Ten years ago these two sides faced each other in the semi-final of the premier European competition. They finished equal on points which resulted in the first-ever penalty shoot-out in rugby’s history.

Merely comparing where those two sides are ten years later is upsettingly worrying. Leicester can hardly buy themselves a victory and Cardiff are short on any form of marquee players.

Ten years ago, both sides announced XVs that would shake any player to their core. Now the story couldn’t be more different.

The result? A hotly contested game yet lacking in any real quality. The Blues season went from bad to worse as they struggled to grind out a defeat against the Tigers. They lost 11-14 as penalties once again reigned supreme.

To see these two sides fall so far is such a shame for rugby. Especially within Wales as no side has raised its head to fill the void left by the Blues’ decline. Scarlets had a few dominant seasons but are now a near non-entity. Is this the requiem mass for Welsh rugby? Hopefully not, but we need to see change and beating part-time Italian sides won’t do that.

Jonathan Hopkins. Source: Steven Lee Images

Jonathan Hopkins: “I am in the best shape I have ever been in” Welsh steeplechaser Jonathan Hopkins is aiming for a spot at the Tokyo Olympics George Willoughby Deputy Head of Sport

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ast year, Welsh athlete Jonathan Hopkins represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games.

Now, he is looking for a Team GB appearance at Tokyo 2020. Gair Rhydd Sport spoke to Hopkins to talk about his journey, representing Wales and the importance of not losing focus on educational life.

Steeplechase can be defined as an obstacle event in athletics where runners will have to hurdle barriers as well as dealing with water jumps. The water jumps alter the lap distance, either making it shorter or longer. The distance is usually 3,000 meters, but the event can also be a total of 2,000.

Without a doubt, life as an athlete is demanding, and Hopkins started his athletics journey early in his teenage years.

“I was playing a variety of different sports but realised I had the potential to do quite well in running.

“I decided to move to America to train at a university out there which kind of backfired on me. I didn’t run for two-and-a-half-years because I was injured and ill and the environment didn’t suit me.”

“My Dad was a steeplechaser when he was younger and he and my highschool coach at the time persuaded me to give steeplechase a go and try and qualify for the Commonwealth Games in 2018.”

Setting this goal was certainly a lofty ambition given the amount of time Hopkins had been inactive. He was unable to train and was trying a new event for the first time. Hopkins said this was all a part of a “four-year plan” and he realised early on that he was a

talented steeplechaser.

“I got better each year,” Hopkins told Gair Rhydd Sport.

“I qualified for the Commonwealth Games last year and placed sixth in Australia in the steeplechase.”

The physical and mental toll competing at such a high level is something that should not be overlooked.

Unfortunately for Hopkins, even after representing Wales in the Gold Coast, he missed out on Team GB and did not make the World Championships in Doha. Knockbacks are a big part of making it to the top, and Hopkins was fully aware that his journey has not been a straight path.

“As I have got older I have realised that there will be big blips.

“You have to overcome these obstacles and it is all worthwhile when it comes back together.”

“I spent three weeks in France on a training camp at altitude in September and I went up there on my own. It was three weeks of eat-sleep-train and it got me back on track.”

The Steeplechase is far more technical than just simply running.

The hurdles and water jump add a whole different dynamic. When he started training for the event, Hopkins quickly realised that he had a natural talent and mentioned the importance of enjoyment.

“I immediately felt like I found the event that was for me,” stated the Welshman.

“It brought back a love for the sport and

motivation and I want to get close to the Welsh record. I think I am about 12 seconds off the all-time rank.

“When I was in America [running] became a job, now I enjoy what I am doing.”

Representing Wales has always been a dream for Hopkins. Unsurprisingly, when he achieved this feat in Australia, he was ecstatic.

“It was the best feeling I ever had, Hopkins told Gair Rhydd Sport.

“It gave me so much fuel and motivation and I went on to have my best ever track season.”

“A lot of people have said to me that I still have not had my GB vest, but if you said to me compete for Wales at the highest level at the Commonwealth games or have a GB International vest, I would always pick running for Wales. It was a dream come true.”

Hopkins has continued to strive for more out of his steeplechase career.

This is synonymous with his athletic journey as a whole.

Whatever the setback or challenge, he finds a way to stay motivated and perform to the best of his ability.

The next target, Tokyo 2020 and the European Championships and Hopkins s a y s “ h e is on track.”

“Next summer is the Olympic Games and the European Championships so we

have two goals.

The minimum is to go to the European Championships with the goal to compete in Tokyo.

“I have to run a little bit quicker than my personal best for the Olympic Games and for the European Championships I just need to replicate the times I have already run.”

A mistake that athletes and anyone involved with sports can make is to forget about what life will be like after competing. This could be through a sudden injury or retirement, either way, you need something to fall back on. Hopkins recognises this.

Now, he is currently in the first year of a BSc in Occupational Therapy at Cardiff University. It is all about finding the balance said Hopkins.

“I did a degree in environmental science and nutrition and I was interested in anatomy and nutrition and it helped me with my training.

“Once I finished my first degree I worked part-time in a hospital so I always had something to switch off from my training.”

The 27-year-old has a fantastic story, and Team GB selection would be another accolade to his growing stature in Welsh Athletics.

Hopkins was the 2018 Welsh 5k champion and picked up bronze in the Welsh indoor 1,500m in the same year.

“At the moment, I am in the best place I have ever been in. Fitness-wise, my lab results are the best they have been and I am running faster than I have ever run [before].”

If there is something you take from this piece, it should be to always persevere and find a balance at the same time. Use obstacles as a way to reignite your motivation, but remember, there is always more to life than just competing.

Road Cycling team win numerous medals at BUCS indoor tournament

Cardiff ’s Lewis Oliva picked up gold medals in the men’s kilo and sprint George Willoughby Deputy Head of Sport

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ast weekend, the Cardiff University Road Cycling Team (CURCT) had a very successful time in the BUCS Sport Track Cycling Championships.

The weekend consisted of Cardiff University students competing in numerous events across Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday marked the first day of

action with Cardiff ’s Lewis Oliva picking up a gold medal in the kilo.

Moving onto Sunday, the Team Pursuit squad of Kate Mingay, Georgie Covell, Amy O’Hare and Grace Kinnell put in an excellent performance.

Kinnell had already set a new personal best the day before in the individual pursuit, and she was then able to help her team pick up a bronze in the team pursuit.

CURCT recorded a second bronze of the day in the men’s Team

Sprint.

The team of Rhys Pilley, Charlie Stanford and Lewis Oliva put together a great ride and deservedly came away with the medal.

Going into the last race of the weekend, Lewis Oliva already had a gold and bronze medal to his name.

He added to his collection with a sprint gold capping off a very successful weekend of cycling for the CURCT and for himself.

Oliva’s victory meant that the Cardiff road cycling team finished the

The men’s sprint team put together a great ride and deservedly came away with the bronze medal tournament with a commendable two bronze medals and two golds medals.

A great effort all around.

BUCS Highlights

CHWARAEON 31

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

UWE 1s 3-3 Cardiff

Cardiff 1s 1-0 Cardiff Met 2s Men’s Football

Ryan Dabbs Contributor

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fter 3 consecutive weeks without having a game, Cardiff went into the fixture with Cardiff Met knowing we would go 3 points clear at the top of the table after 4 games with a win.

The long lay off showed itself in the opening stages of the game, as the boys in red were fairly sluggish and unable to create any real moves from the back due to Met’s high pressing game.

A bit of a scrappy affair led to a lack of chances being made and plenty of fouls being committed. A couple of Alex Levy half chances were missed before Jack Fosberry made a great save and Harry Woodnutt a great block to keep us level before the end of the first half.

With the cobwebs still being cleared,

a change was made at halftime, with Stephen Thomas coming on for Alex Levy to occupy the strikers role. This proved to be an extremely good decision, because within the first 5 minutes of his introduction, Levy scored a brilliant diving header from Jack Harvey’s inchperfect cross after some clever work down the right wing from Will Stone.

Ryan Dabbs had a chance to make it more comfortable but squandered by hitting it straight at the keeper, making it a tetchy last 30 minutes. No real chances were created and neither side really took a grip of the game as we managed to see the game out with Cal Barry and Harry Woodnutt managing to prevent any attacks leading to chances.

A good win that will hopefully provide us with enough confidence to go into next week’s game against the Medics to make it 5 from 5 before the Christmas break.

Cardiff 1s 5-1 LSE Ladies’ Tennis

Rebecca Astill Contributor

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ardiff men’s first team had a resounding 5-1 win over LSE at the House of Sport on Wednesday.

The team had previously beaten them 6-0, earlier in the season, but this week an injury claimed the one rubber. The first doubles pair made up of fresher Abdullah Al Barwani and fifth year Dom Pearson, clinched a tight 7-6 6-4 win. The second doubles pair, consisting of second year Tom Davenport and third year Aydin Caglayan won their match more easily in a convincing 6-2 6-2 victory.

Unfortunately, Abdullah had to

retire from the first singles due to injury. The rest of the team made up for this with emphatic wins.

Captain Tom Davenport put on a polished performance, winning the second singles 6-1 6-1. Big server Dom Pearson also won the third singles 6-1 6-1, completely overpowering his opponent. Finally, handy Aydin Caglayan secured the fourth singles 6-1 6-2. The win secures the team a third place position in the southern premier league, only three points behind Bath in second.

LSE currently sit at fifth in the table. Considering it is only the team’s second year in the premier division, the first team continue to hold their own against some of the best university tennis teams in the country.

Golf

Iestyn Harries Contributor

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his week saw Cardiff Golf team travel to Kendleshire Golf Club to play the University of the West of England’s (UWE) first team in yet again a thrilling BUCS match.

In another close encounter, the team drew 3-3 with an impressive UWE side.

With Cardiff seeking promotion from Western Tier B, a good result was crucial for the team.

Tom Beckenham brought back the first point with a convincing 5&3 win against UWE’s captain.

Unfortunately, Amy Boote couldn’t continue her fine form this year as she lost 5&4, she’ll be looking to redeem herself in the next match.

Alex Donoghue played some great golf again but lost out to a strong opponent on the 17th hole. Donoghue is still looking for his first win this year after a tricky start to the campaign.

It was again, the Cardiff Golf debutant Alex Jonathan who delivered a second point for the team.

His accurate and steady golf proved too much for his opponent as he holed a great putt again on 17 to close the match - winning 3&1.

Peter Edwards couldn’t build on his spectacular win in Pennard last week.

The match was close all the way, but the quality opponent proved too much for Edwards in the closing holes as he lost 2&1.

The last point for the team came from Iestyn Harries, who held his nerve on 18 to secure a 1up win against a strong opponent. That vital win for Harries means that he remains unbeaten this year.

The team travels to Kendleshire again next Wednesday to take on UWE’s second team in another crucial BUCS match.

A strong bid for promotion will highly depend on results over the next few weeks.

Blue skies: A rare day of sun. Source: Cardiff University Golf Club

Cardiff 5-26 Durham

Men’s rugby lose again despite much improved performance against BUCS Super Rugby’s top side Ben Lovell-Smith Contributor

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espite a fantastic performance from Cardiff, top of the table Durham defeated Cardiff 5-26 at the Arms Park to take all the points back to the North of England.

Having been physically dominated in horrendous weather for the past couple of months, the opportunity to play on the artificial turf at the Arms Park provided the perfect platform for Cardiff to get their season started again. They started well, matching the physicality of the Durham side, but ultimately penalties began to suffocate them, forcing Cardiff deep into their own half.

Inevitably Durham’s superior weight forced them over after a strong defensive surge from Cardiff, to put the team in purple 7-0 in front. However, the pace of the surface reaped rewards for Cardiff, providing the field position for George Thomas to continue his prolific tryscoring record.

A training ground backs move from an attacking scrum untied the Durham defence as Charlie Dyde took the ball to the line and lifted it out back to Elliot Hayden and, after a fumble, the ball made its way wide to Thomas who dived over right on the touchline. Ed Dunford could not convert, leaving Cardiff still trailing.

The rest of the half was entertaining, Cardiff ’s backs showed incred-

ible subtlety and the Durham maul was one for the purists. Just before the break Cardiff put immense pressure on the Durham line, but were unable to capitalise. There was reason to be optimistic at the break.

Perhaps half time came too soon for Cardiff, as Durham began to open up in the second half, moving the ball away from the breakdown and using their backs.

Eventually, Cardiff were camped on their own line, and after a number of phases, they could do nothing to stop the livewire full back Nick Jonas darting through the defence and crossing the line from an attacking scrum.

Durham were now showing why they are top of the table, as they

dominated territory and possession.

In what felt like no time, they had scored twice more. Not only pulling away from Cardiff but also earning the try bonus point.

Cardiff came back into the game in the last quarter. When Huw Roberts earned good field position, Cardiff received a penalty and kicked for the corner.

A number of surges for line provided no reward, summing up Cardiff ’s night as the final whistle blew for full time at 5-26 to Durham.

The defeat leaves Cardiff in a precarious position towards the foot of the table. However, the much improved performance against the league leaders will give them newfound confidence going forward.

Getting to know...

Matthew Beville-Anderson Karate

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n this week’s “getting to know” segment sports editor, Ella Fenwick, talked to Matthew Beville-Anderson about his involvement within the University’s Karate Club.

Beville-Anderson joined the club in first year of University and was keen to get involved due to previous experience in the martial art, and has a first degree black belt. “My first memory of doing is karate was when I was six and turning up to my school hall which had decided to run some sessions. I didn’t actually do anything that session because I was way too shy to participate! But now I’ve been doing this for almost 14 years and don’t intend to stop anytime soon.” BevilleAnderson reminisced.

Climbing up the ladder in the University club Beville-Anderson is now the current President, and said: “I intend for everyone to get what they want most from training, whether that be training for tournaments or training for self-defence and finding ways to facilitate this.”

Beville-Anderson wanted to encourage further competition within his club and has entered the team into the Welsh Karate League. The karate club are involved in both BUCS and Varsity but Beville Anderson went on to say he would prefer to win the BUCS league, “For karate, it is a competition experience like no other. Coaches and competitors of the national team often compete at BUCS, so to stand there having received a gold medal would be the win of a lifetime. Plus, I can still beat Swansea there!”

Competing in BUCS since his second year he recalled it his first away trip as one of his club highlights “I think it was on that trip that I really felt part of the team and really felt a sense of belonging at the club. It was the biggest tournament most of us had been to, so to be encouraging each other and training hard for that tournament was really satisfying on the day, enjoying the competition atmosphere and creating inside jokes galore.”

Studying, competing and running the club would be a busy schedule for anyone but Beville-Anderson said “I’d say the key is learning to be ultra organised, and get scheduling and planning down to a tee. While it’s easy to get wrapped up in the sport your trying hard for, you’re ultimately at uni for a degree and have to plan and schedule around what you’re studying, not the other way around.”

Being part of the team has been beneficial to Beville-Anderson’s university experience, with him going onto say “In my opinion, if you have a good social network and a good social life at your sports club, it reflects the performance and mood in training and competing.”

With the option to join a variety of martial arts, Beville-Anderson said “I’ve enjoyed branching out into different fighting styles recently.

Cardiff has a huge amount of martial arts to choose from, so I think I’m a bit spoilt for choice, maybe I’d try Ju Jitsu as I’ve got little experience fighting on the ground.”

Beville-Anderson he would tell his Fresher-self to: “Get involved in the karate club more. It would have made the first time stress of uni more bearable. It would have been different and throwing myself into the deep end, but would be worth it in the end.”

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

sport

BUCS Highlights Golf, football and more Page 31

CHWARAEON

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chwaraeon

Mixed Martial Arts Cardiff uni clubs hold charity event Page 29

Bluebirds Column Solid start for Neil Harris Page 29

Welshman Hopkins aiming for Olympics George Willoughby Deputy Head of Sport

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onathan Hopkins is a Cardiff University student studying for a BSc in Occupational Therapy. At the same time, he represents Wales in the steeplechase and is targeting the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Deputy Head of Sport George Willoughby was able to speak to Hopkins about his athletics journey, life after competing and finding the educational and sporting balance. You can read his interview on page 30. 30

Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz 2: Preview Matt Hancock-Bruce Digital Editor

History makers: STM Sports play their home games at the Cardiff University playing fields. Source: Mike James.

STM Sports complete “fairytale” journey to Welsh League Cup final Olly Allen Sport Editor

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n 2009, STM Sports were playing in the Cardiff Combination Premier League, the seventh tier of Welsh football. But the last decade has seen the club go on a remarkable journey, achieving five promotions to reach the second tier for the first time in the club’s history.

Saturday November 23 marked the biggest game in their history, as goals from Callum Bateman and Josh Graham saw them defeat top-flight side Aberystwyth Town 2-1 to reach the Welsh League Cup final.

“It is a fairytale story,” chairman Geza Hajgato told Gair Rhydd Sport.

“We don’t know how it’s happened if I’m honest. We’re just riding a wave, keeping the feel-good factor going as long as we can.”

STM is an abbreviation of St Mellons

(in South East Cardiff), and their journey is even more incredible considering that they don’t pay their players a penny.

“Although we don’t pay the players they are well treated. They get the best Nike tracksuits, they don’t pay for training, they don’t pay fines, so we do look after them.”

Former Chelsea apprentice and Cardiff City youth player Hajgato runs the club alongside vice-chairman Nigel Bircham, who he says “deserves the freedom of St Mellons” for what he has done for the team and the community.

The pair invest a lot of their own money into the club, keeping it alive on many occasions.

“Financially at times it has been a struggle,” Hajgato said.

“But we do have five or six very loyal, local sponsors. It has been tough, but the cup run this year has obviously earnt us a few quid. We’ve never had as much money in the bank as we do this year.”

Due to injuries to four key players, 38-year-old Hajgato was himself named on the substitutes bench against Aberystwyth and came on in the second half to make his first appearance of the season.

But he admits the team were confident of coming away with the victory against their top-flight opponents.

“To be honest, when we drew Aberystwyth at home, we really fancied ourselves. We never bragged about it, but internally we were confident we could beat them.

I said to the players before the game you’ll never get another chance like this.

“We are known for playing very attractive football. If you look at the goal that won it on Saturday, it’s an abso-

lutely fantastic footballing goal. Aberystwyth are a very direct side and we coped with it reasonably well.”

STM will now face Connah’s Quay Nomads in the final in February, the side who at the time of writing sit top of the Cymru Premier unbeaten.

“It doesn’t get any tougher than Connah’s Quay,” Hajgato said.

“They probably spend in a week what we spend in a season. But we’ll cause them problems. If we can get on the ball and dictate that way, we’ll have a chance and one thing we have got is goals. We’ll head into it confidently, but we are also realists.”

The club’s story is unique, and Hajgato is confident it won’t be matched. “I’m pleased we’ve done it our way,” he said.

“I’m just so proud. It’s not just about the club, it’s about the community.

“This sort of story won’t happen again. I can 100% assure you of that. No one will go through the leagues like us and then get to a national cup final.”

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he boxing world was stunned back in June when heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua was knocked out in the seventh round by Andy Ruiz in New York. The pair now face off again, this time in Saudi Arabia, where a purpose-built venue has been constructed for the fight. Joshua is the bookies favourite, but it would be naive to rule out Ruiz after what happened last time. On the undercard, British heavweight Dillian Whyte returns as he takes on 28 Mariusz Wach.

Is criticism of Bale in Madrid justified?

Tom Walker Digital Editor

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ollowing yet another international break where Bale featured heavily for Wales, despite not playing for Real Madrid in the preceding weeks, the Welsh superstar came under heavy fire regarding his commitment to Madrid from the Spanish media and the club’s fans. Digital Sports Editor Tom Walker looks back at Bale’s Madrid career to see how this fractious relationship developed, as well as analysing whether the criticism is justified or not.

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