Issue 1142 - Monday October 28 by Cardiff Student Media

rhifyn 1142 issue 1142

gair rhydd

28 hydref 2019 28 october 2019

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Cardiff University’s student paper | Established 1972

Students speak out over spiking expereinces Charlotte King Head of News

n light of a number of students claiming to have had their drinks spiked in Cardiff University Students’ Union, it’s time to question whether people are being spiked on campus and how can students ensure they remain safe when on a night out in the city? Drink spiking is when somebody deliberately puts drugs or alcohol in someone else’s drink without their knowledge or consent. In some cases, drinks are spiked with intent to harm an individual, be it to assault or rape them, for example. Over the past year, various students have alleged that their drinks were spiked on YOLO and Juice club nights in the Students’ Union. Gair Rhydd has spoken to these individuals to find out more about their experiences. One student, Alex*, stated that one evening last year, they decided to attend a Students’ Union club night on a whim, having two drinks before leaving the house. They arrived at the Union, had two more drinks and “just blacked out.” They then reported that their friend had to help them walk home, after which they began to moan in pain and vomit continually. Their friend was concerned about how “out of character” they were acting so phoned an ambulance. Alex claims that the paramedic refused to believe they had been spiked and they were taken to A&E for a brief check-up then sent home. Alex stated that this experience made them “wary” of drinks, especially when in a new place. They believe that the Union “need to be more vigilant” and should stop “[throwing] people out” who could be in a vulnerable position if it is to be a safe space for students to go out partying. Gair Rhydd also spoke to Charlie*, another student who believes they were spiked on a YOLO club night earlier this academic year. Charlie told Gair Rhydd that they drank two glasses of wine before heading to YOLO and then proceeded to drink four VKs in the nightclub, after which they “can’t remember a single thing” included who they spoke to or where they went. Charlie continued, saying that this blackout continued into the morning after and later in the day, their body

“went into complete shutdown mode, leaving me in hospital for a couple of hours.” They stated that this experience deterred them from wanting to attend Students’ Union club nights which they too feel should be “one of the safest clubs for students”. Both Alex and Charlie told Gair Rhydd that they encourage students to contact a doctor if they believe they may have been spiked and never been afraid to let someone in a higher position know you feel vulnerable, for example, a security guard.

It was scary to reflect on how I had no memory of anything I had done. Cardiff University student

In response to these comments, a Students’ Union spokesperson said, “At present, any student that reports to security with suspected drinks spiking is supported by the on-site paramedic team where they are monitored until able to return home. Students are then encouraged to follow up with further medical advice to confirm if the spiking occurred and are advised to report the incident to the police. “We have previously not been in a position to confirm any spiking allegations but are looking into the feasibility of onsite testing kits at events. “Whilst we don’t comment on specific incidents, we will happily meet with anyone who has felt that their treatment has not been to the above standard.” Gair Rhydd also spoke to the Students’ Union to enquire whether the Union believes it has a problem with drink spiking during club nights. In response, a spokesperson for the Union said, “The safety of students and guests attending our events is of paramount importance…[and] we invest in many welfare and safety initiatives to ensure students have a fantastic time. “The Students’ Union enforces a strict behaviour and entrance policy and for major events, this includes displaying messages on banners that outlines the zero-tolerance stance.” Story continues on page 4.

The National Museum of Wales: One of the Amgueddfa Cymru family of museums. Source: Amgueddfa Cymru

Record broken in Welsh museums’ visitor numbers

ales’ seven national museums have seen a record increase in their visitor numbers, according to a new report. Amgueddfa Cymru’s Annual Review 2018-19 reveals that during the

last financial year, the Amgueddfa Cymru family of museums had nearly 1.9 million visitors. This is the equivalent of a 6.5% increase in total visitor numbers, the largest increase in the 112-year history of

Amgueddfa Cymru. The review also reveals that 1,135 volunteers gave of their time to help with the operation of the museums. To read more about the review, turn to page 3.

Welsh Gov’t proposes singleuse plastics ban

Gŵyl gerdd yn creu Sŵn yng Nghaerdydd

Getting to know: George Richards of Tae Kwon-do

eputy Minister for Housing and Local Government Hannah Blethyn recently announced that the Welsh Government is looking at banning many of the most commonly used single-use plastic products in order to improve Wales’ environmental impact. The UK Government is already aiming to curb the use of many single-use plastics such as ear buds, drink stirers and plastic straws in England. The Welsh Government is considering implementing an EU directive which would ban single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery and balloon sticks from EU markets after 2021. The initiative has gained support from many of the Welsh Assembly’s political parties. Go to page 10 to read more on the announcement.

edi penwythnos llawn hwyl a sbri yng ngŵyl gerddoriaeth flynyddol y brifddinas, Taf-od sy’n adolygu Sŵn a thrafod ei bwysigrwydd i gerddoriaeth yng Nghymru a diwylliant Cymru yn ehangach. Eleni oedd y y trydydd tro ar ddeg i’r ŵyl gael ei chynnal. Roedd cymysgedd o gerddoriaeth yn yr ŵyl gyda digon o gynrychiolaeth o artistiaid Cymraeg megis Gwilym a CHROMA yn ymuno â detholiad o dalent o bob cwr o’r byd. Bu tri diwrnod o adloniant fel rhan o’r wyl, o nos Wener, 18 Hydref, tan nos Sul, 21 Hydref. Gwern Ab Arwel aeth ar ran Taf-od i nifer o wahanol gigiau’r penwythnos er mwyn profi blas o’r arlwy a oedd ar gynnig yno. Ewch i dudalen 7 i ddarganod mwy am sut wnaeth Sŵn ei swyno.

n the latest edition of the Sport desk’s recurring segment of ‘Getting to know’, Sport Editor Ella Fenwick interviewed Tae Kwon-do’s George Richards. Richards spoke about his journey with the martial art, in which he has over fifteen years worth of experience. He also provided his views on his favourite sporting moment whilst at the club. Like many of the athletes we speak to here at Gair Rhydd Sport, their sporting experience at Cardiff University starts with a give it a go session and from that moment on they become actively involved in their respective sports clubs. Read more on what advice George would give to his fresher self, as well as ways to enrich your time at university on page 30.

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 Scary times Amseroedd dychrynllyd

Taf-od

Llion Carbis Aled Biston Rhodri Davies Deio Jones

Politics

Lowri Pitcher Hallum Cowell Tom-Henry Jones Maisie Marston

Comment

Sam Tilley Harry Clarke-Ezzadio Kat Smith Nina White

Column Road Indigo Jones

Advice

Molly Govus Rhiannon James

Satwik Speaks Satwik Shivoham

@Caerdydd

Tirion Davies Natalie Graham

Science

Danny Brown Holly Giles

Sport

Reece Chambers Olly Allen Ella Fenwick Luke Wakeling George Willoughby

Caught in a tangle: On the week of Halloween, why is society in such a scary place? Source: Nicolas Picard (via Unsplash)

Head of Digital Media Aliraza Manji

Social Media Manager Ashley Boyle

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

Graphics Editor

Oli King

Copy Editors Boadicea Dowd Dewi Morris Tehreem Sultan

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.

Tomos Evans Editor-in-Chief

he world in which we live can be a scary place. Rarely have we lived in a more fragile, fragmented society, uncertain of its future direction. Whilst the United Kingdom itself is experiencing a period of political change as it prepares to leave the European Union following the 2016 EU Referendum result, other countries around the world are experiencing far greater uncertainties. Recently, protests have taken place in Catalonia, where citizens are protesting against the imprisonment of former Catalan separatist leaders. The government of Catalonia, a region of Spain which includes the industrious city of Barcelona, called a referendum on independence from Spain in 2017. The Spanish government deemed the referendum unlawful and a recent ruling by the Supreme Court found nine former Catalan separatist leaders guilty of sedition charges, with prison sentences ranging between nine and 13 years in prison. When the SNP won a majority in the Scottish Parliament, the UK Government granted the Scottish people an independence referendum. Wouldn’t granting a legal referendum to the Catalan people on independence

for the region have formally given the people their say on the matter of independence? Elsewhere, recent protests in Hong Kong have seen hundreds of thousands of protestors taking to the streets. The protests have since developed into a pro-democracy movement. This has been seen by many as the biggest crisis to have faced the region since it returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Last week, however, the Chinese government withdrew the controversial extradition bill which had originally sparked the protests. Closer to home, as Boris Johnson attempts to get his Brexit deal through parliament, the EU have granted the UK a further extension to Article 50, allowing more time for the deal to be passed. The Northern Ireland Assembly has not sat since January 2017, with attempts at restoring power-sharing in Stormont having failed thus far. With the UK as a whole facing the possibility of an early General Election in the coming months, its outcome, and the road ahead for the country, is currently unclear. Last week it was reported that Cardiff is the fifth largest hotspot for alien activity in the UK, according to research by thortful.com. In reality, though, there are far greater unknowns facing us right on our doorstep.

Tomos Evans Prif Olygydd

ae’r byd lle rydym yn byw yn gallu bod yn le gofidus. Dydyn ni ddim wedi byw mewn cymdeithas mor fregus, mor ansicr o’i gyfeiriad, ers amser hir. Tra bo’r Deyrnas Unedig ei hun yn profi cyfnod o newid gwleidyddol ar hyn o bryd wrth iddo adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, mae gwledydd eraill o gwmpas y byd yn profi cyfnodau hyd yn oed yn fwy ansicr. Yn ddiweddar, mae protestiadau wedi bod yng Nghatalonia, lle mae dinasyddion wedi bod yn protestio wedi i rai o gyn-arweinwyr y mudiad dros annibyniaeth yng Nghatalonia gael eu carcharu. Galwodd llywodraeth Catalonia, rhanbarth o Sbaen sy’n cynnwys dinas lewyrchus Barcelona, refferendwm ar annibyniaeth o Sbaen yn 2017. Ffeindiodd llywodraeth Sbaen y refferendwm yn anghyfreithlon ac yn ddiweddar gwnaeth y Goruchaf Lys ddyfarnu naw o gyn-arweinwyr mudiad annibyniaeth Catalonia i gyfnodau rhwng naw ac 13 mlynedd dan glo. Pan enillodd yr SNP fwyafrif yn Senedd yr Alban rai blynyddoedd yn ôl, rhoddodd llywodraeth y DU refferendwm ar annibyniaeth i bobl yr Alban. Oni fyddai rhoi’r hawl i bobl Catalonia bleidleisio mewn refferendwm ar annibyniaeth wedi

rhoi’r cyfle i’r bobl gael dweud eu dweud ar y mater o annibyniaeth? Yn y cyfamser, mewn protestiadau diweddar yn Hong Kong, mae cannoedd ar filoedd o brotestwyr wedi cerdded y strydoedd. Mae’r protestiadau bellach wedi datblygu i fudiad dros ddemocratiaeth. Mae hyn wedi ei ystyried gan nifer fel yr argyfwng fwyaf i wynebu’r rhanbarth ers iddo ddychwelyd o reolaeth Prydain i Tsieina ym 1997. Yr wythnos ddiwethaf, tynnodd llywodraeth Tsieina y bil estraddodi dadleuol a ddechreuodd y protestiadau yn y lle cyntaf. Yn agosach i adref, wrth i Boris Johnson geisio cael cefnogaeth y Senedd ar gyfer ei gytundeb Brexit, mae’r Undeb Ewropeaidd wedi cynnig estyniad arall i Erthygl 50, sy’n galluogi mwy o amser er mwyn i’r ddêl gael ei phasio. Dydy Cynulliad Gogledd Iwerddon ddim wedi cyfarfod ers Ionawr 2017, gyda thrafodaethau rhannu pŵer wedi methu hyd yma. Gyda’r DU i gyd yn wynebu’r posibilrwydd o Etholiad Cyffredinol cynnar, mae’r canlyniad a’r ffordd ymlaen i’r wlad yn aneglur ar hyn o bryd. Mewn adroddiad diweddar, honnir mai Caerdydd yw’r lle pumed mwyaf tebygol yn y DU am weithgaredd allddaearol yn ôl ymchwil gan thortful. com. Mewn realiti, mae ansicrwydd llawer mwy yn ein hwynebu ar ein stepen drws.

Olly Davies News Editor

It’s just [about] being there to represent students.

anonymous, said, “Cardiff is quite good at LGBTQ+ issues compared to a lot of other unis in the UK; it’s trying but it’s not perfect”. In an interview, they highlighted statistics published by Stonewall UK that claim “about half of LGBT people experienced a period of depression in the last year and one in eight people aged 18-24 said they’ve attempted to take their own life in the last year”. In light of these statistics, as well as “54% of trans individuals report[-ing] that they have been told by their GP that they don’t know enough about trans-related care to provide it”, this student would like to see the LGBT+

(Women’s) Officer talking to local GP surgeries to ensure they are able to provide the necessary care for students. Moreover, this individual feels that “when you treat everyone the same, the viewpoint you get is straight, white and male. Giving all students the same resources isn’t necessarily equality when some groups of people need more access, especially with mental health services”. The four candidates for the LGBT+ (Women’s) Officer are Rose Baker; Jincong Chen; Rebecca Fisher-Jackson; and Tilly Perkins. Voting will take place from Monday 4 November at 9:00 to Friday 7 November at 17:00.

Cardiff University student

Autumn Elections: The new officer will work closely with this year’s Sabbatical Officers. Source: Andrew Cummings

Cardiff University awarded £10 million for new mental health centre

The new Wolfson Centre hopes to tackle youth anxiety and depression Kirby Evans Contributor

ardiff University has recently announced the development of The Wolfson Centre, a research centre focused on understanding and developing new ways of reducing anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. This comes following the funding of £10 million from the Wolfson Foundation. While based at Cardiff University, the centre will be in collaboration

with Swansea University as well as in partnership with the Welsh Government, NHS Wales, University Health Boards and Welsh schools. Many believe this funding comes at a vital time. For example, Mind Cymru reported that over the last 12 months, there have been 21,000 child and adolescent mental health referrals and the group’s recent survey found that one in seven young people described their mental health as either poor or very poor. The same charity conducted a sur-

The Wolfson Centre: A new facility to tackle mental health issues amongst adolescents. Source: M J Richardson (via Geograph)

vey in July 2019 and also found that of 3,000 11-19 year olds, 22% had accessed support for their mental health in school, 44% didn’t find support at school helpful, 48% wouldn’t know where to go to access support within school, and if they did, 56% wouldn’t feel confident approaching teachers or other staff regardless, according to a BBC article. Mental health services available in South Wales are argued by some to be limited and, despite the 2011 opening of an adolescent inpatient centre in Bridgend, many of those experiencing severe mental health difficulties are having to utilise treatment centres that are hours away from their homes. Whilst the new Wolfson Centre isn’t a treatment centre as such, policy officers have said it should help identify gaps in support, meaning that future treatment is more readily available and effective. The main purpose of the new research centre is to understand more about the factors that contribute to poor mental health in young people, such as parenting, family or genetic factors, social media as well as wider lifestyle and environmental factors. The Wolfson Centre will reportedly focus on five areas: it will examine longitudinal data that track thou-

sands of teenagers and understands better how anxiety and depression develop; it will consider the role genetic and environmental factors play in anxiety and depression in young people; it will develop and test a new intervention to support young people and families where a parent suffers from depression; it will look at the role schools play in promoting positive mental health; and finally, it aims to better understand long-term outcomes of those young people who experience anxiety and depression, according to a statement from Cardiff University. It will also be looking into possible reasons for the recent increases in youth anxiety and depression. All the Wolfson Centre’s scientific findings will be developed in partnership with young people, practitioners and policy makers and the hope is that the information generated from this research will be used to shape public health and school policies, to ultimately promote better mental health in school-aged children. The Wolfson Centre’s plans also include developing the next generation of youth mental health experts and holding an annual adolescent mental health summer school for training.

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

Another third-year student told Gair Rhydd that “people can be really isolated in first year with their struggles and its very much help is available if you go look for it but sometimes when you need help its hard to go look for it and its a lot easier if its actually knocking on your doorstep asking if you need anything” [sic]. One student, who wanted to remain

NEWS

his October, Cardiff University Students’ Union is holding Autumn Elections to fill the positions of LGBT+ (Women’s) Officer; Student Senate; Scrutiny Committee; NUS Wales Conference Delegates; and NUS UK National Conference for the current academic year. The role of the LGBT+ (Women’s) Officer is to identify and represent Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Plus students’ interests and to campaign on any relevant issues on their behalf. The officer will work closely with full time staff at the Union, including the Sabbatical Officers, to ensure the university remains a safe environment for LGBT+ students. This involves researching, highlighting, and campaigning for issues and to enact change at an executive level. There are a variety of things current Cardiff students told Gair Rhydd they would like to see from the new LGBT+ (Women’s) Officer. One student said, “generally the women’s position doesn’t seem to do much… I heard last year they were going to be adding more gender-neutral loos in all the uni buildings but that’s all I’ve heard”. This student felt they “just go to student political meetings”. They would like to see more dyna-

mism and action. Other students have said that they would like the LGBT+ (Women’s) Officer to be more easily accessible. Kt Barret-Powell, a third-year student, said “it’s not about running events or having a strict plan”. For them, they believe the role is “just [about] being there to represent students” and feel it should be filled by “someone [students] can confide in without the fear of being belittled or laughed at, someone who will take them seriously and try to help them if they can”.

NEWYDDION

What are Cardiff University students looking for from their new officer?

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/news

Upcoming Autumn Elections will see new LGBT+ (Women’s) Officer elected

Your news desk Charlotte King Olly Davies Anna Dutton Zoe Kramer

4 NEWS

The ‘bench of happiness’ goes viral Anna Dutton News Editor

ne of the great things about the customary British reserve is that it justifies the silence when you sit on a train for your morning commute or ride the bus, or even as you go for a walk, to be a normal social situation. It’s assumed that everyone has somewhere they need to be so why bother asking what they had for dinner last night? As useful as this custom is for the morning commute, loneliness is becoming an increasing problem in society affecting 17% of older people (according to a report by Age UK). However, Allison Owen Jones, a 53-year-old from Cardiff, has taken an innovative approach to solving the problem by creating small signs and sticking them on benches to encourage people to feel more connected. Loneliness affects not only a person’s livelihood, but also their memory and even their physical health and it has become an increasing cause of exploitation amongst the elderly. Although the idea was primarily aimed at tackling loneliness in the elderly, the emphasis placed on taking time out of your day to have a chat can benefit many in society who may be feeling isolated. It could help new mothers who have been unable to leave the house to chat to someone that day; those who may not be feeling themselves; or provide relief from a busy working day during someone’s lunch break. Allison’s signs are thought to reassure passers-by as the message reads: “Happy to chat bench. Sit here if you don’t mind someone stopping to say hello”, inviting someone to sit down if they feel like it. Such a simple idea seems to have really taken off with the “happy to chat benches” cropping up all over Wales. The Senior Citizen Liaison Team reportedly liked the idea so much that they decided they wanted to help it go further. With the help of social media, word has spread with similar benches appearing all over the world in places like Australia, Canada, as well as a little closer to home in places like Somerset and wider Wales. Cardiff Council has confirmed that it will have three permanent “happy to chat benches” implemented in parks across the capital; there are already benches in other areas of Wales like Barry, Tenby, and Newport to name a few. There are also benches in Devon and Greater Manchester. It’s amazing how such a simple idea has made such a difference to people’s lives and really shows how despite the fact many of us lead a very busy dayto-day life, taking time out for a little chat can benefit us just as much -if not more than the dreaded 30-minute spin class.

The bench: Happy to chat! Source: Rhiannon James

Students speak out after spiking experiences

Gair Rhydd spoke to students who claim to have been spiked and provides some clarity on how students can protect themselves Charlotte King Head of News Continued from front page.

he Union elaborated further to say that “Whilst there have been no confirmed incidences of spiking within venues, we would encourage any student that witnesses concerning behaviour report immediately to security and remain vigilant when consuming alcohol.” There are multiple initiatives organised by institutions across the city to ensure students stay safe when out partying at night. One such initiative is the Student Safety Bus Partnership, a scheme organised by South Wales Police in conjunction with Cardiff University and Student Volunteering Cardiff. The Safety Bus is a vehicle which runs on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings to ensure those who are in “vulnerable positions” around Cardiff get home safely from a night out. Cardiff University has also recently launched a new application called SafeZone in further efforts to ensure students stay safe on and off campus. This app works by allowing students to send their location to the university’s Security Services team and then enables one to message security through providing students with three options: first aid assistance, emergy assistance or non-emergency

Stay safe: You might get spiked when you least expect it so it’s important you know what to do. Source: Cardiff University Students’ Union assistance. Speaking about the new app, a Cardiff University spokesperson told Gair Rhydd, “The SafeZone app is just one of the many ways that we encourage students to think about their safety”, emphasising that other universities across the UK are already using the application. Additionally, Gair Rhydd has been told that students can collect a “free personal attack alarm” from Security Services. The Students’ Union also runs a number of initiatives to keep students safe on club nights in the Union and beyond, Gair Rhydd has been in-

formed. These include the Safe Taxi Scheme, a partnership between the Union and Dragon Taxis which allows Cardiff University students to use a taxi to get home and then pay the fare within the next few days in the Students’ Union. Two other programmes coordinated by the Students’ Union are the Student Safety Walk and Drinkaware Crew. The Student Safety Walk is another project in partnership with South Wales Police which sees volunteers sitting in and around the Union to provide security and advice to individuals who feel uncomfortable making it home alone. As for the Drinka-

ware Crew, this scheme has seen the Students’ Union training student staff members to work on Union club nights and provide support to those who need it. Sadly, it’s not always easy or possible for individuals to protect themselves from being spiked. PC Mike Neate, the Comunity Safety Student Liaison Officer, acknowledges that whilst drink spiking is “extremely rare”, it is easy for students to “let [their] guard down” when partying and encourages students to stay safe by “[avoiding] drinks you haven’t seen being poured, never [leaving] drinks unattended, [staying] with friends and arranging] transport home in advance.” The NHS encourages people to stay alert on nights out and look out for particular symptoms, including difficulty concentrating or speaking; memory loss; confusion or disorientation; and paranoia, and promotes that people never leave their drinks unattended nor do they accept drinks from strangers, and stick to bottled drinks that they can cap easily. Whilst drink spiking is cited as being a rare occurrence, there are students who believe they have had their drinks spiked on Students’ Union club nights and it does not hurt to keep yourself safe. Ultimately, a spokesperson for Cardiff University told Gair Rhydd that “The wellbeing of our students is a priority.” *Names have been changed.

Record number of national museum attendees across Wales

1.9 million people enjoyed exhibitions across the country

Mustakim Hasnath Features Editor

he seven national museums of Wales saw a record rise in visitor numbers in the past year. A stark 65% increase on the total number of visitors in the Amgueddfa Cymru family, the museums opened their doors to nearly 1.9 million people. The Amgueddfa Cymru family of museums showcases Wales’ national collections of art, history and environmental science exhibitions. One of the major contributions that has enabled the group to achieve the record number of visitors it has was the £30m redevelopment of the St Fagans National Museum of History, which also won the category of ‘most prestigious museum in the world’, in the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2019 Awards. The National Museum for Wales (NMW) includes five hundred years of paintings, drawings, sculptures, silver and ceramics from Wales and across the world, including what many claim is some of Europe’s best collections of Impressionist art. NMW statistics highlight that in the last ten years, Amgueddfa Cymru have discovered over 400 new

species of living and extinct species, spanning across 65 countries of origin. With over 1,000 volunteers, it adds an extra £83m to the Welsh economy and constitutes as the largest provider of learning outside the classroom in Wales. Due to the support it receives from the Welsh Government, all of the sites are free to enter. The statistics also reveal that the museums have reached 208,388 schoolchildren and students with five million objects from Wales’ collections of art, history and science. The NMW’s Director General, David Anderson, said in a statement that the NMW would be developing a ten year strategy, aiming to set out how it will work with partners across Wales to achieve its goals as part of the Welsh Government’s Wellbeing of Future Generations Act. It was through projects such as this award, which allowed Amgueddfa Cymru to, as a spokesperson from the group told Gair Rhydd, “create a museum where history is made with rather than for, people, and which celebrates the cultures of everyone who lives in Wales”. Roger Lewis, President of Amgueddfa Cymru, said in a state-

ment, “Our aim is to enable as many people as possible to enjoy and engage with all of our museums across Wales. Social inclusion and cultural democracy are our watch words.” Earlier in October, it was revealed that an additional £50m per year will be invested in regional museums and galleries in England over the next five years, by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Whilst this funding was provisionally for English museums, the

Museum Association’s director Sharon Heal said, “the MA would continue to work with policy-makers in the devolved nations to advocate for similar levels of investment in museums in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.” This increase in the number of visitors highlights how there is a continued interest in the wide array of collections Wales has to offer and will hopefully continue to educate and inspire more visitors in the future.

Bilingual programming: Candelas performing at the National Slate Museum in partnership with Kids in Museums. Source: Amgueddfa Cymru

NEWYDDION 5

Which companies have crumbled in the latest high street crash and why? Will we be saying goodbye to Bonmarché, too?

Anastasia Kropotina Contributor

ver the past month, it may seem like the British high street has changed drastically as some of its biggest names have shut down stores across Britain. One of the most recent collapses has been Bonmarché; the fashion retailer has recently gone into administration, putting around 2,900 jobs at risk. The firm’s administrator, Tony Wright, has commented on the situation and assured, although the retailer has faced challenges in the past few years, all stores are to remain open and no redundancies have been made. Meanwhile, some feel that the firm faces a rebranding struggle if it wants to appease the modern customer. It is not solely clothing or UKwide retailers facing this economic phenomenon, however, as the high street collapse has seen businesses in Wales suffering, too. Port Talbot car parts company, Hi-Lex, recently announced it will close its doors in 2021 resulting in the loss of 125 jobs, and in early October, a retailer in Merthyr Tydfil, Triumph Furniture, went into administration following a major fall in sales. Triumph Furniture was a family-

run business founded in 1946. The retailer’s Chief Executive, Andrew Jackson, said, “The family is devastated...The business has suffered a rapid and catastrophic collapse in orders since the middle of July, which has been impossible to recover from, despite every effort.” However, the most high profile collapse of all in recent months was the collapse of travel company Thomas Cook which went under in September 2019. The oldest tour operator in the UK has shut down 600 of its high street stores and four company airlines, leaving 21,000 employees without jobs; 9,000 of these people were UK-based. What’s more, more than 150,000 British citizens were left stranded abroad, waiting to be repatriated from their holidays. However, Thomas Cook was then bought out by Hays Travel who then announced that all former Thomas Cook stores in Wales would be reopened as Hays Travel branches with all former members of staff being reemployed. The first few rebranded stores have since opened in South Wales, for example, one Thomas Cook branch on Queen Street, Cardiff, opened recently. Despite still sporting Thomas Cook branding inside and out, the Queen Street store has

reported a lot of customers. As the high street crash persists, one possible explanation could be profit loss because more money is now going to online retailers. Online-only stores theoretically do not have to pay as many staff costs, nor do they pay for rent or bills. Moreover, more and more websites providing similar services to physical stores for free or for a lesser price.

Some retailers, however, are also blaming Brexit uncertainty for their closures. The Guardian reports that in the past year alone, retailers have cut 85,000 jobs due to consumer preferences for online shopping and uncertainty surrounding the UK’s departure from the EU. How many more retailers might we see join the likes of Woolworths and Blockbuster Video?

On an unrelated note... Donald Trump’s approval falls to record low

pollster from Quinnipiac University, once favoured by US President Donald Trump, have revealed that 38% of voters currently approve of the current president whilst 58% disapprove. This survey places Trump’s approval rating at its lowest level and is believed to be in response to his policy on withdrawing from Syria and reaction to the impeachment inquiry.

Ratings drop. Source: Gage Skidmore (via Flickr)

Greater checks for energy suppliers

O Farewell: Hi-Lex and Thomas Cook are two of the latest victims in the high street crash. Source: Gerald England (via Wikipedia)

Are South Wales Police disproportionately targeting ethnic minorities?

fgem plans to “reduce the risk and costs to consumers associated with supplier failure” by banning energy suppliers from taking on new customers if they do not pass financial health and customer service checks. The move comes after 14 energy suppliers have collapsed in the last two years and will hopefully provide greater protection to customers.

A Home Office report suggests UK-wide racial disparities in stop and searches Zoe Kramer News Editor

outh Wales Police appears to be disproportionately targeting minorities when it comes to stop and search, according to StopWatch, a group campaigning against the disproportionate use of stop and searches. This is consistent with UK trends as a whole, according to a report recently published by the Home Office. Between April 2017 and March 2018, the number of stop and search-

es in South Wales had increased by 27%. A majority of these searches were drug-related, but some were also targeted at seizing firearms, criminal damage, stolen property and offensive weapons. In South Wales for the period 2018-19, there were reportedly a total of 10,555 stop and searches. For every white person that got searched, an average of 6.85 black people, 2.18 mixed-race people, and 1.42 Asian people got searched. Under newly instated, more relaxed stop and search measures, some believe these figures

South Wales Police: Is there racial disparity in the force’s stop and searches? Source: Jeremy Segrott (via Flickr)

have the potential to get even worse. In August, stop and search powers created in 2014 were relaxed by the Home Office. Under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, officers are able to target specific locations and times they believe will be crime-heavy. They also no longer need “serious grounds for suspicion” if they believe a violent incident may occur. Additionally, inspectors and superintendents can approve the searches whereas in the past approval from a senior colleague was needed; these changes come in the light of a recent increase in knife violence. However, a Home Office report following the Equality Act 2010 show that “UK evidence on the effectiveness of stop and search at reducing crime suggests changes in the level of stop and search have, at best, only minimal effects on violent crime” and that increasing the number of searches has “no significant effect on trends in knife crime or robbery.” The likelihood of minorities being targeted more often than whites has been steadily increasing, according to the Guardian, rising from 2.8% in 2014/15 to 4.3% in 2016/17 to a staggering 13.8% in 2017/18. South Wales Police state that “Across the

UK, black and minority ethnic people are statistically more likely to be stopped and searched than white people. It is therefore crucial to ensure that Stop and Search is continuously monitored to ensure that the power is used in a fair and non-discriminatory manner.” Despite these assertions, some feel that this new policy has the potential to heighten discrimination and diminish trust in the police both in South Wales and across the UK.

Stop and Search statistics in South Wales, 2018-19

10,555 total stop and searches of which 9223 were male and 1193 were female 1: 6.85 ratio of searches

Will this better protect consumers? Source: schauhi (via Pixabay)

Beyoncé-inspired mass held in New York churches

wo churches in New York, The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn and ‘St James Presbyterian in Harlem, held the world’s first-ever Beyoncé Mass last week. The service was inspired by her life, lyrics and music and mass hosted black female officiants, dancers and singers. There were also sermons and scripture readings questioning race and gender among AfricanAmericans.

of white people to black people

69% of searches resulted in no further action

Source: South Wales Police and Crime Comissioner

‘Queen Bey’. Source: Nat Ch Villa (via Wikimedia Commons)

taf od

Barn y Bobol

Gydag etholiad cyffredinol yn debygol o ddigwydd yn y dyfodol agos, Taf-od sy’n gofyn a ddylai pobl 16 oed cael yr hawl i bleidleisio?

Bethan Biston Myfyrwraig flwyddyn gyntaf Nyrsio

Heb amau, mae angen cael y bleidlais i bobl 16 oed yma yn y DU. Mae dyfodol pobl ifanc fel fi fy hun, wedi cael ei benderfynu gan y genhedlaeth fydd ddim yma i weld y newidiadau hirdymor. Yn amlwg dwi’n siarad am y bleidlais i bobl 16 oed yng nghyd-destun Brexit fel enghraifft o bleidlais oedd wedi denu sylw pobl ifanc. Mae’r effeithiau hirdymor yn fy ofni, enwedig fel person sydd am weithio o fewn y GIG. Mae’r botensial o golli’r GIG yn y DU yn ofnadwy ac yn frad i’r bobl. Os oedd gan bobl 16-18 oed y bleidlais adeg pleidlais Brexit, dwi’n credu na fydd dyfodol y DU yn y fantol.

Annell Dyfri

Myfyrwraig flwyddyn gyntaf Cymraeg Proffesiynol Wrth droi’n 16, mae’r genhedlaeth ifanc yn derbyn pob math o gyfrifoldebau ond eto ni chânt fwrw eu pleidlais mewn etholiadau. Mae hyn yn gwbl annheg gan fod y penderfyniadau a wneir mewn etholiadau yn effeithio fwy ar y genhedlaeth ifanc na’r genhedlaeth hŷn. Ni – y bobl ifanc - fydd yn gorfod wynebu canlyniadau’r pleidleisiau. Wrth gwrs, mae’n bwysig fod y genedlaeth ifanc yn cael eu haddysgu ynghylch gwleidyddiaeth ac effaith y broses bleidleisio ar eu presennol a dyfodol. Ond, wrth gofio’r cyfrifoldebau eraill y mae gofyn iddynt eu hysgwyddo yn eu hieuenctid, y mae’n ddigon rhesymol iddynt gael y cyfle i fynegi eu barn ar faterion o bwys. Dyma’r ffordd gorau, o ddatblygu dinasyddion cyfrifol, gweithredol a dibaynadwy ar gyfer y dyfodol.

Wiliam Rees

Myfyriwr drydedd flwyddyn Gwleidyddiaeth a Cydberthynas y gwledydd Fel unigolyn sydd wedi bod yn ymgyrchu i sicrhau hyn ers nifer o flynyddoedd bellach dwi’n falch iawn i weld bydd pobl 16 a 17 oed yn cael y bleidlais yng Nghymru. Wrth ystyried y materion o bwys sydd yn cael eu trafod ymysg ein cymdeithas heddi megis Brexit, yr Argyfwng Hinsawdd, a hefyd y cynydd sylweddol yn gefnogaeth dros annibyniaeth i Gymru, mae’n iawn yn fy marn i fod y bleidlais yn cael ei ymestyn i’r bobl a fydd yn byw efo effeithiau’r pethau yma y hiraf, er mwyn iddyn nhw cael dweud eu dweud.

Eich unig gyhoeddiad myfyrwyr wythnosol trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Sefydlwyd: 2003 Am fwy o gynnwys, ewch i gairrhydd.com/tafod

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

NEWYDDION

Taf-od yn cofio trychineb Aberfan 53 mlynedd ers un o drychinebau mwyaf y genedl

Deio Jones Golygydd Taf-od

n yr wythnos diwethaf, bu’r genhedlaeth yn cofio trychineb Aberfan. Roedd Aberfan yn drychineb a ysgwydodd y genedl ac sydd yn dal i aros yn fyw yn y côf hyd at heddiw. Bu farw 116 o blant a 28 o oedolion yn y drychineb a ddigwyddodd 53 mlynedd yn ôl, ar ôl i domen glo ddisgyn oddi ar y bryn uchel, ar ben ysgol leol. Mae gwasanaeth wedi ei gynnal ar gyfer ail agor gardd goffa Aberfan ar ôl cael adnewyddiad gwerth £500,000, gan Elusen Coffa Aberfan. Mae’r gardd ar dir Ysgol Pant Glas, sef lle ddigwyddodd y drychineb. “Nid yw’r byd wedi anghofio am Aberfan” dywedai Cadeirydd Elusen Coffau Aberfan wrth gynulleidfa o 200, meddai’r BBC. Un oedd ymysg y bobl yn ystod y trychineb hwn oedd Nansi Williams. Roedd hi’n gogydd yn yr ysgol ac wrthi’n casglu pres cinio gan y plant pan ddechreuodd y llawr ysgwyd. Dywedodd Nansi wrth y pump o blant a oedd yn disgwyl i dalu i orwedd ar y llawr, cyn iddi neidio ar eu pennau i geisio eu harbed. Llifodd 150,000 tunell o wast tuag at yr ysgol ac felly bu farw Nansi yn syth. Oherwydd ei dewrder, goroesodd y pump plentyn.

Roedd Nansi yn 44 oed. Roedd Karen Thomas yn un o’r pump o blant a achibwyd gan Nansi, ac felly mae hi’n dychwelyd i weld bedd Nansi pob blwyddyn ar ddyddiad y drychineb er mwyn rhoi blodau a thalu teyrnged i’r ddynes a achubwyd ei bywyd. Dywed Delyth Jewell AM wrth Caerphilly Observer “Mae’n amhosib meddwl am Aberfan heb deimlo ystod o emosiynnau. Maent yn mynd a ni o dorr-calon tuag at y golled bywyd oedd yn bosib ei hatal, yr esgeulustod a achoswyd y dygwyddiad a’r dicter tuag at y brad a chafwyd y goroeswyr wrth i eu iawndal gael ei wadu er fod trigolion caredig wedi hel pres tuag atynt.” Mae’r Cynghorydd Alun Lenny wedi gofyn i Gyngor Sir Caerfyrddin bleidleisio dros gynnal munud o dawelwch bob blwyddyn ar Hydref 21 er mwyn cofio’r drychineb. Dywed Lenny wrth y BBC “Rwy’n perthyn i genhedlaeth o blant oedd yn ddigon hen i gofio trychineb Aberfan. Rwy’n cofio dod adre o’r ysgol yn 12 oed a gweld eitemau newyddion am drychineb Aberfan ar y teledu du a gwyn. Credaf y dylai plant heddiw ddysgu am Aberfan yng nghyd-destun ein hanes diwydiannol, a chael cyfle i uniaethu â’r trychineb trwy funud o dawelwch. Hyderaf y byddai athrawon yn medru cyfleu’r hanes a llywio’r achlysur mewn modd sensi-

Cofio Aberfan: Mae’r drychineb yn fyw yn y côf hyd at heddiw. Tarddiad: Cloudsurfer_UK (drwy Flickr)

tif.” Roedd Brian Williams yn un o’r blant a oedd yn mynychu Pantglas y bore hwnnw, gyda ei chwaer June. Yn anffodus, ni fuodd June mor lwcus a Brian, gan ei fod mewn ardal arall yn yr ysgol. Dywedodd Brian ‘Os fuaswn wedi eistedd yn fy sedd gwreiddiol, ni fuaswn yma heddiw oherwydd daeth y wal lawr ar fy nesg.”

Dywed Alun Davies, a oedd yn 16 ar y pryd ac yn ceisio helpu achub pobl “Yn aml iawn, byddai chwiban yn canu a byddai distawrwydd oherwydd roedd hynny’n golygu eu bod yn meddwl eu bod nhw wedi darganfod rhywun. Oes mai camgymeriad oedd o, byddai’r chwiban yn canu eto ac felly byddai pobl yn parhau i gloddio.”

Catalonia: Y frwydr am annibynniaeth

Bu protestio gyson yn dilyn dyfarniad diweddar Goruchaf Lys Sbaen Llion Carbis Pennaeth y Gymraeg

r y 14 Hydref, dedfrydwyd naw o arweinwyr dros annibynniaeth Catalanoia gan Goruchaf Lys Sbaen, am annog gwrthryfel a chamddefnyddio arian cyhoeddus wrth drefnu refferendwm yn 2017. Yn ogystal, am ddatgan Catalonia fel gwlad annibynnol ar ôl y refferendwm. Ymysg y naw o arweinwyr yw Oriol Junqueras, cyn is-lywydd Catalonia, sydd wedi dedfrydu i 13 blwyddyn yn y carchar. Dyna oedd y ddedfryd carchar hiraf a rhoddwyd gan Goruchaf Lys Sbaen, y lleiaf oedd naw blwyddyn yn y carchar i Jordi Sànchez a Jordi Cuixart (gweithredwyr dros annibynniaeth Catalonia). Bu pum diwrnod o brotestio mewn ymateb i’r newyddion, gyda nifer helaeth o bobl Catalonia – gan gynnwys nifer sylweddol o bobl ifanc – yn cymryd i’r strydoedd mewn gwrthwynebiad i ddyfarniad y Goruchaf Lys. Roedd y protestwyr yn targedu

lleoliadau arwyddocaol mewn modd o gipio sylw’r cyfryngau byd-eang. Ar ddydd Llun, 14 Hydref, targedwyd maes awyr Barcelona (El Prat), cyn troi at ganol dinas Barcelona. Yn gyflym, cafodd y protestio ei chymeriadu gan drais rhwng yr heddlu a’r protestwyr yng Nghatalonia, gyda phum noson olynol o wrthdaro ym Mharcelona. Yn ôl y papur newydd Sbaeneg, El Pais, cafodd 83 person eu arestio am y brotestio a ddigwyddodd ar yr 18 Hydref, a bellach, mae’r ddinas wedi cyfrifo bod €2.7M o ddifrod wedi bod i eiddo ar strydoedd Barcelona yn sgil y protestio. Mae pobl ifanc Catalonia wedi cyfrannu’n ganolog i’r protestio, a soniodd un ohonynt Bel, 20, wrth y BBC am y trais mae’r heddlu wedi defnyddio yn erbyn protestwyr, “Ar ddydd Llun (14 Hydref ) aethon ni i’r maes awyr yn heddychlon, a gwelsom yr heddlu yn defnyddio trais yn ein herbyn.” “Mae’r cyfryngau yn dweud mai ni [y protestwyr], yw’r bobl dreisgar, ond

Gwrthdaro gwleidyddol: Mae ymdrechion Catalonia i fod yn annibynnol yn parhau. Tarddiad: Serge Costa (drwy Flickr) nid fel na mae pethau. Rydym ond yn defnyddio hunanamddiffyniad.” Wrth ysgrifennu dros y Guardian, soniodd Aranldo Otegi, arweinydd plaid annibyniaeth Basque (EH Bildu), am ddiffyg diddordeb hanesyddol Sbaen mewn democratiaeth wrth ddelio â Gwlad y Fasg. Ymhellach, datganodd bod gweithredoedd heddlu Sbaen yn erbyn y protestwyr yng Nghatalonia yn dangos bod Sbaen yn

fodlon defnyddio trais i guddio natur wrth-ddemocrataidd y wlad. Mewn ymateb i’r brotestio yng Nghatalonia, dywedodd Alun Davies, AC Llafur Blaenau Gwent, ar Drydar (20 Hydref ): “Mae hyn yn digwydd heddiw yng Ngorllewin Ewrop. Ac mae ein cyfryngau yn ei anwybyddu. Mae rhaid i ni fynnu gweithrediad i gydnabod Catalonia a stopio gorthrwm Sbaen.”

TAF-OD CELFYDDYDAU

Sŵn unwaith eto’n swyno

Gŵyl gerddoriaeth flynyddol yn profi llwyddiant unwaith eto Gwern Ab Arwel Cyfrannydd

yda rhai o leoliadau mwyaf adnabyddus Caerdydd wedi eu haddurno mewn pinc unwaith eto, daeth hi’n amser croesawu Gŵyl Sŵn yn ôl am y 13eg tro. Mae’r ŵyl, sy’n cael ei threfnu gan rai o sefydliadau cerddorol y ddinas, yn cynnig cymysgedd eclectig o gerddoriaeth, gyda bandiau o bob cwr o’r byd yn ymddangos. Roedd casgliad eang o fandiau Cymraeg hefyd yn chwarae , gan roi sbin unigryw i Sŵn. Cynhaliwyd tair gig ar y noson gyntaf, y mwyaf amlwg ohonynt dros yr afon yn Tramshed. Troeodd cannoedd allan i weld y dewin byd-enwog Gruff Rhys yn cau’r noson, tra’n cael ei gefnogi gan y ddau artist pop benywaidd Charlotte Adigéry a Nilüfer Yanya. Agorodd ei set gyda sengl arweiniol ei albwm ddiweddaraf, Pang!, cyn mynd ar bererindod drwy bob un o’i gynhyrchiadau unigol. Yn dilyn noson lwyddiannus, agorwyd y dydd Sadwrn gan dri artist mewn tri lleoliad gwahanol ar draws canol y ddinas, gyda’r canwr-gyfansoddwr addawol Elis Derby yn un o’r artistiaid rheiny. Yn araf bach, llanwodd y clwb hyd at ddiwedd y set gyda rhai o fynychwyr Gŵyl Sŵn yn blasu beth oedd i’w gynnig. Cafwyd perfformiadau trydanol gan fandiau Papur

Wal a Hotel Lux yn lleoliad digon annisgwyl Marchnad Jacob, sydd fel arfer yn siop hen bethau. Gweddus hefyd, gan fod y ddau fand wedi ei dylanwadu o’r 80au a’r 90au. Band y foment, Gwilym, oedd yn agor llwyfan bar Gwyddelig O’Neill’s ar Heol Santes Fair, gan chwarae eu sengl gyntaf, a’r un diweddaraf, Gwalia, sef anthem tim rygbi Cymru ar hyn o bryd tra’u bod yn cystadlu yn Siapan. I feddwl mai mewn lleoliad bach oedd eu gig, llwyddodd y dynion sain lenwi’r pedair wal gyda chymysgedd o riffs gitâr ffrwythus a rhythmau Affricanaidd y drymiau. Cawson nhw eu dilyn gan fand hollol wahanol o Ganada, Holy F***, a oedd yn chwarae ymasiad o electroneg a phync. O bosib dyma oedd perfformiad mwyaf arbrofol y dydd, gyda phob math o offerynnau gwallgof yn cael eu defnyddio. Yr anfarwol Mark Roberts, neu MR, oedd yn denu pawb i Kongs, gyda hen ganeuon a rhai newydd yn ymddangos yn y set. Braf oedd gweld ystafell gefn y clwb dan ei sang wrth iddo dynnu perfformiad aruthrol o dan ei lewys. Yn wir, roedd pawb yn bloeddio canu wrth i ‘Y Pwysau’ a ‘Cymru, Lloegr a Llanrwst’ gael eu chwarae ar ddiwedd y set. Cafwyd set llawn alawon persain gan YNYS hefyd, yn rhoi gwedd newydd i sain chwedlonol Gorky’s a Race Horses. Chwaraeodd Tri Hwr Doeth set llawn egni a ffraeth drosodd yng nghlwb

Egni a ffraeth: 3 Hwr Doeth yn rocio clwb Fuel ar nos Sadwrn. Tarddiad: Rhys Ifor nos Fuel hefyd, gyda aelodau Pys Melyn yn ymddangos i sicrhau bod y set yn berwi dros yr ymylon. Gorffennodd y noson ar y nodyn uchaf posib yn ôl yn Kongs gyda’r band ffrenetig CHROMA’n un o’r artistiaid oedd yn cloi’r noson. Yn un o berfformiadau mwyaf gwallgof y noson, roedd yr aelodau’n gorchuddio pob modfedd

o’r llwyfan gan wneud yn siwr bod pawb yn mynd adref gyda’u calonnau yn pwmpio. Er bod Sŵn yn mynd ers dros ddegawd bellach, does dim arwydd o’r olwynion yn datgysylltu. Yn sicr, cafodd pob amrywiaeth o gerddoriaeth indie ei gynnwys yn yr ŵyl, gan ddangos Caerdydd a’i diwylliant ar ei gorau.

Nifer o bobl yn gorymdeithio strydoedd Llundain yn galw am ail bleidlais

r benwythnos y 19 Hydref, gorymdeithiodd nifer o bobl dros ail bleidlais Brexit yn Llundain. Ymgasglodd un miliwn o bobl ym mhrifddinas Lloegr er mwyn brotestio yn erbyn Brexit a’r potensial o Brexit heb gytundeb. Mae nifer o bobl ifanc wedi lleisio’u barn ar Brexit a dwi wedi bod yn siarad gyda dau o fyfyrwyr oedd wedi mynychu’r brotest. Mae tair blwyddyn wedi bod ers Brexit, a chredai nifer o fyfyrwyr a phobl ifanc bod y genhedlaeth bresennol wedi pleidleisio dros eu dyfodol. Nid oedd myfyrwyr y presennol gyda’r hawl i bleidleisio yn y refferendwm sydd yn teimlo fel canrifoedd yn ôl erbyn hyn. Ond mae diddordeb pobl ifanc yn wleidyddiaeth wedi cynyddu’n anferthol ers y bleidlais dyngedfennol ar Brexit. Roedd Lowri Bebb, myfyriwr o Gaernarfon, wedi mynychu’r orymdaith oherwydd y bleidlais yn 2016. “Es i (i’r brotest) oherwydd na chefais gyfle i bleidleisio yn 2016. Dwi’n teimlo bod cymaint mwy o wybodaeth ar gael nawr, a bod pawb yn fwy ymwybodol o beth mae

‘Brexit’ wir yn golygu. Mae dyfodol pobl ifanc fel fi, yn y fantol”. Myfyriwr arall oedd wedi mynychu’r brotest oedd Rhydian Cleaver, sydd yn dod o Abertawe ac yn astudio yn Llundain. Wrth drafod atmosffer y brotest gydag ef, dywedodd “Roedd yn anhygoel. Roedd yna lawer o deuluoedd a phobl ifanc, ac fel yr arfer, yr oedd safon yr arwyddion a’r cerfluniau o Boris Johnson yn ganolbwynt tu fewn i’r dorf ”. Ond er y brotest yma, mae Boris Johnson a’r Ceidwadwyr yn bendant o wneud yn siŵr bod canlyniad y bleidlais a dymuniad y bobl yn cael eu cadw. Ond mae Lowri yn anghytuno. “Dwi’n gobeithio bydd y brotest yn dangos ambell wleidydd nad yw’r cyhoedd wedi colli diddordeb (yn Brexit), a’u bod nhw yn anghywir wrth ddweud ‘the public want Brexit done’”. Bellach, mae Boris Johnson yn bendant o adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd (UE) ar Hydref 31ain, ond mae Aelodau Seneddol (AS’au) sydd yn erbyn Brexit yn gwneud ei orau i atal unrhyw fath o gytundeb ac yn sicr, Brexit heb gytundeb. Mae Johnson wedi oedi’r Mesur Ymadael ar ôl colli pleidlais ar amserlen ar gyfer Mesur y Cytundeb Ymadael. Golyga hyn felly,

O Hollywood i Heol Casnewydd Llion Carbis Pennaeth y Gymraeg

Miliwn yn galw am ail refferendwm yn Llundain

Aled Biston Golygydd Taf-od

ae un o sêr fwyaf adnabyddus Hollywood wedi dewis ffilmio yn y brifddinas. Ar gyfer ei ffilm newydd Infinite - sydd am gael ei ryddhau yn 2020 - bydd Mark Wahlberg yn ffilmio yng ngwesty’r Mercure ar Newport Road. O ganlyniad, bydd Newport Road ar gau am ddeuddydd o’r gyffordd ar Fitzalan Place i’r gyffordd ar City Road. Mae’r ffilmio am gychwyn ar ddydd Sul, 28 o Hydref, ac yna’n parhau tan 6 o’r gloch y bore ar ddydd Mawrth, 29 Hydref. Yn ôl Wales Online, bydd Paramount Pictures – sy’n dosbarthu’r ffilm – yn ffilmio o fewn a thu allan i’r gwesty. Mae’r ffilmio yn digwydd yn ystod hanner tymor, ac yn ôl y Cyngor, dyma pryd mae traffig yn yr ardal yn sylweddol is na’r arfer. Dywedodd cynghorydd lleol Llafur, Owen Jones, wrth raglen frecwast Claire Summers ar BBC Radio Wales bod y newyddion yn “gyffrous i Gaerdydd”. Soniodd hefyd am bwysigrwydd y ffilmio i’r diwydiant creadigol yng Nghymru, er ei fod yn cydnabod yr effaith bydd y ffilmio yn cael ar stryd brysur yn y brifddinas. Dywedodd Jones wrth Claire Summers, “Oherwydd ei fod yn gymaint o briffordd, bydd [y ffilmio] yn cael effaith, ond, hefyd, mae’n gyffrous i Gaerdydd i gael brand Hollywood mawr yn y ddinas ac ar gyfer ein diwydiant creadigol.” Mae Caerdydd eisoes yn cael ei chydnabod fel ardal greadigol gyda rhaglenni megis Sherlock, Doctor Who a Casualty wedi ffilmio yn y ddinas ers sawl blwyddyn. Yn ddiweddar, cafodd rhaglen BBC arall, His Dark Materials, ei ffilmio yn y brifddinas. Wrth ar edrych ar weddill Cymru, mae cyfresi poblogaidd arall megis A Discovery of Witches a Sex Education wedi ffilmio yng Nghymru. Yn ôl y cynghorydd, Owen Jones, dyma’r union beth mae’n dymuno i weld: “Mae cyfarwyddwyr yn dod yma, mae cynhyrchwyr yn dod yma.” “Maent yn gweld y ddinas. Maent yn gweld Cymru. Dyma’r union beth rydym eisiau annog.” Ynghyd â Mark Wahlberg, mae’r ffilm yn cynnwys rhai wynebau cyfarwydd megis Sophie Cookson o gyfres ffilmiau Kingsman a Dylan O’Brien a chwaraeodd y brif rôl yn y rhaglen deledu Maze Runner.

Galw am ail bleidlais: Baneri’r Undeb Ewropeaidd ymysg nifer eraill yn chwifio ym mhrifddinas Lloegr. Tarddiad: Lowri Bebb bydd y Deyrnas Unedig yn gadael yr UE, gyda cytundeb neu ddim, ar Hydref 31ain oni bai bod yr UE yn caniatáu estyniad. Mae’n debygol fydd yr UE yn caniatáu’r estyniad hynny, ond mae gwleidyddiaeth Brydeinig wedi cael ei ddal mewn system unffordd sydd yn edrych fel na fydd yn stopio. Mae Donald Tusk, Arlywydd cyngor

Ewrop yn awgrymu mai Ionawr 31ain 2020 bydd terfyn amser newydd Brexit, golyga hyn fod estyniad arall yn digwydd yn y ddrama yma. Nid oes neb yn gwybod beth fydd yn digwydd o fewn y misoedd nesaf o fewn wleidyddiaeth Brydain. Etholiad cyffredinol? Brexit heb gytundeb? Dim Brexit o gwbl? Mae’n anodd iawn rhagfynegi beth yw dyfodol y Deyrnas Unedig.

Hello Hollywood: Bydd Mark Walhberg yng Nghaerdydd. Tarddiad: David Torcivia drwy (Flickr)

TAF-OD

Cynnydd yn nefnydd Cymraeg ar Duolingo Rhodri Davies Golygydd Taf-od

ae cynnydd o 34% wedi bod yn y nifer defnyddwyr y cyfleuster Cymraeg ar yr ap dysgu ieithoedd, Duolingo. Dwedodd y cwmni bod 38,600 o ddefnyddwyr yr ap dros y DU wedi dewis y Gymraeg sy’n gynnydd o 10,000 ar ffigyrau 2018. Mae Duolingo yn blatfform sy’n rhoi cymorth i rai sy’n dysgu iaith yn ogystal ag arholi defnyddwyr i asesu hyfedredd eu hiaith yn ddigidol. Mae’r ap a’r wefan yn rhad ac am ddim, er bod Duolingo hefyd yn cynnig gwasanaeth premiwm am ffi. Erbyn mis Hydref 2019, mae’r wefan a’r ap dysgu iaith yn cynnig 90 o gyrsiau iaith wahanol mewn 22 iaith. Mae gan yr ap dros 300 miliwn o ddefnyddwyr cofrestredig ledled y byd. Dywedodd comisiynydd y Gymraeg yn bod yr ap yn “cynnig ffordd amgen i ddysgu’r iaith.” Gwelwyd gan y wefan “Say Something in Welsh” bod nifer eu defnyddwyr cyson wedi cyrraedd 60,000 o bobl. Lansiwyd yr opsiwn Gymraeg ar yr ap yn 2016. Ers hynny, mae 1.2 miliwn wedi cael mynediad ato. Dangosa dystiolaeth storïol hefyd bod cynnydd yn nefnydd yr iaith y tu allan i’r Deyrnas Gyfunol hefyd. Enghraifft o hyn yw profiad Silke Muller. Does gan Muller (sy’n hanu o’r dref yn Bafaria, Lanshut, rhyw awr o ddinas Munich) ddim treftadaeth Gymreig o gwbwl ond mae’i Newydd gwblhau ei ThGAU yn y Gymraeg. Roedd hyn yn bosib o ganlyniad iddi ddechrau defnyddio’r ap dysgu iaith ddwy flynedd yng nghynt. Yn siarad gyda BBC Cymru Fyw, dywedodd, “Fe ddechreuais ddefnyddio Duolingo oherwydd roeddwn yn credu gallwn ei wneud ar fy mhen fy hun, felly mi wnes roi tro arni heb athro.” “Roedd yn hynod ddefnyddiol am wahanol resymau. Mae ail adrodd geiriau yn helpu i wneud i bethau aros yn y cof yn well.” Dywedodd Richard Morse o Gwmbrân, wnaeth helpu i ysgrifennu’r cwrs fel gwirfoddolwr, fod rhai ysgolion nawr yn defnyddio’r ap. “Mae’n effeithiol iawn, mae’n ffordd ddiddorol i ddysgu rhywbeth,” meddai. Dywedodd pennaeth Duolingo yn y DU mae eu prif ffocws yw i “garu dysgu iaith.” Cam cadarnhaol felly i Lywodraeth Cymru sy’n ymrwymo i gynyddu niferodd siaradwyr y Gymraeg i filiwn erbyn 2050.

Pryd o Daf-od

Rhodri Davies

Ein golygydd, Rhodri Davies, sy’n troi ei sylw at hwyl a pheryglon Calan Gaeaf wrth i ni nesi at yr ŵyl Rydym ni wedi cyrraedd wythnos olaf yr Hydref gyda’n sylw’n cael ei droi at Galan Gaeaf unwaith eto. Mae’r ŵyl yn tyfu mewn poblogrwydd yn barod gyda phwmpenni, sgerbydau a sawl crochan yn bla mewn llawer o siopau a chaffis ers wythnosau bellach. Gŵyl

Trafod gyda’r

taf-od 1. Pwy wyt ti a beth wyt ti’n astudio? Tomos Glyn Parry. Dw i’n astudio Meddyageth. 2. Beth yw’r digwyddiad sy’n codi’r mwyaf o embaras arnat? Nesi ollwng plat o fwyd o flaen pawb yn y ffreutur yn ysgol. 3. Beth oedd dy air cyntaf? Dad 4. Pe fyddet ti ar yr X-Factor, pa gân byddet ti’n ei chanu a pham?

Geltaidd yw hi yn y bôn gyda llawer o’r traddodiadau yn hanu o Gymru gan gynnwys y ddefod “Tric or Treat,” yn ôl rhai wedi cychwyn yng Nghymru fel rhan o ŵyl i groesawu’r Gaeaf yn y Canol oesoedd. Dechreuodd yr arfer o wisgo i fyny’r un pryd. Y syniad y tu ôl i hyn oedd dychryn bwystfilod a thrychfilod a’i chadw i ffwrdd o’r aelwyd i sicrhau bod y teulu’n saff. Ers dros hanner canrif bellach, mae’r ŵyl wedi ei wneud yn llawer mwy masnachol ac mae diwydiant Calan Gaeaf werth rhyw £7 biliwn yn flynyddol. Yn cyfrannu i’r ffigyrau yma mae gwerthiannau losin a danteithion, tocynnau ffilmiau arswyd ac yn fwy na dim y gwisgoedd hunllefus. Boed yn wrach, mymi neu Gownt Draciwla ei hun, mae hen ddigon o ddewis gan gannoedd o gwmnïau gwahanol o wisgoedd ffansi ar gyfer y 31ain o Hydref. Dyw’r ŵyl ddim yn fêl i gyd. Y peth mwyaf brawychus i fyfyriwr tlawd fel fi yw’r arian sy’n mynd i dalu am yr holl rialtwch. Os oedden i am brynu gwisg Freddie Mercury, un o fy arwyr, byddai’n rhaid i mi golli bron i £40. Dim y pris yw’r unig broblem chwaith. Dangosodd ymchwil gan

Pwmpenni Peryglus: Mae drigioni yn llechu ymhobman ar Noswyl y Gaeaf Tarddiad: Toni Cuenca (drwy Pexel) elusen amgylcheddol, Hubbub, bod gwneud y gwisgoedd yn medru bod yn drychinebus i’r ddaear. Gall y plastig sy’n cael ei ddefnyddio i wneud y gwisgoedd ffansi fod mor niweidiol â 83 miliwn o fagiau plastig i’r ddaear. Mae ochr tywyllach eto i’r noson. Mae llawer hefyd yn defnyddio’r noson fel modd i guddio’i hunaniaeth a throseddu yn erbyn y cyhoedd. Yn flynyddol, mae troseddau yn dueddol o sbigo ar noson Calan Gaeaf yn en-

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

Tomos Glyn Parry

9. Beth oedd y diwrnod gorau iti ei gael erioed? Gwylio Lerpwl yn codi’r chweched (Cynghrair y Pencampwyr). 10. Beth yw dy gas beth? Tequila. 11. Beth fyddet ti’n gwneud yn ystod dy noson ddelfrydol? Gwylio gêm yn Anfield.

Angels gan Robbie Williams, am glasur

12. Pe tastet 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?

Peregine Falcon, oherwydd ma’ nhw gallu ‘dive bombio’.

Beef madras

13. Disgrifia dy hun mewn 3 gair.

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

Stuck ar hwn.

Elin Fflur.

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

7. Pwy yw dy hoff fand?

Greta Puw Jones.

Tomos yn joio: Y myfyriwr Meddygaethyn ei ddillad orau. Tarddiad: Tomos Glyn Parry

Roosvelt. 8. Prosecco neu champagne? Pam? Newyddion ‘apus: Cynnydd o 34% yn y gyfleuster Cymraeg. Tarddiad: Miguel Lombana

Prosecco, ma’n neisach.

wedig yn y dinasoedd mewnol. Felly cofiwch i fod yn wyliadwrus ar y strydoedd. Y cyngor gorau all ai gynnig yw bod yn wyrdd cheisio a chreu eich gwisgoedd eich hun o’r hyn sydd gennych yn y tŷ. Does dim rhaid talu’n ddrud er mwyn ei gwneud hi’n noson gofiadwy. Mae’n noson llawn miri a joio felly mwynhewch er fy mod wedi codi braw arnoch. Er, codi ofn ar bobl yw prif bwynt Calan Gaeaf am wn i.

Cefnogwr Klopp a’i ddynion: Mae Tomos yn gefnogwr brwd o Lerpwl. Tarddiad: Tomos Glyn Parry

taf od

CHWARAEON

Abertawe v Caerdydd: Beth yw pwysigrwydd gêm mwyaf pêl-droed Cymru?

Mae cefnogwyr y ddau dîm yn siarad am bwysigrwydd y gêm Sion Tiplady Cyfrannydd

êm fwyaf pêl droed clybiau Cymru ers 201? Peidiwch bod mor ddwl, tase Caerdydd yn cael pwynt o’r gêm ‘ma, bydd e yr un faint o sioc a Man U yn cael gêm gyfartal yn erbyn Lerpwl. Mae Abertawe yn nawfed yn y gynghrair. Pum pwynt allan o’r pum gêm ddiwethaf, carden goch a hefyd yn rhoi pwyntiau i ffwrdd yn ormodol ar ôl bod ar y blaen. Gall rhai fod yn cwyno am lwc gwael, ond mae’r bai arna ni. Mae angen edrych ar hyn yn bositif. Positif o allu sgorio, a sgorio’n gyntaf. Er hyn, mae digon i wella, efo’r amddiffyn yn ildio golau siomedig. Chwarae teg i Steve Cooper sydd wedi gwneud swydd a hanner ers i Graham Potter adael nôl ym mis Mehefin, Yr unig beth sydd yn ein erbyn, a wedi bod ers blynyddoedd yw’r perchnogion Americanaidd. Tynnu arian allan o’r clwb wrth werthu chwaraewyr heb lawer o fuddsoddiad yn ôl. Yn wyrthi-

Stadiwm Liberty: Yr olygfa o’r eisteddle oddi cartre’. Tarddiad: Llion Carbis ol, ma’r tîm recriwtio wedi dod o hyd i chwaraewyr o fri, ar gyllideb bach. Chwarae teg i Abertawe sydd wedi gallu ailadeiladu o fewn blwyddyn neu ddau, ar ôl colli asgwrn cefn ein tîm. Ni’n barod am sbelen hir nôl yn yr Uwch Gynrhair! Beth sydd i ddisgwyl o’r gêm? Dyma rownd derfynol tymor Caerdydd, ond dechrau mae ein tymor. Digon o bwysau gan ymosodwyr Caerdydd, sydd wedi eu gweld yn ddigon hawdd dod o hyd i’r rhwyd, ond yn llawn ffydd yn y bechgyn. Byddaf yn gwisgo fy nghrys efo balchder. Tri phwynt. Un i’w gofio.

Huw Davies Cyfrannydd

el, dyma ni eto, gêm bwysicaf y flwyddyn. enillydd y gêm yma fydd yn hawlio goron dîm pêl-droed gorau Cymru tan i ni gwrdd eto ym mis Ionawr. I fod yn onest, dwi dal yn falch iawn o ennill y gêm gyntaf yn uwch gynghrair Lloegr rhwng Caerdydd ac Abertawe nol yn 2013. Mae’r ddelwedd o Steven Caulker (a oedd ar fenthyg i Abertawe dwy flwyddyn yn gynt) yn penio’r bêl

heibio Michel Vorm dal yn fres yn fy meddwl. Mae’r gêm yn enfawr. Dyma un o’r gemau sydd yn dal sylw pawb yn y byd pêl-droed, pe bai yn yr uwch gynghrair neu hyd yn oed yn gêm ddibwys, mae’n rhoi pêl-droed Cymru ar y map! Y gwir yw, bod Caerdydd mynd i ennill y gêm yma heb unrhyw broblemau. Mae ein chwarae amrywiol mynd i fod yn anodd i Abertawe delio a hi. Rydym ar ein gorau pan mae timau yn pasio allan o’r cefn, a dyma yw sail chwarae Abertawe. Bydd tactegau Warnock yn ormod i Abertawe, a bydd y tri phwynt yn dod ‘nôl i’r brifddinas efo ni, gan adael Abertawe tu ôl yn y Liberty. Dwi wedi bod yn edrych ymlaen at y gêm yma ers i’r rhestr gemau dod allan yn yr Haf, a nawr, dwi’n edrych ymlaen at wylio ni’n dominyddu Abertawe. Bydd y gêm yn addo taclo angerddol, cefnogwyr yn colli’u lleisiau wrth gefnogi ac yn bendant, sawl gôl. Edrychaf ymlaen at weld Caerdydd yn dod ‘nôl i’r brifddinas gyda choron pêl-droed Cymru yn ddisglair ar eu pennau.

Cymeriad Cymru yn talu ffordd yn erbyn Ffrainc

Mae Cymru wedi cyrraedd rownd gynderfynol Cwpan y Byd am y trydydd tro ac y tro cyntaf ers 2011 Owain Ap Myrddin Cyfrannydd

hoddodd pob Cymro anadl o ryddhad fore Sul wrth i Dan Biggar gicio’r bêl oddi ar y cae gan gario Cymru i rownd gyn-derfynol Cwpan Rygbi’r Byd am y trydydd tro. Cipio’r gêm o afael Ffrainc ddaru Cymru ond fel oedd Warren Gatland yn ei ddweud ar ôl y chwiban olaf y canlyniad oedd yn bwysig. Er hyn dw i’n siwr y byddai Gatland wedi hoffi gweld Cymru’n chwarae ychydig yn well na wnaethon nhw ac yn bendant yn peidio ei gadael mor hwyr i ennill y gêm. Dechreuodd Ffrainc y gêm ar dân gan chwarae rygbi agored, cyflym a deiniadol gan sgorio dau gais cynnar trwy Vahaamahina a Ollivion. Os oedd yr arbenigwyr yn gofyn pa dîm Ffrainc oedd am droi i fyny cyn y gêm wel roedd hi’n hollol amlwg ar ôl y 10 munud agoriadol fod y Ffrancwyr yma i chwarae Er hyn ar y deuddegfed munud croesodd Aaron Wainwright am gais i Gymru gan ddangos nad oedd y crysau cochion am ildio mor hawdd a hynny. Daeth cais Wainwright ar ôl cyfnod o amddiffyn ffyrnig gan Gymru yn hanner Ffrainc gan achosi i’r bêl dasgu’n rhydd. Cododd Wainwright y bêl a rhedeg 40 metr gan ddangos ei gyflymder gan nad oedd neb yn agos i’w stopio. Yn dilyn hyn bu i Dan Biggar gicio cic gosb i Gymru i lusgo Cymru’n ôl i mewn i’r gêm. Ond Ffainc oedd dal gyda’r rhan fwyaf o’r bêl a’r tiriogaeth, ac yn chwarae’r rygbi goraf o bell ffordd a bu i Vakatawa groesi i Ffrainc cyn hanner amser i roi sgôr o 1910 i Ffrainc ar yr hanner. Bu i Ffrainc ddechrau’r ail hanner yn chwarae yr un math o rygbi agored gyda’r cefnwyr a’r blaenwyr yn

Codi’r Cwpan: Bydd Cymru yn gobeithio codi cwpan Webb Ellis ar ddechrau mis Tachwedd. Tarddiad: Province of British Columbia (drwy Flickr) cyd-weithio’n wych wrth ddadlwytho i’w gilydd. Yn anffodus i Ffrainc ond yn ffodus iawn i Gymru cafodd Vahaamahina – ail-reng Ffrainc eiliad o wallgofrwydd 9 munud i mewn i’r ail hanner wrth iddo darro Wainwright yn ei wyneb gyda’i benelin mewn sgarmes symudol. Doedd dim dwy waith i fod roedd o’n haeddu cerdyn coch ac nid yw ef nag unrhyw un arall wedi dadlau nad oedd yn haeddu cael ei yrru i ffwrdd o’r cae. Rwy’n siwr hefyd y bydd World Rug-

by yn ei wahardd o’r gêm am ychydig wythnosau er mwyn cael gwared o’r math hyn o chwarae budur o’r gêm. Newidiodd y gêm rhyw ychydig ar ôl y cerdyn coch, ond Ffrainc yn fy marn i oedd dal y tîm gorau ar y cae ac mi fuont yn anlwcus iawn i beidio sgorio. Ciciodd Biggar gic gosb i roi Cymru o fewn chwe phwynt gan roi llygedyn o obaith i’r crysau cochion. Sgoriodd Ross Moriarty gais dadleuol 6 munud o’r diwedd i roi Cymru ar y blaen. Yn fy marn un-llygeidiog i

fel cefnogwr Cymru aeth y bêl ddim ymlaen ond mae sawl cyn-chwaraewr yn honni ei bod hi wedi ac na ddylai’r cais sefyll. Daeth Cymru drwy’r gêm hôn drwy drwch croen eu dannedd, ond ennill sydd yn bwysig mewn gêm yr wyth olaf ac fe lwyddodd Cymru i wneud hynny. Mae Wainwright yn bendant yn haeddu clôd am ei gais, ei daclo a’i gario ffyrnig trwy’r gêm ac mae ef yn fy marn i, er ei oed ifanc, yn haeddu bod yn nhîm y twrnament.

TAF-OD 9 Y Gym Gym yn fuddugol ym Mryste Ifan Roberts Cyfrannydd

ros y penwythnos dechreuodd tymor tîm rygbi Y Gym Gym dros y Bont Hafren gyda buddugoliaeth gyffrous 34-12 dros Clifton Crusaders. Gyda’r ceisiau’n dod gan Tudur Jenkins, Iolo James, Rhys “bwtch” Jones, cais gosb a dwy gan Dafydd Llewelyn a’r trosiadau’n dod gan Gethin Owen. Ailadrodd gêm o ddiwedd y tymor diwethaf pan ddaeth y Crusaders i Barc yr Arfau i herio hogiau Caerdydd mewn gem agos wrth i’r tîm cartref gipio buddugoliaeth. Gyda llawer o’r garfan i ffwrdd yn chwarae i’w timau cartref, dim ond deg chwaraewr wnaeth y trip awr a hanner ar y bws i Bristol. Golygodd hyn bod angen benthyg chwaraewyr gan y Crusaders, felly daeth cyn-seren Rownd-a-Rownd, Jonna Owen, a phedwar arall i roi popeth i’r achos drwy’r gêm. Cytunodd y capteiniaid i rannu’r gêm i dri chwarter ugain munud i sicrhau digon o gyfleoedd er mwyn ceisio tactegau newydd ar ddechrau’r tymor. Dim llawer o strwythur oedd stori’r chwarter cyntaf, wrth i’r ddau dîm frwydro mewn gem diwedd i ddiwedd gan anadlu’n ddwfn o gwmpas y cae. Llwyddodd y Gym Gym i sgorio dau gais gan Tudur a Dafydd drwy symudiadau gwefreiddiol gan y cefnwyr, cyn i’r Crusaders dalu pwyth yn ôl gyda chais drwy chwarae da gan eu blaenwyr. Yna ar ôl ychydig o eiriau doeth yn ystod y seibiant, llwyddodd y Gym Gym i reoli tempo’r gêm gyda strwythur a chicio clyfar. Croesodd y tîm oddi cartref y llinell wen pum munud i mewn i’r ail chwarter. Ymddangosodd gwagle yng nghanol y cae wedi rhedeg caled y blaenwyr a alluogodd y maswr Gethin Owen i roi’i gapten fewn drwy fwlch yn amddiffyn y Crusaders. Cafodd chwaraewr hanfodol, Elis “Carreg” anaf i’w ben wrth daclo yng nghanol cae, felly daeth chwaraewr y tîm cartref arall ar y cae i’r Gym Gym yn ei le. Cadwodd y Gym Gym eu troed ar y sbardun yn y trydydd chwarter, wrth amddiffyn yn gryf i amsugno pwysau gan y Crusaders cyn taro’n ôl i sicrhau 2 gais ac un cais gosb. Iolo James yn dod oddi ar ei asgell yn gyflym i sgorio ei gais cyntaf i’r tîm wedi tair blynedd i ffwrdd o’r gêm. Rhys “Bwtch”, seren y gêm, gafodd air olaf y gêm wrth blymio dros y llinell o fetr i ffwrdd. Bu’r ddau dîm yna’n dathlu’r gêm gyfeillgar yn y dafarn yng nghanol Bryste wrth i dîm y Gym Gym drechu eto yn y ras clecio peint, cyn dal y bws yn ôl am Gaerdydd.

Buddugol: Y GymGym yn fuddugol eto. Tarddiad: Owain ap Myrddin

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/politics

GWLEIDYDDIAETH

Welsh Government announces plans to reduce obesity in Wales Wales aims to reverse the trend of rising obesity

Finn Prosser Contributor

n 2007 a Foresight report gave a worst-case prediction that by 2025, 40% of Britons will be obese. Already the outlook is bleak; six in ten people are overweight, and one in four are obese. In 2016/2017, the NHS admitted over 600,000 patients with illnesses related to obesity, an 18% increase from 2015/2016. Additionally, the World Obesity Forum reported that NHS spending on treatment relating to obesity could rise from £14bn to £24bn by 2025 as the number of patients increases. Wales has the lowest overweight population within the UK followed by Northern Ireland, England, then Scotland. However, the combined obesity rates are still among the highest in Europe. The Welsh Government has now released a plan titled ‘Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales’ in which it outlines its goals and ideas for tackling obesity in Wales by 2030. This is all in the wider aim of making Wales one of the first countries to reverse the trend of rising obesity. Some of the goals for 2030 include a ban on advertising foods high in sugar, saturated fat and salt in public spaces such as public transport,

sports venues, schools, hospitals and leisure centres; applying age restrictions on energy drinks; applying limits on free refills; having fewer takeaway restaurants near schools; stopping deals and promotions on unhealthy foods in the supermarkets; and if necessary, imposing additional taxes on foods high in fat, sugar and salt. Noting that “our current environment still supports the use of cars over walking or cycling” and that they hope to provide a “high-quality sport infrastructure promoting more exercise for families”. It is hoped these policies will help promote a healthy lifestyle from a young age. As outlined in the Foresight report, one of the indicators of obesity rates is income. Generally, the less time and money people have, the harder it is to keep up a healthy and active lifestyle, something the government also aims to tackle. It announced that: “New housing developments will be designed and built to enable active travel, play and recreation. We will support planners to prioritise quick, safe, convenient and well-connected pedestrian and cycle routes to health and care appointments, school and work, to places of interest and our town centres. We will utilise 20mph speed limits to further encourage active

travel.” The government admits change can’t come from the establishment alone, stating that: “Gaining large scale change across the system will require multiple small-scale process changes by leaders and teams from within it.” The new plans, which some say are reminiscent of Jamie Oliver’s campaigns to ensure children adopt healthy lifestyles, seem to have drawn widespread support thus far. Cancer Research has called the plan “fantastic” while Dr David Tuthill, Officer for Wales at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

told Wales online that “The strategy sets out a series of actions that could have a transformative impact on children’s health” but that “we must now see this delivered in full.” Since this plan has recently been launched it is therefore difficult to measure its success, although it can be expected to see that at least some of the strategies cited, will be implemented in the foreseeable future. As is to be expected when implementing such a significant longterm strategy, multiple AMs have expressed their wishes to take as long as is necessary to debate the legislation before it enters into force.

Fast Food: The government aims to have fewer takeaway restaurants near schools. Source: fgmsp (via Pixabay)

Many common single-use plastic products may soon be banned in Wales To contact our politics desk, drop us an email at politics@gairrhydd.com

POLITICS

Single-use plastic products such as cotton bud sticks, cutlery, beverage stirers and straws may be phased out completely

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

Lowri Pitcher Head of Politics

eputy Minister for Housing and Local Communities Hannah Blethyn recently announced that the Welsh Government is looking at banning many of the most commonly used single-use plastic products in order to improve Wales’ environmental impact. Whilst England is aiming to curb the use of many single-use plastics such as ear buds, drink stirers and plastic straws; the Welsh Government is considering implementing an EU directive which would ban single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery and balloon sticks from EU markets after 2021. Labour AM Huw Irranaca-Davies, who called a debate in the Welsh Assembly on single-use plastics, expressed his wishes for Wales to become a “world leader in reducing plastic waste.” In order to carry out the proposals mentioned above, he suggested that “appropriate taxes and levies” are implemented in order to “significantly reduce the production and use of single-use plastics in Wales.” Additionally, he added that Wales should also consider phasing

out single-use carrier bags, a step beyond the current charges placed upon the items. Wales is currently ranked third in the world for the total amount of recycled waste it generates, yet many AMs have also expressed their desires to improve Wales’ environmental impact; specifically the use of single-use coffee cups. Consequently, according to recent figures from BBC Wales, approximately 2.2 million fewer plastic cups were used by public bodies in Wales in the year to August 2019. During the debate in the Senedd, Irranaca-Davies cited similar efforts by other countries which have decreased the use of plastic, saying: “Complete bans on single-use plastics like carrier bags, done in Bangladesh and in Canada, have worked; plastic straws have been banned in some US states, and cutlery banned in France have proven the easiest way to make a dramatic effect.” He also discussed how introducing a 5p levy on paper cups led to a 156% increase in reusable cups in Starbucks in London. He later continued to discuss how increasing levies on certain products impacts consumer behaviour. The

AM explained that plastic clothing and balloons, chewing gum, singleuse pens, protected postal packaging and wet wipes in Wales could be subject to these levies. Conversely to imposing taxes and levies, the AM also floated the idea of offering “tax incentives, such as temporary tax relief or reductions for support of sustainable procurement and bulk purchasing in business improvement districts for zero-waste towns, or for other organisations pursuing zero-waste status, such as schools and hospitals, or even individual zero-waste retailers and businesses and reuse and repair initiatives.” AMs from a range of different parties have expressed support for the idea of the proposals eventually becoming a Bill. This Bill would largely aim to reduce the use of single-use plastics, introduce appropritae taxes on such products and establish targets of milestones to measure Wales’ progress on reducing single-use plastics. The plans are currently in their infancy and are expected to be scrutinised by a consultation in the coming months with a final decision to be made on the potential bill early

Single-use plastic products which may be banned

Cotton bud sticks Cutlery Beverage stirers Straws Plates Sticks for balloons Sauce sachets Expanded polystyrene food containers

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 11

Johnson continues to push for a general election as Parliament rejects Brexit deadline

Although Parliament finally agreed on a Withdrawal Agreement there still remains a long way to go before the Prime Minister can claim victory Tom-Henry Jones Politics Editor

inc October 17, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed a new amended Brexit deal with the EU, the path of passing it through Parliament last week was fraught with obstacles. Super Saturday On Saturday October 19, the Government called Parliament to sit for its first Saturday sitting since the Falklands War in 1982. The purpose of the sitting was to vote on the new Brexit deal, in a meaningful vote. A majority would have meant that Johnson could have delivered on his promise of Brexit by October 31. The current Parliamentary arithmetic meant that the vote was due to be extremely close with it being rumoured to come down to only a few votes. The Letwin Amendment During the Parliamentary session on Saturday, Conservative remain voter, Sir Oliver Letwin laid an amendment to significantly alter the purpose of the vote. The amendment changed the vote from a straight up and down vote and instead wanted it to be published as a formal bill, to be known as the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB). The Letwin amendment passed with a majority of 16 votes, as MPs who previously stated they would back the original deal also voted in favour of this amendment and against the Government. It therefore significantly hampered Johnson’s previous efforts of marking the super Saturday session as the official completion of his attempts to deliver Brexit. The Conservatives portrayed the events to be further examples of Parliament blocking Brexit. Meanwhile, supporters of the amendment asserted that it would allow further scrutiny and debate on the new Brexit deal. The amendment successfully stifled Johnson’s newfound momentum, just when it appeared increasingly likely that his new Brexit deal might have passed with a majority in the House of Commons. The Withdrawal Agreement Bill As the Letwin Amendment determined, the Government had to publish the Brexit deal as a whole Bill. In such a form it allows for various amendments and alterations to the bill. Amendments, if they are selected by the Speaker and then receive a majority in the House, will dramatically alter Johnson’s new Brexit deal. Such potential amendments include the deal to be put to a confirmatory referendum or the deal to place the UK within the customs union as part of a ‘softer Brexit’.

Ways to trigger a General Election Fixed-term Parliaments Act The Fixed Term Parliaments Act is a piece of legislation that was brought in under the coalition Government in 2011. The purpose of the Act was to take the power to call an election away from the Prime Minister and into the hands of Parliament therefore providing more stability. The acts fundmental aim is to have an election every five years. It however makes it difficult and more complex for the Prime Minister to call an early general election.

One Line Bill

Brexit Extension: Parliament are waiting for EU leaders to grant an extension to the Brexit deadline Source: Wikimedia Commons The Government announced the Commons would vote on the second reading of the Bill on Monday. The second reading is a vote to allow the Bill to progress through to the next stage of Parliamentary scrutiny, the Committee stage. Therefore, passing it through the second reading does not officially confirm the passing of the Brexit deal. The Government won the vote with a majority of 30. It was signalled as a symbolic victory for Boris Johnson, although it was not official, his Brexit deal had secured a majority. Although many who had voted for it, did so, so that they could amend and improve the Bill in the later stages of Parliamentary procedure. Many of those intent on doing so were Labour MPs sympathetic to the Leave cause, and by voting with the Government, broke a three-line whip by the Labour Party. Programme Motion After passing the Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the second reading, the Government outlined a timetable as to how to proceed with passing the legislation in its programme motion. Johnson is under immense pressure to deliver Brexit by the October 31 and in vowing to do so, meant that he sought for the bill to be passed through Parliament at unprecedented speed. In its Programme Motion, the Government proposed that all the relevant legislation be voted on and passed by the end of last week, in time for the looming deadline of October 31. In a vote to approve the Government’s timetable, the Government lost by

14 votes. MPs who voted against the timetable criticised the pace of the legislation, claiming that it had not been given adequate time to debate, amend and scrutinise the bill. Jeremy Corbyn stated that the Prime Minister was the “the author of his own misfortune.” In response to the loss, Johnson immediately stated that the Government would pause the legalisation and ramp up No-Deal planning as it awaited the EU’s verdict on the request of the extension to the Brexit deadline.

The Prime Minister is the author of his own misfortune. Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party

Extension A week after Boris Johnson sent the drafted letter to the EU seeking an extension to the Brexit deadline, the Government is still awaiting the outcome of the EU discussions. Alongside the first letter, Johnson also sent a second letter in which he stated that an extension is not the policy that the Government is either seeking or supporting. However, under the Benn Act it was written in law that Johnson had to request for an extension if a deal had not been agreed by October 17. After Johnson’s latest loss in the Commons regarding his timetable, Donald Tusk tweeted that he would “recommend the EU27 accept the UK request for an extension” in or-

der to “avoid a no-deal Brexit.” An extension to the Brexit deadline would be a failure in regard to Boris Johnson’s promise of delivering Brexit by October 31 and it would seemingly be a political embarrassment if it were to happen.

Following Boris Johnson’s decision to pause the process of the Withdrawal Agreement, and in order to avoid a no-deal Brexit, I will recommend the EU27 accept the UK request for an extension.

Donald Tusk, President of European Council

General Election Talk of a general election has been growing for weeks. Back in September Boris Johnson had previously attempted to call an election but failed after Labour and other opposition parties blocked it. In their reasoning for blocking a general election the opposition parties wanted the threat of No-Deal on the 31st to have been completely ruled out and would only support an election if an extension were granted. Therefore, as extension appears imminent, the Government has laid yet another motion to approve a general election before Christmas on December 12.

This route involves the Prime Minister bringing forward a bill rather than a motion to call a general election. The One Line Bill sets aside the Fixed-term Parliament Act and it only needs a simple majority for a general election to be called. However the Bill can be amended by Parliament. They could amend the date of the election and dictate when it is to be held, making it a risky option for the Johnson Government. This may be a more appealing option for opposition parties who have repeatedly claimed not to trust Boris Johnson.

General Election Motion A general election motion is an option Boris Johnson has already attempted twice in early September and had laid another motion on Thursday. The motion requires a two thirds majority of 434 MPs across the House of Commons to secure approval. Johnson therefore needs the support of the Labour Party and other opposition parties for the motion to pass. Labour have stated they would only back an election once the threat of No-Deal has been ruled out.

No-Confidence Motion A motion of No-Confidence is the process of voting down the Government. Normally proposed by the opposition it is a route to forming a new government by voting no confidence in the current one. It requires only a simple majority. Once the vote is lost there are 14 days given to form an alternative majority Government, if this is not achieved a general election is called. If an alternative government is found Johnson will have risked trying to seek an election by voting down his own government.

POLITICS

Sadiq Khan rejects government’s planning policies Jonas Jamarik Contributor

n a recent tweet, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan hit back against the planning inspectorate’s attempts to overrule his intended environmentallyfriendly planning policies: “The government want me to allow fracking in London, back Heathrow Expansion and look into building on the Green Belt – none of which I am willing to do. It’s deeply disappointing they don’t share London’s priorities of tackling climate change and air pollution.” One of the biggest issues is the expansion of Heathrow Airport. The proposed plans suggest a new, third runway be built which would increase capacity to an estimated 132 million people. Critics of the runway argue that a construction of that size would bring many problems including worse traffic, increased noise pollution and heightened air pollution. The expansion would also take place in a highly-populated area, effectively demolishing thousands of homes. This plan was backed by a majority in the House of Commons, with 296 MPs approving the plan. The case against this expansion has been brought to the High Court by Mr Khan, London residents, and multiple non-profit organisations and charities including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. In his London plan, Mr Khan stressed the importance of the city’s green belt, an area of land which is protected from certain industrial work within and surrounding the city which is protected by law. He described the greenbelt “the lungs of the capital” and saying it “must be protected.” The demand in London for new housing is approximately the equivalent of 66,000 homes a year, but the Mayor insists that these should not be built in the green belt. Another issue causing tension is fracking, a controversial way of extracting natural gas from the Earth. This method is known to pose a significant risk to public health, as well as posing a risk of contaminating water supplies and contributing to air pollution. After reviewing the Mayor’s draft, the government’s planning inspectors want him to withdraw his objections to the Heathrow expansion, to permit fracking, and to change his commitment to the green belt. They want the potential to build in the green belt to be re-examined, and for construction to be allowed under “special circumstances.” They also say this ban is “out of line with national policy.” In addition, they have said the Mayor’s opposition to fracking is “out of line with the national policy of allowing safe and sustainable gas extraction,” adding that it is “unlikely that there is any suitable geology for fracking in London.” Lastly, they found his reaction to the expansion of Heathrow to be at odds with the government’s support of the construction. In response, Mr. Khan will write to the Government before the end of this year, after which the government will have six weeks to respond.

Abortion and same-sex marriage becomes legal in Northern Ireland

This legislation means that abortion and same-sex marriage is now legal across the UK Lowri Pitcher Head of Politics

t midnight on Monday October 21, legislation to legalise abortion and same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland entered into force after attempts to halt the law by unionist parties failed to make an impact. Under the Executive Formation Act 2019, abortion will become decriminalised immediately and same-sex marriage will become legal in January 2020. Before this law entered into force, abortions were only permitted if a woman’s life is at risk or if there is risk of permenant or serious damage to the individual’s physical or mental health. Beforehand, rape, incest or diagnosis of fatal fetal abnormality where medics believe that the baby will die before, during or after birth were not sufficient grounds for a legal abortion in Northern Ireland. In July 2019, Members of Parliament passed legislation which meant the UK Government could assume responsibility for introducing new regulations on abortion and same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland unless the devolved government was restored by October 21. This prompted the first sitting in the devolved assembly, Stormont, in nearly

three years. The Northern Ireland Assembly had not sat since January 2017 after the Deputy First Minister resigned and Arlene Foster, Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) lost her job as First Minister, causing the devolved government to collapse. Those opposed to the decriminalisation, including the DUP, subsequently signed a petition to recall the Assembly in the hope of blocking the legislation entering into force. However, the first sitting in Stormont in nearly 1000 days ended abruptly. In order to debate and potentially block the legal changes, representatives had to complete the first point on the order paper, electing a new Speaker. This was ultimately unresolved as the election requires cross-community support which could not be found. Less than an hour after the sitting commenced, the session was suspended after various parties walked out of the chamber. Ultimately, this meant that no action could be made in order to block the legislation and the law entered into force on Tuesday morning. Abortion and same-sex marriage have long been contentious issues across the globe with fraught controversy being

International protests: Earlier this year demonstrators gathered in 350 locations across the US to protest abortion bans. Source: Fibonacci Blue (via Flickr) seen in US states such as Georgia recently. The topic is especially contentious in Northern Ireland. The 1861 Offences Against the Person Act criminalised attempts to cause a miscarriage which could be punishable by imprisonment. Later, the 1945 Criminal Justice Act provided an exception for acting to cause a miscarriage “in good faith for the purpose only of preserving the life of the mother”. Despite the 1967 Abortion Act decriminalising abortion in England, Scotland and Wales, it did not extend to Northern Ireland and has remained illegal since.

As the legislation comes into effect, Northern Ireland’s abortion legislation will change from being one of the most punitive in Europe to being one of the most liberal, potentially allowing abortions up to 28 weeks (4 weeks longer than the current limit of 24 weeks in Great Britain). The UK must now ensure that regulations for free, legal and local abortion services are available by March 31, 2020 as well as allowing same-sex marriages by January 2020 which are expected to start taking place during the week of Valentine’s Day, 2020.

Government publishes new plan to help survivors of domestic abuse in England

The plan aims to make local councils more responsible for abuse in their area

Hallum Cowell Politics Editor

government definition of domestic abuse will specifically include economic abuse as well as controlling and manipulative non-physical abuse. Women’s Aid responded to the announcement saying, “We warmly welcome this announcement, which shows the government’s commitment to the long-term funding of lifesaving refuges.” However, in the same press release, Women’s Aid acting cofounder Nicki Norman writes: “Despite welcoming emergency pots of funding from the government, shortterm, uncertain budgets are failing to deliver a secure future for life-saving services.” This announcement follows a pledge in November 2018 that says 63 projects across England were to share £22 million. The Government states “that funding has helped to provide tailored support to more than 25,000 survivors and their families – including over 2,200 additional beds in refuges and other safe accommodation.” They also claim that these new plans “will end [the] postcode lottery

Nearly two million people in the UK suffer from domestic abuse. This counts for approximately 1.3 million female victims and 600,000 male victims.

The government announced £15 million additional spending for essential services such as refuges and safe accommodation in 2020-21.

he Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government recently confirmed additional local government support for survivors of domestic abuse through new legal plans. These plans are aimed at making local councils more responsible for abuse in their area. Under the forthcoming legislation announced by Robert Jenrick, local authorities are required to publish strategies which detail the range of support services available for abuse survivors of violent relationships. These measures would include specialist support, safety through independence, and refuge accommodation. In addition, statutory guidance now strongly encourages councils to prioritise domestic abuse survivors who are ready to move on from refuges when allocating social housing. The Domestic Abuse Bill currently making its way through parliament will mark the first time a statutory

of support for those fleeing violent relationships”. The Government also hopes to achieve this by amending the Domestic Abuse Bill to oblige local governments to provide support. A press release for the new measures asserts that “ahead of this new duty coming into force in 2021, the government has also announced a further £15 million in funding to run these essential services in 2020 to 2021 – a 20% increase on 2019 to 2020” which is “for refuges and safe accommodation.” It is, however ,important to note that Refuge, a charity that advocates for women and children in refuges, claims there has been a “chronic shortfall we have seen following years of funding cuts. Refuge has experienced cuts to 80% of its services since 2011. This includes an average cut of 50% to refugees which provide lifesaving accommodation and support for women escaping abuse and violence.” The government argues that this new method builds on their other ac-

tions to end domestic abuse and tackle violence against women and girls. The press release points towards criminalisation of forced marriage, new anti-stalking laws, national rollout of domestic violence protection orders, domestic violence disclosure scheme and the £15 million threeyear Violence Against Women and Girls Service Transformation Fund. The charity Save Lives keeps a database named Insight, the UK’s largest national database of domestic abuse cases. In their published results they say that “Each year nearly two million people in the UK suffer some form of domestic abuse - 1.3 million female victims (8.2% of the population) and 600,000 male victims (4%)” and that “130,000 children live in homes where there is high-risk domestic abuse.” The new government plan is certainly being welcomed as a start to improve refuge services. However, many charities are pointing to the fact that this is not new money and that, while any money is welcome,

The Domestic Abuse Bill will include the first statutory government definition of domestic abuse to include economic abuse as well as controlling and manipulative non-physical abuse.

Local authorities will be required to publish strategies which detail the range of support services available for abuse survivors of violent relationships.

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 13 Protests in Lebanon grow stronger despite In other news... government appeasement efforts Backlash against proposed taxes become mass anti-government protests

Maya El-Moussaoui Contributor

n Monday, October 14 the Lebanese Prime Minister proposed adding a tax on WhatsApp voice calls and other internet-based messaging services. After receiving a very negative reaction, the proposition was dropped. Within days, mass anti-government protests were held all over Lebanon. People gathered from cities across the country to stand against alleged government failure and corruption. Two million people to date have gathered in unison, rejecting government-proposed reforms and demanding a new non-sectarian state to be voted on by the people. Just three days into the protests, four ministers from the Lebanese Forces resigned from the government. Samir Geagea, the leader of the group has stated that he has a “lack of confidence in the current cabinet,” and also urged ministers to submit their resignations. On Friday 18, Prime Minister Saad Hariri gave his government partners a 72-hour deadline to create a solution to the abrupt outrage. He announced a set of reforms on Monday 21 that claimed to cut government officials’ salaries by 50% and tackle various is-

sues such as tax increases and electricity cuts. However, citizens have not backed down, as they demand the resignation of all former politicians and continue to fight against the more deep-rooted problems of government corruption. No politician has been spared in the wake of this uprising. Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, Gebran Bassil, has been a common target in chants and posters used throughout the demonstrations. He has faced extreme backlash after backing up his father-in-law Michel Aoun’s presidency and trying to return Syrian refugees to their homes under Assad’s regime. Bassil has been unwilling to resign as he claims a new government would be far worse. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nassrallah also refuted the current demonstrations, as he believes a new government would be far worse, and takes more time to restore the country’s dire economic state. There have been attempts by certain groups, claimed to be Amal and Hezbollah supporters to retaliate against current protesters. Groups of hundreds of men on mopeds were videotaped trying to scare off protesters in central Beirut but were detained by Lebanese Army forces on Monday 21. A group of Amal supporters also

Russia and Turkey announced an agreement to jointly patrol part of the Syrian border, following a five day ceasefire in Turkey’s offensive. It states that Kurdish forces must pull back 30km from the northeastern TurkeySyria border, while Russian and Turkish forces will jointly patrol the area.

Beirut: It is estimated that over 2 million people have protested so far. Source: Wikimedia Commons attacked civilians in Riad Al Solh. However, Hezbollah leader Nasrallah denied that he sent any attackers. Protesters remain steadfast in their demands even though the government has responded in defiance. Many of the protesters want a full coup of the current government and request early elections. The revolution has gained serious momentum in such a short amount of time. Social media has been a vital tool in gathering and popularising the movement, through the constant

sharing of videos of the protests and the use of a hashtag which translates as ‘revolution’. Even Lebanese citizens living in other countries have been supporting the movement through demonstrations happening in cities across the globe. In a televised address to the nation on Thursday 24 October, President Michel Aoun, expressed his desire to meet demonstrators to find the best possible solution for the country’s issues, he also suggested that a government reshuffle was being considered.

Canada General Election: Justin Trudeau re-elected for a second term in power The Liberal Party won the election but lost its majority

Maisie Marston Politics Editor

n the face of much adversity, Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party have narrowly held onto power in Canada. Upon his landslide election victory in 2015, Trudeau promised Canadians “sunny ways” which was to include the legalisation of cannabis nationwide and the welcoming of Syrian refugees into the country, a divergent position compared to its neighbour, the US. The Liberal Party’s 2019 election manifesto included promises to

help students afford college and university, to plant two billion trees over the next decade, cut taxes for middleclass families, lower phone bills, and increase the amount of Canadian land and oceans that are protected to 25% by 2025. However, during the run-up to the election, Trudeau’s popularity declined rapidly as a consequence of a number of scandals. Old pictures of him in blackface surfaced, his handling of a corporate corruption case was criticised, and he advocated for the expansion of an oil pipeline after positioning himself as a candidate

Re-elected: Justin Trudeau narrowly wins the Canadian general election. Source: Alex Guibord (via flickr)

committed to tackling climate change. As a consequence of these controversies in the run-up to the election, Mr Trudeau and the Liberal Party lost support overall. Now the party only possess a minority government so will become reliant on the New Democratic Party (NDP) to push through legislation. With the NDP’s influence, Canadian government policy could begin to lean further to the left. Among the NDP’s pledges is ceasing the oil pipeline development Trudeau advocates for, as well as making housing and healthcare more affordable. Their leader, Jagmeet Singh, has said: “I’m hoping that Mr Trudeau respects the fact that there’s a minority government now, which means we’ve got to work together.” In Canada, minority governments have rarely lasted more than a couple of years, so the opposing Conservative Party is waiting with bated breath to take over. In their concession speech, the party’s leader Andrew Scheer warned Trudeau that “when [his] government falls, [the] Conservatives will be ready, and we will win.” Overall, Scheer’s party made gains of 2.5% and won the popular vote by 1.5%, whereas the Liberals made a loss of 6.5%, but gained 157 of 338 seats. Scheer told supporters in Saskatchewan “Let’s remember this feeling, coming close but falling just short.” Just days before the election occurred, some polls showed

the Conservatives winning the most seats. Notably, the far-right did not fare well in Canada’s 43rd election which is at odds to what is happening in various other developed countries around the world. The People’s Party of Canada denounced multiculturalism by promising less immigration and also questioned established climate change science, but failed to win a single seat. As Trudeau remarked in his victory speech; “From coast to coast, Canadians rejected divisions.” In Quebec, the Bloc Québécois separatist party more than tripled their seat count from 10 to 32. In the previous two elections, the party had not proven popular, but a new leader, YvesFrancois Blanchet, managed to help it recover. The cause of this is thought to be a change of focus to environmental and progressive policies instead of Quebec separation. Unfortunately for Trudeau, the party opposes some of his policies including the oil pipeline development and disagrees on the controversial secularism law. This law, known as Bill 21, prohibits judges, teachers, police officers and public servants holding some positions wearing religious symbols at work. If one thing can be taken from these recent elections, although Trudeau continues to hold on to power, his reputation has likely been irreversibly damaged.

Talks between Ethiopia and Egypt over the consequences of a $5bn dam in the river Nile have broken down. The Nile, which flows from Ethiopia to the Meditteranean Sea is ‘a matter of existence’ to Egypt and the government worries that the filling of the reservoir behind the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will threaten Egypt’s water supply.

Japan’s Emperor formally declared his ascension to the throne in an ancient ceremony. Emperor Naruhito, 59, took the throne in May following a brief traditional ceremony but the Ceremony of Accession is an official announcement of his new status. The ceremony was previously postponed due to Typhoon Hagibis, which killed 80 people.

Following a presidential election in Bolivia, violent protests erupted after citizens became suspicious of the result. Initially it was believed the election would go to a second-round runoff between President Evo Morales and Carlos Mesa, but Morales unexpectedly raced ahead.

The Chilean government has continued to crack down on anti-government protests with the death toll reaching 13 people. Protests began after the government attempted to raise the price for a metro ticket by 30 pesos. The protests have since branched out into anti-government action. In response, the government has deployed the army to the streets of the capital, Santiago, as well as enforcing a curfew on the citizens.

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Your comment desk Sam Tilley Harry Clarke-Ezzidio Kat Smith Nina White Columnist Indigo Jones

Is independent cinema under threat? Are blockbuster franchises monopolising cinema?

Jack Stacey Contributor

lthough it may appear rather accusatory, there is strong research to suggest that the decline in small, independently produced and financed film may be linked to the monopolisation of cinemas by large production companies. However, this may not be the sole cause. Upon a quick inspection of 2019’s successful commercially most films, this becomes more apparent as established franchises, releasing blockbuster films on almost a seasonal basis, monopolise the board with names that have become known from the diffusion of popular culture into the mainstream media. Production companies like Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures, and Walt Disney Pictures (to name but a few) are best known for releasing highly cost intensive and incredibly commercially successful films that often span into numerous sequels and spin-off ventures with dedicated fan-bases that can reach the millions. Warner Brothers specifically have released 14 brand-new films into cinemas since January 1 which earned an approximate total profit of $1,191,064,073 (£924,509,495). In contrast, Midsommar, a folk horror film that was released by the American independent enter-

A New Dawn?: Demand in Britain for independent films is growing annually. Source: George Hodan (via Public Domain Pictures) tainment company A24, earned a respectable worldwide gross of $27,426,361 (£21,261,816) and was shown in approximately 2,707 different theatres. Although, Happy Death Day 2U was released by Universal in 3,207 cinemas and has a similar total gross therefore, the next question is where is the audience for independent film? The truth is that they exist! In fact, independent films made up 13.2% of the UK’s Box Office Share in 2018 and appear in many cinemas, yet remain vastly over-

shadowed by the vast advertising budgets of blockbuster franchises. I would argue that independent film is only accessible to cult audiences through indie film festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival, the Cambridge Film Festival, and the massive London Film Festival which screens over 300 independent films from 50 different countries. While these events are fundamental in gaining an audience for independent film creators and producers, they do not make the production mainstream in the same way that

Lionsgate, for instance, can attract a mass audience through expenditure on advertising. This unequal distribution of film promotion and advertising plays a critical role in the generation of audiences for independent films and therefore, is causing a decline in creation and viewership of independent film across the world. As ticket sales in the UK show, audiences for film in cinemas are growing annually with larger audiences watching films in the cinema than previous years. In 2018, UK ticket sales had increased by 3.7% from the previous year, demonstrating that the audience for both independent and blockbuster films is growing annually. Additionally, cinemas do not promote the showings of smaller, independent films to audiences in a manner that sufficiently generates ticket sales, instead prioritising the promotion of larger films with guaranteed audiences and income for themselves. In my opinion, as consumers of film and media advertising, audiences have to be proactive seekers of content and urge themselves to see lower-budget Independent film in cinemas, displacing the notion of blockbuster domination and promoting the significance of smaller, independent film production in an increasingly homogenous world of film.

Why menopause needs to be discussed more Channel 4 has become the latest company to launch an offical menopause policy

Kat Smith Comment Editor

n World Menopause Day, Channel 4 announced its first menopause policy. The policy includes offering flexible working arrangements, paid leave if side effects require it, a quiet and cool workspace, amongst other resources and support. In a survey carried out by Forth with Life, 90% of women said that their workplace had no policy for menopause. While menopause will be a brutal reality for pretty much half of the population, the lack of workplace support shows a great disillusionment with the severity of its symptoms. From hot flushes and sleeping problems, to anxiety and low mood, the most common symptoms demonstrate why policies like Channel 4’s must become the norm. Menopause affects pretty much every part of your body (brain, skin, muscles, bones and mental wellbeing). It’s also not just the duration of menopause that throws up problems for women; bones become weaker creating a bigger risk of osteoporosis, and stroke and heart disease become a greater threat post-menopause too. I am ashamed that I am only just learning the full extent of it now. I didn’t even realise there was a World Menopause Day, and failed to seemenopause as a potential disruption

to my future career. As students, the prospect of menopause is a distant one for most of us. The process happens between 45-55 years, though surgery and other factors can alter this. Despite being a cis-gendered woman and knowing that menopause is an inevitability, it really hadn’t crossed my mind that it is going to affect my life. Bodily processes need to be treated with more respect even before the stage of menopause. Discussion around ‘period-friendly workplaces’ has swept the media in 2019, with one Swedish start-up becoming one of the world’s first. It’s time to break the taboo around menopause and menstruation, even if they feel like a guaranteed inconvenience that we can be easily overlooked. There is a lack of education around the female body as it is. Despite having gone to a girls’ school, I was never taught about menopause and was taught very little about menstruation except for the occasional mention in science. With 90% of women facing no support from their workplace, ignorance over menopause is yet another piece of evidence that the complexities of the female body are so often overlooked. ‘Menopause’ seems like another discussion framed to undermine women, demeaning their pain both emotionally and physically, as is the case with discussion surrounding menstruation. When

it’s a change in hormones, it’s easy to associate it with mood swings and irritability, but the emotional and physical side effects of menopause and menstruation are dangerously underplayed in public discourse. The normalisation and addressing of menopause are important for all of us. We cannot antagonise people for not understanding the potential severity of menopausal symptoms when no legislation or policy is used to demonstrate it. Economically, how can you expect someone to work well when they are experi-

encing such a dramatic change in hormones? These policies don’t only accommodate for women, but they also acknowledge that those going through menopause will not be at the top of their game if their needs are not addressed. With its fame and reach, Channel 4’s first menopause policy will hopefully set off a positive chain reaction. But with the luxury tax still plastered on every sanitary towel pack and tampon box, it is not looking like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

A very common problem: Most women reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. Source: Women’s Health Initiative

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The dualism of sport and politics The conflict between China and the NBA is only the most recent scandal

Harry Clarke-Ezzidio

Comment Editor

t is often said that sports and politics should never mix. Sports are sports. Politics is politics. The two should never really intermingle. That’s it. But inevitably the two do mix and, when they do, it always gets attention and causes a reaction. Sports, politics, and free speech all recently came to a head as the NBA and China filled the news agenda. Whilst in Japan on a pre-season tour, the General Manager of the Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey, tweeted an image in support of those fighting in the pro-democracy protests, the image had text which said ““Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” His tweet immediately received backlash as those affiliated with China did not like the tweet. Despite quickly deleting the tweet, the damage was done. It’s important to stress how big of a market China is to the NBA. The NBA themselves, as well as all the teams within the NBA have a lot invested over there, it’s a big market for them with huge potential. There’s a lot of money at stake. So when the tweet came out from a senior member of one of the biggest NBA teams, it did not go down well. Knowing what was at stake, the NBA went into damage-control mode. Owner of the Rockets Tilman Fertitta said that Morey’s tweet was a reflection of his personal beliefs and did not reflect

the beliefs of the Rockets themselves. Later addressing the situation himself, Morey stressed that he did not want to offend fans in China. The NBA also responded, aiming to minimise the remarks, emphasising that Morey’s view “does not represent the Rockets or the NBA”, adding that they “have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.” The squirming and backtracking is clear as day, it is all to protect the profits. China, as expected, didn’t take too kindly to the tweet. Despite the backtracking and attempted clean-up, the Chinese government immediately cut ties with Morey’s team, the Houston Rockets, along with several of the team’s Chinese sponsors. The Chinese Basketball Association, headed by former Chinese NBA star Yao Ming, who was a star at the Houston Rockets, cut ties too. Whilst Tencent, a platform that streams NBA games in China to nearly 500 million people also ended their business relationship with the NBA. Many weren’t impressed with how the NBA were prioritising profits over standing up for people’s rights and liberty. Presidential candidate Julian Castro remarked that “China is using its economic power to silence critics—even those in the U.S.” Overall, the NBA has received universal criticism from politicians, and people from a variety of backgrounds.

The NBA should be ashamed of themselves, they are prioritising their business interests over the basic human rights of those protesting against the regime in China. Trading basic human rights and freedom of speech for profit is about the lowest thing a company can do. The desperate way in which the NBA have been scrambling to backtrack is laughable. Whilst the Houston Rockets pushed their star man James Harden in front of the press where he clearly gave a forced answer trying to help spare the blushes of the Rockets and the NBA. Yes, China is a very lucrative market and is important to the NBA, but to profusely apologise for and to try to minimise something that really shouldn’t be minimised (as it’s a very serious issue) or giving an apology just to help line your pockets is selfish and unforgivable.

The NBA should be ashamed of themselves, they are prioritising profits over human rights As much as some people despise it, there is a rich history of sport and sociopolitical issues mixing and impacting the spectacle. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the United States led a 65-nation strong boycott of the 1980

Olympic Games held in Moscow. Then, four years later, the USSR returned the favour and boycotted the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Social issues have also been addressed in a sporting context many times before too. During the 1968 Olympic games Tommie Smith and John Carlos – winners of the gold and bronze medals in the 200m – raised their fists above their heads forming the ‘black power’ fist in a silent protest against racism and the discrimination that African Americans were facing at the time in the United States. More recently, American football has been the scene of recent protests, with Colin Kaepernick taking the knee during the American anthem for the same struggles that Smith and Carlos fought for. The reality is that as much as people may hate sports and politics mixing, it’s almost inevitable that it’ll happen, because at the heart of sports are humans with emotions, yearnings and urges. Athletes are humans after all and people express their political opinions all the time, whether they’re celebrities, athletes, or the average Joe – whenever people feel like expressing their opinion, they normally will whatever the circumstances. Is it the right thing to do? That’s up to you to decide, but it’s quite hard to object to people peacefully protesting because they’re upset by the fact that people are being unjustly treated. People will feel the need to protest and stand up for what they feel is right, it’s human nature.

Don’t be a Drag, just be a Queen

RuPaul’s trip across the pond hasn’t been entirely successful

Indigo Jones Comment Columnist

he sensational TV series Ru Paul’s Drag Race has taken a trip over the pond and has graced the British screens with Drag Race UK. The American version of the show is incredibly popular globally and inevitably the British version may be just as popular. The judges vary week to week and are usually a variety of British celebrities, including Maisie Williams and Andrew Garfield, although RuPaul, Michelle Visage and Alan Carr are consistent judges on the show and are already renowned for their witty

remarks and criticisms. One thing that is immediately apparently with this new addition to British television are the stereotypes that Americans have of British culture. We are now four episodes into the show and have already witnessed that the American production team behind Drag Race UK have continued the stereotype of ‘pip pip toodle loo’ Britain, where the British public just drink tea and worship the Queen. The first challenges showcased a drag queen from Essex with blotchy fake tan and vajazzled underwear whilst other queens paid tribute to Amy Winehouse and Pete Burns. This was a positive beginning

Sashay Away!: RuPaul’s Drag Race has finally made the long awaited switch to the UK. Source: spinechiller (via Pixabay)

to the first episode as it allowed the drag queens to showcase the culture of their hometowns. Any goodwill was immediately thrown out of the window however as this was then followed by them dressing up as different variations of the Queen.

One thing that is immediately apparent ... are the stereotypes that Americans have of British culture. This seems to be a continuous theme throughout the first few episodes with challenges involving car boot sales, dancing around a maypole and a drag version of Downton Abbey; admittedly rather cleverly named “Downton Draggy”. These stereotypical elements of British culture that are broadcasted on the show allow the American public to avoid learning about the true culture of the United Kingdom, perhaps if later on in the series they shine a light on British history this would make up for the stereotyping within the first few episodes although this highly unlikely. In last week’s episode they participated in the popular ‘Snatch Game’ challenge where the queens do impressions of popular celebrities. In this challenge we saw impressions of Margaret Thatcher, Donald Trump and the British national treasure

David Attenborough. The use of a popular British icon like Attenborough educates the American audiences on the British pop culture that we actually consume rather than the monarchy-loving content they believe we enjoy. On the show, RuPaul is known for telling witty one liners, although on this new season they seem too staged and scripted as the famous drag queen struggles to apply a British sense of humour to their repertoire. This sense of scripting is prevalent throughout the show, and RuPaul’s lack of knowledge of some British culture is apparent; perhaps the show would have thrived with a famous British drag queen at its front, for example, Paul O’Grady aka Lily Savage. But of course you could argue that RuPaul is the brand and by replacing them it would completely destroy the viewing figures. This Americanisation of the British image and their obsession with the typical British person is only detrimental to our country. In turn, it also stereotypes how we are perceived in the media around the world as American content is widely watched globally much further than just the western world. Perhaps it is up to us as British people to take back our culture and project how we want to be perceived by others. Drag is about being fun and creative, although how creative can the British queens be if they are being put in a box by the producers?

The need for a fair living wage for all Nina White Comment Editor

ince April, the rate for the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for workers aged between 18-20 has been £6.15 an hour; compared to £8.21 for over 25s. But why are both the top rate of the NMW and the National Living Wage (NLW) only available to over 25s when 18 year olds can fulfil the same roles? Last month, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid announced that the government plans to lower the age threshold for the NLW to 21. From 2021, Javid intends on reducing this threshold to those aged 23 and over, further reducing it to those aged 21 and over within the next five years. Although I welcome this decision, I still can’t help but wonder why the government doesn’t just reduce the threshold to 18, and why it’s going to take five years before it even reaches 21? This announcement fell under criticism by the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, who said that the Labour Party would lower the age threshold for NLW even further. In May, Jeremy Corbyn announced that if the Labour Party win the next general election, they will raise the NLW to £10 in 2020, which will include workers who are under the age of 18. As well as this, Labour have said that this would be put in motion as soon as they enter government. This is an issue that should be tackled now, as low pay work has severely impacted the livelihoods of many families across the UK, throwing many into debt and, in some cases, poverty. According to UNISON, there are currently more than 13 million people in the UK living in low-income households. In the case of young people, it is assumed that we are still dependent on our parents - an assumption that is very often wrong. Surely, if you do the same work and do it just as well, you should be paid the same as anyone else, regardless of age or gender. The likelihood is that if you’re older you will have a greater access to finance, overdrafts and financial services in general, so not only are you being limited by pay but also by opportunity because of the lack of experience and access. You are not just being punished once because of your age, but twice, and then once more by the state by just assuming that mum and dad are picking up the pieces. As a university student, you may be able to relate to needing to work part-time to fund your studies and living expenses. Despite doing the same job as a 25 year old, you’re paid less just because you don’t meet the age threshold for the NLW. An 18 year old who hasn’t chosen to go to university would pay taxes alongside working full time, but they still aren’t currently being paid the same rates. If you are contributing to the economy just like somebody in their 20s, why should you be paid less? This is an ongoing problem which needs to be tackled sooner rather than later. The same rates should be universal for all young people.

COMMENT

NATO: An alliance out of time Sam Tilley Head of Comment

he North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was signed on April 4 1949 in the wake of the most devastating global conflict in history. The most basic description of the alliance is that it’s a collective system of defence, designed by proxy to act as a guarantee against any potential invasion from the Communist east. But as the twentieth century gave way to the twenty-first, the threat from the Soviet Union was replaced by different scenarios; scenarios that NATO have yet to adapt to. First and foremost, the collective defence mechanism entrenched within the treaty is now completely out of date. Article 5 of NATO is the clause that stipulates that if a NATO member is the victim of an armed attack, all members will consider it as an act of violence against all of them. It was first triggered in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 by the United States who argued that the terror attacks were organised from outside the US. The recent actions of the United States in Northern Syria also highlights the danger of the actions of NATO members. For reference, the United States (a NATO member) withdrew its troops from Kurdish-controlled Syrian territories; allowing Turkey (another NATO member) free reign to implement a ‘buffer-zone’ consisting of the areas previously occupied by the Kurds. Turkey, in cooperation with NATO’s alleged number one problem state Russia, has now begun to remove Kurds from the areas they occupy to widespread international condemnation. The actions of Turkey in particular have highlighted strains between NATO members with countries like France, Spain and the Netherlands imposing arms embargoes on the Turkish. For a military alliance, this is simply not a good look. Cooperation between NATO members and Russia is far from unprecedented; most famously during the Balkan conflict of the 1990s. However the cooperation between Turkey and Russia goes against the long standing position of the majority of the alliance of backing Kurdish fighters fighting against both ISIS and the Syrian Government. This highlights the ever growing split between Turkey and the rest of the Western Alliance, heightened in recent years by the domestic actions of President Erdogan and the failure, in the eyes of many NATO members, of Turkey to prevent ISIS fighters from travelling through its territory. It’s time for NATO to decide on both its position in the world we live in today and the ramifications of continuing to admit Turkey as a member of the alliance. The ever changing nature of global politics has meant that the greatest danger to countries is no longer from their counterparts. No longer does the biggest danger to Western Europe emanate from Moscow, or from Beijing, or Tehran or even Washington. Instead, the ongoing threat from global terrorism (whether it be from an Islamist, far right or far left source), the climate crisis and the constant stirrings of another recession are all far more plausible dangers to the member nations of NATO than the spectre of the former Soviet Union.

What is fueling the rise of the violent protest? The move from online abuse to that of ‘real life’ should alarm us all

Leo Holmes Contributor

n this contemporary and incredibly polarising political landscape, it is very easy to become bogged down in debates on social media with friends, foes, and even politicians. For some, it means abusing Members of Parliament, Assembly Members, Councillors and political activists on their public and private social media accounts. However, until the weeks leading up to the narrow Brexit vote on June 23 2016, much of this abuse came solely from online platforms. The vote to leave, and subsequent events since, have opened up a chasm of political hatred and violence, with much of what was previous online abuse transpiring into

public ‘real life’ acts of hate. One of the key figures subject to such ‘real life’ abuse has been the Labour MP for Hackney North, and Shadow Home Secretary, Diane Abbott, who has, on several occasions, had to have a police escort when travelling around parliament, all whilst receiving racist abuse and death threats. Much of the hate Abbott has received has, in the eyes of those threatening her, been legitimised by the current political landscape. Not only have the actions and language of Donald Trump been to blame for this, but also the discourse used by notable Conservative Brexiteers such as Dominic Raab and Boris Johnson. Terms such as “surrender act”, used by Johnson and Raab to describe the act put in place by opposition MPs to stop Brexit, clearly

appeals to the brutish nationalistic stance taken by far right pro Brexiteer activists, and for them somewhat ‘authorises’ abuse of notably Labour MPs.

The vote to leave, and subsequent events since, have opened up a chasm of political hatred and violence. However, polarisation in Britain is such that key Brexiteer figures like Jacob Rees-Mogg and Michael Gove also received ‘real life’ abuse from remain activists; often requiring police escorts. Other politicians

Targeted: Diane Abbott, Andrea Leadsom and Michael Gove are just some of the many politicians accosted by protesters outside Parliament last week. Sources (clockwise): Rwendland (via Wikimedia Commons), Department of Energy and Climate Change (via Flickr), Policy Exchange (via Flickr)

cut from the same cloth are also receiving criticism on non-Brexit related issues from environmental groups such as Extinction Rebellion (although it wouldn’t be just to refer to Extinction Rebellion as a violent group). In these minor cases, the issue of political violence does slash both ways. Politicians on both sides of the house are finding themselves as victims of intimidation by those that disagree with them. However, in the cases of abuse faced by Labour and other remaining supporting Members of Parliament, it has been ‘legitimised’ by the discourse used by the aforementioned politicians targeted by the remain protesters and Extinction Rebellion. Thus, one may conclude that the political violence used in the weeks up to the crucial Brexit vote and the three years after has been caused by the far-right populist regimes of Nigel Farage, Johnson and President Trump. The abuse is caused by individuals acting in accordance with or reacting against this populist agenda. Populism has eliminated civil debate in favour of animated, upsetting and often violent clashes in a society which is more divided than it has ever been. Families have fallen apart, friendships have been destroyed and communities have been discriminated against by this regressive and divisive populism and language used by the conservative right. At the end of this process, reviews into parliamentary language must take place to enable conversation and reunite this divided nation.

Outdated and out of touch

The monarchy needs serious work to serve our democratic system Wiliam Rees Contributor

would like to start by setting a scene. Imagine over in the states if Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden, amongst others, ceased campaigning to be the next president of the US. Instead, its announced that in the interests of stability, the next president and all future ones will be chosen using the ‘British’ model (No, not that kind of model, Donald). Trump will remain in office until he dies, at which point Americans will welcome their next head of state: his daughter, Ivanka Trump. I’d hope that Americans would not stand for this. Which begs the question, why do we in the UK? The recent media interest in Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex has sparked a debate about the nature and purpose of the monarchy. Some argue that the couple can be a driving force in helping the monarchy ‘evolve’, making the age-old institution more relevant to the world we live in today. In my opinion, however, the monarchy is undemocratic, outdated and out of touch. It must be abolished and replaced with a directly elected Head of

State. Having a directly elected Head of State would mean the people choose someone to represent our nations, defend our democracy, act as a referee in the political process, and offer a nonpolitical voice at times of crisis and celebration. And the best thing is, their actions will be open to public scrutiny and accountability. This means that unlike Prince Charles, who ignores the unwritten rule that he shouldn’t become political, an elected head of state could be challenged by the people at the ballot box at the next election. In an age of austerity, where an estimated 14.3 million people are in poverty across the UK, is it morally acceptable that the Queen will receive over £80 million over the next year? This is a sum she has received and will continue to receive annually, which due to an archaic law can’t be reduced at all. Supporters may argue that the monarchy is a vital part of our national identity, and necessary to attract visitors to support our tourist industry. But what is our national identity? Across all four nations of the British Isles we are seeing a rise in support for Scottish and Welsh independence, and

Irish reunification. With the UK Government spending a quarter of a million pounds on renaming the Severn Bridge to the ‘Prince of Wales’ bridge, are they celebrating a joint national culture, or simply trying to paper over the cracks of a fracturing union? When it comes to tourism, the argument that the monarchy is necessary for good tourism is unsubstantiated and that there is no detailed evidence showing that if Britain abolished the

monarchy fewer people would visit. We must remember that this debate is about our democracy and how we govern ourselves, and therefore shouldn’t be influenced on what may or may not get us more money from tourists from abroad. Whether the monarchy is abolished in the future or not, it’s clear that it has a lot of work to do if it wishes to remain a relevant part of our democratic system and lives.

Queen Elizabeth II: Is the Queen still necessary? Source: Archives New Zealand (via Flickr)

Indigo Jones

COLUMN ROAD

COLOFN 17

The real horror of Halloween

or some, Halloween can be the highlight of the year; whether this is through the delight of submerging heads in water bobbing for apples, spending an unfortunate amount of money on costumes to only be worn once or just the excitement to decorate the house and watch horror films. Although to others the true horror of Halloween is the controversial aspects that surround the holiday, perhaps this comes a result of costumes that appropriate different cultures or maybe different religious aspects come into play. Costumes during the Halloween season can be something fun for both children and adults alike, but the fun stops when someone’s culture becomes a costume. There is a difference between appreciating and appropriating a culture and Halloween costumes often tread that very thin line as those who dress up often forget to take others into consideration. If you type in cultural appropriation and Halloween into Google, you’ll find numerous articles on how to avoid appropriating the culture of others and what costumes not to wear. Although there have been endless articles educating those who are unsure, some people still don’t seem to have received the memo. The same goes to doing blackface, an ongoing issue that has never been appropriate and is universally frowned upon, yet we still hear of issues in the news where someone has been mistaken in

Unhappy Halloween: Does this dark holiday do more harm than good? Source: sasa5464 (via pixabay)

thinking it would be an appropriate costume. It’s 2019. When will people learn that this practice is not on? It’s possible to dress as your idols, for example Barack Obama, without resorting to blackface.

Appropriative costumes still perpetuate harmful stereotypes and contribute to the continuation of the violence and aggression LSPIRG

A Canadian non-profit group ran by the students of Wilfrid Laurier University that call themselves, LSPIRG (Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group), run a campaign called #IAmNotACostume, where they work to raise awareness of cultural appropriation and how to avoid it. On their website they state, “appropriative costumes still perpetuate harmful stereotypes and contribute to the continuation of the violence and aggression towards marginalized folks”. Although they also don’t shame those who have appropriated in the past, they inform and state that you shouldn’t “sit in guilt. We need to attempt to do better by being accountable and educating ourselves”. I think there is a very small percentage of people that can say they

haven’t accidentally appropriated another culture before, therefore rather than to feel this guilt it is better to educate yourself and others to avoid doing so again. With more people feeling comfortable enough to state they have been offended by certain costumes, rather than shame them for feeling this discomfort, we need to work as allies and support them. Cultural appropriation is of course one of the main issues that stems from Halloween, but it isn’t the only issue. Halloween is a holiday that popularises scary things and a common image and costume that arises during this spooky season is the Devil. This glorification of Satan can be upsetting for the Christian faith as he is seen as evil and a personification of hell. Therefore, by dressing up as a devil you could cause distress to others when it could be avoided. Halloween itself represents all that is dark in the world whether that is through casting the devil in a positive light or perhaps through publicising the act of witchcraft. Although this is not how the holiday began. Halloween was originally referred to as All Hallows’ Eve as it falls the day before All Hallows’ Day an event that was formally a part of the Christian calendar. On this day the Church would hold a vigil for worshippers to prepare themselves for a feast on All Hallows’ Day through fasting and prayer. Through the years Halloween has turned from

tradition to commercialisation, a holiday which centres around selling as many products to consumers as possi-

Halloween has turned from tradition to commercialisation ble. As a result of this change in tradition it has turned a Christian celebration into something they feel strongly against celebrating. This is due to the emphasis on witchcraft and satanic rituals, and the bible states in Ephesians 5:11, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” Although this sense of darkness is what we associate with Halloween today, which is how the event has been commercialised in recent years. The amount of money spent on Halloween increases annually due to the growing pressure to celebrate the holiday due to American influence on society. According to Metro, 60% of the millennial demographic spent money on Halloween in 2016. Is this a result of the increase in visibility and celebration of the holiday during their upbringing, or is it a consequence of the societal need to make everything an occasion to dress up and drink alcohol? Annually, there is an increase

in the influence Halloween has over pop culture in the likes of new horror films and Halloween-themed music. As consumers we feed into the corporate desire to dispatch unnecessary Halloween goods especially in terms of sweets, pumpkins and decorations. This could then potentially put low income families in a difficult position as they struggle to participate in this commercialised date in the calendar. Therefore, we must ask ourselves does Halloween cause more harm than good? This Americanised holiday has only recently become a commercial sales point in the UK, as you would never hear of children trick or treating, or of big Halloween parties some decades ago. Is this necessity to make money from commercial holidays like Halloween, from buying decorations and costumes feeding into this horror? Perhaps, we as consumers should spend more time thinking about the effects of Halloween on those around us and our own personal spending patterns. In terms of causing offense to others in choosing costumes, as a society ought to do more to educate the younger generations on which costumes could be considered problematic, to ensure that in future we hear less and less about cases of cultural appropriation and of costumes which offend religious people. Maybe, if this is achieved then the only horrors of Halloween would be the hangovers the next day.

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CYNGOR

A letter to my pre-uni self What would you say to your fresher self?

Alex Lambden Contributor

o the reader: I started Cardiff University in 2016 when I was 18 years old. Being an openly gay teenager from a small town in southern England, I wanted to leave for university to get a better idea of who I was and make some crazy, dumb memories. Dear Alex, No, this isn’t Marty McFly, this is your 22-year-old self. I know, maybe best to leave this on read, right? I expect that you think I’m oh-so-wise by now, but I’m still far from it. Fortunately, I am four years older and I’ve done (some of ) the life learning, so I feel entitled to offer you a compact guide of what to expect during your uni experience:

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

ADVICE

First Year – Great Expectations Go in with no expectations. I know you’ve completely bought into the pressure from sixth form, as well as every alumni professing that ‘university was the best time of my life,’ but you’re setting the bar too high. University will be what you want it to be, but of course that’s not going to happen in your first month. You’ll arrive at your room in Taly North and be met with grey walls with a grey

floor, and you’ll bring…grey bed sheets? It’s going to be hard to adjust to the amount of ‘self-study’ time you have, but it’s not all grey, a lot of people are in the same boat as you and you will learn how to fill it productively. Oh, and you can’t wait to find your first boyfriend? Oh man, proceed with caution. I’m glad that I’ve already lived that one because I don’t think I’d have it in me to do it again. Second Year – Scene Queen Where do broken hearts go? Straight to Pulse! With first year being quite a let-down, I’m proud that you spent the summer working on a positive mindset for your return. This was the year that I realised that student life can be great, but you have to get involved. I had a breakthrough: societies make the student experience. Whilst obvious for most, I know you found it hard to see at first; societies were deemed ‘uncool’ through your school years, but they’re the way to go by now. ‘Who cares?’ is now your motto, and I love that you continue to live by it. You finally start exploring Cardiff ’s gay scene; I think your first night is at Kings watching Miss Kitty’s drag cabaret (yeah, there must have been lots of alcohol involved for that). Being able to meet and become a part of a large

LGBTQ+ population wasn’t something you ever had chance to explore before, and I’m glad that you made the most of staying till the 5am Spice Girls medley. By fourth year, you’ve gone from a Pulse series regular to a cameo appearance, so please continue to live it up.

tures now, even the 9am ones. As you’d imagine, 18-year-old me, your time at Cardiff University does pass rapidly, but you’ll be really proud of what you achieve and all of the friends you make along the way.

Third Year – Gone Abroad!

A very happy soon-to-be graduate, Alex.

I know you have reservations about this year. First year required a lot of adjustment, so moving abroad to Madrid, España, for your Year Abroad might prove to be equally as difficult. I know you spent a lot of the summer before worrying about being in a slump again, but this was genuinely the best year of your life. Taking on the role of English teacher is a super fun change of pace, and it can still be done off three hours of sleep (trust me, Peggy Gou is worth it). Live it how you did. I know you enjoyed every second being there. Fourth Year – Heads Down. Now I’ve gotten to the point of talking to my current self – hiya! Yes, being back in Cardiff is like rewatching a series you’ve already finished, but you know what? I’m going to continue working as hard as possible so I can grab that scroll with pride at graduation. Bizarrely, I actually enjoy sitting in my lec-

Is it something that we take for granted?

Molly Govus Rhiannon James Columnist: Satwik Shivoham

Growing up: University is sometimes a person’s chance to bloom as an individual. Source: ClkerVector-Images (via Pixabay)

The importance of sleep Molly Govus Advice Editor

Your advice desk

With love always,

e all love a quick rest, a short nap, a good night’s sleep and anything and everything in between. There is no denying that sleep is an essential part of life; we quite literally could not live without it. It may be a shock to hear that the average person spends 26 years of their life sleeping, or 227,760 hours, to be precise. There is a lack of knowledge surrounding why we sleep and it remains something of a scientific mystery. Interestingly, it would be expected that humans would have evolved away from the tendency of sleep, given that it would have rendered our early ancestors as vulnerable to predators. There has to be a reason as to why sleep remains to be an integral part of human life. On average, we should be getting around 8.3 hours of sleep per night. It really doesn’t seem too hard to achieve, but we all know that it is a lot harder than it may initially seem. In this modern day, it is so easy to be distracted by our technology that by the time we realise we’re still awake, the sun is rising through the window and so the cycle repeats. You might say it’s just a few hours difference, right? Wrong. The

Sleeping soundly: There are many things we can do to enhance our sleep quality. Source: Cdd20 (via Pixabay ) Global Sleep Survey 2018 discovered that the average Brit is getting around 34.5 minutes less sleep a year than those in other countries. This tallies up to a whopping 210.2 hours a year (or 8.76 days). What does this mean for us students, though? A recent study from the University of Rochester discovered that parts of the brain are still developing up until the age of 25, therefore we should be slightly concerned that the younger generations are falling short

of medical recommendations for sleep. The importance of sleep is so profound that it also increases health risks if we do not get enough sleep. Some side effects of lack of sleep include heightened stress, forgetfullness and heightened risk of heart disease and respiratory problems. One question we must ask ourselves is if we are doing enough to aid our sleep. As much as we would love to go to sleep with our phones in our hands getting updates about the world, it is,

unfortunately, not the best way to get a good night’s rest. When you go to bed, it is reccomended that the room temperature is between 18-21 degrees celcius because this aids your quality of sleep by stimulating melatonin production. If you find that you are a restless sleeper, then weighted blankets have become a recent life-saver for some. These blankets help those who are restless sleepers by adding weight and comfort whilst you sleep, and they’re inexpensive and last a long time. For most, our phones are our worst enemy. It’s a bit too much to say to lock it away, but you can take precautions to make your quality of sleep better, even with technology. On Apple Store and Google Play, there is a plethora of apps to block blue light and you can usually set these to a specific time so your eyes adjust in time for sleep. It is believed that the shorter wavelengths is what causes the body to produce less melatonin, so blocking this out would enhance quality of sleep. There is no denying that sleep is integral. We all love it, but we should probably give our special snoozes a bit more credit for what they give to our body and mind.

COLOFN

SATWIK Speaks

Satwik Shivoham

‘Deadlines, Deadlines’: What’s the one deadline you are neglecting? Left image: Piqsels; Right image: Hailley Griffis (via Buffer).

e’re surrounded by deadlines at university- deadlines for rent, deadlines for assessments, deadlines for buying event passes, among other things. We are all constantly playing catch-up, week after week, and attending to most of our deadlines. We feel a sense of achievement when we complete these, and move on to another week, and then another. Some courses already have assessments going on and others are about to follow soon. I can already see us all setting targets about completing readings, revisiting lectures, studying for a certain number of hours every day, etc. which is commendable, but it’s like I said, we’re attending to most of the deadlines, not all. There’s one deadline lurking in the shadows, so to say, which attacks by surprise. It’s the most crucial of them all because it tends to slip away without any signs, without any premonition. It can cost you very, very dearly. There aren’t any “re-sits” or feedbacks for this one, just downfalls. In the long-term, it can take away your money, happiness, contentment and even health. Perhaps the scariest bit is that no one will remind you about it- not your parents, not your peers and definitely not your university. It is self-care, and it has to become a habit now.

It sounds very idealistic but you will see the truth in this when you realize how weak you feel because of skipping meals, or how even caffeine fails to run your body during assessments. Pause and ponder. In life, there is no deadline for fixing your health, none for eating healthier food, for becoming stress-free, for letting go of anything and everything that holds you down. There are no reminders, no warnings, and you only know you’ve messed up when it hits you hard.

Life will give no deadlines for self-care, so don’t procrastinate. We procrastinate about these things until we discover there is something going wrong inside us. We suffer breakdowns, mental burnouts, physical chaos too, your mind is scattered, and that’s when we tell ourselves, “I wish I took care of myself”. Above all responsibilities should come self-care, because we are always at the mercy of stress, sickness and burnouts. We’re in a perennial rat-race, and the exhaustion hits everyone alike. It seldom differentiates on the basis of your

“situation”, and you will never find the answer to “why is it so difficult for me?” The truth is, everybody in university goes through the same stresses you do. But sometimes, it’s seemingly more difficult for you than them but that is only because they cope better than you. So, I call you to introspect, why may it be so? Why is it that despite everyone having the same dreadful assignments, do some smile through it and even ace it perhaps? Why do you think some people just don’t seem to get stressed? The secret’s in their outlook towards these deadlines. For starters, having a dozen deadlines should never translate to skipping meals and missing out on sleep, because you assume it gives you more time and a better edge over others. It really just shuts down your body and mind. You cancheat your psyche all you want but you can never cheat fundamental biology. People who are well-rested and well-fed undoubtedly deal with things better: it’s neither a superpower nor a coincidence, it’s just habit. Follow in their steps. Make it a point to have a good meal, a good sleep and a positive outlook. What’s the worst that’ll happen? You won’t perform as well, or maybe flunk the test, but you’ll be all well and healthy enough to take on the challenge a second time, with better planning.

Imagine having stayed up for days in a row, being mentally spaced-out, and still not doing well? Reflect upon what it’ll do to your morale. How well would you withstand failure when all of your cells have already been hitting rock-bottom for the past month? The whole trick lies in perceptionunderstand that you are your biggest asset. Your health, your mind and soul, your productivity and life in general will only be as well as you are.

Positive outlook is key: understand that you are your biggest asset. All problems seem too big until you fall apart as a body and as a soul. My mother has always told me, and I understand its significance now: No problem can be more important than yourself. You must always hold yourselves in higher regard than your everyday struggles and pressures. Whether you’re going through a breakup, a toxic phase, assessments or any other pressures, do yourself a favour and use all of your energy to side-line them and love yourself first. Think of it as a form of positive bio-feedback. As

I think about it while writing this, this actually is something of a superpower. I realize that people survive worse things than assessments or breakups. I used to wonder how those “miracles” happen where you hear in the media about people waking up from years of being in a coma or surviving accidents when it was deemed impossible, or so on and so forth, and it’s all about the will to survive. They cling to their lives and bodies because they love themselves too much and don’t wish to let go yet. This same bio-feedback makes all the difference even in everyday stresses, because no matter how tough the task-at-hand is, you will always be equipped with your maximum potential to deal with it, even if it fails. I understand sometimes the situation calls for it, sometimes there is no other way- I’ve stayed up multiple nights myself when I wasn’t prepared enough, all while neglecting these “little things”, but that has never given me the results I’ve anticipated, so now I want to do away with this tendency. On a side note, use this for all deadlines in life. To avoid that situation of starving yourself or sleeping less to begin with, remember the 5P rule: Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. Treat your mind and your body right,

Main Room DJ Benny G

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great hall 3 h t i w o c s i d e n o h p d a e : h k e c a b o t Massiv k c a b g n i o g s t n Cardiff gia d Vs n i r G & p m u Juice Vs B O E D O R N e e W + YOLO ! m p 0 1 il t n u RY T N E E E R F h t wi m p 9 t a s r o Do

Why work part-time while you study? Many students need to find part-time and casual work to support themselves financially while at University. Balancing your studies and finances can be a challenge, but there are many benefits to earning while you learn.

Financial support • Earning extra cash can ease the financial pressures of studying • Enables you to live more comfortably and fund fun activities (& treat yourself!) • Money for course books and materials

Wellbeing • Working gets you out and about, it can be a great way to get to know and settle into a new city

• Meeting people and socialising can help to build on your social skills and make new friends • Help to manage any money worries

Employability • Gain valuable experience in the world of work which is favoured by employers • Build a variety of workplace skills such as time management, communication, team work, customer service and problem solving • Boost your CV and future career prospects

HOW CAN WE HELP?

To start receiving job alerts with details of all our vacancies, please head to cardiffstudents.com/jobshop for details of how to sign up. 2nd floor, Students’ Union

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Jobshop@cardiff.ac.uk

GWYDDONIAETH

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SCIENCE

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/science

Your science desk Danny Brown Holly Giles

Kip Thorne and the warped side of the Universe Nobel prize winner returns to Cardiff University to give talk

Interstellar: “The prize should have gone to the entire team including, as major contributors, the people here at Cardiff ” says Thorne. Source: Denis Denis (via Flickr)

Danny Brown Science Editor

ardiff University welcomed Kip Thorne to give a talk on his history with black holes and gravitational waves on Friday October 18. Kip Thorne jointly won the Nobel Prize for physics in 2017 with Barry Barish and Reiner Weiss for their work in the discovery of gravitational waves. Thorne also developed the concept for the Christopher Nolan film Interstellar. The talk titled “Kip Thorne: My Romance with the Warped Side of the Universe”, was introduced by Cardiff University professor Bernard Schutz, who won the Eddington Medal last year. Schutz was one of Thorne’s doctoral students and has

gone on to research gravitational waves and big data. Thorne opened the talk by addressing the Nobel Prize and saying that he “wasn’t surprised” that he was being awarded the Nobel Prize alongside Rainer Weiss and Barry Barish, but he was “very disappointed” as “the prize should have gone to the entire team including major contributors, the people here at Cardiff. This could not have happened successfully without the combined effort of a very large number of people.” He continued by briefly recounting the story of his introduction to the “warped side of the universe”, which included black holes, worm holes, gravitational waves, the big

bang and time travel. All of which were completely speculative and almost purely theoretical, calculated using Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. What followed were brilliantly presented and described, but still rather hand-wavey, explanations of each of these complex objects and phenomena, which was greatly appreciated from everyone attending. Which, for note, included people from all age ranges and educational backgrounds; there were teachers and students from local primary and secondary schools, university students and academics, and other members of the public. When on the subject of black holes, Thorne had incredibly helpful

animations and computer generated films to aid in his description. He also told his story of the development of Interstellar and how he was able to feed black hole equations to the Academy Award winning computer simulation company, Double Negative, based in London, and was able to have them visualised in an incredible fashion. Kip Thorne has retired from the world of research and has taken up a career in writing and collaborations between science and art, and I can easily recommend going to a future talk that he gives. He has an amazing talent for teaching and explaining the seemingly unexplainable to a huge variety of audiences without skimping on the details.

Samsung scanner not secure Samsung flagships can be unlocked by anyone Danny Brown Science Editor

he latest top of the line phones from Samsung will unlock with anyone’s fingerprint. The Samsung Galaxy S10 range of phones have been released since March 2019 and the following Galaxy Note 10 range were released several months later in August. These phones have some ground-breaking technology and bleeding edge features, some of which are yet to be seen in devices from competitors. One of these flagship features is the under-screen fingerprint scanner, which uses ultrasound technology in place of a scanner that uses light. There are several benefits of using the ultrasound version over the type that

uses light; it’s more power efficient, because none of the screen has to light up for it to work and less energy is wasted in unlocking the phone; it can be a lot faster, although, in its current generation, it has a long way to go to live up to the promises; and it should be a lot more secure. Samsung has had a big issue recently regarding the last point: any fingerprint is able to unlock the device if certain types of silicone screen protectors are applied to the screen. This problem has had several wider implications as well. RBS and other banks have pulled their banking app from S10 and Note10 devices, leaving around 200,000 users unable to access their accounts from their phones. Samsung has, at the time of writing, released security patches for users in South Korea and will roll out

Samsung: “We advise users who use such covers, to remove the cover, delete all previous fingerprints and reregister their fingerprints” Source: Wikimedia Commons the update to the rest of their cus- should delete all fingerprint data and tomers, but it is unclear when this use other forms of security for their will be. It is recommended that users devices in the meantime.

GWYDDONIAETH 23

Anti-solar panels pass first test

New devices to generate electricity in the dark using temperature difference between Earth and Space Holly Giles Science Editor

n recent years, solar panels have become a household name that most are aware of and many even have experience using. An Anti-solar panel, however, does not have the same mass publicity. This is a solar panel that harvests energy from the cold night sky, meaning it works at directly contrasting times to the lightdependent solar panel. The principle manipulated by the scientists behind the device is the temperature difference between Earth and outer space which can be converted into usable energy through a process called radioactive cooling. The system

It provides a way to generate electricity at a time

that solar panels can’t”

Aaswath Rama Material Scientist University of California

is made from an aluminum disk which is a radiation emitter and several degrees cooler than the ambient air. The disk is painted black to absorb the Earth’s heat and is hooked up to thermoelectricity generators. When heat flows from Earth and into the air it passes through the generators and into the disk which then radiates heat upwards. This radiation can be converted to electricity. A massive advantage of this project is that is made with $30 worth of materials, all of which can be found in local stores. This is in stark contrast with solar panels which can cost hundreds to make. The low cost of the device means researchers hope this could help the 1.3 billion people that currently lack reliable access to electricity. And it’s not just a far-fetched idea; the new device has already passed its first test using a 20-centimeter prototype of the device in Stanford, Calif. The generator produced 25 milliwatts of power per square meter; equivalent to the energy needed to light a small LED bulb. Despite the small amount of power produced, researchers think they can improve on this figure with larger disks and more insulation. They see this result merely as a proof of concept that

Holly Giles Science Editor

A Anti-solar panel: Night sky could offer more than just amazing views with this new device. Source: Coconino National Forest (via Flickr) the device is possible and one day (or night) could light a home continuously. Obviously this device is never going to replace solar panels but it still fills a definite need. “This may be useful in polar regions that don’t see sunlight for months at a time” explained Aaswath Rama, a material scientist at the University of California. “If you have some low-power load and you need to power it through three months of darkness, this might be a way. It provides a way to

im Peake has become an international icon after his time on the International Space Station and for many children he has become a hero. 450 students from Wales got to meet their hero last week, attending a UK Space Conference where Peake spoke about his space mission and six-month stay on the International Space Station. The students also heard from Dr Jim Green, NASA Chief Scientist, about NASA’s plans to return to the Moon and future plans to explore Mars. This conference was part of the Trio Sci Cymru programme, an initiative led by the Welsh Government’s National Science Academy in partnership with Cardiff, Swansea, Bangor and Aberystwyth universities, to encourage secondary school students to consider careers in STEM. This comes after the Welsh Government skills minister, Eluned Morgan, stated: “We have a real issue here in Wales as we are struggling to encourage both boys and girls to take up the incredible opportunities that are available to people with skills in these subjects”. This is a widespread issue but particularly prevalent in girls where Wales shows only 12% of girls go on

to study STEM subjects at university. Morgan explained the importance of this statistic not only for girls but also for society: “The lack of women in Stem professions matters for their individual life chances. They risk missing out on many well-paid jobs and rewarding jobs. More broadly, it limits the talent available to our science base and to businesses in Wales and is therefore a constraint on our wider economic prosperity and social well being.” To combat this, Trio Sci Cymru is providing 3,200 pupils from 18 secondary schools across Wales with an enriched science education, with the hope of inspiring scientists of the future. The man behind the initiative, Cardiff University’s Dr Paul Roche, explains this further: “We need to ensure that Wales is educating the next generation of scientists and engineers, and the Trio Sci Cymru programme will help enthuse many more school students to carry on with science subjects right through to university level”. The program sees students visit conferences with famous speakers, like Tim Peake, visits to local Welsh universities and support with their current studies. If this initiative proves successful, the 12% statistic should be merely a distant memory that Wales is moving “up, up and away” from.

generate electricity at a time that solar panels can’t.” Jeffrey Grossman, a materials scientist at a university not involved in the project, describes the work as “quite exciting” and said: “They have suggested reasonable paths for increasing the performance of their device. However, there is definitely a long way to go if they want to use it as an alternative to adding battery storage for solar cells”. Work on the project continues.

Google’s Pixel 4 security is a bit too see-through

Tim Peake talks to students as part of Trio Sci Cymru

Holly Giles Science Editor

Star goes stargazing with Tim Peake

Anurag Hegde Contributor

he all new Google Pixel 4 has been on the hype train even much before its release on October 15th due to extensive leaks. Some might even argue that it’s been the most leaked smartphone. However, now just a week after its release it’s back on the news. But this time, it’s for all the wrong reasons. The Pixel 4 brought in many exciting features that were much anticipated by enthusiasts including a buttery smooth 90hz OLED display and an enhanced camera software which made it capable of astrophotography. However, to the disappointment of many, Google did make some questionable decisions about the Pixel 4. Google, unlike many of its competitors opted to include a secondary 2x telephoto camera instead of an ultrawide. It also completely ditched the dreaded ‘notch’ design and instead went for a thick ‘forehead’ to include a range of sensors, including a radar sensor which Google have since extensively marketed as ‘Motion Sense’. They have also done away with the fingerprint sensor and instead included an infrared sensor to enable ‘biometric safe’ face unlock. However this has come under much scrutiny, as users reported that the phone could be unlocked even with their eyes closed. Google themselves confirmed

the speculation and said that they are working on a software update which could potentially fix the problem. This comes as a serious security flaw as this can provide unauthorized access to the phone simply by pointing the device at the owner’s face, for example when they’re asleep. To add insult to injury, Google responded by saying that users must keep their phones in a ‘safe location’ or can switch on the ‘lockdown mode’ – which simply deactivates facial recognition. With the Pixel 4’s tech being the only other face unlock that meets the security requirements as a strong biometric apart from Apple’s Face Id, it’s disappointing to see such a serious flaw that could potentially act as a deterrent for customers wanting to use face unlock.

We’ve been working on an option for users to require their eyes to be open to unlock their phone which will be delivered in a software update in the coming months Google Representative

lesser known village in Pembrokeshire, Star, was visited by the international hero Tim Peake this week. Many residents thought it was a hoax that with their village population of 21 such a celebrity would come to visit but it was true; Time Peake arrived in the village to show pictures of his time in space and to encourage the community to look up and wonder. Star’s location is one of the best dark sky spots in the UK and with the whole village turning off their lights for such an event, the residents were well rewarded. Catrin Davis, a local teacher who brought her class, explained: “It’s pretty amazing, this is a small community. We’re not used to having real life space heroes visiting. We have amazing night skies here but I don’t think we do look up and appreciate it enough. This makes you think.” This was the whole reasonbehind Peake’s visit, who is passionate about encouraging people to stop and appreciate the views around them. A photo that particularly connected with the community was Peake’s photograph of Pembrokeshire, showing its relative darkness in comparison with the brightly lit England. Peake explained his reaction to the event: “Anything that gets people outside connected with nature and looking up at the stars has to be good,” he said. “We lead such busy lives sometimes we forget to do that. Looking up at the stars has always filled me with a sense of awe and wonder. As a boy, I looked up and began to think of those big questions: where are we? What is our place in the universe? What’s it all about? Those questions don’t go away as you get older, the curiosity builds and builds. You don’t have to be an astronaut to go into space. All you have to do is to look up at the stars.”

As a boy, I looked up and began to think of those big questions: where are we? What is our place in the universe? What’s it all about? Tim Peake, NASA Astronaut

@CAERDYDD

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

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/@caerdydd

Caerdydd & Me

Stories from the citizens who make Cardiff amazing Tirion Davies @Caerdydd Editor

ur capital is special, betwee the events which take place over the calendar year, to the rich history which flows through each street to, most importantly, the people. The people make this city. With much diversity city-wide, many migrate to Cardiff, and it’s not hard to see why. But Cardiff is truly remarkable, for the people we embrace are phenomenal. People from all walks of life choose to call Cardiff home and they help to make our city incredibly vibrant. Everyone has a story – in Cardiff we embrace that. We encourage it. With Caerdydd and Me, it’s time for stories to take centre stage.

Ellis Jones

"I’m 21 years old and I’m from Rhondda, in the South Wales Valleys, currently in my second year at Cardiff University, studying Welsh. "There manages to be a society for everyone and anyone at Cardiff University. A society which I’ve joined is the GymGym (Gymdeithas Gymraeg), which is a Welsh language society for all speakers of the language – from learners to fluent speakers. The GymGym have been so welcoming and friendly and have given me the chance to meet new friends and other students studying different courses to mine. "I’ll be honest, the main reason for choosing Cardiff University is the city Cardiff itself. Being from the Rhondda Valleys originally, I’m familiar with Cardiff and have visited several times over the years. Living in Cardiff now means I’m only an hour away from home so I don’t get too homesick (and my Mam can do my washing!). It also means I can experience more of what Cardiff has to offer on a day-to-day basis. "Cardiff is inclusive to everyone, including the LGBTQIA+ community. There are many gay bars scattered around the city such as Pulse, Wow and Mary’s. Cardiff also celebrates Pride each year and celebrates (the right way!) by decorating in all the colours of the pride flag. "Being from the Valleys, there isn’t a huge gay scene compared to Cardiff, so coming to Cardiff has been an amazing experience and so welcoming to me. "The university has also been incredible in its inclusivity of myself

Events - Halloween 2019 Clwb Ifor Bach

The Upside Down - Stranger Things Halloween Party: Thursday October 24, 11:00pm

Popworld

Your @Caerdydd desk Tirion Davies Natalie Graham

Hocus Pocus Halloween Party Friday October 25

Cardiff Castle in Autumn: The people of Cardiff are the ones who make the city what it is. Source: WelshDave (via Wikimedia Commons) and other members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Cardiff University has been awarded the Champion of Diversity by Stonewall Cymru and is currently placed 11th out of 100 employers in the Stonewall Equality Index 2019 – with the university also being a top trans employer. There are societies and associations in the university which support the LGBTQIA+ community such as CCU Pride and the LGBT+ Association which work with the Students' Union to improve the university experience for LGBT+ students." Ellis discussed his passion for makeup on S4C’s YouTube channel ‘Hansh’ in March of this year, in a video under the title ‘Stori Fi’ (My Story). He discussed how makeup gave him confidence in a way he hadn’t experienced before. Ellis embraces that when wearing makeup, he can be anyone and feels it’s important that makeup isn’t specific to a gender. Coming from Rhondda, Ellis thought he’d receive backlash for wearing makeup around his hometown, but what he found was that people who knew his father (the coach of the local rugby team) were looking out for him and were supportive of his expression. He finds makeup therapeutic and calls it an artform. Ellis is a massive supporter of self-expression in any form, emphasizing the importance of being yourself no matter what anyone else thinks.

Hannah Powell

'I ended up in Cardiff as I was initially attracted to my degree course (Human Geography), with the further benefit of being close to home. Swansea born and

bred, the thought of moving hundreds of miles away from the beach was too big of an ask. Coming from a smaller city, Cardiff seemed, and continues to be exciting in comparison, with lots to do in winter months regardless of the guaranteed bad weather. I can’t emphasise enough the fact that Cardiff caters for all people, for example evening entertainment doesn’t necessarily involve the club scene, but one can find sophisticated bars, alternative quirky places and lots of events such as comedy nights. It’s also a great place for alternative and independent businesses such as coffee shops, cafes and zero waste shops! I adore the parks, particularly Bute, it’s such a big, peaceful green space for a very central spot in the city, In the spring you’ll see the blossom blooming, the summer I’ll spend countless afternoons lounging around on the grass. The start of the new academic year promises autumnal walks, its simply beautiful being surrounded by the red and brown colour palette of the trees. I’ve even been for a snowy walk in the winter! It’s just a great place to escape uni work and feeling like you’re in a big city. I really enjoy running, so the Taff trail provides a perfect location to do so, it goes on for miles and miles. Cardiff has a multitude of independent coffee shops and cafes that are very accommodating to uni students doing work (I once stayed in one for 8 hours…oops!), namely LittleMan, Luftkins, Uncommon Ground and 200 Degrees'. Hannah discussed the opportunities she has thrown herself into whilst being in Cardiff. 'I’ve thought to take advantage of the opportunities a big city

Tiger Tiger

Throwback Halloween: Strictly 00s Thursday October 31

Tiny Rebel Cardiff Bears, Booze and Boos Thursday October 31

Revolution

Night of the Living Dead October 31, 10:00pm

Hannah Powell: Autumn in Bute Park. Source: Natalie Graham Pro Tip: the app Wriggle gives you diferent deals each day on independent cafes/restaurants and bars so that you can cash in on all the great places Cardiff has to offer for half the price.

The Moon

DEPOT Cardiff

Binglo Lingo Halloween Special Wednesday October 30

and university can offer me. I took part last year in a Women’s Global Health course which invited speakers from all over the country to educate us on issues to Women’s Health across the planet. I’m part of a University Sports team, Korfball, which is great for meeting new people and playing a new sport without the pressure of having to be amazing at it. I’m also now taking Welsh lessons provided by the university for free to improve my skills in the language. I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to enjoy non-drinking evening activities, such as attending a comedy night in LittleMan coffee co, crazy golf, laser tag, bowling and of course Cineworld which amazingly lets students in for £2.90! And lastly, I’ve also taken advantage of the nightlife Cardiff so proudly boasts…maybe a bit too much (which is why I’m not retired from it)'. Don’t huddle up indoors whilst there’s a whole city and university full of opportunities and fun on your doorstep! Take advantage of the free societies and things that the Student Union has to offer (keep tab of the things they advertise on their website!). It’s also handy to follow cafes/institutions on your social media so you can see of upcoming events they’re putting on. And when uni/work starts getting serious, make it feel less so by taking your work to coffee shops instead of the library, taking breaks in our beautiful Bute Park!

Walkabout

TNT Presents IT's Fright Night Thursday October 31, 10:00pm FFR

Pryzm

Halloween House of Horrors Thursday October 31, 9:00pm

Soda:

Fright Fest - Cardiff Halloween 2019 Thursday October 31, 10:00pm FFR

One More Time 90s-00s Halloween Party Fancy Dress Thursday October 31, 10:30pm FREE EVENT

Story

Octave Halloween Rave w/ DANNY HOWARD Thursday October 31, 10:00pm

Cardiff Castle

Halloween Undeground Cinema Various films between Wednesday October 30 and Friday November 1

Atilla

November / Tachwedd Bedlam presents: MEGA RAVE 01/11/19, £24.45 ADV

Feeder 07/11/19, £25 ADV

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December/ Rhagfyr

The Amazons

Devin Townsend

Reel Big Fish

16/11/19, £17.50 ADV

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March/ Mawrth Gabrielle Aplin 13/03/20, £20 ADV

January/ Ionawr

Stiff Little Fingers

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Fish

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30/01/20, £30 ADV

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All tickets subject to booking fee. Codir ffi archebu ar bob tocyn. | cardiffboxoffice.com | cardiffstudents.com/boxoffice

Zoinks! Another week closer to reading week... KEEP GOING! It’s been a slog this term already, what with all those evil mumps mumping around this Hallowe’en! So take a break! Escape the hoard of zombies in lectures today with a selection of our spookiest puzzles! Place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, column and 3x3 box contains the same number only once.

easy / hawdd

Fill in the blanks with consecutive numbers. Circles mark the start and end of the path. The path must be continuous.

Hidat-oh!

Spook-doku

FIVE MINUTE FUN

Word Squeal

Kakuroo-ooo-oo

Using the central letter, find as many 4+ letter words as you can. Each letter can be used only once. Can you find the 9-letter conundrum? Clue: Disgruntled

Monster Maths 15

÷3

DOUBLE IT

3/11

+21

HALF IT

4/5

+12

4/3

DOUBLE IT

÷8

-3

÷4

2/3

-5

+42

-9

SQUARE ROOT

-17

TREBLE IT

-7

CUBE ROOT

+62

HALF IT

Here are a few quick brainteasers to give your maths mind a little run out. Can you solve them?

Fill in the grid using the numbers 1-9, each number can only be used once per sum.

Make sure you check last week’s answers at www.gairrhydd.com

The numbers in grey are the total that the sum of the numbers in the white cells in the adjacent row or column add up to.

Creepy Crossword Across 1. Cardiff Uni’s student-run magazine (6) 5. VP ____, responsible for health (7) 7. ‘Room’ in Welsh (8) 8. ____ Riordan, Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University (5) 9. Often cited as Cardiff’s prettiest area (4,4) 10. We all know it’s worse than Senghetto (8) 14. Legendary king with strong ties to Wales (6) 15. Welsh Society (3,3) 17. “Thank you” (6) 18. Cathays’ best friend (3)

Your puzzle master Michael Ash

Down 1. Location of Physics, Com Sci, and Engineering (6,9) 2. ____ for Student Life, new building for all your student health needs (6) 3. First stop en route to London Paddington (7) 4. ___ Fish Bar, colloquial name for beloved chippy (3) 6. Gareth ____, Welsh international footballer (4) 10. The real name of Wednesday night (3,4) 11. Train company replaced by TRANSPORT FOR WALES (6) 12. Mythical creature associated with Cymru (6) 13. School of journalism’s acronym (5) 16. University building in which you would find a chemist (4) WELSH WORD OF THE WEEK

YSBRYDION

GHOSTS

WEAR YOUR COLOURS WITH PRIDE

MEDICS VARSITY 2019

TICKETS ON SALE NOW FROM

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SPORT

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SPORT

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CHWARAEON

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

For more content, head to gairrhydd.com/sport

Wales Women face important Euro qualifier Jayne Ludlow’s side are aiming to reach their first ever major tournament

Olly Allen Sport Editor

ales Women will be aiming to continue their unbeaten start to qualifying for the 2021 European Championships when they face Northern Ireland next month. The two sides have already met in Group C, with Ashley Hutton’s injury time header for Northern Ireland seeing the game end 2-2 at Newport’s Rodney Parade in September. Angharad James and Kayleigh Green had earlier given Wales the lead following Simone Magill’s opener. Jayne Ludlow’s side have won their other two matches so far, first beating the Faroe Islands 6-0 away from home, before leaving it late to claim a 1-0 win in Belarus. That victory was made even more satisfying by the fact that it came thanks to Rachel Rowe’s first goal at international level, with the midfielder back in the squad after a year out through injury. 12 teams will automatically qualify for the Euros which are set to be held in England in two years’ time. This will include the nine group winners and three best runners-up, of which Wales are currently one. The remain-

ing six runners-up will go through the play-offs. It makes November’s fixture against Northern Ireland a crucial one. With most-capped player Jess Fishlock already out until the new year with a torn ACL, Ludlow has been dealt another blow ahead of the game with the news that Natasha Harding will be ruled out after picking up an injury playing for Reading. Harding is one of the most experienced players in the squad. The 30-year-old has 80 caps for Wales and captained the side against Belarus earlier this month. She is also the team’s top scorer in qualifying so far following her hat-trick against the Faroe Islands. However, regular captain Sophie Ingle is able to be recalled following a hip injury. There are also three uncapped players in the squad – Tranmere Rovers striker Georgia Walters and teenage pair Chloe Williams of Manchester United and Cardiff City’s Maria Francis-Jones, who is only 16-years-old. After the game in Belfast, Wales have three successive home fixtures next year against the Faroe Islands, Norway and Belarus. They then end their campaign with the away game in Norway, who are currently top of the group and reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in the summer.

Together Stronger: Jayne Ludlow has managed the national team since 2014. Source: Lewis Mitchell Wales, who are currently ranked 33rd in the world, are aiming to qualify for their first-ever major tournament, having just missed out on the World Cup. Placed in the same qualifying group as England, they led the way until their final fixture against the Lionesses, which they lost 3-0 before failing to make the cut for the play-offs as one of the best runners-up.

Speaking before qualifying for Euro 2021 began, Jayne Ludlow said: “We have to step on the pitch and perform at our best for every 90 minutes that comes our way. And if we do? Then who knows? Nobody gives you a bye into those competitions. You have to do well in qualifying and you have to perform in every game. The reality is in the past we haven’t done that.”

Gerwyn Price edged out by MVG The Iceman fell just short against world number one Michael van Gerwin in the Champions League of Darts semi-final

George Willoughby Deputy Head of Sport

elshman Gerwyn Price was beaten in a thrilling Champions League of Darts semi-final against world number one Michael van Gerwin on October 20. Price, nicknamed ‘The Iceman’, finished the night with a brilliant 102.49 average, but was not able to come away victorious as ‘Mighty Mike’ proved too much. Van Gerwin showed his class with a 105.54 average to win 11-10 and advance into the final, where he defeated Peter Wright 11-10 to win the tournament. As previous matchups show, Price has notoriously struggled against Michael van Gerwin. Last week’s defeat marked the 18th straight game which has resulted in the Welshman failing to win (17 defeats and one draw). On route to his knockout game with Michael van Gerwin, Price finished second in his group after recording two wins and loss. The Iceman was victorious against Daryl Gurney and

Rob Cross, but he was beaten by Peter Wright who would have been his opponent in the final. Wright had to play at his very best to surpass Price who again averaged over 100. This consistency is something that has become more apparent in Price’s game. From his three group-stage matches, Price averaged a stellar 100.25 which was the second-highest behind tournament winner MVG. The match started at a very fast pace with MVG settling into an early rhythm after only throwing 10 darts to claim the match’s opening leg. Price was his exuberant self, celebrating every checkout and leg win which has angered several darts players in the past. However, someone of Michael van

Price showed that he was more than able to match the scoring of MVG Gerwin’s calibre is too experienced and talented to be influenced by the 34-year-old’s antics at the oche. He subsequently raced into a 3-1

leg lead but Price stayed focused. The Iceman responded expertly, checking out 76 and 40 to fight his way back to a 4-3 deficit. Terrific scoring ensued by both players and the match swung into the Iceman’s favour. Price broke the throw of MVG with a timely 12-dart leg, which he then followed up with a 13-dart leg to claim his first lead of the match at 6-5. The Iceman continued to match the scoring power of the world number one, and subsequently held onto his slender one-leg lead. What was noticeable as the match progressed was Price’s less animated approach. He moved away from his passionate celebrations to more concentrated outbursts, conveying the relentless focus any player needs if they are to cause an upset over Michael van Gerwin. Gerwyn Price was able to engineer himself into a 10-9 lead and one leg away from reaching the Champions League of Darts final. However, all of his fantastic work to get himself into a winning position was undone after he lost his rhythm in the ensuing two legs.

The trebles dried up for Price, and he was ultimately punished. Yet, the 34-year-old still had the darts in the final leg. Having the throw, however, was an

There is no reason why he cannot be challenging for titles regularly opportunity the Iceman failed to capitalise on. Back-to-back disappointing visits left him needing 190 and his opponent a mere 46. Michael van Gerwin made no mistake needing just the two darts to checkout and advance into the final. Without a doubt, Gerwyn Price will be frustrated having put together an almost faultless performance against the world number one. It shows the progress he has made since joining the PDC in 2014. Price has been improving year-onyear, and if he can consistently perform as he did against MVG, there is no reason why he cannot be challenging for titles regularly.

ToTo contact contact our our sport sport desk, desk, drop drop usus anan email email atat sport@gairrhydd.com sport@gairrhydd.c

CHWARAEON

What does the South Wales derby mean to Cardiff City fans? L

Luke Wakeling Sport Editor CCFC Column

Cardiff City fans give their thoughts on what the South Wales derby means to them after years of following the Bluebirds Jack Hannigan Contributor

’ve been a season ticket holder for close to ten years now, since being indoctrinated into becoming a lifelong Cardiff supporter. The rivalry between Cardiff and Swansea is instilled in you from day one. Whether it’s a Swansea player being booed every time he touches the ball or the chant of ‘we’re coming for you’, it really sets the rivalry in motion. The South Wales derby isn’t just a normal rivalry: it’s the competition of being the biggest and best club in Wales. Success in the derby isn’t just getting one over on your arch-rivals, its stating to the English clubs which Welsh team is the best. A lot has changed since the last time we played Swansea five years ago, when we were both Premier League clubs. Since then, we have been relegated, promoted and relegated again, with our last promotion coinciding with Swansea’s last relegation. Ole Gunnar Solskjær was Cardiff’s manager last time our two clubs met, in what proved to be an embarrassing 3-0 defeat for the Bluebirds. Revenge is long overdue. The atmosphere when you attend the game is truly electrifying. If you’ve never been to a derby game, then you simply can’t understand. When you’re in the stands waiting for kick off, 30,000 fans are singing as

the players walk onto the pitch. An irrational feeling of hatred towards the opposition players sets in. You’ve never hated a set of 11 players on the pitch more and there isn’t a justifiable reason apart from that they play for Swansea, but for the next 90 minutes that’s enough. Every late tackle, mistake or decision made against them; you will revel in as if every moment is the greatest thing to ever happen.

Reece Chambers Head of Sport

hen you think of footballing rivalries, your mind probably turns to Barcelona vs Real Madrid or Liverpool vs Manchester United. But, for Welsh football, Cardiff City vs Swansea City is the absolute pinnacle. With the Blue side of Wales finally being able to revel in all the ups and downs of the South Wales derby again, Ben James from Cardiff City fan website, View from the Ninian, has mixed emotions about having the derby back. “It’s the fixture you look out for when the fixture list is released and then the closer you get, the more you dread it.” For James, the South Wales derby is one of the most important fixtures of the year to come out of unbeaten. “Winning the game is big, not losing is probably even bigger. No team has ever done a league double over their

A rare occasion: The last South Wales derby was back in 2001 Source: Flickr rival which raises the stakes ever so slightly higher as neither side wants to be the one who gives that away.” As with any local derby, borders often cross with fans. Whether that be friends, family, or work colleagues, the overlap makes it important and fascinating prospect. Given the local nature of the derby between Cardiff and Swansea, in addition to the fact that they are one of only three Welsh teams in the English Football League, there is an extra spice added to it. For James, the derby has extra importance given his connections on the other side of the derby, but insists it remains in good spirit. “I’ve worked with people who sup-

ported Swansea, I’ve got a few friends who do and, generally, it’s relatively good natured,” said James. “I think being supporters of Welsh clubs in the English pyramid, we both have a similar outlook when it comes to other teams and how we are perceived in the league. But then when it comes to the game itself, all bets are off. It’s a really fraught occasion and pleasantries go out the window.” With two derbies this season, James will be hoping to add to his fond memories back in 2010 and 2011 when Michael Chopra and Craig Bellamy scored important winners. James and his fellow Bluebirds fans will be hoping for more fond memo-

Andy Murray continues return from injury in style

Tom Walker Digital Sport Editor

ndy Murray marked his return to tennis following surgery earlier on in the year by beating Stan Wawrinka for the European Open title. It was an impressive display from the Scotsman, coming back from a set and a break down to win in Antwerp. Postmatch, a very emotional Murray described the victory as one of the biggest in his career. The victory saw him rise 116 places in the rankings to 127. Although it may still be a large margin from where his ability dictates he should be, the constant injury problems over the last few years means it is still a remarkable achievement. The last nine months prior to this point had been a rough one for Murray. During the Australian Open at the start of the year, he announced the tournament could be his final one after consistent hip problems. However, following a successful hip resurfacing operation in January, and

17 matches later, the three-time Grand Slam Champion was back to winning titles almost two years after his last one. His return to competitive tennis began in June, where both he and partner Feliciano Lopez won the Queen’s doubles title in front of a home crowd. Following this triumph, Murray played his first singles match of the year against Richard Gasquet in the Cincinnati Open. Following that was the China Open in October, where Murray reached the Quarter Finals, only to be stopped by Austrian Dominic Thiem – who currently ranks fifth in the ATP rankings. Most significantly, the European Open was where tennis fans started to see Murray really get back into his stride, only dropping two sets on the road to the final where he would meet the fourth seed Stan Wawrinka. Despite losing the first set 6-3, Murray had played some impressive tennis. However, things looked bleak for him at the start of the second set, as his Swiss opponent hit four winners to win Murray’s serve for a set and a break lead.

Braveheart: Murray continues his courageous return to tennis Source: Wikimedia Commons But the Scotsman found a second wind to recover from a challenging start to save two break points and win three consecutive games before going on to take the set. The third and final set was a tight encounter, but after retaining his own serve to make it 5-4, Murray took Wawrinka’s service game to deuce then match point, before a

Wawrinka forehand flew past Murray meaning the Scot secured his first singles title since surgery. It was only nine months ago that Murray’s career looked on the brink of ending. Nevertheless, the determination and hard work that has often defined his playing style has brought him back from the brink.

ast Friday marked the first Cardiff City game I attended, in their eagerly anticipated match against Sheffield Wednesday. After a horrendous journey which nearly resulted in another first – a trip to Barry Island, I arrived at the Cardiff City Stadium in typical Welsh weather ready to report on Neil Warnock’s side. If this was an English GCSE piece, I could not use pathetic fallacy to describe the atmosphere here. In contrast to the miserable weather the City fans seemed optimistic about the game, aware that City were unbeaten at home this season. It took me a few takes to record the first clip of the matchday vlog (check it out on Gair Rhydd Sport’s Instagram) due to rowdy but cheerful crowds, who confirmed my suspicions that I’d make a terrible YouTuber. Wednesday would pose a serious threat to this positivity however; they were three points ahead of City in the league in eighth. I found the way to the media room which took longer than I’d like to admit and made it just in time to enjoy a complimentary steak and ale pie. I must have eaten it in record time– I was already running late due to my inability to get on the right train and was in danger of missing the kick-off. Rushing to my seat in the press box, which was amongst other much more professional (and on-time) journalists, I loaded up Twitter and got ready to report on my first City game. I was hoping for a good performance and an exciting match. I got one of the two in the first half – a good performance, albeit from Wednesday. As usually happens with former players returning to their old clubs, Kadeem Harris terrorised the left wing for the visitors and caused City a lot of problems. It was the winger who created the only goal of the half, curling a shot that was poked in by Barry Bannan. Harris then rattled the crossbar later on with a brilliant free kick. The Bluebirds were disappointing. Apart from a couple of half chances, they offered very little. The second half started much the same, with Wednesday dominating possession and threatening the City defence. But the Bluebirds started to gain momentum with 30 minutes left on the clock, with Westwood forcing a few saves from Dawson. There was still no equaliser though, and time was running out. On comes Lee Tomlin, a substitute in the 76th minute, to change City’s fortunes. The midfielder curls an excellent free kick into the bottom corner of the Wednesday net, hit with more finesse than power. City left it to the 86th minute to find this equaliser; it is a sign of a resilient side to grind out a draw against a superior opposition on the day and Warnock would be very pleased that their unbeaten home run continues. What are my highlights about the experience? The steak and ale pie must be up there – free food always tastes good as a student. On a more serious note it was very interesting witnessing how professional journalists reported on the match. It makes you appreciate live match reports from the likes of the BBC a lot more, as it requires great awareness and attention to constantly provide updates. I’ll look forward to my next one where City will face Barnsley in December – I’ll make sure I get on the right train for that.

30 SPORT

Welsh Fire: A closer look at Gary Kirsten’s side

Getting to know...

George Richards Tae Kwon-do

or this week’s “Getting to Know” segment, Sports Editor Ella Fenwick talked to George Richards from Cardiff University’s Tae Kwon-do Club. Along with many other athletes at Cardiff, Richards attended a Give it a Go session, after seeing the club advertised at the Fresher’s Fair. Richards has over 15 years of experience in the martial art, discussing his first memory of it being, “when I was a white belt at my Tae kwon-do club back home at the age of six. I was fairly clueless about what I had to do yet still enjoyed every session I went to and have been doing it since.” Richards’s enthusiasm towards Tae kwon-do has led him to the position of President of the university club. Working as a team with his committee, Richards wants to ensure that they “create a friendly environment for training whilst getting the best out of everyone.” Moreover, Richards was quick to praise the work of his committee: “The committee definitely helps to better the performance of all of the club members whatever level they may be at.” Alongside being President, Richards has competed on the team. However, his favourite memory of the club was not a success of his own but of one of his team members. “The moment I have enjoyed the most is at the end of a close Varsity fixture when we finally won and lifted the trophy as a team. Although I may not have competed myself due to injury, the feeling of having such a close team to celebrate months of hard work paying off with was the best experience for me to date,” recalled Richards. As demonstrated, Richards believes team performance is important but balancing it with the social side is also significant, as he says “With good friendship comes good teamwork which will, in turn, improve your team performance.” The Tae kwon-do team competes in both BUCS and Varsity, however Richards prefers the latter: “Win or lose, being able to go and celebrate the hard work, not only with your own team but with all of the Cardiff teams, is something that everyone should get to experience at some point.” Despite being President and competing on the team, Richards has had to learn to balance university work with training sessions during the week. “I think that it is highly beneficial to find a sport that you enjoy as it massively helps with keeping stress levels down and makes you happier in general which, in turn, improves your performance at an academic level. Overall, sports and degrees work hand in hand with each other.” Richards recommends picking up a sport at university because it “allows you to make great friends whilst keeping fit. Your time doing sports will create so many great memories that you will cherish throughout and after university.” When asked what advice Richards would give to his fresher self he replied, “It would be to get involved more with sports and societies early on and even if you don’t feel particularly up for attending meetings or training on a night or two, get yourself there so that you can make the most out of your time at university and what it has to offer.”

George Willoughby analyses the Welsh Fire’team for the Hundred George Willoughby Deputy Head of Sport

he Hundred, a much-discussed topic within cricket at both local and elite level, is set to commence in July 2020. The drafting process took place on October 20, with the coaches and team representatives selecting their players very much reminiscent of how the NFL sides select their draft picks. Each player had a certain value, and all the eight teams tried to find the balance between their previously chosen icons, domestic players, and cricketers from overseas. Welsh Fire, who had already selected Johnny Bairstow, Colin Ingram and Tom Banton, came away as one of the major winners from Sunday’s draft. They were able to add Mitchell Starc and one of cricket’s best batsmen in Steve Smith. Some noticeable domestic additions included Nottinghamshire’s Ben Duckett, Liam Plunkett of Surrey and the T20 Blast’s leading wicket-taker Ravi Rampaul. The batting in this Welsh Fire side is strong, with a nice mix of aggressive hitters alongside some more measured batsman at the crease. The likes of Duckett, Banton and Ingram can really accelerate the scoring, while Bairstow and Smith can anchor the innings if the aforementioned names fall early. Despite being only 100 balls, this

is still a sufficient amount of deliveries to construct a substantial innings. Attacking from ball one may be a risky approach given that a certain bowler can bowl 10 balls in a single over. This provides an extra four deliveries, which for bowlers is great if they are in the midst of a successful spell. This is where the likes of Smith and Bairstow can rotate the strike and take the sting out of opposition bowling attacks. From a bowling perspective, Welsh Fire have a nice balance. The current seventh-best ODI bowler in the world ,Mitchell Starc, will most likely take the opening overs, as well as the responsibility of bowling at the death. Starc, who was formerly the number one ranked bowler, had a difficult World Cup in the UK but will be looking to once again show why he is regarded as one of the most dangerous pace-bowlers in cricket.

The Welsh Fire have done well to find balance with the bat and ball. Joining Starc is Yorkshire’s Liam Plunkett who has been excellent for England through the middle overs of their T20 and ODI internationals. He can provide control with some good variation and is a proven wick-

The Captain: Johnny Bairstow will be captaining the Welsh Fire. Source: Wikimedia Commons. et-taker both domestically and internationally. Welsh Fire also selected Danny Briggs who is currently playing for Sussex. Briggs bowls left-arm orthodox spin and has plenty of experience playing county cricket. Himself and young spinner, Qais Ahmad, make up the spin attack for Welsh Fire. In addition, Simon Harmer and Ryan ten Doeschate can contribute with bat and ball occupying the all-

rounder positions. Overall, this Welsh Fire side looks excellent. The selectors have done a brilliant job putting together a team that is extremely well-balanced. Expectations will be very high given the talent, but one of the reasons why the players selected are as good as they are, is because of their ability to play under pressure. The Hundred’s first round of fixtures begins July 2020.

Wales shows racism the red card Sport Editor, Olly Allen, looks at how Wales is tackling racism in football

Olly Allen Sport Editor

t feels almost unbelievable to say, but racism is still rife in 2019. Football, in particular, has been in the spotlight in recent weeks following the abuse suffered by England’s players during their 6-0 win over Bulgaria, when the game was temporarily halted as part of UEFA’s three-step protocol. The following weekend, an FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie between Haringey Borough and Yeovil Town was abandoned when Haringey manager took his team off the pitch after racial abuse directed towards a number of his players. There were also reports of racial abuse at fixtures in the Premier League, Championship, Scottish Premiership and Serie A in the same weekend. This, unfortunately, is a problem that is not going away. According to Home Office statistics, in the 2018/19 season, there were 152 reported incidences of racial hate crime, a 61.7% increase from the previous season. There is, however, an exemplary record in South Wales.

For the 12th season in a row, there were no arrests for racist and indecent chanting at Cardiff City games, while Newport County have a clean record since their promotion to the Football League in 2013. There have also been clear improvement at Swansea City, with zero arrests for racist and indecent chanting in 2018/19 after a total of five being made in the previous two years combined. October has been the ‘Month of Action’ in Wales for the UK’s largest antiracism educational charity, Show Racism the Red Card. Clubs across the nation have shown their support for the initiative and increased awareness of an issue that sadly remains prevalent in society. This included the ‘Action Match’ weekend of the 18-20 October, beginning with Cardiff City against Sheffield Wednesday live on Sky Sports on Friday night, and covering all six Cymru Premier fixtures as well as grassroots teams up and down the country. According to the Show Racism the Red Card website, action weeks aim to: “Unite supporters, clubs, ethnic minorities and communities affected by discrimination, increase public aware-

ness and tackle discrimination in football. “The Action Weeks challenge discrimination, promote integration values amongst youth and celebrate the input of all individuals that strive to make football a game for all, regardless of who we are, where we are from, and what our beliefs are. “In addition to increasing the awareness of the campaigns work and messages, the ‘Day of Action’ will also help clubs underline and draw attention to the work that they are already doing to challenge racism and promote equality.”

Show Racism the Red Card was established in 1996, aiming to utilise the high-profile status of football and football players to help tackle racism in society, expanding to other sports in recent years. They deliver anti-racism workshops in schools to approximately 18,000 pupils in Wales each year, encouraging young people to critically think about and challenge what they hear and see from outside sources such as the media. These are held in cooperation with local sports clubs such as Cardiff City, Swansea City and Cardiff Blues.

Solidarity: Bala Town and Barry Town United show their support for the initiative. Source: Rhys Skinner

BUCS Highlights

CHWARAEON 31

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

Cardiff 1s 51-30 Met 2s

Cardiff 3-3 Swansea Golf

Netball

Catrin Powney Contributor

ust one game for the Cardiff University Netball Club this week, with the first team facing local rivals Cardiff Met’s second team. The team prepared themselves for a tough match and came out guns blazing, taking an early lead after capitalising on some noticeable mistakes made by Met. Cardiff’s team gave a strong defensive effort throughout the court, with some exceptional play from Leila Thomas and Petrina Paramore, and went into the second quarter with a solid lead. Great attacking work around the circle from Lauren Brown meant that the goals

kept coming for Millie Pearce, and the goal difference grew going into half time. The team changed drastically at half time as the rest of the squad were brought on. The substitutions gave the first team the burst they needed to run away with the lead. There were some great interceptions from Annie O’Rouke, however Met fought back and the intensity of the game increased. Josie Heron took the brunt of it, but some fair umpiring calls lead to more goals scored, and the Cardiff team came out on top with a strong 51-30 win. This puts them in good stead for a competitive game against Bath’s second team next week.

Oxford 9-11 Cardiff

Waterpolo Club Contributor

Waterpolo

n the first quarter, Oxford was first to score, and soon after had doubled their lead. Close behind Cardiff’s team followed with a late flurry of goals from Tom Gibson, Tom Hutchens and George Wood, sending them into break 3-2 break up. At the beginning of the second quarter both teams exchanged blows, with Cardiff scoring the first from Tom Hutchens, but Oxford replied quickly with a goal. Cardiff showed strong defence to limit the Oxford team to just a singular goal that quarter. At half time the score was up to 6-3, with Hutchens scoring another goal and a further goal scored by Matthew Kelly.

The third quarter was low scoring with each team registering two goals each. Both Cardiff goals came from Hutchens for Cardiff, included a spectacular backshot, while Stephen Stack guarded the goal against Oxford. The final score for the quarter was 8-5. In the final quarter, Hutchens struck for Cardiff before Oxford landed another two. One goal from each team followed in the next two minutes, Hutchens scoring his seventh goal of the game, giving Oxford the difficult task of scoring two goals. Cardiff ran the clock down and a final Cardiff goal came from Gibson with less than one minute to go. With the game all but won, Cardiff conceded a late consolation goal with five seconds remaining. The win maintained Cardiff’s 100% win record this season.

Iestyn Harries Contributor

ive of Cardiff University’s Golf team played a thrilling BUCS match this week against a strong Swansea team in the brilliant Pennard, which is a true test of links golf. Cardiff ’s Amy Boote and Tom Beckenham brought back early points for the team with convincing 5&3 and 4&2 wins. The pair remain unbeaten this year. Unfortunately, Peter Edwards couldn’t manage to secure a point for the team, although he did put up a courageous fight back by taking Swansea’s player down to the 17th hole. He’s still looking for his first win this year. It was the last two matches

which brought excitement to this fixture with both going down to the last hole. Cardiff needed a point to win the match and half a point to secure a halve. Although giving it their best efforts both Iestyn Harries and James Geaves couldn’t find a way to win after two thrilling matches. The match ended in a 3-3 draw. The point earned in Pennard could prove vital towards the end of the season with both teams looking for promotion this year. Attentions now turn to next week’s match at home against Bath who have started the season very well. A win will put Cardiff in a very good place for the next away match which is against UWE in a fortnight’s time. Keep an eye out for the teams results and progress in the weeks to come.

Brilliant Pennard: Source: Cardiff University Golf Club

Cardiff 37-7 Oxford

Cardiff Ladies’ Rugby win leaves them top of the league Verity Butt Contributor

his week’s match for CULRFC saw a top of the league clash with Oxford University. There is no doubt it had been the most talked about match in the premiership all week - everything was riding on it. Three minutes in, and Oxford had already forced a lineout but luckily Cardiff ’s number 11- Towns shut down an opportunity to score with a full impact tackle. However, Cardiff ’s efforts couldn’t hold off much longer as they conceded the first try of the match off a lineout putting them seven points down. Without a doubt there was some concern spreading throughout the

supporters, however, the sevenpoint lead held over them seemed to fuel their drive to succeed. 17 minutes in, High-Milam scored a try off a lineout closing the gap by five points. Five minutes later Cardiff scored again. A successful effort from Thomas, completely wiped out the confidence of their opponents, leaving Cardiff up 10-7. Approaching the half time mark, Cardiff made another valiant attempt to further diminish the spirits of Oxford. A set play encompassed with perfection almost achieved this, however, a pass lead to a knock-on. A whistle blow away from half time, at 40 minutes, a team try was engraved into the score by Thomas, topped off with a beautiful conver-

sion by Edwards. A relief, to say the least, furthering the score to 17-7. Half time saw the team riled up and ready to put another 20 points down on the pitch. Cardiff kicked off after half time with a near try from Revill. However four minutes in, Davalou was removed injured allowing Gillons to take her place. Evidently the fresh pair of legs motivated the team to push harder seeing a win off a scrum, and a swift pass from Edwards to Butt making a clean break for the line, made the score 22-7. At 58 minutes Oxford began to up their intensity with their 10 making a break through the line, however, this was short-lived with High-Milam and Butt ripping up her chances in a doubleheader tackle.

The last 15 minutes saw another three tries from our captains. Edwards left her mark on the pitch with one team try and an exquisite run through opposition defence. This run eliminated all ounces of hope Oxford once had of a win allowing Podpadec to leave one last statement on the pitch. Finally, the game ended with a successful score of 37-7, leaving the Cardiff team with a large margin in front of Oxford. Woman of the match went to Ffion Revill who dominated the entirety of the pitch throughout the game, fuelling the dominance of the scrums and setting up many of the tries. An exceptionally good performance against a very strong Oxford side leaving Cardiff top of the Premiership.

Injury-hit Men’s Rugby well-beaten by Loughborough

Ben Lovell-Smith Contributor

ound five of BUCS Super Rugby saw Cardiff face Loughborough in an intense match at Llanrumney. Last time the sides met was in February when Cardiff pulled off a 26-24 scalp away in Leicestershire, but the Welsh side lost 17-32 in BUCS Super Rugby. The match kicked off and immediately it was Loughborough dominating possession, staunch defence from Cardiff kept the scoreboard level. Eventually the pressure told as Cardiff gave away a succession of penalties at the breakdown. Chris Davies converted to make it 6-0. Cardiff remained unable to string any phases together, forcing them to stand up to the task in defence. Loughborough’s big ball carriers Suvwe Obano at number eight and Freddie Steward at outside centre made the difference as Steward broke the gainline to offload to Nathan Langdon who scored. Some tough words under the posts seemed to do the trick as Cardiff earned a penalty from kick off. Opting to kick for touch, the lineout provided a perfect platform to establish a driving maul. Loughborough infringed, giving the advantage to Cardiff, and the opportunity for game-breaking fly half Ed Dunford to dink in behind. Clinical finisher George Thomas was there to finish beneath the posts for Cardiff ’s opening try. Cardiff made an obvious switch to a kicking game and it paid dividends. Dunford continuously poked in behind and Thomas made use of the grubber kick to gain territory down the left as the home side gained some control. But their momentum was halted by injury and Loughborough inevitably got hold of the ball upfield. Cardiff ’s indiscipline cost them dear. And, despite some heroic defence, the Loughborough forwards crossed the line under the posts – making it 7-20 at half time. As ever, Cardiff would not be put down, swiftly gaining possession within the Loughborough 22. After the hard work had been done by the forwards, Dunford’s class shone through as he executed an inspired cross-field kick for winger George Mears to score. However, any hope of a Cardiff fight back was quickly quashed. Steward sithed through the centre, leaving defenders in his wake and forced a penalty right beneath the Cardiff posts. A bold decision to tap and go from captain Alex Glashan caught Cardiff out, having not retreated onside a penalty try was awarded. To rub salt in the wounds, Greg Ramage was sin binned for the offence and the game seemed to have escaped Cardiff ’s grasp. The final nail in the coffin was a good try from the Loughborough full back Fergus Guiry, putting them 20 points ahead. Despite a late consolation try for Thomas, it was to be another disappointing night for Cardiff, losing in the end, 17-32.

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

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BUCS Highlights Ladies Rugby, Golf, Netball and more Page 31

CHWARAEON

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South Wales Derby What it means to City fans Page 29

Wales Women Important Euro qualifiers ahead Page 28

Murray wins first title since hip surgery Tom Walker Digital Sport Editor

ndy Murray continued his remarkable return to professional tennis earlier this month as he secured European Open title success. Given that the Scot had surgery earlier on this year, the title hold all the more significance. Murray is the first player to ever overcome hip resurfacing surgery and secure a singles title. We explore how the 32-year-old’s road to 29 recovery.

Wales shows racism the red card Olly Allen Sport Editor

Wave after wave: Amy Dyer competing at the BUCS Surf Championships in Newquay. Source: BUCS Website.

Dyer wins BUCS Surf gold Luke Wakeling Sport Editor

ardiff University’s Amy Dyer won gold at the BUCS Surf Championships on the weekend of the 18-20 October in what was the inaugural BUCS Championship event of the year. The first year student won with a score of 9.20 in the final after making it through three rounds competing against the best surfers from universities across the country. The BUCS competition consists of four-person heats, where each individual is allowed to catch up to 15 waves that are then scored out of 10. The scores are based on the manoeuvres the surfer is able to do on each wave; the top two scores are then taken to make a total out of 20. The two surfers with the two highest scores in each heat goes through to the next round. Gair Rhydd Sport talked to Dyer about her experience of her first BUCS competition: “I wasn’t too sure who

would be at the event before I arrived, but I wasn’t expecting to win. “Surfing is such a hard sport as the conditions are always changing so it is impossible to make such predictions, you just have to try your hardest.” Indeed, the conditions in Cornwall were difficult, which makes the surfer’s win even more impressive. When asked about where winning BUCS places amongst her achievements, Dyer responded: “Winning a national contest always ranks highly in my opinion. I have won a few national contests before and competed for England internationally at the ISA World Junior Surfing Games and it always feels amazing. “I think the thing that pleased me the most about my performance at BUCS was the fact the surf was so tricky but despite this I managed to get my best wave of the final in the last ten seconds to take the win. “Having my name called out as the winner of the gold medal was amazing, as none of the finalists were sure how

each other had done. It was a complete surprise to me when they announced it, making it even more exciting.” Performing at this level in any sport requires a lot of training and dedication and surfing is no exception. As Dyer says: “I first started surfing properly when I was 12 as my cousin was really into it and I was super competitive and wanted to beat him.”

I wasn’t expecting to win, surfing is such a hard sport to predict. “I started competing at 14 when the British Nationals came to my homebreak and I entered on a whim and actually did okay, spurring me on. “I have since done many years training with Damon Beveridge at Surf Development UK which really improved my surfing style as well as competition technique to allow me to get those better results.”

As is common with many high performance athletes across the university, juggling training and studying proves to be difficult: “A major struggle for me has been balancing academic studies with my surfing and the competitions. “It meant I missed a fair bit of college to compete abroad. This year I was unable to compete at the English and British nationals as they were in the run up to my A level exams, but in the end my academic studies must take priority.” Dyer talked about her aims for the rest of the year and hopes to qualify for Team GB: “The end of the contest season is upon us now, so I aim to train hard over winter and surf as much as possible in Cardiff (and hopefully have a trip abroad to somewhere warmer) to prepare me for the upcoming English and British Nationals around May time, with the eventual goal to qualify for the GB team to compete at the ISA world championships.” Judging by her gold medal at BUCS, Dyer is in a very good position to accomplish her goals.

ctober has been Show Racism the Red Card’s ‘Month of Action’ in Wales, uniting supporters, clubs, ethnic minorities and communities affected by discrimination and increasing public awareness of what is a huge social issue. The initiative has sadly coincided with a number of racist incidents within the wider game, including in England’s 6-0 win over Bulgaria, and an FA Cup tie between Haringey Borough 30 and Yeovil Town, which was eventually abandoned.

Gerwyn Price loses semi-final George Willoughby Deputy Head of Sport

erwyn Price and Michael van Gerwin both averaged over 100 in an excellent semi-final match in the Champions League of Darts. The Iceman has failed to beat van Gerwin in all 18 of his matchups against him, and this latest encounter saw a continuation of this trend. Price has been playing some great darts, shown by the way he has climbed the darting ladder. Now ranked fourth, he’ll look to maintain his performances and challenge for silverware once again. 28