gair rhydd
gair rhydd | freeword Cardiff ’s student weekly Issue 1079 Monday 2nd May 2016 Also in this issue
Comment: The University should do more to justify costs P11>>
Sabbatical Officers reviewed: What have they achieved?
Politics: A preview of everything to do with this week’s election P18>>
• Gair Rhydd examines the manifesto pledges made by this year’s Students’ Union elected officer team compared to what they have accomplished • Sabbatical officers paid £20,000 per year to overlook development of SU • Major achievements include maintenance grant and Higher Education cuts lobbying, though many plans are yet to be implemented EXCLUSIVE Anna Lewis
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Gair Rhydd review of the work of this year’s sabbatical officers team has highlighted key issues still to be completed. After examining the original manifestos of the five elected officers, it has been revealed that some pledges are “unlikely” to be completed. This includes plans made by the SU President Claire Blakeway to create a festival in Bute Park and install a pharmacy in the Students’ Union. Although many other promises made have been achieved, such as increasing the University’s hardship fund, Blakeway explained that difficulties have arisen obtaining a licence for a prospective pharmacy. This is due to the number of pharmacy licences already in the area. According to the Students’ Union, if a
company was to choose to establish themselves in the Union, they would first have to close an existing branch. However, Blakeway has maintained that she will continue to “push” to achieve her aim. Next year’s Students’ President Sophie Timbers has also pledged to install a pharmacy. Other targets still to be met include plans to create a student theatre. Although still waiting upon a confirmation, it has been suggested that the University and Students’ Union will work together in future to create a flexible lecture hall space suitable for performances. The potential creation of a lecture hall in the Students’ Union has also stalled plans made in VP Education Sophie Timbers’ manifesto to refurbish the Great Hall. Talks to replace Blackwells bookshop with an Amazon Locker remain ongoing but have been classed “confidential”. Meanwhile, although student participation in sport has increased com-
pared to the last academic year, a rewards scheme for clubs has not been completed by VP Sport Sam Parsons. Despite such drawbacks however, other notable achievements have been completed by the team of officers. This includes extending the ASSL library opening hours to 24 hours, which will continue past its pilot scheme into the next academic year. At a time where cuts have been made to higher education from both the Welsh and English government, the sabbatical team have also worked to support their students. This has included lobbying the authorities to scale back cuts and working closely with the NUS. This year has also seen an officer take on the role of VP Postgraduate, after the the position was voted upon in the 2015 SU AGM. During her time in the role Katie Kelly has worked to further integrate postgradutes with the wider student society.
Pictured:
The sabbatical officer team at this year’s AGM (Photographer: Cardiff Students)
Continued on page 4
Science: The science behind the dangers of smoking P28>>
Taf-Od: Blwyddyn yn Gaerdydd yn Gymraeg P34>>
2 EDITORIAL Gair Rhydd Coordinator Elaine Morgan Editor Joseph Atkinson Deputy Editors Carwyn Williams Anna Lewis News Anna Lewis Joanna Beck Toby Holloway Advice Gwen Williams Caragh Medlicott Comment Em Gates Charley Griffiths David Williams Columnist Helena Hanson Politics Carwyn Williams Luke Brett Sam Patterson Science Maria Mellor Lizzie Harrett Societies Aletheia Nutt Taf-Od Rhian Floyd Park Life Vacant Sport Jim Harris James Lloyd Jamie Smith Social Media Editor Jack Boyce Proofreaders Jamie McKay Tom Morris Get involved Editorial conferences are each Monday at 5pm. Proofreading takes place from 5pm on Thursdays in the media office during print weeks. Write to the editor editor@gairrhydd.com Tweet us @gairrhydd
At Gair Rhydd we take seriously our responsibility to maintain the highest possible standards. Sometimes, because of deadline pressures, we may make some mistakes. If you believe we have fallen below the standards we seek to uphold, please email editor@gairrhydd. com. You can view our Ethical Policy Statement and Complaints Procedure at cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/complaints Opinions expressed in editorials are not reflective of Cardiff Student Media, who act as the publisher of Gair Rhydd in legal terms, and should not be considered official communications or the organisation’s stance. Gair Rhydd is a Post Office registered newspaper.
the free word Out with the old...
We’ll be back in two weeks for our final issue Joseph Atkinson
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xciting news; Gair Rhydd has an editor (or editor-in-chief as she might want to be known) for 2016/17. While I would love another year in charge of the paper, graduation and a need to go out into the world of work means that that is unfortunately not a possibility, so Maria Mellor’s name will adorn this editorial in two issues time rather than my own. Maria has worked on Gair Rhydd in a number of capacities throughout her university career and brings all the experience needed to run the ship successfully. She’s done an excellent job running the Science section along with Lizzie this year and has previously been Social Media Editor in her first year. The response from the entire editorial team in warmly congratulating her is testament to how popular and highly-regarded Maria is among the team, and I know that she’ll do an incredible job. It’s strange to think that this is my penultimate issue in charge. This is number 21 of my 22 Gair Rhydd’s, and the time has flown by. I’m sure
I’ll find handing over the reigns to someone new a little bit strange, and I’m already jealous of Maria for the year that she has ahead of her, but I know that there are the foundations of a fantastic editorial team already on the newspaper which can grow next year. So, it’s my job now to encourage you to join Gair Rhydd next year. We’ve had a wonderful amount of contributors who I’ve enjoyed watching develop as writers over the course of the year, and I’d encourage those people to apply to be section editors. But I’d also encourage you to apply if you don’t have that experience. Gair Rhydd is a foot in the door - a step to week-on-week experience at a weekly publication in which many of the demands of the professional world are maintained, but the consequences of getting it wrong are not. If you are keen to be a section editor, then email editor@gairrhydd.com or join ‘Gair Rhydd Contributors 2015/16’ on Facebook to keep up to date with application forms. The final issue of Gair Rhydd will not be coming out next week, but the week after, making us fortnightly rather than weekly, for once. This is
primarily down to the sheer number of exams and assignments that we collectively at Gair Rhydd are facing, but it means that we have two weeks to produce a send-off issue to be proud of. Over the coming week takes place the Welsh Assembly Elections. If the constant reminders from our Politics team or their attempts to convince you to vote through their hugely informative ‘Election Spotlight’ series have fallen on deaf ears, then please allow me to try to convince you one last time; voting is one of the most important rights you have and exercising that truly makes a difference. While the Assembly elections might not seem important compared to those in Westminster to some, they will shape the future of Wales for at least five years, and affect student issues just as much as they do economic issues. This weekend marked the Cardiff Student Media Awards. I’d firstly like to thank everyone who came for making the night so special, and I’d secondly like to congratulate all of those who picked up a trophy, particularly those Gair Rhydd winners who have put in so much hard work in
making the paper the best it possibly can be this year. Oh, and of course thirdly I want to thank our Student Media Coordinator Elaine whose dedication to getting the awards organised to any sort of professional standard was second-to-none, and I’m sure they wouldn’t have been half as good if it wasn’t for Elaine’s tireless work in organising everything. All this talk of the future and I’ve neglected this issue a bit. It’s another good’un and I’m particularly proud of the review of the sabbatical officers’ times in charge from a News point of view. The Politics section’s comprehensive preview of this week’s elections is truly fantastic and will inform you if you weren’t informed already, while in Comment we’ve got a really strong piece on a student dissatisfied with the price of university and the services we get for the price we pay. So, Maria’s time really starts now. I’m on borrowed time and am incredibly jealous of the opportunity that she has going into next year to add to Gair Rhydd’s recent history. If you’d like to be a part of that, then do look into applying. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY: GAIR RHYDD 785 2/5/2005 Just as this issue gives readers a guide to the upcoming Welsh Assembly elections, politics is the focus of this past issue as well. 2005 marked a General Election year and the subject makes the front page of the last issue before the polling booths opened to the general public. Inside the paper is a guide to the policies of those parties appealing to students, covering subjects from health, crime, foreign policy and defence. This was the first general election since the Iraq war and it shows. Gair Rhydd shadowed candidates from the four main parties, and each were keen to appeal to Cardiff students disillusioned by eight years of Tony Blair’s leadership. Labour candidate Jon Owen Jones (no relation to the Chavs author of a similar name Social Science students) was keen to distance himself from controversial decisions such as the Iraq war and top-up tuition fees. Despite this, he still failed to impress Gair Rhydd’s reporters, who criticised the way he presented himself in a BBC appearance with the Liberal Democrats’ candidate. With the power of hindsight, we know 2005 marked the last time Labour won a majority in the House of Commons. But the issue is filled, cover-to-cover, with reminders to students to turn out on election day. With elections to the
Welsh Assembly this Thursday, this edition will not be much different. In the letters pages, a sub editor’s choice to reveal their true feelings about the late Pope John Paul II proved controversial. Catholic readers were not best pleased by this attack on the former Pope, who had passed away the previous month. Criticising what they saw as the ranting’s of a “raging leftie”, readers asked Gair Rhydd not criticise the Catholic doctrine. As the controversial choice of NUS President continues to make headlines, readers in 2005 were also upset by the direction of student politics. A reader wrote in to complain of that year’s Labour candidates close links to the national union. Especially as then NUS Wales President, James Knights, heaped praises on a candidate this reader didn’t find all to impressive. As covered in last week’s edition, Cardiff delivered a crushing blow against Swansea during this year’s Varsity Shield, but were defeated in the showpiece rugby match. That fate was mirrored back in 2005 as Swansea swept to a 16-8 Varsity Cup victory; the Sport team took the loss well, opting for the headline: “The day Cardiff ’s Varsity dream died” for their coverage of the rugby defeat. - Jamie McKay
EDITORIAL 3
Campus in Brief
Jack Boyce
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A new poll has revealed that Leanne Wood, the leader of Plaid Cymru, is the most popular of the main political party leaders in Wales.
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ardiff University researchers have made an important breakthrough in the bid to understand how individuals respond to aspirin. The research, led by Professor Valerie O’Donnell, is the first comprehensive lipidomic profile of human platelets in respone to stimulation and aspirin treatment, which showed that there is a direct link between metabolism and inflammation. This link will help identify which patients will respond best to the drug. “Our research shows a new link between energy metabolism and inflammation as well as giving early insights into the fundamentals of precision medicine regarding the variation of the lipidome among individuals,” said Professor O’Donnell. A new poll has revealed that Leanne Wood, the leader of Plaid Cymru, is the most popular of the main political party leaders in Wales. The poll, carried out by YouGov for ITV and Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre, suggests that Plaid could end up second in the Welsh assembly election, behind Labour but ahead of the Conservatives. Plaid’s shadow economy minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said of the results: “This is an encouraging poll for Plaid Cymru and shows that we have momentum going into the final days of the campaign.” A new Cardiff University study has concocted a dietary supplement which could help in the fight against heart disease. A collaborative study between scientists from the School of Biosciences and national supplement supplier Cultech Ltd, mixed together marine fish oil, cocoa extract and phytosterols in an effort to halt atherosclerosis, a disease characterised by fatty material on the inner walls of arteries. Dr Dipak Ramji stated: “A variety of active food ingredients have been shown to impart beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease although little is known regarding their actions when taken in combination.” The study on cell-based models is now set to be translated into treatment suited for human consumption.
National
More than a million people in the UK are living in destitution, a new study shows. Research conducted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) found that 668,000 households, made up of 1,252,000 people and including 312,000 children, are so poor that they cannot afford to eat properly, keep clean or stay warm and dry. The study also found that 184,500 households were in a state of poverty that left them reliant on charities for the bare essentials, including food, clothes, shelter and toiletries. More than three-quarters of destitute people had reported having been forced to go without meal, while more than a half were unable to heat their home. University graduates in England face higher debts on graduation than graduates in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. According to the Sutton Trust, those who graduated from English universities owed an average of £44,000. This is compared to the average American gradute, who owe $29,000 if graduating from a public or private non-profit universities, and $32,600 for those out of private for-profit universities. Canadian students are even lower, having around 28,500 CAD (£20,500) of debt, while graduates from Australian or New Zealand institutions owe on average 39,700 AUD (£20,900) and 50,000 NZD (£23,300) respectively. Public support for fracking has fallen to a all-time low, according to government polls. The survey has found that public approval for the energy extraction method has fallen steadily in the past two years, and now sits at a 19 per cent approval rate. 31 per cent are now against the exploration for shale gas, with the proportion of the results neither for or against has remained largely stable at 46 per cent. On the opposite end, renewable energy approval has jumped to 81 per cent, with only four per cent opposing it.
International
Venezuela’s government have imposed a two-day working week for public sector employees due to its serious energy crisis. Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz announced that civil servants now only need to turn up to work on Mondays and Tuesdays until the crisis is over. Venezuela’s energy crisis has come about due to a major drought in the country, which has lowered water levels at its mian hydroelectric dam. President Nicolas Maduro, who had already implemented a scheme to give 2.8 million state employees Fridays off in April and May, blamed the El Niño phenomenon for the drought, stating that everything would return to normal when it starts raining once again in the region. Lego have admitted of its “mistake” in rejecting a bulk order from Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Lego’s Vice Chairman Kirk Kristiansen told The Wall Street Journal an employee had misinterpreted a company policy about political neutrality due to Ai being a known critic of the Chinese government. In response, Ai produced another exhibition regarding freedom of speech and political art. In January, Lego decided to stop asking customers ordering in bulk their plans with the bricks, instead making it clear that the company does not endorse public artistic works using their products. Ai told the BBC that the U-turn was a “victory for freedom of speech”. A couple are suing Snapchat after claiming that a “speed filter” on the social media app tempted a woman to drive too fast and cause a crash. Wentworth and Karen Maynard filed the lawsuit against Snapchat and 18-year-old driver Christal McGee. The lawsuit states that McGee crashed into Wentworth Maynard on a highway in Atlanta, when McGee was using the social media app to measure her speed, with the apparent goal to try and get over 100 miles per hour.
Pictured: The toy manufacturer Lego admitted its refusal to accept a bulk order from a Chinese artist was a “mistake” (Photographer: Eric via Flickr)
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University graduates in England face higher debts on graduation than graduates in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
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4 NEWS
news
Editors: Anna Lewis Joanna Beck Toby Holloway @GairRhyddNews news@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/news
Gair Rhydd democracy review 2015/16
Students’ Union President
“I believe that reducing Higher Education cuts shows the influence and lobbying power that we have in Wales and that students are starting to be taken more seriously by the Welsh government.”
Claire Blakeway
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ncumbent SU President Claire Blakeway is currently working on developing a lecture theatre that could be used as a theatre as well. However this is yet to be confirmed. Creating buses from Park Place to Heath Campus As part of the Campus Master Plan, Blakeway has been in discussions about travel plans between both locations. No further details have been provided. Increasing the hardship fund Since the Welsh Government’s decision to cut the Financial Contingency fund, the SU President has lobbied the University to create a comparable fund. Further pressure has since been put on the University to increase this and Blakeway has made it clear that students need more support. This has included working with both the NUS and the government Diamond Review. Establishing a pharmacy in the Students’ Union According to Blakeway this aspect of her manifesto has been “particularly challenging”. Currently the Students’ Union are struggling to obtain a license for a pharmacy and have been told that it is “unlikely” that another will be granted in the area. As a result, a company interested in opening a pharmacy would have to close another branch and transfer their license to the SU. Despite this Blakeway will “continue” to push for progress to be made. Plans to introduce a pharmacy have also been included in next year’s SU President Sophie Timbers.
Encouraging a festival in Bute Park Despite featuring in the President’s manifesto, Blakeway told Gair Rhydd that the cost of running a festival would simply be too high, at a price of £250k. The Students’ Union has said that the idea would present a “massive risk with regard to returning a profit” that would make the event unfeasible. Biggest achievement For Blakeway her biggest achievement has been lobbying with the NUS Wales to reduce the Welsh Government’s £41m cut to Higher Education to £10m. This was achieved by calling and meeting with Assembly Members across Wales and campaigning on ITV. Although some cuts are still going ahead, the Students’ Union President described the experience as a massive win for the student movement. She explained that the money saved will help fund part-time course and research, in order to “widen access and ensures that the quality of research within Wales remains high”. To conclude, the Students’ Union President said: “I think this win shows the influence and lobbying power that we have in Wales and that students are starting to be taken more seriously by the Welsh government”. Biggest challenge Like her biggest achievement, the SU President also describes the government cuts and financial pressure put on students as the biggest challenged faced during the year. Blakeway has described politicians as “unrecep-
tive and dismissive to the needs of students” with the exception of local MPs and explained that she has had letters and emails ignored. Fighting government cuts Blakeway had made sure to meet with local MPs on a regular basis to highlight her concerns and lobby on the behalf of students. This has also included attending a protest against cuts to NHS bursaries in London and encouraging other students to attend. Following this, Blakeway penned an open letter to voice the concerns of Cardiff students. After being signed by “hundreds of our healthcare students” the letter was sent to both UK and Welsh government. In addition to this, the SU President described herself as “engaged heavily” in the NUS Cut the Costs
campaign to save maintenance grants. By organising a student walk out day, Blakeway also encouraged students to protest against the changes to International student visas. Overall the President concluded that she has communicated with “all the students who have been affected by the cuts and informed them of how the Students’ Union is supporting them”. Promoting the Welsh language Despite the reported tensions between the Students’ Union and parttime Welsh language Officer earlier this year, Blakeway described the relationship between both parties as “really positive”. She continued: “We have productively worked together to create positive change for Welsh Speakers here at Cardiff University”.
This year the Students’ Union has employed a full time Welsh Language Coordinator to further improve Welsh Language provisions. As part of plans to improve communication between all groups the Students’ Union has created the Welsh Language Steering Group. The group is made up of Elected Officers, the Welsh Language Officer, student representatives, and Union and University staff. The aim of the group is to look at ways in which the Union can further promote the use of the Welsh Language, create a culture of bilingualism in the Students’ Union and increase the range of services on offer for Welsh Speakers. Following this group a Welsh Language Policy has been developed, which is soon to be going out to student consultation, with a planned implementation from July.
NEWS 5
VP Education Sophie Timbers
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ccording to Timbers the plan to refurbish the Great Hall was “initially a major priority”. However a decision to hold fire was made in order to wait for confirmation for the instalment of a large lecture theatre “in proximity of the Students’ Union”. If this achieved then the Great Hall can be used as a multifunctional performance space. Timbers has stated that it is now a
“waiting game to identify how much money the university can give us next year”. Until this happens the VP Education has been feeding into the Physical Learning Spaces project to renovate lecture theatres and teaching spaces across campus. Creating a pedestrian and cycle path from Cathays to the Heath
Timbers has stated that her aim is now on the Estates Master Plan, which a is minimum ten-year plan for how the University estates will look. According to Timbers, the University has recognised the plan “as a need” and she will be working with the University to make this a priority. Reducing hidden course costs such as printing credits This year Timbers has held meetings with staff about hidden course costs and worked with the University to collect data about the average spend per student across the schools. A
“I worked with the University to undertake a project to collect data around a rough average spend per student across the schools showing a real differentiation across the student population.”
report has now been developed and sent to the brand new Student Experience Committee in order to make printing costs fairer. According to the VP Education from this it is then possible to address how to reduce the cost of compulsory printing. In the meantime, Timbers is working with the University to lobby for more electronic submission of assessments to reduce the cost of printing. Talking to Gair Rhydd, she explained: “This is looking like a positive movement and a step in the right direction.” Expanding the Heath Hub After working with VP Heath Katey Beggan, the University has promised funding to renovate a space within the Neuadd Meirionnydd building at the Heath. This space is adjacent to the existing Heath Hub, making it possible to expand the Students’ Union space at the Heath. Removing Blackwells from the SU Individual negotiations about removing Blackwells have been described as confidential and yet to be finalised. According to the VP the SU ground floor has seen “wider retail development following the ground floor redevelopment plans” which has lead to a review of all retail partners and tenants. Lecture Capture According to the VP Education lecture recording is “part of a phased roll out project over five years due to the scale of installing and training
staff to use the equipment”. Timbers maintained that the University has already allocated funding to ensure every school will have lecture recordings. Biggest achievement Of her achievements this year Timbers emphasised her success extending the Arts and Social Studies Library (ASSL) opening hours to 24/7, which will remain permanently open during the next academic year, it was announced this week. Speaking of the ASSL, Timbers noted: “We’ve had so many positive responses from students which isvery rewarding!” In addition the VP Education noted that a 24-hour library in Cathays has been in the Student Written Submission to the University for four years running. However further details of the development have yet to be released. For Timbers other successes include ensuring that exam feedback is included as a polity for taught students. As part of her role, the VP has overseen Speak Week, where the number of responses has increased from 800 to over 2,000, and has recruited a record number of academic reps. Next year’s SU President also led the Cardiff ’s #LOVESUs campaign and helped to secure the NUS Wales Education award. Biggest challenge For Timbers the confidentially of some projects has made communicating with students difficult.
VP Societies Hannah Sterritt
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uring the year, Hannah Sterritt promised to increase collaborated events and activities in her role as VP Societies and has been largely successful. All of the faith-based societies got involved in this year’s Interfaith Week which took place last October and Sterritt described it as “bigger and better than ever”. The VP Societies also achieved an increase in the attendance of Go Global and says that Cardiff Fringe Festival, which is in its third year, has “gone from strength to strength”. This success is reflected in the amount of societies which have been nominated for Best Society Collaboration in this year’s awards. Creating an alternative career fair for society related skills Sterritt was somewhat less successful with her pledge to bring an alternative career fair for society-related skills. She explained the reasons for this to Gair Rhydd and said: “After speaking to the Careers Department within the University, I realised that Careers Fairs weren’t the way forward to most effectively engage students in creative industries”. She went on to talk about her work with the Careers department and the Cardiff Award to create a workshop on “how to most effectively sell the skills you learn whilst in Societies in interviews”. She has also been working with Academic Societies and their related departments to share career advice.
Reorganising SU storage space This has been somewhat problematic for the VP societies as the ground floor of the Students’ Union is under redevelopment, a project which started at the beginning of the year. She has managed to maintain this storage space however and found suitable alternatives for societies that needed it throughout the year. Creating society Gold-tier rewards Sterritt expressed that she found this pledge more difficult than expected and although she met with many Silver and Gold-tier societies she said it was not possible to change the system once the year had started. She went on, however, to talk about a “perk” she has introduced for Goldtier societies: “One of the things I’ve added this year is the Gold-tier Society Photography Perk, as a response to the lack of promotional material and quality photographs displaying societies doing what they do best. This perk means that Gold-tier Societies have access to a photographer for free for one of their events and feedback from this has been really positive”. Ensure that societies are advertised in the Students’ Union Sterritt has increased her use of social media in order to advertise events and is committed to attending events when she can. She added: “It’s also been easier this year for Societies to adver-
“My biggest achievement was launching an emergency motion in the Shadow Cabinet as a reaction to the Opposition Day Debate regarding maintenance grants.” tise on the Plasma Screens in the SU stairwells”. Other plans Sterritt is currently working on a number of other plans, including the introduction of a Post Office in the Students’ Union. Past events have ranged from the Go Global showcase night and Cardiff Fringe Festival to Cardiff Creative Project. A review of Cardiff Student Media is also underway to ensure that all four platforms fit into existing Union structures. During the absence of VP Welfare Kate Delaney, Sterritt took over re-
sponsibility of the Welfare Committee. Biggest achievement The VP Societies described her biggest achievement as: “Launching an emergency motion in the Shadow Cabinet as a reaction to the Opposition Day Debate regarding Maintenance Grants. This was a reaction to the English Votes for English Laws proposal which meant that all the lobbying we did to the Welsh MPs was to no avail. The launch of this meant that even though we did ultimately lose the maintenance grants debate, everything in our power was done to help our cause”. This is despite no informa-
tion about the circumstances being released by the NUS. To conclude, the Sterritt said: “This year has been an incredible experience, where no two days are the same. My manifesto has been shaped by the day-to-day demands of students”. Biggest challenge Sterritt said it was the “astonishing variance and spectrum” of the societies she was responsible for. With 200 societies under her care, 14 of which were created this year, Sterritt said: “fully appreciating and understanding the variance of these societies takes a lot of energy and effort”.
6 NEWS
VP Sport & AU President Sam Parsons
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uring his time as VP Sport and AU President, Sam Parsons has focused on pushing Give it a Go events and making sure all sports teams get involved. Other
projects have included ensuring that IMG Rugby is run in a safe manner. IMG Rugby has been banned since 2007 due to health and safety concerns, however, Parsons has now set
up two ‘festival’ type events per year to ensure that teams have the opportunity to play. Other projects that Parsons has pushed have involved promoting involvement of disabled people in sport, including holding a wheelchair basketball event last week. According to Parsons “it’s about getting awareness out, especially in a Paralympic year”.
“I really wanted to get IMG rugby going. It was challenging as I wasn’t sure what the boys wanted and what they would be happy with.”
Introducing an award scheme According to Parsons, action has not been taken on this for a number of reasons. This includes the fact that “membership has been increasing year on year in all clubs” therefore implying that such a scheme is not necessary. Parsons continued: “I wasn’t sure what rewards would be used. It’s a process of learning the job. Freshers’ week is only weeks after starting the job, so I am not sure what could be done.” Reducing financial costs To reduce the cost of participating in sports, Parsons has worked to heighten the profile of pay and play events and to get more funding. He explained that this year more than £500,000 was applied for compared to £180,000 last year. However, ultimately the amount of money given out remains the same. Parsons concluded: “It’s about making clubs aware of the process of applying for funding.” Biggest achievement For the VP Sport, the success of Varsity counts as his biggest outwardfacing achievement. However on a personal level Persons explained that his favourite success has been the IMG Rugby, stating that: “I really wanted to get that going. It was challenging as I wasn’t sure what the boys wanted and what they would be happy with.”
VP Postgraduate
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Financial incentives for returning to Cardiff as a postgraduate Kelly has written a paper on graduate discounts, which is going to the University’s next Admissions and Recruitment group in May. The paper compares the way current postgraduate taught context at Cardiff to its competitors in the Russell Group and GW4 alliance, and weighs the benefits and risks of doing so. Fair pay for postgraduates Kelly notes that she has lobbied the university to address the disparity in pay between schools. Changes will include redefining the duties and responsibilities of tutors and demonstrators following a consultation with research students and Heads of Schools. However a system implementing a fair pay to postgraduate researchers will not be introduced until next year. The Code of Practice for Post-
graduate Research Teaching has been revised and will be implemented fully in all schools in 2016/17. Postgraduate newsletters twice a month This was implemented at the start of the year and was created to ensure that postgraduates are integrated into sports, societies and Students’ Union events. This year Kelly has more marketing and communication specifically for postgraduate students including welcome booklets during Freshers and targeting social media to advertised the Union’s services, Sports Clubs, Societies and events. Freshers’ Fairs were also organised at times accessible to both postgraduate and Heath students. In order to involve postgraduates in Students’ Union democracy, bespoke information was provided about Students’ Union democracy and its election process. Following discussions with the University, the Union will also be taking on the responsibility of all postgraduate social activity which was previously organised by the University. Biggest achievement According to the VP Postgraduates her biggest achievement this year has been the “culture change within the Students’ Union and its approach to postgraduate students.” Kelly noted that in the past postgraduate experience has not been as much of a priority in previous
Increasing participation Compared to last year student participation levels in sport has increased by 241. This year Gair Rhydd has reported on alleged moss on netball pitches and waterlogged football IMG pitches. According to Parsons, sports pitches are maintained by continuing to work with the Head of University sport. The VP explained: “It’s about making sure that the facilities are the same calibre as our teams- we’re in the top ten in BUCS. We need the facilities to math that.” Referring to the situation with IMG football he conceded that “there are some things we can’t control”. However future plans include giving the hockey pitch a new Astroturf, although a precise time was not given. Other projects for the next academic year also stretch to updating the Llanrumney pitches to improve pitch draining equipment.
“I have created a foundation and structure that will really help my successor, Alex, whilst also ensuring that this role has longevity in terms of its place in the officer team.”
Katie Kelly
efurbishing the Postgrad Centre and relocating its equivalent at the Heath were two of Vice President Postgraduate Katie Kelly’s manifesto points when she was elected in 2015. According to Kelly, the SU are yet to receive clarification around when renovation of the Postgraduate Centre may be possible. This is due to University plans to undertake a new capital business project. However, the VP stated that she “will continue to push for this to be a priority of the University.”
AU’s Got Talent was also hosted in February in order to help all sports teams to socialise. Biggest challenge Creating the Students’ Union’s ‘No Joke’ campaign has been Parsons’ biggest challenge. When asked why, he explained that “it was a challenge getting it across to my cohort, i.e. the sports teams. They feel targeted by the campaign when that’s not the case. It’s important to get it across in the right way.”
years and has written a 3-year postgraduate strategy to tackle this. She concluded by noting that all departments in the Union are actively engaging with this strategy and devising postgraduate-specific targets related to their specific remits. “There is a genuine desire, in individual members and teams in the Students’ Union, to incorporate the postgraduate experi-
ence in day to day operations and activity and in the aims and objectives of the organisation.” Biggest challenge As the first VP Postgraduate Students, Kelly explained that unlike other officers her role did not have any foundations, structure, or former projects to continue. As a result, her role has involved deciding which
areas to prioritise and managing different approaches to postgraduate taught and postgraduate research students. To end, Kelly concluded: “I have created a foundation and structure that will really help my successor, Alex, whilst also ensuring that this role has longevity in terms of its place in the officer team and the Students’ Union.”
NEWS 7
Student stuffed in Turkey
International student stranded after his passport was stolen
EXCLUSIVE Jamie McKay
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Mr Ajmal was forced to fly ten hours from Istanbul to Malaysia, where he could acquire a new passport and therefore a new UK visa.
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Joanna Beck
O
ne of Cardiff University’s international students has returned to the city after spending weeks stuck in Turkey, unable to get back to the UK. Wan Norhelmi Ajmal, a Law student originally from Malaysia, travelled to Istanbul with a group of friends at the end of March on a trip that was meant to last just three days. However, Ajmal’s accommodation was broken into and his passport and phone stolen. The Malaysian High Commission were quick in sending Mr Ajmal an Emergency Travel Document, issued to Malaysian citizens whose passports expire or are lost or stolen whilst abroad. The document should allow citizens to return to Malaysia but many states across Europe and Asia do not recognise it. Among those states is Turkey, and as the group were ready to board the plane back to the UK, Mr Ajmal was turned back. Speaking to Gair Rhydd, Mr Ajmal said: “The flight supervisor didn’t let me onto the flight because the replacement passport - AKA emergency certificate passport - didn’t have the same functionality with the original passport.” After contacting officials at Cardiff University, Mr Ajmal was quickly sent
documentation that proved he was a student at the Welsh capital. However, flight staff in Istanbul refused to accept this as proof of a UK visa, and would not let him board a plane back to the UK. Officials told Ajmal that he would need to reapply for a UK visa from the British embassy in Turkey in order to return to his country of study - a process which can take months. Mr Ajmal was able to stay with friends in Istanbul while his application for a new visa was being processed, however he was told that he would be unable to be given a new visa due to him not possessing the correct documentation. While Malaysian nationals are able to use their Emergency Travel Document as a one-way ticket back to Malaysia, they may not use it to travel to other countries. This meant that Mr Ajmal was forced to fly ten hours from Istanbul to Malaysia, where he could acquire a new passport and therefore a new UK visa. He then had to board a 13-hour flight black to London, where he took a coach to Cardiff. This journey was not only long, but extremely expensive for the Cardiff University student, who said: “The reason I wanted to go straight back to UK is because I don’t want to waste mon-
ey. I spent almost £600 for the ticket from Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur and from there to London. For a student I believe that’s a lot of money.” Mr Ajmal landed back in Britain on the 22nd of last month, weeks later than originally expected. Though those documents provided were not enough to convince flight staff, he states “I’m
very grateful that the University did help me by sending me documents stating that I’m a student here”. Mr Ajmal has urged fellow students who are planning to travel during the summer to take extra care to ensure that their possessions are safe, saying: “I don’t want students to be in the same situation as me in the future”.
Students feel neglected over mental health
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n independent survey of Cardiff students has found that of the 150 participants, 59 per cent have suffered from a diagnosable mental health condition. Other surprising results of the survey revealed that 72 per cent feel mental health is not supported enough at university, despite the fact 77 per cent have used university counselling services. Earlier this year Gair Rhydd revealed that some students felt Cardiff
University’s Student Support Centre, which offers “counselling, health and wellbeing services”, was “overwhelmed”. One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, was effected by the strain facing the centre and described to her experience with Gair Rhydd: “I have suffered badly with anxiety and depression…I have just re-enrolled and have an appointment coming up. There is a real problem with the amount of time it takes to access
support and help. I have to say once accessed the help is really good”. A University spokesperson, however, explained that they “are not there to replace NHS provision for long term mental health conditions which might take a lot longer to resolve”. This survey would suggest that some students still think the University could do more. This may not necessarily just be to do with the service that they provide however. The survey found that over half of par-
ticipants had experienced stigma or abuse as a result mental health or had witnessed others experience it. Another particularly worrying result of the survey revealed that 59 per cent had experienced suicidal thoughts and 51 per cent have selfharmed in the past. This survey highlighted the importance of University support and over half of the participants have had to miss university due to their mental health.
Out of their league: Cardiff still Wales’ best university
Toby Holloway
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ardiff University has fallen in the rankings of a newly published league table. The table, published last week by the Complete University Guide, listed Cardiff as the 35th best UK university out of 127 institutions. This highlights a four place drop for Wales’ leading university, down from 31st last year. This is also the second year in a row Cardiff has fallen in university rankings. Quoted in Wales Online, Cardiff University’s vice-chancellor Prof Colin Riordan cautioned that “it is important to
retain a sense of perspective” concerning university league tables, however admitted that they do bare some level of significance. He said: “Whether you like them or not they are there; it’s like the weather, you might not like it when it rains but you take an umbrella and do what you can. “They are part of the external conditions that we have to deal with.” Despite the fall in UK rankings, Cardiff University maintained its position as Wales’ premier higher education institu-
Pictured: Istanbul (Photographer: Moyan Brenn via Flickr)
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Of the 150 participants, 59 per cent have suffered from a diagnosable mental health condition.
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“ tion. It place 10 places above Swansea, who stayed at 45th in the country, while Bangor lost ground, slipping to 62nd. Cardiff Metropolitan had cause for celebration, rising seven places to 72nd,
the second year a row that it has moved up the league tables. Aberystwyth fell one place to 87th, while the University of South Wales gained three places to move into the top 100, at 99th.
The table, published last week by the Complete University Guide, listed Cardiff as the 35th best UK university.
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8 ADVICE
advice
Editors: Gwen Williams Caragh Medlicott @GairRhyddAdv advice@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/advice
Surviving your first festival
Caragh Medlicott
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Anywhere near the main stage is always going to be loud and busy, plus it will also leave you far more vulnerable to drunk attacks.
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F
estivals – particularly music festivals - are always popular events among students over the spring and summer months. However, the intensity of a week of drinking with loud music every night can take its toll. Of course, it doesn’t take massive amounts of preparation; but if you don’t think about a few key things before you go it’s very possible you’ll find yourself in some sticky situations. Whether that ends with you finding yourself without any mud-free clothes, out of money or even without somewhere to sleep. So what kind of things do you need to think about if you’re to make the most of your festival? It sounds obvious but the first thing to consider is what kind of festival you’re going to, the scale and popularity of the festival, as well as the location, can make a big difference to the kinds of things you need to remember. For example, a lower budget, smaller-scale festival won’t require you to get there as early to get a good camping spot. However, if you’re going to Glastonbury, it’s probably a good idea to allow yourself enough time to find a good place to pitch your tent. Anywhere near the main stage is always going to be loud and busy, plus it will also leave you far more vulnerable to drunk attacks from random strangers, so if you’re not a big fan of sick on your tent you might want to consider setting up further away. However, if you’re more of a ‘wild-child’ then by all means set up as close to the stage as you like - just
don’t leave valuables in your tent! Which leads onto another point: keeping your stuff safe. Once you’re at the festival it’s easy to get wrapped up in the atmosphere and go running off to a get a drink after telling yourself “I’m sure our stuff will be fine in the tent”. Unfortunately not even a locked tent is safe from thievery, in fact it’s possibly an even more likely target as a lock suggests there are goodies inside. Lots of people come back to find their tents sliced open and all their valuables gone, which I have to say does not look like a fun experience. The best way to avoid this it to get a locker - a lot of festivals use external locker companies which allow you to reserve a spot in advance. Check to see if this is the case before you go, that way you won’t be left without one if you get there late. In terms of the location of your festival, this will obviously have a big impact on the kind of stuff you bring and the kind of tent or accommodation you use. If you’re heading to a festival abroad such as Benicassim it’s worth thinking about bringing some kind of canopy which you can set up over your tent so that you have shade. Also don’t forget the sun cream; being sunburnt and hungover is not fun. If you don’t operate well in hot temperatures - which let’s face it, a lot of us Brits don’t - or are particularly squeamish about large ants, it might be worth upgrading to one of the fancier camp sites or even staying in a hotel or hostel. For a British festival this will obviously be a different story, your main
concern here is one thing: mud. Bring wellies. Even if you’re lucky with the weather, pools of mud still manage to form everywhere; it’s some kind of British curse. It’s also worth bringing more pairs of socks than you actually need because many of them will probably end up soggy and gross. When packing your bag it’s always a good idea to bring a bin bag or plastic bag to make extra sure your dirty clothes don’t get mixed up with your clean clothes, otherwise everything ends up damp and slightly mud-stained. I cannot stress how important budgeting is at a festival. Food and drinks on the site are always really expensive and it’s so easy to end up blowing most your money in a couple of days, ruining the rest of the time you have there. Instead, try and be realistic and set yourself a daily budget (this is another time the locker comes in handy as you can just bring out a certain amount of cash for each day). Where possible, get food from outside the main site, particularly lunch and breakfast; this will save you a lot of money. The first time I went to a musical festival I stuffed my bag full of breakfast biscuits and they actually turned out to be a life-saver when I was strapped for cash and feeling too exhausted to move. Always buy big bottles of water to keep in the tent too as it’s pretty easy to forget to keep drinking fluids, and all too easy to get dehydrated, particularly when you’re drinking alcohol and dancing a lot. Now onto the classic festival survival items. First on the itinerary:
earplugs and eye mask. No they don’t work brilliantly but there will probably come a point in the middle of the day, near the end of your festival where the exhaustion hits you and you really need a power nap… without the sound of someone drunkenly singing nearby. Next things: toilet paper and hand sanitiser. It’s a fact universally acknowledged that toilets at festivals are gross. There will never be toilet roll or a place for you to wash your hands. Seriously, you will be so glad you remembered these when you see a portaloo on the last day. Finally: sleeping bag and tent. A lot of people will tell you that a pop-up tent is a life saver, and to some extent it’s true, they are easy to put up. However, folding them back down again isn’t so easy. Some people will opt for buying a cheap pop-up tent and just leave it there at the end of the festival. If you’re going to do this at least dispose of it properly at the end, rather than leaving it for some poor sod who works there to try and deconstruct. I’d also recommend getting at least a two-man tent, even if it’s just for yourself. Single person tents are usually really small and awkward. Plus - having a tent you can actually sit up in makes keeping your stuff organised that bit easier. Overall, festivals are a great way to enjoy music, comedy and much more. Roughing it a bit is all part of the experience. So long as you are reasonably sensible and go with good friends there’s no reason you won’t have a brilliant time! (And seriously, don’t forget the hand sanitiser).
Pictured: Festivals are a fun but intense experience. (Photographer: Carol C via Flickr)
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The first time I went to a musical festival I stuffed my bag full of breakfast biscuits and they actually turned out to be a life-saver.
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ADVICE 9
#Badvice: Procrastination
Ellie Cassie
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All the best tips on how to avoid that end-of-term workload altogether
he Oxford English Dictionary defines procrastination as “the action or habit of postponing or putting something off ”. And yes. I did look up the exact definition as a means of procrastinating... rather than writing my article on procrastination. As students who have voluntarily chosen to enter higher education and paid thousands of pounds for the privilege (*cough cough* we know who to blame for that!), it’s only rational that we should go to all means possible to avoid achieving anything of value with our time. You don’t want to write a boring essay about an old dead man and your tutor probably doesn’t want to read it. So instead, why not apply yourself
to mastering the intricate art of procrastination? Netflix, DVDs, video games, books (other than the ones you’re supposed to be reading, of course) – these are the essential tools of the trade. But the key to successful procrastination, is not to limit yourself. If you really put your mind to it you can do anything to get out of revision. Even cleaning the bathroom or paying the electricity bill can be used as methods of distracting yourself from work. Highly skilled procrastinators are able to waste hours by simply staring out of the window and watching the graceful sight of two seagulls attacking each other over a mouldy banana skin. For those who are just beginning their training,
why not try avoiding doing work by writing a highly detailed and colourcoded ‘To Do’ list of all the work that you should be doing? That’ll be useful. Probably. Of course you can’t avoid the inevitable for ever. But why wouldn’t you want to put it off for as long as possible? The inevitable is scary. It definitely won’t be as nice as watching the telly and eating biscuits. Which incidentally is what I have been doing for the past three weeks. We only live once after all so you may as well enjoy the limited time you have on this earth and it’s a universal truth that the ASSL is where dreams go to die. Most of us will eventually reach the point where the pressure starts
to become unbearable. But if you feel yourself thinking about opening your books… STOP! Repeat these calming mantras to yourself – “I can always wake up early tomorrow,” “I’d done less by this point last year” and last but not least, “I work better under pressure.” Then take three deep breaths and pull the duvet very slowly back over your head. The truth is that everybody is guilty of running away from responsibility. I myself am writing this article on procrastination as a means of procrastinating. And I must say it’s going very well indeed. Even as I type this, that small irritating voice in the back of my head telling me to go to the library is getting fainter and fainter...
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Highly-skilled procastinators are able to waste hours simply staring out of the window.
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Social Media
Emma gives her advice on staying safe and avoiding distraction Pictured: Social media is often distracting to students. (Photographer: mkhmarketing via Flickr)
Emma Tranter
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The most important thing to remember about staying safe on social media is just to be sensible!
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S
ocial media is a key part of most of our everyday lives nowadays that often we don’t even think about how much we use it. As great as it is, it can present some risks and dangers – whether to yourself and your future or just to your productivity! Here are some things to bear in mind: The most important thing to remember about staying safe on social media is just to be sensible! There is a lot of scaremongering about the dangers, or how many people are out to catfish, but if you’re careful and aware you have no need to worry. Never share bank details, and be cautious of the contact details you share. If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, is harassing you etc, block and report them – it’s not worth arguing with people who are deliberately bothering you. If you’re being threatened, harassed or cyber-stalked, and blocking and reporting the people harassing you
isn’t getting you anywhere, it might be worth getting advice from an organisation like cybersmile, and it may be necessary to contact the police. If you’re meeting people from online, whether on a Tinder date or meeting a friend you made online, do it in a public place you know you’ll be safe in – it’s unlikely that it will be a precaution you need to take but even if the person you’re meeting isn’t a threat, being somewhere you can escape from quickly is convenient in case you don’t get along as well as you hoped! Sometimes it’s worth being a little cautious about what you post online – especially if it’s under your full name, since potential employers may Google you, and you don’t want your online presence to cost you a job! If you want to be able to interact with friends online to share more private details, it’s worth considering the privacy settings of your account. For
example, if you want a place to vent about sensitive details of your personal life on Twitter, it’s worth doing that on a locked account, or at the very least, not using your full name on your account if you think it might affect your As for keeping social media from becoming a distraction, especially at this time of year when there is so much studying to be done, it’s really helpful to set times for studying where you’re not on social media, and stick to them. If that kind of discipline is hard, you can download apps to keep you off social media. ‘Forest: Stay Focused’ is good for mobile, it grows trees while you’re working and if you try to use your phone while a tree is growing, it kills the tree! It’s a bit annoying to not be able to use your phone but it’s a good way of keeping you focused and you can measure your progress and productivity – it grows a virtual for-
est for all the time you spend working! As well, there are a variety of browser extensions you can download to keep you off distracting sites, things like ‘Stay Focused’ for Chrome and ‘Self Control’ for Mac. Beyond that, you can delete social media apps off your phone, that way when you reach for your phone to distract you, you won’t be able to waste time on social media so easily. If that doesn’t work, deactivate your accounts! You can deactivate Twitter for a month before it deletes your account, and you can deactivate Facebook indefinitely – all your account data is saved but your account disappears for a while, and you can’t access it without reactivating it! With Facebook, you can still access the Messenger app on your phone while you’ve done this, so you have no need to miss out on important conversations in your group chat.
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You can deactivate Twitter for a month before it deletes your account, and you can deactivate Facebook indefinitely.
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Feel unsaFe and haven’t got the cash to get home? simply Follow these steps... ➊ Call Dragon Taxis on 029 20 333 333 quoting ‘Cardiff
University Safe Taxi Scheme’, giving your name and student number
➋ When the taxi arrives, give your student card to the driver to check your booking details
➌ When you get home, you’ll be given a receipt card detailing the fare
➍ Within the next few days, visit the Finance Office at the Students’ Union and pay the price of your taxi fare
➎ Access to University services will be blocked if the taxi fare is not paid. Home please!
SAFE yeah!
respect!
comment
COMMENT 11 Editors: Em Gates Charley Griffiths David Williams @GairRhyddCom comment@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/comment
Dear Cardiff University, I’d like a refund.
Alex Butterworth
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If we need to print off essays and hand in hard copies in order for the university to acknowledge and mark our work, surely we should get free printing to cover that.
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W
e all have our little gripes about things the university could do better. But then, with a student body of around 30,000, it would be unrealistic to expect the university to be able to satisfy everyone. People are always bound to have different preferences, and so we have to be somewhat understanding. But at the same time, we are paying £9,000 a year for our education. If you want, you can argue that a lot of students don’t believe they’ll ever pay off their debt, but for those of us who take out a student loan to cover our fees, the government is paying the university for us, so Cardiff as an institution is still getting £9,000 per every single one of us. For that price, we’d expect some of the basics to be covered. If there are compulsory readings, surely we should all be able to access them for free. If there is necessary equipment, surely we should be provided access to it by the University. I’m a third year English Language dissertation student. There are nine of us in my year. That’s less than 10 per cent. Clearly, we’re seen as a negligible amount by our School, as the
support they offer us is minimal. My study involved audio recording my participants to look at their speech. The university didn’t offer me any recording devices to actually make this possible. For lots of you, maybe this wouldn’t be a problem, as you’d already have a device which would be suitable, but anyone who knows me will tell you of my reputation for owning terrible phones, and there is no way I could ever have stored the data for up to 12 participants a day, as at time I’ve had to. If it weren’t for kind friends, I couldn’t have collected any data. Investing in one small recording device shouldn’t be too much of a problem when the department must have a student body worth about £3,240,000 a year. When Engineering, Chemistry, Biology and Physics students all have access to fully equipped labs, it’s much easier to see what they’re getting for their money. As an English student, we aren’t even allowed to book out empty seminar rooms in our building, to record participants or more generally for quiet study purposes. Another big one for me right now is printing costs. Printing costs has
been an aggravation for me throughout my university career, as I don’t own a printer myself and all my essays have to be handed in as hard copies. It would probably be less irritating to me if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve lived with Physicists and Psychologists who get free printing credits from the university and yet are never required to print any of their essays out. If we need to print off essays and hand in hard copies in order for the University to acknowledge and mark our work, surely we should get free printing to cover that. But we don’t. When I hand in my dissertation, I am required to provide two softbound hard copies. The binding alone will be £4. The pages of graphs I need to include mean the document will have to be printed in colour. The appendices alone take up 21 pages. I estimate the whole thing will cost me around £20. It’s not just me. It’s not just dissertation students who are watching their £9,000 go seemingly down the drain. We have all, at one time or another, been put in rooms too small for our lecture, been covered by staff members who don’t really know the
topic, or who are frankly only there because the university wants their name associated with their research and don’t care whether or not they can teach. We’ve been given time frames that our lecturers can’t stick to, we’ve had important questions about assessed work ignored at crucial points, we’ve been given half the story when all the information is relevant. Our department has recently asked us to complete feedback forms for our modules. We were instructed not to say anything that would offend anyone. I know they’re saying that because they want us to be respectful of the staff, and so we should, because whatever other criticisms we may have, they have all made significant achievements to get where they are. At at the same time, we, the students, are consumers. We pay our money and we expect a certain standard in return. As a third year student, this year is crucial for attaining the grades, skills and knowledge that will set me on a career path that will affect the rest of my life. And frankly, Cardiff, if you were a shop, I’d send this year back.
Pictured: For £9,000 a year we should expect a lot more. (Source: Mart via Flickr)
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We are the students, we are the consumers. We pay our money and we expect a certain standard in return.
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12 COMMENT
New York is soured by its Primary result
Dan Heard discusses his experiences of the Big Apple and the general feeling towards the election
Dan Heard
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Trump, a winner in his home state, of course, must surely be the most famous person to come out of Queens in years.
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George Cook
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Obama has signalled the importance for African Americans to be more willing to talk and engage with lawmakers.
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The change Obama believed in has not prevailed or materialised.
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I
love New York. Don’t worry, I’m not going to quote the intro to Woody Allen’s Manhattan line for line to make my point. But I really do love New York. I spent a long weekend there recently, doing all of the touristy things, obviously. Top of the Empire State Building, check. A visit to the Statue of Liberty, check. Time Square, Broadway, Ellis Island… and I learnt a fair bit too. Did you know Joseph Pulitzer, the founder of the most esteemed prize awarded in journalism, was a Hungarian immigrant who passed Lady Liberty on his way to the Land of the Free? And that on a clear day, from atop the Empire State’s eighty sixth-floor viewing platform, you can see for nearly fifty miles in any direction? Certainly, the crowd up there with me taking in the stunning views couldn’t have epitomised the Big Apple better, people of all ages and speaking an array of languages, weaving in and out of the way of each other. But even on top of the world (figuratively), I couldn’t escape my burning question. How many of these visitors are Donald Trump supporters? How many New Yorkers are? My guess? From this group, very few. At least, I assume that is the case. Of the hundreds who passed me during the half hour or so I was up there, only
a few could have fallen into that category. But of the city as a whole? A city that is traditionally staunchly democratic? (Manhattan, coincidently, was the only county in the entire state of New York not to vote for Trump in the city’s Republican primary, choosing instead the supposedly moderate Ohio Governor John Kasich). After a quick Google, I had my answer. New York is kicking some Republican ass in terms of votes, with less than twenty five thousand rooting for the ‘big’ three of Trump, Kasich and Texas’s Ted Cruz in Manhattan, while former New York Senator and Chappaqua resident Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie ‘Feel the Burn’ Sanders won more than ten times that in the inner-city borough. Interestingly, three of the five candidates could call the city home last week. Trump, a winner in his home state, of course, must surely be the most famous person to come out of Queens in years, his Trump Tower (which he doesn’t own by the way, just has his name written on massive gold letters. Very classy though) nestled off Fifth Avenue. Sanders is Brooklyn Bernie, though is currently Senator of Vermont, while Chicago-born Hillary, who swept to victory over her rival, is a Westchester County-dweller these days, eight years after her term as Governor ended. Each
candidate had the opportunity to make the place their stage, their platform for their vision for America. Which is a lot more than Mr Cruz did anyway. Hosting an astoundingly lacklustre event in the famous Bronx, and suffering the consequences of a comment he made earlier in the campaign critical of ‘New York Values’ in comparison to those of the American heartland. Wait, don’t you know about ‘New York Values’? Neither does Cruz. His comments implied a certain definition of ‘New York Values’ that places them in sharp contrast with ‘American Values’. While the former might include brusqueness, a fondness for big government and a penchant for bagels and cheesecake, the latter includes a strict adherence to the Second Amendment, (Good ‘Ol Ted founded a club in college in which members memorised chunks of the damn thing, such is his wack-job commitment), an idea of religious liberty for Christians and a desire to ‘carpet bomb’ enemies of the United States (probably shouldn’t put that bit in parenthesis, he legitimately wants to…) Of course, these categories are arbitrary and devoid of any fixed meaning, they are myths that the candidates can deploy to advance their campaigns according to the direction of the political winds in any given week.
Rather than abandoning these concepts, though, I would argue that New York values and American values are far more similar than they are different. I learnt from my time at Ellis Island that New York City has represented the gateway to the United States for millions of immigrants who have irreversibly shaped the face of the country, like Mr Pulitzer (Cruz himself, born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father, has an American story deeply coloured by immigration. But let’s not mention that) Thanks in part to its history of immigration, New York is incredibly diverse in racial, ethnic and linguistic terms. Its residents speak a staggering eight hundred different languages (and Trump only likes one of them). But like the rest of the country, it is troubled by a laundry list of very serious problems, from which there appears no quick fix. In the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan and while walking along the packed streets, I was repeatedly struck by the incompatibility between the worldview of division, deportation and isolation espoused by Trump and Cruz and the very existence of a multicultural city like New York. I still love the ‘City That Never Sleeps’, but lost a fair bit thinking about just what the primary’s victors have planned next.
As the first ever black US President, has Obama really improved race issues?
E
lected the first black president of the United States, Obama embraced change and put the message at the heart of his campaign in order to alter the social and political attitudes of people across America. However, on a recent visit to London, he said that BlackLivesMatter ‘can’t just keep yelling’ but many responded with anger at how else they expect to be heard. Now even Obama himself, at the end of his presidency, has possibly come to the realisation that the change he once envisaged is a fight that is going to continue long after his second term as president has ended. Walter Scott, Freddie Gray and Michael Brown; the list could go on. These are all but a few of the victims of police brutality and targeting of African Americans. BlackLivesMatter argue not much has changed, and their fight for the fairer treatment of black people is only going to continue and to end, what they see, as the systemic racial prejudice of many police departments in the US. But has Obama done enough to improve the lives of millions of African Americans? In many ways, Obama has achieved a great deal. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), an improved economy and increased funding for education have all been key accomplishments of his administration. In fact, many of them have benefitted African Americans as they are some of the least likely to be covered by medical insurance and struggle with finding employment. However, it is clear that there has been
limited significant legislation that will explicitly benefit African Americans. Gay marriage was legalised; illegal immigrants were given increased rights but where was the improvement for the black community? Obama has arguably failed to live up to the message of the change he thought was achievable for the people who required it the most, and the facts don’t lie. 25 per cent of black households live below the poverty line compared to eight per cent for whites and they are twice as likely to be unemployed. This highlights the difficulties many African Americans face but also the challenge for politicians to make a clear difference for blacks. Obama has signalled the importance for African Americans to be more willing to talk to and engage with lawmakers instead of trying to make a difference from the outside. Whilst many blacks do not trust politicians or the political system in the US, it is arguably better to be involved in talks than fighting for change as an outsider which is proving a much harder route. It should also be noted that the American political system is extremely complex with three branches of government: The Judiciary, The Executive and The Legislature. These three branches have the aim to balance out the powers of the other and Obama has faced strong opposition in Congress towards many of his policies. Furthermore, highlighted by police brutality, it is evident that some of problem lies in the police departments and it would be virtually impossible for Obama to change or al-
ter a system that states, cities and towns have control of across America, especially given the attitude towards government intervention. The change that Obama believed in has not prevailed or materialised. Race relations in the US have arguably not been this bad since the 1990s with the
Rodney King riots and there are many challenges ahead if they are to be improved. Evidently, he could have done a great deal more for African Americans. And, if anything has been learned from his presidency it is this: the election of a black president has not improved race relations or the socio-economic circum-
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But like the rest of the country, it is troubled by a laundry list of very serious problems, from which there appears no quick fix.
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Pictured: Obama had the chance to improve race relations. (Photographer: Michael Kovac)
COMMENT 13
Making waves in the music industry
Em Gates
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People are always going to want the most high quality music, for the cheapest price. What’s going to happen if that’s not an option?
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Alex Butterworth
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The idea behind the different levels of loan is that families with larger incomes are assumed to assist their children financially.
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I
t’s fair to say that music has changed a lot in the last ten years. Switching from hard copies like CDs and tapes over to digital MP3, and now to streaming sites, there doesn’t seem to be one definite way that we listen to music anymore. Then just when Spotify seemed to be the answer to the music industry’s issues, celebrities came along and messed it up. I’m talking about singers like Taylor Swift and Adele, who have now taken their most recent albums off the music streaming website. Now, I know there are many reasons for this, which in my opinion is mostly looking after their own interests. However, I can see how the damage that these sites can do to the industry by not properly supporting the people that create the music. In this way, I understand why so many celebrities are supportive of Tidal, as in the eyes of the creators they are just sticking up for the little guys. With so much music being taken off these streaming sites, it’s just being made more prominent to pirate, as there is no way of streaming or buying without subscribing to this (not exactly cheap) streaming
site. That’s surely biting themselves in the bum, isn’t it? It’s these sites which I am sceptical of. Don’t expect me to buy the fact that Beyoncé’s Lemonade was coincidentally released three months after Kanye’s Life of Pablo, exactly when all free membership trials had ended. Releasing this album now, rather than a few weeks ago or sometime in the future, perhaps making people want to stay on and pay subscription fees, well, that’s just sneaky. I don’t appreciate it. Especially after Kanye’s whole “My album will never never never be on Apple. And it will never be for sale... You can only get it on Tidal.” speech and then for it to go to iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify etc, just as Bey did with her new album a few days after it exclusively streamed to Tidal… Let’s just say the trust for Tidal has definitely gone out the window. The fact that Jay Z, Kanye, and Tidal are currently facing a court case by a customer who felt they were mislead by Kanye’s earlier speech makes me think that I’m not the only one. People will always want to have their music on one platform rather than through five different streaming
sites and an iTunes account. People will always want hard copies. People are always going to want the most high quality music, for the cheapest price. What’s going to happen if that’s not an option? Are they going to pay for Spotify, and Apple Music,
and Tidal? I doubt it. You’re just advocating piracy here Adele, Taylor, Kanye, and others. You’re really just shooting yourself in the foot, and I really bloody hope you notice this before you splinter the music industry any more than it already is.
Pictured: Kanye is causing a stir. (Photographer: Aaron Vazquez)
Landlords and student living companies are ripping us off
W
e’ve all seen the signs for the new luxury student accommodation going up around the centre of the city. The new Summit House accommodation is located on Windsor Place, and advertises itself as “student living. Just better.” The cheapest room available is £8,543 for 51 weeks. The average rent for students in Cathays is around £275pcm, not including bills. Without a reduced summer rate, that’s £3,300 a year. So Summit House accommodation costs over 250 per cent more than standard room prices. For new students starting university this year, those receiving the maximum amount of student loan will get £8,200 a year. Clearly, luxury student accommodation is not meant for everyone. Standard house prices in Cathays will leave new students on maximum loan with around £4,500, which would leave them with a budget of over £85 a week. That’s definitely plenty to live off. So as it is, these students can afford accommodation and living, and could afford to save a considerable amount a year. But what about students who receive the minimum amount of loan? Students starting university in September could receive a loan as low as £3,821. Although this could cover rent and bills, it won’t leave them much left over. The idea behind the different levels of loan is that families with larger incomes are assumed to assist their children financially, but where they can’t or won’t, it’s a lot of pressure for students to stay on top of their studies while also holding the
responsibility to earn all the money they need in order to eat. Can students cope with increased rent prices? Prices in the Cathays area seem to be on the up, and it’s not just private accommodation. For those in university accommodation blocks, the minimum yearly rate has gone up from £3,207 for the 2013-2014 academic year, to £3,598.88 this year. I know that my particular block of halls has received a bit of a makeover since I lived there. I have to ask not only if the new decor is worth the almost £400 extra that students are being charged, but whether it was needed at all. I lived in University Hall, with spacious rooms and kitchens and the free bus service. If the university is going to spend money improving accommodation, maybe it would be better used tackling the silverfish epidemic in Taly. For private accommodation, those receiving the maximum loan amount can definitely afford an increase in rent price. Those whose loan barely covers their rent may or may not be able to withstand an increased price, depending on how much their parents are able to help them out. With inflation, all prices rise. If student loans match this, the financial aspect of an increase in price may not be too great an issue. However, should prices rise? For a four bedroom house, my housemates and I paid a total of £500 in agency fees. Our rent is £275 per person a month. Our water bill is included, but that’s it. We spent the winter without heating because our boiler is inefficient and probably leaking gas (our gas safety certificate is blank) and
costs an extortionate amount to use. Despite this, only two rooms in the house have windows which don’t let a draft in. Our contract says that we should have been provided with a television, and ten months later we still don’t have one, despite numerous complaints. Half the appliances are of questionable reliability, and the fuse box definitely needs a service. The house wasn’t cleaned before we moved in, and the letting agents repeatedly attempt to enter the property without 24 hours’ notice. We even signed for a different house, and two weeks before the beginning of our contract were told that the house was not in fact available and we had to find another one. Despite all this, our
house is still pretty decent for student accommodation - at least we don’t have mould or rodents. If this is the quality of service and the standard of living we receive for the £13,150 we’re paying this year (and that’s not including the deposit you know they’re going to try to withhold), I think it’s only fair to say we aren’t getting what we’re paying for. An increase in rent price would be preposterous without a matching increase in quality. In fact, there should be stricter standards whether the price increases or not. It’s a wellknown fact that landlords try to take students for a ride, and it’s time we, the university, and local government take a stand.
Pictured: Senghennydd is one of the cheapest of Cardiff residences, but will it create a class war against private halls? (Source: Marc via Flickr)
14 COMMENT
God save the Queen?
As the coverage of the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations dies down, do we really need a monarchy in Britain anymore?
Get rid Sophie Broad
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Abolishing the monarchy would in no way hinder our society, if anything it would prove it to be progressive.
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I
t was hard to miss the photos released recently for the Queen’s ninetieth birthday, and even the most fervent republican would be lying if they said seeing little Prince George meeting Barack Obama wasn’t even a tiny bit adorable. Yet this is what these pictures are there to do, instil emotion and distract from the fact that the monarchy is an archaic and bizarre institution to still have in the twenty first century. Most defenders of the monarchy will be quick to remark that that the Queen brings in a lot of money and that tourism would inevitably decline without her. Yet, assuming tourism would slow due to her absence is a groundless argument. It essentially only works on the assumption that people visit royal tourist sites solely because the monarchy is still in existence – France seems to be doing alright. Even still, the most popular tourist spots in the UK last year were mainly museums and attractions with no relation to the monarchy. Increasingly, having a dislike for the monarchy has become synonymous with being unpatriotic. This became clear after Jeremy Corbyn was widely criticised for not singing the national anthem ‘God Save The Queen’. David Cameron, on the
other hand, sings it with pride and he definitely cares more about the country and the British people, right? I wouldn’t call myself particularly patriotic, but a lot of anti-royalists are. We don’t need the monarch to be some sort of figurehead for patriotism. There is so much more to being British than supporting a family who were simply born into an incredibly privileged lifestyle. Why is it deemed unpatriotic to reject an institution that has no control over the welfare of its people? This whole association is wrong and I would argue that tradition isn’t synonymous with good, either. Abolishing the monarchy would in no way hinder our society, if anything it would prove it to be a progressive one whereby hereditary positions are not regarded as legitimate. The royal family is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, which means they cannot be held accountable or be investigated to see whether they have any degree of political influence. Fundamentally, having a monarch devalues the effort to achieve equality. If we are truly striving to uphold democratic principles in Britain, then abolishing the monarchy and having an elected head of state is a necessary step to take.
I
love the Queen. I really do, I think she’s an incredible lady who does so much towards making Britain what it is. My mother and I adore the Royals, unlike my older brother who is the total opposite. Here’s why the Queen is so great and why we should embrace and continue to love the British Monarchy. The Queen and the rest of the Royal Family really sum up what it’s like to be British – and I’m proud of that. You see Prince Harry endorsing for quality, historic companies like Jaguar and Land Rover. He is also behind the scenes at the Invictus Games (an Olympic style contest for heroes who have been injured in battle), without his Royal status, the Games probably wouldn’t thrive. The Queen’s love for the countryside is stupendous and typifies British culture, she’s 90 and still rides horses – incredible. From a business point of view, the Monarchy makes British trade thrive. Royal Warrants have been used since the 15th century, which puts a crest on a brand to show what the Queen and other Royals use. Kelloggs and Hellmans mayonnaise are amongst examples of this, which enhances a product’s marketability. According to a BM Magazine survey, 57 per cent of Chinese shoppers are influenced by
the Warrant when it comes to buying British lifestyle items. This certification is a major boost when it comes to trade in Asia, the Middle East, and the United States – without it, the British economy would no doubt take a plunge. A lot of people just assume that the Queen does nothing all day – and they couldn’t be more wrong. She carries out around five appointments a week, sifts through 300 letters a day, attends frequent hospital visits, tours overseas, welcomes high-profile guests to Balmoral and Buckingham Palace, takes the horses out, and if she’s lucky, she can sit down at the end of the day with a cuppa and enjoy Downton Abbey – her favourite show, I might add. She is said to be the hardest working Monarch of all time. Without the Monarchy, the British and London economy especially would struggle, just think of the amount of tourists who visit the UK to see Buckingham Palace and other Royal establishments. It’s truly astonishing what the Royals do for Britain – and whether if you like it or not, the Queen’s face is likely to be sitting in your pocket right now. And let’s be honest, Christmas Day wouldn’t be what it is without her broadcast – long live the Queen!
Long Live the Queen James Lloyd
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A lot of people just assume that the Queen does nothing all day – and they couldn’t be more wrong.
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Pictured: Are the Windsors still fit for purpose? (Source: Roy via Flickr)
The Maccabees
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Moose Blood
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THE GAIR RHYDD COLUMN 17
When life gives you lemonade
Helena Hanson
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Lemonade is not about Jay Z. Lemonade is about injustice and anguish. It is a love letter to black women.
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H
When life gives you lemons, make racial, political and feminist statements to combat racism, sexism, and ableism.
ow many tweets have you seen this week with the words “Slay B!” or “YAS Queen!” or “fuck Jay Z, the filthy, conniving, lying, arrogant, and cheating, f-ing prick”? All of the above and associated tweets tell us one thing. Beyoncé has released new music. She has released new music and it is accompanied by a visual that comprises hair flicking, booty shaking and name dropping, yes, Becky, we’re all looking at you. Beyoncé has been dominating the news this week with her brand new, unadvertised, nobody-reallyknew-it-was-coming-out-just-likelast-time-but-you-can’t-keep-doingthis-it-is-getting-predicatable album “Lemonade”. Lemonade has caused such a tumult this week, not because it is a bewilderingly brilliant commentary of racial prejudice and black, female empowerment, no, but because many fans believe it to be an ode to her miserable relationship and cheating husband. It quite literally hurts me that the major reaction to the album has focused on her relationship with Jay Z. Lemonade is not about Jay Z. Lemonade is not about infidelity or betrayal. Lemonade is about black empowerment. It is about owning black femininity. It is about injustice and anguish and women. It is a love letter to black women. Lemonade is not about Jay Z. Those who have attributed Lemonade to Jay Z have missed the point. They’ve missed the politics, “the most disrespected and unprotected person in America is the black wom-
an”, they’ve missed the afro-futurist, utopian imagery, they’ve missed the matriarchal, “fuck-you”, they’ve missed the absolute, unapologetic black-ness that gives the whole album its meaning. Lemonade is a cocktail of sexuality and empowerment and creativity and resilience, a womanist recognition of the South, of America, of black people and femininity. With lyrics like “She dreams of you in both worlds… her hips grind pestle and mortar, cinnamon and cloves”, it over-spills sexual and spiritual magic. I know why we want Lemonade to be about Jay Z, and Beyoncé’s broken heart. I know that we want to imagine Bey in a puddle on the floor crying with a box of Kleenex and a bagel, so we can resonate with her on our level. I know it would make us feel better during our Bridget Jonesesque rendition of ‘All by myself ’ when we’ve been cheated on, as we dribble ice-cream decorated saliva onto our chest and do that gaspysnotty crying, to imagine that Beyoncé Knowles has too experienced this too. I mean maybe she has, maybe. It is perhaps similar to when she released ‘Single ladies’, and she had us all bopping in the club, waving our commitment-free fingers in the air, thinking we were just like Beyoncé. What we didn’t realise is she was swanning around Hawaii with her husband, and planet-sized wedding ring, merrily profiting from our single-ness. This is different, Lemonade isn’t about shaking your finger in the direction of your boyfriend to remind him what he’s supposed to do if he
‘likes it’, Lemonade is important. The seriousness of the narrative materialises with the presence of Gwen Carr, Lesley McSpadden and Sybrina Fulton, who have all lost their son’s to police brutality. Powerful women that were the catalyst to the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and that the media has forgotten, but Beyoncé won’t let us forget. The album puts an end to understanding love and poetry from the perspective of dead, white men. Dickens and Shakespeare have taken a back seat for Kenya-born, SomaliBritish woman, Warsan Shire, whose poetry features alongside Beyoncé’s lyrics. Particularly prevalent in the extract from “for women who are difficult to love”, Shire encases everything it is to be a woman, and tired and through with the status quo. Lemonade, Tidal and Jay –international enemy number one- Z, aren’t the only reasons Yoncé is dominating media of late. She’s not just identifying racism, sexism and encouraging empowerment, but she’s conquering the norms of the modelling industry as well. Her current advertising campaign, for her clothing line ‘Formation’ features American born Jillian Mercado, who defies model conventionality by being a wheelchair user. Mercado is one of around 170,000 Americans to have a hereditary condition called muscular dystrophy. It ranges in severity, but generally causes the gradual weakening of muscles. She has starred in designer brand Diesel’s 2014 advertising campaign, evidencing that you can look a little different, but still be the face of an international brand. She short-
ly thereafter signed to IMG models, alongside Gigi Hadid and Lily Aldridge, and is keeping her name out there, because she wants us to talk about it, and keep asking WHY people with disabilities are exempt from catwalks and magazine covers and fashion websites. We have to talk about it until there’s enough disabled models to not warrant any further conversation about it. Mercado wants us to stop talking about disability so solemnly. Stop representing people with disabilities as people who deserve pity. Presenting healthy, happy, confident individuals within the fashion industry is a positive step for body image and for disability representation. A significant move on Bey’s behalf perhaps, was to feature Mercado in the campaign without any announcement or acknowledgement. It felt authentic and sincere, and a genuine recognition of an entire demographic of people that are often ignored or side-lined. It felt reflective of Mercado’s mantra that disabled models should be so conventional, that their inclusion is not worthy of comment. Not a circular move that will attract headlines and accomplish column inches, but that is ultimately tokenistic. It has to be genuine, it has to be permanent. Thank you B, not for being beautiful, or for creating bangers for us to dance to in Glam, but for giving people like Waran Shire, Jillian Mercado and the #BlackLivesMatter movement your platform, to get us talking, to make us listen. It’s refreshing, and delicious and wonderful, just like… lemonade.
Pictured: Bey yourself. (Photographer: Eugene Wei via Flickr)
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Disabled models should be so conventional, that their inclusion is not worthy of comment. It has to be genuine, it has to be permanent.
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18 POLITICS
p politics
Editors: Carwyn Williams Luke Brett Sam Patterson @GairRhyddPol politics@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/politics
Have a voice: Use your vote Carwyn Williams
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lection week is here at last, after five years of a Labour minority Welsh Government, Wales will vote again. This is a vitally important
35
election. This election will decide how our NHS is run over the next five years. It’s about how children get their education. It’s about how much rent you could end up paying, along with the agency fee. It’s about the different ways that will bring jobs to Wales, so you
can stay in Cardiff. On top of all of that though, this election will send a message to the political parties. Are they performing and delivering what you expect of them. The polling is getting closer, and who knows how the vote will go, just make sure you have a say.
Regional voting intention Dec - April
30
Labour: 29%
25
Plaid: 22%
20
Cons: 19%
15
UKIP: 15%
10
Lib Dems: 8%
5
Other: 8%
0
Here’s your Welsh Assembly election guide: Labour: “Together for Wales” Education
Economy
• •
Environment
•
The party promises a better package of student support than that on offer in England, based on the recommendations of the Diamond Review (which will be published in the autumn). The creation of 100,000 all-age apprenticeships. Give communities better access to schools after the school day.
Health • • • •
Promise to continue to invest more money per person in health and social services in Wales than is being invested in England Vows there will be no top-down, large-scale reorganisation. Cut waiting times by eliminating unnecessary attendance at hospitals and GP surgeries. Action to attract more GPs to Wales.
• • • • •
Guarantee not to increase Income Tax. Offer a tax cut to all small businesses in Wales. 30 hours a week free child-care for 3 and 4 year old’s. Supporting technologies like tidal lagoons. Oppose fracking.
Other • • •
Target of one million Welsh speakers by 2050. Building an extra 20,000 affordable homes. Setting a target of helping 95 per cent of people gain basic digital skills.
Transport •
37 2011 regional vote percentage
To deliver a relief road for the M4 around Newport
Plaid Cymru: “The Change Wales Needs” Education
Economy
• •
• •
•
Increase tuition fees, but write off £6,000 for every year of study they completed if they return/stay in Wales to work. An additional £100 million for Welsh universities and colleges. Give teachers that are qualified to a Masters level a 10% pay bonus.
Health • • •
To recruit 1,000 extra doctors and 5,000 nurses by 2025. Fully intergrate Health and Social Care, which would be the biggest health shake-up of devolution. A national commitment on cancer, guaranteeing a diagnosis or all-clear within 28 days, by opening new cancer diagnosis centres.
Transport • • •
To deliver the cheaper blue route M4 relief road. Abolish Severn crossing tolls for Welsh residents. Re-open the Carmarthen-Aberystwyth line to connect Wales by rail.
•
Implement a Rebuild Wales programme to invest in transport, telecommunications and energy infrastructure. Create a Welsh Development Agency to sell Wales to the world. Cut business rates for small companies and give more public contracts to Welsh firms.
Environment • •
Oppose fracking and stopping new poen-cast mines. Target of achieving a zero waste Wales by 2030, by banning styrofoam and ensuring public events have provisions for recycling.
Other • • • •
Introduce the right of recall for AMs. Legislate for votes for 16 year-olds. Propose the establishment of a constitutional convention. End the twelve month blood donation ban for gay men.
18 2011 regional vote percentage
POLITICS 19 Lib Dems: “Wales that Works for you” Education • • •
Increase tuition fees, but introduce a Student Living Support Grant for all Welsh students,valued up to £2,500 a year. Reduce infant class sizes to 25. Expand the Pupil Premium, which gives children from disadvantaged backgrounds additional funding.
Health • • •
Ensure there are more nurses on Welsh hospital wards, and ensure safe staffing levels. End mental health discrimination, and legislate to put mental health on equal footing with physical health. Invest £10m in a GP access fund.
Transport • •
Oppose the M4 black route relief road, and upgrade the existing network. Introduce an all-Wales ‘Oyster’ card style service.
Economy • • •
Set up a Welsh Development Bank to support small businesses. Use Welsh Government resources and land to deliver comprehensive mobile phone coverage. Fund 20,000 extra affordable homes.
Environment • •
Produce all of Wales’ electricity from renewable sources by 2025, and for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Introduce a drinks container deposit return scheme.
Other • • • •
Cap letting agency fees and rent increases. Lower the voting age to 16. Campaign to cut VAT on tourism. Inroduce a right to recall AMs.
8 2011 regional vote percentage
Conservatives: “Securing Real Change” Education
Economy
• •
• • •
•
End the tuition fee grant for Welsh students, but pay for half of a students’ rent costs. End the educational maintenance allowance. Fund schools directly.
Health • • • •
Increase NHS spending, investing the money saved from cutting the tuition fee grant. Prevent hospital closures and any reorganisation. Introduce scores on the doors of hospitals. Introduce a Cancer Drugs Fund.
Transport • • •
Start work on an M4 relief road, but do not specify which route. Secure private investment for Cardiff Airport. Consult on increasing the speed limit on the M4 and A55 to 80mph.
•
Create 50,000 more jobs, by supporting small businesses and improving infrastucture. Reform Jobs Growth Wales to be accessible for all ages. Cut income tax. Abolish stamp duty for first-time buyers.
Environment •
Prevent irresponsible development on high flood risk areas.
Other • • •
Cut ministerial pay by 10%. Protect rent to buy for council tenants. Deliver universal super-fast broadband by 2019.
23 2011 regional vote percentage
Green Party: “For People. For Planet.” Education • • • •
Scrap tuition fees for Welsh students studying in Wales. Ensure all pupils have access to mental health services. Introduce fee and maintenance loans for postgraduate students. Free childcare for children before school age.
Health • • • •
Remain opposed to all NHS privitisation. Make eye and dental checks free for everyone. Tackle addiction as an illness, not a crime. Restrict the advertising of high sugar drinks and foods.
Transport • • •
Invest in the South Wales Metro and re-opening the Carmarthen-Aberystwyth rail connection. Cancel the M4 relief route. Implement more 20mph in residential areas and villages.
Economy • • • •
Create 50,000 more jobs, by supporting small usinesses and improving infrastucture. Reform Jobs Growth Wales to be accessible for all ages. Cut income tax. Abolish stamp duty for first-time buyers.
Environment • • • •
Produce all electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030. Require all councils to implement community energy strategies. Fight Westminster not to invest in nuclear in Wales. Invest in upgrading the housing stock, to make them more energy efficient.
Other • •
Promote digital literacy. End the twelve month blood donation ban for gay men.
3.4 2011 regional vote percentage
UKIP: “Raising the Dragon” Education
Economy
Health
Environment
• • • • • • • •
Abolish tuition fees for students studying STEM subjects. Introduce statuory modern foreign language teaching from age 7. Allow existing schools to become grammar schools. Introduce elected local health boards. Invest savings from management costs in patient care. Seek to train the required number of doctors and nurses we need in Wales. Ring-fence mental health funding at a higher level at present. Pilot the intergration of fire and ambulance response.
Transport • • • •
Abolish the Severn Bridge tolls within two years. Support an M4 relief route. Sell Cardiff Airport as soon as possible. Freeze rail fares.
• • • • • •
Support lower Council Tax. Lobby for a cut in tourism VAT. Bring empty homes back in use. Axing the budget for climate change projects. Oppose building projects on greenbelt areas. Oppose mega-dairies.
Other • •
Make St. David’s Day a bank holiday. Save the pub through tax breaks for smaller breweries, and opposing minimum pricing for alcohol.
4.6 2011 regional vote percentage
20 POLITICS
Voting: How does it work?
Carwyn Williams
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The more constituencies a party wins, the more votes it would need on the regional ballot to get a regional seat.
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Carwyn Williams
T
You’ll have two ballot papers on May 5th for the Welsh Assembly, here’s why
he Welsh elections will be held this year on May 5th, to elect 60 Assembly Members (AMs) to the National Assembly of Wales to make decisions and laws on devolved areas. These areas include all or most aspects of health, education and local government in Wales, so its pretty important. These 60 members are elected using a form of proportional representation, to try and get the percentage of votes to be similar to the percentage of seats, to make it fair. Westminster uses only the first-past-thepost system, which led to the most unfair election ever last year. In the Welsh elections, there are two stages and two votes. 40 Assembly Members are elected using the first-past-the-post voting system, just like last year. Areas are divided into constituencies, and whoever gets the most votes in the constituency wins that seat. The problem with this is that if there are a lot of candidates, someone can win with a small percentage of the electorate (registered voters) voting for them. Last year, only a quarter of the electorate voted Conservative, but they got over half the seats. To combat this, 20 Assembly Members are elected differently with your second vote. The constituencies in Wales are split into five regions; north Wales, mid and west Wales, south Wales west, south Wales central and south Wales east.
I
Each region elects four members. For this, you vote for a party and not a person. Every party has a list of people that would be elected if the party is successful. The number of regional members elected from each region depends on the number of votes on the regional ballot and the number of members elected from the constituencies in that region. The more constituencies a party wins, the more votes it would need on the regional ballot to get a regional seat. If the party does not win any constituencies in a region, it needs fewer votes on the regional list to win one. This is to make sure no one party can dominate unless they get a very high percentage of the vote. To get technical, the electoral commission sums it up well: “regional seats are awarded using a quota system. The quota is the total number of regional votes received by a party or independent candidate divided by the number of constituency seats already gained in that region +1. So, for a party with no constituency seats the number of votes received is divided by one. If the party has secured one constituency seat in that region then its number of votes is divided by two, if it has two seats in that region it is divided by three, and so on.” So, you will get two ballots in the Welsh elections, one for the constituency, and one for the region, get voting!
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40 AMs are elected using the first-pastthe-post voting system, via constituencies.
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The constituencies in Wales are split into five regions. Each region elects an additional four members.
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Cardiff Central Decides: What we learned
n the 2011 National Assembly for Wales election, the Cardiff Central constituency saw the narrowest of results, with just 38 votes separating Labour’s Jenny Rathbone and the Liberal Democrats. Labour won the seat, adding it to ensure they could secure a minority government with half the seats in the Assembly. Cardiff Central decided the election, and decided the government. This year, internal party polling is said to indicate the Liberal Democrats will re-take the seat, but it will be another vitally close election, and we could hold the balance of power. Last Monday, Xpress Radio hosted Cardiff Central Decides, a debate between local candidates to help us make up our minds on who to vote for. Here’s an analysis of every candi-
date’s performance, and the policies they are emphasizing.
Labour
Whilst Jenny Rathbone is the current AM, she could not be present at the debate. Cardiff North’s Julie Morgan took her place, to defend the record of her government. Morgan was proud to stand on the record of Welsh Labour since 1999, and said that despite devolution still being pretty new, her party has made some ground-breaking policies. Examples of this include the organ donation opt-in system, as well as paying over half of Welsh students’ tuition fees. On the future of tuition fees however, no promises were made, instead waiting for the review into student funding to deliver its findings later this year.
Liberal Democrats
Eluned Parrott was the most polished on the night, giving insights to how she has made a difference in the Assembly. Parrott came to Cardiff when she was 18, and got into politics because she was angry with the system, and it shouldn’t matter who you are, you should have the best shot at life. She highlighted student issues such as living costs and course information, adding the party would support students’ living costs more than at present. Parrott accused Labour of having a cop-out of announcing their student finance policy, and that the people of Wales deserve to know what their policy is.
Plaid Cymru
Glyn Wise was keen to stress his party’s education policy, adding the cradle to career slogan of their manifesto. Wise also felt strongly about housing, living in Cathays himself, stressed the need for better quality. He said their tuition fee policy is fully costed and is there to benefit the Welsh economy.
Green
The Green Party’s deputy leader Amelia Womack is the local candidate, and stressed that young peo-
ple are central to the decision of the party’s policies. Stressing social and environmental justice, and make sure the needs of Wales are met. She prioritised a patient driven NHS, and would introduce a postgraduate loan for tuition and maintenance fees.
UKIP
Haydn Rushworth represented UKIPs local candidate Mohammed Sarul Islam. He said that after the referendum, people could question UKIPs role, but the party does have a purpose as a libertarian party. He said society needs more power, and more voting power, giving power back to the people. On tuition fees, he said the policy intends to close the skills gap.
Independent
The independent candidate in Cardiff Central, Jane Croad, has a bug to bear about education, that education should be open to everyone. In a good economy, everyone is well educated, and standards are not good enough at the moment. She shares the concerns students have about tuition fees, and urges Labour to make sure they stand by students.
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It will be another vitally close election, and we could hold the balance of power.
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POLITICS 21
BBC Leaders’ Debate
Sambit Pal
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The debate heated up over the issue of reorganisation of the NHS to make it work effectively.
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Sambit Pal reflects on the last of the leadership debates before the election
ssues related to the NHS, the steel industry and education dominated the BBC Wales Debate at St David’s Hall in Cardiff less than a week before the elections to the National Assembly. Leaders of six political parties debated on the issues to woo voters to elect them to the Senedd on 5 May. The First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones set the tone of the debate in his opening remarks when he referred to the junior doctors’ strike in England. “Tonight the Welsh NHS staff is going an extra mile, covering shifts, not only treating people but caring for them. Tonight in England thousands of junior doctors are returning home from picket lines in front of the hospitals they normally staff,” he said. Accepting that there are challenges, the Labour First Minister criticised the Plaid Cymru and Conservatives’ plan to reorganise the NHS. For next half an hour the panelists and the audience discussed probably the most burning issue in this elections: NHS. Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies assured the audience that a Tory government in Cardiff Bay won’t introduce any contract for the junior doctors in Wales. Later, the Labour leader had to face the wrath of all opposition parties on issue of healthcare and the audience too reacted sharply on the ‘waiting time’ be about cancer treatment or GPs or A&E in hospitals. “When I voted for devolution I was proud to do so, I didn’t expect to get second rate healthcare service in this country. In cancer treatment, we are lagging behind England. What will you do to change the system?” asked a lady from the audience. While Carwyn Jones went on to claim that cancer drugs are available
easily and on time in Wales and the cancer treatment scheme didn’t meet success in England, Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood slammed him saying, “It is an absolute scandal that patients in Wales don’t get the same level of treatment as they get in other parts of the UK and the First Minister is in denial every time he is faced with this question.” The Conservative leader, Andrew RT Davies, proposed to set up “Cancer Drug Fund” if they come to power. “Cancer Drug Fund worked in England and it can work here too. We will include not only drugs but cancer treatment in the plan with £10 million in next five year,” said Andrew accusing Carwyn Jones of brushing the issue under the carpet. The debate heated up over the issue of reorganisation of the NHS to make it work effectively. Kirsty Williams of Liberal Democrats criticised the Plaid Cymru’s plan to centralise the NHS and also the Tory plan to put an elected head in every health board. “Reorganisation doesn’t work. We need relentless focus on service delivery. Plaid Cymru’s plan that all the hospitals be run by Cardiff is a disaster. We don’t want a politician in each health board as the Tories. We don’t want politicians in the NHS. We want to take politics out of NHS,” Kirsty said. UKIP leader Nathan Gill turned the Welsh election debate into an EU referendum debate at every available opportunity. “We are opposing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and if it goes through we will see the privatisation of the NHS. The only way to fully oppose it by leaving the EU,” said Nathan. The other current issue that drew reaction from the speakers as well as
the audience was the steel industry. Steel worker Neil Woodcock asked a direct question to the panel, “What will you do to save the steel industry and the 750 steel workers who are losing their jobs this month?” Green Party leader Alice HookerStroud proposed a new ownership model. “Tata won’t care about the workers in the community. They will look at the profit for their shareholders. Yes, nationalisation is a stop gap solution, but you guys in your community can own that plant and the steel can be used for renewable energy and infrastructure projects,” she said. All the speakers stressed on the fact that the steel produced in the country should be used for the country’s own infrastructure projects. “It makes no sense to us to import steel from other countries for the infrastructure projects that this country needs. The Green Energy Projects, the public transport projects, the Tidal Lagoon (in Swansea) – for all these projects we need to use Welsh produced steel,” said Leanne Wood. UKIP’s Nathan Gill once again drew the EU referendum issue into the debate over steel industry as well. “You cannot procure steel from your domestic market only as it is against the EU law. It is not about ownership. It is about selling it in the world market, cutting energy tariff. We may pretend or lie but in reality the solution to the problem is in leaving the EU,” he said. The First Minister urged the UK government to take measures to drop the energy prices and assured, “I will go above the party politics to work with the Tory government to ensure that jobs are saved.” In the segment dealing with education, the issues of closure of rural
schools, need for vocational training and grammar school, leadership of schools, funding the schools and training teachers at the school level came up for discussion. When a final year student from Coventry University asked the politicians to focus on students’ living cost, Tory leader Andrew RT Davies promised to invest £400 million for funding students’ living cost and Kirsty Williams promised £2,500 as living cost. The Labour and the Plaid Cymru got into a spat over tuition fee for the university students. While Carwyn Jones assured that “the students will not have to pay £9000 as their tuition fee and we will not charge a fine like the Plaid Cymru proposes to do if students go to England or other countries and don’t return to Wales immediately.” Confronting the Labour leader, Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood argued, “The existing student support system is not sustainable in the long run. Now we are funding students who are leaving Wales and we are inadvertently funding the universities in other countries when Welsh universities need that money. We want the students to contribute to the development of the country.” Asked on UKIP’s policy on tuition fees, Nathan Gill explained. “If one studies Science Technology Engineering and Medicine, you don’t have to pay tuition fees if you are studying in Welsh. If you are studying in England, you will have to repay that through a loan system.” As the anchor Huw Edward summed up, it was hard to squeeze all the issues into a 90-minute debate. In reality, all the leaders tried to put up their case before the voters and one will have to wait till 5 May to see what the electorate decides.
Pictured: Candidates at the debate with presenter Huw Edwards. (Credit: BBC)
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The issues of closure of rural schools, need for vocational training and grammar school, leadership of schools, funding the schools and training teachers at the school level came up for discussion.
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22 POLITICS
Dirty tactics undermine mayoral election
The election this Thursday is neck-and-neck between Labour and the Conservatives
Adam George
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The Mayor of London is an extremely prestigious role and the result of this election is going to have a massive effect on the inhabitants.
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his Thursday all political eyes will be focused on the English capital as London elects its new mayor. The London mayor is a very important player in British politics, the new mayor will be the figurehead of London as well as controlling the £17 billion budget allocated to this position. This money is used for London’s economy, to fund London’s transport system, police and fire services and to build homes. Like most British elections the fight to become London mayor is seen as a two-horse race between the Labour candidate Sadiq Khan, and the Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith. It is fair to say that the pair could not come from more contrasting backgrounds. Self-confessed multimillionaire Mr Goldsmith was born into an extremely wealthy family, went to Eton and later worked as editor of the Ecologist magazine for a decade. The Tory hopeful advocates leaving the EU and has served as MP for the London suburb of Richmond Park since 2010. On the other hand, Mr Khan is the son of an immigrant bus driver from inner London and before entering Parliament he worked as a human rights solicitor. The Labour candidate wants Britain to remain in the EU and has been MP for Tooting since 2005. The Mayor of London is an extremely prestigious role and the result of this election is going to have a massive effect on the inhabitants of the capital. Therefore you might assume that London’s sensitive housing crisis, the failing transport infrastructure, the obvious inequalities and the worryingly high poverty levels all to have featured prominently in a well-fought contest for City Hall. However, this has not actually been the case. Instead, the mainstream media have decided to focus on Khan’s supposed “links” to terrorists and not his policies in regards to the problems outlined above. With every passing day the public are fed with a new far-fetched story about Khan, as if this peaceable, moderate man has a hidden agenda to blow up the buses and tubes that he wishes to run. This media coverage is ridiculous and beyond offensive, it highlights the bias that the mainstream
media has against Muslims running for public office. It is not only Khan’s policies that have been overlooked in favour of personal attacks. Zac Goldsmith’s personal fortune, something he has always been honest about, has also been victim of media scrutiny. It would appear that the political classes are more interested in the Tory candidate’s personal fortune and not the more important political fortunes that he possesses. However, it is not just the mainstream media that can be accused of turning this important election into a personal and vindictive campaign. Zac Goldsmith has highlighted the religion of Khan on more than one occasion and has criticised him for sharing platforms with suspected Islamaic extremists. In an interview with Evening Standard, Goldsmith accused Khan for giving “platform, oxygen and cover to people who are extremists”. Goldsmith attacked Khan for sharing a platform with a cleric from Tooting, Suliman Ghani, who is said to be opposed to homosexuality and views women as “subservient”. The Tory candidate questioned Khan’s decision to speak at an event that included the cleric that Goldsmith described as “one of the most repellent figures in this country”. However, this soon backfired after it emerged that Goldsmith himself, actually posed for a photograph with the cleric. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has supported Goldsmith on several occasions. He even used a Prime Ministers’ Questions to repeat such allegations against Khan, claiming that the Labour candidate had shared platforms with extremists “again and again and again”. The Prime Minister argued “if we are going to condemn not just violent extremism but the extremism that seeks to justify violence in any way, it is very important that we do not back these people, and we do not share platforms with them.” This could be seen as slightly hypocritical from a man that attended a conference of evangelical Christians in east London, hosted by the Reverend Adeboye, in April last year. The Rev. Adeboye is well-known for championing Nigeria’s attempt to outlaw homosexuality, in particular
the 2014 Same-sex Marriage Prohibition act, which carries a ten year jail sentence. He also promotes belief in witchcraft, which has led to people being murdered, including children in London. Many people have argued that Zac Goldsmith has been using the politics of division and fear to defeat his rival Sadiq Khan. The high-profile Labour MP, Yvette Cooper, has been very vocal in her criticism of Goldsmith’s campaign. In an article in The Times, she accused the Tories of running an unfair campaign against Khan. Ms Cooper wrote of the Conservative candidate: “With each day, the smears and innuendos get louder. Now the Cabinet is joining in, trying different ways to link Sadiq to Islamist extremism based on no evidence at all. We can’t let this go by- it’s time to call it out for what it really is before it gets worse. What started as a subtle dogwhistle is becoming a full blown racist scream.” There was even a rare intervention from the former Labour leader, Ed Miliband, who condemned Zac Goldsmith. Miliband said “I thought Zac Goldsmith was better than this gutter Lynton Crosby politics – and you can tell he doesn’t really believe it.” Khan himself even described Goldsmith’s campaign as “desperate and negative”, likening the Tory campaign to Trump’s in America. Khan suggested there was “a clear choice” at the election on five May. “A choice between the politics of division and fear that has defined the Tory campaign, or the politics of unity, hope and opportunity that has defined mine. The Tory view of politics is all about division and fear.” If elected Khan promises to build London Living Rent homes where the rents are a third of local wages, freeze public transport fares for four years, promote the London living wage and set up a not-forprofit letting agency. Goldsmith has been quick to dismiss the claims that he is racist or that he has been running a negative campaign. He has described the claims as “absurd” and told the Huffington Post that he has been running an “overwhelmingly positive” campaign. Whilst discussing the claims made by
Yvette Cooper he said “If she is making reference to the questions asked about Sadiq Khan’s past and his links then is she suggesting it’s not legitimate to ask those questions for someone who wants to be Mayor of London?”. Goldsmith also cautioned voters not to let Labour “lefties” back into City Hall and said the Khan-Corbyn project would damage the capital. In his manifesto, Mr Goldsmith promises to bring 500,000 jobs to London, build 50,000 homes a year and freeze mayoral council tax. Talking to Sky News, he said: “I’m determined that all Londoners should enjoy our city’s success, which is why I will freeze mayoral council tax and create jobs. “Under Boris we have recovered from Labour’s great recession, and my action plan for Greater London will build on that success and secure half a million more jobs for Londoners.” However, Goldsmith’s plea not to elect Khan does not seem to be working. The latest YouGov poll, which shows how Londoners will actually vote, shows that the Labour candidate has stretched his lead over Goldsmith to 20 points. Khan has increased his lead over Goldsmith, his closest rival, after distributing second preferences, according to the YouGov poll. When London goes to the polls, voters will be given a first and second preference. The election works under a supplementary vote system, this means that if no candidate wins a majority of votes after all the first choices are counted, the top two candidates proceed, and the second votes of everyone whose first choice was eliminated are then counted. This means that voters’ second choices are actually incredibly important. YouGov believes that Labour is building on its core vote in London, and this is further pushed forward by national Conservative unpopularity. So it looks incredibly likely that London will have its first Muslim mayor on Thursday. a Liberal poster despite not supporting the party. After taking it down, the poster was soon replaced, this time just out of reach. Parrot was keen to emphasise that her party respected the will of voters and asked for the students address post debate to adequately deal with the issue.
Pictured: London is braced for its mayoral election (Photographer: Zolmuhd, via Flickr)
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Goldsmith has been quick to dismiss the claims that he is racist or that he has been running a negative campaign.
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POLITICS 23
The costs and benefits of EU membership for Wales Jamie McKay
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Last year, Cardiff University secured funding for 26 projects under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme.
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Jamie McKay
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A temporary pact between the two remaining challenges to Trump may have been strongly urged by the Republican establishment.
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ith UKIP expected to make huge gains in this Thursday’s Assembly elections, and voters asked to decide on Britain’s future relationship with the European Union in the referendum taking place at the end of June readers may wonder what EU membership has done for Wales. Those arguing for either a Leave or Remain vote have made use of arguments spanning all those issues regarding our membership of the Union from matters of economics, business, agriculture, immigration and security. But just what benefits does membership bring Wales? And what downsides would there be if June sees a Leave vote? Cardiff University itself receives a large amount of funding from the European Union across a range of subjects. CUBRIC (Cardiff University’s Brain Research Imaging Centre), which opened just under a month ago, boasts of being one of the best facilities in Europe for brain imaging. Those students who pass the new building may have noticed the billboard advertising the new centre, along with its main sources of funding. The £16.2 million needed to construct this state of the art facility came from the Welsh Government and the European Regional Development Fund (or ERDF). Though the University’s net gains from the EU don’t end with this new addition to Cardiff ’s range of facilities. Europe invested £4 million in CUBRIC but £10 million in Bangor’s new Science Park, £20 million in Aberystwyth’s In-
novation Campus and £40 million in the new Swansea Bay campus. Two months ago, the Science section of this paper listed the benefits that European funds have brought to researchers based in the United Kingdom. Funds from Europe make up 16% of Britain’s science funding, between 2007 and 2013 the UK won five and a half billion pounds in grants, proving that despite regularly finding ourselves at odds with our neighbours, Britain is remarkably successful at winning EU grants. Last year, Cardiff University secured funding for 26 projects under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme for research and innovation. Especially useful at a time when government science funding faces harsh cuts from Westminster. Benefits to EU membership don’t end with science funding. The Welsh government estimates that since 2007 EU-funded projects in Wales have been responsible for creating 11,925 enterprises, an estimated 36,465 jobs and assisted 72,600 people into work. Other projects have assisted Welsh students in their education, with 227,670 with new qualifications and 55,780 of those in further learning able to thank EU funds for assisting them. Welsh agriculture would also take a serious hit in the event of a leave vote. The common agricultural policy provides around £200 million a year to more than 16,000 Welsh farms. The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, funded by both the EU and
the Welsh government, provides £957 million to farms and businesses across the rural regions of Wales. Last January, First Minister Carwyn Jones clashed with UKIP leader, and Britain’s leading Eurosceptic, Nigel Farage. The First Minister citing his experience in Welsh politics, stated that leaving the union would prove a catastrophe for Wales. Farage claimed that over regulation from Brussels was to blame for the difficulties faced by British industry, an argument that grabbed the audience’s
attention with the difficulties faced by British Steel. Farage came out on top in that debate, but neglected to mention Welsh Government figures showing Europe providing billions to their overall budget. Eurosceptics argue that this money would still be available thanks to the money saved by cancelling EU payments that come with membership. But with both the British and Welsh government’s warning against a Leave vote, readers are asked to carefully consider how they’ll vote this June.
Pictured: The UK will vote on whether to remain in the EU on 23rd June (Photographer: Thijs ter Haar via Flickr)
Cruz and Kasich collude against Trump
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ccording to legend, Ernest Hemmingway once claimed that he could write the world’s saddest story in just six words. In February this year Jeb Bush, one time favourite to win the Republican nomination, beat him with only two. At a town hall meeting in New Hampshire he gave a fiery speech discussing national security. At the conclusion, met with silence from his audience, he pleaded, “Please clap”. Those Republicans who had turned out obliged, but this marked the beginning of the end to his Presidential run, and further fuelled Donald Trump’s campaign. When he first announced his plans to run, the Republican establishment were happy to pour money into Bush’s run for the nomination. When he failed to enthuse the base, and later dropped from the race, the establishment become cautious. Pundits predicted Florida senator Marco Rubio would best the hard-line right-wingers in Trump and Cruz. But with those more moderate Republicans having lost so much of their funds to Bush, some understandable caution prevented them from giving him the backing necessary to decisively block Trump’s run for the White House. With all manner of attacks used against Trump and millions of dollars spent in efforts to prevent him from representing the Grand Old Party come the Presidential election in November, his rivals in Ted Cruz and John Kasich have a announced a pact. Trump has outmanoeuvred his opponents since the beginning of the Republican race defying conventional political knowledge
along the way. Can his two remaining opponents succeed where those now withdrawn fourteen original candidates failed? Republican leaders have urged such an alliance for months now. Or, in some cases, stating that one must withdraw from the race. Cruz’s supporters point out that, while Trump has the clear lead in delegates, their man is the obvious second choice among Republican voters, such is their confidence that last week the campaign revealed Carly Fiorina as his choice of Vice President. In return, Kasich’s campaigners point out that in every poll conducted on the subject, the Ohio governor is best suited to beat Democratic favourite Hilary Clinton in a Presidential election. After months of attacks between the two camps the alliance announced before primaries taking place across the North East coast, termed the “Acela primary” in reference to the high speed line running through the states voting, coming as a surprise to commentators. The plan hopes to see Trump falling short of the total number of delegates needed to claim the nomination at the National Convention come July. If no one candidate wins a majority of delegates the party will resort to an open convention. Effectively this means that all of the delegates bound to respective Republican candidates will find themselves “released” and are able to switch their allegiances to other candidates. Leading Republican figures, realising they cannot beat Trump outright, have spent the past few months preparing for
just such a scenario, talking with delegates behind closed doors. A temporary pact between the two remaining challengers to Trump may have been strongly urged by the Republican establishment for some time but the reluctance between the two camps is understandable. If either of the two candidates stand down to give their new found ally less pressure in select
states they have some chance of denying Trump a clear path before the Convention in Cleveland, but the ‘pact’ has been placed under pressure recently as Fiorina called for Kasich to step down from the Republican race. With the Queens born business mogul coming from a clean sweep of the five states up for grabs last Tuesday, the Republican party may have left it too late to save their party.
Pictured: The GOP establishment looking to stop Donald Trump (Photographer: Gage Skidmore via Flickr)
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SCIENCE 25
science
Editors: Maria Mellor Lizzie Harrett @GairRhyddSci science@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/science
Cardiff University researchers search for atherosclerosis cure Lizzie Harrett
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There is currently no direct cure for atherosclerosis. Current therapies are not fully effective.
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ne of Cardiff University’s main draws is its research might. In the last year we’ve been in the headlines for work with gravitational waves, hallucinations and fossil record studies but we are back at it again with research findings published in PLOS ONE that may help provide a potential cure for atherosclerosis. Cardiff University have collaborated with the South Wales based nutritional supplement manufacturer Cultech Ltd to look into the potential of preventing atherosclerosis through combining marine fish oil, cocoa extract and phytosterols into a dietary supplement. Atherosclerosis is a condition that causes “furry” arteries due to them getting clogged up by fatty substances that are called plaques. It is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is where the blood flow is reduced and can lead to diseases such as strokes and heart attacks. This is something we should all be concerned about, because cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the Western world. One individual is killed by atherosclerosis approximately every 34 seconds.
There is currently no direct cure for atherosclerosis. Current therapies are not fully effective, with most GPs recommending lifestyle changes as a means of reducing the risk of getting cardiovascular disease. Consumption of active food ingredients such as phytosterols, omega-3, polyunsaturated fatty acids and flavanols are known to benefit cardiovascular disease, although the effect that the combined actions of these compounds have on tackling artherosclerosis was poorly understood. The research used cell-based experimental models to examine whether combining these three ingredients into a dietary supplement could inhibit key processes which are associated with the progression of artherosclerosis. Dr Dipak Ramji, from the School of Biosciences, who co-authored the study said: “We set out to examine what happens when you combine omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (found in marine fish oil), flavanols (found in cocoa) and phytosterols.” The research was a success, with Dr Dipak Ramji stating: “The study found, in cell-based models, that combining the three ingredients
could, potentially, help halt the progression of atherosclerosis. The challenge now is to take our findings and examine whether they translate into humans.” The next step is to try and see if this can work in vivo – in animal and human models. The findings are very
much in early stages and it may not translate into an effective medicine for humans. While a cure will be beneficial, saving countless lives, ensuring that people live a health style as a preventative measure is vital and will also benefit their health beyond the atherosclorosis risk.
Pictured: School of Biosciences (Source: Cardiff University)
” Irregular periods linked to increased ovarian cancer risk 15,000 Californian women were tracked in a 50-year study
Lizzie Harrett
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The study found that women who had a menstrual irregularity were twice as likely as women with normal periods to develop it and die from it by the age of 70.
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study has found that women with irregular menstrual periods may have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer in later life. This is the first time that abnormally long cycles or missed periods have been linked to increased risk of ovarian cancer. This contradicts previous research consensus which states that having fewer ovulatory cycles is a protect factor against ovarian cancer. “This study is certainly curious, because it contradicts what we thought we knew about ovarian cancer and incessant ovulation,” says Mitchell Maiman, a doctor at Staten Island University Hospital in New York. The study was a 50-year research project that looked at Californian women. They analysed data from over 15,000 individuals who enrolled in a study in 1959 to track disease risk over a lifetime. They defined menstrual irregularities as cycles which lasted longer than 35 days or a long-term history of infrequent or missed periods. Over the course of 50 years, 116 of the women in the study developed ovarian cancer. The study found that women who had a menstrual irregularity were twice as likely as women with normal periods to develop and die from it by the age of 70.
This research could guide further work about who might benefit from screening or prevention efforts, with Rachel Maiman stating: “If validated this could give us one more risk assessment factor to determine highrisk individuals in which screening is prudent.” Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK with 7,300 diagnosed every year, according to Cancer Research UK. Early symptoms include abdominal bloating and discomfort and can often be misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome. Age is a massive risk factor, with more than 50 per cent of women who are diagnosed being over the age of 63. However, this research should not strike panic into your heart if your periods don’t run as regularly as clockwork. Cancer science news reporting is legendarily sensationalist. We are constantly bombarded in the news media by what does and doesn’t cause cancer – the Daily Mail is infamous for saying that anything and everything leads to increased risk of cancer. From having a big head when a baby to wearing belts to being left handed, they’ve all been linked up. The news articles often also fail to critique the research carried out; some of these sensationalist articles
talk about studies that were carried out on a very small number of people or with a shoddy methodology. It sounds obvious but unfortunately as humans we are all at risk of developing any disease, including cancer. Risk does not equate to actually contracting a disease, just the chance of this – which is often incredibly low anyway.
While this study does have a strong methodology with a large number of people who they carried out the study on, you don’t need to worry. The authors simply found an increased risk in the chances of getting ovarian cancer if you had irregular periods. If you have any symptoms that you are concerned about then contact your GP and push for tests.
Pictured: Period pains? (Photographer: Leslie via Flickr)
26 SCIENCE
‘Darwin’s finches’ have genes identified The varying beak shape of the Galapagos finches have been a textbook example to demonstrate evolution for decades
Lisa Carr
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Until recently the genetic basis for this evolutionary action was unknown, but now scientists have been able to identify the specific genes that played a role in the change.
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heir beaks were the quintessential models of evolution. Now Darwin’s Galapagos finches have become the subject of research endeavours again as scientists have identified the gene that caused the variation in their beak size and shape. On his voyage to the Galapagos Islands in the 1800s, Charles Darwin observed thirteen different species of finches that lived in the isolated region. The finches each had a variety of bill shapes and sizes that suited their individual diets and lifestyles. By observing these differences in morphology in such a remote location, Darwin was able to conclude that all these finches was descendants from an original pair of finches that migrated to the Galapagos islands. It was natural selection over time that lead to differences in their appearance. The common ancestor of all Darwin’s finches was thought to arrive on the Galapagos Islands around two million years ago. So by the time Darwin himself arrived on the shores of the islands, the birds had diversified into many different species, adapted to different ecological niches and different diets. The birds that cracked seeds for their diet had much larger beaks, whereas the birds that snatched insects had a smaller curved delicate beak. Unusually, some birds even had pointy sharp beaks for feeding on blood. In order to not compete with other finches over the same food source, each finch species evolved it’s own beak characteristics that best suited different dietary requirements
so each species could thrive independently. Natural selection favoured certain types of beak over others to suit the environment. The birds with the best traits for a certain diet thrived, reproduced and therefore passed their traits onto their offspring. However, until recently the genetic basis for this evolutionary action was unknown but now scientists have been able to identify the specific genes that played a role in the change. The genomes of 60 birds representing six species of Darwin’s finches were examined, alongside 120 specimens from other species that allowed the scientists to identify the genes that contributed to physical characteristics. Closely related species had the most similar genomes, though this isn’t exactly news to science. However, within the six finch species there was one region of the genome that seemed to account for size of the bird rather than relatedness. Smaller species only had one variation of this genomic region, larger species had more than one variation and medium-sized species had a mixture of the two. This region was the most likely location to hold the individual gene that accounted for size and therefore size of the beak. Further analysis confirmed this when it was found the HMGA2 gene was important for controlling size and beak size. In addition, the researchers were able to look at the role of HMGA2 during the 2003 Galapagos drought that had severe evolutionary consequences. After drought struck the
region, many of the medium-sized ground finches that fed on seeds with their large beaks starved to death. They were unable to compete with another species that fed on the same seed diet, a species that only fairly recently colonised the island. The newer species were better equipped morphologically to eat the seeds and therefore many members of the existing medium ground species died. However, the few that managed to survive from the original population had smaller beaks than those that perished, with the small-beak variant of HMGA2. They were better suited at eating smaller seeds, seeds that the newer population struggled to eat with their huge beaks. DNA analysis on the medium
ground finches that lived around the time of the drought showed that the large-beak HMGA2 variant was more common in the birds that starved to death and the HMGA2 variant that gave a smaller beak size survived and was therefore passed onto offspring. Genetic drift had occurred leading to an overall reduction in beak size. Charles Darwin’s initial reflections paved the way for what we know today about evolution, natural selection and genetic drift. However, research is constantly ongoing to unravel the minute details that substantiate his observations. We are delving into the genetic level of evolution and selection for traits and we are always uncovering more about what shapes the world around us.
Pictured: Top: Finches have a wide range of beaks (Photographer: David Brossard) Bottom: Infographic on beak morphology (Source: Lizzie Harrett)
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Research is constantly ongoing to unravel the minute details that substantiate Darwin’s observations.
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SCIENCE 27
Flaws uncovered in laboratory mouse model
Alice CampbellSmith
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Perhaps the use of animal models in this area of biology would benefit from some reevaluation.
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he mouse is commonly used to study many human diseases from Huntington’s to breast cancer. These experiments provide important genetic clues for studying diseases, bringing us closer to developing lifesaving treatments. On first appearance the mouse may look very dissimilar to a human, yet upon cellular and DNA comparison they are strikingly similar. If these similarities are quantified we share 92 per cent of our genes with mice. So how accurately can mice represent human disease? It would seem that they provide very robust models, and conclusions drawn from experiments on mice are well regarded within the literature. Recent investigations have suggested a host of factors which could undermine that idea. A recent study published in Nature found that wild mice and pet shop mice (known as ‘dirty mice’) have strong and complex immune systems which mimic those of adult humans. When lab mice were exposed to the ‘dirty mice’ their immune systems were strengthened and more similar to that of humans. Lab mice are kept in sterile conditions, which would not affect some work, but it is suggested that these are poor models to “mimic the hu-
” Science Questions: Answered
Why do apples go brown when cut into? Apples contain a lot of iron, and so when they are cut the cells are damaged, allowing the oxygen in the air to react with the iron in the apple. Apples also contain an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase that helps this reaction to go faster. While there’s nothing wrong with eating a brown apple, it may not look the best so some people when making a fruit salad add lemon juice which prevents the polyphenol oxidase from working. Keeping cut up apples underwater will also help as this stops the oxygen from being able to reach it.
man immune system.” This may be because upon encountering pathogens (disease causing microorganisms) and indeed non disease causing bacteria, throughout life and especially in our early years, our immune system becomes established and it is thought that this initial experience is crucial for future function. The importance of this is thought to be linked to allergies, which may arise as the result of inadequate exposure to beneficial bacteria during our first year of life. The mice being born into a sterile lab environment have not had the chance to gain exposure to pathogens and therefore, and it is proposed that they are not reliable model for immunology studies. Perhaps the use of animal models in this area of biology would benefit from some re-evaluation. Alternatively, the methods could be modified. Presently, a variety of procedures can be used depending on the study. These can be divided into categories such as those that look for mutations causing disease or those using behavioural studies. Disease causing mutations can be further analysed in the lab, after initial study in the mouse, to learn about the control of how such abnormalities lead to disease. Neurological diseases
can incorporate both categories, and mutations can be assessed in terms of the production of altered states of behaviour such as time taken to navigate a maze. Lastly, studies on obesity tend to observe feeding patterns. Although these tests seem simplistic and poor predictions of the complex activities humans show, humbling as it may be the results often accurately represent what is observed in human disease. Successful models of disease must have certain qualities, for example low maintenance costs, ease of storing and high rates of reproduction. Although widely used, the mouse is not the only model on offer. At the School of Biosciences there are studies using flies, fish, frogs and even yeast! In combination, these provide immense knowledge on how crucial biological processes work, and more importantly: what goes wrong during disease? The future of the molecular biology of disease may rest in accurate conclusions derived from animal models. Alternatively, work could focus on cell culture owing to the advantages; allowing many more experiments to be carried out at any one time, dramatically lowering costs and avoiding ethical problems.
Biomedical science is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, and what was thought to be impossible at the turn of the century has mostly been achieved. The areas which have most considerably advanced of course include cancer biology but also the study of infectious diseases. In light of emerging threats such as Zika virus, the scientific and clinical community are acutely aware that sustained efforts to control the spread and epidemic development of diseases are necessary. Technology that is currently available means that the time in which labs can assess a new pathogen and begin to develop treatments has dramatically reduced. In the past, the pathogen had to be isolated, cultured, the DNA extracted and analysed and following this interpreted. Such procedures often took weeks or months. However, thanks to genetic tools, it is now possible to gain more information in only a few hours. This means vaccine development, (which has been recognised as the most effective form of prevention for some diseases, such as Tuberculosis) is enhanced by accurate analysis of the disease causing agent. Certainly the war with disease will continue. But science has equipped us with new and evolving tools to fight back.
Pictured: This little guy may be more useful than his sterilised cousins (Source: Cloudtail the Snow Leopard via Flickr)
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When lab mice were exposed to the ‘dirty mice’ their immune systems were strengthened and more similar to that of humans.
Do ostriches actually bury their heads in Why do people throw up after running the Why do animals hibernate? the ground? London Marathon? In the winter the biggest problem wild animals It is a common misconception that ostriches bury their heads in the sand. For a long time people believed that they did do this and that it was because they wanted to hide from prejudice - thus making it a common metaphor for cowardice. If they actually did bury their heads in the sand they would quickly die from asphyxiation. It is believed that this all started because ostriches keep their eggs in shallow holes in the ground, and use their beaks to turn them over. From a distance this could easily look like they’ve buried their head!
There are several reasons why a person may throw up after running a marathon, but the main one may surprise you. When you’re running your body prioritises the flow of blood in your body to go to the lungs and heart, thus reducing the amount non-essential organs such as those in your digestive system get. Because of this, they aren’t able to function as well and so food is digested a lot slower and if you’ve eaten a big meal beforehand you’re likely to find it making its way back up. This is even worse when it’s a hot day as blood is also directed away from the digestive system to the skin to cool down.
is finding food. If certain animals such as bears, tortoises and bats stayed active during the winter period, they would be at risk of using more energy than they’re consuming and becoming malnourished. They go into a deep sleep to conserve energy. Some animals store food in their burrow or den and awake for short periods of time to eat, while others eat extra before hand and store energy as fat. To conserve even more energy, some animals even lower their body temperature or slow their heartbeat!
Tweet us your questions to @gairrhyddsci
”
28 SCIENCE
Student Science: Smoking
Maria Mellor
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It’s not just smoking itself that is a problem, but the fact that anyone around someone who smokes will also be breathing in nicotine, tar and all the other chemicals.
”
Pakinee Pooprasert
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How can we get some proper shut eye when we’re away from our comfy beds? The answer is to simply accept your fate.
”
A
What does smoking actually do to your body?
round 42 per cent of adults claim to have smoked before, with two-thirds of smokers starting before the age of 18. 21 per cent of adults in Wales are regular smokers and we’re always hearing about how it will give you cancer, but what do we actually know about the effects of smoking on the body? First let’s look at the ingredients in the average cigarette. There’s the paper, the filter and the tobacco leaves themselves. Cigarettes also contain ‘fillers’ which are made from other parts of the tobacco plant that usually go to waste mixed with water, flavourings and various additives. When burned, cigarettes produce a smoke made up of nicotine, ‘tar’, benzene and benzo(a)pyrene, and gases such as carbon monoxide, ammonia, dimethylnitrosamine, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and acrolein. The ‘tar’ seems to be what anti-smoking campaigners focus on, as in its condensed form it is a sticky brown substance that stains smokers’ fingers and teeth yellow-brown. There are regulations as to the amount of tar that can be in a cigarette, and there are such things as low tar cigarettes, however cigarette companies are no longer allowed to advertise this. Smoking is appealing to people because of the effects of nicotine. Nicotine supposedly calms you down, but in actual fact it is a highly addictive stimulant that causes a short-term increase in blood pressure and heart rate. This combines with the effects of the carbon monoxide which reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry to create an imbalance in the body’s demand for oxygen and the amount that the blood is able to supply. Smoking can
therefore cause a feeling of lightheadedness. While notices on cigarette packets never fail to remind us that ‘smoking kills’, they don’t tell us exactly how they kill us. Any smoker will probably tell you that the biggest killer is lung cancer - understandably as the most noticeable effect of smoking on a person’s health is their reduced lung capacity. In actual fact smoking’s greatest killer is cardiovascular disease. According to the US Center for Disease Control, lung cancer is responsible for 28 per cent of smoking related deaths while cardiovascular disease is accountable for 43 per cent. Cardiovascular disease is caused because of the effects of the nicotine. Blood pressure is raised, meaning that your heart has to work harder to push blood around your body. The heart becomes harder and thicker, meaning that it is less able to do its job and more likely to fail. As for cancer, it is believed that smoking causes cancer by constantly damaging the lining of the lungs. Smoking affects the eyes as smokers are up to four times more likely to go blind in old age, it affects bones increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Cigarettes turn the skin yellow, and decrease a smoker’s appetite. We’re well aware that smoking when pregnant can be incredibly dangerous as chemicals are passed to the foetus through the bloodstream via the placenta. It increases the risk of stillbirth and cot death, and the child will be more susceptible to infections and health conditions such as asthma. There are flavoured cigarettes such as menthol with a common misconception that they are in some way
‘better’ for you. Research has shown that in actual fact they could be worse for you - menthol smokers are 29 per cent more likely to be hospitalised for reasons relating to smoking. It is believed that menthol has an anaesthetising effect on the trachea, meaning that it’s more difficult to detect health problems. Around half of all regular smokers
will die due to negative health effects from their addiction. Nicotine is what makes people smoke and continue smoking, but it’s also a main cause of the dangers. It’s not just smoking itself that is a problem, but the fact that anyone around someone who smokes will also be breathing in nicotine, tar and all the other chemicals.
Pictured: The packet doesn’t lie (Photographer: James Mackintosh)
Why you get worse sleep in an unfamiliar place
W
hy is good quality sleep so elusive when we sleep away from home? You’re probably familiar with the classic scenario: you kip round a mate’s house or sleep in a hotel bed and wake up feeling like you haven’t got the golden 8 hours. Recent research has concluded that it might be because the left side of the brain refuses to switch off properly when we are in unfamiliar territory. The first night, home away from home angst, is well known in sleep research. Many researchers like Masako Tamaki and colleagues at Brown University have been exploring this universal syndrome, trying to shed light on the potential causes. Tamaki scanned the brains of 11 healthy volunteers while they slept on two occasions, a week apart. The first time, they found that slow wave activity - low frequency patterns of brain activity that correlates to how deeply someone is sleeping - was weaker in the brain’s left hemisphere than in the right.
This suggested that the left side was more alert. A week later, the researchers found that slow wave activity in the left hemisphere was higher and was similar to the right. More importantly, they found that the greater the similarity in slow wave activity in the two hemispheres, the faster their subjects fell asleep. Tamaki postulates that something similar might be going on in our brains the first few nights away from home, when we are placed in an unfamiliar environment. Our left hemisphere might be acting as a ‘night watch’, a monitoring device making sure to alert and detect any potential danger. The reason for such phenomenon is unclear but it might be due to the fact that the left hemisphere has stronger connectivity between its constituent regions, making it a more effective ‘night guard’ than the right. So, the big question is, how can we get some proper shut eye when we’re
Pictured: Sleeping in a familiar place is a lot easier (Photographer: Keli Schimelpfenig)
away from our comfy beds? The answer is to simply accept your fate. Tamaki suggest that you should “try not to worry too much since worrying itself would wake up the brain.
If you need to be well-rested for an event, think about arriving two nights early.” He added, “you can also bring something that makes you feel comfortable with a new place.”
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SDS achievements recognised at Volunteering Awards Ball
On 26 April, at the ‘VOSCARS’ (Volunteering Awards Ball), the Skills Development Service made a special presentation for outstanding service to two of its Student-peer trainers - Ivona Videnova and Gareth Davies - who are graduating with their doctorates this year. Ivona started university in 2008-09 becoming a Student-peer Trainer in 2009-10, and Gareth in 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively. Both have delivered sessions in the Certificates of Professional Development programme in Communication, Personal Effectiveness and Leadership. In 2010-11 Ivona gained her Level 3 NVQ Unit ‘Enable Learning Through Presentations’. Ivona has changed immensely from the unassuming, quietly–reserved student from 2008 and has gone on to become an instrumental and confident personal resource for our department. We have seen her become an effective leader in the team to attain the position of Senior Peer Trainer which she has held for the last three years. Gareth, also a Senior peer-trainer, attended sessions firstly in 2010-11 whereby his flair in feeding back group ideas in presentations was noted by John Steele (Training & Development Manager) and he was asked if he would like to join the Student-peer training team which he duly accepted. Gareth, like Ivona, has also gone to do deliver any session asked of him and in more recent time has been helping in the production and improvement of the lesson plan format to assist the full-time sds staff. This he has undertaken voluntarily but with no lesser conscientiousness and we are looking forward to the new layout this summer in readiness for 2016-17. Both Ivona and Gareth have been immense in the SDS and will be missed greatly but we would like to wish them all the very best in their new ventures as they prepare the finishing touches to completion of their university studies. We will always be indebted to their hard-working and enthusiastic work ethos, their joviality and of course their camaraderie. - John Steele, Training & Development Manager, SDS
SOCIETIES 31
societies
Editor: Aletheia Nutt @GairRhyddSoc societies@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/societies
Hannah’s Note:
Hannah Sterritt VP Societies
Rachel Jones
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Y Plas was transformed for the evening to become a glamourous red carpet venue complete with a fairy light chandelier, clapperboards, huge ‘Hollywood’ letters and much more.
”
A week of celebrations
H
i everyone, hope any assignments you have are going well – Revision Aid will soon be upon
you! Last week was Ball Week, a week celebrating the amazing things that students have done this year. The Volunteering ‘Voscars’ kicked off the week on Tuesday in Y Plas where I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to present an award for “Most Engaged Society” with the shortlist featuring Airsoft, Enactus and Cardiff LINKS. Enactus won this award for their ambition and creativity in creating a long-term scheme with a local homelessness charity Huggard, never backing down from the challenges
W
of creating a new scheme. Wednesday was the AU Ball, and the biggest of the week with 400 attendees in the Great Hall. It’s great to see just how much activity happens within the SU, and the successes of our sports teams within the University and nationally. Thursday saw the ESLAs, or Enriching Student Life Awards, celebrating the Education successes and the partnership between the Students’ Union and the University. The highlight of the week was the Societies Ball on Friday which as I’ve mentioned several times I’ve been working on for months! It was well worth the endless preparation beforehand and
“
was amazing to have so many dedicated people who have worked so hard this year all in the same room. The 17 awards were highly contested and so it was so hard to make a decision on who would take home the trophies. If you were nominated for an award, you should be really proud – thank you so much for your excellent work this year! The last night of the week was the Media Awards, a fantastic occasion which really shows how good Media has been since I left the team last year (and the role of Societies Editor). This has been a fantastic section, and I’d like to say a massive thank you to Aletheia for all of her work for Gair Rhydd!
The highlight of the week was the Societies Ball on Friday which as I’ve mentioned several times I’ve been working on for months!
Cardiff Volunteering: Celebrating at the Voscars
ell, what a night! Cardiff Volunteering’s inaugural volunteering awards ball kicked off the Union’s Ball Week on Tuesday 26th April. Being a new charity, we’ve never hosted our own awards, so it was extra exciting! Y Plas was transformed for the evening to become a glamourous red carpet venue complete with a fairy light chandelier, clapperboards, huge ‘Hollywood’ letters and much more. Our guests were kept entertained throughout the evening with a blackjack casino table, music from the Acapella Society’s very own Interchorus, and the amazing UltraMirror which proved extremely popular! Following a delicious three-course meal, our Awards Ceremony began – here are all the winners! Pole Sport took home ‘Most Engaged Sports Team’ for showing great initiative and making a meaningful connection with those in the community when donating presents and helping out at the Grangetown Winter Fair. They are a lovely group of students that show Cardiff University in a generous, positive light – well done everyone! The award for ‘Most Engaged Society’ went to Enactus, who have demonstrated great ambition and creativity in their project with the local homeless charity, Huggard. They have created a social enterprise scheme which will increase revenue and provide service users with training, work experience and opportunities to empower themselves. ‘Community Impact’ was won by Fab 5 Party Planners for their commitment to planning and delivering
fun, engaging parties for the residents. These parties have allowed the residents to become more confident over the year. Kerry Crockford won ‘Fundraiser of the Year’ for her passion for fundraising during and following the sleepout event. The insight into the challenges of life on the street spurred her on to raise as much money as she could and Kerry raised over £300. ‘Best New Project or Event’ was taken home by the Student Safety Walk Scheme. This scheme is led by a group of students who are determined to find ways to help students get home safely. They have worked closely with Cardiff Volunteering, the Students Union and South Wales Police to ensure this idea becomes a reality. Rebecca Harris was awarded ‘Volunteer of the Year’ for demonstrating great compassion and dedication in her work with elderly residents for tea and company. Rebecca showed great perseverance when faced with the very real emotional challenges of working with people towards the end of their lives. Our ‘Lead Volunteer of the Year’ was awarded to Amy Alexander. Amy received numerous nominations in this category. Throughout the year she has exemplified the qualities a lead volunteer should have and she is always willing to give extra and support Cardiff Volunteering in all it does. Our final award of the night was the ‘Cardiff Volunteering outstanding Contribution’ This award is for a student who has gone above and beyond. Wenxing Ouyang has shown
tireless enthusiasm throughout the academic year, regardless of the pressures of her schedule. Wenxing shows that English language should not be a barrier to stop anyone from attending extracurricular activities. We then handed over to SDS, who presented the ‘Lifetime Achievement’
Award to Gareth Davies and Ivona Videnova for their long-term commitment as peer trainers. We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone and thank you all for your hard work! You’ve made the first year of Cardiff Volunteering amazing.
”
Pictured: The spirit of Hollywood was evoked at the awards (Photographer: Cardiff Students)
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TAF-OD 33
taf-od
Golygydd: Rhian Floyd @Taf_od tafod@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/tafod
Etholiad 2016: Yr iaith Gymraeg
Carwyn Williams
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Fel maes datganoledig, mae gan y llywodraeth newydd tasg annodd i gwblhau.
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Carwyn Williams
Y
r wythnos yma, mi fydd Cymru yn pleidleisio am ei llywodraeth ddatganoledig nesaf, a gwnewch yn siwr eich bod yn pleidleisio dydd Iau. Ar y teledu ac yn y wasg, gwelwn polisiau’r pleidiau gwahanol ynglyn a iechyd, llywodraeth lleol, yr amgylchedd ac addysg, ond beth am yr iaith Gymraeg. Fel maes datganoledig, mae gan y llywodraeth newydd tasg annodd i gwblhau, i dyfu’r nifer o siaradwyr Cymraeg, a hybu ei thwf fel iaith cymdeithasol yn yr ugeinfed ganrif ar hugain. Felly, dyma beth sydd gan y pleidiau gwahanol i’w ddweud ynglyn a’r iaith.
Plaid Cymru I gweithredu’r gwelliannau fel yr argymhellwyd yn yr adolygiad gan Sioned Davies i’r system addysg Cymraeg ail-iaith, ac gyda amser amcan o darparu addysg Gymraeg i bawb.
I gwella dysgu Cymraeg cyfnod sylfaen i sicrhau pob disgyblion yn gallu siarad Cymraeg i safon dderbyniol. Ehangu’r defnydd o’r Gymraeg fel iaith gweinyddiaeth o fewn llywodraeth leol a’r sector cyhoeddus ehangach. Gwthio am gwella statws yr iaith Gymraeg ar lefelau y Deyrnas Unedig a Ewropeaidd, gan gynnwys dynodiad y Gymraeg fel iaith swyddogol yr UE.
UKIP
Ceidwadwyr
Gwella darpariaeth Cymraeg i cleifion dementia a gofal diwedd oes. Sicrhau bod gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yn hygyrch i bobl yn Gymraeg. Cefnogi mynediad i ddogfennau yn iaith dewis y person, yn hytrach na pwysleisio dogfennau ddwyieithog. Sicrhau bod cefnogaeth addysg ddwyieithog yn hybu y dysgu o ieithoedd gwahanol.
Ailwampio strategaeth addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg i cynnws targedau clir ac i cefnogi plant yng Nghymru i ddod yn hyderus cymdeithasu yn Gymraeg. Cynhyddu atebolrwydd Comisiynnydd y Gymraeg trwy ei wneud yn penodiad gan Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru.
Llafur
Gwyrddion
Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol
Gweithio tuag at miliwn o bobl yn siarad Cymraeg erbyn 2050. Sefydlu cronfa defnyddio’r iaith. Parhau i fuddsoddi i cefnogi mwy o bobl i defnyddio’r Gymraeg yn ei bywydau dydd-i-ddydd. Newid mesur yr iaith Gymraeg fel bod busnesau yn gallu buddsoddi yn hybu’r defnydd o Gymraeg.
Rhoi’r hawl i bobl gallu byw ei bywydau yn Gymraeg o meithrinfa i’r brifysgol, yn ogystal a yn y gweithle. Cynnhyddu cyfleoedd dysgu i plant a oedolion. Rhoi mwy o dyletswyddau ar gwasanaethau cyhoeddus, gan gynwys sefydliadau, i hybu cymdeithas ddwyieithog.
Sicrhau bod polisiau’r llywodraeth yn cael asesiad effaith ar yr iaith, fel bod y Gymraeg yn factor sylfaenol. Sicrhau bod pob ysgol cynradd ac uwchradd gyda digon o athrawon sy’n medru Cymraeg. Gwneud asesiad effaith ieithyddol yn ofyniad statudol cyn rhoddir caniatad cynullio.
Comisiynydd yn holi Starbucks
Y
dych chi’n ymweld a siop goffi? Starbucks efallai? Mae’r cwmni byd-eang wedi dod dan sylw yn ddiweddar am honiad bod cwsmer wedi eu gorchymyn i “siarad Saesneg neu adael”. Daeth yr honiad i sylw am bod y gantores Gwawr Edwards yn bresennol yn y siop yn Aberystwyth ar y pryd. Dywedodd y gantores ei fod yn “warth” fod yr aelod o staff wedi ceryddu’r cwsmer am geisio archebu coffi yn Gymraeg. Ymatebodd Cymdeithas yr Iaith yn gyflym, trwy
ddweud dylai Comisiynydd y Gymraeg “ymchwilio i arferion cwmni Starbucks.” Yn ddiweddarach yr wythnos diwethaf, cysylltodd swyddfa’r comisiynydd gyda Starbucks yn gofyn am cyfarfod brys am y honiadau. Datganodd y comisiynydd ei bod eisiau “pwysleisio statws swyddogol y Gymraeg yng Nghymru a’r sefyllfa gyfreithiol ynglyn a pheidio ag ymyrryd a rhyddid pobol i ddefnyddio’r Gymraeg a’i gilydd.” Mewn ymateb, dywedodd rheolwr y siop Steve Whetton i Golwg360,
“Rydyn ni’n cymryd yr honiad yma o ddifrif gan fod unrhyw ddigwyddiad o’r fath yn annerbyniol yn Starbucks. “Rydym ni wedi cysylltu a’r cwsmer dan sylw i ofyn am ragor o fanylion ar gyfer ein hymchwiliad. Rydym wedi wedi ymrwymio i fod yn rhan o’r gymuned Gymraeg leol. O’r herwydd, mae gennym ni nifer o siaradwyr Cymraeg rhugl yn ein tim ac wedi gweithio i gefnogi achosion lleol ers i ni agor yn 2014. Rydyn ni wastad wedi bod eisiau creu awyrgylch gynnes a chroesawgar i bawb allu’i fwynhau.”
Yn y llun: Bae Caerdydd (Tarddiad: Geraint Rowland trwy flickr)
34 TAF-OD
Cymru’n colli Yr Athro Gwyn Thomas yn saithdeg-naw oed
Dan Heard
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Yn academydd o’r radd flaenaf roedd Gwyn Thomas hefyd yn ysgrifennu i blant.
”
Osian Morgan
“
Mae hi’n llawer haws nag y byddai rhywun yn ei ddychmygu i fyw drwy’r Gymraeg.
”
B
u farw Yr Athro Gwyn Thomas, Bardd Cenedlaethol Cymru o 2006 i 2008, yn saithdeg naw oed yr wythnos diwethaf. Bu’n sâl am rai misoedd. Ystyriwyd ef yn un o feirdd mwyaf dylanwadol y Gymraeg yn y ganrif ddiwethaf. Ef oedd yn gyfrifol am gyfieithiad Y Mabinogi i’r Saesneg ar y cyd â’r academydd Kevin Crossley-Holland. Ef hefyd wnaeth addasu straeon y Mabinogi ar gyfer cyfres wedi’i hanimeiddio ar S4C yn 2002. Ganed ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog ym 1936 a derbyniodd ei addysg yn Ysgol Sir Ffestiniog, Coleg yr Iesu, Rhydychen ac yng Ngholeg Prifysgol Cymru, Bangor. Yn ddiweddarach yn ei fywyd fu’n bennaeth ar yr Adran Gymraeg ym Mangor. Caiff ei adnabod yn bennaf am ei waith fel bardd ac ysgolhaig. Cyhoeddodd sawl cyf-
rol o draethodau, beirniadaethau a chyfieithiadau gan gynnwys y llyfr arloesol, Y Traddodiad Barddol astudiaeth ddofn o draddodiadau barddonol Cymru. Yn 2006, fe gyhoeddodd ei hunangofiant, Bywyd Bach, fel rhan o Gyfres y Cewri. Enillodd dair gwobr Tir na n-Og gan Gyngor Llyfrau Cymru, ar y cyd â Margaret Jones, am lyfrau plant gorau’r flwyddyn sef Culhwch ac Olwen yn 1989, Chwedl Taliesin yn 1993, a Stori Dafydd ap Gwilym yn 2004. Cyhoeddodd hefyd farddoniaeth ddi-ri a’r un gyntaf o’r rheiny oedd Chwerwder y Ffynhonnau yn 1962. Yn academydd o’r radd flaenaf, roedd Gwyn Thomas hefyd yn ysgrifennu i blant, ac yn ddiweddar, cyhoeddodd yn y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg lyfr yn dilyn hanes y Brenin Arthur. Fel cefnogwr brwd o’r diwydiant
ffilmiau yng Nghymru, roedd yn awyddus i arloesi yn y maes hwnnw. Ef oedd yn gyfrifol am ddatblygu technegau megis cyfuno barddoniaeth a ffilm, a cheir enghraifft gynnar o’r gwaith hwn yn ei gerdd ar gyfer y teledu, Cadwynau yn y Meddwl, a’i hysgrifennwyd ar gyfer Martin Luther King. Ymddangosodd wrth ochr actorion a cherddorion rhyngwladol hefyd gan gynnwys sêr Hollywood Ioan Gruffudd a Matthew Rhys yn y ffilm Dal Yma: Nawr yn 2001. Yn 2015, bu hefyd yn westai ar ddwy raglen arbennig o Beti a’i Phobol ar BBC Radio Cymru sef un o’i ymddangosiadau cyhoeddus olaf. Mae’n gadael gwraig weddw a thri o blant ar ei ôl. Roedd Gwyn Thomas yn fwy na bardd yn unig: roedd yn ysgolhaig, llenor, arbenigwr ar y Mabinogi, sgriptiwr ffilmiau, ac awdur
toreithiog ar gyfer bob oed, a thu hwnt i’r pen a phapur a’r llwyfan, roedd yn ŵr, tad, taid, ffrind, Cymro, ac yn ŵr hynaws. Yn dilyn newyddion ei farwolaeth, daeth goreuon byd llenyddiaeth a barddoniaeth Cymru ynghyd i ddathlu gyrfa dyn sydd wedi cyfrannu cymaint i ddiwylliant Cymru. Torrodd dir newydd gyda’i farddoniaeth a’i weithiau academaidd gan ysbrydoli cenedlaethau, a does dim dwywaith y bydd yn parhau i wneud hynny gyda’i eiriau tragwyddol.
Pa mor hawdd yw byw drwy’r Gymraeg yn y brifddinas? W
Osian Morgan sy’n siarad am ei brofiad
rth gofio nôl i’r adeg hon llynedd, roeddwn yn wynebu’r penderfyniad anodd o ddewis rhwng prifysgolion Aberystwyth, Bangor a Chaerdydd ar gyfer dechrau gradd BA Cymraeg ym mis Medi. Un o’r ffactorau oedd yn dylanwadu ar fy newis, oedd pa mor hawdd y byddai imi fyw drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg yn y prifysgolion gwahanol. Nid cyfrinach mo’r ffaith fod Caerdydd, fel dinas, dipyn llai Cymraeg nac Aber a Bangor, ond a olyga hynny nad yw’n bosib byw drwy’r Gymraeg yng Nghaerdydd? Yn yr erthygl hon, rwyf am drafod yr amryw ffyrdd y gall myfyrwyr Cymraeg ddefnyddio’r Gymraeg yn ein prifddinas. Mae amrywiaeth o gymdeithasau Cymraeg yn y Brifysgol, ac un o’r rhai mwyaf poblogaidd yw’r GymGym (Y Gymdeithas Gymraeg), a chanddi gannoedd o aelodau. Boed eich bod yn ‘Gofi’ neu’n ‘Hwntw’, yn fyfyriwr glas neu ôl-raddedig, mae croeso cynnes i bawb yn y GymGym. Un o weithgareddau mwyaf poblogaidd y Gym-Gym, yw’r ‘crôls’ a drefnir yn fisol. Mae’n debyg y byddai gweld grŵp o dros gant o bobl ifanc yn cerdded i mewn i dafarn yn rhoi gwên ar berchennog tafarn yng Nghaernarfon, heb sôn am Gaerdydd! Mae’r ‘crôls’ yn gyfle gwych i gyfarfod â phobl newydd a chymde-
ithasu drwy’r heniaith. Heb os, y digwyddiad mwyaf ar galendr y Gym-Gym yw’r tripiau rygbi i Ddulyn neu Gaeredin i wylio Cymru’n chwarae (a churo gobeithio) Iwerddon a’r Alban. Er hyn, nid eistedd mewn tafarn yn Nulyn yn yfed Guinness drwy’r dydd yw unig ymrwymiad y Gym-Gym i’r byd chwaraeon. Mae ganddynt dimau pêl-droed, rygbi, a phêl-rwyd sy’n cystadlu’n wythnosol yn erbyn timau o gymdeithasau eraill y Brifysgol, sy’n ffordd wych o gadw’n heini wrth siarad iaith ein Tadau. Yn ogystal â’r Gym-Gym, eleni, ail-sefydlwyd Cymdeithas Iolo, sef cymdeithas i fyfyrwyr Cymraeg y ddinas sy’n hoffi cymryd rhan mewn digwyddiadau diwylliannol Cymraeg a Chymreig, megis gwylio dramâu Cymraeg, a chael ‘Stomp’ flynyddol yn erbyn darlithwyr adran Gymraeg y brifysgol. Mae Caerdydd hefyd yn le gwych i ddilynwyr cerddoriaeth Cymraeg. Cynhelir noswaith o gerddoriaeth Cymraeg yn fisol gan Glwb Ifor Bach, sy’n gyfle gwych i wrando ar fandiau cyfoes cerddoriaeth Cymraeg. Yn ogystal â Chlwb Ifor, cynhelir ambell ‘gig’ Gymraeg ym mar Gwdihŵ, ac mae’r cyfleusterau yn yr Hen Lyfrgell, a agorwyd eleni, yn addas ar gyfer cynnal ‘gigs’ hefyd, felly mae digon o gyfleodd i fwynhau cerddo-
riaeth Cymraeg yn y brifddinas. I’r rhai sydd â mwy o ddiddordeb mewn cerddoriaeth draddodiadol, mae ymuno â Chôr Aelwyd y Waun Ddyfal yn gyfle penigamp i gymryd rhan mewn eisteddfodau ac i gyfarfod mwy fyth o Gymry Cymraeg. Côr llwyddiannus iawn yw’r Waun Ddyfal, ond nid ar y llwyfan yn unig y maent yn llwyddo, gan eu bod yn llwyddo hefyd i uno Cymry Cymraeg y ddinas i gymdeithasu trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.
Felly, mae hi’n llawer haws nag y byddai rhywun yn ei ddychmygu i fyw drwy’r Gymraeg yng Nghaerdydd gyda chymaint o gyfleoedd a sefydliadau sy’n ceisio uno’r Cymry yn y ddinas fawr hon. A minnau bron â gorffen fy mlwyddyn gyntaf yng Nghaerdydd, rwyf wedi llwyr fwynhau’r profiad o fedru defnyddio fy Nghymraeg drwy’r dydd, bob dydd, ac edrychaf ymlaen at barhau i wneud hynny am flynyddoedd i ddod.
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Rwyf wedi llwyr fwynhau’r profiad.
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SPORT 37
Rich Jones & James Lloyd
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Davies has already tasted glory, winning the 2011 World Supersport Championship which earned him the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year title.
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S
Chaz Davies: Wales’ two-wheel wonder
uperbike ace Chaz Davies is on course to become Wales’ next sporting superstar after a spectacular start to the season. The 29-year-old from Knighton, Powys, currently sits second in the World Superbike Championship standings behind fellow Brit and defending Champion Jonathan Rea. After a steady rise to the top, Davies ended 2015 in blistering form to finish second behind Rea in the title race. Having made his breakthrough and emerged amongst the front-runners in the premier class for two-wheeled production bikes, he has certainly picked up where he left off. Davies’ dominant double at Aragon, Spain in Round Three of the Championship at the beginning of April signalled his title credentials as he cruised to wins in both races. Despite currently trailing Rea in the title race, Davies still has his eyes firmly set on achieving glory to become the first Welshman to ever win a World Superbike Championship. Should he achieve such a feat, it would undoubtedly see him etch his name amongst Wales’ leading sporting stars. Davies has already tasted glory, winning the 2011 World Supersport Championship which earned him the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year title. He has gradually progressed to become one of the front-runners since moving up to the Superbike class, with the switch to Ducati in 2014 paying dividends. For Davies, it has certainly been a convoluted and winding route to the top level of the two-wheeled world. He burst onto the scene as the youngster ever winner of a British Championship race, climbing to the top step of the podium in the 125cc class aged just 14 years and 5 months. By 2002 he had become the youngest rider to ever complete a full World
Championship season having graduated to the 125cc Grand Prix class. During that season, Davies lined up alongside the likes of Dani Pedrosa and three-time MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorezno who have both spent the last decade at the top level of the twowheeled world. However, after, reaching the 250cc class in 2003 and becoming the youngest-ever points scorer in the class aged 16, the Welshman saw his progress stall. His Aprilla team struggled over the next three years, and having encountered sponsorship issues he was forced out of the sport for the bulk of the 2006 season. At that stage, Davies’ promising young career could well have been over, yet he made the bold move to travel across the pond to the
United States to compete in the AMA Supersport Championship. This move proved the springboard for the biggest weekend of his career so far as he was handed a shock late call-up to Moto GP as an injury replacement for Alex Hoffman at Laguna Seca in 2007. His impressive display earned him a handful more appearances before the end of the season and left him hungry for more action at the top level. Following four seasons of development in the States, Davies finally was handed his chance to return to prominence on the World stage with a switch to the World Supersport Championship in the final three races of the 2009 campaign. A fourth-place finish on his debut was enough to earn him a fulltime team place for the following year, and the rest, as they say is history. A solid 2010 season was followed by a dominant 2011 as he raced to the World Supersport title in comfortable fashion, earning his long-awaited promotion to World Superbikes the very next year. Fast forward five years and he is widely being tipped to be right in the mix for the top prize, something he has already proved with his bright start to the season. Regardless of whether he manages to earn the World Superbike Championship, Davies has already established himself as one of the top characters in the sport. He has spoken of his desire to earn a switch back to the showpiece MotoGP Championship next year and aim to challenge himself on the biggest stage of them all. Whether or not he achieves his dream, there is no doubt Davies is fast becoming another Welsh sporting treasure thanks to his daring style and never-say-die attitude which has earned him a wealth of admirers. He was due to be back in action as the Championship travelled to Imola, Italy this weekend before heading to
Malaysia in a fortnight. Yet it is from May 27-29 that Davies will face his biggest weekend of the season as he flies the Welsh flag on British soil at the Donington Park circuit in Derbyshire. Davies isn’t the only Brit to dominate the Superbike scene. Northern Irishman, Jonathan Rea has been a force during the past two years with Englishman, Tom Sykes – a former world champion and Rea’s teammate also up at the business end of the championship. Talks for a Welsh race-circuit are beginning to dip and dive with Ebbw Vale pencilled in for a potential location. Davies will no doubt relish the opportunity to race in his home country, whether it be on the World Superbike grid or in MotoGP. If Davies does go on to win the Superbike title, a call-up to MotoGP would certainly be on the cards with the current British riders struggling to keep tabs with the Spanish and Italian talent. Cal Crutchlow has concerns with his consistency, as does Bradley Smith. Danny Kent stormed to Moto3 glory last season and he is certainly one to look out for in the future, but for Davies at least, if he can keep on Rea’s tail throughout this season, a ride on the Blue Riband grid will no doubt beckon. Davies certainly flies the flag for Welsh motorbikes, with Ian Lougher the only other big name in the sport. Cardiff-born Lougher, is a 10-time Isle of Man TT winner, who is this year coming out of retirement to race around the daunting TT course. The 52-year-old, who claimed his wins during the nineties and early noughties, will be on board a twostroke 500cc Suter machine which will face off against the four-stroke Superbikes. Lougher probably won’t be vying for more TT glory, with a top 20 finish a likely target for him, as well as working as a coach for newcomers.
Pictured: Top: Chaz Davies on his Ducati; Below left: Reflecting prerace (Phographer: Jared Earle)
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He burst onto the scene as the youngster ever winner of a British Championship race, climbing to the top step of the podium in the 125cc class aged just 14 years and 5 months.
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38 SPORT
Jim Harris
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The weather had caused three of the four days to be interrupted in some part leaving the prospect of a result extremely unlikely.
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James Lloyd
Rhys Thomas Cardiff Blues Columnist
Cricket: Heavy rain forces Glamorgan to settle for draw G lamorgan were left frustrated after excessive rain forced their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash with Derbyshire to end in a draw. The South Wales club were looking to respond to last week’s disappointing ten-wicket defeat to Leicestershire but persistent heavy rain at Derby’s 3aaa County Ground caused the game to end uncompleted. The rain, sleet, and snow called a halt to play, and ultimately the entire match, in spectacular fashion on the final day with Glamorgan placed at 87-2 in their second innings - ahead by 119. The weather had caused three of the four days to be interrupted in some part leaving the prospect of a result extremely unlikely by the time that the morning of Day Four came around anyway. Robert Croft’s Glamorgan side had begun the week positively with Will Bragg’s 129 the stand-out knock as
Glamorgan’s posted 377 in their first innings. Bragg’s 217-ball show, which including 15 boundaries, was the cornerstone of the visitors’ innings and his, along with able contributions from Jacques Rudolph (35), Chris Cooke (40), and Aneurin Donald (45), helped Glamorgan to their total by tea on day two. The hosts responded well though, even despite the turbulent weather, posting 345 in reply. For Derby, Wayne Madsen fell just three runs short of a twenty-first First Class hundred, and Ben Slater and Wes Durston hit 62 and 43 respectively as the hosts set about not only chasing Glamorgan’s total, but doing in good time too. There were also impressive displays with the ball as Glamorgan’s Michael Hogan (4-74) and Andrew Salter (3-56) took seven wickets between them to eventually consolidate a first innings lead. The eventual 32-run advantage
at the mid-way stage could have been more had it not been for Andy Carter (39) and Tom Poynton’s (36*) last-wicket stand of 56 at the end of the third day. The host’s 1st innings was eventually wrapped early on Day Four, but there was only time for Jacques Rudolph to post an unbeaten 31 and Chris Cooke, 22, as Glamorgan got to 87-2 before the rain came to deal a final knockout blow. In total, 138 overs were lost to the weather through the course of the the match and the frustrating draw leaves Glamorgan down in seventh place in Division Two, still on the search for a
first win of the season. They will hope that that can change this week for their visit to Kent, who themselves have made a winless start to 2016 before Glamorgan return to Cardiff ’s SSE SWALEC Stadium for the visit of Worcestershire on 8th May. There was some positive news out of the Glamorgan camp, however, after the 2nd XI beat Yorkshire 2’s by 47 runs. Despite a couple of sporting declarations, the win was made doubly sweet by the first signs of a return to form and fitness for club favourite, Dean Cosker, who took 4-77 during the Yorkshire innings.
Pictured: The groundstaff were extremely busy throughout the week due to the persistent rain interuptions. (Photographer: Nagarjun Kandukuru)
Geraint Thomas gears up for Summer Grand Tours and Rio Olympics
T
he 2016 Cycling World Tour is in full-swing with 14 events already been completed. The Tour of Romandie finished at the weekend, as the world’s best cyclists gear up for the summer season, and with that the prestigious Grand Tours. One cyclist who is relishing the busy summer period is Cardiff born, Geraint Thomas. Having just finished the Romandie tour, Thomas has his eyes firmly set on the Tour de France - the cremede-la-creme of World cycling. Thomas has enjoyed a successful season so far, storming to overall victories in the Paris-Nice, as well as the Volta ao Algarve. In the former, Thomas fought off stiff competition from Spanish legend, Alberto Contador to take the win by 4 seconds. And in the Portugal-based tour, Thomas beat Contador again to
retain his title of the Volta. The former Whitchurch High School student knows success in a Grand Tour will confirm his credentials as not only a national treasure but a superstar in two-wheeled racing. Despite a ‘Did Not Finish’ (DNF), in the Volta a Catalunya, Thomas could sit out of the first Grand Tour of 2016, the Giro d’Italia. That tour will take place from the 6th May through to the 29th May - with Thomas’s Team Sky teammates, Richie Porte and Chris Froome set to lead the charge. With some rest in the approaching months, Thomas should be fresh heading into the Tour de France. Last year, Thomas played a pivotal role in securing Froome’s success. Thomas finished the tour 15th overall, despite getting as high as 4th after a marvellous display at Pra
Loup (Stage 17) just days after avoiding serious injury after a collision with a telegraph pole. Thomas certainly has the ability and knowledge to navigate a Grand Tour victory. But depending on the success of Team Sky at the Giro as well as the team’s first week of the France tour, Thomas is again more likely to act as a support rider and lend Froome a vital hand. And that could prove dividends to Thomas’s Rio Olympics hopes with Froome saying he’d help the Welshman out if he’s in a better position for the Gold medal. Froome said of Thomas, who has two Olympic Gold medals in 2008 and 2012, “anyone who watched the Tour last year could see what ‘G’ is capable of”. Froome added: “At the Olympics it will be a very honest, open
discussion between us, out on the road. It’s that team dynamic. As long as communication is good I think you’ll have that buy-in from everyone.” Two-time Tour de France winner, told BBC Sport: “If G is flying and I’m struggling, then definitely... [I’d support him].”
The match break for European semifinal weekend saw Cardiff Blues enjoy a week off, and, with only a couple of weeks until the regular season comes to an end, now is a good time to look at how next season is shaping up for The Blues. After a few barren years, things have begun to look up as this season has progressed and next term hopes and expectations will be significantly higher. The arrival of signings such as pocket rocket Matthew Morgan and Kiwi bruiser Nick Williams give the squad greater strength in depth, which any top
side needs for a long season at the top level. If they qualify for the Champions Cup then they should hope to be at least competitive at home in the pool stage. If they remain in the Challenge Cup, then they should aim to make the final. In the league, a top four finish for the PRO12 play-offs shouldn’t be out of the question. If they continue their current form with the added ballast of new players, then these aims should be a reasonable expectation. An upturn in fortunes should also
bring bigger crowds. Attendances at Arms Park this season have been poor to say the least, with an average of only 5,000 to 6,000 at home games throughout the season. The ‘big derby’ against Newport Gwent Dragons last month only attracted 8,203. Success should bring punters flowing back and, with The Blues scoring lots of tries on their artificial surface (they’ve scored the most tries in the league this season), the team would hardly be able to do much more. Off the field, a reduction in ticket
prices would be prudent - £20 for an adult on the terrace for derby games, or £17 for the majority of PRO12 matches (the cheapest tickets for an adult), is simply too expensive for the floating fan. More initiatives at attracting fans to come would be welcome too, see Cardiff City FC and their recent (and successful) attempts at boosting their lacklustre attendances this season - cut price tickets for season ticket holders who opt for a renewal. There is much potential for growth and next season could be the time when these ambitions come to fruition.
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Thomas has enjoyed a successful season so far, storming to overall victories in the Paris-Nice, as well as the Volta ao Algarve.
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SPORT 39
Continued: Cardiff’s sport clubs celebrate their sporting success
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Beth has had fantastic year, represented at the world cross-country and Dan has been incredibly committed Sam Parsons
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Sportsman of the Year Dan Nash, Athletics. Sportswoman of the Year Beth Hawling, Athletics
Pictured: First: Sam Parsons looks on as the men’s rugby team suffered a 16-10 Varsity Day loss. (Via Twitter) Middle: Beth Hawling in GB colours during a cross-country event. (Via Twitter) Below: Sean Cook and the Cardiff offense in deep thought during the Cobras’ 26-6 loss to Swansea Titans.
Sam Parsons: “Sportsman and sportswomen were both from Athletics in Dan Nash and Beth Hawling. They’ve both had fantastic years in extremely strong categories as well, sportswomen especially with Sophie, Amy and Beth it was a very, very close call and Beth just edged it and deservedly so. She’s had fantastic year, represented at the world cross-country and Dan has been incredibly committed, he’s been getting amazing results on the track, on the road wherever. The club have benefited from having those two in there. Andrew Wright was nominated for fresher of the year, he’s had a strong year as well.”
Team of the Year Ladies’ Fencing Sam Parsons: “Ladies’ fencing were unbeaten all year, they were late to the ball because they had their play-offs which they won, so they’ve won promotion. Again it was another strong category but for us ladies’ fencing have been always a flagship this year and we always look forward to seeing their results coming in. Four of their team are freshers’ so they have a good few years ahead of them now as a good unit. Costanza won fresher of the year too as part of that first team, they are in a great place.”
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Off the pitch as well though Toby Lock and Will Harris have been a massive support for the AU as well as wider in the community. Sam Parsons
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Dan Heard Cardiff City Columnist
Most Improved Team American Football Sam Parsons: “The American football boys won most improved and deservedly so. They’ve had a great year on the field, to go six games without conceding a single point is a massive achievement. Off the pitch as well though Toby [Lock] and Will [Harris] have been a massive support for the AU as well as wider in the community as they have helped with the women’s club that has just been founded. They’ve come a long way from two years ago, they’ve gone up to a gold tier status which is a great achievement and something to be proud of.”
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Ladies’ fencing were unbeaten all year, they were late to the ball because they had their play-offs which they won, so they’ve won promotion. Sam Parsons
Other Awards from the Evening:
Club Snowsports of the Year: OutstandingEmma Achievement Award: Fitzpatrick Most Improved Sportsman Rhys Bowen-Morris Most Improved Sportswoman: Maddy Scott Coach of the Year: Marl Douglas-Jones Isn’t it just like Cardiff City to build you up, knock you down, and then build you back up again? In what has been a rollercoaster of a season so far, both on and off the pitch, the Bluebirds looked like they had blown their already slim chances of making the Championship play-offs after two disappointing away defeats to Fulham and Brentford in recent weeks, only to find themselves right back in contention once again with their narrow home win over an already relegated Bolton. Peter Whittingham’s stoppage time penalty earned City what could prove to
be three massive points. Cardiff had their fair share of chances throughout their encounter with a midtable Brentford side at Griffin Park, but couldn’t make the breakthrough when it really mattered. Owner Vincent Tan’s policy of shooting on site was deployed to full effect by Russell Slade’s men, only for The Bees to hit them with two late efforts and nab the win. The emergence of loanee Kenneth Zohore, though, couldn’t have come at a better time, bagging his first goal in a City shirt and providing a welcome striking alternative to the excellent but
overworked Anthony Pilkington. Luckily, more was to come against The Trotters. After falling behind to Zach Clough’s early free-kick, City were drawn level thanks to the tenacious efforts of winger Craig Noone, his darting run ending with a cross which Zohore calmly converted to grab his second goal in ten appearances, and his first in front of the City faithful. Good chances fell to both Sammy Ameobi, who will be desperate to end his spell in South Wales and return to Newcastle in a few weeks, and the impressive
Stuart O’Keefe, but these opportunities weren’t capitalised on. It took a foul on Kadeem Harris for the referee to point to the spot deep into added-on time, with Whittingham duly obliging to beat Ben Amos at his near post. The trip to Hillsborough to face a Sheffield Wednesday side only one place and four points above them at the time of writing will have been the biggest test so far for Cardiff. If the Bluebirds earned the vital three points, then the final game of the campaign at home to Birmingham is set to be a very exciting encounter.
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sport
Editors: Jim Harris James Lloyd Jamie Smith @GairRhyddSport sport@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/sport
Summer sport in Cardiff Saturday 7th May Football: Cardiff City v Birmingham City Cardiff City Stadium, 12:30pm A must-win fixture for Russell Slade’s men in their final game of the 2015/16 Championship. Sunday 8th May Cricket: Glamorgan CCC v Worcestershire CCC SSE Swalec Stadium, 11:00am Four-day Specsavers County Championship match. The cricket fixtures will soon come around thick and fast. Sunday 22nd May Cricket: Glamorgan CCC v Essex CCC SSE Swalec Stadium, 11:00am Another four-day Specsavers County Championship match as the T20 and One Day games loom. Wednesday 1st June and Friday 3rd June Cricket: Start of the Natwest T20 Blast series as Glamorgan first host Essex and then two days later play Hampshire at the SSE Swalec Stadium - 6:30pm start times. Monday 6th June Cricket: Glamorgan CCC v Gloucestershire CCC The Cardiff team open up their One Day campaign. SSE Swalec Stadium, 2.00pm
AU Ball: Sports clubs celebrate their impressive season success
Saturday 2nd July Cricket: England v Sri Lanka SSE Swalec Stadium, 10:30am
Also this week
Over 35 teams from Team Cardiff represented at the 2016 AU Ball. Athletics scoop two awards, whilst there are accolades for Fencing, American Football, Rowing and Snowsports
James Lloyd
C
ardiff University’s sports clubs celebrated their 2015/16 success at the AU Ball last Wednesday. The event, hosted by the Athletic Union and Cardiff University Sport, rewarded its teams’ efforts throughout the season, which have contributed to Team Cardiff ’s position of 10th in the British Universities’ & College Sports (BUCS) rankings. Athletic Union President and Vice President of Sports, Sam Parsons, exclusively spoke to Gair Rhydd Sport about the event. “It was a fantastic evening celebrating the success we’ve had this year”, Parsons said. “It was a really great event and great to see so many different clubs of Team Cardiff represented with 35 sports clubs there. It was great to see everyone out in force to celebrate their years.” Parsons was quick to praise the efforts of the organisers for such a suc-
cessful event. “Our events team in the Students’ Union did a lot so I have to thank them, the AU executives were a big help in doing it as well. I certainly can’t take all the credit so massive thanks to them and I think everyone enjoyed a great night.” Team Cardiff have had an extremely successful year and currently boast 1,910 points, sitting a pretty, 10th place in the standings, one place ahead of Oxford University who are on 1,896. “There’s still a few sports trickling in but we’re currently in 10th albeit by about 13 points I think”, said Parsons. “It’s tight at the top but we’re currently the highest institution in BUCS that doesn’t offer sporting-focus degrees like Sports Science and Sports Coaching.” “We’re the highest Welsh institution, so within BUCS we’re performing amazingly which was something I said at the start of the year, so credit to the teams for going out there and smashing it every week. Outside of BUCS our clubs have developed and
have had strong years all round. It’s been an incredibly successful year.” After the Shield success at Varsity, Parsons described the special day in the Welsh sporting calendar. He said: “Varsity I suppose tops it off really. A Shield win like that is always good to have which is great. It’s been a really great year.” Parsons added: “It’s one of those days which will stick with you for a really long time. It’s great to see so many different sports clubs in action in one day in that atmosphere both at Sketty Lane and at the Liberty Stadium. I think that’s the reason why we all play sport and get involved in sport, you just want to be part of it.” The men’s rugby team suffered a tense 16-10 loss in front of thousands at the Liberty Stadium but Parsons enjoyed the game from the touchline, working with the team’s coaching staff. “I did it last year as team manager and luckily Louie asked me back again. It’s great for me to get as close to the action as possible.”
Pictured:
AU President and VP Sports, Sam Parsons, holds the Varsity Shield aloft in front of a capacity crowd at Varsity 2016.
World Superbikes: Chaz Davies makes blistering start P37>>
Full details and award winners P39
Cricket: Chilly start for Glamorgan CCC P38>>