Issue 1149 - Monday 10 February

rhifyn 1149 issue 1149

gair rhydd

10 chwefror 2020 10 feburary 2020

Check out Gair Rhydd online

Cardiff University’s student paper | Established 1972

Inside: Gair Rhydd goes undercover to find out the truth behind ‘Essay Mills’ (p. 6+7)

UCU announces further strike action this term

Zoe Kramer News Editor

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he University and College Union (UCU) has recently announced 14 days of non-consecutive strike action between February 20 to March 13. The industrial action is expected to escalate on a weekly basis if the Union’s demands for improved pay and working conditions are not met.

Cardiff University is one of 74 universities across the UK affected by these strikes.

UCU General Secretary Jo Grady stated, “We have seen more members back strikes since the winter walkouts and this next wave of action will affect even more universities and students. If universities want to avoid further disruption they need to deal with rising pension costs, and address the problems over pay and conditions.

“We have been clear from the outset that we would take serious and sustained industrial action if that was what was needed. As well as the strikes starting later this month, we are going to ballot members to ensure that we have a fresh mandate for further action to cover the rest of the academic year if these disputes are not resolved.”

Cardiff UCU Media Spokesperson Andy Williams emphasized that the strikes are a result of what UCU perceive to be overwhelming workloads that are detrimental to mental health, as well as fixed-term teaching contracts, cutting of pay, rising pension costs, and gender and racial pay gaps, among other issues. He said, “All these things affect students as well, either directly or indirectly. Our working conditions are their learning conditions, and which student wants university workers to be overworked, constantly stressed out, underpaid, precariously-employed, or just paid less if they’re a woman or a person of colour?”

The strikes are an escalation from the week of strikes which occurred last semester from November 25 to December 4, which were seen as largely unsuccessful by UCU members. Following the last bout of industrial action, Universities UK (UUK), the body repre-

senting universities, met with UCU and negotiated an offer, but the Union felt that it fell short of their requests.

Williams added that “This is absolutely not what we want. In fact, these strikes can still be avoided if the Vice Chancellors decide to make us a sensible offer. But if the employers let these strikes go ahead, and then still don’t take their staff’s concerns seriously, there is every chance the dispute could escalate with things like marking boycotts, mass resignations of external examiners, and further strike ballots.”

Speaking to Gair Rhydd about the upcoming industrial action, a Cardiff University spokesperson said, “Whilst we fully respect the right of staff to take part in legal industrial action our priority is providing education for our students. The University cannot resolve these issues on its own. The University will remain open throughout the days of strike action and we will continue to do everything possible to minimise disruption to teaching and learning.”

Jackie Yip, Cardiff University Students’ Union President, also spoke to Gair Rhydd. She said, “[The SU] supports the forthcoming industrial action proposed by UCU. This mandate was democratically provided by students at the Annual General Meeting in November. I encourage all to respect and show support to those who will be on strike, many of those are fellow PostGraduate students.

“Whilst the strike action takes place, the Students’ Union will continue our efforts in mitigating the effect on students. Any student concerned can contact Student Advice for independent advice and guidance throughout this time.”

In regards to how students are affected by the strikes, Williams said, “We’d say we’re really, genuinely sorry that students are bearing the brunt of this dispute, but to assure them that we just wouldn’t be doing this if we weren’t, collectively, at the end of our tether.

“As staff, we’ve been politely engaging with our bosses for years over these problems and things have only got worse. We have to take a stand now to begin to save Universities.”

Dawn Butler: The Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities has embarked on her ‘Prepare for Power’ tour which recently brought her to Cardiff. Source: Carleene Lee-Phakoe.

Gair Rhydd meets: Deputy Labour Leader candidate, Dawn Butler

Maisie Marston Politics Editor Sam Tilley Deputy Editor

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ast Sunday, Labour Deputy Leadership contender Dawn Butler ventured to Cardiff to partake in the Welsh leg of the GMB hustings. After the event, she joined both Cardiff Labour Students and Gair Rhydd to speak about what is

driving her deputy leadership bid forward, her feelings towards the 2019 General Election result and the barriers she’s faced as a BAME Member of Parliament. To read more of the interview, turn to page 13, or head online to gairrhydd.com.

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Has the coronavirus sparked racism?

Gwasanaeth Ladies Rugby end cyffrous newydd i season unbeaten fyfyrwyr Cymraeg against Swansea

Tehreem Sultan Comment Editor

Pennaeth y Gymraeg

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he Coronavirus has sparked mass concern from many around the globe, with the true extent of the outbreak yet to be fully established. In amongst the mass hysteria that the Coronavirus outbreak has caused, some have used the virus as an excuse to be racist towards Asian people. Sometimes overt, but mainly covert, many Asians have been subjected to abuse – from verbal attacks in the street to being actively avoided.

Comment editor Tehreem Sultan takes a deeper look into the issue. Read more on Page 14.

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Llion Carbis

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reodd Gwasanaeth Datblygu Sgiliau Prifysgol Caerdydd hanes trwy gynnal ei gweithdy gyntaf trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg i fyfyrwyr trydedd flwyddyn JOMEC yr wythnos diwethaf. Ar 4 Chwefror, cafodd sesiwn ar sut i gyflwyno’n effeithiol ei harwain gan bennaeth adran Gwleidyddiaeth Gair Rhydd, Lowri Pitcher, ar gyfer myfyrwyr Cymraeg eu hiaith JOMEC. I ddarllen mwy am yr hanes, trowch i du8 dalen 8.

Tom Walker

Sport Editor

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ports Editor Tom Walker speaks to Liliana Podpadec, the captain of the Ladies rugby team about their unbeaten season and the upcoming varsity match. Their unbeaten run was on the line against fierce rivals Swansea going into the last gameweek. Cardiff responded by pulling out a 41-7 victory in a brilliant display. Now only a few weeks away from the big one in Swansea, they will be looking to end their three year drought of varsity success to top off the perfect season. To read more, head to page 30.

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EDITORIAL

Gair Rhydd 2019/20 Coordinator Elaine Morgan

Editor-in-Chief Tomos Evans

Deputy Editors

Charlotte King Sam Tilley George Willoughby

News

Charlotte King Olly Davies Anna Dutton Zoe Kramer

Features

Mustakim Hasnath Sam Tilley

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com

A note from the Editor Nodyn gan y Golygydd The reason for Nid y wobr yw’r ‘Awards Season’ unig wobr

Taf-od

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

Sport

Reece Chambers Olly Allen Ella Fenwick Luke Wakeling Tom Walker George Willoughby

Head of Digital Media Aliraza Manji

Social Media Manager Lottie Draycott

Digital Media Editors Sophia Grace Matt Hancock-Bruce Daniel O’Callaghan

Graphics Editor

Oli King

Copy Editors Boadicea Dowd Anurag Hegde

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.

Awards season: BAFTA Cymru awards on display. Source: Hraybould (via Wikipedia) Tomos Evans Editor-in-Chief

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t’s awards season. In recent months, there have been several prestigious award ceremonies taking place across the country, and indeed the world. Since the beginning of the year, we have already seen the BAFTAs, the Grammys, the Golden Globes and the NTAs take place.

These are considered the pinnacle of the annual calendar for followers of the music, film, and TV scenes alike.

For many, they are the culmination of an extensive period of hard work and dedication. But what do these ceremonies actually achieve? What is their purpose?

In short, they reward achievements and encourage participants to persevere to achieve their goals. If you don’t quite reach the top one year, you have the opportunity to reflect and develop your abilities in preparation for the following year.

Some people may feel as though these accolades are their actual goals, and that not achieving them is some kind of failure. This, however, is not the case as the awards are simply there to reward, and the real success is actually what you’ve done to earn it.

But the reality is that awards aren’t just reserved for swanky dinner-

suit events, nor should they be. You should reward yourself for the things you achieve every day. Make a list at the start of the week of everything you plan on getting done by the end of the week and then, when you achieve them, tick them off the list and give yourself a pat on the back.

We all have our own goals and ambitions that we achieve every single day, no matter how small they may seem at first glance. When we achieve them, why not take some time for ourselves? The best thing we can do is recognise our endeavours, instead of immediately focusing on the next step in the improvement ‘journey’.

A period of self-reflection and rewarding your achievements can benefit you hugely, improving your mental wellbeing and affording you a wholly more positive outlook on life.

It doesn’t take long to have a think about the things you’ve successfully attained, but the benefits can be farreaching.

The sitcom Miranda, one of my favourite comedies in recent years, features the iconic line from Heather Small’s song: “What have you done today to make you feel proud?” It’s a question that we should all ask ourselves more often.

So, with the awards season in full swing, why not give yourself one?

I’m sure there are plenty of things you can reward yourself for.

Tymor y gwobrau: Gwobrau BAFTA Cymru yn arddangos. Tarddiad: Hraybould (drwy Wikipedia) Tomos Evans Prif Olygydd

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ae’n dymor y gwobrau.

Yn ddiweddar, mae nifer o seremonïau gwobrwyo enwog wedi eu cynnal ar draws y wlad, a’r byd. Hyd yn oed ers dechrau’r flwyddyn, mae’r BAFTAs, y Grammys, y Golden Globes a’r NTAs eisoes wedi eu cynnal.

Caiff rhain eu hystyried yn uchafbwynt y calendr blynyddol ar gyfer dilynwyr cerddoriaeth, ffilm a theledu. I nifer, maent yn dynodi diwedd cyfnod hirfaith o waith caled a dyfalbarhad.

Ond beth mae’r seremonïau hyn yn ei wneud? Beth yw eu pwrpas?

Yn fras, maent yn gwobrwyo cyraeddiadau ac yn annog cyfranwyr i ddyfalbarhau er mwyn cyrraedd y nod. Os nad ydych yn cyrraedd y brig un flwyddyn, mae gennych yr hawl i adlewyrchu a datblygu’ch sgiliau wrth baratoi ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf.

Efallai y byddai rhai yn ystyried y gwobrau rhain fel eu hamcanion, a bod methu â chyrraedd y brig yn fethiant. Ond, nid yw hyn yn wir o gwbl gan bo’r gwobrau yno i’ch gwobrwyo, ac mai’r gwir gyrhaeddiad yw’r hyn yr ydych wedi ei wneud i’w ennill.

Ond, mewn realiti, nid yw gwobrau wedi eu neilltuo ar gyfer digwyddiadau crand, a dylen nhw

ddim chwaith. Dylech wobrwyo’ch hunain am y pethau yr ydych yn llwyddo i’w cyflawni o ddydd i ddydd.

Lluniwch restr ar ddechrau’r wythnos yn cynnwys popeth yr ydych yn gobeithio ei gyflawni erbyn diwedd yr wythnos ac yna, unwaith i chi eu cyflawni, ticiwch nhw oddi ar yr y rhestr a cymeradwywch eich hun.

Mae gennym ni i gyd ein amcanion yr ydym yn llwyddo eu cyflawni bob dydd, dim ots pa mor fach maen nhw’n ymddangos i ddechrau. Pan rydym yn llwyddo, pam ddim cymryd ychydig o amser i’n hunain? Y peth gorau gallwn ei wneud yw cydnabod ein hymdrechion, yn hytrach na chanolbwyntio’n syth ar y cam nesaf yn y ‘siwrnau’ o ddatblygiad personol.

Gall cyfnod o hunan-adlewyrchu a chydnabod llwyddiannau fod o gymorth mawr, gan wella’ch iechyd meddwl a’ch hannog i edrych ar fywyd mewn ffordd bositif. Dydy hi ddim yn cymryd pum munud i ystyried yr hyn yr ydych wedi llwyddo ei gyflawni, ond gall y buddion fod yn bellgyrhaeddol.

Mae’r gyfres gomedi boblogaidd Miranda, un o fy hoff gomedïau, yn cynnwys y linell enwog o un o ganeuon Heather Small: ‘What have you done today to make you feel proud?’ Mae’n gwestiwn y dylen ni gyd ei ystyried yn amlach.

Felly, gyda thymor y gwobrau yn ei hanterth, rhowch gynnig arni! Dw i’n siŵr fod gennych lawer o bethau i wobrwyo’ch hun amdanynt.

Christina Fowler Contributor

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shows they continue to champion LGBT+ rights as a priority” and highlighted what he believes the University should aim for - not just acceptance and consistency but constant improvement and understanding as our knowledge and community changes.

Gair Rhydd also contacted Rebecca Fisher-Jackson, the SU’s LGBT+ Officer (Women’s) but did not receive a response.

Whilst the University is right to celebrate its achievements by making it onto this prestigious list, arguably there is still more to be done. In October 2019, the BBC reported that homophobic hate crimes in England and Wales rose 25% between 2018 and 2019 and Welsh Assembly members called for urgent action after the data was released. Amongst LGBT+ stu-

dents at Cardiff University, there also seems to be a sense that more can be done to support the community.

However, Sanjay Sood-Smith, Stonewall’s Executive Director of Workplace and Community Programmes, commented: “We are delighted to name Cardiff University as one of our Top 100 Employers this year.

“We still don’t live in a world where everyone is able to be themselves in the workplace, as we know more than third of LGBT+ staff in Wales (34%) hide who they are at work. By taking steps to make their workplaces supportive and welcoming of all lesbian, gay, bi and trans people, businesses like Cardiff University are bringing us closer to a world where everyone is accepted without exception.”

How is the SU tackling drugs on campus?

Gair Rhydd speaks to Jackie Yip about the Union’s innovative approach to drug culture Charlotte King Head of News

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s Cardiff University enters yet another new term, Gair Rhydd sat down with Cardiff University Students’ Union President, Jackie Yip, to discuss Yip’s term as President and specifically how the Union is working to protect students from the dangers related to drugs given the increase in allegations of drinks spiking on Union club nights.

“Full on”. That was the way Yip summarised her first term as President of the Students’ Union. Rather than hitting the ground running, she described it as “hitting the ground sprinting”, and when speaking about the successes her and her Sabbatical Officer team achieved last term, she expressed she could go on and on forever.

From recycling crisp packets and improving environmental policy to record-high levels of participation in the Union’s alcohol-free events, and from increased sexual health awareness to improving student housing experiences, the President was ecstatic about the policies the Sabbatical team introduced last term.

However, Yip was most proud of the engagement at last year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), stating how “the engagement, the debate, the insight, and the passion expressed by students is more than we could ever ask for. I

think it’s amazing that students are facilitating these kinds of conversations.

It’s everything a union can ask for.”

As the conversation moved forward, Gair Rhydd wanted to delve deeper in the policies the President is currently working on surrounding the dangers of drug use on campus and if the Union plans to provide more protection and support to students given the perceived rise in drinks spiking.

Firstly, Yip discussed a project she is currently working on to introduce free drug testing kits for students to allow them to “privately and discreetly test the safety of substances”, but this policy will not be intended for students to test drinks to search for traces of substances but rather for individuals to test substances they plan to take.

When asked what prompted this policy, the President explained that “safe practice is better than blanket bans” and with the drug culture which exists in a lot of higher education institutions, a blanket ban on drugs can never be truly enforced.

The majority of students are at an experimental age, Yip argued, and believes that the Union would waste its time and resources working on blanket bans and instead hopes to open up a conversation with Cardiff University students about safe and unsafe drug use with a focus on reducing harm to students.

When asked whether introducing self-testing kits puts the onus on the

individual to make sure they are safe and if the Students’ Union should be doing more themselves to protect students from the dangers of drug use and specifically spiking within the Union, she replied: “Oh, there’s so much more the Union could be doing!” but emphasised that opening up dialogue with students is the first step to break the taboo surrounding drugs and asking for help, leading to a culture wherein people feel more comfortable learning about the dangers of drugs, the symptoms of spiking, and how to stay safe around substances.

Safe practice is better than blanket bans.

We want to give students opportunities.

Jackie Yip, SU President

As part of the Union’s drug safety and awareness initiative, the Students’ Union also plans to introduce amnesty bins on Union club nights. Speaking about the initiative, Yip stated that currently, the Union immediately bans individuals who are found carrying drugs on night-time premises. However, a new initiative being pursued by

the Students’ Union aims to introduce bins which would allow those queuing up to get into club nights to hand over drugs “with no questions asked” by dumping substances in the bins before entering the nightclub, which will then be “ethically disposed of”.

Expanding upon the idea, the President believes it will give people options; a “second-chance to decide whether they want to enjoy their night without a risk of being caught”.

Gair Rhydd then asked Yip whether she thinks there is a risk this could unintentionally glorify drug use on campus by encouraging people to simply take substances before arriving at the Students’ Union to which she responded that there are always checks and balances, people will take substances regardless of the policies in place, and the Union is instead trying to create a culture wherein students can “empower themselves to make positive decisions” by opening up conversations, educating them, and giving them options.

At present, it does not appear that the Students’ Union is pursuing any particular policy to tackle the perceived upsurge in incidences of drinks spiking on the premises, however it seems that Yip hopes by creating more open dialogue surrounding the dangerous nature of drug use on campus, harmful incidences will subside as students adopt a safer approach to substance use.

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

The Stonewall Inn: Cardiff University has made the ‘Top 10’ for the first time. Source: InSapphoWeTrust (via Flickr)

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ecently, LGBT+ rights charity Stonewall released a list compiling the UK’s top 100 most inclusive employers and for the first time ever, Cardiff University placed in the top ten.

Last year, Cardiff University ranked 11th, narrowly missing the prized ‘Top 10’ position; this year, however, rankings show Cardiff University is tenth in Stonewall’s ‘Top 100 Employers 2020’.

Additionally, Cardiff University’s LBGT+ staff network, Enfys, was named ‘Network Group of the Year’

by Stonewall for its work promoting inclusion, providing confidential support and organising events to raise awareness about LGBT+ History Month and Trans Day of Remembrance. The network has shared experiences from BAME, disabled and older LGBT+ people to help highlight the range of experiences LGBT+ people go through and what a strong support network can do for them.

Cardiff University Deputy ViceChancellor, Professor Karen Holford, said: “The University is delighted to have made it into the top 10 of the Stonewall Top 100 employers for the first time.

“This achievement represents over a decade of commitment to LGBT+

equality including policy development, introducing LGBT+ into our curricula, increased support for our trans staff and students and working together with our LGBT+ student community and our fantastic allies to create an environment where people can truly be themselves.”

Prof Holford also said: “[Enfys] has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 years and its recognition... is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of many members of staff from across the University.”

To score a spot on Stonewall’s top employers list, employers must complete the UK Workplace Equality Index. This is an annual, voluntary index investigating the inclusivity of a working environment, looking at workplace policies, benefits, community engagement, role models, customers and much more.

Questionnaires are also sent to employees by Stonewall to hear their perspective. Looking at both employer and employee submissions allows experts at Stonewall to cross-check and analyse submissions before releasing the Top 100 Employers List.

Cardiff University Student Union’s LBGT+ Officer (Open), Zachary Edge, spoke to Gair Rhydd about the University’s achievement, saying, “It feels incredible to know the University has not only been ranked highly again but actually managed to improve which

NEWYDDION

For the first time, Cardiff University is one of Stonewall’s ‘Top 10’ employers

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/news

Cardiff University named as one of the most inclusive LGBT+ employers in the UK

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Your news desk Charlotte King Olly Davies Anna Dutton Zoe Kramer

4 NEWS Students warned as woman found searching bags in ASSL Anna Dutton News Editor

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ardiff University have cautioned students who use the Arts and Social Studies Library (ASSL) as a woman has reportedly been seen rummaging through individuals’ bags. The warning was issued the week commencing February 3.

The ASSL, the popular 24-hour library located next to the John Percival Building, is used by many students, especially during exam season. Often, students will leave their belongings unattended for short periods of time while they go to the bathroom or grab a sandwich, trusting that noone would take their things. As this is the final semester of this academic year, if any laptop or phone were to go missing it would likely be a huge loss to students as they would lose invaluable coursework preparation or exam revision.

Earlier this month, Cardiff University’s Security Services issued a warning to students that there have been reports that a woman has been searching through the bags of staff and students at ASSL library and the department urged everyone to keep an eye on their personal belongings and remain wary.

Gair Rhydd contacted Cardiff University regarding this warning, to which a Cardiff University Spokesperson said: “We take the personal safety of our students extremely seriously. Whilst the campus remains a safe place unfortunately there are occasional incidents. That’s why we make no apology for reminding students of the need to remain vigilant; keep their personal belongings out of sight, particularly mobile phones, wallets and laptop bags and; encourage them not to leave valuables unattended for long periods of time. If anyone sees anyone acting suspiciously they should report it to library staff or security on +44 (0)29 2087 4444.”

Students entering the ASSL used to have to use their student ID, however entering the library has now changed and no longer requires ID within business hours for staff. Consequently, it is unclear whether the woman in question is a student or a member of the public.

Regardless, this warning has come at an important time for a lot of students as the second semester is in full swing, and with proposed strike action taking place in March, it is likely the library may become even busier with more students using the space instead of attending lectures.

Therefore, it is important that all students using the space remain vigilant and keep an eye on their own belongings as well as those of others to ensure no-one loses their valuables. If you do notice any suspicious behaviour, inform the library staff immediately and they can decide the best course of action.

Is Wales prepared to cope with the coronavirus?

And how is Cardiff University encouraging students to stay safe?

Olly Davies News Editor

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n Thursday 30 January, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global emergency following the widespread outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus.

There are already more cases of Coronavirus than in the entire 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic which infected people in more than 24 countries.

Public Health Wales has released a statement saying that there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales so far, however, it is “very likely” that there will be cases of coronavirus in the country.

The mortality rate of this strain of coronavirus is fairly low at 2% when compared to SARS’ 10% and Ebola’s 70%. However, with more people catch-

ing this disease, this number is expected to change.

There are currently two confirmed cases of Wuhan Coronavirus in England, something which, Chief medical officer, Dr. Atherton describes as “not very surprising” to doctors. The Doctor also reassured that the UK is wellprepared to deal with any cases of the virus.

Speaking to BBC Wales, he added: “We have been saying for some time that it’s very likely we’ll see cases in the UK. The news today that we have got a couple of cases identified in England isn’t very surprising...and the four UK Chief Medical Officers consider it prudent for governments and the NHS to escalate planning and preparation in case of a more widespread outbreak.

“We are now recommending that all travellers who develop flu-like symptoms however mild, (these symptoms

Is Wales ready?: With Coronavirus in the UK, some say it’s likely to make it Wales, too. Source: Dr. Fred Murphy (via Wikimedia Commons)

Ensuring the safety and welfare of our staff and students is a priority and we are monitoring the coronvirus situation as it unfolds.

Cardiff University Spokesperson

could be a fever, a cough, or difficulty breathing) within 14 days of returning from mainland China, should self-isolate at home immediately and call the NHS” on 111.

Cardiff University has also issued guidance to concerned students. Speaking to Gair Rhydd, a Cardiff University spokesperson said: “Ensuring the safety and welfare of our staff and students is a priority and we are monitoring the Coronavirus situation as it unfolds. We are following the latest advice from the Foreign Office, World Health Organisation and Public Health Wales. We continue to share this advice with our staff and students.

“This is a constantly evolving situation and we will keep our staff and students informed of any updates or actions needed.”

The University also states that for those who are impacted by the coronavirus, they should contact their

academic school as soon as possible and will not be regarded as absent. It further states that the interruption of studies procedure is automatically applied to students who are absent for over 14 days and “these situations will be treated as exceptional circumstances

by Examining Boards”.

It has been revealed that “a small number” of patients are being tested for coronavirus in Wales. Discussing the virus in Wales, Dr. Giri Shankar, Professional Lead Consultant for Health Protection at Public Health Wales, said: “For reasons of patient confidentiality Public Health Wales is not able to comment on individual cases.

“We can confirm that all Welsh residents that meet the current testing criteria are being offered testing. We are not disclosing the number of individuals tested in Wales because they are so low they run the risk of being patientidentifiable.

“There are currently no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Wales.”

Last Tuesday, the Foreign Office urged all British nationals to leave China to avoid exposure to the coronavirus. There are currently 30,000 British nationals living in the country and Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, has said: “Where there are still British nationals in Hubei province who wish to be evacuated, we will continue to work around the clock to facilitate this.”

At the end of January, over 170 tests for the virus had been concluded in the UK.

Are we entering a post Erasmus+ world?

If the UK drops out of the Erasmus+ scheme, Cardiff University reassures that students will still be able to study abroad with ease Sam Portillo Contributor

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s the UK leaves the European Union (EU), it undergoes broad legislative changes; some niche and only detected by lawyers, others perhaps more foregrounded. One such tangible feature of EU membership is inclusion in the Erasmus+ programme, which seeks to modernise education and training opportunities across member states. The initiative supports thousands of UK students in travelling abroad each year and takes many European students in the opposite direction.

On January 8, Parliament rejected an amendment which would have implored the Government to seek an extension to the UK’s Erasmus+ membership. The vote sounded alarm bells to universities which have long enjoyed participation in the programme and students who relish the opportunity to travel.

Despite refusing to commit to an extension, Prime Minister Boris Johnson reassures students that there is “no threat” to the exchange programme.

Whilst the country legally exited the EU on January 31, the remainder of the year constitutes a transition period, during which both parties can negotiate the details of a future relationship.

Currently, it is uncertain whether British involvement in Erasmus will

be renegotiated. The Department for Education reports that the Government is “committed to continuing the academic relationship between the UK and the EU, including through the next Erasmus+ programme if it is in our interests to do so”.

Under the scheme, UK universities exchange students with partner institutions across Europe. Whilst abroad, students can complete a work placement, which translates into valuable experience for potential employers. Many students cite the experience of living in a new place as being instrumental to their personal growth, as they explore a new culture, meet new people and expand their understanding of the world.

According to a recent survey, 45% of first-year students are planning to travel abroad as part of their education and a further 52% would consider it.

For those who were unsure, financial affordability was the biggest concern.

This is an obstacle which the Erasmus+ programme seeks to remove by offering travellers €300-350 per month, in addition to the usual maintenance loans and grants provided by Student Finance. The programme has been praised for democratising the opportunity to travel, an experience which may otherwise prove complicated and expensive.

A spokesperson for Cardiff University says: “We are committed to

the future of student exchange, and to maintaining our relationships with European partner institutions. The UK remains a fully participating programme country in the Erasmus+ programme until the 31 December 2020. Even after this date, UK-EU exchanges through Erasmus+ will be able to continue for projects won under the 2020 call or earlier, for the full duration of their grant agreements”.

Cardiff University has partnerships with over 170 European universities; outside of the Erasmus framework, it may prove difficult or impossible to maintain cooperation with such an ex-

tensive list of institutions.

The Government might prefer to spend money on “levelling up” education directly as opposed to investing through Brussels bureaucracy, it could negotiate a watered-down version of Erasmus, which snubs commitments to sport and training and solely focuses on student exchanges or alternatively, the UK could join Norway, Iceland and other non-EU countries in the next renewal of Erasmus, which runs from 2021/22. Much like the planes which have long carried students to places anew, Erasmus’ future in the UK is up in the air.

Erasmus+ up in the air: Will the UK remain part of the student exchange programme? Source: Wikimedia Commons

NEWYDDION 5

Does Cardiff have a knifecrime problem?

Students have expressed they feel unsafe out and about in the city

Alex Daud Briggs Contributor

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ithin 24 hours, two men recently became the victims of reported knife attacks in the city, one on Friday January 31 at 07:40 in Riverside and the other on Saturday February 1 at 02:00 in Butetown. Both men were taken to Cardiff University Hospital of Wales. The first man is reportedly in stable condition, but unfortunately the second man remains in a critical condition.

As a result of these crimes, the South Wales Police Department has been given the authority to enact a 24hour Section 60 stop and search order within the areas of Riverside, Butetown and Grangetown. This means that the police were able to search anyone within these three places for the complete 24-hours as well as anything carried by them that they deem suspicious; they could also stop any vehicle and search its passengers. The aim of Section 60 is to “prevent serious violence, to find dangerous instruments or apprehend anyone carrying weapons.”

While the stop and search was

meant to end at 14:00 on February 2, it was then extended by another 9 hours to ensure “the safety of the public”. Ultimately, 48 people were stopped and searched within the areas over the 24hour period and two were arrested for crimes unrelated to the stabbings due to recovering a “significant” amount of money and drugs.

South Wales Police believe that the two stabbings were related to each other and they are the latest attacks in a rising series of knife-related crimes across South Wales in the last decades.

The police recorded 1,309 incidents of knife crime in September 2018, a 38% increase from September 2009.

Two possible reasons given for the rise in crime are ‘fashion trends’ and county lines. Professor Jonathan Shepard of Cardiff University’s Crime and Security Research Institute stated the carrying weapons has become fashionable, particularly among those dealing drugs. County lines likewise refers to criminal gangs sending young drug dealers to cities like Cardiff and Swansea to sell their products, resulting in a higher frequency of knife crime. As both drug dealers and users are carrying weapons, spontaneous

violence and stabbings have become more common.

With this being said, Prof Shepard states that this is not an epidemic spanning across all areas of Cardiff but rather a “localised problem in areas where gangs are involved”. The Professor also stated that despite knife crime rates going up, fatal causalities of knife crimes have not and it is more likely for regular Cardiff citizens to be killed by a car than a knife.

Many students of Cardiff University have stated that they feel uncomfortable with the amount of violence in the city and if going outside late at night, they prefer to leave the house with a group if they can.

Not only has knife crime been perceived to be on the rise in the city, but more and more students are also reporting break ins and encounters with dangerous individuals on the streets of Cathays. Multiple students reported on popular Facebook page ‘Overheard at Cardiff University’ that they have had vehicles broken into, and more recently, many students have warned that individuals have been trying to enter houses on Rhymney Street.

Ultimately, South Wales Police has

said that the prevention of knife crime in the capital is a serious priority for them and anyone with information on the recent stabbing incidents should contact 101, privately message the South Wales Facebook page, or contact ‘Crimestoppers’ anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Crime in Cardiff Violence and sexual offences account for 25.40% of crime

More mud from nuclear power station may be dumped off Cardiff Bay coast

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t has recently been announced that EDF Energy wants to dump an extra 780,000 tonnes of nuclear power station mud into the Severn Estuary from Hinkley Point C. A plan has been submitted to environmental watchdog Natural Resource Wales who, after a six-week consultation, will decide whether the plan will go ahead or not.

The majority of crimes were committed in July

Robbery is the least common type of crime with 262 reported incidences Based on South Wales Police’s statistics for Jan-Dec 2019.

Cardiff’s ten year transport overhaul

Cardiff Council announce plans to revolutionise Cardiff’s transport system Aliraza Manji Head of Digital

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two pounds a day congestion charge could be part of a £2 billion investment package to develop Cardiff’s transport infrastructure.

These changes are part of Cardiff Council’s White Paper unveiled on January 15, 2020 entitled “Transport Vision to 2030”. This follows on from the Green Paper in 2018 seeking input from the public identifying their transport priorities and how to make Cardiff’s air cleaner.

On January 30, a vote to note the Transport White Paper passed comfortably with 49 for, 3 voting against and 20 abstaining.

These proposals have four aims: to tackle the climate emergency; reduce congestion in Cardiff; improve air quality; and improve public transport infrastructure. This initiative came about following a report by the World Health Organisation in May 2018 which listed Cardiff in a list of 30 towns and cities in the UK with high levels of air pollution, verging on exceeding the limit of 10 milligrams per cubic metre. Furthermore, Public Health Wales estimated that 220 deaths of people aged 30 or over could have been attributed to Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) pollution.

Councillor Caro Wild, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning & Transport, believes that this ambitious project will solve the transport issues in Cardiff as the “network was designed half a century ago for a city of 200,000 people. Today, once commuters, shoppers and visitors are taken into account our city has a daily population of almost half a million”.

He also said that “the climate emergency is changing how we feel about

On an unrelated note...

Hinkley Point C. Source: Hydrock (via Wikimedia Commons)

Northern Ireland’s first same-sex marriage to be held this week

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obyn Peoples and Sharni Edwards will be the first same-sex couple to get married in Northern Ireland on Tuesday. It is the first week that same-sex couples can legally get married in Northern Ireland. In July 2019, an amendment passed extending same-sex marriage laws to the country and from mid-January 2020, same-sex couples were able to register to marry.

“Vote Yes”. Source: William Murphy (via Wikimedia Commons)

Fast forward a decade: Cardiff Council plans to revolutionise Cardiff’s public transport. Picture above are the proposals for a metro service. Source: Cardiff Council Transport Vision to 2030. our future. It is beginning to shape our behaviour and point towards the action we will all have to take to save the planet for our children and grandchildren.

Getting our transport system right is so important for our city’s future and our children’s future too.”

Some of the key proposals include the Cardiff metro. This will be an extension of the currently developing South Wales Metro. The new metro will deliver a Crossrail tram-train line integrating the Bay and City lines with up to four services per hour in both directions, this will then be extended to the new communities in the West and East of the city by 2030. A Cardiff Circle line will complete an orbital route around the city, this will include a new Mainline Train Station at Cardiff Parkway, in St Mellons. Rapid bus services will also be introduced. Additionaly a new electric

bus network, linking up the new metro system will be built. The new network will utilise SMART bus corridors and will be given priorities at traffic lights.

These buses are aiming to be an efficient and affordable mode of transport with £1 journeys. The new bus interchange is set to be opened in 2022.

Additionally, citywide cycleways.

The creation of new cycle routes will be central to the future of Cardiff, with the creation of six new cycleways looping and linking the city centre with the wide outreaches of Cardiff, including the Bay. This will include the expansion of the Nextbike hire service creating 2000 new available cycles across the city and to increase safety there will be a 20-miles per hour limit in the city. This aims to be completed by 2026.

Moreover, an integrated ticketing system will be created. There will be a

new ticketing system which will be usable on all modes of public transport in Cardiff; including the metro, bus and Nextbike.

Finally, a congestion charge has been proposed. This charge aims to reduce congestion in Cardiff as in 2018 it was found that 143 working hours were lost to congestion. This charge will be applied to non-Cardiff residents at a rate of £2 a day, the money raised will go towards the new transport network.

The project is set to complete over the next decade, with Metro Phase One completing in 2022 along with a new Cardiff Central Bus Station. Crossrail Phase One is expected to be completed by 2024 with the opening of a line linking Radyr and Cardiff Bay. The full cycle network is expected to be completed by 2025 and the new Metro network opening in 2028.

Coronavirus negatively affects the Chinese market as it continues to spread

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s the Wuhan Coronavirus has spread, the Chinese market has been hit significantly with potentially global ramifications since the country’s economy makes up one-sixth of the global economy.

For example, McDonald’s has shut approximately 300 restaurants, Ikea has closed all 30 of its stores in the country, and Royal Caribbean has cancelled eight trips to China.

Shanghai, China’s financial capital. Source: Franck Michel (via Flickr)

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

FEATURE

ARCHWILIO

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Gair Rhydd Investigates:

‘Essay Mills’

Mustakim Hasnath Features Editor

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n this week’s feature, Gair Rhydd investigates the rising popularity amongst students to purchase essays and submit them as their own work.

Recent studies conducted by Swansea University found that one in every seven recent graduates may have paid someone to write assignments for them.

Many such services are advertised on social media platforms including the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook, Google and YouTube. Whilst some providers such as Google have removed thousands of advertisements for essay writing companies, our findings suggest that more intervention is needed if these services are to be completely discouraged.

Students wishing to purchase tailormade work currently have a number of options available to them. From contacting local, independent writers, who may be recent graduates to contacting larger companies, with freelancers taking on board the work from affiliated online auction-style freelance distribution platforms, our investigation has uncovered the ease of accessing content such as this. In most cases, the work is advertised as tailor made, with students being able to specify the grade they want

Mustakim Hasnath

Over the course of five months, Gair Rhydd has investigated how easily available essay writing services are and how they operate. Gair Rhydd understands these services are being used in Cardiff. Source: Tomos Evans provision and advertising of ‘Essay Gair Rhydd also speaks exclusively Mills’ and commission the QAA to to a former student of a Walesdevelop and publish a draft Bill. based university who writes essays We go undercover, finding out for customers across the UK. Speakhow the big ‘Essay Mills’ operate, ing to a university student from a speaking to essay writers and the Cardiff-based university, we uncover people behind these controversial how some of these writing services businesses posing as both prospec- blackmail students after the initial tive customers and writers. purchase of work has been made.

Victims or cheats?

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Gair Rhydd interviewed a university student who purchased a tailor-made essay from an online essay writing service and was subsequently blackmailed.

air Rhydd spoke to a former university student, who studied a science-related subject at a university in Cardiff. To avoid identifying the student and their course, we have given them the pseudonym ‘Riley’. Speaking about his experiences having purchased an essay from an online essay writing company, Riley revealed he was blackmailed to pay a further £500 to prevent the company from publishing the essay online, hence, exposing it to be plagiarised content.

lot of pressure to do really well in university because of how much you pay for degrees. So much rests on each assignment we do and sometimes it feels like no matter how hard you try you’ll still fail.

“That’s what I thought and still to some extent believe today. I came across a company online who sold essays. They were advertised quite a lot on Gumtree, which is how I contacted them. I messaged this guy about it all over WhatsApp, who promised me a 1,600 word essay priced at £120 for the next day.

“...he showed me screenshots of how similar essays his company had created passed 100% plagiarism free detection”

Riley submitted the essay to a Cardiff-based university.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Feature this week by

(although there is no guarantee this will be delivered), request drafts, specify reference styles and almost any other customisation.

Whilst legislative measures make ‘Essay Mills’ illegal in countries like New Zealand and 17 states of the US, with countries like Ireland and Australia to follow, in the UK such services still remain legal.

A UK Government petition to “Ban the provision and advertising of ‘essay mill’ cheating services” was put forward in September 2018, but after 6 months did not meet the required amount of signatures to be considered in a debate.

In the same month, leaders of the Russel Group of Universities wrote to the then Secretary of State Damian Hinds to “take action against the increasing problem of so-called essay mills companies that facilitate contract cheating by producing assignments-to-order for students”.

The letter, which was signed by 45 Vice-Chancellors and heads of organisations calling for new legislation to target such companies, urged the Government to commit to introducing legislation to ban the

“I was running out of time to submit my essay. It was my fault entirely for not managing my time properly and procrastinating as people do. I think there’s also a

“Although it was quite high in price, he showed me screenshots of how similar essays his company had created passed 100% plagiarism free detection and reviews from other customers. Whilst you can’t be entirely sure in that situation, you’re also vulnerable and trusting what is promised.

“Anyway, I went ahead with it after thinking about it a lot. The person I spoke to seemed to be quite supportive about the whole process, but at the same time I did feel a bit of pressure going ahead

with it because he’d message me almost every hour to buy the essay.

“He said that within his company he had a team of 20 academics who specialised in a number of different subjects. For my essay, he described the writer as being a specialist in the subject.

“I received the essay the next day and it suited the brief of the task well.

At this point I thought everything as far as getting the essay I ordered was concerned, went quite well.

“I felt bad about it all but at the same time I felt like I genuinely had no other option. I was struggling with my mental health at the time as well and there is a lot of pressure for students to make every penny of their degrees worth it.

“I submitted the essay online and with only 10% plagiarism detected, I thought maybe I could get away with it. Even though there’s a worry that you’ll get found out, it’s nothing like the sense of relief you get by having all that work written for you.

“Two days after the deadline had passed, I received a phone call from the person I had been WhatsApp messaging. They told me that if I didn’t pay an extra £200, they would publish the essay online so that the university would detect plagiarism and find out that I had cheated. They blackmailed me.

“I felt awful. I didn’t have that sort of cash to spend for something like that. The essay was expensive enough as it was. I felt hopeless and with nobody to turn to.

Nobody else knew about what I’d done. I was so ashamed to tell anyone else. It was a horrible time. In the end I didn’t know if even paying that amount would keep a lid on things. I couldn’t even take some time to make a decision as it was constant calling and messaging from this guy to force a decision.”

At this point in the interview, Riley seemed visually emotional: “I was left with no choice but to not pay the £200 and a week later I was sent an email to attend a meeting about misconduct that had been alleged.

“I felt awful. I didn’t have that sort of cash to spend for something like that. The essay was expensive enough as it was” “This is probably the most stressful time of my life. Eventually, I was given a zero for that module, which the university staff said was generous given what had happened.

“I get that people will be like ‘why cheat in the first place’, but it’s genuinely such a stressful experience to put yourself through writing an essay, especially if you’re suffering from poor mental health.

“However, I’d advise people who are in that situation to definitely seek support and not get someone else to do the work for you. It’s disgusting what these people do. It really gets to you man.”

ARCHWILIO

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Gair Rhydd goes undercover

Posing as prospective buyers of essays, Gair Rhydd approached a total of 11 essay writing companies who advertise their services online. We also contacted a further seven companies posing as hopeful writers.

Disclaimer: The names of the companies we have investigated are not to be confused with ones with similar names

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osing as prospective buyers of essays, Gair Rhydd approached a total of 11 essay writing companies who advertise their services online. From their own websites to advertisements on Gumtree and social media, our investigation has highlighted just how easy it is for students to contact such services for work.

Following requests from MPs, services such as Google and YouTube have already removed hundreds of such adverts. Yet, of all the eleven companies we contacted, all were advertised on Google as paid-for advertisements.

A number of companies we contacted claimed to be UKbased, with teams of writers available around the clock.

‘DissertationHomework.com’ was one of these. A common theme across companies such as this one is that the companies operate via one shared mobile number. In the case of DissertationHomework. com, this was how we contacted Peter, Michael, Kumar and David on WhatsApp, names which Gair Rhydd has strong reason to believe are associated with the same person.

The business is described as a company on its website but is not registered at Companies House. ‘ D i s s e r t a t i o n H o m e w o r k . c o m’ quoted us £160 for a Journalism essay to be written within two weeks.

Although we asked repeatedly whether the company had academics specialising in Journalism, this was

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recent graduates were estimated to have bought an assignment according to a study conducted by Swansea University.

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never made clear. When confronted

by Gair Rhydd, Kumar from ‘DissertationHomework.com’ told us that the company has a team of 80 writers from across the world specialising in all areas of academia.

Kumar refused to acknowledge whether the company is a registered company and declined to comment on whether he identified as a number of different names.

DissertationHomework. com operates via their website and WhatsApp, and regularly advertises their services on Gumtree. On Gumtree, the same mobile number and names are given on adverts in hundreds of towns across the UK in which stock photos of supposed academics are shown.

When confronted about these

It is common for writing services to appear on numerous advertisements on sites such as Gumtree, using stock photos such as this one.

Source: Pickpic

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cases of students across 58 UK universities during 201718 were caught cheating according to a Channel 4 poll in 2019 for ‘Fact Check’.

Gumtree advertisements and the stock photos, Kumar stressed that DissertationHomework.com is a large company with a network of writers offering “an essay writing service for customers everywhere.”

Gair Rhydd spoke to another essay writing service, who, like DissertationHomework.com, offer services to students in Cardiff via Gumtree. Speaking to Richard from another essay writing service, Gair Rhydd asked why he helped students cheat in their assignments: “Look, I’m not doing anything wrong. This is a perfectly legitimate business. I’m a hard working person who works at the best of his ability.

“I deal with the bookings and (we have) a team of professional writers.

My team simply write essays according to what the customer wants. It’s simple and one thing I don’t do is screw people over”.”

Responding to whether the company accepts that what they do goes against university policies, Richard said, ‘That’s not my problem mate, I do a job and do it very well’.

Richard declined to comment about why his company also operated across hundreds of Gumtree adverts.

We also went undercover, posing as hopeful writers for these companies.

‘Royal Essays’, is a larger company which operates internationally and is registered in Cyprus. A subsidiary of Writeperfect LTD, this company offers website content, essay, research paper and dissertation writing services. A representative

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cases of students purchasing essays were identified at Bedfordshire University the most number of cases for an institution according to Channel 4.

Gair Rhydd meets an essay writer from Wales

air Rhydd met a recent university graduate who shared his experience of writing essays for students across Wales.

Why do you do what you do?

It's easy money isn't it. I graduated doing Biomedical Science last year and I found it hard finding a job. Working nonstop for 3 years often gets to you too. You just want to chill out for a bit but you can't because there's the pressure of needing to get a proper job.

I started doing it because my friend did it too and she would always tell me about how it was easy money. Even if there are tight deadlines sometimes, you're paid way more than any other graduate job.

What do you do?

I write essays for money for undergraduate students who study biomedical science, and A level students. I do all sorts – project write-ups, essays.

How much do you charge?

It depends on the deadlines and what the assignment is. With Biomedical Science it's not as difficult because I mainly write up reports and do diagrams - which makes it such easy money. Say for a 3,000 word project write-up I’d charge something like £150 to be sent to the customer in a week.

Do you understand that what you do is against university policy?

I do understand that it's probably not the best thing for people to be doing, but at the same time I think it's not my fault if they're looking for loopholes. Our education system is flawed. Degrees cost a fortune and if students feel like they they're not able to perform as well as they're expected to, there's no support system.

Instead, they resort to buying essays and submitting it as their work.

And to be honest, I don't blame them. It's not something I did but if it came down to it I would definitely consider it.

from this company claimed they had previously sold essays to students at Cardiff University and had a team of 3,000 writers globally.

“Look, I’m not doing anything wrong.

This is a perfectly legitimate business” Gair Rhydd understands that Royal Essays, similar to many online essay writing companies, uses freelance agencies to recruit writers and recent graduates. Over the course of three hours, we managed to register on one of these freelance websites, at no point being asked for proof of having a degree or any professional experience and eventually be offered to write a 3,000 word Business Management essay priced at £240.

Many registered UK-based businesses selling essays do exist, however UKEssays (a trading name of All Answers Ltd), has been offering customers with plagiarism-free, model answers for any assignment as well as revision notes since 2003.

The company emphasises that the work purchased must not be submitted but is to “provide students with great help and assistance, and help them learn and grow.”

The company has a Fair Use Policy, in which they state that “UK Essays does not condone

students passing the writer’s work as their own in any circumstance.”

However, Riley argues that this is simply a loophole within the business model. “They say it’s not for submitting but I don’t think they’d exist if people didn’t submit them”. They added, “the only reason people buy essays online on such tight deadlines is simply because they can’t write it by themselves”.

Riley argues that even the guarantee of plagiarism-free content is not enough and that “if plagiarism is detected, it becomes your fault for submitting it when they don’t tell you to; it’s a loophole”.

“If plagiarism is detected, it becomes your fault for submitting it when they don’t tell you to; it’s a loophole” When we posed as a hopeful writer for UKEssays, a representative told us that humanities subjects are in less demand, with most of the site’s business being made up of Business and Management related assignment requests.

The representative also told us that the company had its own HR department, in which any prospective writers are checked against the qualifications they claim to have.

A different kind of service Gair Rhydd spoke to Moh, a former teacher who offers essay support services, distinguishing his business from essay writing services.

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air Rhydd spoke to Moh, who is the owner of ‘Mo Writers’, a support service which is advertised on websites including Gumtree.

The service aims to be different from other companies in not writing essays for students. Instead, the company offers services such as tailor-made tuition sessions both in person (around the London area) and online via Skype. Moh, a former teacher himself, told Gair Rhydd “It’s really sad seeing students cheat and do this so easily”.

“It’s reall sad seeing students cheat and do this so easily”

Moh does not support the work of essay writing companies and argues that “this is no way of having an education”. After quitting his job, Moh works as a self-employed tutor, offering these services. He claims that by doing this he is doing his part to “help the student develop and not just pass the exams”.

“...the value of education is undermined. It is becoming a commodity”

Moh also told Gair Rhydd that essay writing companies “hugely impact the value of degrees as well” When questioned about his opinion on companies using blackmail tactics to take money from customers after the initial purchase of work had been made, Moh told Gair Rhydd, ‘this is what I mean when I say the value of education is undermined.

It is becoming a commodity, something you can buy your way out of ”.

He continued, “all you are doing in that case is buying a certificate.

Especially if you’re doing a medical degree or something which requires some skill, how can you expect for example your doctor to treat you?”

Moh also said that such services are affecting his business: “People are lazy, they want to skip the process of learning and just be whatever they can”.

8

taf od

Barn y Bobol

Yn dilyn sylwadau am bwrpas dysgu’r Gymraeg yn ddiweddar mewn papur newydd cenedlaethol, dyma ymateb myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd ar agweddau tuag at y Gymraeg.

Anest Eurig

Myfyrwraig blwyddyn gyntaf, Y Gyfraith a Gwleidyddiaeth Mae’r erthygl yn cynrychioli barn anaeddfed, leiafrifol. Mae’r sylwadau yn rhai anffodus sy’n adlewyrchu meddylfryd cul iawn. Credaf fod yn rhaid canolbwyntio a dathlu’r agweddau cadarnhaol sydd i’r iaith Gymraeg e.e y cynnydd sylweddol yn y nifer o bobl sydd yn gweld gwerth i fynd ati i’w dysgu, nid yn unig yng Nghymru, ond ar draws y byd a hynny drwy gyfrwng dulliau cyfoes megis Say Something In Welsh.

Rydym ni’r Cymry yn gallach na digalonni dros dwpdra cul, amherthnasol fel hyn!

Alaw Mair

Myfyrwarig blwyddyn gyntaf, Cymraeg Proffesiynol Credaf mai cwbl anwybodus yw sylwadau’r colofnydd, a hefyd sylwadau sarhaus yn gyffredinol ar y Gymraeg. Mae’r obsesiwn gyda’r Gymraeg fel iaith ddibwynt a rhy anodd i ddeall, yn chwedl sydd angen ei chwalu. Dwi’n siŵr fy mod yn siarad ar ran bron pob siaradwr ein hiaith pan ddywedaf ei bod yn fraint i siarad iaith mor hen a phrydferth.

Er yr holl sylwadau diangen sydd yn ceisio chwalu’r iaith, bydd y casineb tuag ati ond yn annog fi a fy nghydsiaradwyr i wneud mwy o ymdrech i ddefnyddio’r iaith ym mhob sefyllfa posib.

Iestyn Harries Myfyriwr trydedd flwyddyn, Cymraeg

Pam fod pobl yn awyddus i’r Gymraeg farw? Mae’r iaith yn rhan o hunaniaeth a gorffennol Cymru ac yn sicr yn rhan o ddyfodol y wlad. Dyma’r iaith sy’n uno’r wlad mewn achlysuron diwylliannol, chwaraeon a mwy. Mae’n galluogi i blant ein gwlad ddatblygu o ddydd i ddydd wrth gwrdd â phobl a lleoliadau newydd. Mae’r iaith wedi ein closio dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf gyda’r Ewros, YesCymru a Chofiwch Dryweryn yn dod i’r olwg ‘to. Felly, pam gwrthod y Gymraeg?

Byddwch yn barod i wrthod y Saesneg?

Yr unig gyhoeddiad myfyrwyr wythnosol trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.

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

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

NEWYDDION

Torri tir newydd: Datblygu sgiliau yn y Gymraeg Gwasanaeth Datblygu Sgiliau Prifysgol Caerdydd wedi cynnal ei sesiwn gyntaf trwy’r Gymraeg

Llion Carbis

Pennaeth y Gymraeg

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orrodd Gwasanaeth Datblygu Sgiliau Prifysgol Caerdydd dir newydd ar 4 Chwefror, 2020, trwy gynnal ei gweithdy gyntaf trwy cyfrwng y Gymraeg. Mae’r Gwasanaeth Datblygu Sgiliau wedi’i leoli ar yr ail lawr yn Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd ac maent yn arbenigo mewn nifer o feysydd megis cyngor galwedigaethol, gweithdai meddylgarwch ynghyd â datblygiad personol.

Cafodd y gweithdy gyntaf yn y Gymraeg ei chynnal gan y Gwasanaeth Datblygu Sgiliau yn adeilad JOMEC i fyfyrwyr trydedd flwyddyn sy’n derbyn darpariaeth Gymraeg yr ysgol. Pennaeth adran Gwleidyddiaeth Gair Rhydd, Lowri Pitcher, oedd yn rhedeg y sesiwn yn JOMEC gan gynghori myfyrwyr trydedd flwyddyn ar sut i wneud cyflwyniad effeithiol. Dywedodd Lowri, sydd wedi gweithio gyda’r Gwasanaeth Datblygu Sgiliau ers blwyddyn, wrth Taf-od am ei angerdd dros addysgu yn y Gymru.

“Dw i wastad wedi bod yn angerddol am addysgu pethau trwy’r Gymraeg, dw i wedi datblygu cyrsiau Cymraeg i Bawb.

A nawr o ran yr SDS (Gwasanaeth Datblygu Sgiliau); dyma sesiwn gyntaf [yn y

Gymraeg] trwy gydol y Brifysgol i gyd.

Yn amlwg, un o bwrpasau’r adran oedd cael mwy o adnoddau a mwy o bobl i ddysgu sgiliau trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, felly ma’ fe [y gweithdy] yn mynd tuag at y pwrpas hynny.”

“Mae’r SDS yn chwilio am bobl i gynnal sesiynau trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Felly, mae rhaid i ni annog pobl i ymgeisio. Yn y pendraw, mae yna botensial; mae digon o fyfyrwyr yma yng Nghaerdydd sy’n siarad Cymraeg ac sydd eisiau mwy o gyfleoedd trwy’r Gymraeg.”

Soniodd John Steele, Pennaeth Hyfforddiant a Datblygiad y Gwasanaeth Datblygu Sgiliau, mai cynyddu cyflogadwyedd myfyrwyr yw prif ddiben y ddarpariaeth a soniodd hefyd am ei falchder o gael darparu hyfforddiant trwy’r Gymraeg. Dywedodd wrth Taf-od, “Dw i ddim yn siarad Cymraeg, ond dw i’n Gymro balch. Roedd gen i weledigaeth cwpl o flynyddoedd yn ôl i redeg un o fy sesiynau yn y Gymraeg i gynulleidfa o siaradwyr Cymraeg.

Roeddwn i’n awyddus i gael cynnig rhywbeth trwy gyfrwng ein Mamiaith i fyfyrwyr sy’n siarad Cymraeg ac allan o barch iddynt, heddiw [yn y gweithdy] fe brofon ni ein bod ni’n gallu neud e.”

Dywedodd Mr Steele bod ganddo gefnogaeth, a rhagor o gynlluniau i ehangu darpariaeth Gymraeg y Gwasanaeth

Gwasanaeth Datblygu Sgiliau: Y gwasanaeth yn creu hanes gyda’i ddarpariaeth Gymraeg. Tarddiad: Jomec Cymraeg (drwy Twitter) Datblygu Sgiliau.

“Mae gen i gefnogaeth fawr gan Huw Williams, Deon y Gymraeg, ac mae llawer o staff Cymraeg eu hiaith fel Sian Morgan Lloyd yn ein cefnogi. Mae gen i aelod Cymraeg gyda Lowri ac rydym yn edrych i recriwtio rhagor o siaradwyr Cymraeg yn y tîm.”

“Hoffwn greu gwaddol bod y Gymraeg yn rhan o’r SDS am byth, ac yn hytrach bod un sesiwn yn unig y Gym-

raeg, efallai bod dau neu dri [o sesiynau trwy’r Gymraeg] a thyfu o’r safle hynny.

Ein syniad yw cael sesiynau ymroddedig i siaradwyr Cymraeg yn yr amserlen fel bod myfyrwyr Cymraeg eu hiaith yn gallu dewis yr opsiwn hynny a mwynhau’r sesiynau.”

Y gobaith ydy y bydd sesiwn agored trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg yn cael ei chynnal yn fuan. Dilynwch @SDScardiff ar Drydar i ddarganfod mwy.

DIWYLLIANT

O’r Llyfr i’r Llwyfan: Llyfr Glas Nebo

Ffenomen Manon Steffan Ros sydd ar y ffordd i Theatr y Sherman Deio Jones Golygydd Taf-od

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ydd Llun, y 10fed o Chwefror, mae Cwmni’r Frân Wen yn dod ar eu taith ar hyd y wlad draw i Theatr y Sherman i berfformio Llyfr Glas Nebo. Mae’r sioe yn addasiad o’r nofel a enillodd y Fedal Ryddiaith yn Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Caerdydd 2018 i Manon Steffan Ros. Mae’r sioe o dan awenau Manon a’r cyfarwyddwr ifanc, Elgan Rhys, a chafodd lawer o foliant a chlod am ei waith diweddar Woof, a dderbyniodd bedwar seren gan The Guardian. Ymysg y cast mae Tara Bethan, Eben James, Cêt Haf, Leah Gaffey a Llŷr Edwards.

Mae’r sioe wedi ei osod mewn oes ôl-apocolyptaidd, lle gwelwn Rowenna (Tara Bethan) a’i mab Siôn (Eben James) yn ceisio dygymod a’r ffaith eu bod yn byw mewn byd lle mae bywyd yn diflannu ar raddfa sydyn. Gwelwn holl newidiadau eu taith drwy fywyd wrth iddynt ddygymod gyda’r fath newid i’r byd sydd yn disgyn o eu cwmpas.

Bûm yn ddigon ffodus o gael y cyfle i fynd at y criw a chast yn ystod eu hwythnos gyntaf o ymarfer ym mis Ionawr, draw yn y Galeri yng Nghaernarfon. I’r rhai sydd yn gefnogwyr o’r theatr, cewch weld fod y sylw tuag at fanylion yn anghredadwy o berffaith. Mae’r goreograffiaeth gan Matt Gough yn wefreiddiol, wrth i bob emosiwn gael ei gyfleu cyn i unrhyw un o’r actorion ddweud gair. Mae’r criw yn llwyr haeddiannol o lawer o glod o ran creu naws a gwelir hynny’n amlwg yn eu gwaith. Cyfansoddwyd y gerddoriaeth gan R. Seiliog, cynhyrchwyd y gwisgoedd a’r set gan Elin Steele ac Edie Morris, cynhyrchwyd y pypedau gan Olivia Racionzer, y Dylunydd Golau yw Ceri James a’r dramaturg yw Gethin Evans. Mae’n sâff dweud fod eu cyfraniad nhw yn hanfodol i’r campwaith o sioe hwn.

Mae’n dweud y cyfan ym mha mor sydyn mae’r sioe wedi gwerthu ei tocynnau i gyd. Mae’r daith yn mynd i 11 theatr ar y cyfan, sef y Galeri yng Nghaernarfon, Neuadd Dwyfor ym Mhwllheli, Theatr y Sherman yng Nghaerdydd, Theatr Brycheiniog yn

Datblygiad Nofel: Mae Llyfr Glas Nebo wedi cael llawer o lwyddiant ers 2018. Tarddiad: Cwmni Frân Wen Aberhonddu, Canolfan Gelfyddydau Aberystwyth, Y Stiwt yn Rhosllannerchrugog, Canolfan Gartholwg ym Mhontypridd, Lyric yng Nghaerfyrddin, Canolfan Celfyddydau Pontardawe, Theatr Felinfach yn Nyffryn Aeron a Pontio ym Mangor.

Mae’r nofel wedi cael cryndipyn o sylw’n rhyngwladol hefyd, wrth i’r addasiad Saesneg gyrraedd desg asiant yn yr Unol Daliaethau. Mae’r

llyfr wedi cyrraedd Manhattan, Efrog Newydd ac mae asiant yn ceisio ei werthu yno ar hyn o bryd, yn ôl Manon Steffan Ros. Yn ôl golwg360, gwerthwyd 5000 copi o’r llyfr yn 2018, ac mae’r rhif yn dal i gynyddu hyd heddiw.

Bydd Llyfr Glas Nebo yn Theatr y Sherman, Caerdydd ar Chwefror 10 am 7:30yh, a’r Chwefror 11 am 1:30yh a 7:30yh.

TAF-OD

Cymro’n camu i’r sgrîn fawr

Ennillwyr Newyddiaduraeth Gymraeg Orau - Gwobrau SPA Cymru 2019

Pryd o Daf-od

Heledd Ainsworth, un o lysgenhadon newydd y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol sy’n bwrw golwg dros eu cynllun strategol ar gyfer y pum mlynedd nesaf.

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ansiodd y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol eu cynllun strategol newydd ar gyfer y pum mlynedd nesaf. Fel llysgennad

newydd y Coleg, fe fynychais y gynhadledd a oedd yn gosod gweledigaeth uchelgeisiol y sefydliad rhwng 2020-2025.

Mae’r Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol yn cael ei weld fel corff arweiniol sy’n arwain datblygiad addysg a hyfforddiant cyfrwng Cymraeg a dwyieithog yng nghyd-destun addysg ôl-16 ac addysg uwch. Dim syndod felly fod yr iaith Gymraeg yn ganolog i’r strategaeth newydd hwn, a’r prif weledigaeth oedd sicrhau bod y Gymraeg yn ‘rhan o batrwm dysgu gydol oes pobl Cymru’ a hyn er mwyn hybu defnydd o’r Gymraeg a chyfrannu at gyflawni nod y llywodraeth o gyrraedd miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050.

Cyflwynwyd chwe blaenoriaeth strategol ar gyfer y blynyddoedd nesaf, gan gynnwys arwain datblygiad a gweithrediad polisi ieithyddol yng Nghymru yng nghyd-destun addysg ôl-orfodol, cyfoethogi profiad myfyrwyr Cymraeg a dysgwyr, arloesi a chyfrannu at les cenedlaethau’r dyfodol, cydweithio’n rhagarweiniol gyda phartneriaid, cyfrannu at ddyfodol disglair addysg ôl-16 Cymraeg ac yn olaf, i weithio’n broffesiynol ac

Trafod gyda’r

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

Cai Edwards, Optometreg.

Fory.

2. Beth yw’r digwyddiad sy’n codi’r mwyaf o embaras arnat?

10. Beth yw dy gas beth?

effeithiol.

Amlinella’r cynllun ddatblygiad addysg a hyfforddiant cyfrwng Cymraeg a dwyieithog yn y sector ôl orfodol yng Nghymru. Dywedodd Prif Weithredwr y Coleg, Dr Ioan Matthews bod y Cynllun Strategol hwn yn ‘mynegi gweledigaeth uchelgeisiol ar gyfer y Coleg, fel corff arweiniol sy’n gwreiddio’r Gymraeg fel rhan hanfodol o batrwm dysgu gydol oes pobl Cymru, ac yn benodol yng nghyd-destun addysg uwch.’

Heb os, mae cynnydd sylweddol wedi’i weld yn y ddarpariaeth cyfrwng Cymraeg mewn prifysgolion yng Nghymru ar draws y ddegawd ddiwethaf, o ran y dewis helaeth o bynciau a gynigir i fyfyrwyr. Er enghraifft, yn 2011, dim ond 12 o’r prif feysydd astudio oedd ar gael drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Yn 2019/20, mae 26 bellach ar gael. Bwriad y coleg yw cynyddu’r nifer hwn ymhellach er mwyn sicrhau bod mwy o fyfyrywr â sgiliau uwch dwyieithog yn graddio mewn amryw o bynciau gwahanol.

Er bod y Coleg eisoes wedi cymryd sawl cam i gryfhau’r cyfleoedd ar gyfer dysgwyr dros 16 oed, drwy ddarparu grant hybu a hyrwyddo newydd,

Bod ar crutches.

3. Beth oedd dy air cyntaf?

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

Gerdon.

Noson allan ‘unplanned’.

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

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

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

C

Cai Edwards

1. Pwy wyt ti a beth wyt ti’n astudio?

King Kunta gan Kendrick Lamar.

Golygydd Taf-od

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

taf-od

Cael damwain ar lawr Trefs.

Rhodri Davies

Blaidd, i gael fod efo’r wolfpack.

Paned?: Cai yn joio paned yn ei gwpan Cymru.

Tarddiad: Cai Edwards

13. Disgrifia dy hun mewn 3 gair.

Chicken Bhuna.

Cai Gruffudd Edwards.

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

14. Pwy fydd yn trafod ‘da’r Taf-od wythnos nesaf?

Jennifer Aniston.

Morgan Roberts.

7. Pwy yw dy hoff fand/artist?

Bwncath.

8. Prosecco neu champagne?

Pam? Champagne. Mae ‘n drewi llai.

Cai a’r Cwpan: Tybed a fydd Cai byth yn cael ei ddwylo ar hwn? Tarddiad: Cai Edwards

teimlent bod nifer o gamau sydd angen eu cymryd i gryfhau’r strwythur staffio a hyfforddwyr i weithio gyda dysgwyr i ddatblygu sgiliau Cymraeg.

Dyna y ceisir ei gyflawni’n y blynyddoedd nesaf drwy’r cynllun hwn, gan geisio annog fwyfwy o fyfyrwyr i ddefnyddio’u sgiliau dwyieithog wedyn mewn cyd-destunau megis y gweithle ac o fewn cymdeithas yn ehangach.

Yn ôl y Gweinidog Addysg Kirsty Williams, mae’r cynllun yn un uchelgeisiol ac yn adeiladu ar waith rhagorol y Coleg sydd wedi digwydd dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Dywedodd mai calonogol yw gweld bod nifer y bobl sy’n dewis astudio rhagor o’u cyrsiau trwy gyfwng y Gymraeg ar gynnydd a’i bod yn edrych ymlaen at weld cynnydd pellach mewn addysg uwch trwy gyfrwng yr iaith. Nododd bod addysg Gymraeg yn ganolog i wireddu nod y llywodraeth o gyrraedd miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050.

Fel nododd Dr Haydn E Edwards, Cadeirydd y Coleg Cymraeg, ‘Mae’r Cynllun yn un uchelgeisiol – mae angen i’n Prifysgolion a’n Colegau ni fod hefyd.’

ymro yw’r “arwr anhysbys” mewn ffilm newydd o’r enw “Mr Jones.” Wedi’i osod yn y 30au, mae’r ffilm yn adrodd hanes newyddiadurwr ifanc o’r Bari, Sir Forgannwg a ddatgelodd newyn yn yr Wcrain. Mae’r newyn yma bellach yn cael ei adnabod fel yr Holodomor. Mae’n cael ei gydnabod fel hilladdiad (genocide). Cafodd y newyn hwn, a gafodd ei orfodi gan Joseph Stalin ei adrodd yn y Western Mail gan Gareth Jones. Mae’r ffilm yn dilyn ymdrech Jones i ddatgelu’r gwir ymysg llawer o rwystrau gan gynnwys y New York Times yn tanseilio’r stori. Y trywydd am wirionedd sy’n sbarduno’r ffilm.

James Norton sy’n chwarae’r brif ran. Mae Norton yn adnabyddus am ei waith mewn cyfresi teledu megis McMafia, The Trial of Christene Keeler a War and Peace.

Mae cysylltiad y newyddiadurwr a â Chymru’n cael ei hoelio yn y ffilm gyda’r actorion Celyn Jones a Julian Lewis Jones yn ymddangos yn y ffilm. Hefyd cawn glywed Norton yn siarad rywfaint o Gymraeg yn y ffilm wrth iddo siarad gyda’i deulu.

Yn ogystal â’r sêr uchod, mae Vanessa Kirby, a chwareodd y dywysoges Margaret yn y ddwy gyfres gyntaf o’r ddrama Netflix - The Crown , yn ymddangos ynddo. Mae Kirby yn chwarae rhan Ada Brown. Mae hefyd portreadau o David LloydGeorge sef Prif Weinidog Prydain ar y pryd a oedd yn Gymro, a’r awdur George Orwell.

Newyddiadurwr ifanc oedd Gareth Jones pan ddechreuodd adrodd yn ôl i Gymru am hanesion Ewropeaidd ar ddechrau’r ‘30au. Bu’n adrodd yn ôl am Hitler a’r Blaid Natsiaidd yn codi i rym. Roedd Jones yn Leipzig y diwrnod ddaeth Hitler yn Ganghellor ac fe deithiodd yn awyren gyflymaf yr Almaen gyda Hitler ar y diwrnod hynny. Adroddodd y byddai hanes Ewrop wedi newid yn gyfan gwbl pe bai’r awyren hwnnw wedi cael damwain.

Er nad ydyw wir yn anhysbus gyda chofeb iddo yn yr Hen Goleg yn Aberystwyth; gobaith cyfarwyddwr Pwylaidd y ffilm, Agnieszka Holland, oedd i godi mwy o ymwybyddiaeth. Dyma ddarn o’i chyfweliad hi gyda BBC Cymru Fyw, a ddywedodd.

“Rwy’n teimlo balchder, fel rhywun o Wlad Pwyl, fy mod yn gallu cyflwyno’r arwr anhysbys yma i bobl Cymru. Arwr nad yw’n adnabyddus iawn, o leiaf.

“Ac mae e’n berson dangosodd dewrder, deallusrwydd a dyfalbarhad a allai fod yn fodel i lawer o newyddiadurwyr.”

Er bod hon yn ffilm sy’n bwrw golwg yn ôl i’r gorffennol, mae Holland yn gobeithio bydd y ffilm yn bwrw golwg ar beryglon propaganda a newyddion ffug.

“Mae’n cael ei ddefnyddio mewn gwahanol ffyrdd fel gyda ‘newyddion ffug’ a ‘realiti amgen’ i gyd-fynd â meddylfryd gwleidyddol. Mae hynny’n gallu bod yn beryglus iawn.”

Y gobaith ydy y bydd y ffilm yn fodd o gael ein hanes ar gof a chadw ar gyfer cenedlaethau’r dyfodol.

taf od

Heledd Ainsworth

9

10

TAF-OD

Bale yn mentro i fyd eChwaraeon Llion Carbis

Pennaeth y Gymraeg

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ros y blynyddoedd diwethaf mae poblogrwydd eSports, neu eChwaraeon, wedi cynyddu’n ddramatig. eChwaraeon yw gemau fideo amlchwarewr sy’n cael eu chwarae gan chwaraewyr gemau proffesiynol i ddiddanu cynulleidfaoedd. Yn ôl NewZoo, mae disgwyl i gyfanswm cynulleidfa eChwaraeon cynyddu hyd at 557 miliwn o bobl yn 2021, gan ddangos ei boblogrwydd cynyddol a rhyngwladol.

Yng Nghymru, mae rhagor o ddiddordeb yn y ffenomen yn dilyn penderfyniad Gareth Bale i ffurfio sefydliad eChwaraeon, Ellevens Esports.

Yn dilyn y cyhoeddiad, anfonodd Bale dîm o chwaraewyr FIFA i gystadlu yng Nghwpan Clybiau Echwaraeon y Byd FIFA ym Milan yr wythnos diwethaf. Ynghyd â thîm Gareth Bale, roedd timau Echwaraeon clybiau pêl-droed megis Manchester City, AS Roma a Olympique Lyonnais wedi cystadlu yn yr Eidal.

Soniodd wrth FIFA fod cymariaethau amlwg rhwng pêl-droed ac eChwaraeon. Dywedodd Bale fod ei ddiddordeb yn Echwaraeon wedi deillio o wylio’r chwaraewr Fortnite enwog, Ninja, yn cystadlu cwpl o flynyddoedd yn ôl.

Mae Gareth Bale yn cael ei adnabod fel un o chwaraewyr pêl-droed enwocaf y byd, nid yn unig yng Nghymru.

Ond, ar wefan ei sefydliad eChwaraeon, mae yna gyfle i chwaraewyr sy’n arbenigo mewn gemau fideo sydd ddim yn ymwneud a phêl-droed, megis Fortnite neu Rocket League i gofrestri â Ellevens Esports.

Yn ôl y BBC, mae ymosodwr Real Madrid a Chymru wedi mwynhau’r broses o adnabod talent a sefydlu tîm. Erbyn hyn, mae cynrychiolwyr o Frasil, Cymru a Lloegr ar dîm Bale. Cafodd enillwyr Cwpan Clybiau eChwaraeon y Byd eu gwobrwyo â $100,000 yn Milan, ond nid yw FIFA fel gêm fideo yn cynnig gwobr ariannol cystal â gemau eraill megis Fortnite. Yn 2016, cafodd y chwaraewr ‘Bugha’ – a oedd ond 16 mlwydd oed - $3 miliwn am ennill Cwpan y Byd Fortnite gan ddangos bod digon o le i FIFA, fel gêm fideo, i dyfu a datblygu ym myd eChwaraeon.

Mae sefydliad Ellevens Esports yn cael ei berchen yn rhannol gan Bale a 38 Entertainment Group, sy’n cynnwys yr entrepreneur Jonathan Kark a’r cyn-chwaraewr pêl-droed Larry Cohen. Yn ôl Esports Insider, dywedodd Kark ei fod yn disgwyl rhagor o dwf ym mhoblogrwydd Echwaraeon ar lefel ryngwladol. Tybed os fydd chwaraewyr pêl-droed eraill o Gymru yn efelychu esiampl Gareth Bale a ffurfio sefydliad eChwaraeon?

Bale yn mentro: Mae Gareth Bale yn arwain y ffordd gyda’i sefydliad Echwaraeon.

Tarddiad: Wikimedia Commons.

CHWARAEON

Barri yn cipio Cotterill

Ond beth bydd ei arwyddo yn golygu i uwch Gynghrair Cymru?

Aled Biston Golygydd Taf-od

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ae nifer o chwaraewyr o broffil uchel wedi chwarae yn y Cymru Premier, Uwch Gynghrair pêl-droed Cymru, ond yn ddiweddar mae cynchwaraewr Abertawe, Sheffield United ac wrth gwrs Cymru, David Cotterill , wedi cael ei ychwanegu i’r rhestr. Mae Cotterill wedi arwyddo i dîm Barri, gyda’r gobaith o geisio cyrraedd y safleoedd Ewropeaidd. Gyda Cotterill yn ymuno â thîm Gavin Chesterfield, beth mae ei bresenoldeb yn y Cymru Premier yn golygu i statws y gynghrair?

Mae Cotterill yn chwaraewr sydd wedi cael gyrfa gampus. Mae ef wedi chwarae i Abertawe, Birmingham, Dinas Bryste a Portsmouth, ymysg eraill.

Ynghyd â hyn, mae ef wedi ennill 24 cap i Gymru gan sgorio dwy gôl. Fe oedd yn rhan o dîm Abertawe wnaeth cyrraedd gemau ailgyfle y Championship ac yna chwarae yn Uwch Gynghrair Lloegr.

Yn bendant bydd arwyddo Cotterill yn codi proffil y gynghrair, gyda nifer o chwaraewyr eraill o statws wedi chwarae yn y gynghrair hefyd. Mae Lee Trundle, Neville Southall a Leon Britton i gyd wedi chwarae i Gastell-nedd,

Bonjour Barri: Gwyneb newydd Parc Jenner, David Cotterill.

Tarddiad: Rhys Skinner Rhyl a Llanelli yn y gynghrair, felly nid Mae Mo Touray a George Ratcliffe ar Cotterill yw’r wyneb cyfarwydd cyn- fenthyg o Gasnewydd a Caerdydd ac yn taf i ddod i’r gynghrair. Dros y ddwy chwaraewyr ifanc sydd am ddangos eu flwyddyn ddiwethaf mae’r gynghrair talent ar y cae. Mae Kayne McLaggon wedi gweld cynnydd yn nifer yr wylwyr, wedi bod yn gyson yn ei berfformiadau a hefyd bach o lwyddiant yng ngemau trwy’r tymor ac yn un o brif sgorwyr Ewrop. Dros yr Haf, roedd Cei Connah y gynghrair, tra bod Jack Compton yn wedi curo Kilmarnock dros ddwy gêm, gyn-chwaraewr Casnewydd a Yeovil. gan alluogi iddynt barhau i’r rownd ne- Mae Cotterill ond yn ategu at y llu o saf a chwarae FK Partizan, un o dimoe- dalent yng ngharfan Barri, a diddorol bydd gweld pa safle bydd ef yn chwarae dd enwocaf y gynghrair Ewropa.

Bydd arwyddo Cotterill yn dod a yn ail hanner y tymor.

Mae proffil y gynghrair wedi bod yn mwy o gyffro i dîm Barri, sydd yn barod yn brolio nifer o chwaraewyr talentog. un o safon uchel yn ddiweddar. Am y

tro cyntaf mewn cwpwl o flynyddoedd, mae nifer o dimau yn brwydro i gipio’r gynghrair, gyda’r Seintiau Newydd, Cei Connah, Y Bala a Barri yn llenwi’r pedwar safle uchaf. Y Seintiau Newydd sydd wedi ennill y mwyaf o deitlau, 13 ym modolaeth 27 blwyddyn y gynghrair. Ond bydd Cotterill a Barri yn obeithiol o drechu’r timoedd o’i chwmpas yn gam dau o’r tymor, sydd wedi cychwyn erbyn hyn. Maent yn barod wedi curo’r Seintiau Newydd unwaith yn gam un, felly byddent yn obeithiol o ailadrodd y gamp hynny pan mae’r timoedd yn cwrdd nesaf ar Mawrth 7.

Mae Barri wedi ennill lle yn chwech uchaf y Cymru Premier, sydd yn golygu byddent yn chwarae y pump tîm o’i chwmpas yn y misoedd nesaf, gydag un o’r timoedd yn ennill y gynghrair a 4 arall yn chwarae gemau ail-gyfle er mwyn cyrraedd Ewrop. Bydd cefnogwyr Barri yn obeithiol bydd Cotterill yn serennu yn y misoedd nesaf, wrth iddynt edrych i sicrhau lle yn Ewrop blwyddyn nesaf. Yn bendant, bydd timoedd eraill y Cymru Premier yn poeni pan fyddent yn chwarae Barri yn y gemau sydd i’w dod. Gêm nesaf Barri yw Y Drenewydd v Barri am 2:30 ar Chwefror 15. Bydd uchafbwyntiau’r gêm ar Sgorio.

Dyfodol disglair i Neco Williams

A ddylai seren ifanc Lerpwl yn cael ei enwi yng ngharfan Ryan Giggs ar gyfer Ewro 2020?

Llion Carbis

Pennaeth y Gymraeg

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ae tipyn o fwrlwm yn amgylchynu clwb pêl-droed Lerpwl sy’n dominyddu Uwch Gynghrair Lloegr ar hyn o bryd. Wedi gorffen ond pwynt yn brin o Manchester City y tymor diwethaf, mae’r Cochion wedi ennill 24 allan o’i 25 gêm gynghrair ac yn edrych i wella record ddiguro hanesyddol Arsenal (2003/04).

Ond, yma yng Nghymru, mae ein ffocws wedi seilio ar ddoniau un o chwaraewyr ifancaf tîm Jurgen Klopp; Neco Williams.

Yn enedigol o Wrecsam, mae Neco Williams wedi ennill pedwar ymddangosiad i dîm cyntaf Lerpwl y tymor yma. Heb os, tipyn o gamp ydyw i chwaraewr sydd wedi bod gydag enillwyr Cynghrair y Pencampwyr ers ymuno â thîm dan naw mlwydd oed Lerpwl. Bellach, mae Williams wedi ymddangos a serennu yn erbyn Everton a’r Amwythig (dwywaith) yng Nghwpan yr FA yn ogystal â herio Arsenal yng Nghwpan Carabao profiadau arbennig i chwaraewr sydd ond yn ddeunaw.

Yn yr ymddangosiadau yma, mae’r Cymro wedi denu sylw a derbyn canmoliaeth am ei gallu technegol, ansawdd ei basio a’i egni diflino ar y cae. Yn wir, roedd ei ddylanwad yn ganfyddadwy yn erbyn yr Amwythig wrth i’w bas hir arwain at y gôl fuddugol yn y gêm ail chwarae yng Nghwpan yr FA. Cymaint yw’r cyffro a’r brwdfrydedd o weld Cymro ifanc yn serennu dros un o glybiau gorau’r byd – o bosib y clwb gorau yn gyfredol – mae trafodaethau wedi cychwyn ymysg cefnogwyr ynglŷn â’i

Gobaith Neco: A fydd Neco Williams yn ymarfer gyda tim Cymru ym mis nesaf? Tarddiad: Llion Carbis gynnwys yng ngharfan Ryan Giggs am Ewro 2020.

Mae’r Mirror yn adrodd bod Neco Williams yn debygol o gael ei gynnwys yng ngharfan Ryan Giggs y mis nesaf wrth i Gymru herio Awstria ac Unol Daleithiau America mewn gemau cyfeillgar. Ac er nid yw Williams wedi ennill ei gap rhyngwladol gyntaf na ychwaith wedi ymddangos yn Uwch Gynghrair Lloegr, mae rhai cefnogwyr y tîm cenedlaethol yn eiddgar i’w weld yn chwarae dros Gymru yn yr haf.

Un o resymau amlycaf dros y cyffro yw gallu creadigol y cefnwr de.

Yn ystod cyfnod Giggs fel hyfford-

dwr Cymru, yn enwedig ers cyflwyno Kieffer Moore i’r garfan, mae yna bwyslais amlwg ar ymosod yr esgyll a chwarae peli mewn i’r cwrt cosbi.

Arddull chwarae traddodiadol ond effeithiol ydyw, ac wrth ystyried egni a gallu arbennig Williams i groesi’r bêl, mae ei sgiliau yn gydnaws gydag arddull chwarae Cymru – o bosib yn fwy na’ Chris Gunter sydd wedi gweld ei ddylanwad yn encilio ar y llwyfan rhyngwladol o dan arweiniad Giggs.

Hefyd, mae Giggs yn ymddiried yn fawr mewn chwaraewyr ifanc. Mae chwaraewyr megis Joe Rodon, Joe Morrell, Rabbi Matondo a Tyler Rob-

erts wedi derbyn eu cyfleoedd rhyngwladol o ganlyniad i Giggs. Yn ogystal, ni fydd prinder ymddangosiadau dros dîm cyntaf Lerpwl yn poeni’r hyfforddwr yn ormodol, yn enwedig wrth ystyried fod Ethan Ampadu wedi chwarae’r un nifer o gemau dros Gymru a RB Leipzig eleni (pum ymddangosiad).

Hyd yn oed os na fydd Giggs yn penderfynu dewis Williams yn ei garfan derfynol am Ewro 2020, mae’n debygol bydd cyfle i weld y cefnwr de ifanc yn cynrychioli ei wlad ym Mawrth. Wrth ystyried talent a photensial enfawr Williams; anodd ydyw i beidio cyffroi am ei ddyfodol.

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An interview with Brian Brox

With the 2020 Presidential Race kicking off in Iowa, we take a look at American politics with Professor Brian Brox Hallum Cowell Politics Editor

P

rofessor Brian Brox is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Tulane University in New Orleans, Lousiana. He also acts as Head of Political Science Undergraduate Studies at the University and directs the US Public Policy Programme. Professor Brox is also head of Brox Research, a firm which conducts market research and public opinion data. The professor was in Cardiff on February 5 as part of a United States Embassy outreach programme to give a talk on the upcoming US presidential election. The talk lasted an hour and a half and ended with a half-hour question and answer segment. During the talk, the workings of the Electoral College and federalisation were discussed as were the chances of the federalisation of the United Kingdom and right-wing political shifts in Western democracy. After the talk, Professor Brox sat down with Gair Rhydd to talk about the election.

Last week, the Iowan Democrat and Republican parties went to the polls in the first state primary of the 2020 presidential election; the fact that Iowa is the first state to vote is a source of much pride amongst Iowans. Unlike most primaries however, Iowa retains the caucus system; a system where Democrat party members vote in person for the candidate of their choosing, before gaining an opportunity to ‘realign’ or vote again, in later voting stages. The Iowan Democrat Party caucauses caused controversy this year as the results were delayed for well over 48 hours. When asked why Iowa continues to be the first state to vote, Professor Brox explained that “the reason why it goes first is because of tradition, the tradition of going first. They work very hard to maintain the position of going first, at least up to this point

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

POLITICS

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/politics

GWLEIDYDDIAETH

12

Your politics desk Lowri Pitcher Hallum Cowell Tom-Henry Jones Maisie Marston

Bernie Sanders: Left-wing candidate Bernie Sanders is the current betting favourite to scoop the Democratic nomination later this year Source: Miller Center (via Wikipedia)

they’ve had a lot of say in internal party decisions. It’s the influence that comes with coming early.” For the past six US elections, the Democrat candidate who has won the Iowa caucuses has been the person to achieve the candidacy at the Democrat National Convention (DNC) and so the results are seen as very influential.

But how representative is Iowa of the larger U.S. political situation?

“There’s quite a bit of historical tradition for Iowa. But this may be the end of that given that everyone has rightly pointed out, it’s not just that Iowa is not representative of American voters it’s not even representative of all Democratic voters. And so, whether it should have such a strong influence on the Democratic nomination ... and it’s just not an urban state, there’s only one urban area and it’s not even that big compared to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago. It’s not representative of what the American democratic party is.” Professor Brox went on to add that “there are lots of problems with Iowa and I’m wondering if people’s problems with Iowa are that it’s first or whether it’s a caucus and maybe both get changed?

So, should Iowa maintain caucuses and just go later, or should Iowa become a primary and remain first or maybe both get changed so we’ll see what happens, but obviously the importance of it being first, it actually has a numerical significance to deciding the nomination. Because it’s first, the media intensity of the coverage is so great, campaigns can be made or broken on it.”

A lot has been made recently about whether the US political system is still fit for purpose, with Professor Brox answering “the literal answer to your question is yes it’s working as intended because this is what a bunch of white men of property in the 1780s intended. Is it working for both the political preferences and the governing need of a 21stcentury continent-wide democracy?

Some people say yes, they say that we still need the filtering mechanism”. He went to say that “the ultimate defenders of the system say we have a president every year, every four years we have the Electoral College which produces a president. It works, it doesn’t fail. Is it representative of the will of the people?

“Part of the reason that’s not more of an issue is that due to American federalism power is so diffused the president can do a lot but the president can’t do everything. Sometimes people can take out their frustration by altering policy in different ways. Technically presidential vetoes can be overridden so if Congress can make up you can get policy made that way, you could focus on going state by state and getting other things done on the local level. The idea that there would be greater impetus for electoral college reform if we had a unitary system, a prime ministerial system, like we elected this one person by this system, consistently producing minority presidents by this mechanism and it changed everything, in the terms of how policy and regulation in the United States people would be a little angrier.”

When asked for his predictions about the upcoming 2020 elections, Professor Brox refusing to be drawn into making an outright prediction.

“I’ve seen some predictions and some

Last time out: In a fiercly contested 2016 race, Hillary Clinton was defeated by Donald Trump. Source: Krassotkin (via Wikimedia Commons)

models that suggest that Trump has a slightly better chance, those tend to focus on using economic conditions as predictors of the vote. The economic conditions in the United States aren’t bad right now, that typically abounds to the benefit of the administration. When the economy’s good and unemployment is low you vote to re-elect. On the other hand, his public opinion numbers, they are improving recently but they’re still not great. There’s also a lot of time between now and the election, so depending on his state of public opinion will at least contentedness if not outright happiness with the state of the economy, be overwhelmed by the displeasure with his performance in office”.

I’ve seen predictions and some models that suggest Trump has a slightly better chance.

Brian Brox, Professor of Political Science

He went on to add that “there are models that point both ways, I really think at this point, we still haven’t had the campaign, we still don’t know who the actual Democrat candidate will be, I think a fair estimate at this point is kind of a coin flip. I’m more confident saying the Democrats will probably retain the House of Representatives. The battle for the Senate will be tight, I mean if I had to bet, I would probably predict the Republicans maintaining control of the Senate, perhaps by a narrower margin.”

Bernie Sanders has been doing well in the election campaign so far, winning the popular in Iowa and polling in front in the next state to go to the polls, New Hampshire. Some are saying that this represents a larger shift in US politics.

“It’s clearly a moment, it’s clearly happening and real. To the point of your question is it enduring? I don’t know. I think a good portion of it is it’s the left side reaction, the same way the right side is having this populist reaction, this populist moment among many western allies. People are anxious about economic welfare and one solution is basically to retain our money to ourselves, get rid of alliances, get rid of the trade, focus on America first that’s kind of the right side’s reaction to it. Some of the left sides say we should have universal free education; we should have universal free health care.”

After the dual combination of Donald Trump and the Brexit vote in 2016, we asked whether or not there can be further parallels between America and the UK. “Americans’ impression of British politics is that you have a lot more governing elements, less frequent elections.

So, you pay attention to elections then you don’t have elections for a while unless the government falls. But then all of a sudden with Brexit, now there’s a mass of EU citizens working here and lots of Britons working in Europe. And there’s just lots of day to day implications to actually leaving. What are you going to do with Ireland and the border and there are lots of important things that you’d think would make the average British citizen pay attention?”

When it comes to American political engagement, he said “the news cycle is constant in the United States, Donald Trump’s, let me charitably say, performance in office is consistent and energetic. We don’t stop, we just do it all the time, the election is over and we’re thinking about the mid-terms. It’s just relentless to the point where I think that many Americans, even proper democrats, in terms of democracy, they’re trying to be properly interested and engaged, it’s relentless. I know people who are Political Science majors who say they sometimes just have to turn it off, it’s just too much.”

Finally, Professor Brox discussed how Donald Trump achieved electoral success, “The best quote I heard on this, I believe it’s from Marine Dowd, but she might have been reporting it from someone else. The thing about Trump at the time, people who were sceptical if not outright critical of Trump did not take him seriously but when he said stuff, they took him literally. Trump supporters were doing the opposite, they took him seriously but they didn’t take him literally so he would say things, they wouldn’t put a lot of credence in him but the overall effect.” After this he added “And so people that were suffering from economic distress who, generation past, had consistently voted for Democrats, given their labour or working-class station in life, saw this as someone who’s willing to stand up for people like me. The media class and the media elites and political classes focused on how many lies he said during his time in office. It didn’t matter to these people because they are not looking for a description of truth, they’re looking for, in his own way, to empathise and reflect about how they feel about the thing.”

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 13

Petition calls for students to get GP medical notes for free

It will be considered by the Petitions Committee in the Welsh Assembly Lowri Pitcher Head of Politics

O

n January 14, 2020, a petition was launched to the Welsh Assembly calling for students to receive medical notes from their GP free of charge. The petition reads: “Currently when requiring a letter from the GP to back up an extenuating circumstances claim or for evidence for a DSA application the GP will charge the student around £35 (surgery dependent). This means that on top of the difficulty that a student may be having with their health, learning difficulties, and/or disabilities, they will then have to pay to have a document that shows this. This means that many students (especially those from poorer backgrounds) will have trouble with receiving the support that they need to not only complete their degree but in some cases survive.”

William Bremner, a student at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, who started the petition told Gair Rhydd that he had proposed this petition “Because students are already put under so much financial pressure with high tuition fees and loans, then to have

to pay exorbitant amounts for a letter that can be written in minutes (often when at their most vulnerable) is depressing and unfair!”

To have to pay exorbitant amounts for a letter that can be written in minutes (often when at their most vulnerable) is depressing and unfair.

William Bremner Proposer

Currently, GPs are entitled to charge a fee in order to provide a medical certificate to patients. Students have been known to pay anything between £10 and £50. At Cardiff University, students applying for extenuating circumstances must provide supporting evidence if they are applying after the submission of an assessment/exam date or if they have attended an examination or other assessment; if they have

self-certified previously for two periods this academic year; or if the circumstances have had an impact for a period more than seven days in duration.

A Cardiff Univeristy spokesperson said: “Where evidence is needed, a medical note is only one type of evidence that can be submitted. Depending on the type of circumstance, evidence can also include a letter from a support service to whom the individual is known or a statement from a third party (e.g. social worker, police).

“Any student experience extenuating circumstances can contact the University’s Student Advice Centre for support and information.”

Gair Rhydd Politics spoke to D’arcy McKenzie Bowdler, currently a student at Cardiff Metropolitan University, who said: “I have personally struggled to supply evidence to university due to the expense of a doctor’s note, leaving me at an academic disadvantage as I can’t always apply for mitigating circumstances.”

Conversely, Abbi Russell-Samways, a Biomedical Science student at Cardiff Met, told Gair Rhydd that she had never paid for a medical note from her GP at North Road Medical Practice. When Abbi requested supporting evidence for

a Disability Student Allowance (which helps cover some of the costs you have because of a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability) she “ dropped the form off to them [GP practice] & picked it up about a week later. I was never charged anything for this.” Similarly, when Abbi needed to be signed off work for a month, her GP “printed the note off for me there & then without costing me anything, which I was able to use for both work and mitigating circumstances.”

She added: “I think it’s appalling that students should have to pay to show they’re struggling to the university. I realise I have been very lucky in how easy my experience has been and it’s awful that not everyone has been treated the same.”

At the time of writing, the petition has received over 140 signatures.

This means that once the petition period comes to an end, due to finish on March 14, 2020, it will be considered by the Petitions Committee of the Welsh Assembly. The Committee will then decide an appropriate course of action which may entail conducting a detailed inquiry, contacting the Welsh Government or arranging a Committee meeting to discuss the matter further.

Welsh school colour coding results published

The new system introduced in 2014 indicates how much support Welsh primary and secondary schools require

Devika Sunand Contributor

T

he colour-coding system was brought into effect by the Welsh Government in 2014 with the aim of improving the performance of schools across Wales.

On January 31, 2020, the latest colour-coded results for all the primary and secondary schools across the country were published.

The system categorises schools into four colours. The four different colour codes used to rank or classify schools are: Green which represents schools which are “highly effective” and have a track record of raising standards and have the capacity to support other schools to do better; Yellow which represents “effective schools” already doing well and knows the areas needed to improve; Amber which represents “schools in need of improvement which needs help to identify the steps to improve to make changes more quickly”; and finally, Red which signals “schools in need of greatest improvement and will receive immediate intensive support.”

The report showed that 609 primary schools, almost 49% of the schools in Wales, were classified as green whereas 20 primaries were classified as red. Moreover, the number of secondary schools clas-

sified as red was 24, more than 10% of secondaries, while 72 secondary schools were ranked green. The report stated that 70 secondaries were yellow and 39 secondaries were amber.

Overall this demonstrates an improvement of four percentage points in the performance of Welsh secondary schools compared to last year.

The councils of Ceredigion, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr, Monmouthshire, Swansea, Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham had no red schools. Newport saw an increase in the number of green schools by 10%.

The latest colour classification classified 59 of Cardiff ’s schools as the top green category, 30 are yellow, two are amber and seven are red.

In a written statement by the Minister for Education in the Welsh Assembly, Kirsty Williams expresses her concern over the proportion of red schools which continue to require the highest level of support, especially in the secondary sector.

The schools are given one of the four colours to show the levels of support they need to improve. This is determined by a range of factors including exam results, attendance, leadership and assessment by the school improvement consortia. Schools in the red category will receive up to 25 days of support.

Green: Birchgrove Primary School was ranked in the highest category during the most recent results. Source: Jaggery (via Geograph).

While the system has received mixed reviews, the Welsh Government claims that it is not a league table of the best schools. The head of the Association of School and College Leaders’ Cymru dismissed colour categorization and termed it as “simplistic and blunt.” David Evans, Wales Secretary for the National Education Union Cymru claimed that the categorization scheme is flawed.

He goes on to explain that the classification system which was actually intended for determining the level of support required for each school was misinterpreted to be a form of the ranking system followed by the

inherently flawed colour-coding system.

Other forms of criticism it faced were from the teaching unions and school leaders’ representatives who claimed that the colour-coding does very little to improve the standard of the schools. Critics also claim that the students are overloaded with the pressure to perform better. Today’s traffic light classification as they call it has also resulted in the increase in Estyn inspections, local improvement consortia and, school tests and external exams; putting more pressure on school staff and pupils temselves.

Interview with Dawn Butler MP Maisie Marston Sam Tilley

D

awn Butler has broken many barriers in her political career.

Before becoming an MP in 2005, she also worked as an equality and race officer at the GMB union, and an adviser to the Mayor of London.

Butler became only the third black woman to secure elevation to the House of Commons when elected in 2005 and quickly rose through the ranks to serve as Minister for Youth Services under Gordon Brown. It was during her time in this role that she became the first black woman to speak from the dispatch box and thus represent the government of the day.

Having lost her seat due to the boundary changes in 2010, Butler returned to Parliament in 2015, representing the new seat of Brent Central.

In the midst of the Labour Party Leadership and Deputy Leadership contest, Butler embarked on her ‘Prepare for Power’ tour, a grassroots campaign to support her deputy leadership bid.

Butler spoke to Gair Rhydd about her reasons for standing for Deputy Leader.

“I’ve got a thing about when I’m talking to young people that I try and be as honest as I possibly can, and sometimes I wonder to myself when I wake up in the morning and I’m like ‘Dawn, what made you do this? What made you decide you were going to run?’ because actually some people have been planning their deputy leadership campaign for years, and I basically made a flippant announcement when Tom Watson stood down and they said like ‘who do you think could do it?’. I was like, well actually I thought about it and I think I could do it. And so, I decided to do it.

“I have basically just been fighting my whole life as a black woman that’s what I do. But the thing is this, December the 13th was a really really depressing day for me and I thought this is ridiculous, our policies are winning policies, it’s ridiculous that we lost, and it’s ridiculous that we lost on the scale that we lost, and what can I do about this? What can I actually do about this? This is a practical thing, I’m a very practical person.

“As I say, it hasn’t been easy, it’s like every step of the way there’s structural barriers that people are trying to put in my way, but what is beautiful about my campaign is that it is a grassroots movement. It is a fight against all of the structures and the establishment and the gatekeeping in the party. It’s like saying to people, do you know what, you can be working class, trade unionist, didn’t go to university, and you can stand for Deputy Leader, and you might not have the support from the unions, you might not have the big money, but as long as you have the vote of the people, then you can win, and I think that’s a powerful, powerful statement.”

During the campaign event, a thirty-third Constituency Labour Party nominated Butler meaning that she will take her place on the ballot paper on Feburary 21. The other candidates running for Deputy Leader of the Labour Party are Ian Murray, Rosena Allin-Khan, Richard Burgon and Angela Rayner. The Labour Leader will be elected on 4 April.

14 POLITICS In other news...

President Trump was acquitted of both articles of impeachment by a majority verdict in the Senate. The trial began last December and the President had always denied any wrongdoing. The only Republican to vote against Trump was former Presidental candidate Mitt Romney.

On February 3, Malawi’s Constitutional Court nullified the result of the country’s 2019 election. The court ruled that the anomalies and irregularities during the election, which re-elected Peter Mutharika, were “widespread, systematic and grave” New elections are due to be held in the next 150 days.

Scotland demands independence from post-Brexit UK Due to the SNP’s success in the 2019 General Election, there have been further calls for a second independence referendum

Tom-Henry Jones Politics Editor

S

ince the SNP’s success in the December General Election, there have been renewed calls for another referendum on Scottish independence. Former President of the EU Council, Donald Tusk, boosted Nicola Sturgeon’s hopes for a second independence referendum by saying there would be widespread enthusiasm in the EU if Scotland rejoined.

Tusk said he had great sympathy with the desire of many Scots to rejoin the EU after Brexit.

Tusk, speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, said that he “sometimes feels he is Scottish now, especially after Brexit.” Scotland voted 62% in favour of remaining in the EU in the 2016 referendum, leading many SNP MPs, including Ian Blackford, to believe that Scotland is being “dragged out of the EU against its will.”

[We are] being dragged out of the EU against our will.

Ian Blackford, SNP Parliamentary leader

A report by the Human Rights Watch has revealed that between 2013 and 2019 over 200 migrants and asylum seekers were murderd or sexually assaulted after being deported by the United States. The report states that the majority were killed within two years of deportation and usually by the same people they had tried to escape.

With the SNP winning 48 out of 59 seats in Scotland during the 2019 General Election, there has been

In Poland, a controversial piece of legislation has been signed into law by President Andrzej Duda. Dubbed the ‘muzzle law’ by opposition parties, it means judges will no longer be able to question appointments made to the judiciary by the President and they will be banned from engaging in political activity. The new law has drawn criticism from the EU and international human rights organisations as it is seen to undermine basic democratic principles.

2014: The Scottish independence referendum was held in 2014 and resulted in 55% voting to remain in the UK. Sourcdia However, for as long as Johnson is in Number 10 the chances of Sturgeon’s wishes coming true are very slim.

The last independence referendum campaign in 2014 was largely centred on the issue of currency and whether Scotland would be able to keep the Great British Pound. However, this time it looks seemingly likely that the next referendum will instead centre on whether Scotland, if it votes to be independent, can re-join the EU. Therefore, Tusk’s comments last week, suggesting that Scotland would be welcomed back, have certainly been helpful to Sturgeon’s case.

The battle for Scottish independence has been long, and with the backdrop of Brexit, the battle is set to continue.

The challenge that lies ahead for Sturgeon will be to actively prove that the Scottish people want another say. Yet by the end of 2020, the conclusion of the stalemate may have been broken. Ultimately Scotland’s future is at stake but if that future will be within the United Kingdom or the European Union is yet to be seen. The only thing for certain is that Johnson and Sturgeon have many an argument ahead of them with little to no chance of a resolution any time soon.

Donald Trump unveils Middle East Peace Plan The plan gives Israel the right to claim the entirety of “undivided Jerusalem” whilst giving Palestine a capital on the outskirts of East Jersualem

Hallum Cowell Politics Editor

Norway has been accused by Russia of limiting its activities on the archipelago of Svalbard, located in the Arctic. Norway has sovereignty but Russia has residence and commercial rights. Russia cites an allegedly illegal fish protection zone and the “expansion of nature protection zones” amongst the issues. Russia is seeking talks with Norway to seek a resolution.

mounting pressure on the Government from across the Scottish border to allow for a second referendum in 2021, seven years after the last one in 2014, which resulted in a 55% win for the ‘No’ Campaign.

The SNPs success in December means those advocating for a second independence referendum believe that they have secured a mandate for it. The SNP’s election campaign was also based on the slogan ‘Stop Brexit’, and the party has stood firm on its pro-European stance since 2016.

Boris Johnson and his majority government, however, are intent on shutting down further calls for an independence referendum. Although, the challenge in refusing another may become increasingly harder to stop in the coming months. A recent YouGov poll put the backing of independence at 51% of the population, the first time since 2015 that the pro-independence camp has come out on top. Nicola Sturgeon is hoping to boost support for a fresh vote with a number of policy announcements this summer setting out the case for independence.

Sturgeon and the SNP have set their sights on the Holyrood elections next year as a chance to further promote and secure their case for another vote. The SNP hope that another majority in the Scottish Parliament will prove Scotland wants another chance to vote on its future in the Union.

T

he plan, entitled “Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People” was unveiled recently after three years of planning. The proposal was announced

by Donald Trump alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on January 28. The aim of the proposal is to end the decades long IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

While the plan has been largely well received by the Israeli Government the plan has been widely rejected by Palestine officials. The plan seeks to end the conflict between Israel and Palestine which has been ongoing in one form or another since the creation of the two nations following World War II. The first big issue is that of Palestinian statehood and what borders that state would have as parts of Palestinian territory have been under Israeli occupation since the 1960s.

The plan does not give back Palestine all of its occupied land; however, the White House has said that “[the plan] designates land reasonably comparable to the size to the West Bank and Gaza for the establishment of the state of Palestine.”

For Palestinian groups this is not what they were hoping for, while the Palestine Liberation Organisation acknowledged that: “[the plan] recognises Israel’s illegal colonisation and annexation of occupied lands.” The Palestinians were hoping for borders based upon the 1949 ceasefire lines while Israel argues that those borders are indefensible and as such is reluctant to give them up.

Israel seems open to the territorial changes and has agreed to a four-year-long land freeze so that the land promised to Palestine in the deal would remain undeveloped and open. These new borders would also cede the most fertile of the Palestinian land to Israel. The main problem with any border solution is that it is impossible to create clean borders.

There will always be disputes between the two nations exacerbated by mutual worries over defence, meaning it will prove incredibly difficult for both states to get a mutually agreed border deal.

Jerusalem is coveted by both nations as a centre of their faiths and both claim all or part of the city as their capitals. Within Trump’s peace plan he grants the city to Israel saying, “Jerusalem will remain the sovereign capital of the state of Israel, and it should remain an undivided city.”

The Israeli government is, therefore, approving of the plan while Palestine is seeking East Jerusalem for their capital. While the deal does state that parts of Eastern Jerusalem would belong to the Palestinians this is not enough for the Government to accept.

The deal has received the support of the Israeli Government as they called it “the opportunity of the century.” Meanwhile, Palestine has felt

the cards stacked against it and has labelled the deal “the slap of the century” and vowed to consign the deal to “the dustbin of history.”

The deal comes at a strategic time for Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both politicans are facing national elections in the calendar year and the deal will certainly strengthen Netanyahu’s position, whilst also doing little to hinder Trump’s relection campaign.

Jerusalem: The plan sets out a system aimed at resolving the longest

running conflict in the world.

Source: Godot13 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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PAY: £8.21 per hour DAYS/HOURS OF POST: 2nd March – 6th March DETAILS & MAIN DUTIES: The Student Voice team are looking for enthusiastic, outgoing, trustworthy and reliable students to staff ballot stations during the Cardiff University Students’ Union’s Spring election period. You’ll be responsible for running ballot stands across campus, encouraging students to vote, informing students on the election process and more.

Finance Manager (Summer position)

PAY: £390 per week (including holiday pay) DAYS/HOURS OF POST: 3 or 4-week Summer contract July 2020 (Based in Berkshire/Hertfordshire) DETAILS & MAIN DUTIES: Lines Languages are looking for qualified/studying candidates with financial experience to manage finances at their summer schools! Your responsibilities include running the financial office, managing the student bank and petty cash, collecting and storing the students’ money on arrivals day and maintaining all students’ financial statements.

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

Is coronavirus instilling hatred?

The return or continuing existence of racism and xenophobia

Tehreem Sultan

Comment Editor

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ou may heard some stereotypical comments and racist tropes since the spread of the Whuan Coronavirus. It has affected more than 20,400 people in China while spreading to 25 countries, including the UK, France, Japan and Canada. It is fatal, and has killed 424 people thus inducing fear in every individual and also unintentionally leading to racism towards any Asian people. The world’s most populous country, with about 1.435 billion people is facing an immense challenge while posing a threat to the global public health of individuals.

Here arises the issue of a growing hatred, even a repulsion, towards any Asian people or product as a result of the spread of this deadly disease. If you didn’t know already, you might be surprised to learn that 7900 students, that is 25% of the student population at Cardiff University are international students, from over 130 countries. Now after the discovery of this outbreak on New Year’s Eve, all those students returning from China after Christmas couldn’t enter back into the UK, since British Airways suspended all direct flights to/from China, and those who have arrived are being quarantined. These safety measures are completely understandable,

and reasonable of course to protect further transmission of this virus.

However, something which is not acceptable in this era (or any era) is racism or discrimination, and the rising xenophobia in our society.

In such pressing circumstances, playing the blame game is nowhere near the solution for preventing yourself from catching this virus.

As panicked and anxious as you are, all the international and local students are too. No one is alone in this, however the people apparently being ‘blamed’ for this new illness have family, relatives, loved ones, living in China and the affected areas and are just as petrified about this situation. In 2020, respecting human rights and living in the decade of equality and inclusivity, no one is to be blamed for something they have not contributed towards.

Making insensitive ‘famous, funny’ Tiktoks, sharing memes regarding Chinese foods and bat soups, trending #ChineseDon’tComeToJapan, and the Singaporean petition signed by 126,000 people to ban Chinese nationals, incidents of Chinese tourists being spat on in Venice, is a disgrace to humanity and a shame for us as a society, considering we live 7000 kilometers away from the situation in China.

With a lockdown in China, with the final flight from Wuhan and the groups of people being quarantined

Going viral: There have been widespread reports of racism as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Source: coronavirus (via Wikimedia Commons) at the NHS staff accommodation after arriving in the UK. With the World Health Organization (WHO)

Something which is not acceptable in this era (or any era) is racism or discrimination.

having declared an international public health emergency situation, safety measures should be our first priority. It’s already all over the news but once again, as a reminder to use tissues when sneezing or coughing, wash your hands regularly and just maintain your personal hygiene.

With this virus, the people of China need moral and medical support to fight against this deadly outbreak rather than feeling isolated and targeted at this time

Overriding parental controls Was the Welsh Government right to ban smacking?

James Wallice

Contributor

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rowing up as a child, my brother and I were often taught that if we misbehaved there would be consequences, a common occurrence in households up and down the country. If you misbehaved, you would receive appropriate punishment. Such punishment ranged from being sent to our rooms, having our pocket money revoked, or in the extreme circumstance, some parents would opt to smack their children.

Looking back on our childhoods, I can’t remember a single time our parents deemed our behaviour to be so awful they opted to smack us, although it was often used as a threat.

However, under last weeks monumental move by the Labour-run Welsh Parliament my mother and father would be held criminally responsible in line with the recently passed ‘Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act if they did decide to follow through with their words and smack us.

The legislation was brought forward in early 2019 by Julie Morgan AM, the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services and Assembly Member for Cardiff North, despite protests from the Welsh Conservatives and other third-sector organisations.

This law sets a dangerous diver-

gence from core criminal law between England and Wales that will undoubtedly see irresponsible and ill-evidenced interventions by social services into the lives of good, hardworking families. Undoubtedly such interventions will put further strains on already struggling and underfunded social service providers the length and breadth of Wales.

Indeed, this is a leap in the wrong direction for Welsh-only policy that could see families across the country penalised for an act that is deemed as ‘good parenting’, something most students reading this article were undoubtedly subjected to growing up.

Yet the Welsh Labour-backed bill will see politicians reach into the private lives of hardworking families in order to ensure we raise our children under the watchful standards of devolved government.

Ashley Frawley, a sociologist at Swansea University and spokeswoman for the Be Reasonable Wales campaign, highlights the recklessness of the legislation, saying: “The smacking ban is simply bad policy. It will result in highly negative intervention in good families, increased pressure on beleaguered social services departments and will do nothing to help children who are genuinely at risk of abuse.” Once again we’re seeing a Welsh Labour-run Government plough ahead with legislation that seeks to be nothing but a headline on the BBC News website.

Undoubtedly such interventions will put further strains on already under-funded social service providers.

During a debate in the Senedd, Julie Morgan conceded that some parents could be the target of malicious allegations, which would show up on enhanced DBS checks even if proven false, impeding the job prospects of innocent parents across Wales. Indeed, what is clear about this piece of

reckless legislation, is that this policy has far-reaching consequences for us all, that will undoubtedly see Welsh Labour infringe on the lives of families in the future.

Ultimately, this piece of legislation is a dangerous infringement on the lives of diligent and committed parents right across Wales, penalising those who simply seek to give their children the best upbringing they can provide. Yet unsurprisingly Welsh Labour deem to think they know better than the 130 million households across Wales and so have pushed through a bill that’ll see parents like my own face the full front of the law, simply for reasonably punishing their children.

Smacking ban: Should the state intervene in private matters?

Source: pxfuel

Let me watch Love Island

SYLWADAU

A defence of the often-attacked guilty pleasure Kat Smith Comment Editor

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have never been that into reality television, but for some reason the summer of 2017 saw me hopelessly devoted to this slightly indie, underground show called Love Island. Over the last two and a half years, it has become part of the nation’s identity, whether we wanted it to be or not - words like ‘graft’, ‘sauce’, ‘mug’ and ‘pie’ have broken free from their confines in the Urban Dictionary and into our main vocabulary (or mine, at least).

But with anything people enjoy, there are always the few who will remind you at every corner that they hate it, as if their life depends on it.

And now that ITV’s flagship reality show is on twice a year, those who love to hate it are out in full force not just seasonally, but all year round. “Don’t match with me if you watch Love Island!” say the intellectual boys on dating apps,” If you want to kill brain cells you know what to do” says the #edgy legend and fount of all cultural knowledge Piers Morgan.

But I’ve got some breaking news for you: hating Love Island doesn’t give you a personality! It also doesn’t make you more intelligent in fact, some studies suggest otherwise, saying that reality TV actually means you’re more likely to have a

higher level of intelligence (Google it, I promise).

I can understand why people with ‘worse problems’ and ‘real concerns’ don’t want to watch a relatively vacuous show filled with contrived storylines and more lip fillers than I’ll ever afford. I would normally expect to turn my nose up at a show full of impossibly attractive people lounging around in the sun while I’m stressed over exams.

Yet, the winter instalment of the reality show has quickly become a welcome break from bleak mornings and relentless assignments.

In short: Love Island has become a bit of a comfort blanket for me. No matter how intense or stressful my day has been, I let myself switch off for that hour. Maybe I should be doing some meditation or mindfulness but let’s be honest, that’s not nearly as fun. It’s not just the hour-long episodes, it’s the memes, the discussions with your friends and scrolling through hilarious tweets during ad-breaks. Unfortunately, you don’t really get that with yoga.

Just because I watch Love Island doesn’t mean I am a soulless gossip obsessed with drama and watching people cry. The show can actually be hilarious and emotional aside from the expected entertainment of watching people shamelessly pursuing romance - it’s not all just ‘pulling people for chats’ and grafting. No

Contributor

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Guilty pleasure: Should we judge ourselves for liking Love Island?

Source: James Smith (via Pixabay)

offence to some of my past flames, but Shaughna saying “I came here for a boyfriend not a son” is probably the most relatable thing I’ve heard in awhile. It’s these moments of humanity that really bring the show to life for me; knowing that your dating and friendship experiences aren’t personal blunders but universal truths of sorts, that even seemingly perfectly polished people have to go through as well. .

I’m not saying that Love Island is without its flaws. Its blatant lack of body diversity is undoubtedly harmful by feeding beauty stand-

ards, what is perceived as manipulative behaviour by islanders can go unpunished and the accompanying internet commentary can be damaging - and even fatal - for the contestants when they come out of the villa. But especially in the last case, it is improving - a series that blew up pretty much overnight is not going to be perfect, but I’d like to think those working on it are striving every day to make it better.

Give Love Island it a try, you’ll probably be a convert before you know it. Who knows? It could become your guilty pleasure too.

The rise in investment from major studios is putting indies at risk

Contributor

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he international success story of Welsh media - with multiple blockbuster films and television series featuring iconic locations and characters - is facing growing concern about the long-term future of independent Welsh filmmaking.

A country of diverse vistas and some of the best creative talent in the UK, Wales has a noteworthy history within the modern creative industries.

The Welsh government has long propounded the importance of national cultural production, working consistently with organisations like the Royal Television Society to give their widespread support for more development for local production of television and film. Although, the multi-faceted and constantly shifting structure of the creative industries, dictated most significantly by key players in the digital market (e.g. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube), exists beyond the Welsh Government’s direct area of influence.

I see the crux of this unequal treatment towards independent digital production organisations, existing in a progressively unstable foothold in the shadow of the larger, vertically integrated corporations, as a result of pressure from industry consolidation; there is seemingly little room for these independents between the dominant key players who engulf the

digital landscape.

When looking at the history of independent films made in Wales, there are numerous titles that have reflected the creativity and perseverance of their creators in spite of adversity, with Louise Osmond’s Dark Horse (2015) and Richard Ayoade’s Submarine (2010) marking some of the most impactful films of the 21st century. A slight digression but, if you haven’t already… I urge you to watch these films whenever possible.

As a response to the film industry becoming increasingly inhospitable for independent producers, the Welsh Government recently established ‘Creative Wales’; a new agency with aims to “drive growth across the creative industries, build on existing success and develop new talent and skills”. While ‘Creative Wales’ has a definitive focus on developing Welshbased productions and talent, including the BBC’s His Dark Materials and Netflix’s Sex Education, it has received a critical reception for having a “narrow focus” on big-budget productions which further exclude independents from entering the industry in a meaningful manner. The agency has a wider focus that centres its attention around the three “sub-sectors” of film and TV, digital and gaming, and music (not merely one aspect of our modern media landscape).

Indeed, it should be recognised that Creative Wales’ intentions to position “Wales as one of the best places for

Veganuary and me Annabel Lunskey

Is independent Welsh film-making in danger?

Jack Robert Stacey

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creative businesses to thrive” is not inherently incorrect or vulgar however, I regard Creative Wales as an organisation that has sidelined Welsh independents in favour of the previously economically successful key figures.

I regard ‘Creative Wales’ as an organisation that has side-lined Welsh independents.

We reach the same crossroads as always, what can (or more importantly ‘should’) be done to address the

struggling climate for Wales-based independent film companies? In my opinion, the existing preferential treatment towards larger studios and international organisations needs to be completely subverted, aiming directly to benefit smaller figures primarily while the sustainable, multimillion dollar companies take secure ‘back-seat’ positions. Obviously this will take some time to diffuse into the mainstream but, existing governmental agencies (like Creative Wales) can aid this transition through exclusively developing Welsh talent, severely reducing the ‘skill-gap’ in the international creative industry and, subsequently, reaffirming Wales’ position for both corporations and independents as the premiere location for film and TV production.

Coping: The increasing number of major studios filming in Wales has put the future of indies at risk. Source: Beautiful Moments (via Pixabay)

he day was January 1, 2020, I awoke and felt a grumble in my belly, last night’s Five Guys food baby having finally gone down. I plodded downstairs in search of breakfast, no hangover in sight as I had spent my New Year’s Eve bidding a fond farewell to the food I loved. Dishes that always contained meat, milk, and eggs. But there would be none of that this morning, nor any morning for the next 31 days as I was taking part in Veganuary - a British campaign that aims to raise awareness for the vegan lifestyle by encouraging people to follow a plant-based diet in January. A combination of real guilt about the environmental impacts of the meat and dairy industries as well as a series of targeted Facebook ads had led me to attempt to give up all meat, dairy, and eggs for an entire month.

My numerous previous attempts at a vegetarian diet had all failed miserably, each concluding suddenly with a teary phone call home and plate full of my favourite meaty comfort food. I was brought up on a very British diet of meat, potatoes and veg; my family were (and still are) firm believers that a diet must contain meat and animal products to really be healthy. They were not happy about my New Year’s resolution and spent the whole of Christmas ideally speculating about how long it would take for me to give up and roast a chicken.

I mainly prepared for my plant-based diet by complaining loudly about how hard it would be and how much I would miss cheese. But I did manage to spend a small amount of time researching recipes and had gone to the shops to pick up a few essentials. I don’t often try new foods and am particularly against eating things which are unknown to me, the most offensive food stuffs being anything squishy, slimy, or otherwise suspiciously structured. However, on a vegan diet chickpeas, mushrooms and ‘meat alternatives’ of various textures were on the menu and I knew I would at least have to try them if I was to survive. Carrying my first vegan shop home from Tesco I wondered if I was really committing myself to an entire month of expensive vegan cereal bars, easy peelers, and peanut butter straight from the jar.

However, to my genuine surprise, it really wasn’t that bad. With my housemates and boyfriend by my side I found myself getting excited about cooking plant-based meals. I made many I enjoyed and some that I even preferred to the meaty originals from which they were derived. I became swept up in vegan hysteria, excitedly updating the group chat every time I tried a new vegan-friendly snack, giving long and detailed reviews of the Greggs vegan steak bake, and telling everyone I saw about the struggles and victories of my new diet. I felt kind of proud, I was doing something, taking charge and making a difference! Sacrificing my love for mozzarella sticks for the good of the world. It was nice to be vegan for a month, it was nice to feel like I was taking responsibility and doing something about climate change. The day was February 1, 2020, and at around 2am I entered McDonalds and left with a box of twenty chicken nuggets. They were pretty nice too.

COLUMN ROAD COLUMN 18

Indigo Jones

Is dating outdated?

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Roses are red, violets are blue: Are people more likely to have casual relationships over long-term relationships? Source: Annie Spratt (via Unsplash)

o, the title of this article sounds like it will be a love-bashing or relationship-hating attack on Valentine’s Day, which is correct, it is exactly that. I have always been a bit of a cynic and have never seen the need to celebrate Valentine’s Day, whether I was seeing somebody at the time or not, to me it was always another unnecessary commercial holiday. If you want to show your affection towards a loved one, why limit it to one day a year? In my eyes, this uses people’s emotions to consume as many heart shaped tatty objects as possible. Companies thrive on selling last minute teddy bears, chocolates, and jewellery to people who have forgotten the holiday as they hope for their partners forgiveness. The only thing good to come out of Valentine’s Day is the reduced chocolates in Thornton’s on February 15.

We are in an era where feminism is thriving, where many women celebrate “Galentine’s Day” on February 13, where they spend time with their female friends and celebrate being single. Several bars and restaurants publicise this alternative event, and as a result have found another way to make money off the commercial holiday which is Valentine’s Day. Although, it’s this publicity and kind of positivity in single womanhood that has transcended the traditional and modern dating scene, as more wom-

en see the plus side in being single and many prefer it that way. Love Island’s Amy Hart has openly spoken on Loose Women about how she soon intends on freezing her eggs as a result of being unlucky and love and her worries for future children.

She stated on the show that her idea of getting her eggs frozen, “started when I was unlucky in dating. My whole thing was ‘what if I never have children?’”. This is the worry of many women as they grow older, and by raising awareness of the issue it creates a more positive outlook for women with the same worries surrounding singlehood.

This positivity in single womanhood has transcended the traditional and modern dating scene.

In today’s society, we no longer find ourselves meeting people in traditional ways, in coffee shops or at bars. We heavily rely on dating apps, whether that be Tinder, Bumble, Grindr or some other variety of app that enables you to meet people.

Many people have lost the ability to actively communicate with others in person and have put more pressure on finding the perfect chat up line to impress someone they find attractive. From personal experience I know that puns involving my name (trust me I’ve heard them all) do not make a good first impression, although on the other hand neither does just saying “Hey”. This online way of communication has perhaps stunted how our generation communicate in person.

Tinder now has around 50 million users and according to TMRW magazine “has previously taken the number one spot on Apple’s Top Grossing app chart, beating the likes of Candy Crush and Netflix”.

Online dating has made it easier for people to throw dating to the wind, and instead encourages casual relationships, flings, or one night stands over meaningful relationships. This attitude towards dating asks valid questions about whether or not dating is in fact outdated, and whether we have now adopted a casual approach towards relationships. Online dating apps have changed the face of dating, in comparison to past online dating methods like ‘match. com’ and ‘plenty more fish’ which now target and older market.

Psychotherapist Denise Dunne discusses the correlation between difficulties in mental health and the

use of dating apps. In an article by TMRW magazine, Dunne states that online dating apps “create an atmosphere that psychotherapists would have previously regarded as pathological, and narcissistic […] the way these apps are designed are around appearances, non-emotional online communication, and they are about ubiquity and endless promise”.

These apps are designed are around appearances and nonemotional online communication.

Denise Dunne

This narcissistic approach to dating, suggests that we have changed our tone from traditional ways of meeting people, and now focus on immediately deciding whether to swipe left or right on people’s appearances. We put pressure on ourselves to have the best profile, asking questions about whether we should include pictures with our pets, the perfect candid, or pictures of us binge drinking with our friends.

How do we make the best bio, do

we state our height, or make a Gavin and Stacey reference? Who really determines what makes a good profile?

This pressure creates a standard for us to live up to the profile that we have created, we stress about how to make the best first impression and replying with the response, whether that is the perfect GIF or a witty reply. As a generation we have changed not only how we view ourselves and how we view others, but also our outlook on life and existing relationships.

Arguably, people less cynical than me believe that Valentine’s Day is a special day to celebrate with loved ones. Perhaps they think that my outlook on dating and relationships is negative and they would be right, it is pretty negative. But in a time where we struggle to have a good relationship with ourselves how can we possibly have a positive outlook on relationships with others? Maybe I’m a hypocrite knocking the likes of online dating, I’d be lying if I hadn’t tried it myself (so if you see me on Tinder don’t judge). I miss a time where you’d be set up by friends or meet somebody in passing, rather than through a screen based on looks and whether your bio is creative or funny enough.

Happy Valentine’s/Galentine’s day everyone, I hope you all are less cynical than me, and have a lovely day with your loved ones.

Make sure you nominate an Academic Rep or member of staff who have made an exceptional contribution to your time at Cardiff University.

Nominations close on Friday 21st February

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CYNGOR

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Travel Nerves?

Tackling the anxieties behind long-distance travel Jack Robert Stacey Contributor

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s Bob Dylan once said, “a lot of people don’t like the road, but it’s as natural to me as breathing.” For many people, the prospect of long-distance travel to far-off places can be intimidating and potentially alien. Yet, as a welltravelled person who often finds himself heading abroad on boats, trains, and planes, here are several universal ‘travel measures’ to make the seemingly arduous journey an easier experience for even the largest travel-phobe.

It has to be said… those comfy blue neck pillows and eye masks you see people use on planes are overrated.

The modern concept that ‘you need to spend considerable amounts of money on accessories to make travel enjoyable’ is utterly absurd and prevents people from embarking on travel due to the perceived burgeoning cost.

You can just as easily succeed in a safe and pleasant journey through utilising several low-cost methods, each tailored to make travel not only accessible, but also fun.

Firstly, even before the notion of sitting in a moving vehicle for hours at a time has crossed your mind, collate a lengthy and varied music playlist that, in total, will easily overrun your time spent travelling.

Columnist: Satwik Shivoham

which is simultaneously comforting and challenging. Particularly, the slower and more melodic pacing of older 70s folk rock or coffee shop-style jazz sits in the ideal position between being entertaining and calming - definitely required components of your playlist. Secondly, proactively utilise your morning in a beneficial way, opting to have a large and varied breakfast that includes an invigorating cup of either tea or coffee (your choice) with some fruit juice. While this will occupy some of your time, it is fundamental to have

Why competition isn’t always the right answer

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Molly Govus Rhiannon James

This, apart from serving as a welcome auditory distraction from the obligatory crying baby or snoring person behind you, will immediately award you with a brand-new set of songs to memorise whilst moving towards your selected destination, giving you something to occupy time whilst you reclaim control of your environment and sense of security. To make this playlist: primarily search for unseen artists and tracks from known bands; this will let you gravitate towards new songs from recognisable names

Competitive streaks: a blessing or a curse?

Muskan Arora Contributor

Your advice desk

Make the journey your own: Personalising your journey could be the key to making it enjoyable. Source: Nils Nedel (via Unsplash)

everything ready the evening before, covering an often ignored yet critical aspect of travel… energy.

The caffeine and sugar from your drinks will keep you going until you reach your area of departure, leaving the remaining slow-release energy from the carbohydrates (e.g. toast, porridge, cereal) to propel you across the journey in a supporting and continual manner.

The final measure (arguably most important of all) is to have a predetermined ‘contingency plan’, devised to give you a clear and calm mindset by giving concise, yet detailed instruction of other routes, safety precautions, and simple language phrases (useful only if you’re in a foreign-speaking country). This is best achieved through utilising a notepad or something else physical alongside a digital copy on a phone and/or laptop, eliminating the possibility of losing the plan altogether.

Many alternative routes of travel are available online or through transportation companies, giving you peace of mind in the unlikely event of an accident or cancellation.

Long-distance travel, while initially daunting to the uninitiated or nervous, is merely an obstacle that can be passed with experience, time, and simple, manageable measures; with a little planning and perseverance the journey eventually becomes a comfortable and pleasant part of the trip.

emember the first race or the game we participated in as children? Remember the rush to win the game?

It all begins when we start being receptive to the environment around us and when we start understanding people, we become competitive. As we grow old, this nature of ours only develops and grows with us. The line between healthy and unhealthy competition is very fine and fragile and most of us tend to ignore it.

We are all born with a competitive streak as we have the want of more and to be the best. We all have the power and capability to use that shining streak for our benefit. The advantage of being competitive is that we can channel our inner strengths and self-belief and achieve all that we can by giving our best. Humans have an unresting will to be the best at everything they do.

Recently I had the pleasure to witness the rugby match between Italy and Wales and I saw powerful rage and enthusiasm of people in the stadium. They couldn’t stop hooting and screaming and had their faces stamped with the Wales flag or wore the flag around their body. The peak of a competitive streak

can be witnessed when two countries are playing any game.

All the patriotism was at the zenith.

When Wales won the match, all the people were around on the street, singing songs or celebrating. This is how satisfied people feel to prove that they are better than someone else. It is always our choice to either make the most of such an emotional and physical rush or to ruin peace of mind.

There have been multiple instances when the competitive streak within people has destroyed relations and lives.

This happens when people forget their limit and they are prepared to dirty their hands to be proven better.

I clearly remember the ICCI World Cup between India and Pakistan where India won by 89 runs. According to sources, people in Pakistan broke their televisions and set the Indian Flag on fire. Even if we talk about negative impacts of being competitive on a small scale, such as children cheating in their exams to score better than the others even though they hadn’t prepared hard enough for the exam, or spoiling someone’s homework just to showcase theirs as better, these are very minute things which have magnified impact later in our live and which brings not only disturbance of mental peace but also negativity. People fall out of being

What’s the name of the game?: Assess situations where competetivness can benefit you as a person. Source: Tim Gouw (via Unsplash ) competitive and get carried away to do something wrong or illegal, as excess of anything is very harmful. It is very important to understand that healthy competition is very essential as it motivates and fuels us to do better.

We need that extra nudge or push to start something and go ahead with the best we can. No matter what people say, being competitive gets us going and helps us to achieve the impossible. The competitive streak works for a student

and an employee. The student always aims to get higher and better grades and the employee always aims to achieve more than his targets and focuses toward promotion.

No matter how competitive we get, at the end of the day our main competition is with the person we see in the mirror each day, our main aim is to be a better version of ourselves and that is the most important game we can ever win.

Getting over a break-up Recognising that you’re perfectly fine on your own

Sarah Harris Contributor

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remember my first break-up as if it was yesterday. After the end of a two-and-a-half-year relationship, it felt like my world was coming to an end. Although this sounds dramatic, the end of a relationship can have a significant effect on your life. Immediately after the break-up the question running through my mind was: What was I going to do now? It felt as if someone had cut my arm off, I felt lost. But two years post break-up, I realise that it was the best decision for me. Our relationship broke down for a multitude of reasons and at the time, I assumed it was all down to incompatibility. With hind-sight, I now realise that it was because neither of us were ready for a relationship and it wasn’t a problem with us as a couple but rather us as individuals. In order for us both to flourish, the break-up needed to happen.

Whenever my friends tell me they’ve started dating again after a breakup, I always ask them if they’re sure they’re ready. As I’ve matured over the years, I’ve realised you can’t truly love someone until you love yourself. Accepting and respecting youself means you will not settle for less than you deserve in a relationship. Now, I’m no relationship guru and each person deals with breakups differently and at their own pace, but building a healthy relationship with yourself is a good place to start.

You may be one of those people who drowns your sorrows in a tub

of ice-cream and the best chick flicks you can find. Or you may be someone who wants to get dressed up and go on a night-out with your friends, to try and forget the pain just for a little while. No matter your coping mechanism, at some point, you’ll have to deal with the hole in your heart and learn how to move on.

I went on a few dates fairly soon after my breakup and although there was nothing wrong with any of my dates, I still didn’t feel ready and that was okay. It is not a necessity to be in a relationship, you can be perfectly happy as an independant being. Therefore, I took my time and invested my energy into myself.

I cooked more, I read more, I spent more time with friends and family and most importantly I had fun. All the time and energy I had once put towards my relationship, I could now put in myself and towards helping me grow as a person. Take the negative situation and turn it into a positive by bettering yourself.

Of course, break ups aren’t a nice experience but they offer the chance to understand your strengths and weaknesses as an individual. I learnt that I needed to be better at opening up about my feelings rather than bottling them up, therefore I decided to work on this, so it didn’t affect future relationships. I learnt that I was incredibly nurturing and needed someone who appreciated that side of me.

Relationships and break-ups teach you what is important to you and what you’re looking for in someone else. I understand, it’s not as easy for

CYNGOR 21 How to handle a hangover Georgia Smith Contributor

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Broken hearted: Going through a break-up can be difficult and often the pain seem never-ending. Source: Kelly Sikkema (via Unsplash) some. My relationship was less than three years and at the time it absolutely devasted me, therefore I understand there are worse situations than mine and there may be some of you who are coming out of relationships that are almost a decade long and understandably struggling to cope. But I assure you, you’ll be okay. You’ll learn to find yourself outside of your relationship, you may learn things about yourself that you didn’t before.

If you’re struggling, talk to someone. Tell your friends and family and let them help you find a distraction.

Do not feel like a burden, most people understand the pain of heartache

and can relate to you. If you’re wanting to talk to someone outside of your family and friends, talk to the university counsellors. The university runs a drop-in service every day, it’s there to help you. Make sure you don’t keep your feelings bottled up, because this doesn’t help any situation. Let your friends and family support you and be there for you during this difficult period. So, take your time, let it out, deal with the pain in whatever healthy way works for you.

And, when you feel ready, use your experience to grow and become a stronger and better person.

FOMO: The fear of missing out Saying no to an event isn’t going to ruin your social life

Beth Hall Contributor

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OMO, or the fear of missing out, is a serious thing at university. Well at least it feels like that when you’re sat at your desk doing work on Friday night when everyone you know is at the pub. No matter what you’re doing instead, FOMO is always going to feel overwhelming and frustrating. But it doesn’t have to. If you’ve ever said no to a social event then regretted it later when everyone is posting pictures and stories; it’s okay, we’ve all been there (unless you’re a Paris Hilton-esque socialite who doesn’t miss a single event).

Feeling like you’ve missed out on something hilarious or fun is never going to really go away, but there are things you can do to try and make yourself feel better about it. A big part of avoiding FOMO, that may seem obvious, is to refrain from checking your social media. The thought of missing out can be a really awful feeling, it can make you feel anxious or sad, and constantly checking Instagram stories is not going to alleviate those feelings. It’s crucial to remember that what you see on social media is only a small,

Say no: Prioritising yourself and your mental health is more important that attending an event. Source: Priscilla Du Preez (via Unsplash) edited snippet of an event that isn’t always an accurate portrayal. In this era of constant media consumption, it can be easy to take every post and video reality. But when you’re on the other side of the camera, everything is not what it may seem to be online.

Logging off or putting your phone on airplane mode can take away the need to constantly update yourself on the goings-on of the night you’re missing out on so then you can focus on yourself and what you’re do-

ing. Watching a snapchat story isn’t going to take away the 3000- word essay you have due tomorrow. If you can’t resist a quick peak at Instagram, try starting a book that you’ve been meaning to for a while or watch a film that’s been on your list for ages.

Another thing to bear in mind is that what you’re doing instead of going out is most likely much more important for your future than those pints will be. If you’re missing

out because you’re behind on work or even because you need sometime for yourself, it is probably going to benefit you significantly more than whatever it is you’re not doing; even if its only tomorrow when you’re the only one not nursing a hangover.

It’s also very unlikely that when you see those people that they’re going to keep raving about how it was the ‘best night ever’, so you’re never really missing out on something that won’t happen again.

Life is stressful sometimes. Even the most extroverted people need some down time, which can be hard at university as you’re constantly surrounded by friends and housemates. Taking one night off every now and then can be beneficial to your mental and physical health.

Let’s be honest, your body is probably gasping for a break from the 4am bedtimes and vodka. You need to be careful of not spreading yourself too thin. Saying no to a night out or pub night every now and then or any social gathering can be important to ensure that you prioritise yourself, your work and your money. If you know that taking time for some selfcare is okay and occasionally necessary, hopefully the FOMO can be avoided.

e’ve all been there, waking up with a horrendous hangover is never fun. As a third-year student I now feel I have got to grips with handling a hangover.

Here are a few ways in which you can push through and make the most of your day whilst feeling a little worse for wear. First of all, the most essential part of surviving your hangover is water. Making a conscious effort to drink at least two litres a day should be a daily priority, but it is especially important after a heavy night. It may seem odd that you need to drink lots of water because it feels like all you’re doing is drinking fluid on a night out, but alcohol is actually very dehydrating. This is where the classic hangover headache we all know and love comes from. Therefore, hydrating the next day and restoring your nutrients is essential to battling the lements of a hangover.

As well as drinking plenty of water, if you can stomach it, eating a healthy, hearty meal will benefit you and your body. It’s tempting to reach for fried or greasy food when hungover, but you’ll feel so much better after a balanced meal. Eating unhealthily will lead to feeling groggy and tired as unhealthy foods such as chips or pizza will not fuel you. Make an effort to eat light meals which will sustain you throughout the day. Thirdly, getting out in the fresh air can clear your head and your hangover. Going for a gentle walk will help you to feel awake as the cool air will make you feel revived. Another option is to sweat-out the hangover, by going for a run or doing a work-out. Admittedly this is not my favourite form of handling the hangover, but I’ve heard from others that this works well as long as you don’t take it too far.

A step which may seem obvious but will definitely help is taking a shower. This will make you feel much more fresh and ready to face the day, whilst waking you up and combatting the lethargic feeling that often comes with a hangover. Taking a shower can benefit you outwardly for obvious reasons, but also psychologically; as you wash away your hangover and last night’s antics you’re ready for a fresh start. After a long night of dancing and rinking it can be tempting to have a nap, but it’s best to simply keep active and then have an early night. Not only will you sleep better, you’ll also wake up feeling like your hangover never happened the next day. Sleep is very important to help you adjust as a large part of a hangover is often exhaustion. Organising something for the next day could motivate you to spend it wisely rather than lazing around.

Going on nights-out can be a big part of the social aspect of university life, but it is important to get back into the swing of things the next day and not let your hangover put you behind. Therefore, if you are one for a night-out, try to take on board these tips in order to combat the inevitable horrendous hangover that follows.

COLUMN

22

SATWIK Speaks

Satwik Shivoham

Pushing yourself to the absolute limit: how controlled pressure can help you grow

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Dont’ be afraid to push yourself, but be aware of your limits. Header: rhodesj (via Flickr). Left: StockSnap (via Pixabay). Right: Pixabay (via Pexels).

veryone dreads “burnouts”.

They’re mostly unexpected and we are always at their mercy regardless of how much work we do or how we balance our professional and personal lives; burnouts don’t discriminate. Unfortunately, they often happen while one is in the process of tackling important tasks, when we suddenly decide “I can’t do this, I give up”, and in the worst cases, burnouts can affect not only your morale but also those around you who have a stake in your task - teammates, subordinates, even superiors. As you can imagine, that’s a bad time to break down.

I try to experiment with my lifestyle quite a bit and I wanted to learn how I could train myself to better withstand pressure. I’ve observed time and again that “burnouts” only affect those who are taken by surprise or aren’t used to the “grind”. Consider this: what essentially causes a burnout? Too much stress? Or perhaps, too much sudden stress translates into physical or mental fatigue, resulting in you giving up or doing the task half-heartedly?

Nonetheless, it happens if you aren’t aware of what you can withstand and put too much on your plate.

Imagine this, though. Say your body is already used to that kind of

pressure, both physical and mental, wouldn’t your threshold for burning out increase dramatically? Considering this, even when I am warranted to relax and can take a break, I sometimes choose not to and move on to doing other tasks. I wilfully overburden myself sometimes and while you could argue it leads me to live a robot’s life, I think I’m young and I can afford to go the extra mile right now.

Think of this controlled pressurising like a vaccine against burnouts.

A way of conditioning yourself, body and mind to work harder and endure more stress so that by the time any other person would break down, you would still have enough gas to finish the race.

This works great for our bodies, so why don’t we apply it to our minds?

The reason why we push ourselves in the gym to lift a heavier weight every few weeks or perhaps run an extra mile is to condition our bodies to grow under stress. If we can systematically manage to increase our muscle endurance, couldn’t we do the same with our minds?

I believe that staying up all night or being overburdened with deadlines shouldn’t be a painful experience. If one can train oneself to look forward to it, the burden and stress automati-

cally gets side-lined. It becomes a positive experience. Of course, we’re talking about controlled pressure, and this mustn’t hamper your sleep or peace of mind.

Begin by telling yourself so what if I have to stay up a couple nights to wrap something up, so what if I haven’t been able to do anything else?

I am young and I can do it. Steve Jobs once said, “We were really working 14 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week.

For two, three years. That was our life.

But we were young, and we could do it.”

I think I’m young and I can afford to go the extra mile right now.

Let this constantly remind you that these are our very peak years. We are physically, mentally and emotionally at our very best, so this is naturally the safest space for us to experiment in, and push ourselves in. Any failure too will only teach us more about ourselves. It’ll equip us with the right mindset and the skills needed to face real stressors once we step out of university.

Bit-by-bit, try to increase the pressure on you, but do it systematically so you don’t feel too overwhelmed too soon. Keep adding minor things to your daily routine so you learn to manage your time in the process. I started by adding half hour to read, then an hour to complete my parttime work every day, took up another role within the university for three days a week, and decided to cook all meals myself. In the midst of this, I also wanted to get done with my postgraduate applications.

What this did was give me a routine to follow, but also tasks to complete on the daily and a bit more stress. I kept adding something or the other just to keep myself preoccupied, and when I began feeling that I was cracking, I started to ease out. I realized something about myself, that I need at least one day in a week to unwind and not do anything, so I can feel less stressed. So now, if any work comes my way any day of week, no matter how difficult, I never dread it as long as it grants me at least a day to myself to unwind. Because I know my limit, I can control how much work I can accept and deliver upon comfortably.

It sounds cumbersome, but you don’t have to be worried, because this pressure is controlled by you,

not imposed on you, so you mustn’t shy away from taking up more work sometimes and trying to deliver. If you fail, it’s completely okay because you’d have defined a limit for yourself, a capacity. Conversely, if you succeed, it’ll strengthen you in ways you cannot imagine and get you to push yourself more and more.

Because I know my limit, I can control how much work I do.

Ultimately, when you step out into the real world, bound by job contracts and over-delegating bosses, no stress will seem too big to handle and no mountain will be too high to conquer.

You would have already adapted to the pressures most others would begin to experience in the workplace.

With complete control over your stress, you would’ve learned how to manage it and dilute it when you’re on the brink of crashing. Professionally, you’re not only going to stand out from the crowd, you’re also going to practice a healthy work-life balance by being so self-aware about your limitations.

Student Volunteering Week Get involved, make a difference!

11th February

12th February

13th February

Survival Games: 19:30 - 22:15, The Great Hall, Students’ Union

Clean Up Cardiff: with the Canal & River Trust in Wales, 13:00 – 15:00

IWEV Fair: 11:00 - 15:00, 1st floor Students’ Union

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

SCIENCE

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/science

GWYDDONIAETH

24

AI created medicine to be tested on humans in world-first The first medication produced by a machine without any human intervention scheduled to start human trials in March 2020

Holly Giles Science Editor

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utomatic intelligence (AI) has been arguably one of the biggest inventions in the last century and its advancements are still being made everyday. This month AI has been breaking headlines again by creating its first medicine with no human input.

This medication for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) was created using algorithms that allowed the machine to sift through thousands of potential medications and testing them against different parameters. This process normally takes five years for humans to take a drug from conception to human trial but the machine has only taken 12 months. This drastic reduction in time was highlighted by the chief executive for the company behind the project, Professor Andrew Hopkins, as a “key milestone in drug discovery.” Hopkins added; “This year was the first to have an AI-designed drug but by the end of the decade all new drugs could potentially be created by AI.” It is not only OCD that can benefit from this technological breakthrough. The firm, Exscientia and

Pills of the past: The AI created medicine has been made in a fifth of the standard time so could make long-awaited medication a thing of the past. Source: Freestock (via Flickr)

Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, are already working on treatments for cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

The team hopes these molecules will also be ready for human trials by the end of 2020.

The firm says this hasn’t been a difficult conversation as “the beauty of the algorithm is that they are agnostic, so can apply to any disease”. this means that future medications may be able to be created even faster, making the five year window a thing of the past.

AI’s have already been playing a

large role in diagnosis and treatment of patients but this is the first time medication has been created and has led to many becoming skeptical. Hopkins defended his project by saying, “Active Learning [the subcategory of AI used here] algorithms automatically prioritize the most informative compounds for experimental synthesis and testing and enable the system to learn faster than humans alone.” AI’s are already being used by researchers to track the spread of the coronavirus and to tackle the opioid crisis in America.

It may be reassuring to many that although the development time for the drug has been fast tracked it is still required to undergo the same clinical trials and human testing so will not be seen on the mainstream commercial market for many years due to the nature and complexity of these tests.

The human trials are scheduled to begin in March 2020. Only then can the success of AI in designing medications be concluded but it appears to be a natural progression of the AI’s role in medicine and healthcare.

Solar Orbiter completes preparation for launch Images of sun to be visualised with more detail than ever thanks to new technology Lily Westerby-Griffin Contributor

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urope’s own Solar Orbiter is getting prepared to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on February 10th 2020. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) £1.3 billion mission is set to answer some of science’s biggest questions about our star by imaging the Sun’s magnetic poles for the first time. This will be used to analyse the effects of space weather on Earth. ESA will collaborate with NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, combining data in hope of answering fundamental questions about our star.

The spacecraft was built at Airbus Stevenage, UK, and once completed was transferred to Munich, Germany to be stress tested to ensure the craft

could survive in some of the harshest conditions in the solar system. The launch will use the gravity of Venus to slingshot Solar Orbiter out of the inecliptic plane of the solar system. After eight years, the spacecraft will then enter an elliptical orbit just 42 million kilometres from the Sun above its poles taking some of the most detailed images and data of our star yet. However, being this close to the Sun comes with its own challenges. Sun-facing parts of the craft have to withstand 500°C temperatures as well as a constant shower of radiation 13 times stronger than the radiation received on Earth orbital satellites, whilst the parts of the craft in shadow will have to survive in -180°C. These two requirements have led to the development of cutting-edge heat shields to protect the craft in such ex-

treme conditions.

Solar Orbiter has been equipped with ten instruments. These instruments will be directly imaging the radiation in-situ. It will look to observe our stars magnetic and electric processes, looking through a protective glass to withstand the extreme radiation. Instruments inside the craft will image the solar surface and coronal environments.

Our solar system is full of charged particles (plasma) formed from the byproducts of the reactions that power our Sun. This makes Earth vulnerable to electromagnetic damage during solar storms. Produced mostly by the Sun’s magnetic poles, solar storms cause this plasma to slam into the Earth’s magnetic field, producing electromagnetic disruptions all over the

world. Famously, the aurora borealis is caused by these storms, but not all of these interactions cause such beautiful effects. In 1989, a storm caused the collapse of an entire energy grid in Canada, leaving six million residents without power for nine hours. Even smaller scale storms regularly create errors in GPS systems; these errors produce position inaccuracies of tens of meters. The elliptical orbit of the spacecraft will provide the first views of the Sun’s uncharted poles of the sun to aid a deeper understanding of these storms.

With the Solar Orbiter and the two instruments used for imaging being built here in the UK, the Space Orbiter will arguably be one of the most significant scientific launches in British history.

Word of the week: Radiation Radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves through space.

Your science desk

People are exposed to radioactive materials found in soil, water, food, and air as part of everyday life, they are only dangerous when exceeding a normal value.

Liv Davies Hollly Giles

They are widely used in medicine, industry, and research.

GWYDDONIAETH 25 Koalas killed High tempo music makes for in Australian easier exercise bush fires High tempo music shown to lead to higher cardiovascular per- Shannon Budden Contributor formance in new study

Jack Robert Stacey Contributor

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ith many flocking to the gym to fulfil their New Year’s Resolutions, a new study shows that during strenuous physical activity, upbeat music can have a significant mental impact, stimulating us for success and increasing our effectiveness when exercising.

Research collated by Frontiers in Psychology highlights a close association between high-tempo music and increased levels of cardiovascular performance.

Specifically, it notes that the upbeat music with approximately 170190 beats per minute reduces the perceived amount of effort required in a physical activity, subsequently making the training appear more achievable and the exercise feel easier to the participant.

Although the notion that music had an impact on physical performance has been widely accepted amongst most researchers for many years, this new report is much more in-depth and proves this theory to be correct.

However, other aspects of music, including genre and lyrics, that may

have a direct impact on our cardiovascular capabilities have yet to be examined in the same level of detail as tempo.

In this investigation, the researchers examined the effects of music with different tempos on 19 “active women” aged between 24 and 29.

The performers were studied in high-intensity and endurance training scenarios, using the leg press and treadmill respectively in tandem with no music, low tempo music (90-110 bpm), medium tempo music (130-150 bpm), or high tempo music (170-190 bpm).

Through repetition the research suggested that the use of high-tempo music in an endurance training scenario slightly raises the “metabolic demand” of the performers, reaching 11% in contrast to the 6.5% of high-intensity activity.

Modern athletes and their coaches have long implemented music regularly within their training regimes to serve as inspiration in the pressured and physically demanding environment.

Before taking part in professional competitions, many athletes, including Olympic medallists Courtney Hurley and Jason Rogers, cite music as their optimal way to “pump

I

Easier Exercise: Study shows that your playlist really is at the heart of your workout. Source: Creative Commons Zero (via Piqsels)

up” before competing, noting that it is critical that the song have a deep emotional significance and get them in a good mindset.

While the research implies that high-tempo music should be used to boost physical performance, further research is required to be conclusive.

This research has opened up a previously theoretical area of psychological and scientific debate, alerting us to the future promise of utilising music in varying manners to achieve maximal performance in athletes. For average exercisers it highlights the importance of music.

European Parliament passes vote for universal charging ports This vote would ensure a reduction in waste from the technology industry

Liv Davies Science Editor

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rom Android, to Windows to Apple, there is a great variation in the charging port that is used in their phones. Sometimes even portable devices of the same brand can sustain many different charging ports. This can cause an issue when at a friend’s or family’s house and your phone runs out of battery, but your particular charging port is nowhere to be seen.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) recently voted on a motion of 582 votes to 40 which calls for the European Commission to abandon this issue in favour of adopting a singular charging port.

This would mean that one wire could effectively be used for all devices. Furthermore, this would mean that the devices would be “uncoupled” from the charger and pre-existing chargers could be used,even when a new phone has been purchased. The Commission under-

stands that this would massively reduce waste from the mobile device industry.

Currently, Apple who are leading the market with their sale of mobile use a lightning connector. Most likely, all portable devices will aim to use the new USB-C connection used on many modern Samsung phones, however the details have not been finalised.

Polish MEP Roza Thun stated “The Commission has to show leadership and stop letting tech giants dictate our standards. We expect a proposal to establish a standard common charger for smartphones, digital cameras, e-book readers and tablets and similar devices within the next six months.”

The decision to make a universal charging port has been cautioned against by Apple.

Apple released a statement in response to this motion, stating “Regulations that would drive conformity across the type of connector built into all smartphones freeze innova-

tion rather than encourage it. Such proposals are bad for the environment and unnecessarily disruptive for customers”. Apple argues that this vote would stifle innovation that would prevent the changing of technologies into faster and more efficient portable devices.

Apple has conducted a study that shows this move would not only prevent innovation, but could cost the consumer money.

Copenhagen Economics was commissioned by Apple and found that only 0.4% of Europeans experience significant issues when charging their devices due to the lack of compatibility in cable specifications. Furthermore, this study revealed that this change could cost up to 1.5 billion euros, outweighing the suggested 13 million euros in environmental benefits if this change were to occur.

Despite the improvements in waste reduction, there would certainly be a short period of increased waste as new adaptors for older phones would have to be purchased.

However, longer term, the EU would see a reduction in technology related waste as obsolete cables are estimated to produce around 51,000 tonnes of waste per year.

It is unclear when we can expect to see these changes in place but the vote confirms politicians are moving towards a universal charging port for Europe.

The commission has to show leadership and stop letting tech giants dictate our standards, we expect a proposal to establish a standard common charger... within the next 6 months Róża Thun, Polish MEP

n the wake of devastating bushfires, dozens more koalas have been found dead or injured on a blue gum plantation site in southwest Victoria, Australia.

Thousands of native flora, fauna and animal species have perished in the months since the bushfires began, which have been especially fierce in the state of Victoria. The blue gum tree – or Eucalyptus globulus – also suffered heavily in the fires and is an important habitat for the koala.

The koala, already listed by the Australian Government as a vulnerable species, has been the focus of many international outpourings of support with donations flooding in for organisations such as WIRES and Port Macquarie Animal Hospital.

Following this effort to help the koala and other native Australian species, the news of acres of blue gum trees demolished and dozens of koalas left to starve or die from their injuries has spread, with one local resident declaring in a viral video that Australia “should be ashamed.”

Around 80 surviving koalas, who had been foraging on the scarce remaining trees, have been treated by veterinarians for broken bones or starvation. Tragically, 25 koalas were put to sleep as their injuries were too severe.

Although it’s not clear at this stage who is responsible, the logging industry claims that contractors followed the rules for protecting the animals. Under Australian law, koalas must be relocated before trees are bulldozed and their welfare must be considered after logging has taken place.

Investigations will be carried out in order to ascertain where the blame for this negligence lies, with the Department of Environment, Land, and Planning already on-site amidst volunteers from several animal charities.

However, in light of increased awareness of the koala’s plight, this incident calls into question just how seriously the Australian Government and the Australian people take the protection of their indigenous species.

The koala is an icon of Australia. It is instantly recognisable and uniquely Australian. The loss of such a creature would not only be a tragedy for biodiversity – it would also be a tragedy for Australians and for Australian identity.

Whilst legislation to protect the koala exists, the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) believes that it is not properly enforced due to a lack of resources. It advocates for a Koala Protection Act, which will prevent logging and clearing of important trees.

To support the fight to protect the koala, you can donate through the AKF or volunteer organisations, or by adopting a koala from the AKF. Until enforceable legislation is put in place, the koalas will need every bit of help they can get.

@CAERDYDD

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Your @Caerdydd desk Tirion Davies Natalie Graham

The Death of Indie Disco

What the closure of Independent music venues means for us Natalie Graham @Caerdydd Editor

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he story of closing independent music venues is a familiar one, repeatedly antagonised by ever increasing rent, rising business rates and ambitious redevelopment plans. UK Music, the campaigning and lobbying group for the British music industry has stated that in 2019 35% of venues across the country have closed in the last decade.This portrays a clear trend; Independent grassroots music venues across the UK are disappearing to become a nostalgic gem of a bygone era of the Indie club night.

It’s a sad but true state of affairs that the closing of a third grassroots music venue in Cardiff has not come as a surprise. 10 Feet Tall is the next in a series of planning permission applications to face demolition, with the landlords planning to create restaurant and commercial units. A statement from the clubs official Facebook page and website stated: "We really want our venue to thrive as a space for live music and the community and we had so many plans for the venue we wanted to unveil over the coming months but unfortunately, these are now unable to come to fruition”.

10 Feet Tall and unique basement venue Undertone is not only a popular club venue, but also home to live music events.It had provided local bands as well as up and coming tour acts a chance to perform, developing their skills.

In the last decade numerous iconic music venues across the country have succumbed to permanent closure. London’s iconic Astoria, Bristol’s Bierkeller, Manchester’s Roundhouse. Even London’s renowned Denmark Street, the place in which The Rolling Stones and Elton John emerged is under threat, held hostage by the glimmering profit margins of redevelopment. Urban areas are dominated by landlords and land developers in search of an ever bigger profit. Independent venues are left piles of rubble to make way for flats, offices and commercial opportunities. Complicated licensing restrictions and noise complaints can lead to complicated bureaucratic

Get down to your local Independent music venue: Source: dlonrax (via Pixabay)

debates with local councils, adding to the instability of indie venues. At the root of the problem is the fact these venues aren’t viewed by the Government as cultural enterprises.

Theatres are protected by the Theatres Trust, however no such body is funded by the government or has such influence, let alone actually exists when it comes to music venues.

Public support for grassroots venues clearly does exist, a clear example being the protests last January over the shutting of Gwdihŵ; 1000 people marched on Guildford Crescent after plans to demolish the site were submitted by the Rapport family. A petition was also signed by 20,000 people to try and save the music venue. But independent venues remain at the mercy of laws that work against them and the profit seekers driving them out of inner city spaces.

The losure of grassroots venues has a fundamental implication for the music scene in Cardiff and an even bigger impact on those who use them.

Behind every venue closure lies the loss of something; Indie Disco/ music. With the closure of independent venues, indie music is left without a home. Yes the events can move venue but unlike a live music event, you aren’t just going to a club night for a band. You buy a Disco

Disco Motel: Independent event, Disco Motel at Clwb Ifor Bach Source: Natalie Graham

Clwb Ifor Bach: Dirty Pop at the Indie venue in Womanby Street.

Source: Natalie Graham Motel ticket for the guaranteed wet brick walls, photobooth and smell of damp mixed with hooch, Clwb Ifor Bach guarantees. You go to a club to experience every aspect- the location, the people, the dancefloor. If you uproot the event to a different venue, its simply not the same. A band can put a show on anywhere.

I’ve seen gigs in a carpark, an exchurch, a sticky floored pub. A club night however needs more stability, a regular home. There are venues and promoters putting nights on attempting to keep the dream alive, but it takes time to build a reputation and recognition, it takes time for somewhere to become your ‘Tuesday Night’.

As more and more venues turn to rubble, we aren’t only losing gig spaces but staple locations where alternative music can be danced to, in all of its hedonistic glory. It’s the feeling when the DJ plays your favourite song, everyone around you begins to dance like they’re in a 1980’s music video, this is the lightbulb moment in which you realise the Indie club night is worth defending.

Indie club culture is dying out, with characterless, mainstream clubs sweeping in. The knock on effect of this is tragic. It not only means the move away from vir-

tuoso singer/songwriter artists, but it means no new sound. Commercial clubs aren’t renowned for their testing of new or experimental music, they encourage the old familiar catchy pop music we hear in Pryzm’s disco room. The closure of indie venues means there is nowhere for experimental new music to be tried and tested.

The closing of venues such as 10 Feet Tall, Bufallo and Gwdihŵ creates an even smaller pool of clubs to choose from, running the risk of the Cardiff music scene becoming nonexistent; dominated by the likes of generic clubs such as Walkabout and Pryzm. Perhaps the question should be raised as to where that leaves the Indie Disco/music crowd?

If there are continued closures it is likely that likeminded Indie music fans will have to travel further afield outside of Wales to get their fix. Or does this mean fewer people will bother to go out at all? It isn't hard to see streaming replacing the live music and club scene, especially when there are no clubs to call your musical home. Either way this is not good news for the Welsh music scene, which has been going from strength to strength in recent years.

Pryzm dance floor or Clwb Ifor Bach’s club night? I know where I’m going.

Valentine's venues

@CAERDYDD

Things to do on February 14 for a fuss-free day Tirion Davies @Caerdydd Editor

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alentine’s Day is the biggest day of the calendar year (bar Christmas Day) where everyone can show their love and appreciation for others. Whether you show your love for your other half in a romantic sense, or your friends in a platonic way, February the 14 is a celebration of love for many.

Many will be clambering to make reservations at fancy restaurants or rushing last minute to find somewhere to take their date. Some may be struggling to find a club which won’t be overcrowded on Valentine’s Day. But what if you can’t be bothered with love hearts and teddy bears and chocolate?

What is there to do in Cardiff on Valentine’s Day that doesn’t include a table setting covered in pink and roses?

Whether you’re a couple who feel Valentine’s is too much pressure, or you’re single but don’t want to mingle, or even if it’s complicated, here’s some suggestions of things to do to keep your mind off Valentine’s or to remind you that there doesn't have to be all this pressure to make Valentine's perfect.

Valentine's Day can be a hassle: Source: eek the cat (via Flickr) Trampoline parks and Ninja War- at one of these venues. rior UK The global phenomenon Ninja Cardiff has a variety of trampoline Warrior has opened its own Advenparks for those interested in letting ture Park here in Cardiff. Located on out their inner child. Trampolining Hadfield Road, take your friend or a isn’t necessarily considered to be a date to this venue for some fun on very Valentine’s Day kind of event, Valentine’s. It’s somewhere you can so it seems you’re more likely to be have some fun and not get judged able to jump around and pretend for your inability to complete the you’re six again, without being bom- course. barded by pink and pda.

Anti-Valentine’s Day Party SupaJump on Ocean Way is the A tradition which has started is easiest to access for students based the ‘Anti-Valentine’s Day Party’ for in Cathays. With around 20,000 those who wish to avoid Valentine’s square feet of interconnected tram- Day altogether. The Taff ’s Well Inn, polines, angled walls, tricks airbag, Cardiff Road are hosting an ‘Antislam dunk basketball, a dodgeball Valentine’s Day’ event this year, ofcourt, a battle beam and even an fering free entry and solace for those American-style sweet shop, you’re who aren’t looking forward to the sure to forget about everything else holiday.

Not your average Valentine's Day For many, Valentine's is a day to enjoy time with your friends or with a date, but it can be hard in Cardiff to find places to go that won't be overcrowded or complicated.

Old Arcade, however, has an event sure to appeal to those excited for Valentine's Day. 'No Fuss Valentines', between 5:00pm and 9:00pm on February 14 offers the option of 2 grills and 2 drinks for £20, so you don't have to worry about the fuss of something going wrong.

However if you don't want to leave your house but still want to do something for Valentine's Day, there are always options available to you.

Try a cocktail-making class at home. Always thought some weird combinations might actually taste nice together? Now's your time to try! Cocktail tasting at home is fun and will always lead to hysterical laughter (either from the alcohol or the weird combinations of drinks).

The most laid-back way of enjoying Valentine's Day is always with some wine and a film - or Love Island (an additional person is only optional, remember).

Enjoy your Valentine's Day this year, however you're planning on spending it, whether you've decided to celebrate it or not!

Cardiff 2020 at a glance

The best events in Cardiff worth looking out for this year Tirion Davies @Caerdydd Editor

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ver the course of the year, Cardiff boasts numerous events for both students and residents alike. With the capital abuzz this month with the beginning of the 2020 Six Nations tournament, it’s worth remembering that the rugby isn’t the only notable event taking place in Cardiff.

Here’s a quick look at just some of the many events which take place annually around Cardiff which are always worth making a note of in your diary.

1. St David’s Day Parade As with each of the other UK nations, Wales celebrates its patron saint’s day every year. On March 1, Wales becomes a combination of daffodils and leeks and of dragons and dawnsio gwerin (folk dancing).

Dydd Gwyl Dewi, as it’s known in Welsh is celebrated across Wales (and by Welsh people globally), and even in Disneyland Paris. As the Welsh capital, Cardiff takes control of the festivities on a national front, by organising a parade each year through the capital. After the parade, why not head over to Fabulous opposite the Castle to pick up some welsh cakes to mark the occasion?

2. RHS Flower Show During April of each year, Bute Park becomes a hub of nature in the capital, as the RHS Flower Show

finds its way to Cardiff. With beautiful displays, shops and activities of all kinds (maybe even some celebrity sightings, too) keep your eyes peeled for this event – it’s sure to make your mid-study extra interesting.

3. Welsh Varsity Of course, who could forget the much-anticipated annual event in the Cardiff University calendar? At the end of April, thousands of students will head out to watch Cardiff take on Swansea in various sporting matches. Named the ‘biggest sporting event in Wales’, many have been waiting for their chance to get tickets for a while now and with good reason - Varsity is an event which is deemed unmissable amongst Cardiff and Swansea students. As is tradition, tickets are sure to sell out just as quickly as they're released. With the Varsity taking place in Swansea this year, it’s surely an event anyone would hate to miss out on.

4. Guinness PRO14 Final Cardiff City Stadium will be the hosts of the 2020 Guinness PRO14 Final this summer. Taking place on June 20, it’s worth sticking around in the capital for just that little bit longer to catch this exciting event.

This year marks the first year Cardiff will host the Final in the era of ‘Destination Finals’ so this event is one not to be missed!

5. Tafwyl Tafwyl is Cardiff ’s annual Welsh language arts and culture festival,

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Events - February 2020 SIX NATIONS

Various Locations February 1st- February 22nd

Chapter Arts: Drones Comedy Club Friday February 21, 8:30pm BAFTA Cymru - Eternal Beauty + Q&A Wednesday February 12, 6:00pm Kendal Mountain Festival Saturday February 15, 7:30pm Bento Harassment Sunday February 16, 5:00pm Sunday Jazz Sunday February 16, 9:15pm

Sherman Theatre Cymru: Llyfr Glas Nebo (in Welsh) Monday February 11 until Tuesday February 11 Get it while it's hot: Winners February 11 - February 15 La Voix: The UK's funniest redhead Thursday February 13, 7:30pm

St. David's Hall Cardiff: Katya & The Comedy Queens Sunday February 16, 8:30pm

Cardiff Events: Quay Rex at Mermaid Quay February 8 until February 23 Mermaid Quay, Bute Street, Cardiff Bay The Science of Beer - Cardiff Science Festival 2020 Saturday February 15, various times PIPES Brewery Tickets are FREE but essential for entry

Tafwyl: The annual Welsh language arts and culture festival boasts thousands of visitors each year. Source: Jeremy Segrott (via Flickr) with free entry to a big Welsh party for everyone. With the best street food Cardiff has to offer, as well as amazing live music, Tafwyl is an event which year upon year rakes in hundreds of visitors. Between 19-21 of June, Bute Park will host Tafwyl for the first time, which means more capacity and the chance for more people to enjoy themselves!

6. Pride Pride Cymru’s Big Weekend takes place at the end of August each year.

Although the event takes place outside of term time, if you live close enough to Cardiff to come for the

day, it’s always a brilliant atmosphere. Pride Cymru’s Big Weekend is Wales’ biggest celebration of equality and diversity, boasting live entertainment and a mile-long parade. Pride is one of those events you’d be sad to miss.

Cardiff always has great events on offer for both residents and students each year, and this list is only the tip of the iceberg! 2020 is filled with a number of events sure to peak your interest and the year also sees a new variety of events being introduced to the capital.

The Big Gig | Y Gig Fawr Saturday February 15, 7:00pm Clwb Ifor Bach Valentine's Day at Chapel 1877 Friday February 14, 12:00pm Churchill Way, Cardiff

DEPOT Cardiff: Six Nations coverage: Wales v France Saturday February 22, 4:45pm Bingo Lingo February 21, 6:00pm

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/sport

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

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Your sport desk Reece Chambers George Willoughby Ella Fenwick Luke Wakeling Olly Allen Tom Walker

Kansas City victorious in Super Bowl thriller

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes won the Super Bowl MVP award marking a record-breaking season George Willoughby

Deputy Head of Sport

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t would be Kansas City who lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy in a classic in Miami. The Chiefs came out on top by a margin of 3120 having trailed by 11 points in the fourth quarter. It was the first Championship win for veteran coach Andy Reid, as well the end of a 50-year wait for Kansas.

The Chiefs received the ball for the opening drive of the match, but a staunch San Francisco 49ers defence forced a three and out. It was common knowledge that the 49ers have one of the best defensive units in the league. Coordinator Robert Saleh has formulated a defence that is dominant in the pass rush, as well as a strong secondary containing the highly-regarded Richard Sherman.

Synonymous with the San Francisco offence, is their ability to run the ball. Tevin Coleman had some good early touches, but it was the versatile receiver Deebo Samuel who advanced the 49ers into Chiefs territory on their first drive of the game. The

Kansas defence held, resulting in just a made field goal.

The Kansas City offence is full of weapons, and no player is better suited to finding the open receiver than former MVP Patrick Mahomes. One of his favourite targets is Travis Kelce, and the pair demonstrated their unstoppable rapport with the tight end having a nice catch and run to move the Chiefs into the red zone. A gutsy call on fourth and one eventually led to a Mahomes rushing touchdown and Kansas went into the lead.

Following the score, the 49ers returned to the field only for Jimmy Garoppolo to be intercepted by cornerback Bashaud Breeland. The ensuing possession saw Mahomes orchestrate a drive that resulted in a Harrison Butker field goal.

Falling seven points behind, the 49ers would respond emphatically.

A Tevin Coleman run brought San Francisco into scoring range and they converted. A play-action pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk fooled the Kansas City defence and the 28-yearold found his way into the endzone.

The scores were tied at 10-10 at the break. Obviously, the anticipated

halftime show took place with headline acts Shakira and Jeniffer Lopez taking to the Miami stage in a memorable performance.

The 49ers re-took the lead after the break with Robbie Gould splitting the sticks. What followed was an interception by linebacker Fred Warner. This was an opportunity San Francisco would not pass up and Raheem Mostert powered his way through for their second touchdown of the game.

Without a doubt, the 49ers defensive line started to pressurise Patrick Mahomes a lot more effectively in the second half. Mahomes was not given the time to find an open receiver and he was intercepted again. This time, it was cornerback Tarvarius Moore with the pick.

However, the Chiefs needed a stop and they got one, but they were left with the improbable task of overturning a 10-point deficit with only seven minutes left on the clock.

Some magic was needed from their quarterback, and Patrick Mahomes duly delivered. A 40-yard strike to Tyreek Hill allowed the Texas-Tech product to find Kelce in the endzone to bring the Chiefs within one score.

A quick three and out for San Francisco meant Kansas had an opportunity to either level the game or get the go-ahead touchdown. Unfortunately for the 49ers, it would be the latter as runningback Damien Williams was on the receiving end of an accurate Mahomes throw.

Garropplo and the offence had just over two minutes to find an answer, but they were unsuccessful.

A turnover on downs gave the ball back to the Chiefs and the scoring did not end there. Williams capped off a brilliant performance with a 38yard touchdown run.

An interception by Kendall Fuller ended all San Francisco resistance and the start of a potential Kansas City dynasty was born.

Coach Andy Reid has implemented a fearless identity into this Chiefs team which was fully deserving of the victory. This Championship feels like it will be one of many, especially as signal caller Patrick Mahomes continues to improve his game. The future is extremely bright for Mahomes who now has an MVP and Super Bowl to his name at the age of just 24.

Djokovic moves closer to Grand-Slam record

But why does it seem that the Serbian is under-appreciated despite all of his

Luke Wakeling

Sport Editor

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hen Novak Djokovic lifted the Australian Open in 2011 to gain his first Grand Slam, Federer was already cemented in history with 16; Nadal was fast approaching with nine to his name. Fast forward to 2020 and Djokovic has acquired 17 Grand Slams after beating Dominic Thiem 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 to extend his record at Melbourne Park to eight Australian Open titles.

Many predict he will surpass Nadal’s 19 and eventually Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slams, with age still very much on his side. Yet, the Serbian is nowhere near as popular as his two greatest rivals.

Indeed, he often has to battle two opponents in his matches– the second being the crowd. The current world number one has expressed his frustrations at this, most noticeably in the 2019 Wimbledon final where the cheers for Federer’s loss were louder than Djokovic’s win. Even against Thiem, in a tournament which should be Djokovic’s ‘home’ ground, the crowd were firmly on the Austrian’s side. One would think Djokovic, a charismatic off-court interviewee who grew up in war-struck Belgrade, should have by now gained the hearts of tennis fans across the world. What are the reasons for his seemingly under-appreciated po-

sition in the sporting world?

Firstly, a look at his playing style in comparison to his rivals would give some clues. Federer is widely considered to be the most graceful player in history, with a perfect forehand, elegant one-handed backhand and smooth but brutal serve.

His movement is effortless, the way he glides around the court and approaches the net with ease. Nadal, on the other hand, is ferocious. Fans remember him in his sweat-drenched tank top in 2008, after one of the greatest finals of all time to beat Federer at Wimbledon in nearly five hours. His ‘lasso’ top spin heavy forehand is one of the most iconic tennis shots in history; the effort he puts into each match and fierce competitiveness has earned him many admirers.

Then we come to Djokovic. His playing style is perfect, but not iconic. The issue is, although there are no weaknesses in his game, there are also no apparent strengths either, at least on first viewings. The Serbian plays tennis how one should play tennis, without doing anything particularly pretty or exciting. A winner, not an entertainer. This is largely the consensus on Djokovic’s game which is not particularly fair. His returning game is the best in history and his elasticity is extraordinary– the way Djokovic stretches to reach seemingly unreturnable shots has as much right to be iconic as Nadal’s.

Similar to their playing styles, Federer

and Nadal’s personal styles are distinct in comparison to the Serbian’s. They both have their own popular brands and clothing lines; Federer is closely affiliated with Wilson, Rolex and Uniqlo and Nadal with Babolat, KIA Motors and Nike. The Swiss is a gentleman of the sport, his classy style reflecting his play whereas Nadal is associated with professionalism, athleticism and functionality.

Novak hasn’t really marketed his own image as successfully.

Another reason is that Djokovic could suffer from his own success. He has beaten the other three of the ‘Big Four’ more than any other player, with a 29-26 record against Nadal and 27-23 record against Federer. The fact is, any player that steps onto the court against Djoko-

vic is an underdog. When people describe Djokovic, many would compare him to a robot. He is just ‘too perfect’.

This would be a fair accusation; except he isn’t perfect. In 2017 and 2018 many thought Djokovic would not compete at the top level again after not beating a top 20 player in 20 months. The five-set thriller for his most recent Australian open title against Thiem is a microcosm of his career. There were times where he looked lost, lacking direction and vigour against a more powerful young opponent. He was two sets to one down after Thiem had won six out of seven games.

Yet he still pulled through, showing grit, determination and admirable mental strength. It is time the world woke up to Djokovic’s greatness.

Three away: Novak Djokovic added another grand slam title his evergrowing tally. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

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‘Football is my drug’: how the Homeless World Cup helped create meaningful change Six months on from the tournament, Reece Chambers investigates the impact that the Homeless World Cup 2019 has had on its players and Street Football Wales Reece Chambers Head of Sport

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hen the 14th edition of the Homeless World Cup kicked off in 2017, Jen Gattrell was jumping between temporary accommodation services in South Wales. Two years on, she has represented Wales at the Homeless World Cup and her story shows just how much football can be a platform to create meaningful change.

“Football is my drug. I’ve never touched drugs or become reliant on alcohol but football has always been there for me,” said Gattrell.

“It’s my happy pill and it’s part of who I am. I’ve always been told to never give up on football because it’s that escape for me.”

Gattrell is just one of thousands of players who took part in the 2019 Homeless World Cup in Cardiff, but for her it had extra significance being in her own capital city.

“It’s mad to think there are only eight of us that has ever represented Wales at the Homeless World Cup in Cardiff.

“At the time, it just felt unreal. I was just going along with it and felt like I was just waiting to wake up… it was like a dream.”

In a truly unique tournament, the Homeless World Cup aims to inspire lives through the power of football.

More than that, it is an opportunity for those who have been let down by society to turn their lives around.

With an estimated 1.6 billion people without access to adequate housing in the world, the tournament is of paramount importance across the globe .

For people who have been on the fringes of society, working to get back into a sense of normality and stability can often depend on confidence and self-belief. For Gattrell, the tournament provided the chance to improve that.

It’s made me a better person knowing that I should believe in myself a lot more.

Jen Gattrell, Welsh Warriors

“I’ve been explaining my life all the time about who I am to try and justify myself to people. People have judged me since I’ve been young… but now I’ve been able to express who I really am.

“I know now that I should be more accepting of who I am and it’s made me a much better person than I thought I was.”

In a sense, that is exactly what the

Homeless World Cup aims to do. It is not about winning the matches or scoring the best goals, but more importantly getting everything you can out of such a valuable experience.

Thousands of people attended the alcohol-free tournament in Cardiff ’s Bute Park earlier this year to watch the event. Michael Sheen led the bid for Cardiff to host the tournament and this year it developed into much more than just football.

With keynote speakers, debates and music events, the tournament attracted a wider audience. But at the very core was the focus on creating meaningful change for sectors of society that often go unnoticed.

Neil Ingham, a trustee for Street Football Wales, has been involved with the charity for over the last four years. He believes that the tournament has the power to shift the inevitability of people’s lives.

“Life expectancy of people who have gone through these sorts of institutions are really low… any kind of shift in that trajectory is a massive positive,” said Ingham.

You’re constantly fighting a tide of likelihood, a statistical inevitability.

Neil Ingham, Street Football Wales

“Shifting the sense of inevitability is something that the tournament is massive on… it says to players that there’s a possibility.”

As someone who has been involved with Street Football Wales for a number of years, Ingham knows all too well about the tainted past of players and uncertainties they still face in their lives.

“The reality is that a lot of their experiences are too horrific to go into detail about… A lot of the players have come through a care system, cycles of abuse and a whole host of awful experiences.

“A lot of the reality of drug and alcohol dependence is hard to talk about. You’d have to write a book with a million different pieces to get a sense of it,” said the Street Football Wales trustee.

The true beauty of the Homeless World Cup is the way in which everyone’s problems and insecurities are left at the door. It is a chance for players, coaches and the general public to get lost in a festival of football and treat everyone equally.

Hollywood actor, Michael Sheen, was a big part in getting the tournament to Cardiff. His constant efforts in creating the bid and even donating his own money to the tournament tells you all you need to know about

HWC 2019: Jen Gattrell (right) celebrates with her Welsh Warriors team. Source: Mile44 how the event encourages generosity.

Sheen was accompanied throughout the week by other big names from the entertainment industry. The likes of Wales’ own Charlotte Church and Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield joined Sheen throughout the week. However, the attention on these world stars was never placed in the way of the football.

To illustrate the impact of the tournament, Cardiff ’s hosting of the Homeless World Cup recently won the ‘Greatest Sports Story of the Year’ at the Wales Sport Awards 2019. Presented by Sport Wales, the award recognises the incredible impact that the tournament has had on changing public perceptions of homelessness.

“I think it helps massively… they aren’t burdened with the layers of sentiment surrounding homelessness that is usually portrayed to the public… the tournament has shifted a lot of the public perceptions [around homelessness] and just created a sense of positivity,” noted Ingham.

Above all else, the tournament should be recognised for the significant positive change it has facilitated.

For Gattrell, playing in the Homeless World Cup is something that she will never forget.

The biggest thing for me is that I’ve worn the Welsh national shirt.

Jen Gattrell, Welsh Warriors

“My confidence and self-belief has got a lot of better. Getting asked for autographs after games was just amazing and it made me feel like I was part of the Welsh squad.”

But a key focus for Street Football

Wales is that none of the momentum gained from the Homeless World Cup is lost. Ingham, and his Street Football Wales colleagues, are conscious that the drop off after the tournament is the biggest challenge they face.

At the core of Street Football Wales’ values is a charity that promotes social inclusion through participating in football. By promoting the positive change of lives through football, the charity takes on the everyday issues that players face.

For Gattrell - who has represented Street Football Wales for a number of years - there is a sense that the charity needs to do more in order to optimise its full potential. Her remarkable story illustrates the power of sport, but the value she places on her experiences are markedly lower than one would expect.

“This is where I get confused, because how can I take the confidence I’ve got from football into real life situations?

“I don’t think it’s taught me how to get a job or anything like that. I feel like that should be the next step for someone… there’s not really that much help after the tournament… I think there could be more done to help players after we finished in the summer,” said the 34-year-old.

After a tournament that saw thousands of the general public flood the fields of Bute Park to witness the empowering nature of football, it is important that such significance is not wasted.

If we are to see real change in the way that homelessness is tackled in society, the Homeless World Cup could be the key to unlocking that potential.

The challenge now is to continue that drive for meaningful change beyond football.

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Six Nations: gameweek one round-up Felix Bolton Contributor

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he first fixture of the Championship saw Wales host an Italy side looking to prove themselves amongst Europe’s rugby elite. Unfortunately for the Azzuri, they didn’t even make it onto the scoreboard. The Welsh came out as 42-0 victors in a game that displayed new coach Wayne Pivac’s insistence on an expansive style of play, whilst complimenting Gatland’s engrained defensive brutality.

Two impressive first half tries from Josh Adams mounted pressure on the Italians and was only compounded by the near faultless Dan Biggar boot. The second half was to be equally damaging for the visitors, as debutant Nick Tompkins crossed the line followed by a close range effort from George North. Adams had to wait until the 82nd minute to secure his hattrick as Wales ran rampant.

Whilst the score line shows Welsh domination, Pivac won’t be completely convinced by his team’s display. They shared possession with the Italians and conceded more turnovers, perhaps exposing a chink in their armour. However, with the return of significant players such as Gareth Davies expected for the Ireland clash on the weekend, the squad has the depth and time to iron out any minor creases.

Whilst this game didn’t necessarily highlight the competitive nature of the Six Nations, Scotland’s visit to the Aviva stadium was to be a tighter affair.

The error-riddled, physical encounter saw Ireland come away as 19-12 winners.

However, the greatly improved Scottish outfit pushed the home side until the final whistle. The cagey match was dominated by both fly-halves as Johnny Sexton and Adam Hastings scored all of their respective teams’ points.

The pivotal moment was to come in the 50th minute, as newly appointed Scottish captain Stuart Hogg blundered an open-try opportunity, as he knocked the ball on over the line. It was not the captain’s contribution he would have been hoping for.

Sunday’s game saw World Cup finalists England take on France at the Stade de France. The mouth-watering battle between two old enemies saw England as stand out favourites before kick-off, but all expectations for a walkover victory were quickly banished.

The French raced to a 17-0 lead by half-time, meaning it was the first time an England side remained pointless at the break in the Championship since 1998. England’s 23 conceded turnovers highlights their inability to be clinical near the try line.

Without the individual brilliance of Jonny May’s two late tries, England would have been embarrassed by a ruthless new-look French side who will be looking to be Six Nations champions for the first time since 2010.

Although only one round in, Wales hold a slender lead at the top of the table and are on track to regain the Six Nations crown. However, with a dominant display from France and the constant threat of Ireland and England on the road, the tournament is still wide open heading into week two.

30 SPORT Jack Vavasour Cardiff Blues Columnist

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t has not been the best start to 2020 for Cardiff Blues, with the team only able to beat the poor Rugby Calvisano in the European Challenge Cup so far. This comes after back-toback wins in Welsh derbies in December against Ospreys and Dragons.

These were tight victories though and certainly did not spell massive success or change in fortunes. It did, however, offer much needed positivity at Arms Park.

So far this year the Blues have lost to Scarlets, again in a tight encounter, before being defeated by Leicester in the Challenge Cup which spelled the end to their run in that competition.

This should be considered as a failure as their group should not have thrown up any real challenges, yet they still failed to dominate as a team of their stature should have. They sit fifth in Conference B in the Pro 14 and their chances of qualifying for the finals look to be far gone. They will have to seriously change their fortunes before they can become real competitors.

But more challenges are to come for the Blues as they have lost their key asset Josh Adams, who is away with Wales for their Six Nations campaign.

He scored a hat-trick in the opening game against Italy and is affirming his position as one of the best and most prolific wingers in the world. Blues have also lost Willis Halaholo to injury and their side looks considerably weaker for it.

In the face of this, they are looking towards the future and have signed the supremely talented Sam Moore, who played for England U-20s, from Sale Sharks. He is a bright prospect and Wales, as well as Cardiff Blues, should be excited as to what he will bring to the side and potentially the national team if he chooses to change his allegiances.

Cardiff will also be hoping Louis Rees-Zammit will return to his former home of Cardiff Arms Park once his contract at Gloucester expires.

Next up, the Blues face Connacht at home before travelling to Leinster and then Newport. Connacht and Leinster will be some of the biggest challenges of their season and if they return to Wales having earned any points then it should be considered as an achievement.

They have the benefit of not missing too many players whereas Leinster are seriously damaged by the Six Nations as Ireland always come calling heavily to pick apart their squad. Cardiff must now look to building for the future and focus on achieving a solid end to the season before a strong pre-season to rebuild and hopefully become competitive again next year.

Ladies Rugby: Landslide win over Swansea is perfect Varsity preparation Sport Editor Tom Walker speaks to captain Liliana Podpadec about their crucial win over Swansea last Wednesday Tom Walker Sport Editor

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head of their final game of the season, the Cardiff Ladies rugby team were unbeaten in the Western 1A. Following a 36-41 opening victory against Cambridge back in October, Cardiff went on to blitz the rest of the league, only conceding above double digits once in their remaining fixtures.

Coming into their last match with the league title wrapped up, the aim was simply to win and be lauded with the illustrious unbeaten crown.

The team standing in their way were, of course, Welsh rivals, Swansea.

“We were nervous coming into the game” said team captain Liliana Podpadec, “Swansea away is always one of the biggest games of the seasonand with what was at stake, this one had a bit more riding on it.”

The previous matchup between these two saw Cardiff win by a monstrous 39 points to zero, but with a few absences to front row mainstays, including Podpadec, this one promised to be a closer affair.

However, this was far from the

case as Cardiff came away victorious, putting 41 points past their old foes whilst only conceding one try at the other end.

“We had a lot of great talent come in at the start of the year which brought the intensity in training and on the field up, and in tun has made it more competitive for positions” Podpadec explained.

She also believes consistency, both of players and of the style of play, has been key for Cardiff ’s on-field success too.

Podpadec and the team will be determined to take their form into Varsity.

The next big test for Cardiff however is the small matter of varsity, set to take place on April 29.

The Cardiff Ladies rugby team have not won the matchup since 2016, but they will feel this year is their best chance of retaining that title.

The thought of last year’s match up will undoubtedly be in the minds of

those who competed. With a minute left on the clock, Swansea bundled over the line to win it 30-27 at the death at the Principality Stadium.

Podpadec and the team will be determined to take their form into Varsity.

“It was a really bad end to the game last year, but now we feel we are in a better place to show what we can do.”

Given the combined score of 80-7 over the two league meetings, Cardiff should be confident, but Podpadec does not think it will be that simple.

“Swansea always step it up, we never know what to expect come varsity… In my first year we beat Swansea twice (in the league) but when it came to varsity, they were a totally different outfit.”

Regardless of the result on April 29, it has been an unbelievable season for Cardiff ’s Ladies rugby team, however given their current form and phenomenal ability they will expect nothing less than to dispatch Swansea like they have done throughout the season.

Season by numbers

Games Played

10

Games Won

10

Points Scored

329

Points Allowed

77

Should FA Cup replays be scrapped?

Comments from Jurgen Klopp have sparked a debate about the world’s oldest cup competition

Kieran Oram

Contributor

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ith the FA Cup back in full swing, age-old debates surrounding the status of the world’s oldest football competition have returned. Comments made

by Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp regarding their fourth round replay against Shrewsbury Town have ignited a fierce debate about whether replays have a place in the competition anymore.

Cardiff City are certainly no strangers to replays, with both their FA Cup ties this season ending in one.

The 1927 winners were eventually dumped out of the competition by Reading last week following a 3-3 draw which ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat, however pre-match Bluebirds boss Neil Harris spoke glowingly of the competition. Referring to the club’s affinity with the cup, Harris described it as a ‘great occasion’ and revelled in the prospect of hosting Premier League opposition in the next round. Unfortunately it was not to be, but it epitomised the fondness of the competi-

tion felt amongst clubs below the Premier League.

However, not all managers share the same sentiments. Bosses of footballing behemoths such as Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp have made their disdain for replays no secret, with Klopp fielding Liverpool’s youngest ever team in their replay against Shrewsbury at Anfield.

Scrapping replays would seem to go against the very fabric of the cup.

Premier League teams, especially those in the top six, point to the considerable strain that the gruelling Christmas period has on players.

Player welfare is obviously a concern, and there is a case to be made that replays place an unnecessary burden on players. The FA’s actions themselves have seemed to acknowledge and legitimise these concerns, with plans to abolish replays beyond the fifth round brought forward a season.

However, scrapping replays would seem to go against the very fabric

of the cup. Only in the FA Cup are lower league teams, usually so far removed from the glitz and glamour of the Premier League, offered a chance to rub shoulders with the giants of English football. Financially, replays can give teams not awash with the millions of the Premier League a real boost. For example, Shrewsbury Town boss Sam Ricketts explained that the extra revenue generated by their Anfield replay will go towards buying new video analysis equipment and better drainage for training pitches.

It gives fans the opportunity to visit some of the most iconic football stadiums around the country and another shot at sporting immortality. Besides, accusations that replays are unnecessary fixtures fall a little flat when attention is turned to the globetrotting pre and postseason tours many top teams participate in. If managers and clubs are genuinely concerned about overworking players, perhaps they should look to these ultimately unnecessary games as a potential cause. Premier League squads are furthermore the most adept and well equipped to deal with replays. The squad size of these teams

significantly dwarf that of their lower league counterparts, and yet you don’t hear the latter complaining.

Up for the cup: Do replays congest the fixture list? Source: Wikimedia Commons The debates surrounding replays will be sure to rumble on, but one thing for sure is that while their voices may not be the loudest, the lower league majority continue to reap the benefits and rewards of replays.

BUCS Highlights

CHWARAEON 31

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

Swansea 3s 0- 6 Cardiff 2s Men’s Hockey

Chris Bennett Contributor

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aving previously won their last match 3-2 against Bristol’s third team, Cardiff ’s second hockey team was confident travelling away to play an exciting match against Swansea’s third team.

The heated rival match got off to a quick start with the mighty Cardiff team taking a swift lead thanks to a drag-flick from Jagdev Bal. More goals from Cardiff ’s strong team followed from Bal using another two drag-flicks, putting them in the lead 3-0.

Shortly after, Tom Wright passed a brilliant cross to Chris Bennett across the pitch, who landed an excellent goal. This left the Cardiff team in a comfortable position at half time, with 4-0 on the scoreboard.

The second half started with an own goal from the Swansea team,

Golf

with Todd Leddy pushing the opposing defence to make a critical error.

The final goal of the match came from the top-scorer of the match Bal with a highflick into the back of the net.

This was a great win for the team with the final score left at 6-0, giving the Cardiff team three points on their league score.

This leaves the Cardiff team remaining at the top of the league table neck and neck against Bristol.

A special mention went out to the goalkeeper, Ben Harris, who kept a clean sheet after making some excellent saves throughout the match against Swansea’s.

The next match for the Cardiff second’s team will be a tough game against the Cardiff University Medics team in the BUCS Cup. The Cardiff women’s second team also competed, bringing home another great win of 4-1 against the UWE women’s first team.

Cardiff 2s 39 - 30 Swansea 1s Netball

Catrin Powney Contributor

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ith the first team having a week off this week, all eyes were on the Cardiff University Netball Club’s second team, who fought a tough battle against Swansea first team.

Heading into the game with two previous losses against Swansea, the seconds were keen to make them work for it this time around.

Coming out strong, the girls managed to end the first quarter being down by just four goals, a margin that they brought back to just two goals down going in to half time.

With some great shooting by Frankie Ward and flying interceptions by Jessica Rees, the Cardiff girls

were on a roll in the third quarter, managing to not only close the gap but also overtake Swansea to be up by six goals going into the final quarter.

A couple of missed shots and ball fumbles meant that with seven minutes to go Swansea had pulled back, with the Cardiff girls leading by just one goal. But, the seconds stepped it up and pulled ahead, finishing the game with an amazing score of 39-30.

The other teams in the Cardiff University Netball Club also had a cracking week, with the thirds just missing out to Gloucester’s second team and every other team winning.

The fourths were victorious over Cardiff Met 5’s, 31-21, the sixths managed to beat out Trinity St. David Camarthen 38-36, the sevenths smashed History A 37-6, and the eights won 18-8.

American Ladies Football Tennis 1s

Best of the Rest Cardiff Bath B’mouth from 0-21 2-4 4-2 BUCS Swansea Cardiff Cardiff

Winners: All smiles after a crucial league win. Source: Cardiff Uni Netball

Cardiff 1s 19-20 Swansea 1s

Men’s Rugby lose in tight encounter at Cardiff Arms Park Ben Lovell-Smith Contributor

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spirited Cardiff performance saw them defeated 19-20 by a good Swansea side in a close encounter at the Cardiff Arms Park.

Cardiff scored early with a well worked try by Greg Ramage to put them into the lead as he powered over from the base of the scrum.

Soon after, Ed Dunford extended the Cardiff lead and it was beginning to look as though Cardiff were in control of the game.

But when Swansea were able to arrest some possession for the first time in the match they began to progress. Cardiff’s indiscipline allowed Swansea to take themselves within 7 points of the home side.

Half time could not come soon enough for Cardiff as they were camped in their 22-metre line for the remainder of the half. From a scrum on the five metre line Cardiff conceded a penalty. Quick thinking from

number eight Cai Davies saw him tap and go and Swansea scored to level the points heading into the break.

After Dunford put Cardiff into the lead again, Swansea made their critical play, charging down a Cardiff clearance kick to cross the line against the run of the game. Cardiff were now chasing the lead for the first time.

Salt was rubbed in the wounds as Cardiff fell the wrong side of the referee again to concede another three points from the boot of Swansea fly half Gwyn Parks.

Cardiff put up a good fightback in the final 20 minutes as Dunford pushed the score to within one point from the tee. However Swansea were able to hold onto possession for the last five minutes to ensure that they would leave the capital as winners.

Another defeat for Cardiff means that they have not won a BUCS Super Rugby match since October 2.

On a positive note, the losing bonus point moves them slightly further away from bottom place Northumbria as Cardiff bid to avoid the relega-

Under the lights: BUCS Super Rugby. Source: Cardiff Uni Rugby (Twitter) tion play-off at the end of the season.

Swansea have now done the double over Cardiff in the league, posing worrying signs for Varsity, which is in Swansea this year on April 29.

However Cardiff can take positives from the game today as they looked like a very cohesive unit. Dunford generally

kicked well to put Cardiff in the right positions and the bench made a good impact when they came on. The game was lost on a knife edge, Cardiff certainly deserved more than a point. Next up for the boys is a tough and exciting away game at Exeter, who are currently sitting at third place in the league.

Getting to know: Morgan Moriaty Ella Fenwick Sport Editor

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n this week’s Getting to Know segment, the senior men’s captain for the rowing team Morgan Moriaty was interviewed. Moriaty was confident which sport was for him when he first arrived at Cardiff University saying: “At the Freshers Fair in my first year I made a direct beeline to the rowing stand. I was keen to continue the sport as it had helped me stay fit and get more confident during my final years of secondary school and sixth form. After a few weeks training up for my first race I was fully committed to the club.”

Moriaty is dedicated to rowing and has learnt a lot from his involvement in the sport, “The best bit about rowing is it hasn’t changed since I learnt to row when I was 14. Few other sports can simultaneously grant a sense of self-growth and sense of unity and comradeship with your team.”

Over the years Moriaty has made many memories rowing but he recalled, “My earliest memories of rowing would have to be a learning to row course back home.

The first few sessions are always scary getting to know how a boat feels and then learning how to row in a crew but the sense of achievement you get rowing together and doing group circuit training allows you to feel like you’re part of a team and feel yourself progress every session.”

With many different achievements in competing over the years in Moriaty’s rowing career, he said “I suppose the highlights of my uni rowing career have to be big events like BUCS Head and BUCS Regatta when you get the chance to meet and race uni rowers from all over the UK. Of course racing Welsh Varsity in my second year has to get a mention too.”

Moriaty is in his third year at university, learning to balance both his studies and his training explaining, “The rowing programme gives me a rhythm to my week, providing refreshing breaks between studies and improving my own self-discipline if I have to get up early or motivate myself to complete a session in my own time. It’s a challenge but if done right you come out of it with a sharp sense of discipline.”

With the upcoming regatta season Moriaty has set himself a variety of goals saying “Personally, my biggest goal for the season has to be winning Welsh Varsity. Besides that we also have several events at BUCS we’d like to target in fours and quads, hopefully winning the club a few BUCS points and building momentum for the following year of senior men.”

Joining a sports team at university can have a positive effect on a university lifestyle with Moriaty stating, “My university life has been entirely shaped around rowing. Whenever I’m asked how university is going, the first thing that comes to my mind is rowing. So in essence, rowing has defined my university life entirely. It often determines when I’ll get up, has pushed me to get out for socials and mix with people from other years.”

CHWARAEON

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

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chwaraeon Blues Column Adams absence clear for Mulvihill’s men Page 30

BUCS Highlights Men’s Rugby, Hockey and more Page 31

Djokovic adds to Grand Slam tally Luke Wakeling Sport Editor

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ovak Djokovic won his 17th Grand Slam after winning the Australian Open against Dominic Thiem. The Serbian and current world number one is two titles behind Rafael Nadal, as well as three behind all-time Grand Slam title winner Roger Federer. Many expect him to close the gap. Sports Editor Luke Wakeling has argued that even with all of his success, Novak Djokovic is still slightly under-appreciated.

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The debate over FA cup replays Kieran Oram Contributor

All smiles: Charlotte Arter (left) after her World Record Parkrun. Source: Charlotte Arter.

Arter ‘honoured’ to break Parkrun World Record in Cardiff

Luke Wakeling Sport Editor

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harlotte Arter broke the female Parkrun World Record at the Cardiff Parkrun on February 1 in a time of 15 minutes 49 seconds.

The GB athlete, who also runs for Cardiff Athletics Club, ran at a 5:05 mile pace over 5km to come eighth overall in one of the most competitive and popular Parkruns in the UK, with 931 participants.

Arter reflects on the “great feeling” of breaking the record at the Cardiff Parkrun on February 1.

“I feel honoured to hold the record, it’s probably the only world record I will ever hold. The parkrun is all part of the process to hit some big goals later in the year and it shows I’m in good shape leading up to my next big race which is the Barcelona half marathon.”

The Cardiff Parkrun is a notoriously fast course with many runners

looking to break their PB’s along the Taff trail and Arter was aiming to join them before she broke the record.

“I felt in good shape and had just returned back from a training camp in Spain with Welsh Athletics, so it was a good chance to have a run out at the parkrun and see where I am at.

It’s a great feeling and I feel honoured to hold the record

Chalotte Arter

“So I was hoping to break my previous time, however it was pretty windy on Saturday so it wasn’t the best conditions for running fast. Hopefully I can go quicker when I run my next one,” said Arter.

Achieving a Parkrun personal best is no easy task and Arter offered some tips on reaching that end goal.

“On the day of the parkrun, make sure you get a good start position and pace yourself to your strengths to maximise your chance of running a PB. In terms of tips to improve your parkrun time, consistency is key, trying to establish a weekly routine for your training. Incorporating one ‘speed’ session a week, which is at your 5k pace or quicker, will help to improve.

“This could be done out on a run where you run fast between two lamp posts, jog for a bit and then repeat eight-ten times within a run. Also, finding a running buddy, group or club will always help with motivation and help push you further in training.”

Parkruns present a rare occasion in sport where international athletes and first timers compete in the same race which adds to the community feel of the event.

“I absolutely love running at Cardiff Parkrun, it always amazes me how many people turn up at 9.00am on a Saturday. There is always a great buzz at the start with everyone aiming for

their individual goals and everyone running together to achieve them, it’s something quite special.”

The 28-year-old believes Parkruns can be a huge driving force for promoting active lifestyles in the UK. “It’s a huge positive, and its amazing to see the numbers of people attending park runs and the number of new park runs starting up grow. The work Parkrun are doing is fantastic, for instance next month they are supporting This Girl Can to celebrate International Women’s Day. So they are a huge driving force in getting people active and staying fit.”

Arter hopes to compete at the European Championships later on in the season and will possibly attempt another World Record Parkrun along the way.

“I’m not sure when my next Parkrun will be, probably in a few months time.

My main aim is to reach the European Championships, and if things go really well, try and achieve the Olympic 10,000m standard.”

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fter Liverpool fielded their Under-23 team for their FA Cup fourth round replay against Shrewsbury Town with Jurgen Klopp not even in attendance last week, a debate sparked once again over whether replays should be abolished completely. Contributor Kieran Oram discusses the pros and cons, including fixture congestion, the monetary rewards, player welfare and how lower league teams benefit.

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Homeless World Cup: Looking back six months later Reece Chambers Head of Sport

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ix months on, the Homeless World Cup is at a crucial stage in making a significant impact on the lives of those who took part at the tournament.

The summer is a distant memory for many of those took part in July and August which makes Street Football Wales’ job all the more important. Reece Chambers speaks to Jen Gattrell, who represented Wales at the tournament, and Neil Ingham, who is a Trustee for Street 29 Football Wales.