Gair Rhydd 1080 - 16th May 2016 by Joseph Atkinson

gair rhydd

gair rhydd | freeword Cardiff ’s student weekly Issue 1080 Monday 16th May 2016 Also in this issue

Advice: How to get involved in student media P10>>

Racism at university: Gair Rhydd investigates

Comment: The arguments for In and Out of the EU P12>>

• FOI reveals less than five black and ethnic minority staff members in ENCAP, SHARE and Maths departments among others • Gair Rhydd survey: 41 per cent of students have seen or experienced racism at Cardiff University but 85 per cent of incidents go unreported • 45 people claim their concerns were not followed up at all EXCLUSIVE Anna Lewis

Gair Rhydd investigation has received mixed results, revealing a low amount of Black and Ethnic minority (BME) staff in certain academic departments. Meanwhile survey results amongst students have shown that 41.2 per cent of those asked have either heard of or experienced racist incidents at Cardiff. Of these, 84.3 per cent went unreported to the University and Students’ Union, whilst 45 students found that their complaints were not followed up. Following a FOI request by Gair Rhydd, it has been revealed that there are less than five members of BME staff in departments such as English, Communication and Philosophy (ENCAP), History, Archaeology and Religion (SHARE), Pharmacy

and Psychology. Other departments with low numbers of BME academics include Mathematics, the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences and the School of City and Regional Planning. Departments with the highest number of BME staff include the School of Medicine, with 48 individuals, and the School of Engineering, with 40. This news follows a report released by the Runnymede group last year found that there are only 15 black academics in senior positions in universities across the UK, including just seven females. Meanwhile, the FOI stated that there are currently 9,524 students enrolled in Cardiff University who have indicated being of an ethnic minority background. This is out of an approximate student population of 30,180. However, a study by Cardiff Uni-

versity has stated that 11.3 per cent of UK domiciled students described themselves as belonging to a ethnic minority group during the academic year 2013-14. This is slightly lower than the UK average of 19.6 per cent and Russell Group average of 17.2 per cent. The report also noted that only seven per cent of all staff at Cardiff University are from a BME background. Following reports of racism targeted at students at Warwick University, the Gair Rhydd FOI also investigated the prevalence of racist incidents at Cardiff University. This follows after 19-year-old Biomedical student Faramade Ifaturoti found her bananas at Warwick University halls of residence to graffitied with racist slurs. Taking to Twitter to draw attention to the event, the hash tag ‘We Stand With Fara’ gained widespread prominence.

Pictured: The Optometry Building, which houses the School of Optometry & Vision Studies. The School employs five BME academics (Photographer: Anna Lewis)

Continued on page 4

Politics: The winners and losers of the Assembly Elections P21>>

Science: Why you shouldn’t do a teatox P28>>

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 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 ...and in with the new

I’m going to have to find a new Thursday hobby Joseph Atkinson

o, this is the final issue of 2015/16 and my final issue as Editor, as well as the final issue of many third year section editors and writers who have contributed so much to Gair Rhydd. For the last two years of my university career I’ve done this. I’ve sat in the Cardiff Student Media office for the majority of my Thursdays and I’ve stayed until everything I’ve had to write is written, everything I’ve had to proof is proofed, and every page I’ve had to design is designed. I’ve pulled all-nighters in this office, exhausted myself when doing university work was clearly the most sensible option, and wished for the comfort of my bed while pouring over the words of hundreds of Cardiff students - and I would do it all again. The experiences Gair Rhydd have given me have been invaluable. This may be a tad melodramatic and a bit of a cliché, but I can confidently say that I would not be the person that I am today if I hadn’t pursued the opportunity of writing for the student paper in the Freshers’ Week of my first year. Getting involved was the best decision I’ve made while at university, and one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.

I’m not one for grand statements or final farewells - never have been, never will be. I’ve been asked if I’m sad about leaving Gair Rhydd now that my time at university is up, and I’ve found it quite difficult to answer. I suppose I am sad, but I’m also relieved slightly to have gotten through it, and I’m also immensely proud of what the entire team have achieved over the course of the year. I feel as though I’ve achieved what I wanted to in my time as Editor, and I have no regrets over anything that we’ve done as a newspaper. I want to thank everyone who’s helped me this year, so here goes. Firstly I want to thank Gair Rhydd’s previous editor, Mike, who helped me develop my confidence and put his faith in me to lead the newspaper when the time came. Secondly, to everyone else of the 2014/15 editorial team, particularly David Hooson who trained me up and became a great friend, as did many people on that team. This year’s team have been fantastic. Shanna, who was deputy editor in the first semester, supported me throughout and will always be that little bit terrifying, but mainly for being lovely and for being brave enough to step down when she had so much work on. To Anna and Carywn, who have

served as deputy editors since Shanna step down, thank you for both for working so hard to get the paper out every single week. On News, thanks to Toby, Jo and Anna (again) for always getting a great scoop, working late into Thursday nights and keeping me entertained, and more importantly, sane. News have always searched for exclusives, and have gone out of the way to investigate some truly important issues. On to Advice, and thanks to Gwen and Caragh for really developing the section and always being positive and happy presences in the office. I imagine it’s hard to run that section without being repetitive, but they’ve managed that exceptionally. Charley, Em and David have done a magnificent job on the Comment section. They won both Best Section awards at the Media Awards and were very deserving. The way that they have engaged with contributors this year has been fantastic. Helena’s column has been a pleasure to read every week and has educated me on so many issues. She is an awesome writer and truly deserved her Best Writer award at the Media Awards. The Politics section demonstrates a passion and in-depth knowledge of

the Welsh, national and international political scene. Carwyn, Luke and Sam always find the right balance and have produced content to better professional publications. Science has been one of the bestwritten, serious, and at the same time light-hearted sections of the paper this year. Lizzie and Maria (our next editor) have been such a great pair to work with in the office, and Maria is going to do a great job next year. In Societies, Aletheia has worked so hard to involve so many societies in her section, and has done a great job in promoting issues that societies are tackling. I can’t speak much for Taf-Od as a non-Welsh speaker, but Rhian, and previously Carwyn have both done terifically to produce great-looking sections every time. Diolch! To my old section, Sport. Jim, James, Jamie, and for the first part of the year, Jason, have made the section infinitely better than it was last year, incorporating a lot more university sport that people want to read. Finally to Jack, our Social Media Editor - you’ve smashed it every week and have improved our social media presence many times over - thank you. To paraphrase the leader of the free world: “Atkinson out” *drops mic*

CARDIFF STUDENT MEDIA AWARDS 2016 The Gair Rhydd awards BEST INTERVIEW

BEST WRITER

BEST SPORT WRITER

BEST SECTION PEOPLE’S CHOICE

Winner Carwyn Williams

Winner Helena Hanson

Winner Jamie Smith

Winner Comment

Nominees James Lloyd Gwen Williams

Nominees James Lloyd Maria Mellor

Nominees Jim Harris Jason Roberts

Nominees Politics Sport

BEST JOURNALIST

BEST SECTION

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO GAIR RHYDD

Winner Anna Lewis

Winner Comment

Winner Carwyn Williams

Nominees Joanna Beck Charley Griffiths

Nominees News Science

Nominees Jim Harris Anna Lewis

Congratulations to all the winners!

EDITORIAL 3

Campus in Brief

Jack Boyce

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Her Majesty The Queen is set to open the brand new Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) this coming June.

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esidents of Cardiff are more proud of where they live than those living in other major British cities, according to a new poll. The poll, carried out by OnePoll on behalf of TSB, found that 44.6 per cent of Cardiff citizens said they were “quite proud” of the local community, with a further 16.1 per cent saying they were “very proud”. The main reasons given for the pride included the honesty, care and consideration of other community members. At the other end of the scale, 17.9 per cent of Cardiffians stated that they were not proud at all. Her Majesty The Queen is set to open the brand new Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) this coming June. The centre, which will be four times larger than the University’s current brain research imaging facilities, will hold neuroimaging equipment that will be unique in Europe. This equipment will give scientists at CURBRIC an unprecedented look into neurological and psychiatric conditions alongside the workings of a normal, healthy brain. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Colin Riordan said: “We are honoured to welcome Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to open the Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre. This will be a fitting occasion for a facility that is not only significant for the University, but for Wales, the UK and Europe.” Babies with a low birth weight are at a increased risk of dying, even into adolescence, a new Cardiff University led study has shown. The research found that death rates between birth and 18 years old were 130 times more frequent in babies that were born with a weight of under 2.5kg. Cancer and external conditions, such as accidents, were the primary causes of death, with conditions affecting the nervous system and respiratory system the leading causes of death.

National

Leicester City have overcome huge odds to secure the Barclays Premier League title. Before the start of the season, bookmakers had the club at 5,000-1 outsiders to become champions. Leicester were nearly relegated during the 2014/15 season, spending 140 days at the bottom of the table before pulling out of the relegation zone. At the opposite end of the table, Newcastle and Norwich join Aston Villa in being relegated, after Sunderland completed a 3-0 victory over Everton to put them out of reach. Women in the UK are now 35 per cent more likely to go to university than men, according to a new thinktank report. Further reports state that men who do make it into university are also more likely to drop out or achieve a worse degree than their female counterparts. A Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) report has urged universities to set targets on male recruitment amidst an increasing widening gender gap. HEPI also proposed a “take our sons to university day” to increase participation. The National Union of Students (NUS) has critiqued the report, calling it a complex issue that is being turned into a “battle of the sexes”. The Bank of England have thrown their two cents into the EU referendum debate, warning that a vote to leave would risk putting the UK into recession. Depicting the 23rd June referendum as “the most immediate and significant risk” on the UK’s economy, the bank also cautioned that the value of the pound could lower significantly, which in turn would increase inflation, scupper economic growth and raise the levels of unemployment. These statements echo chancellor George Osborne’s worries, who told MPs that the Treasury and the Bank of England were carrying out contingency planning to prevent a financial crisis if the vote is to leave the EU.

International

French financial prosecutors are investigating allegations of corruption and money laundering linked to Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic bid. Allegedly, over $2 million in suspicious payments were made to a bank account linked with the son of former world athletics chief Lamine Diack. The French prosecutors stated they were made aware of payments from a Japanese bank account to Black Tidings, a company in the centre of other allegations of extortion and bribery linked with the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). These payments came either side of Tokyo’s successful Olympic bid in September 2013. The USA have activated a missile defence station, situated in Romania, which will form part of a larger “European Shield”. Senior US and Nato officials attended a ceremony in Deveselu, southern Romania, which the US saying the Aegis missile system will be used as a shield to protect Nato countries from missiles fired from the Middle East. Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said the shield was deployed to “tackle the potential threat posed by short and medium-range attacks from outside the Euro-Atlantic area”. Russian officials have claimed that the station is a security threat, something that Nato staunchly denied. Bangladeshi police have clashed with protesters after the execution of a Islamist leader. Bangladeshi is already mourning the murders of several secular and liberal activists, but tensions were flamed as police charged leader of the main government opposition Khaleda Zia with masterminding arson attacks during protests last years. Hours before, Zia’ main political ally Motiur Rahman Nizami, the leader of the Jamaat e-Islami party, was hung at a Dhaka jail. Police claimed hundreds of Nizami’s supporters pelted them with stones in the north-western city of Rajshahi, the site of a murder of a liberal professor by suspected Islamists in April.

Pictured: Manager Claudio Ranieri and captain Wes Morgan lift Leicester’s maiden Premier League title (Photographer: Wes Ashton)

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Women in the UK are now 35 per cent more likely to go to university than men, according to a new thinktank report.

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4 NEWS

news

Editors: Anna Lewis Joanna Beck Toby Holloway @GairRhyddNews news@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/news

Continued: Racism at university

Continued from front page

In comparison, it was found that Cardiff University has not undertaken any complaint procedures for students, staff and campus facilities during the last three academic years. Although there was one case of a disciplinary procedure during this academic year, it was later dropped. This was seen as a University employee member voiced allegations about a Facebook comment made by a student which “may have related to a staff member’s race”. Ultimately though, an investigation found that the Facebook account in question had been hacked from “an unknown source”. Despite this, it is important to note that an investigation in currently underway to examine the events surrounding the School of Medicine charity night Anaphylaxis. During the event it has been alleged that in a sketch poking fun at university lec-

turers, third-year students used black face paint to impersonate a BME member of staff. In addition, a survey launched by Gair Rhydd has shown that 33.9 per cent of the 124 asked found racism to be ‘prevalent’ at Cardiff University. This includes 41.2 per cent of people who had directly experienced racism or heard of others who had been victimised due to race once or multiple times. Unlike in Warwick, the majority of these incidents took place outside of halls of residence. In a more shocking revelation it was found that 84.3 per cent of incidents went unreported. Worryingly, the 45 students who did voice their concern to either the University or SU, their complaints were not followed up. However, it was also revealed that of the 124 people asked, 62.9 per cent stated that they believe that the SU

Have you, or do you know of anyone else that has experienced racism at university?

and University take racism seriously. When asked for more detail surrounding events, participants explained that many incidents came from racist jokes and stereotypes made by flatmates and friends. Whilst this has ranged from “jokes with perhaps good intentions but were actually racist” to people frequently mocking individuals with stereotypes such as “enjoying hip-hop or Gospel music, ‘knowing how to twerk’.....[and] people grabbing my hair like I’m in a petting zoo” One student continued: “In addition, I have been called ‘ghetto’ because I’m black, with a Southern London accent and have a loud-jokey personality.” However, insults have not been limited to black students, with people emphasising that Asians and Muslims students have also been targeted. This

includes one student leaving a prayer room to be accused of “plotting a bomb attack”. In addition one student returned to his flat to find a “rude Post-it note about me”. This is combined with BME students describing feelings of “being left out” and excluded from groups. One participant also revealed incidents involving a lecturer, commenting that: “[my lecturer] actually acted ignorantly racist to various acquaintances on my course.” The results of both the FOI and survey will contribute to a nationwide investigation into racism in university. Led by Warwick University student newspaper The Boar, this will include the results from universities including Southampton, University College London, Durham, and Manchester.

Was the incident, or any of numerous incidences, reported?

Results

58.9% No

84.3% No

21% Yes, once

11.8% Yes, to the SU

20.2% Yes multiple times

3.9% Yes, to both the uni and SU

Students’ Unions break away from NUS

Anna Lewis

ension surrounding the NUS has grown to new heights, with Lincoln and Newcastle confirmed as the first in a possible series of universities to disaffiliate from the organisation. Following a controversial National Union of Students (NUS) national conference earlier this month, universities such as Exeter, Oxford and Cambridge are now expected to hold a referendum to decide the fate of their membership. Other universities with campaigns to leave include Warwick, Nottingham, Hull, Loughborough and Bangor. At the time of print Cardiff Students’ Union have not indicated that they will following suit. Last week York University student media also disclosed that NUS membership has increased by £5,000 in a year to a total of £47,000. Meanwhile Lincoln and Newcastle

universities have officially disaffiliated from the organisation last week, with both SU presidents stating that “we no longer felt confident that the NUS represented the views of our students.” Newcastle SU President has stated that he hopes that the decision will make the student body aware of their “shortcomings”, whilst Lincoln SU President explained that the decision is a result of an ongoing distance between NUS policies and the views of students. However it is important to note that although the Lincoln University’s decision was made by a student-led referendum, only 12 per cent of the student population turned out to vote. With 881 people choosing to leave over 804 voting to stay, Lincoln Students’ Union has reassured the media that there will be no noticeable difference on campus despite

not being a NUS member. However, the NUS itself has contested that the move will cost the SU more than £150,000 and cause an inflation of prices on campus. Lincoln representatives were quick to clarify that the decision was not influenced the election of the first Muslim NUS President Malia Bouattia, who has previously attracted media attention after describing Birmingham University as a “zionist outpost”. Instead criticism has been voiced about the organisation’s “hard left policies” and policies such as no-platforming potentially offensive speakers. One writer for the The Spectator claimed: “From stipulating what fancy-dress costumes students can wear to rolling out national consent-class campaigns, NUS politicos are more interested in regulating students than fighting for their interests”.

By contrast, others have stated that remaining in the NUS is vital to protect Black and Ethnic Minority students from government legislation such as the ‘Prevent’ campaign. According to Cambridge University student newspaper Varsity, this new policy allows higher education institutions the right to single out groups of students and use diversity rates to assess terrorism threats. Currently the NUS relies on its 600 members for funding. Commenting on Lincoln’s recent departure, President Megan Dunn said: “NUS has always campaigned tirelessly on issues that affect students every day, most recently the cost of living crisis, housing, NHS bursaries, maintenance grants and college closures. “The student movement is stronger when we stand together, and NUS is disappointed to see University of Lincoln Students’ Union go.”

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[My lecturer] actually acted ignorantly racist to various acquaintances on my course

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People use stereotypes such as “enjoying hip-hop or Gospel music, ‘knowing how to twerk’..... [and] people grabbing my hair like I’m in a petting zoo

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We no longer felt confident that the NUS represented the views of our students Lincoln University SU President

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NEWS 5

“A circle of insanity”: Student Senate heats up

Toby Holloway Joseph Atkinson

he Student Senate met for the penultimate time last Tuesday to discuss matters ranging from the resignation of sabbatical officers to safety in Cardiff following recent sexual assaults.

Sabbatical Officers resignation

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Why did it take weeks to tell any students? They were airbrushed from Union posters before their resignations were announced Jake Smith

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It is unfair that there are students that benefit from this great service [student mentoring] and others do not Chiron Hooson

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In the meeting a number of senators took the opportunity to quiz current Students’ Union President Claire Blakeway on the resignations of VP Welfare Kate Delaney and VP Heath Park Campus Katey Beggan. Criticising the handling of the resignations, a number of senators chose to highlight the delay between the actual time that the two sabbatical officers resigned and the time the Students’ Union put a statement out. Claire Blakeway admitted that the situation hadn’t been handled well: “The Union has released a statement. Admittedly it was after they resigned – we should have put it out sooner.” Steffan Bryn, the current Welsh Language Officer, took issue with the fact that none of the part-time campaign officers had been notified of Delaney and Beggan’s resignations before they came to light in Gair Rhydd and later on the Union’s website, forcing an apology from the Students’ Union President. Bryn then queried whether the Union would have put out a statement in regards to the resignations had they not been reported in Gair Rhydd in April. Blakeway stated that: “We were working on a statement at the time that Gair Rhydd were investigating.” Other senators were critical of the way that the resignations played out. Nadine Dahan was concerned that there was evidence that the officers did not have enough help, and that “no one would have had to step down had they had the adequate support.” Dahan also added that “there’s nothing wrong with criticising the way the SU is run; that’s how it should be run. You’ve missed the first step.” Senator Jake Smith also chose to question Blakeway, asking “why did it take weeks to tell any students? They were airbrushed from Union posters before their resignations were announced.” He also asserted his belief that “There’s been a failure in transparency.” Usman Bukhari backed up Smith’s statement, adding that the Union needs to be “much more open and transparent.” Pushed on what actions the Union would take to prevent similar events happening in the future, Blakeway was adamant that current structures in place were adequate and that feedback would be taken on board in order to make the system “as effective as possible next year.”

Student mentor scheme The Senate then moved on to debate the five motions that had been put forward for the meeting. First up was a motion entitled ‘Every academic school should be part of the Student Mentor Scheme’, put forward by Senator Chiron Hooson. Hooson declared that “it is unfair that there are students that benefit from this great service and others do not” in his opening statement, going on to explain that “currently there are plans to try to expand the scheme but there is a lot more work that can be done.” After having no speakers against the motion, no proposed amendments or no open discussion, the motion went to a vote and the Senate moved onto the second motion of the evening, entitled ‘Lobby the Welsh government to end unfair housing charges.’

Unfair housing charges This motion was put forward by Student Senator Jake Smith, who insisted that there was “no excuse for the Welsh government” not to tackle unfair housing charges, and highlighted the intense lobbying period in the first few months of government that could be key to ensuring success in the campaign. The motion was heavily debated compared to the first, with Usman Bukhari speaking against Smith’s proposal. Bukhari stated that: “The issue I have with this motion is that I’ve heard it a lot from the Union but I just think that it’s very broad and not very specific – is this really a realistic proposal?” Responding to Bukhari, Smith pointed to Scotland, where such action was already being undertaken, while also saying that the pledge to tackle unfair housing charges was “in NUS Wales’ manifesto. He explained: “ as a constituent member of NUS Wales we should be using everything in our firepower to do this”, adding: “We are the Students’ Union of Wales’ biggest university so let’s support this.” Bukhari continued to fight his corner, referencing the news that students’ unions across the country were considering pulling out of the NUS after recent controversy surrounding the organsation, while also playing down comparisons to success in Scotland, where “the SNP have a more student-friendly manifesto.” Defending the motion, Chiron Hooson said that “Clearly we want a motion that shows how we’re going to solve something here. Our Union led the campaign for not scrapping the maintenance grants and the Sabbatical team have to do things to help reduce cuts in the Welsh Assembly. It is achievable, we

just need more fire and momentum in the lobbying campaign.” Also supporting Smith’s motion, Senator Sarah Al Sayed added that: “If you don’t lobby it there’s definitely no chance of it happening; if you do lobby it then there is a chance of getting something done.” However, Bukhari was still unconvinced of the credibility of the motion, declaring: “A circle of insanity is what I’m seeing here”, describing the proposed lobbying of the Welsh government as “futile”.

Sanitary banks After summations from Smith and Bukhari, the motion again went to a vote, and the Senate moved onto the third motion: ‘Motion to implement sanitary banks in the Students’ Union.’ This motion was forwarded by third year student Lydia Griffiths, who was not present at the meeting so the motion was supported by Claire Blakeway. Blakeway asserted her belief that “some students who menstruate find it unaffordable – they should not face discrimination because it is something natural.” Immediately proposing an amendment, Blakeway stated that “I’m not sure a sanitary bank is the most efficient way to do this. We want to make sure there’s as many sanitary products in the bank as possible.” After a number of small amendments, Senators Tim Nagle, Chiron Hooson and Madeline Page stated their beliefs that the motion was “vague”, with one suggesting that “in its current format [the motion] looks like a maths question. Page proposed a procedural motion to delay the motion’s passing until the wording had been improved and a stronger mandate was given by the motion. This procedural motion passed so Senate moved on to motion four.

Cardiff Council accessibility Entitled ‘Making Cardiff Council more accessible’, the fourth motion was a renewal of the same motion originally put forward last year. It was again put forward by Jake Smith, who stated that “unless we bring councillors and students together then we fail students; they’re in areas that students don’t know about. “This motion takes our elected representative...out of City Hall and into our Students’ Union.” A number of amendments were made to the motion, including to expand the remit of the proposal to include Gabalfa, the ward in which the Talybont halls of residence lie, before it went to a vote.

Sexual assaults The fifth motion, an emergency motion, was entitled: ‘Let’s help end sexual assaults at our Union’. This motion was forwarded by Matthew Carroll in light of recent sexual assaults that have happened around the Students’ Union. Carroll was joined by second year student Alastair Babington, who has implemented a Safe Walk Scheme aimed to help students walking home late at night. Babington introduced the motion by outlining the urgent need for action regarding sexual assaults in Cardiff, the most recent of which occurred in close proximity of the Students’ Union, on Senghennydd Road. Babington stressed the importance of offering an alternative option for students who are unable to rely on existing projects, such as the Safe Taxi Scheme. He referred to one student who was assaulted outside the Students’ Union, but was not able to make use of the Safe Taxi Scheme because the attacker had stolen the wallet which contained his student card. Babington then said: “Why this [type of safety scheme] isn’t in place already puzzles me.” The Senate agreed that it should support the work done by the Student Safety Walk Scheme, though some Senators raised issue over the safety of potential volunteers. In response to this, Babington stated that volunteers with the scheme receive comprehensive training in areas including first aid and conflict management, whilst radio contact through the use of walky-talkies is maintained throughout the evening. This motion then went to vote, and the Senate opened up to general discussion on matters not related to the evening’s motions.

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Bukhari was still unconvinced of the credibility of the motion, declaring: ‘A circle of insanity is what I’m seeing here’, in reference to a motion to lobby the Welsh government

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Any other business Among the issues discussed was the attendance of course representatives at senate events, with Senator Chiron Hooson saying: “There should be more encouragement to get course reps into senate meetings.” There is currently a maximum of eight course representatives allowed at any one senate meeting, however it was mentioned that attendance rarely exceeds one or two reps. The Senate resolved to increase advertising of meetings to course reps in the hope to attract more interest from the students. The final item on the agenda was the applications for the position of Chair of the Senate for the 2016/17 academic year. There have two applicants for the position, which is currently occupied by former VP Sport Bryn Griffiths, who will step down after the last Senate meeting at the end of this semester.

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He referred to one student who was assaulted outside the Students’ Union, but was not able to make use of the Safe Taxi Scheme

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6 NEWS

September

October

Gair Rhydd kicked off the year with a special Fresher’s Week edition, welcoming a new crop of bright-eyed first years to Cardiff University. Working on an issue that included the inaugural editorial from our editor, Joe, the newlyassembled Gair Rhydd team were brimming with excitement at the prospect of the year ahead. The news focused on Cardiff University Students’ Union’s opposition to George Osborne’s phasing out of maintenance grants. However, it was also revealed that the SU said they were unlikely to pay the living wage to student staff, prompting the first headline of the year to blare: “Is your Students’ Union representing you?”. Cardiff featured heavily in the national news after three sex attacks in the space of five days, which led to increased security around the Students’ Union and a taxi scheme which Gair Rhydd would report on the following month.

October saw an award-winning exclusive piece make the front page, with Anna Lewis’ story on the MEDIC Forward Scheme scooping her a Cardiff Student Media Award for Best Journalist. Gair Rhydd reported a potential loss of £20.7 million in research funding for the Medical School, along with a considerable amount of disillusionment among staff and students over how the School was managed. Also covered in the month of October was the lack of concern for safety from Cardiff taxi drivers who refused to accept short fares, and the controversy surrounding feminist academic Germaine Greer’s proposed lecture at Cardiff university began. Greer’s was branded “transphobic” following comments she made about transgender women “not being women” due to the fact that they have never had a period.

2015/16 ACCORDING TO

R.O.N 27

SEB ROBYNS-LANDRICOMBE 165

500

STEFFAN BRYN 465

1000

NADINE DAHAN 726

1500

ALEX WHITE 855

2000

HANNAH STERRITT 1149

2500

SOPHIE TIMBERS 2267

SU PRESIDENT RESULTS

February

March

April

After a quiet January, the month of February brought five issues, and more news than you can shake a stick at. To kick off an action-packed month, Issue 1070 investigated Cardiff ’s refugee situation, a subject that had dominated national headlines in light of the European migrant crisis. An exclusive piece - “Refugees in Cardiff: a home from home?” looked into the state of refugee accommodation in the Welsh capital and interviewed staff at local charity Oasis. The month culminated in a thrilling and hard-fought Student Election campaign that was covered extensively by the Gair Rhydd team. Seven full-time officers were elected, to be led by Sophie Timbers, who won the position of Students’ Union President. Gair Rhydd News team advises readers that it is too late now to vote Bretty.

March brought a new wave of investigative journalism for the Gair Rhydd team sparked by an email from a concerned student. Research found that the Religious department had chosen to make their only Judaism specialist redundant, thus eliminating the only module to teach Hebrew. Meanwhile a second investigation found that the number of Cardiff students seeking help with mental health issues has dramatically risen, to the point where university facilities were allegedly struggling to cope with demand. Another issue also uncovered more trouble at the Heath campus, with medics allegedly using blackface to impersonate an ethnic minority lecturer. A second survey of the year also tackled the subject of personal tutors, with students highlighting that tutors are not alway as helpful as expected.

After a three week long break, the Easter Bunny delivered two issues of Gair Rhydd for the News team to get their rotten, sugar-ravaged teeth into. The world seemingly came to a standstill as Cardiff students descended on Swansea to watch their university sports teams retain the Varsity Shield. This was day saw some members of the News team plunged into unfamiliar territory as they were tasked with reporting on various sports, the rules of which were mysterious to them. Despite Cardiff lifting the Shield, however Swansea had the bragging rights due to a victory in the men’s rugby. On a sadder note, Gair Rhydd also reported the unfortunate news that two sabbatical officers had resigned due to mental health issues, and spoke of a lack of support from the Students’ Union.

NEWS 7

November

December

January

In a bumper month for news that included three front-page exclusives, the team had their work cut out reporting on Halloween chaos in the queue to Flux, and examining the more private side of student life with the Gair Rhydd Sex Survey. On a more sombre note, the last two front pages of November covered Paris-based students’ experience of the terror attacks and the doubling of Cardiff ’s homeless population in two years. Speaking to homeless people on the streets of Cardiff, the News team were told that harsher treatment of homeless in Newport and Swansea was to blame for the sharp rise in the number of people sleeping rough in the Welsh capital. The team got an idea of what life was like for Cardiff ’s less fortunate, who live life outside the security and comfort of the student bubble.

As Cardiff University students performed a turkey-motivated mass exodus of the Welsh capital, Gair Rhydd released just one issue in December before the Christmas break began. The front page examined the Students’ Union’s opposition to the Vice Chancellor over proposed changes to the tuition fees system in Wales. The News section also caught up on the campaign for Cardiff University to end its investment in fossil fuels, led by People and Planet members. The campaign was originally reported in November, when People and Planet staged a rally outside the SU which involved oil being poured on one particularly committed activist. Gair Rhydd also sat in on the last Student Senate meeting of the calendar year. Always a fiery occasion, this Senate meeting called for more transparency around university investments and where money from tuition fees is spent.

As the Christmas holidays ended, the Gair Rhydd team bravely battled through January blues to deliver issue 1069, the only one of the month. The front page focused on criticism of the NUS by the Cardiff Students’ Union over their failure to communicate over maintenance grant abolition. The NUS left the Welsh Students’ Union unaware of changes to voting in Westminster despite allegedly knowing of their existence. The rest of the News section documented Cardiff University’s poor score for freedom of speech following an investigation by an independent organisation. There was also a story on students protesting against NHS bursary cuts, while Cardiff University was named as the best higher education institution for employing LGBT+ in the country by Stonewall.

GAIR RHYDD NEWS May For the last issues of the academic year, the News team decided to put the sabbatical officers under the spotlight, comparing original manifesto points to their work achieved during the year. Whilst some officers had made significant progress, other tasks such as creating a pharmacy and a student theatre lie a long way ahead. In other news we heard the tale of a Cardiff student trapped in Turkey, after his passport was stolen from a hotel room. After being denied passage back to Wales, Wan Norhelmi Ajmal was made to travel to his home country of Malaysia to obtain an emergency Visa. Finally in this issue we’ve talked about issues surrounding racism in Cardiff University. Although no official complaints have been made, our survey has brought some important concerns, including the casual racism and stereotypes made on a daily basis.

Goodbye It has been a pleasure to bring you the news every week this year. We’ve made a conscious effort to find the stories that are important to you and investigate issues that affect students’ everyday lives. We hope that we have answered some questions and encouraged some changes through our reporting. We would like to thank those who participated in our surveys and responded to our enquiries throughout the year. Further thanks to Laura Som and the rest of the SU’s comms departmentm as well as all the Sabbs for their support and help with our stories. Its been a tough but rewarding year and we hope that you have enjoyed reading our section as much as we have enjoyed writing it. - Anna, Joe, Toby and Jo

gair rhydd y

gair rhydd | freeword Cardiff ’s student weekly Issue 1060 Monday 12th October 2015 Also in this issue

gair rhydd

Politics: We talk to Wales’ First Minister, Carwyn Jones P18>>

• British Medical Association “very concerned” over implications of MEDIC Forward for senior female staff • Dean of Medicine: “We stand to lose out on £20.7 million in research funding” if levels of diversity not improved within School • Institute of Molecular & Experimental Medicine to be “dissolved” (page 5) EXCLUSIVE Anna Lewis

ardiff University School of Medicine could be set to lose millions of pounds worth of funding, due to a proposed restructure under the MEDIC Forward Scheme. As a result of the widely-criticised plans, named MEDIC Forward, senior female staff have been “targeted” according the British Medical Association (BMA). This is set to have detrimental effects upon the School of Medicine’s diversity requirements, and could result in a substantial loss of funding. The news comes amid widespread backlash against the proposals, with staff citing a total loss of faith in both the School of Medicine and the University’s Executive Board as a result. MEDIC Forward has been de-

scribed by the University as an initiative allowing the School of Medicine to “build upon existing success” and “embrace positive change”. However, staff have spoken out to Gair Rhydd against the “unacceptable” consequences of this change, causing “loyalties and commitment” within research departments to be broken. “People need to be aware of what has happened” one staff member warned Gair Rhydd, “to ensure that this does not happen again”. It has now been revealed that in accordance to the School’s current plans, senior female staff will be put at a major disadvantage in MEDIC Forward’s new criteria used to assess its members. According to the Deputy Chair Women in Academic Medicine for BMA, Dr Marcia Schofield, this can be explained “as many [female] clinical academics also do NHS work and are therefore less than full time”.

Talking to Gair Rhydd, Schofield said: “We are concerned that the MEDIC Forward process appears to be targeting areas that many of the few senior female clinical academics work in.” The Medical Academic Staff Committee (MASC) at the BMA has also spoken out against MEDIC Forward, as co-chair Michael Rees told Gair Rhydd: “We remain very concerned about the gender issues in relation to MEDIC Forward and having discussed this within MASC we feel the Medical School has to significantly change its approach to gender and age issues”. Currently Cardiff University School of Medicine holds a Bronze level in the diversity charter Athena SWAN, which aims to support female staff and address the underrepresentation of women in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine) subjects.

Pictured: The University Hospital of Wales at Cardiff University’s Heath Park campus (Photographer: Anna Lewis)

Continued on page 4

Cardiff ’s student weekly Issue 1065 Monday 16th November 2015 Also in this issue

Sex survey finds more than half of students are not aware of SU’s sexual health services

Comment: Should drug use be decriminalised? P13>>

EXCLUSIVE Joanna Beck, Anna Lewis, Shanna Hamilton & Joseph Atkinson

Societies: Charity work at uni P27>>

Gair Rhydd student sex survey of 250 Cardiff University students has found that around 50 per cent of participants are not aware of the sexual health services that are currently offered by the Students’ Union. The survey asked students about attitudes towards sex, experiences with sexual health and knowledge of existing health facilities. One particular cause of concern recorded was the lack of sexual health advice for LGBT+ students as one participant suggested, “there should be sexual health and education resources aimed directly at the LGBT+ community. We are, after all, sexual

and gender minorities. “Virtually all of the resources exist catered to straight people and most queer people are left completely in the dark having to fend for themselves and learn about sex the hard way with no prior educative material”. In the study 21 per cent of the participants described themselves as either gay, lesbian, bisexual or other, with the remaining 79 per cent selecting heterosexual or “rather not disclose”. Comments were also made regarding sexual consent and a large number of participants suggested that the University should introduce consent lessons or workshops. One participant suggested that the Students’ Union “make sure people know what consent is.” They explained: “Make people more aware of what a sexually abusive relationship may include and the warning signs of sexual abuse.”

Many universities have started to implement consent lessons and both Oxford and Cambridge have introduced compulsory sexual consent workshops for their students. One of the concerns associated with consent is the influence of alcohol-an issue which features prominently in the study. According to results, 59 per cent said that they have had a sexual encounter whilst drunk that they might not have had sober. One participant described their own experience of “pressured sexual encounters where I felt unable to express a ‘no’ emphatically enough for the other person to understand. Initial and early encounters were often undertaken because I felt unable to explain a No and was not comfortable in insisting”. Other comments mentioned the negative stigma associated with sexual activity and sexual health. One

Pictured: SHAG’s condom dispenser in the reception of the Students’ Union (Photographer: Anna Lewis)

Continued on page 4

gair rhydd | freeword Cardiff ’s student weekly Issue 1066 Monday 23rd November 2015 Also in this issue

Advice: The benefits of running and exercise P9>>

“You’re not safe here, get home now”: Paris-based students tell their stories of terrorist attacks

Comment: Does consumerism go too far at Christmas? P15>>

• Last weekend’s attacks on the city’s cultural heartland left 129 people dead • Student on study abroad year tells Gair Rhydd: “The city’s on tenterhooks” • Welsh UoL student: “It makes us all feel like potential targets”

• VP Welfare says SU should be “doing more” to help sexual health society SHAG • Students complain of lack of support for sexual and gender minorities • Calls for consent lessons among suggestions from 250 students surveyed

Science: How did the dinosaurs die out? P22>>

gair rhydd y

Advice: What to look for in a student house P9>>

Comment: Tackling America’s gun laws P11>>

MEDIC Forward update: Doing “more damage than good”

gair rhydd | freeword

Politics: Kirsty Williams talks tuition fees to Gair Rhydd P18>>

EXCLUSIVE Anna Lewis, Joanna Beck & Dan Heard

ast week the world stopped to honour the 129 people killed in the terrorist attacks in Paris. Now students studying in the French capital tell Gair Rhydd of their experiences living through the biggest attack in Europe since 2004. Third year Cardiff University student Imogen Flatau was visiting friends in

Paris at the time of the attacks. She described how she first became aware of the situation whilst in a restaurant in St Michel near the Notre Dame, in the city’s fifth arrondissement. Flatau said: “It was after we had finished our main course when one of the girls looked at her phone. She had a lot of missed calls from someone. We all then checked ours and we had the same. A lot of missed calls and several texts. We then knew something had happened.” Hannah Williams, another Cardiff student currently studying on a year

abroad in Paris, was with Flatau and her friends at the time of the incident. Talking to Gair Rhydd she stated: “Naturally, we were all terrified and when it was confirmed [it was a terrorist attack] we were petrified.” The attacks began with an explosion outside the Stade de France, after an international football match between France and Germany. Diners in restaurants in the tenth and eleventh arrondissements also came under fire from armed gunmen, killing 15 and five people respectively.

Science: Why there’s probably mould in your house P25>>

Pictured: Above: The Parisian skyline (Photographer: Ryan Hurril) Below: Tributes at Place de la Republique (Photographer: Roberto Maldeno)

Continued on page 4

Politics: What did the G20 talks in Turkey achieve? P20>>

Science: Self-driving cars by 2020? P22>>

Read all about it: Gair Rhydd exclusives gair rhydd y

gair rhydd | freeword Cardiff ’s student weekly Issue 1067 Monday 30th November 2015 Also in this issue

gair rhydd y

Advice: Concentrating in the age of the smartphone P9>>

Homelessness in Cardiff : Number of people sleeping rough doubles in two years

Comment: Transgender row over Cumberbatch role P13>>

• Homeless people tell Gair Rhydd of their struggles surviving on the streets • Harsher treatment in Swansea and Newport draws people to Welsh capital • Cardiff Councillor: Changes to benefits and housing to blame for rise EXCLUSIVE Anna Lewis, Joanna Beck & Toby Holloway

omelessness in Cardiff has risen by over a half in the last two years, according to a charity report. In response to the news, Gair Rhydd has conducted an investigation into life on the streets of the Welsh capital. According to The Wallich homeless charity, the amount of people living on the streets has increased by 64 per cent between October 2013 and October 2015. This has meant that the number of people receiving daily support from the charity has grown from 12 in 2013 to 28 this year. For those made homeless, reasons for this rise include a lack of government support and hostile attitudes in neighbouring cities. Talking to Gair Rhydd, one group explained that their reluctance to go to shelters also stemmed from the theft of possessions and an intimidating envi-

ronment created by drug users. Meanwhile another man noted that aggressive anti-homeless policies in other cities has forced people to move to Cardiff. In October, a nineteen year old boy was given a £150 criminal court charge in Swansea for begging in a doorway of an empty shop. Meanwhile, plans to criminalise those sleeping rough in Newport have only just been overturned due to the work of charities and campaign workers, according to The Guardian. In response to the increase in homelessness in Cardiff, the Chief Executive of The Wallich described the situation as “very worrying, particularly in the face of potential further funding cuts in 2016/2017”. This is especially true with the approaching winter months, with the risk of citizens developing severe illnesses and even freezing to death. In reaction to the news, Cllr Susan Elsmore, Cardiff Council Cabinet Member for Health, Housing and Wellbe-

ing maintained that she is “committed to working with individuals who sleep rough on the streets of Cardiff to support them to access services”. According to the Council, the situation can be attributed to changes in the law for certain groups to attain effective entitlement to benefits and housing. A spokesperson confirmed that the largest increase of homelessness has been seen within citizens affected from European Economic Areas (EEAs). They have now stated that Cardiff will work with its partners to “reconnect these clients to their country of origin”. However, Welsh citizens on the streets have also attributed their situation to a lack of support and funding from the British government. This includes an apparently “limited” number of resources allocated to Wales. One homeless man told Gair Rhydd that he was disgruntled with the government’s immigration policy, which he said helped EU citizens to secure housing within six weeks. He said: “I don’t care if you’re black,

Continued on page 4

Cardiff ’s student weekly Issue 1070 Monday 1st February 2016 Also in this issue

Politics: The highlights of the Autumn Statement P18>>

Science: Dating using your nose P22>>

gair rhydd

Refugees in Cardiff : A home from home?

Politics: Spotlight on the Welsh education system P20>>

EXCLUSIVE Toby Holloway

ollowing a week where asylum seekers in Cardiff made national news headlines, Gair Rhydd investigated what life is like for the Welsh capital’s refugee population. Last week, a private company in Cardiff was criticised for making refugees wear red wristbands in order to receive food. The wristband scheme was heavily criticised as some people labelled it ‘degrading’ to the refugees, alongside accusations that it stigmatized those wearing them, making them targets for abuse and discrimination. As a result of the news, we visited Oasis Cardiff, a centre in Splott to see what employees and refugees had to say about the matter. The centre offers a range of activities and services for up to 200 people

every day, from clothing and food to English lessons and help with tax returns. Asked whether any of the asylum seekers at Oasis had experienced prejudice because of the wristbands, co-founder and manager of Oasis, Reynette Roberts, said: “Some people feel they have, some people aren’t bothered about them at all. There have always been people shouting abuse as they drive by. There’s not much space outside and they’re more visible so people will give them abuse. It’s a difficult thing”. Speaking generally about the wristbands, she added: “For people who are coming here, anything that makes them stick out or makes them feel vulnerable - makes them feel targeted - is an issue”. This idea has also been suggested by other volunteers. We spoke to the President of STAR (Student Action for Refugees) at Cardiff University,

Natasha Chilambo, who confirmed that during the society’s work she had also encountered instances of discrimination towards refugees: “Locally [refugees] are victim to abuse by some members of the public; on more than one occasion we have been made to respond to people turning up to the drop-in who have been verbally and physically abusive”. However, Chilambo did note that attitudes have changed in recent times: “There has been a big positive shift in the last few months and I think this is attributable to a greater public awareness of the refugee crisis”. This was also emphasised by STAR committee member Anusheh Javaid, who said: “I think that overall the people of Cardiff are greatly hospitable and understanding towards refugees and asylum seekers. They go out of their way to help when they

Pictured:

Scenes from a ‘Solidarity with Refugees’ rally in London in September (Photographer: Ilias Bartolini via Flickr)

Continued on page 4

gair rhydd | freeword Cardiff ’s student weekly Issue 1076 Monday 14th March 2016 Also in this issue

Advice: Going travelling? Here’s how to prepare P8>>

Comment: Should Banksy have to raise social issues? P13>>

Medic charity gig marred by complaints of discrimination

Comment: Should tech companies comply with authorities? P16>>

• Members of Anaphylaxis comedy show allegedly ‘blacked up’ to portray lecturer • School of Medicine receive “a number of complaints” from parents and students about the content of the show • University launches independent investigation into breach of Equality and Diversity policies as Dean of Medicine condemns “all forms of discrimination”

• Gair Rhydd investigates what life is like as a refugee in Cardiff • Wristband scheme introduced by private firm to identify asylum seekers labelled “degrading” by commentators • Exclusive interviews with refugees and charity workers

Pictured:

Food was given out to homeless people from the Salvation Army’s Cardiff Bus Project last Thursday evening (Photographer: Joseph Atkinson)

gair rhydd | freeword

Science: Why are bananas under threat? P24>>

Taf-Od: Edrych ymlaen at yr Eisteddfod Ryng-gol P32>>

EXCLUSIVE Joseph Atkinson

n investigation is under way in Cardiff University’s School of Medicine after multiple complaints were made about the content of the Medical Society’s annual comedy charity event, ‘Anaphylaxis’. A student wore black face paint to portray a lecturer at the School, Doctor T Jeff Allen, which provoked “a number of complaints” from both students and parents. The School of Medicine has responded by launching an independent investigation into the incident. Anaphylaxis is run every year by third year Medical students, and was advertised by the School of Medicine in their undergraduate degree programme for the 2015/16 intake of students as part of the charity

campaign, Heath RAG. This year is was run independent of Heath RAG which has not taken place. The event is a satirical comedy about the Medical School and in previous years has been notoriously controversial, with a disclaimer beforehand that it would not be suitable for anyone easily offended. All proceeds from ticket sales over the show’s run are donated to charity. Multiple sources have confirmed to Gair Rhydd that a performer in the sketch ‘blacked up’ in order to portray Doctor Allen, while there have also been suggestions that the “camp” nature of the performance has been interpreted as homophobia. Speaking to Gair Rhydd, a medic student who wishes to remain anonymous admitted that a student wore black face paint to portray Doctor Allen, but also defended the show, saying that “the nature of Anaphylaxis is to take the piss because it’s

supposed to be light-hearted. “Quite a lot of people find it quite sad that it’s kicking off because the third years put a lot of effort into making it. I don’t think they meant to be racist or homophobic. “It wasn’t any more offensive or outrageous than last year and it’s a shame that this is overshadowing all the hard work and money raised for charity.” A Cardiff University spokesperson confirmed to Gair Rhydd that multiple complaints had been received in the aftermath of Anaphylaxis, performances of which took placed on the week beginning 22nd February at the CMC Sports and Social Hall at the University’s Heath Park Campus. The spokesperson went on to confirm that “the allegations are subject to a formal investigation”, and emphasised that “the School of Medicine takes allegations of this nature extremely seriously.”

Pictured:

Anaphylaxis was held in the CMC Sport and Social Club (Photographer: Maria Mellor)

Continued on page 4

Politics: Plaid Cymru conference round-up P22>>

Science: The science of everything hair-related P27>>

8 ADVICE

advice

Editors: Gwen Williams Caragh Medlicott @GairRhyddAdv advice@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/advice

Lad culture on campus: The steps we need to take

George Watkins

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Walk through the student village and you’ll find yourself being eyed up and evaluated for whether you’re adequate or not.

”

ad culture. It’s as tricky to explain as it is to find a solution to. With the beginning of a new campaign by the Student’s Union to tackle this crisis, I thought it would be important to assess what it actually means to be a guy at university in 2016, and to explain how you can recognise it and face up to it head on, so that we can work to stop this giving students a bad name. Being a guy, full stop, in 2016 isn’t as easy as it is commonly assumed to be. There’s endless pressures to be both ‘normal’ and to ‘be manly’, fearing rejection or even bullying. Look at the cover of Men’s Health and listen to what people describe as being ideally ‘attractive’ nowadays. You’re expected to search for a six pack (sadly not the alcoholic variety), yet balance being sociable enough to be able to feel part of a group. It’s where the description of groups of young men walking round in ‘herds’ comes from. Walk through the student village and you’ll find yourself being eyed up and evaluated for whether you’re adequate or not, even though not out loud. This is why many guys choose to stay in groups, to try and protect themselves from appearing different. There’s nothing wrong with being

different, but it’s a short step from this pack mentality to the notion of lad culture, namely a disrespect towards women, excessive drinking and abuse of other boys. I’m sure many of you will be able to think of a few girls you know who have been inappropriately groped on a night out, for example. This isn’t to say that this culture is responsible for the string of sex attacks around the Union over the past few months. It’s simply a lack of understanding and respect, not anything criminal. I was in Live Lounge a few weeks ago and watched a group of guys settle around the bar, loudly cheering and celebrating with a few drinks. Also near to me and my friends were a pair of girls, slightly drunk, having been there for an hour or so already. They were on the cusp of intoxication, wobbling slightly every so often. I was shocked what happened next. One of the group of around ten pulled the arm of one of the girls as they were walking towards the door and dragged her into the group. They circled her and pushed her between each, touching her all over and not giving her or her friend (who was also conscripted after a few seconds) the chance to leave. I was stunned. I

couldn’t stop imagining how angry I would be if it were my sister in such a situation. The sad thing is that unless something changes, she very well might be. If lad culture is based in fear, like I suggest, then the obvious place to start is to talk about it. I’m not ashamed to admit I’m pretty different. I have mental health problems, commonly considered as a sign of weakness in the past, a ridiculously terrible fashion sense, not to mention not being able to drink because of my conditions. I chose to not take part in rugby this year simply because of initiation. I wouldn’t be allowed to fit in, or so I believed. Conversations need to happen, not by the President of the Students’ Union, Student Support Centre or even, God forbid, lecturers or seminar tutors. It needs to be men like myself and many others I know choosing to take a stand and engage, no, challenge, these guys about why they feel the need to act the way they do. I’m aware starting university is tough for everyone. You’re desperate to find new friends and not be that person who’s totally alone forever. It doesn’t mean you need to fall into this trap of hiding behind a group

to avoid your insecurities, because eventually you’re going to graduate. You’re going to have to get a job, and you, if you like, might try to find a partner. Is getting to know a girl by manhandling her in a club effective? It doesn’t work. It’s about balance fundamentally, between confidence and over-compensating with bravado for feeling insecure. Punishment for this wouldn’t work. It shouldn’t even be tested. The definition is too vague, and the ‘crimes’ committed I believe aren’t worthy of severe disciplinary procedures most of the time. Trying to repress a social attitude won’t do anything more than stoke it and encourage it more. We must have a serious conversation between men about how this is getting out of hand. Look at Yik Yak to see just how resented the actions of these guys can be. We need to offer alternative options than this habit to Freshers in September. They need to be allowed to express themselves as who they are, and steadily, even if it takes a few years, these attitudes will begin to be mocked for their sheer idiocy. These guys are a minority of the men at the university, so the majority need to come forward and stop this once and for all.

Pictured: Drinking is a big part of ‘lad culture’ (Photographer: James Sheriff via Flickr)

“

It needs to be men like myself and many others I know choosing to take a stand and engage, no, challenge, these guys.

”

ADVICE 9

Maria Mellor

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Enthusiasm is key! If you let your passion for a subject shine through, people will see that.

”

Networking as a student

he practice of networking seems like an impossible task as a student. We hear about professional networking events and conferences, but it seems like we have nothing to offer. This is not the case. You don’t have to go to a networking event in order to network - it could be as simple as buying someone on your course a VK in the SU and finding out a little bit about them. Having a good set of contacts can get you anywhere, whether it’s later in life when that girl you live with becomes prime minister, or finding someone to collaborate with on a creative project you’ve had in mind. It’s not just about doing better for yourself, but about making friends, and therefore contacts, while you can.

Once you have an idea of what you want to do as a career, find people who are doing it at the moment and reach out to them. Twitter is the best place to do this, as there are tons of professionals - be it journalists, accountants or web designers - who are all using social media to share their work and communicate with each other. They share details about their everyday lives, giving you an automatic sneaky way in and a little bit of understanding about what they do. It might even be worth it to find a way to have a chat with them yourself so that once it comes to applying for a job with them they might remember your name. Opportunities come from the strangest places. I was working as a waitress in London at the Aegon

Championships last summer, and one day was asked to move from the main restaurant into the special champagne suite. I found out that one of the people I was serving was representing Tatler, and after chatting with her for a few minutes I landed myself two weeks work experience for this summer! It’s just about having the confidence to talk to people. You might not even know what use they may be to you, but it’s totally worth striking up a random conversation with a stranger and seeing where it takes you. Enthusiasm is key! If you let your passion for a subject shine through, people will see that and you may find yourself rewarded for it. It’s also important to do your research where possible. If you know that you’ll go-

ing to a Q&A from an industry professional, come prepared with questions and conversation topics to get the most out of it. It’s one way you can show your enthusiasm. While it’s good to be prepared, there is such a thing as going too far. Don’t waste your money on business cards while you’re still a student as it’ll look slightly lame. Instead don’t be afraid to ask someone you meet if you can add them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter - you could even whip out your phone and cheekily ask them for their number so you can drop them a text sometime. Make the most of your opportunities and show your confidence and enthusiasm and you’ll be able to network wherever you go with whoever you talk to!

“

Don’t waste your money on business cards while you’re still a student as it’ll look slightly lame.

”

Here comes the summer! How to make the most of your time off

Pictured: Travelling is a popular venture with students over summer, (Photographer: Moyan Brenn via Flickr)

Caragh Medlicott

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Getting a job over summer – particularly if you’re moving back homewill give you a chance to save up some money.

”

chool’s out for summer! Well, not quite, but almost. So it’s time to start thinking about how to make the most of your summer. At uni we get a pretty big break between each year (remember how long that six week holiday used to feel at school?) and one thing is for sure - you don’t want to end up spending the whole time stuck in doors with only Netflix for company. Of course everyone likes a good post-deadline Netflix binge, but more than a couple of days is just time you’re never getting back. So what can you do with that vaguely rainy stretch of time we call the British summer? If the Phineas and Ferb theme songs doesn’t have enough ideas for you, I’m here to supply you with some more. Let’s start with the boring. Why not get a summer job? Whether that’s working part time or full time for summer. Getting a job over summer – particularly if you’re moving back home - this will give you a

chance to save up some money (or for some people, to get out of their overdraft). Whatever the reasons, it’s best to start looking early. As most uni students are done by mid-June we have a jump on the college kids also looking for work, so starting the search early means you’re more likely to be able to get in somewhere you actually like. When deciding on places it’s always worth having a look online to see which places have the best ratings for treating their staff well. For more information on writing a good CV or acing an interview go to http://cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/ gairrhydd/category/advice/ and see our previous article on these topics. Another practical idea for summer is to arrange some work experience. Particularly if you’re finishing your second year as this may be your last chance to do something extra to pad out your CV before you have to start looking for graduate jobs the follow-

ing year (scary!) Plus having work experience on your CV shows you are conscientious and proactive. Now onto the fun side of things. Travelling! Even if you don’t have enough money now, why not use the summer to save up a bit (that aforementioned job will help with this) and get out and see the world. It’s easier to arrange than you’d imagine, particularly if you get an interrailing ticket. There’s no better time to go than when you’re a student with no serious career commitments and such. You’ll make memories to last forever! I’d particularly recommend going with uni friends. Once you all graduate you may return home or go into different jobs so you should really make the most of the time you have while you all share the same holidays. Another idea popular with students is using their summer to volunteer to work on charity-based projects. While many of these are worthwhile and rewarding experi-

ences, make sure you check out the charity or organisation beforehand. Some of these companies are notorious for ripping students off and it’s important you make sure you know what you’re getting into. It’s also worth checking that whatever you’re doing will actually be beneficial to the charity rather than a holiday you fundraise money for. Make sure you’re willing to work hard! A lot of the worthwhile projects are tough so make sure you are mentally and physically prepared and I’m sure it’ll be an amazing experience. Whatever you do with summer is ultimately up to you and I’m sure there are a million and one other things you can do with your time that will be just as amazing. The main piece of advice I have to you is just make sure you don’t do nothing. For this reason I’d like to end with an inspirational quote… “don’t let your dreams be dreams” (LaBeouf, S 2015).

“

Make sure you’re willing to work hard! A lot of the worthwhile projects are tough so make sure you are mentally and physically.

”

10 ADVICE

Student media: Why you should get involved

Caragh Medlicott

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If you are considering a career as a journalist or as any kind of writer, getting these skills early is invaluable.

”

s another academic year begins to near its end, it is time to consider what you have done with your year, outside of university. Have you been involved in anything that might help your future career prospects, and even if you have, wouldn’t doing something more be even better? Getting involved with student media is highly rewarding. In fact, it is something all students with a flair for journalism should consider. With applications for next year’s Cardiff Student Media team now open, there is no better time to consider applying and taking part in something which not only looks good on your CV but is really fun as well! Gair Rhydd has nine sections in total - News, Advice, Comment, Politics, Science, Societies, Taf-Od, Park Life and Sport - so whatever your area of interest you can write things specific to your knowledge and skill base. These sections cover everything from student-centric stories to international news. If you

are passionate about something and want to spread the word, working within student media is a perfect way to get your voice heard. You do not need any previous or professional experience to work at Gair Rhydd, so long as you have a good work ethic and like being part of a team then you will fit into perfectly. During my time at Gair Rhydd I have built on and learnt so many skills, from working to deadlines, proof-reading and using professional tools such as a Camayak and Adobe InDesign. In addition to this, I have even noticed the benefits it has had for me with regards to my university course. As an English Literature student, I have found that my writing has improved and I am much better at spotting errors in my own work. If you are considering a career as a journalist or as any kind of writer, getting these skills early is invaluable and puts you ahead of the game. Plus, working as a section editor promotes creativity as you have to think of new ideas for your section each week. By

the end of the year, as a Gair Rhydd or Quench section editor, you will undoubtedly have multiple articles of your own which you can showcase in a portfolio, which will look very impressive to future employers! Not to mention, there are so many opportunities for fun! Whether that’s at the Cardiff Student Media Awards or at the SPAs (Student Publication Association) you’ll have the opportunity to attend wonderful social events and even be in with a chance of winning an award (yet another thing to make your CV impressive, eh?) These events are all the more fun because of all the brilliant friends

you’ll make during your time in student media. There are many socials held throughout the year (Gair Rhydd has done everything from pub golf to laser tag) so you really will never be bored. Overall, I really can’t emphasise enough what a great experience working with student media can be. If you are interested in any area of journalism or writing you’d be crazy not to apply - and not just because of the CV benefits but genuinely because of how great it is to learn so many new skills and make so many wonderful new friends.

Pictured: Joining student media is a great way to get your name in print (Photographer: Judy Van Der Velden via flickr).

Thinking about going vegetarian? Grant gives insight and advice into going veggie one year into giving up meat

Grant Denton

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I initially gave up meat because I couldn’t hack feeling a tinge of guilt every time I left Lidl with a 5kg bag of chicken.

”

dmittedly, in my first few weeks of uni, going back to eating meat did cross my mind. I distinctly remember sitting in TGI Fridays for my mate’s birthday, begrudgingly eating the shittiest thing I’ve ever ordered at a restaurant - roast peppers and onions in a tortilla wrap; it was unbelievably dry. Despite this, I knew I’d feel guilty “breaking veg”. Here I am a year and a half later… still veggie. Although I initially gave up meat because I couldn’t hack feeling a tinge of guilt every time I left Lidl with a 5kg bag of chicken, there are many other fantastic reasons to give up meat. First of all it is really cheap. Seriously, I could get at least seven or eight VKs in the SU with the money I used to spend on meat every week. Some of my friends have asked whether my meals taste bland. I can assure you the delicacies I concoct are far from plain. Since turning veggie I’ve become a much more creative cook. I’m now comfortable using an array of spices and condiments to really bolster the flavour of my meals. My favourite dish to cook is a mixed bean chilli (without the mince

obviously). Another one I love (despite my bad experience at TGI Fridays) is frying up some onions and peppers, adding some tomato puree with a bit of cumin and paprika, then bunging this mix into a couple of tortillas with guacamole and sour cream; that one really hits the spot. I’ve also noticed I rarely feel bloated after eating meals anymore. If you love going to the gym I bet your dying to know where I get my gainz from. I’m no Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson by any means but it certainly is possible to gain muscle on a vegetarian diet. You know the huge guy in The Green Mile - the late Michael Clarke Duncan - he was a veggie. Eggs and whey protein are probably the go-to products for vegetarians who like to work out. For vegans (people who don’t eat animals or animal products) it is harder to get protein, but it’s not impossible. The Myprotein vegan blend contains 22g of protein in each 30g serving! It consists of protein derived from peas, brown rice and hemp. Although this sounds like it would taste vile, the blend is chocolate flavoured so it’s actually rather delicious (as far as protein shakes go).

Also, if you’re trying to lose weight going veggie could make your life easier. Your saturated fat intake is likely to decrease significantly if you stop eating red meat. So far I’ve debunked the myths that your meals will taste awful and you’ll forever be puny and weak on a vegetarian diet. All the while you’ll be saving cash. Could there be any more perks to veggie life? Actually yes, there is one more benefit. Here comes the guilt

trip. You have been warned. Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. That’s more than the emissions of all forms of transportation put together. So if you want to do something truly great for the environment, cutting out meat isn’t a bad place to start. I’d recommend watching Cowspiracy (a documentary on Netflix) if you want to know more about the impact of animal agriculture on the environment.

Pictured: Some say life is healthier as a veggie (Photographer: Daniel Cukier via flickr)

Arofan House BRAND NEW

STUDENT

ACCOMMODATION In the

of the city

VERE STREET

(just off City Road)

*Please note external images are CGIs and internal images are of a similar 2015 scheme. Final layouts and colours may vary.

12 COMMENT

comment

Editors: Em Gates Charley Griffiths David Williams @GairRhyddCom comment@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/comment

The EU Referendum: In or Out? Pictured: Brexit fever has hit the UK (Source: MPD01605 via Flickr)

REMAIN Sam Saunders

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There’s so much that the EU has done for us, I’ve not even mentioned the European Court of Human Rights, or the Convention on Human Rights

”

o, the time has come. In little over a month the British public will vote to either stay or leave the European Union. The latter action is completely unprecedented, as is the subject of the referendum itself. Very rarely are the public in Britain given an opportunity to express their views and vote on such a huge aspect of government policy and decision making. The last time we were given a vote on the EU, or the common market as it was known then, was in 1975 under Harrold Wilson’s Labour government. Here, I’ve just mentioned one of the greatest problems that many people have with the EU; that it’s evolved beyond just an organisation for trade and financial betterment. As it was originally conceived it was just that, a diplomatic arrangement that was meant to prevent another war in Europe and benefit all the nation states that were members. However, anyone can see that the EU of today is a far cry from the description I’ve just given. Today, it’s more of a political union than anything else, dictating legislation to member states about the environment, human rights, agriculture, fishing and a myriad of other fields of government. A large number of EU countries have even begun proper steps towards serious economic integration, with the introduction of the Euro in countries such as Germany, France and Italy. Now, I want to get one thing clear from the start, which is that if the main reason you wish to leave the EU is due to greater economic union then stop. I’d never say definitively that the UK will never be in the Euro, but given what happened during and after the 2008 financial crisis and in addition to the issues that Greece is still enduring, I doubt that any government would be able to make the UK join the Euro without a major rebellion. And, whilst it is true that

the EU is becoming more bureaucratic and I for one do not like being told which laws we can and cannot pass (the right of prisoners to vote is still a sticking point), there are a good few things that the EU has done for the UK. We’ve got a say in the European Parliament for example, with elections taking place a couple of years ago. Our farmers benefit from farm subsidies, due to French pressure for these in the EU and our fishermen can fish in EU waters, hopefully ensuring that they’ll always have produce to sell. And EU regulations on water cleanliness, air pollution and wildlife have made the country cleaner and continue to ensure that our government can’t give short shrift to these issues, something we’ve already seen in recent times. The biggest sticking point for most people however, is also the policy which I believe is the biggest benefit to being in the EU, the free movement of peoples between member countries. This, especially for me and many of my friends who speak other languages, is vital for our studies and businesses and trade. In any case, British people who go to live abroad are usually retirees, and put more of a strain on the public services of Spain for example, than the mostly very highly skilled people who come to work in Britain and contribute to the economy here. In short, there’s so much that the EU has done for us, I’ve not even mentioned the European Court of Human Rights, or the Convention on Human Rights or the fact that a lot of EU legislation stops our government from taking policies too far. I agree that in some places there’s been too much integration in the EU, but these can’t be fixed from complaining on the sidelines. The only way for reformation of the EU to be led by Britain is if we’re inside it, and that’s why I’ll be voting to stay on the 23rd of June.

hen Britain joined the European Economic Community in 1973, it did so under the pretence that it was all about trade and nothing to do with politics. 40 years have passed, and we’ve tutted in condemnation, wagged our fingers, and even waved the proverbial gun. But try as we might, the EU isn’t going to cease its political encroachments, not for the UK – it’s second largest economy, not for anyone else, and it’s safe to say it never will. Its institutions have become so fundamentally resistant to the concept, that no matter how minuscule the demands we make they are continually diluted and rebuffed until they are nothing but meaningless optical alterations. Since 2013, David Cameron has attempted to regain powers on criminal justice, employment laws, and immigration practices, to name just a few, but in the end he has had nothing to show for it. This is the inherent problem with the EU. It’s not just the fact that we are required to send £350 million each week. Or that 53 per cent of the UK’s laws are enforced by the EU. Or even the growing calls for further political integration. All of these problems, and many more, are underscored by a much larger issue. The EUs insistence on using an outdated blueprint where it views member states through a one-size-fits-all policy. This means that the 28 EU members, all with differing cultures and economic realities, all have to be satisfied by any agreement that is made. This is exemplified by the attempt to establish a single currency for a multitude of states. It has subsequently robbed nations of their ability to control monetary policy and respond to the economic conditions in an organic way. Case in point, the suffering that the Greek people are currently enduring. To make matters worse, these policies are determined

by an unelected Brussels elite, whose distance make the most basic forms of accountability exceedingly difficult. Nobody is advocating that we leave the single market, just the political and legal encroachments that hold us back. The fact of the matter is that our future lies far beyond the EU. We are in an age where it is now cheap and easy to do business in any part of the world. When we originally joined, the EU accounted for 36 per cent of world trade, this figure has now dropped to a mere 15 per cent. On top of that, in the last ten years our exports to the EU have dropped from 55 per cent to 45 per cent. It seems untenable to want to increase political and economic ties with an institution that is in economic decline. The EU isn’t showing signs to alleviate its issues either, their free trade negotiations with major markets such as India, Japan, and the UAE have either ceased or are moving at a snail’s pace. This is what happens when you have to satisfy 28 different nations. However, some people seem to think that the UK doesn’t account for much and is undesirable. Such arguments are formed from doubt and fear. Naysayers seem to forget that the UK has the 5th largest economy, is a founder of NATO, has a permanent seat on the UN security council, is a member of the G8, has some of the highest ranked universities, and has the fourth highest military budget The UK will be able to stand on these laurels. But, at the moment, Britain is unable to use its unrivalled influence to capitalise upon surging global economies. The reality is that the nature of the EU limits the UK to just one small voice of 28, and our interests often do not coincide with the rest of the EU. So, to all of those who are on the fence. The EU is a valuable ally and trading partner, but we do not need them to govern ourselves.

LEAVE Adam Muspratt

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These policies are determined by an unelected Brussels elite, whose distance make the most basic forms of accountability exceedingly difficult

”

COMMENT 13

You ain’t nothing but an underdog Helena Hanson

After Leicester City Football Club won the Premier League, beating impossible odds, Helena Hanson discusses why we always root for the underdog.

eicester City Football Club have won the Premier League. It is a phenomenon that has seldom been seen. Not since Jesus walked on water has the world seen such a marvel that defies so many laws of normativity. The odds of Leicester winning the league at the start of the season were five thousand to one. I am not a betting woman, but I understand those odds. I understand that means that it is pretty fucking unlikely. In fact, when 2013 saw the likelihood of Bono becoming the new Pope at only one thousand to one, Leicester winning the league was not far from pretty outrageously impossible. The most popular tweet following the win that circulated the internet was the comparison made between Leicester’s win and the London marathon. In an attempt to explain to ‘girls’ (who evidently can’t com-

prehend the significance by themselves) the magnitude of the result, it was described as the equivalent to “Gemma Collins winning the London Marathon”. Cruel, but effective. This is a big deal. Manchester United did not win. Chelsea did not win. It is the year of the underdog and the world is rejoicing. With Jamie Vardy achieving Jesus-like status, with his rise from Stocksbridge Parks Steels F.C. to the Premier League being a Bible-worthy story alone, the miracles just keep on coming. Eighteen months ago Leicester were bumping around in the digestive biscuit realm of exciting-ness- not completely shit, but not particularly rousing either. It was initially dismissed as a fluke. A blip that just kept on blipping. Until they just…won. We always root for the underdog. It is intuitive human nature. We root for him despite knowing he is des-

tined to lose, his dreams will almost certainly be crushed, alongside ours. It just means more. It feels so gratifying. We feel like they will appreciate it more. Like they deserve it more because they weren’t born at the top. It’s a break from the daily grind, the indubitable facts we accept and regurgitate. Our generation will never pay off our student loans, we’ll never own a house, politicians will continue to fuck us over, our brains will frazzle and die from excessive mobile phone usage and we’ll never truly reap the rewards of spending twelve months earning the Duke of Edinburgh award. But then, every once in a while, perhaps only four or five times in a lifetime, something like this will happen. Something that pisses all over the status quo. Something that reminds us that there is always a tiny, teeny little blip that can fuck up the

whole system. It happened in 2007 when Paul Potts defied the norms of the television and music industry by winning Britain’s Got Talent despite being overweight and not blonde or beautiful. It happened in 2006 when a student basketball player and a science-nerd both realised their love for performance musicals and taught a whole high school how to be themselves and reject the status quo, and it happened last week, when Leicester City football club showed the whole world that football doesn’t have to be about size or money or power. It’s been beautiful and it’s been brilliant and it’s been a brave reminder of what ballsy football can do. And it’s being celebrated everywhere, in fact I heard Jamie Vardy is having a party, and we’re all fucking invited.

Why we need to save our BBC!

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We always root for the underdog. It is intuitive human nature. We root for him despite knowing he is destined to lose, his dreams will almost certainly be crushed.

”

Following the BAFTA speeches, George Cook discusses whether we need to worry about censorship in public service broadcasting

George Cook

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It has given us Match of The Day and award winning documentaries, but most importantly, it has provided unbiased news reporting for nearly 100 years.

”

he BBC is unique, there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world and that is probably why the government are trying so hard to change it. As a public broadcaster, it has reported impartially for decades providing unbiased analysis of some of the greatest events worldwide. It has given has some fantastic programmes from Newsnight to Have I Got News For You mocking political events and current affairs, whatever viewpoints those parties and politicians have. But all that is under threat now. Those in the media are outraged at the proposals to limit the BBC’s independence. Peter Kosminsky, a film director, said at the BAFTAs on Sunday night that the government’s plans to appoint a majority of members on the BBC’s editorial board was a disgrace and would turn it into, effectively, a state broadcaster like in Russia or North Korea. Evidently, it is not only people in the media who are concerned by this. Even Conservative MPs have shown discontent with the proposals that are due out in a white paper on Thursday by, the Culture Secretary, John Whittingdale. Yet when Kosminsky made those remarks, they were edited from the BBC’s broadcast of the BAFTAs. Arguably, it could look like a pointless gesture now. Why talk about something that was almost certainly going to cut from broadcast? But it was anything but pointless. Think about it, we know what he said through other publications and the demise of the BBC has been well documented, especially since the election in last May. Limiting the power of the BBC has long been on the agenda of the

Culture Secretary, as he feels it has too much power for something that is public. Furthermore, the whole point of the BBC is to remain impartial and they even managed to do in face of such adversity from the government; they could have easily included more of Kosminsky’s remarks. The BAFTAs may not have the appropriate forum to criticise the government, but with an issue like this, when would be? The scale and wide audience of an event like the BAFTAs is, arguably, the biggest opportunity for criticism of an issue that is going to have significant impacts on the media and culture in this country. Programmes like Strictly Come Dancing may not be shown at prime time, or even not at all. Other shows like Have I Got News For You will have the extent to which they criticise those in power limited a great deal. This will prevent criticism of not only government but politicians in general, and will also limit what can be talked about on the BBC. News bulletins will change in the time they are broadcast and what can be covered will be altered giving even more power to the right wing media, which is anything but impartial. Since its creation is 1922, the BBC’s significance in British culture has been somewhat overlooked. It has given us Match of The Day and award winning documentaries, but most importantly, it has provided unbiased news reporting for nearly 100 years. Yet now, as all that is under threat, people are realising the great importance of the BBC for our democracy. Around the world it is revered and admired but all that is

likely to change and it hard to imagine, in a few years’ time, what the BBC will look like as it approaches its 100th birthday. The powers of our government are now eroding away at everything we once held dear; the BBC, the NHS, the welfare state, powers that no government in this country should

possess. The BBC is, and hopefully always will be, a broadcaster that is independently reporting on current affairs and, no matter what the circumstances, it should never fall into the hands of a government that want to erode the autonomy and freedom of the biggest bastion of our democracy.

Pictured: Is this the end of the British Broadcasting Service? (Source: chiefmoamba via Flickr)

14 COMMENT

A bloody disgrace: why the gay blood ban is ridiculous Em Gates

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With a shortage of donors in the UK already, cutting out a significant portion of people is detrimental to the health of the UK.

”

Charley Griffiths

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As long as the baby is loved, does it really matter? Who are we to judge Janet Jackson’s decision to start a family later in life?

”

give blood as often as I can, and it is always the same process. Sit and wait, have the nurses eyeball you as you drink a pint of water, sit and wait, endure a personal questionnaire and a finger prick test for iron levels in your blood, sit and wait, and after all that they take you over to the beds to properly start the donation. Monotonously waiting, the thing that gets me through the ordeal is the fact that I am helping to save someone’s life. I’ve been turned away twice due to anaemia, and once had an issue with anti-coagulants which meant that the blood taken from me could only be used for research and not for helping other people. This just shows that they don’t take a sample and pump it into a person straight away, the blood is tested and cared for to make sure it is safe before being given to a patient. They do this for the safety of the person receiving it, and to make sure that the donator is healthy, comfortable, and more importantly, eligible to give. There is no way anything bad from your own blood is going to pass to any other people, purely because of the rules and precautions set in place. Some of the things you’re quizzed about on the first health screening are what countries you have visited, how recent your last piercing or tattoo was, and what illnesses you have had recently. Oddly, despite all of this, the decision of whether you

are eligible comes down to when the last time you or someone you had sex with slept with a man. This is the one that always confuses me. The fact that it is so specific to men is not only discriminating and cutting off a large portion of people who are wanting to donate, but it is also setting a stigma towards homosexuality in general, simply implying that the blood of gay men is not wanted. While in some countries there are indefinite deferrals for men who have sex with men, in others there are no prohibitions at all. If there are no issues with the blood donations from people of all sexualities in countries such as Spain, Italy, and Portugal, why is there such strict regulation in the UK? Biologically, there is no more of a risk of sexually transmitted infections in men than in women. Unprotected sex between all genders draw the same risks, and the fact that anyone who has had sex with a man in the last year is banned from donating blood, it seems to be basing its ‘medical’ opinions on out-dated stigmas and prejudices. If the ruling regarded use of condoms of the donator, or was more inclusive with all sexualities and genders, it wouldn’t seem so out of order, but there is no denying that it seems oddly unfair that one group of people are ostracised in this way. Basically, with all of the biological

testing conducted on the blood once the donation has taken place, it is really appears as if the legislation rests upon an outdated stigma regarding homosexuality. With a shortage of donors in the UK already, cutting out

a significant portion of people is detrimental to the health of the UK. In my opinion, the UK should follow as other countries have, and eliminate the reckless rules to get rid of the dated stigma once and for all.

Pictured: Let them donate blood (Wellcome Images)

A mother’s age is none of our business

inging icon Janet Jackson recently postponed her tour after announcing she is pregnant at the age of 49. This sparked much debate online, with people dubbing it ‘shocking’ and any other cliché phrase you can throw around. Why is someone’s personal choice to become a mother at a later age such a concern for everyone else? In this day and age, it is increasingly common for mothers to give birth past the age of 35. In fact, the number of births to mothers aged 40 and above has risen from 6,519 in 1982, to 29,994 by 2012. True, there are increased health risks for older mothers, with increased risk of miscarriage, congenital abnormalities such as Down’s syndrome, lower birth weight, complications during birth like high blood pressure or prolonged labour, to name a few. What people normally neglect to take into account is that there is the same health risks for the baby if conceived by older fathers. But despite these health risks, in my opinion, as long as the baby is loved, does it really matter? And who are we to judge her decision to start a family later in life? We don’t know what she might have been potentially been going through in her life to make this decision. Many mothers struggle with miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies or generally struggle to conceive throughout their lives, and may not successfully conceive for many years. A family member of mine unfortu-

nately suffered from multiple miscarriages in her life, meaning she didn’t become a mother until her forties. She is a fantastic mother by the way. Some women may just not find the right person to start a family with until later, or initially didn’t want children but changed their mind. Perhaps they wanted to focus on their career, which is what I suspect in Jackson’s case. (Just want to note here what a great career she has had, spanning over four decades and selling over 160 million records. I wouldn’t have the time to have babies either.) Many other famous women have had children later in life. Halle Berry, Kelly Preston (wife to John Travolta), Susan Sarandon, Marcia Cross , Gwen Stefani, Lucy Liu (via surrogate) are just a few women to become mothers in their forties. What gets me is that no one bats an eye at older fathers, only mothers seem to face the backlash. Robert DeNiro, Steve Martin, Clint Eastwood, even Pablo Picasso, became fathers in their sixties, and good old Charlie Chaplin was a father at 73! They aren’t referred to as ‘geriatric parents’ (as Halle Berry was called). It seems like you can’t really win, as young mothers get criticised just as badly. Or single mothers. Or homosexual couples. Again, if that kid if going to be happy, who really cares? “Oh, but she will be in her sixties by the time the baby is a teenager!” are the cries of the trolls. Your point is? Yeah, some people are grandparents at this age, but I am sure you

will agree that nan and granddad do a pretty good job or looking after you! The age isn’t the issue here. You don’t suddenly become completely useless the minute you blow out those 60 candles on the birthday cake. If Janet has the energy to still be touring and whatnot, pretty sure she has the energy to look after a baby. Let’s face it; it’s not as if Janet even looks that old anyway. It is completely unrealistic to assume that all women can and want to

conceive in the 20-35 window, happily married in the suburbs with picket fenced house and a dog or something. Each woman is different, and will most likely feel ready to have kids at different points in their lives. Some may be pregnant at 18, some at 48, some may never want children, and it’s all fine. Women should be able to start a family (or chose not to) if or when they are ready to without everyone criticising. Age doesn’t impact your ability to be a good parent.

Pictured: Janet Jackson has delayed her tour after announcing her pregnancy at age 49. (Photographer: J. Vettorino)

COMMENT 15

Christopher Smith

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I’m not condoning the use of drugs... however, people will continue to take them regardless of the law. Therefore, education should be available to all in order to reduce the risk.

”

Charley Griffiths

Pictured: Is Alton Towers’ reputation beyond repair? (Photographer: Philip Morris)

Teach people the risk of drugs instead of just banning them

arely a month goes by without the press announcing a party drugs-related death. Last Monday the death of 17-year-old Faye Allen was widely reported, who tragically collapsed in a Greater Manchester nightclub after taking a “MasterCard” ecstasy pill. While the cause of death has not yet been announced, similar past cases have ruled death down the to impurity of the drugs causing adverse effects or individuals not looking after themselves properly whilst under the influence. Heartbreakingly, this means that some of these deaths could have been prevented through drug testing being readily available or through the availability of thorough impartial education about harm reduction while taking drugs. The drugs that many consider to be party drugs are of course illegal, and possession even for personal use has harsh punishments. If you’re caught with a small amount of ecstasy or cocaine you could spend up to seven years in prison and/or face an unlimited fine. Despite these harsh tariffs and the risks that are so regularly reported in the press, one could argue that for many students these party drugs still play a part in their university life. A 2014 survey by Gair Rhydd found that 60 per cent of all students had taken drugs, with 31 per cent saying that they had taken “hard drugs”, which include the likes of MDMA, cocaine and ketamine. You only have to walk into certain Cardiff club nights and see the vacant expressions to realise that these people have not simply had one too many rum and cokes. I’ve been in that situation. I’ve taken MDMA on nights out with uni friends. Only the powder wasn’t MDMA, and I was in for the for the worst night of my life. Instead of the familiar feeling of creeping euphoria I felt nothing, only to suddenly get prickling all over my skin and feel my heart rapidly pounding out of my chest. I knew something was wrong and left the club, feeling feverous and vomiting when I got home.

It took over 24-hours for these unpleasant side effects to subside. I was one of the lucky ones. The problem with these drugs being illegal and their continued consumption means that they are not regulated. With white powders you face a Russian roulette: it could contain MDMA or it could contain talcum powder cut with paracetamol. More worryingly, it could contain compounds such as PMA which is nicknamed “Dr Death” due to the amount of hospitalisations it causes. Can you really trust your dealer or that chap in the smoking area? Because it’s unlikely they even know themselves what that baggy truly contains. The only way to know what you are taking is to test your drugs. However, this leads to a catch-22 situation. You can’t go to an official body for testing as they are of course illegal and you could be arrested. But if you take them without having them tested you could be consuming anything. It is possible to buy kits off the internet but they are often expensive and many worry about their bank accounts being linked to such transactions. Newcastle University Students Union are attempting to change this, and under a scheme are providing cheap kits to students so they can test exactly what their drugs contains. Students will be able to pick up the kits for £3 to help make a safer informed choice. Holly Mae Robinson, president of the scheme, stated: ‘We are not promoting drug use. It’s trying to avoid the harm of people that are going to use them. People are always going to use drugs and we just want to make it safer.’ While encouraging testing, education about responsible use is also vital in reducing the harm risk. In 1995 18-year old Leah Betts died after taking an ecstasy tablet. This was widely reported and used in anti-drugs campaigns. However, the Coroner’s report concluded that it was not the ecstasy tablet that killed Leah, but was the large quantity of water she consumed after taking it. In just 90 minutes she

drank 12 pints of water, resulting in hyponatremia. If you take a drug like ecstasy you may feel an unquenchable thirst. However, if you have not been educated on the appropriate amount of water to drink it could have tragic consequences. This is why educating about risk reduction is so important. This also covers issues like individuals not mixing their drugs, preventing overheating and not “double dosing”, which is where you take drugs and feels nothing so consume more, only to be hit by double the effect. If anything feels untoward it’s also important to get yourself straight to hospital. While posses-

sion of drugs is illegal, consumption isn’t, so you won’t get in any trouble. I’m not condoning the use of drugs or advocating for their decriminalisation – drugs can be incredibly harmful, both for your body and your criminal record. However, I feel that people will continue to take them regardless of the law, which has been evidenced. Therefore, educational and testing facilities should be available to all in order to reduce the risks. If I’d have known what the powder contained I could have avoided my horrible ordeal. Even more seriously, maybe we won’t get any more cases like Leah Betts or Faye Allen.

End of the ride for Alton Towers?

t is fair to say that Alton Towers has received a lot of bad press recently. No longer will it have the happy connotations of a fun, family day out. Instead, most will remember the ‘Smiler’ crash of June last year, where two women had to have their legs amputated. As a result of their injuries Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd, who own the theme park, pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations and now face multi-million pound fines. To make matters worse, last week nearly 30 people were left stuck upside on rollercoaster ‘Air Galactica’ after it broke down. On the 10th May this year, they faced criticism yet again as they prevented a woman with one hand on the reopened ‘Smiler’ ride. Ironic,

considering it was said ride that cause two women to lose limbs in the first place. The woman, Sarah Pond, described her extreme embarrassment due to ‘rude’ staff. They claimed she couldn’t go on the ride because she wouldn’t be able to climb safety ladders unaided if the ride suffered from technical difficulties and riders needed to evacuate. (Were they expecting another break down, I wonder?) Yet allegedly, they let a girl with a cast on her arm on the ride without question. Oh dear, it really isn’t looking great for Alton Towers at the moment. Will this put people off going to the park in the future? After last summers crash, profits fell by £47million, and the park was left pretty much deserted. This was great for any oppor-

tunistic people wanting to go to the park and avoid the average two hour queue time. Google the pictures- it was basically a ghost town. But what about now? Personally, I would probably still go to Alton Towers, but just avoid going on the ‘Smiler’ ride. Incidents such as these are incredibly rare, it is just unlucky Alton Towers has had these incidents occur in such a short period of time, permanently blackening their reputation. One friend pointed out to me that now is probably the best time to go, as safety regulations will be monitored more than ever. Rides are supposed to be scary, which is part of the thrill, but not the fear of serious injury. That is a risk I would not be willing to take. I will just stick with the tea cup ride for now.

Pictured: Party drugs are commonplace on nights out, with many not knowing the risks (Photographer: Simon Law)

16 COMMENT

Oliver Baynham

“

Each newspaper echoed the same points, as if they were the only two newsworthhy facts, his Dad’s occupation and his religion.

”

Hannah Taylor

Pictured: There is a significant stigma around online dating (Photographer: Denis Bocquet)

Sadiq Khan: Progressive on not just religious grounds

adiq Khan’s divisive victory in the London mayoral election earlier this month was quite possibly the most exciting result to come out of ‘election day’. This could be seen in the newspaper headlines on the day of its announcement each one echoing the same points, as if they were the only two newsworthy facts: Khan’s father’s nationality and previous occupation (he was a Pakistani bus driver, if you hadn’t heard), and more importantly, the fact that Khan is a muslim. Even the Daily Mail managed to reiterate these points without sounding too biased. The landslide triumph against the Conservatives’ Zac Goldsmith comes at a time when political involvement seems at its most futile - with the public sector crippling under austerity, the Labour party’s lack of direction under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, and the country ripping itself apart over the EU referendum. Council-estate-born Sadiq Khan beat one of the wealthiest MPs in parliament to become Boris Johnson’s successor. Not only coming as a breath of fresh air for disenfranchised left-wingers everywhere, but also resonating in the hearts of all working class people, British muslims, and anyone who thinks that the world is against them because they are different, this story has become a quintessential success story. With roughly two thirds of the UK MP’s being white middle class men, thaefact that minorities are being given

the chance to be represented in positions of power is definitely a step in the right direction for diversity in British politics. We do, however, still have quite a way to go. Given that there were 12 main candidates running for the position of Mayor of London (including Lee Harris from the Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol party, who gained an impressive 20,000 votes in the first round), the battle was predominantly fought between Khan, Labour MP for Tooting, and Goldsmith, Conservative MP for North Kingston. Despite the complete absurdity in focusing primarily on the candidates’ party affiliations for a job which requires practical, unbiased leadership, the battle seemed to facilitate a dangerous kind of two-party political combat. As media attention slowly deviated from each candidate’s policies and plans for the future of our capital city, the fight quickly turned to something no democratic election should ever be fought on - race. Goldsmith and other high profile Conservative MPs have since been lambasted, even by members of their own party and family relatives, for running a campaign in which the main focal point was the competitor’s religion. Not only did they send targeted letters to London citizens with Indian, Pakistani, or Tamil sounding last names, but they also attempted to smear Khan by associating him with Islamic extremists, even using a nasty tactic called ‘dog-whistle’ politics - in which certain words or

phrases are used which pass unnoticed by many, but resonate deeply with a few. Unfortunately for Goldsmith, the citizens of London - one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world - saw straight through his campaign, and subsequent support for Khan blossomed. Regardless of those who were quick to criticise the campaign, islamophobia has quite clearly lodged itself in the minds of people from all across the country, especially those who support ‘political parties’ such as

Britain First. Many believe that London is specifically a Christian city, and that Sadiq Khan as mayor will incite a wave of ‘islamification’. Ignorance, self-defined patriotism, and political campaigns such as Goldsmith’s yield a breeding ground for this strange kind of mentality. However, with Khan’s success in London being built on hope and unity, this will hopefully provide a platform for more successes of its kind, as the minority of islamophobic ignoramuses is ridiculed out of existence.

are shy? As with anything, there are positives and negatives. On the positive side, there are many online dating success stories where users have gone on to get married and raise families with almost a happy-ever-after ending. They can be useful for people with demanding jobs and little time to socialise, or even for those who are shy. In the same way that keyboard warriors hide behind their screens, those who are timid can send mes-

Regardless of those who were quick to criticise the campaign, islamaphobia has quite clearly lodged itself in the minds if people all across the country.

”

Pictured: Khan’s policies beat Goldsmith’s propaganda (Source: Archived Department of Energy and Climate Change via Flickr)

The stigma around online dating

n the modern world of 2016, it’s no secret that many people use online dating sites such as Match. com and Tinder, but it’s probably more common than you might think as many site users won’t openly admit to using them. Among the student population, Tinder in particular is especially rife, with many tongue-andcheek articles appearing on Facebook newsfeeds every week detailing the latest horror story or put-down, so is it any wonder that some online daters

“

sages or ask people out on dates from the safety of their own living room, and with very little risk. However, with so many potential partners to choose from, attitudes towards dating may be changing. An anonymous student said that people who use the sites never seem satisfied, “they just seem too picky, there’s too much choice and it’s not natural.” He also expressed concerns over ‘catfishing’, where users create a fake or misleading profile and avoid meeting up with their date. What’s more, the majority of communication is nonverbal and encompasses other paralinguistic features, body language and even the clothes we wear, which means we miss out on a lot through electronic communication and the chosen date may not be as suitable as we might have thought. One anonymous final year student said, “The stigma surrounding online dating still exists” as she acknowledged the irony in her wish to remain nameless. She added, “There’s a difference between using Tinder and using other more serious sites like Plenty of Fish. Everyone has Tinder but no one seems to take it seriously.” Despite the stigma, there are some who openly enjoy online dating. Anna Spent said, “I don’t think it’s too different from meeting someone in

a bar, the only difference is that you already know something about them.” She also said that her attitude towards this way of dating is often met with disdain or shock, particularly from older generations, but Anna said that she wants to eliminate the fear and stigma surrounding dating apps because “it’s fun and it makes people happy.” Some, like Anna, find it fun and exciting to meet new people and don’t take it too seriously, while others use dating sites to take control of their romantic lives. At such a young age, students are just starting out and have their whole lives ahead of them to meet partners, so the need to pair up is arguably not so urgent. When asked if she’d ever used an online dating site, a friend said, “No, I’ve never been that desperate.” Adjectives such as ‘desperate’, ‘sad’ and ‘ugly’ are often thrown around when talking about online dating. This stigma is possibly based on an expectation that others will judge in the same way that we would ourselves or could be a manifestation of a concern about what others might think. In either case, feeling the need to keep online dating a secret in our lives suggests that there is some form of shame that we might feel ourselves, for whatever reason. But if it works for you, then why ever not?

“

With so many potential partners to choose from attitudes, towards online dating may be changing.

“

”

Feeling the need to keep online dating a secret in our lives suggests there is some sort of shame.

”

COMMENT 17

Is the way we respond to terrorism actually harmful?

Sam Patterson

“

It is unsurprising, that those that callled for the world to do more, rarely deliberatee on what this effort would actually constitute.

”

etween the 14th and 15th of April 2014, over 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the Nigerian town of Chibok in the Borno state by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram. The kidnapping provoked global outrage on social media, from celebrities, from politicians, including perhaps most notably David Cameron and Michele Obama who touted the Twitter hashtag ‘#Bringbackourgirls.’ Since the event, comments have arisen along the lines of “the world should be doing more to secure the safe return of the Chibok girls.’ Although I would certainly not be opposed to a global effort with the intention being to modernise the Nigerian security forces and provide assistance in the hope of the safe return of the Chibok girls, those who call on Twitter for the world to do more probably have no idea what such an effort would entail, and are probably blissfully unaware of developments on the ground in Nigeria. A short introduction to Boko Haram for those who haven’t yet encountered them. A militant group running amok in the North Eastern corner of Nigeria, Boko Haram (which loosely translates to ‘reject the teachings of the West’) have at various points controlled a territory around the size of Belgium. Boko Haram are nowhere near as well funded or well equipped, as organised or as large, as effective or as prepared for actual government as ISIS, yet they exhibit precisely as much brutality and disdain for human life as their Middle Eastern counterparts. Boko Haram’s relative ineptitude is clearly visible in their propaganda output. Whilst ISIS regularly releases extremely crisp propaganda videos and also maintains a well-designed monthly which really does give Quench a run for its money, Boko Haram’s propaganda videos take the form of shaky hand held video footage. Also, Boko Haram’s (presumed) leader: Abubakar Shekau is not nearly as contained as ISIS’ leader Abu Bakr Al-Bagdadi. Whilst Al-Bagdadi has only appeared

in one video, giving a calm speech after a very well-rehearsed call to prayer, Abubakar Shekau has appeared in multiple grainy, bad quality recordings and has been reported dead multiple times (one can only assume he employs body doubles). Boko Haram are a rag tag bunch of disorganised ineffective psychopaths, and Nigeria’s new Muslim president Muhammadu Buhari has described Boko Haram as ‘mindless bigots masquerading as Muslims.’ Although some escapees were rescued, no word of the wellbeing of the bulk of the girls has emerged. However, in April of this year, a short video was released by Boko Haram showing at least 15 of the girls, alive, standing against a wall. The video was sent to the Nigerian government as a ‘proof of life’, and is currently under analysis. Both Nigeria’s previous president ‘Goodluck Jonathan’ and Nigeria’s current president have come under fire for not doing enough to combat the rebel group, and the group’s atrocities have only grown in depravity as of late. Earlier this year they launched an attack on the village of Dalori, killing many, burning tens of schoolchildren to death. Many have called for the world to ‘do more’ in the fight against Boko Haram. It is unsurprising, that those who call for the world to do more, rarely deliberate on exactly what this effort would actually constitute. Insurgencies by brutal militant groups are being waged all over the world, from Islamic militant groups all over the Middle East and Africa, also in the Philippines and other parts of Islamic South Asia. Other militant groups either religiously non-affiliated or claiming to be Christian are also active all over Sub-Saharan Africa. Why is it that Boko Haram are deserving of such elevated attention? Why haven’t you heard of what’s going on currently in the Central African Republic? Agency. Agency draws attention. It’s as simple as that. Disasters which are caused by the actions of intelli-

gent agents, unsurprisingly, draw our attention much more than disasters with no (or invisible) human involvement. An earthquake that kills 300 occupies the headlines for a day, a terrorist attack that kills 300 occupies the headlines for a year. A terrorist attack that kills 3,000 occupies the headlines for a generation. Although it would certainly benefit the world if we news-consumers in Northern Europe could muster up as much passion for homelessness in Kinshasa as we can for the activities of terrorist groups, that would be fantastic, but it is unlikely. The reasons for this are totally intelligible from the perspective of evolutionary psychology, and to be honest, when you’re watching “10 worst serial killers” on Youtube at two in the morning, you wouldn’t have it any other way. Although I don’t have the statistics to hand, I’m willing to wager that the number of young girls who go missing in Pakistan on a weekly basis is likely similar to the number of schoolgirls who were tragically kidnapped by Boko Haram. If we were genuinely concerned about using our first world wealth to decrease the sufferings and hardships of those inhabiting the more chaotic corners of the developing world, we would be channelling resources to providing sustainable water sources, medical supplies and preventative items, we would be aiding with infrastructural and economic development. Although our hearts go out to the Chibok girls, it simply wouldn’t constitute a sensible use of the overseas aid budget, to blindly channel funds to the Nigerian military and hope for the best. This mistake was made by ‘Invisible Children’, who were disgraced after it emerged that their campaign to end the campaign of Ugandan Christian militant leader Joseph Kony, amounted mainly to providing funds to the Ugandan military. The only alternative would be to actually become involved in the conflict, taking a role in cooperating with and directing Nigerian security

forces. Whether or not Emma Watson has approached President Buhari on this, I am yet to confirm. Not only are the calls to ‘Bringbackourgirls’ totally lacking any constructing suggestion as to how exactly we do so, sadly, they are playing directly into the hands of Boko Haram. This is exactly the reaction they want. Anybody who follows groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS in the news, is aware that one of their main aims is to acquire global outrage at their atrocities. As I’m sure you pondered earlier in this article, ‘what exactly is the practical advantage in burning tens of schoolchildren to death?’, well the answer is, Emma Watson’s reaction. Not only does global press attention aid the notoriety and terror credentials of groups like Boko Haram, it attracts potential members, who would not have even heard of the group. When Boko Haram were planning this mass-abduction, it’s likely they had no idea that the First Lady of the White House, the PM of the UK, and Hermione would be as loud as they were. Such was the content of their wildest dreams. Those who post Twitter responses to terror attacks along the lines of ‘Bringbackourgirls’ clearly do not understand terrorism. How it functions, nor the aims of its orchestrators. Just like anybody else, my heart goes out to the Chibok girls. But as someone who is at least half way aware of the endless extent of global suffering and crises, it goes out no more to the Chibok girls than it does to victims of any other crisis in any other part of the world. Those who call for us to ‘do more’ are of course welcome to do so, but they should research the situation first and outline exactly what it is they think we should do. The complex and perhaps disheartening realities of Nigerian politics do not provide for such a simple solution. The next time you see somebody expressing their solidarity with victims of global terror on social media, think to yourself: is this not exactly what the terrorists want?

Pictured: People were quick to use the #BringBack-OurGirls hastag without researching the situation (Photographer: HatzeOir.org via Flickr)

“

Although our hearts go out to the Chibok girls, it simply wouldn’t constitute a sensible use of the overseas aid budget, to blindly channel funds to the Nigerian military and hope for the best.

”

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THE GAIR RHYDD COLUMN 19

Headlines and deadlines

Helena Hanson

“

Next year is my last chance. Next year there will be no second chances, and it is terrifying. I do not want to go into my final year.

”

We’re all just one bad coffee away from a total, emotional breakdown.

remember beginning the first term of my university life and promising myself that this year would be different. I promised myself that this year I would push myself to the absolute limit and revise, work and try harder than I had ever done before. I remember driving to Cardiff for the first time on that warm September afternoon, and recognising that this was the biggest investment of my life to date. I was ready to make every single penny of that nine grand per year count. Alas, just as university quickly knocked the money and common I had spent the last nineteen years grossing, it rid me of all my drive to prosper. “Ah its first year!” we sang, “it doesn’t count anyway!” and what a joyous feeling that was. So I danced and drank and dizzied my way through first year without a care in the world (minus doing my washing in Taly, you’d leave that laundry room three hours later, nine pound poorer, a handful of hot-but-damp clothes and a few new wrinkles). But this year, second year, I promised I’d be different. I promised I’d be up early and working hard in the library and I wouldn’t leave my essays until the day before the deadline and I’d make this year count, because it did count. Alas, again, very quickly I learnt that I could still manage to have a VK in the Lash on a Wednesday and still manage to get my essay done to an acceptable standard and handed in on the Friday. Very quickly I began to reassure myself

that second year is only worth 40 per cent after all. Very quickly I decided that I will simply just have to try EXTRA hard next year. And so the vicious cycle continues. Only, it doesn’t continue. Only, next year is my last chance. Next year there will be no second chances, and it is terrifying. I do not want to go into my final year. Second year is a bit like being stuck in that twilight word between life and death. We have passed through fresher heaven, a place where coursework doesn’t count and VK’s are endless and Sunday’s are only for football. But we are not yet on course for the afterlife of third year, where we will give up our freedom, get a job then die miserably and forever indebted to our tuition fees and overdrafts. This year has been wonderful, and although I’ve got a little fatter and a little socially-gloomier, I have enjoyed it thoroughly, and student media has played a significant role in my delight. Over the past nine months this column has become my outlet, or my baby if you will. There have been weeks where I have been so proud to parade my child around campus, sharing him with other pseudo-parents and exhibiting him on social media. There have also been times where I simply wanted to kick him in the face for needing so much time and attention that I sometimes just didn’t have. It’s not always easy, my mum disciplines me weekly for the overuse of swear words in my column (“if you

were truly literate you’d think of a better adjective than “shit”), Joe has rolled his eyes more than once at my desperate pun attempts for headlines, and without God doing me a favour and killing off a few celebrities and blessing us with apps such as Tinder, I may have been really stuck for material. That said, it has been so rewarding. Just as my parents let out a sigh of relief as they realised I might not actually be fucking up university as much as it may sometimes seem, I myself was flattered and humbled that my baby won me an award at this year’s Cardiff Student Media Awards. If I was to tell you that I was a picture of poise and grace when receiving my ‘Gair Rhydd’s best writer’ award, I would be lying, because I was a disaster. I can only wish that the free wine had been a little kinder to me, as my acceptance ‘speech’ was probably comparable to a train crash in terms of audience satisfaction. But as I sit here in the library, group chat pinging with my equally stressed, equally frazzled friends, my essay deadline looming, and my half-written column in front of me, I know the end is nigh. We’re too close to the end to warrant a genuine emotional breakdown, but we’re not quite close enough to smell the sweet taste of freedom and get everything back into perspective. It’s the worst time of the year. Our loan has all gone on that holiday we booked that was affordable

back in March but now seems preposterous (who did I think I was?!). We’ve run out of motivation because we know that even the last incentive to work hard (not being embarrassed when you get your results in the seminar) is irrelevant as we’ll be at home. We don’t even have any friends left because the clever ones have concealed themselves to the darkest depths of their bedrooms to revise, and the fun ones went home three months ago because sport degrees end in February. It has become hard to remember a time when life wasn’t a cocktail of misery and stress and libraries. There was a time when you used to go to Glam, on a Monday! “On a Monday?!” You cry “but no! Monday’s are for revising and crying!” There was a time you used to have lie ins and afternoon cocktails and whole days watching Hollyoaks. But those days will return my friend, those days are coming, and it will be beautiful. September will come, the leaves will begin to turn orange, and the nights again will become dark, as a whole new bundle of wide eyed, Vodka wielding freshers will spill through the university, ready to sacrifice their earnings for the rest of their lives, and ready to succumb to microwave meals and orange VK’s. For a short while, peace will be restored to the world. There will be no exams and no tears and no breakdowns. Well, until January comes around.

Pictured: University: A gateway to all sorts of stresses (Photographer: Joseph Atkinson)

“

It has become hard to remember a time when life wasn’t a cocktail of misery and stress and libraries.

”

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POLITICS 21

politics

Editors: Carwyn Williams Luke Brett Sam Patterson @GairRhyddPol politics@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/politics

Labour’s dominance continues

The party will be able to celebrate a century of dominance in Welsh politics, thanks to a divided opposition Carwyn Williams

“

In three horse races, Labour consistently come out on top, with the voting system playing massively to their benefit.

”

abour retained their dominance in Wales after the elections for the National Assembly for Wales on May 5th. Despite a plummet of eight per cent in their vote share, Labour will have 29 seats in the fifth Assembly, just two short of a majority. Despite predictions Labour would face losses, especially in Cardiff, they held off the divided opposition. The Vale of Clwyd, Wrexham, Llanelli, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff West, Cardiff North and Cardiff Central were all seats where Labour narrowly kept their seats, to the disappointment of Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives. In Cardiff Central, it was widely expected that Eluned Parrott, of the Liberal Democrats, would gain the seat from Labour, but Jenny Rathbone increased her majority from 38 votes in 2011 to 917 votes. In anticipation of the close result in Cardiff Central, there was a sign of good news in terms of turnout, where it was up eight per cent on 2011, to 45 per cent. This election has seen efforts by Cardiff University Students’ Union and NUS Wales to get people to register to vote and to get students’ voice heard, and some of these efforts seem to have worked. NUS Wales have said they are glad to see turnout up in Cardiff Central, as well as over 50 percent turnout in constituencies where Bangor and Aberystwyth students’ unions have been campaigning. In three horse races, Labour consistently come out on top, with the voting system playing massively to their benefit, with the UKIP factor also making it difficult for other parties to overtake Welsh Labour. After the election, Car-

wyn Jones said: “We will likely look to form a minority government in the coming days. The result is a clear mandate to govern, and we believe that is the best option for Wales right now.” The one big shock of the night came from the Rhondda, where Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood catapulted herself in front of cabinet minister Leighton Andrews, with a majority of well over 3,000 votes to sweeten the deal. On her win, Wood said “a new dawn is about to break in Wales. People have voted for change. I make a commitment to serve all, whether they voted Plaid Cymru or not. People have voted for hope.” Despite an election campaign that saw them confident they would be able to make gains across Wales, it was their second worse election, in terms of seats. Despite this breakthrough in the south Wales Labour heartlands, we must not forget that Plaid won the seat in 1999, to go on to lose it in the next election. Despite this, the party will be happy to know that this election saw them gain a seat, unlike losing ground as in 2003, 2007 and 2011. It was also a bad night for the Welsh Conservatives, despite retaining their constituency seats, they did not manage to repeat the gains made in the general election last year, and even lost many of their regional seats to UKIP. Despite the disappointing result, and spreading gossip about their leader Andrew RT Davies facing a leadership contest, it seems this is now unlikely, as the party looks ahead to the european referendum next month. If it was bad for the Conservatives, it was even worse for the Liberal Democrats, with a continuation of the losses from last year’s election. The party

Cardiff Central vote share

struggled all across Wales, and left with one AM, Kirsty Williams. Williams became the first female party leader in the Assembly in 2008, but stood down as leader after the election result was known. She said in a statement: “Despite our best efforts, and a positive campaign, it has not been enough. And for that, I must take responsibility.” She also went on to warn that the politics of resentment was catching on in Wales and therefore a liberal presence is needed, referring to the UKIP surge. The UKIP surge continued in Wales, exceeding their own expectations and winning seven seats in the Assembly, bringing a new voice to Welsh politics. The party’s seats along with the Con-

servatives brings the right-wing number of AMs to 18, the most the Senedd has ever seen, and is sure to have a strong impact. The legacy of this election will be one of continuity. Labour’s mandate has declined, but by only losing one seat, they continue to be far ahead of the field. The opposition is more divided than ever, with a five party Assembly for the first time. By the end of this Assembly term, Labour will have dominated Wales and Welsh politics for a century, and governed a devolved Assembly for 22 years, can they ensure they can deliver for Wales to keep that dominance going? We’ll see in May 2021.

National vote share change since 2011

No. of seats Labour: 29 Plaid Cymru: 12

38% Conservatives: 11 35%

Pictured: Keir Hardie, the Labour Party’s first leader, who represented Merthyr Boroughs, and the Welsh Labour First Minister Carwyn Jones.

UKIP: 7 Lib Dems: 1 -9

-6

-3

22 POLITICS

UKIP gains ground in the Assembly T

Jamie McKay

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This year the party saw a massive swing, gaining around 13 per cent of the Regional vote and 8.5 per cent of the Constituency vote.

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he Welsh Assembly elections two weeks saw an unprecedented showing from UKIP. The last elections to the Welsh Assembly in 2011 saw the party gain just 4.6 per cent of the vote, failing to win any representation in the Senedd. This year the party saw a massive swing, gaining around 13 per cent of the Regional vote and 8.5 per cent of the Constituency vote, gaining their first representatives to the Welsh Assembly. This marks the largest swing towards any party with representation at Cardiff Bay, but the party’s rise has not been without controversy. Not long before the polls opened new Assembly member for the South Wales Central region, Gareth Bennett, was condemned by leading Welsh politicians, and his own party, after blaming Cardiff’s multicultural character for on-going rubbish issues and admitting he did not enjoy canvassing Welsh voters. Though he was successful in his bid for the Assembly, several party figures criticised him after his remarks claiming he had undermined the party’s “fair and ethical” policies on immigration and “degraded” the party’s connection with voters. The campaign group Hope not Hate deemed Bennett “the Donald Trump of Wales” after his statements

on the issues facing Cardiff, though he was far from the only candidate targeted. Leaflets distributed throughout Wales in the lead up to the elections also made mention of former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton. From the early ‘80s Hamilton had been the member of Parliament for Tatton, which had been one of the safest seats for the Conservative party by the 90’s, but was unceremoniously removed from power in the Labour landslide of 1997. In the run up to that General Election Hamilton had been embroiled in a scandal alleging that he had accepted bribes in order to put forward questions during Parliamentary sessions on behalf of Harrods owner, Mohammed al-Fayed. Amid these allegations the independent candidate, and former BBC reporter, Martin Bell, ousted him. As his past continued to hang over him, Hamilton left the Conservatives for UKIP, becoming a member of the party’s National Executive Committee in 2011. Back at the beginning of the year, as parties were making their plans for the elections, stories emerged of discontent in the Welsh arm of the party. Those members who had campaigned with the Welsh party for years were angered

by what they saw as a decision forced on them by the national party to make Hamilton and his fellow Conservative defector Mark Reckless (now AM for South Wales East) candidates for the Assembly. As election day approached, Welsh UKIP leader Nathan Gill admitted to a BBC audience that, given the choice, he would not have allowed certain candidates over the “hard working Welsh membership” though suggested his powers were limited and argued that Hamilton and Reckless were assets to

the party who offered great experience. Though party leader Nigel Farage is alleged to have pressured the Welsh arm to appoint Hamilton and Reckless, relations were soured soon after the elections. To Farage’s anger, Hamilton seized control of the sevenstrong UKIP group in the Assembly, unseating Gill. Just six weeks before the decisive referendum on Britain’s EU membership, UKIP’s descent into civil war may come as a boon to Eurosceptic campaigners.

Pictured: Neil Hamilton (Photographer: Euro Realist Newsletter via Flickr)

The elections: A verdict on Corbyn

Labour were fighting an anti-Semitism row on the eve of the elections Sambit Patel

eremy Corbyn does not have much to celebrate when it comes to the results of Super Thursday, except the fact that he has survived a storm which didn’t land as strongly as it could have. The results of the UK local elections held on 5 May indicate that the Labour neither made a significant gain nor suffered a huge loss, except in Scotland. They have maintained a status quo and this is not a good sign for a party in the opposition. In terms of statistics, they have managed to hold on to the same number of city councils as in 2011. They

have lost control of Dudley but won Bristol. They have remained the largest party in Wales despite a slip in the vote share on the face of UKIP and Plaid Cymru’s challenge and losing a crucial seat to Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood. Labour’s Sadiq Khan won the London Mayor election and majority in London Assembly, but the party has been pushed to the third position in a humiliating defeat in Scotland. This is perhaps the Labour Party’s worst performance in the local elections in many years even though it is projected that nationally Labour is one

point ahead of the Conservatives in terms of vote share. If vote share is the yardstick, one thing is clear that the Labour Party’s votes are being eaten up by UKIP. Also Labour could not hit the Tories hard this election. It is not clear if core Labour supporters voted for Jeremy Corbyn’s politics or on local issues. “Jeremy was not a significant issue this (Welsh) election,” says First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, while addressing mediapersons in Cardiff after the party’s victory. His comment is enough to show Corbyn’s ‘significance’. It’s clear that Jones doesn’t want to share the success of Welsh Labour with Corbyn. In fact, the Welsh Labour leadership was reluctant to welcome Corbyn during the campaign. On the day before the polls, he touched the Welsh soil by campaigning in Maesteg. Labour’s London poster boy, the newly elected Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is also reluctant to share his victory with Jeremy Corbyn. When asked if he owed his victory to Corbyn, he told BBC, “Success has many parents. But nothing was more important than Thursday’s victory, which was the victory for London.” There are still a few voices questioning Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. However, no one is ready to stage a mutiny in the party. After the results were declared, young Labour MPs Jo Cox and Neil Coyle have openly criticised Corbyn’s leadership saying the party can’t pretend that leadership is not an issue. On the day the results were declared, in a column in The Gaurdian, Cox and Coyle wrote, “When the vot-

ers tell us on the doorsteps that they can’t picture our leader in No 10 we have to listen.” Even Corbyn himself has realised that this result is not going to put the Labour party in the right trajectory in their fight against David Cameron. He told the Labour Parliamentary Party meeting, “Let’s be clear. The results were mixed. We are not yet doing enough to win in 2020.” Some of his party supporters are reasoning that it has only been seven months that Corbyn took charge of the party. “You need to give more space to Jeremy to develop our policies,” said Tom Watson, deputy leader of Labour Party. The problem with the Labour has been lack of constructive and concrete debate over burning issues like the steel industry, education, budget cuts, NHS and Panama Papers. Rather, they were busy firefighting anti-Semitism row caused by party insiders on the eve of the elections. The lesson the Labour has probably learnt from the elections, as Sadiq Khan suggests, “We should stop talking to ourselves, we should start talking about issues that matter to citizens.” Jeremy Corbyn resonated the same idea, when he told party colleagues that debates should be focussed on policies and not personalities. He knows he can celebrate only when he can hold on the core Labour voters and at the same time go beyond them to rock the divided Tory boat. Connecting with the people’s issues is the only way out for him.

“

This is perhaps the Labour Party’s worst performance in the local elections in many years.

”

Pictured: Jeremy Corbyn has been criticised for overseeing a poor local election performance (Photographer: Plashing Vole via Flickr)

POLITICS 23

Cameron: “safer in EU”

Ellise Nicholls

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The speech also highlighted present threats to stability, such as the “newly belligerent Russia”.

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Jamie McKay

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Late last month, Cocacola, AG Barr and Britvic announced they were to open a legal case against the government to challenge the planned tax.

”

Gove’s comments challenged by PM

n Monday 9th May, Prime Minister David Cameron challenged Justice Secretary Michael Gove’s argument that the UK will be more secure out of the EU, warning that peace in Europe could be at risk if a brexit were to occur. With just five weeks to go before the referendum on whether the UK stays or leaves the European Union, the PM questioned whether leaving was a “risk worth taking”. A vote to leave would threaten the UK’s strength and security on an international scale, alongside peace in Europe if “Europe’s most foremost military power” was to quit the EU, said Cameron in a speech at the British Musuem in London. He also said the UK had regretted “turning its back” on Europe in the past, especially in terms of the reconciliation and peace it had successfully maintained in otherwise conflict-ridden countries. “Isolationism has never served this country well”. “Whenever we turn our back on Europe, sooner or later we come to regret it. We’ve always had to go back in, and always at a much higher cost” continued the PM. The PM warned that leaving the 28-member bloc would be a “reckless and irresponsible” risk to the UK’s economic stability, which could leave the country “permanently poor”. Cameron’s conservative colleague, and perhaps main rival in the brex-

it debate, ex-London mayor Boris Johnson dismissed such claims, accusing the PM of failing to deliver proper EU reform in a deal struck with EU leaders. He criticized the union on its “anti-democratic tendencies” saying they were a “force for instability and alienation”. But Cameron’s security warning was not dismissed by all. In an open letter to the telegraph, five former secretaries of the West’s military alliance Nato, Lord Peter Carrington, Javier Solana, Lord George Robertson, Jaap De Hoop Scheffer and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said it would be “very troubling” the UK was to leave the EU. “While the decision is one for the British people, Brexit would undoubtedly lead to a loss of British influence, undermine Nato and give succour to the West’s enemies just when we need to stand shoulder to shoulder across the Euro-Atlantic community against common threats, including on our doorstep,” they said. The speech also highlighted present threats to stability, such as the “newly belligerent Russia”, the socalled Islamic State and the migration crisis. During his six year primeministerial term, the PM said “the terrorist threat against this country has grown”, adding that “Our threat level is not at severe, which means a terrorist attack is highly likely”. “When terrorists are planning to kill and maim people on British streets, the closest possible security cooperation is far more important

than sovereignty in its purest theoretical form”. A vote to leave would be “an abject act of national retreat” he said. With polls revealing the two campaigns were almost neck-and-neck, Cameron acknowledged criticisms on his decision to hold the EU referendum. He defended his decision telling the BBC “You shouldn’t try to hold an independent sovereign nation in an organisation against its will.” You can register to vote in the upcoming referendum anytime up until the 7th June at gov.uk/register-tovote. Don’t miss your chance to have your say and register now.

Japan’s comment:

As voters across the UK headed the polls on May 5th, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the UK, discussing global issues with David Cameron ahead of the 42nd G7 summit held this year in Shima, Japan. In a joint press conference held in Downing Street, the subject of a post referendum Britain was raised. Abe emphasised that the future relationship between the UK and Europe was something he believed was for the British electorate to decide, but gave his opinion that the world benefits from a Britain in a strong EU.

Sugar tax: a more in depth look

ust over two months ago George Osborne introduced his eighth budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer. One announcement that grabbed headlines was the Sugar tax, to be introduced by 2018, which the government estimates to raise half a billion pounds, all of which will be used to fund after school activities in British schools. But, as Welsh obesity rates rank high above the rest of the United Kingdom (at 58% they are almost double that of those found in the rest of the UK) what effect will the proposed tax have on the struggling Welsh health service? The dangers sugar poses to our health has long been known. In 1972 British physiologist Jon Yudkin published Pure, White and Deadly: The problem with Sugar, which elaborated on arguments he had made since 1957 that the consumption of sugar is detrimental to our health. In response to his findings, the food industry launched a campaign to discredit his research, and by the time of his death in 1995, the public at large almost entirely forgot his warnings. In spite of Yudkin’s work being largely suppressed, research over the last few decades has overturned the traditional knowledge that fat con-

tent is the main health risk. Over the years, leading figures from the health community have been pressing for a tax on sugary drinks and food, citing intake as one of the main reasons for rising obesity rates amongst British youth. Last year a report from the British Medical Association highlighted the need for governments across the United Kingdom to take “comprehensive action” to promote healthier diets, particularly towards children and young people. Wales currently lacks the resources necessary to combat the ever-rising obesity rates. The Welsh Institute of Metabolic and Obesity Surgery, based at Morriston Hospital in Swansea operates on just 50 people per year despite an estimated 5,000 people in Wales in need of gastric bands or bypass surgery. This high demand comes from the Institute being the only hospital in Wales providing these services, with the Welsh NHS budget being unable to provide the necessary services, despite the issue costing the Welsh Government roughly £73 million every year. The tax unveiled by Osborne will not come into full effect until 2018 and, despite being limited to soft drinks, has come under criticism. A

handful of Conservative MPs have criticised the tax, calling it a “patronising” example of the “nanny state”. Though Professor Robert Lustig from the University of California, who has produced work similar to that of Yudkin, argues that the tax does not go far enough. He calls for the tax to target fruit juice and milk based drinks. In spite of Lustig’s pessimism, the proposed tax seems to have worried soft drinks companies. Late

last month, Coca-cola, AG Barr and Britvic announced they were to open a legal case against the government to challenge the planned tax. Their concern is understandable, Mexico introduced a similar tax on sugary drinks and junk food in 2013, seeing a noticeable decline in the sales of soft drinks within a year. Whether the same will prove true of the United Kingdom, and if it can help combat rising obesity rates, remains to be seen.

Pictured: Above: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe visits 10 Downing (Photographer: 10 Dowining via Flickr) Below: George Osborne visiting Port of Tilbury (Photorapher: HM Treausry via Flickr)

24 POLITICS

LGBT bloggers in Bangladesh

Rory Wade

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While commenting on the murder of Nazimuddin Samad, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said no one has the right to attack religious leaders and that the blogger’s writings will be scrutinized by the government.

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Conor Holohan

Targeting of secular activists a growing issue

n April 25 a group of five to six men posing as deliverymen hacked two LGBT activists to death in their Dhaka apartment. Xulhaz Mannan – the editor of the country’s first LGBT magazine – and Tanay Mojumdar – another LGBT rights activist – were murdered in an attack that has been claimed by Ansar al-Islam, the Bangladeshi subdivision of al Qaeda. Mannan’s mother and maid were also in the flat at the time of the attack. Both are alive. The attack came only weeks after the public murder of Bangladeshi blogger and law student Nazimuddin Samad who often criticized the government – which by constitution is supposed to be secular - and Islam in his blog posts. The night before he was attacked, Samad posted a critique of the government and the “deterioration of law and order” on his Facebook page. He was assaulted with machetes before being shot while walking home from class. Samad was on a “hit-list” of 84 atheist bloggers, writers and activists that a group of Islamist militants sent to Bangladesh’s interior ministry in 2013. The list came following anti-Islamist street protests in the South Asian nation’s capital, Dhaka. The rallies, which saw tens of thousands of secular activists demand capital sentences for Islamist leaders found guilty of war crimes during the country’s 1971 fight for independence from Pakistan. Samad was the sixth so-called “atheist blogger” to be killed since the publishing of the list. But the list of targets has since broadened to include members of Bangladesh’s religious minorities and two foreigners. With the high level of threats towards these activists, the government has come under scrutiny for not doing enough to prevent the

attacks. “The brutal killing today of an editor of an LGBTI publication and his friend, days after a university professor was hacked to death, underscores the appalling lack of protection being afforded to a range of peaceful activists in the country” said Champa Patel, Amnesty International’s South Asia director while speaking on the recent killings of Mannan and Mojumdar. “It is shocking that no one has been held to account for these horrific attacks” she added. Despite the conviction of seven men for a 2013 attack, most of the murders have gone unsolved and unpunished. This may be in part because Bangladesh is a poor country with a badly resourced police force. According to Amnesty, rather than offering security, police have warned LGBT activists to be “less provocative”. While commenting on the murder of Nazimuddin Samad, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said no one has the right to attack religious leaders and that the blogger’s writings will be scrutinized by the government. Responding to the pressure on her government to tackle the increase of violent extremism, the nation’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has blamed the main opposition party, the Bangladeshi Nationalist Party (BNP) and it’s Islamist political ally, Jamaat e-Islami (JEI), for the latest attacks: “The BNP-Jamaat nexus has been engaged in such secret and heinous murders in various forms to destabilise the country… Such killings are staged in a planned way,” she said. Sheikh Hasina – Bangladesh’s second female PM – has also previously pointed the finger at Britain and unnamed Arab countries for tolerating a rise and spread of radical Islamist

ideas, and in some cases nurturing and funding hard-line groups. “The British government should take more steps on the ground. Jamaat has a strong influence in east London. They are collecting money, they are sending money” she said. However Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed said his mother couldn’t come out in support of secular writers and activists due to opposition from religious parties in the country. “We don’t want to be seen as atheists. It doesn’t change our core beliefs. We believe in secularism” he said. “But given that our opposition party plays that religion card against us relentlessly, we can’t come out strongly for the bloggers. It’s about perception, not about reality.”

With many secular activists now seeking refuge in other countries and demanding protection the police are unable to give, it seems poverty-ridden Bangladesh is experiencing an overall inability to get to grips with extremism, Dhaka analysts say. This is in part due to fractured political space, where legitimate criticism and debate are restricted. As well as this government curbs on press, television and social media have been blamed for a lack of scrutiny of the growth of religious extremism and of the meek official response to Islamist attacks. This in turn has derailed freedom of thought in the country and a lack of protection for those who express secular views in the Muslim majority nation.

Pictured: American atheist blogger Avijit Roy was beaten to death in Bangladesh in 2014 (Photographer: shariaunveiled. wordpress.com)

Anti-Semitism in Labour:

Has the issue been exaggerated?

ince Jeremy Corbyn’s acquisition of the role of Labour leader, there have been 12 accusations of antiSemitism within the party – mostly online. Amid problems of conflation of the terms ‘Zionist’ and ‘Jew’ and Ken Livingstone confusing almost everybody with the most irrelevant yet damaging defence of Naz Shah’s tweets, the reoccurring question still remains; ‘Does the Labour Party have a problem with anti-Semitism.’ The answer, simply, is no. AntiSemitism is not a problem exclusive to the Labour Party, but it is a problem. The problem lies not in the Labour Party in particular, but this particular strain of anti-Semitism does show its ugly face all too often in some left wing thought. To take fundamental issue with the denial of

self-determination of the Palestinian people is completely acceptable, as it is to criticise the Israeli government, but to suggest the actual transportation of the Jewish community in Israel to America as Naz Shah, Labour MP did, is entirely not. That’s not anti-Zionism, it is anti-Semitism. Her tweeting of a photo saying that everything that Hitler did was legal was much like Ken Livingstone’s defence of it – where he said that Hitler was initially a Zionist – and left the rest of us completely confused as one is by an out-of-date dying racist relative. It’s almost like the early signs of an undercover racist friend. Yes, everything Hitler did was legal…irrelevant though that actual fact is from discussion, as is the suggestion that Hitler was a Zionist, it does make you won-

der why someone who is apparently purely anti-Israeli state would bring Hitler into the discussion alongside the actual support of a mass transportation of Jews. Ken Livingstone’s defence of Shah’s tweet was to say that Hitler wanted to have the Jews transported from Germany which, if anything, equated Shah’s ideas to Hitler’s. Somehow, Nick Clegg was made to look moral that day, sat next to Livingstone on Daily Politics as the former London Mayor made a verbal political suicide note. He was suspended from the party only hours later. The majority of the fuss over a Labour ‘anti-Semitism problem’ has been perpetuated by members of the party who want to undermine Corbyn’s leadership and to portray the

issue as a Corbyn problem. This coupled with the fact that there has been little worth printing happening in the Westminster bubble other than David Cameron’s actually underwhelming tax returns has resulted in a lot of print about a problem that doesn’t really exist in the way it is being reported. The issue in regards to the Labour Party does not extend beyond those members that carry it. There is however an issue of anti-Semitism in the modern progressive left, who believe that they are exempt from the label of racist and find themselves desensitised to anti-Semitism having probably opposed Israel fundamentally. To try and call this a Labour issue though is simply punch-and-Judy politics in an area where it should be least found.

“

The majority of the fuss has been perpetuated by members of the party who want to undermine Corbyn’s leadership.

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Get involved with your student newspaper Gair Rhydd editorial positions open for 2016/17 in every section Email editor@gairrhydd.com for more information

SCIENCE 27

science

Editors: Maria Mellor Lizzie Harrett @GairRhyddSci science@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/science

Novel approach to testing coma patients pioneered

Natasha Fiera

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The new tests that have been designed do not require movement from patients., which can be impossible for some.

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ew tests have the potential to help doctors understand whether a coma patient is ever going to regain consciousness, The brain of the coma patient or someone who is minimally conscious is scanned and detected for brain circuits that switch between internal and external awareness. Previous tests for consciousness have involved sounds such as beeps or music and electromagnetic pulses, however the present tests simply observe brain activity without external input. Individuals who suffer severe brain injuries can become unconscious but sometimes eventually regain consciousness. Patients can go from states ranging from minimal consciousness with some signs of awareness to a coma, where people are not awake and unaware. Coma patients can also represent a state of unresponsive wakefulness where they are unconscious but able to open their eyes spontaneously. Patients who are minimally conscious have previously followed commands with their eyes and made small movements. However, it is difficult to determine whether these are reliable indicators of conscious-

ness as a person may have damage to the motor areas of their brain and movement therefore may be impossible. The new tests that have been designed do not require movement from patients. In healthy individuals the default mode network (DMN) is active when they are resting. These new tests focus primarily on the DMN brain circuits in coma patients. In healthy individuals the activity of the DMN is reduced when awareness is shifted to external stimuli which can be detected by the tests. The DMN is most active when individuals are internally aware, during activities such as day-dreaming, mind-wandering, thinking about one-self and being aware of one’s body. The shift between internal to external awareness represents anti-correlation. A study was conducted on 58 patients with varying states of consciousness to determine whether the process of switching between internal and external awareness also occurs in individuals who have disrupted consciousness. After comparison of the patients, the researchers identified that the anti-correlation was related to the level of consciousness. The team also identified that

as the patients became healthier the stronger the anti-correlations became, and seem to be important for individuals to express consciousness and have higher levels of cognition. Brains that expressed activity in internal and external awareness seemed to be in a less healthy state.

Although these tests have the potential to be invaluable diagnostic tools, the sample size of the study was too small to give significant results. Further tests with a larger number of patients will be required. However, it is an exciting step towards more accurate diagnostics.

Pictured: The brain is minimally scanned (Photographer: Neil Conway)

Cardiff students head to Boston iGEM competition Tanya Harrington

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This achievement by undergraduate students of subjects such as Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, and Genetics, will be one more thing the University will be proud to add to its repertoire.

”

ardiff University is now the home of the first Welsh iGEM team, which is soon to compete in an international competition held in Boston. The iGEM competition was founded by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2003 as a non-profit event, and has continued to grow since. This year, it boasts 290 teams from 41 countries, all from various regions around the world such as Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. Cardiff ’s team, consisting of second year students Christian Donohoe, Asal Golshaie, Andrew Brimer, Robert Newman, Laura Bird, David McMaster and Nikolas Demetriou, was put together by the academic Dr Geraint Parry: a regularly published plant cell biologist and lecturer at Liverpool University, who collaborated with Cardiff University with the express purpose of assembling the group. The aim of the competition is to encourage its candidates to think about synthetic biology: the artificial engineering of biological systems to find new uses for them. This may mean altering biological systems or organisms to become more useful in an academic setting - for example, one of the previous year’s candidates was Cambridge University, who came up with a method which utilised 3D

printing to make studying microorganisms simpler for biologists. Or alternately, this form of biological engineering could be used in a medical or even industrial setting, with Exeter University proposing a method of adapting certain types of ribosomes to detect Bovine Tuberculosis in cattle in a way that does not interfere with the vaccination process, ensuring the safety of livestock and even human beings. The team will be required to work for ten weeks during the summer holiday, completing tasks not only intellectual in nature, but altruistic as well. Alongside conducting research and creating lab reports, coming up with an idea and presentation to deliver and compiling an “iGEM Wiki” page detailing their efforts, the team will also be performing outreach work – lending help and giving talks with schools, businesses, media, and the local community in Cardiff. Their ideas and plans for the project are as of yet unknown, but as their lab work begins on the 13th of June, we can expect to hear of new developments soon. This year, the competition will take place in October, and will be held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. The entire team will be flying out to show a twenty-minute-long presentation based on their idea for the

use of biological synthesis. However, the deadline for submissions itself is August 19th, when applications “freeze,” in order to allow time for the panel of judges to assess the hundreds of wiki pages before the final exhibition. Following the role played by Cardiff University’s Gravitational Physics Group in the detection of gravitational waves earlier this year, as well as its MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics being award-

ed the Queen’s Anniversary Prize, this entrance into the iGEM competition is just another example of how Cardiff is thriving scientifically this year. With Summer approaching and the team excited to work on creating their ideas for the first time, it is certain that this achievement by undergraduate students of subjects such as Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, and Genetics, will be one more thing the University will be proud to add to its repertoire.

Pictured: iGEM is hosted in Boston (Source: Cardiff University)

28 SCIENCE

You may need a detox from your teatox Gair Rhydd Science investigate the vague weight loss promises made by teatox companies

Lizzie Harrett

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They often contain senna root and leaf, which both have a laxative effect and is prescribed by doctors to treat constipation.

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here’s nothing like a comforting cup of warm tea. Us Brits have a particular affinity for a nice brew, making it a familiar taste. Now imagine if something as recognisable as tea could make you lose weight, with little to no diet or exercise required? Welcome to the world of the “teatox.” If you’re an Instagram user you may have seen celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Lindsey Lohan and Kylie Jenner promoting these products which are sold by companies such as BooTea and SkinnyTea. Through consuming two cups of specially blended brew they promise to “promote good health and weight loss” through detoxifying your intestines. Perhaps unsurprisingly the company websites often offer few details about this actually works, often using ambiguous words like “cleansing” and describing it as a “lifestyle.” This masks the often unexpected side effects. Sali* is a postgraduate student at Cardiff University who bought a week’s tea subscription last summer. “Celebrities I follow on Instagram were promoting it, saying that it made them feel good and kept the pounds off. It was exam season so I figured I could do with feeling a bit healthier.

Sciences Questions Answered Why do bees buzz? The warning noise of a buzz was enough to disrupt a lesson when a bee got in the room back in school. This buzzing noise is created by the rapid wingbeat. The larger the bee, the slower the wingbeat, meaning they have a lower pitch buzz.

Why do stinging nettles hurt? Getting stung by a nettle isn’t agonising but it

“Little did I know that it made me constantly need to run to the toilet, as the effect of the tea was just to essentially empty the contents of my bowels. It definitely wasn’t made clear enough that it was literally a laxative.” Some research into the ingredients unearths why this is happening. One cup of the tea is usually drunk in the morning. This blend is often riddled with caffeine from tea leaves including yerba mate, guarana and green tea. There is currently no consensus on whether caffeine stimulates weight loss or not, with studies suggesting it does both. The daytime blend also often contains dandelion root, which is renowned for it’s diuretic effect. “The weight loss is primarily, and probably all, water weight,” stated Dr. Karin Kratina, a nationally recognised nutrition therapist. They added, “If true weight loss occurs, it is because a caloric deficit also occurred from a change in eating habits.” However, it is the night time tea where the real “detoxification” process occurs. They often contain senna root and leaf, which both have a laxative effect and is prescribed by doctors to treat constipation It irritates the colon, stimulating it to empty. You’re essentially going to feel much lighter after this effect. It’s

certainly isn’t comfortable. The hollow hairs on the surface of the leaf have their tips broken off when you brush against them, which act as a needle injecting venom into the body. Histamine, acetylcholine and serotonin are transmitted into the body causing inflammation and pain. If you do get stung don’t bother with a dock leaf, there is no evidence to suggest they help relieve pain, having a placebo effect only.

Why do volcanoes errupt? Density and pressure cause volcanoes to interrupt. Magma found within it has a lower density than the surrounding rocks, which causes it to rise just like air bubbles in a syrup. As the magma rises, bubbles form within the

not a simple trip to the toilet when you consume senna leaf though, with the effects lasting hours after consumption and it causing cramps, stomach discomfort and diarrhoea. Indeed, many of the teatox websites recommend that you ensure you have ready access to a toilet after consumption, without stating why this is the case. Senna may also induce a dependence on laxatives. The US National Library of Medicine has the following recommendation about it: “Don’t use senna for more than two weeks. Longer use can cause the bowels to stop functioning normally and might cause dependence on laxatives. Long-term use can also change the amount or balance of some chemicals in the blood (electrolytes) that can cause heart function disorders, muscle weakness, liver damage, and other harmful effects.” Many of the teatox programmes recommended a 28-day package, which is much longer than the recommended length of time. However, dependence may be exactly what the company needs – dependent customers will continue to purchase projects. One of the companies has a recommend diet to follow while taking the course of supplement. It lists lots of

carbohydrates and little protein, so is probably just encouraging this laxitive effect. Worryingly, the tea programmes have also led to unplanned pregnancies, with the laxative effects causing the contraceptive pill to be flushed straight through the body. Naomi Salt was a BooTea drinker and accidentally ended up pregnant. She told the Daily Mail: “I am over the moon now, but I was shocked and worried at first to say the least. I am regimental about taking my pill and my first reaction was ‘How has this happened?’” Despite pregnancy being a sideeffect, the fact that the teatox can disrupt the contraception is only stated in the small print on many of the company’s FAQ sections on their website. The idea of inducing a cleanse through tea is laughable when you consider that our bodies naturally detoxifies through sweat, urine and faeces. Unless there is a medical condition that requires consumption of products like senna, you do not need to. If you want to get healthier a nutrient-rich, calorie-appropriate diet combined with exercise really is the only way, rather than following a fad diet supplement which does not have any long term effects.

Pictured: If it’s good enough for Kimmy K? (Photographer: Raheel Shahid)

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Inducing a cleanse through tea is laughable when you consider that our bodies naturally detoxifies through sweat, urine and faeces.

gas dissolved causing pressure to build up. The magma is forced to the volcano and up into the air by this pressure.

Why do we blush? That familiar feeling of a blush creeping onto your face when you’ve done something silly is awful. When we’re embarrassed about something we get a surge of adrenaline, which acts as a natural stimulant to the body. Adrenaline causes the blood vessels to dilate to improve blood flow and oxygen. The veins in your face are included in this, with the increased blood flow causing a reddened appearance. Most veins generally don’t respond adrenaline in this way though, which is why most people will only have a blush on their cheeks.

Tweet us your questions to @gairrhyddsci

”

SCIENCE 29

Working more than 40 hours a week could be bad for your health More than ten hours a day can lead to cardiovascular problems Tom Morris

“

Working even more, 50 or 60 hours a week, can lead to injuries, relationship problems and myriad other problems for the employee, the research shows.

”

Pakinee Pooprasert

“

Medical errors are given very little media attention, overshadowed by top headlines about heart disease and cancer.

”

ost students would agree: if there’s any cause worth fighting for, it’s the cause of doing the least work possible. New research is here to back the student body up; showing that more than forty hours work a week can be bad for workers’ health and has little effect on productivity. It is interesting that most research until now has merely focused on what the boss-men want to see: productivity. The new research focused instead on the effect long hours can have on employees’ health. The findings showed that working more than ten hours a day increases the chances of developing cardiovascular problems. Working more than 40 hours a week leads to unhealthy symptoms including weight gain and depression. Working even more, 50 or 60 hours a week, can lead to injuries, relationship problems and myriad other problems for the employee, the research shows. People who work a lot more also tend to smoke and drink more. All of this cost comes at very little reward for employee or employer. In office jobs, a 25 per cent decrease in productivity was observed when

workers were putting in more than 60 hours a week. Such ridiculous hours would also seem to translate to needing to take time off work, with 54 per cent of companies with high rates of overtime showing more than nine per cent in the absenteeism figures. In contrast, only 23 per cent of companies where the working culture does not necessitate above average overtime saw absenteeism rise above nine per cent. In America and increasingly also in Britain, we have a 24/7 working culture. Zero hours contracts, decline of the unions, recession and a number of other factors have combined to create societies where people jostle elbows in the job market, and are willing to go the extra mile to get a job. Many students now in their second and third years will be realising this as they hope to get an internship and work for free for months or even years. It wasn’t always this way. This is a culture that has developed as the jobs market has become more crowded especially “at the top”, where a record number of graduates now fight for an unchanging number of graduate career positions.

Pictured: Working into the night (Photographer: Anders Adermark)

What is the message we should be taking from this research, jokes about slovenly students aside? Perhaps we should not be so eager to please- maybe we should value other elements of

our life as highly as we value career potential? Many of the problems reported in the study related to not making time for family, friends or personal health and wellbeing.

Medical errors are third leading cause of death in the US

ho would have thought that going to the hospital could be as dangerous as getting heart disease? The very treatment that could be saving our lives may in fact, be killing us. A recent study shows that medical error is now the third leading cause of death in the United States. The Johns Hopkins patient safety experts analysed medical death rate data over an eight-year period and calculated that more than 250,000 deaths per year are due to medical error in the US. This figure surpasses the CDC’s (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) third leading cause of death: respiratory disease, which killed around 150,000 people per year. The researchers examined four separate studies that analysed medical death rate data from 2000 to 2008. They then used hospital ad-

mission rates from 2013 to extrapolate the fact that based on a total of 35,416,020 hospitalisations, 251,454 deaths were due to a medical error. This means that it contributes to roughly 9.5 per cent of all deaths each year in the United States. The researchers explained that most of medical errors are not due to inherently bad doctors. Instead of addressing the issue with punishment or legal action, we must understand that most errors represent systematic problems, such as poorly coordinated care, fragmented insurance networks and absence or underuse of safety nets. How do other top chronic conditions measure up? According to the CDC, in 2013, 611,105 people died of heart disease, while 584,881 died of cancer and 149,205 died of chronic respiratory disease. The researchers’ newly calculated figure clearly puts

medical errors behind cancer in terms of patients killed, but ahead of respiratory disease. Paradoxically, medical errors are given very little media attention, overshadowed by top headlines about heart disease and cancer. “Top-ranked causes of death as reported by the CDC inform our country’s research funding and public health priorities,” says Markary, professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an authority on health reform. “Right now, cancer and heart disease get a ton of attention, but since medical errors don’t appear

on the list, the problem doesn’t get the funding and attention it deserves.” While it might be easy to point fingers to the doctors or surgeons who seem to be behind the huge death rate, we must remain conscientious and remember to exert caution. “Unwarranted variation is endemic in healthcare. Developing consensus protocols that streamline the delivery of medicine and reduce variability can improve quality and lower costs in health care. More research on preventing medical errors from occurring is needed to address the problem,” concludes Makary.

Pictured: Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days (Photographer: Army Medicine)

30 SCIENCE

Pakinee Pooprasert

“

There is a direct link between energy generation and changes in the levels of fats in specialised blood cells.

”

Maria Mellor

Cardiff researchers show how aspirin works

ardiff University scientists discovered an important breakthrough helping us understand more about how different individuals respond to aspirin. Aspirin, a widely prescribed drug, is not only significant for treating cardiovascular pathologies, but is also gaining a foot hold on cancer treatment and prevention. By understanding how people respond to aspirin, health care professionals can know more about who will benefit from it. The research, led by Professor Valerie O’Donnell, from the University’s Systems Immunity Research Institute showed that for the first time, there is a direct link between energy generation and changes in the levels of fats in specialised blood cells (platelets), which are important for blood clotting. Professor O’Donnell describes how “our research shows a new link between energy metabolism and in-

flammation as well as giving early insights into the fundamentals of precision medicine regarding the variation of the lipidome among individuals.” Furthermore, the research involved professors from across the globe, from Professor Victor DarleyUsmar, Director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Mitochondrial Medicine Laboratory, and Professor Robert Murphy in the Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado, Denver, USA. Together, the team found more than 5,600 lipids in platelets and worked out the donor variation with aspirin treatment of a subset that are generated when the cells are inflammatory activated. The research was published in the journal, Cell Metabolism, and is the first comprehensive lipidomic profile of human platelets in response to stimulation and aspirin treatment. Commenting on the significance

of this discovery, Professor Mike Murphy, of the Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge, said that “This work led by Professor O’Donnell is a technical tour de force, providing a wonderful resource for other biomedical researchers. A particularly important aspect is the focus on platelets,

which are readily available from patients’ blood in diagnosis, prognosis or as a biomarker in assessing therapies.” While the research is still in its preliminary stages, it promises a whole avenue of how we approach, prescribe, and consume the universally common drug that is aspirin.

Circadian rhythms have a big effect on the body

e all have our little routines. We have lunch at a certain time, have a cup of tea in the afternoon, and go to bed around the same time of day. However with a hectic and unpredictable lifestyle these routines may vary drastically on a day to day basis. Researchers have found that disturbing your sleep-wake cycle can have a negative impact on your health. Scientists believe that in the human body there are two ‘clocks’. The ‘master’ clock is made up of 20,000 nerves in the brain that connect to the eye signalling the body when it’s time to be awake and when to be asleep. It’s linked to temperature and hormone levels that fluctuate in a day-long cycle. There are also peripheral clocks in other organs, such as in the gastroin-

testinal tract where eating causes the clock to reset. Biological clocks could have a bigger effect on our bodies than we might think. A recent study found that flu jabs for the elderly are more effective when given in the morning. The trial looked at over 300 pensioners and found that those who received their flu jab in the morning produced four times more antibodies to fight the virus. Jonathan Ball, a molecular virologist at the University of Nottingham, said: “We know that a variety of factors, such as diet, sleep and exercise seem to impact on your immunity, but the fact that the amount of antibody produced following influenza vaccination differed according to whether or not the people included in the study were immunised in the

morning or in the afternoon was intriguing. What time you eat also has an impact on the body. Studies have shown that people who ate their main meal of the day before 3pm lost more weight than those who ate later in the day. Interestingly, research has found that cancer can disrupt certain circadian rhythms. Scientists looked at mice with cancer and found that these disruptions had a very bad effect on the liver. It seemed as if the liver’s usual functions along the circadian rhythm had been rewired to serve the tumour. It has also been found that it’s down to genetics whether a person is a ‘morning person’ or not. The research showed that who identified as ‘morning people’ showed that the majority of them had similarities within

15 parts of their genomes, with seven of these parts directly relating to the maintenance of the circadian rhythm. It has been proven that diet and lifestyle can also be contributing factors as to when you are able to go to sleep and how easily you wake up in the morning. While we know a lot about circadian rhythms, much of its causes and effects are still a mystery. There are such drastic variations from person to person for seemingly unrelated biological reasons that there could be even more underlying health effects that researchers are yet to find. Some studies have even shown that the culturally acceptable way in which we sleep in one block at night for 8 hours may not actually be for everyone - it’s all down to our biological clocks.

Pictured: I wish I had some aspirin right now (Source: Shannon via Flickr)

“

It seemed as if the liver’s usual functions along the circadian rhythm had been rewired to serve the tumour.

”

Pictured: Our bodies let us know when we need to sleep (Source: TheGiantVermin via Flickr)

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32 SOCIETIES

societies Hannah Sterritt VP Societies

Aletheia Nutt

Pictured: The awards and an award winner. (Photographer: Cardiff

@GairRhyddSoc societies@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/societies

Hannah’s Final Note

i all, I hope library life and revision is going well for you! I can’t quite believe that this is the last Gair Rhydd issue of the year, and that the year is nearly over – it seems like the Freshers’ Fairs were only a few weeks ago! This year has been fantastic for the Guild of Societies. We now have more members than ever – just over 8,800! We also have just over 1,200 committee members to lead all 200 of our societies, another record. The Societies Ball held on the 29th April sold out in record time, and going back to the beginning of this academic year, we had

Editor: Aletheia Nutt

the busiest Societies Freshers’ Fair days ever. In December, we officially opened Y Stiwdio for dedicated use by Societies & Clubs. Also that month, we held the 12 Days of Societies and the Winter Showcase was a massive success. At the end of the term, I held 75 society development meetings, rewarding a record number of silver & gold societies their Tiers. I also organised the Big Refreshers Weekend, with dogs and a bungee run among society and club stalls. Also – half price roast dinners. In March, we held 20 events in one week for Cardiff Fringe finishing off with Go Global with over 300 attendees. It’s safe to say

that this year has been incredible. Societies have always played a massive part in my time at university and has transformed my life as a student. I’ve had the best time this year as VP Societies, and it’s been down to all of the Guild of Societies members that every day is so rewarding, and every hour spent in the SU is definitely worth it! A massive thank you to everyone who has made this year so great, and to Aletheia for being a fantastic Societies Editor. If you’re graduating, good luck in anything you do next, and if not – make sure you’re part of a society next year!

Societies Ball Awards Results 2016

ocieties Ball was held on Friday 29th April in the Great Hall. It was a fantastic acknowledging the amazing things all 200 societies have achieved this year. There were 17 awards presented on the night, and the results are as follows: 1. Best Newcomer Runner Up: Quiz Society Winner: Stitch Soc 2. Best Fringe Festival Event Runner Up: Music Showcase - A Cappella, Blank Verse, Brass Band Society, Healthcare Music Society, Jazz Society, Music Society, Operatic Society, TCUPS and Windband Winner: Gilbert & Sullivan’s ‘Patience’ – Operatic Society 3. Best Go Global Performance Runner Up: Bulgarian Society Winner: Bollywood Dance Society 4. Best Use of Social Media Runner Up: Law Society Winner: Cardiff Marrow 5. Best Small Event Runner Up: Dance Workshop Weekend – Slash Hip Hop Dance Society Winner: Youth Stop AIDS Speaker Tour – UAEM 6. Best Large Event Runner Up: Cardiff Carols - Christian Union Winner: Refugee Rhythms – STAR (Student Action for Refugees) 7. Association of the Year Runner Up: LGBT+ Association Winner: Postgraduate Association 8. SLS of the Year Runner Up: SHAG Winner: Nightline 9. Most Committed Member Runner Up: Savvy Pranoy (Bollywood Dance Society) Winner: Alex Creamer (Windband) 10. Committee Member of the Year Runner Up: Honey McKenna (Slash Hip Hop Dance Society) Winner: Kate Coventry (CoppaFeel! Society) 11. Committee of the Year Runner Up: Law Society Winner: A Cappella Society

12. Best Society Collaboration Runner Up: Cardiff Dance Competition Winner: Vithiya Alphons Campaign – Tamil Society, Cardiff Marrow and Asian Society 13. Most Improved Society Runner Up: Finance & Trading Society Winner: Cardiff LINKS 14. Best Small Society Runner Up: Bollywood Dance Society Winner: Cardiff Marrow 15. Best Medium Society Runner Up: FAD Winner: Windband 16. Best Large Society Runner Up: Broadway Dance Society Winner: Act One 17. Officer’s Choice for Outstanding Contribution Runner Up: Jack Hodgkiss Winner: Katie Blackwell There are now more than 30 societies with Gold Society Achievement Awards; A Cappella Society, Act One, Airsoft Society, AltSoc, Anime Society, Baking Society, Belly Dancing Society, Blank Verse, Brass Band Society, British Red Cross Group, Broadway Dance Society, Cardiff LINKS, Catholic Society, Christian Union, CU Pride (L GBT+ Society), Debating Society, Expression Dance Society, FAD, Film Society, Finance & Trading (Investment Society), Gaming Society, GrimSoc, Healthcare Music Society, Islamic Society, Jazz Society, Labour Students Society, Law Society Cardiff, Malaysian Students Society, Maths Society, MedSoc, Model UN Society, Music Society, Operatic Society, Optometry Society, SAWSA – Architecture Society, Sci-Fi and Fantasy Society, Sexpression, Sikh Society, Slash Hip Hop Dance Society, Spanish & Italian Society, STAR – Student Action for Refugees, StitchSoc, Students for Life, Student Scouts & Guides Society, TCUPS – Purcell Singers, Wildlife & Conservation and Windband.

SOCIETIES 33

Act One: Eat, Sleep, Bathe, Repeat and their year summed up!

Charlie Knights

“

For any people who happen to be in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival, it will be worth going along to see this, and the other production Act One is sending up.

”

y experiences with Act One over the last few months are shaded with a myriad of emotions. All their productions contain some kind of message, it could be light hearted or dark, really meaningful or crude. Somehow Josh Day’s fantastic production ‘Eat, Sleep, Bathe, Repeat’ manages to simultaneously be all of these. Autism isn’t an easy subject to deal with, as my previous quote demonstrates, most people have this idealistic opinion that autism is this beautiful minds, quirky, bit-of-a-joke condition, and don’t think about the real implications to both those suffering and from those charged with their care. ESBR takes place within the Riverside care home, following the trials and tribulations of James Parker (Luke Merchant) the newest care worker. Greeted by the crude Aaron (Alexander Morgan), the caring Steph (Katie Dougan) and the hardworking stressed team leader Claire (Emily Broad), he slowly comes to grips with the ideas that some of the residents can’t even speak, have their own routines, and the difficulty of true interaction. The staff workers each had their own quirks, and the improvisation between them played off fantastically, from Aaron’s crude lines and devil-may-care attitude, to Steph’s sarcasm and huge care for particular residents, to Claire’s cool attitude, but who had out bursts at times that stunned the audience to silence with the passion present in her portrayal. Congratulations must be given to the people playing the residents; Lloyd (Harrison Webb), Harvey (Sam Borthwick), Ray (Soutrick Banerjee), Jake (Mike Fahey), and Jor-

dan (Rob Maddison). In a production that will be soon going up to be performed at Edinburgh fringe, and on such a sensitive subject, the pressure is high. Yet at no point did I see any of the background acting slip, with all characters holding their form and attitudes, from the rocking and stamping of Jordan, to the hunched back of the 60 year old Harvey (which I imagine will need some serious chiropractic adjustment after three performances). I liked the feel of the production. The overall tone was quite harsh with James struggling to understand, but by the end he was another member of this dysfunctional family we began to see emerge. It has the feel of a coming of age story, and I’m a sucker for it. The staging was also brilliant, with a collection of flat background wall, and all constructed by what all reports say have been a fantastic crew, composed of Evie Hollahan (PM), Emily Cully (Assistant PM), Sinead Davies (Publicity) and Rosanna Towle (Props and costume). For any people who happen to be in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival, it will be worth going along to see this, and the other production Act One is sending up. On top of all this, the presentation on all the little day to day interactions was interesting. It changed constantly, going on to highlight the unpredictable nature that can come with low functioning autism. One moment characters would be happy then the next moment fly into a fit of rage, oft with no warning. At one point during the production a character is assaulted when you least expect it, and you could feel the crowd collectively gasp

as he lies prone on the floor and an alarm rings through the blackout. As a final mention, the attention to detail and background research was above and beyond anything else I have seen this year. Josh Day put in countless hours of research, meeting people living with autism and their respective carers alike, sharing articles to the cast and crew facebook group, and even giving a lecture on autism to students here at Cardiff. Bravo to the whole cast. In a play like this, one slip up can be horrendously offensive, insensitive, and as such the nightmares that must come from that pressure could have been a tough boundary to overcome. But instead we received a captivating play, with minimal slip ups. To the cast, you have done yourselves and the whole society proud, to the crew you have made a scene and a setting that fit with a difficult subject which is no easy task, and to the director, very well done. The dedication and commitment shone through. Good luck in Edinburgh! Over the last few months, I have become more involved with Act One. Although seeming to some to be an inclusive large society, off putting to an outsider I will admit, once you become a part of the big family they don’t let you go. Be you cast or crew, new or old, they seem to find a place for you to fit in. I think it would be easy for members of such high calibre to let it go to their heads, but you don’t really see that. Its fun, light-hearted, and the socials are always good too. “As a fresher I thought it was unlikely I’d get into a show let alone feel so welcomed within the society,” first year student Esther Morris, “I also think that the

level of talent within Act One is honestly beyond anything I’d imagined. Joining has definitely been one of the best university decisions I’ve made.” First off I want to extend a huge congratulations to the whole of the Act One committee, who have directed and steered the entire society all the way to even winning best large society at the student Societies ball. President Poppy Parker said “Act One this year for me has been about putting on the very best student theatre we can and I could not be prouder of the society and its achievements,” numerous as the achievements have been. James will be taking over next year as president of the society, who told Gair Rhydd that “‘It’s hard to narrow down on my favourite memories from Act One as there have been so many,” naming the production of BattleScars, a re-run of a production from last year about mental health, and the annual berlin trip are particular highlights. “I have to say next year what I’m most excited for is to just do it all again with a fresh crop of members and shows. New members just always bring such a different dynamic to the society and we are always looking to welcome more. So yes! That’s it really! I’m sad this year is over but I hope next year my committee can make it just as good if not better then before!” So a huge extended congratulations to all members of the society, be this your first year or your final year. Reviewing the society has been a dream, and the high quality of shows far exceeded my expectations. Act One is a society everyone seems to know, and if you are even slightly considering it- Join next year.

Pictured: Act One production ESBR

“

A huge congratulations to the whole of the Act One committee, who have directed and steered the whole society.

”

34 SOCIETIES

Cardiff Volunteering are now recruiting new student board members and lead volunteers!

Chloe Lavington

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You do not have to have been involved in Cardiff Volunteering this year, but you should have some volunteering experience.

”

ardiff Volunteering is an independent student-led charity set up by the Students’ Union in August 2015, dedicated to providing volunteering opportunities to Cardiff University students, enabling them to undertake enriching, interesting and fun projects which directly benefit the local community. Cardiff Volunteering is seeking to attract new student board members who can commit to a minimum of three meetings per year. These roles are an opportunity to get a board level insight into a well-run, well-loved and growing charity, share responsibility for its good governance and contribute to its future direction. You should possess good strategic vision, business sense and a passion for our work improving the lives of students through volunteering. You do not have to have been involved in Cardiff Volunteering this year, but you should have some volunteering experience. Ideally you’ll have evidence of successfully working in a leadership role and the skills to develop professional relationships and communicate with a broad range of stake holders. A sound judgement is essential, with confidence to make informed decisions and handle com-

peting priorities. We will be releasing information and application packs shortly, but if you would like to register interest for a Board Member position, please email Michelle, Student Development Manager (lenton-johnsonm@ cardiff.ac.uk) to arrange an informal chat about the role. Lead volunteers are students who undertake the additional responsibility of coordinating a group of volunteers on their project. Naturally, the role varies from project to project: some adopt an administrative role and others actively lead sessions with volunteers and beneficiaries. Having said this, there are some key responsibilities that all lead volunteers have throughout the year. You’ll be required to attend relevant and compulsory training, which is likely to be held on a weekend in September. You’ll then be fully equipped to run your stall during freshers, where you’ll be encouraging students to sign up for your project. Most of our projects will hold information talks to give interested students the chance to find out a bit more about certain projects before they apply. You’ll help us with administrative duties to ensure your project can get

up and running as soon as possible. You’ll also have to keep in regular contact with your designated Cardiff Volunteering staff member, to let us know everything is running smoothly. There will be scheduled feedback sessions where you can let us know what has worked well and where we can improve. If you haven’t volunteered with Cardiff Volunteering before that’s fine, but ideally we would like you to

have some volunteering experience. Most importantly, we are seeking friendly, committed and enthusiastic individuals who aren’t afraid to get stuck in with their chosen project! For a full list of project vacancies please go to our website: http://www. cardiffstudents.com/jobs-skills/volunteering/lead-volunteer-opportunities/ where you can download a full role description and an application form!

BELLE & ¥ JAMES ¥ LAURA ¥ WILD MARLING SEBASTIAN BLAKE BEASTS WARPAINT ¥ EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS ¥ GRANDADDY ¥ LUSH ¥ TINDERSTICKS JULIA HOLTER ¥ WHITE DENIM ¥ JASON ISBELL ¥ BATTLES ¥ FLOATING POINTS (LIVE) UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA ¥ EZRA FURMAN ¥ FAT WHITE FAMILY ¥ SONGH�Y BLUES MICHAEL ROTHER ¥ THE UNTHANKS ¥ KAMASI WASHINGTON ¥ CONNAN MOCKASIN CATE LE BON ¥ JAGWAR MA ¥ SL�W CLUB ¥ DUNGEN ¥ KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD THE BESNARD LAKES ¥ B E A K > ¥ MIRACLE LEGION ¥ SUUNS ¥ GENGAHR ¥ K E V I N M OR B Y CHARLOTTE CHURCH'S LATE NIGHT POP DUNGEON ¥ WHITNEY ¥ MOTHERS ¥ JULIANNA BARWICK ¥ BLANCK MASS ¥ VESSELS CAVERN OF ANTI-MATTER ¥ CIGARETTES AFTER SEX ¥ MEILYR JONES ¥ YORKSTON THORNE KHAN ¥ TRADER HORNE PHIL C�K AND THE GUITARHEELS ¥ KIRAN LEONARD ¥ PICTISH TRAIL ¥ RYLEY WALKER ¥ JOAN SHELLEY ¥ THE OH HELLOS THE WEATHER STATION ¥ MALCOLM MIDDLETON ¥ THE M�NLANDINGZ ¥ FORMATION ¥ AWESOME TAPES FROM AFRICA DANIEL NORGREN ¥ SAM LEE & FRIENDS ¥ CLARE MAGUIRE ¥ BC CAMPLIGHT ¥ GUN OUTFIT ¥ THE MAGNETIC NORTH ALL THEM WITCHES ¥ THE MEMBRANES ¥ AMBER ARCADES ¥ TREVOR SENSOR ¥ EMMA POLLOCK ¥ FEWS ¥ OLIVER COATES ¥ PETE PAPHIDES (DJ) WESLEY GONZALEZ ¥ BLACK PEACHES ¥ STEVEN JAMES ADAMS ¥ COWBOIS RHOS BOTWNNOG ¥ KELLY LEE OWENS ¥ PALACE WINTER EXPLODED VIEW ¥ FLAMINGODS ¥ HAIKU SALUT ¥ BILL BAIRD ¥ MARGARET GLASPY ¥ DEEP THROAT CHOIR ¥ ARDYN ¥ SEA PINKS SEE RIVERS ¥ MATT MALTESE ¥ MEILIR TOMOS ¥ LASTIGBAND ¥ BABA NAGA ¥ EARTH RECORDINGS (DJ)

Pictured: Cardiff Volunteering members.

ly e v i s s a M unted! disco

inCludes travel

Thorpe Park Wednesday 8th June 2016

Celebrate the end of your exams with this heavily discounted trip, transport included. Bring your flatmates for a day out to remember. Trip includes: return coach travel and entry to Thorpe Park.

return transport

End of Year Waterfalls Trip tuesday 7th June 2016

Celebrate the end of exams with a refreshing trip to the heart of Welsh Waterfalls country. Day Trip includes: All transport to and from the Brecon Beacons Waterfalls.

return transport

End of Year Rhossili Beach Trip thursday 9th June 2016

Celebrate the end of exams with a day at one of the most spectacular beaches in Wales. Day Trip includes: All transport to and from Rhossili Bay.

36 SPORT EURO 2016 PREVIEW

Wales O Dan Heard

Likely squad

W. Hennessey O. Fon Williams D. Ward C. Gunter A. Williams J. Collins N. Taylor B. Davies J. Chester J. Richards J. Ledley D. Vaughan A. Ramsey A. King J. Allen D. Cotterill J. Williams G. Bale S. Vokes S. Church H. R-Kanu G. Williams T. Lawrence

Tournament odds

66/1

(William Hill)

n June 11th, Wales will step out at the Nouveau Stade in Bordeaux for their first game in a major tournament for nearly 60 years. The crop including captain, Ashley Williams, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen, Joe Ledley and, of course, Gareth Bale, will take to the field against fellow debutants, Slovakia, with the weight of a nation on their shoulders. But just how will they perform? Following an outstanding qualifying campaign, which saw them boast the meanest defence across Europe, four friendlies were lined up, starting with an encounter against a Netherlands side still reeling from their failed bid to reach the Euros. Despite fielding a strong side, including Williams, Allen, Ledley, Chris Gunter and Wayne Hennessey, the hosts were beaten comfortably by three goals to one. Next up- Northern Ireland. The match proved to be an opportunity for manager Chris Coleman to give his younger players a chance, with several first team regulars either rested or unavailable. Whilst fans might have been encouraged by the sight of Wales’ next generation of stars, the match did little to wet the appetite ahead of this summer’s tournament, with a late Simon Church penalty required to see the game end all-square. Wales did, however, fare a lot better in their third friendly, in Kiev, againts Ukraine. A stronger-looking Welsh side put up more of a fight in truth, with Allen in particular marshalling the midfield admirably. In truth, it might have appeared as something of

a prelude to the fixture versus Russia on June 20th, with both sides known to set up with similar brand of counter-attacking football. Looking forward to the tournament, Coleman and his back room staff now have some big decisions ahead of selecting his 23-man squad for the tournament, which he will do on Tuesday 31st May. Starting in goal, his choices are effectively made for him. Hennessey has been in outstanding form for his country and is also first-choice for Premier League outfit, Crystal Palace. Liverpool’s Danny Ward has emerged as a genuine contender for Hennessey’s understudy, following his successful loan stint with Aberdeen and whilst injury has ruled him out of the final weeks of the season, he will be fit enough to make the plane. Coleman’s third-choice keeper is likely to be Inverness’s Owain Fôn Williams, who has been capped just once for the national side. Defence is where there will be more competition for places though. Williams and the two James’s; Collins and Chester, look dead certainties, as are full backs Chris Gunter, Neil Taylor and Ben Davies. The likes of Jazz Richards, Paul Dummett, Adam Henley and the rejuvenated Adam Matthews all look likely to have to contend for the final few spots, with Richards and Dummett looking most likely if Coleman opts for eight defenders. In the midfield, mainstays Allen, Ramsey and Ledley will walk on to the plane and will no doubt be some of the first names on Chris Coleman’s teamsheet. Leicester’s newly-crowned Premier League champion Andy King, Wolves’ Dave Edwards, back after a

Republic of Ireland T Joseph Atkinson

Likely squad S. Given D. Forde D. Randolph J. O’Shea P. McShane R. Keogh C. Clark S. Ward C. Christie A. McGeady G. Whelan J. McCarthy J. McClean W. Hoolahan R. Brady J. Hendrick D. Gibson A. Pilkington R. Keane S. Long K. Doyle J. Walters D. Murphy

Tournament odds

100/1 (William Hill)

he Republic of Ireland have qualified for their second European Championships in a row and on both occasions have reached the finals through the play-offs. A 3-1 aggregate victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in November ensured that their vastly experienced manager Martin O’Neill will have his first taste of a major international tournament. O’Neill was brought in to replace the popular Italian Giovanni Trapattoni following a disappointing 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign that saw them miss out on the play-offs altogether. O’Neill is assisted by the former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane, whose significant influence has seen him be likened to more of a co-manager. The Republic edged Scotland to a third-place finish in Group D of Euro 2016 qualifying, finishing on 18 points with five wins out of ten games. Those wins included a vital 1-0 victory in Dublin over reigning world champions Germany that propelled them past a Scotland team that had picked up four points out of six agains the Irish. If they thought that their qualifying group was tough, then O’Neill’s team really have their work cut out for them in France. Despite the fact that up to three of the four teams in each group can qualify to the knockout stages, their three opponents in Belgium, Italy and Sweden represent a tricky set of fixtures, with all three sides boasting

world-class players among their ranks. Even with a favourable group the Republic of Ireland wouldn’t be much fancied to go too far in the tournament. Most bookies have them at around 150/1 to win the competition while they’re considered odds-on to be eliminated in the group stage. However, as this season has proven, surprises can happen in football and the team spirit within the Republic of Ireland camp is high after a successful qualifying campaign. The Republic begin their campaign against Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Sweden on June 13th at the Stade de France. That match represents Martin O’Neill’s men’s best chance at building momentum into their next matches, against a Belgium team that very recently topped FIFA’s World Rankings, and defeated finalists at Euro 2012, Italy. O’Neill has already named a provisional 35-man squad that he will have to cut by 12 to make a final 23. Assuming all players remain fit, it is likely that a handful of Premier League players will lead the charge. Southampton’s striker Shane Long is a fearsome opponent in the air on his day, while the Everton duo Seamus Coleman and James McCarthy represent the Republic’s highest profile players and the ones that will need to perform if the team hopes to escape their group. The Irish possess nothing if not experience. The likes of Shay Given, John

Hennessey

Collins

A. Williams (c)

Davies

Gunter

Taylor Allen

Ramsey

Robson-Kanu long injury lay-off, and Nottingham Forest’s David Vaughan should all provide healthy competition for places too. The more exciting options though come in the form of Hal Robson Kanu and Jonny Williams. The Reading man’s versatility allows him to feature up front or out wide, while “Jonniesta”, as the Welsh faithful have christened him, possesses a lightning-quick turn of pace and an eye for a through-ball unmatched by any other in this squad. As well as this pair, Birmingham City’s David Cotterill will surely be included, whilst Chris Coleman might also need to consider both George Williams and Emyr Huws, who, despite their relative inexperience, bring an extra element of attacking dynamism to the squad. To the attack and whilst Bale will not be involved in Coleman’s pretournament training squad due to his Champions League commitments, the Real Madrid star can probably expect to be involved this Summer. Else-

Ledley

Bale

where Simon Church, Tom Lawrence, and Sam Vokes will compete for what looks like being just three outright forward places. Last month, I caught up with Gunter and Robson Kanu at an event for Adidas in Cardiff, and asked them about their confidence going into the tournament. “I’m very confident.” Robson Kanu said. “We’ve got a great squad, all our players are full of belief, and I’m confident, we’re confident that we’ll do really well.” His club-mate Gunter believed that top-spot was up for grabs too. “We can definitely top our group. We probably won’t set a target, but we’re not just there to make up the numbers. We’re quietly confident.” Confidence is certainly one thing that won’t be lacking in that camp. The belief that the players and management can achieve something special is really there. Regardless of results, one thing is for sure, Wales are going to give it everything.

“

Progressing from the pool stage is a tough ask for Wales, particularly with the injuries they’ve accumulated.

”

Randolph Coleman

Keogh

Clark

Whelan (c)

McCarthy

Walters

Brady

Hoolahan

McClean

Long O’Shea, Jonathan Walters, Kevin Doyle and all-time top scorer Robbie Keane are not guaranteed a start, but bring with them steady heads and experience in tournaments that some of the younger members of the squad do not. Euro 2016 represents the final chance that some of these players have of claiming some sort of glory on the international stage, especially for Keane who is also the team’s captain and all-time caps holder. While it would be tempting or the Irish to start with two strikers up front, logic and form dictates that O’Neill will opt to field a lone forward, either in the form of the pacy Long, or the big frame of Ipswich Town’s Daryl Murphy. The aforementioned Coleman and Norwich’s Robbie Brady are two attacking full-backs at the top of their game, while McCarthy and Stoke’s Glenn Whelan

offer a steady midfield base on which to build. Creativity may be Ireland’s greatest problem. Wes Hoolahan, also of Norwich, is probably the side’s most effective playmaker but tight defences such as those of Belgium and Italy could prove a tough test for a team lacking in cutting edge in the final third. On the wings, James McClean, Aiden McGeady and Jon Walters are not the fastest of players and again could struggle. The Republic of Ireland squad will set up in the Paris suburb of Versailles and will be hoping to stay there for a longer duration than the group stages. However, it is difficult to see that happening at this stage - pipping Sweden to third place may be Martin O’Neill’s best chance of making the last 16 and producing a successful tournament performance for the men in green.

“

Surprises can happen in football and the team spirit within the Republic of Ireland camp is high after a successful qualifying campaign.

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EURO 2016 PREVIEW SPORT 37

England N Joseph Atkinson

Likely squad J. Hart F. Forster T. Heaton K. Walker N. Clyne C. Smalling G. Cahill P. Jagielka J. Stones D. Rose R. Bertrand J. Milner J. Henderson J. Wilshere D. Alli E. Dier R. Barkley R. Sterling A. Lallana W. Rooney H. Kane J. Vardy D. Sturridge

Tournament odds

8/1

(William Hill)

ot since the 2010 World Cup have England been so fancied by the bookies to pull off a first tournament win since 1966. It would be fitting that 50 years after lifting their only World Cup trophy, Roy Hodgson’s team should be the ones to win the European Championships this summer. As is always the case with England though, it will never be that straightforward. Following a dour showing at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, public and media optimism surrounding the England setup was at an all-time low. However, a perfect record in an undemanding Euro-qualifying group, coupled with the emergence of some new faces to give the team fresh impetus has spurred the most dangerous of emotions in England fans; confidence. With ten wins out of ten in a qualification group featuring Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania and San Marino, England hold the only 100 per cent pre-tournament record of any team competing in France. As England managers of the past will tell you though, a smooth journey means nothing if the car breaks down upon arrival. In March a 3-2 comeback win in Berlin over Germany gave Hodgson even more cause to hope, but a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands days later highlighted England’s inconsistencies. The group draw has arguably been favourable again for England in France. They kick off their campaign in Marseille on 11th June, facing a Russia side that made the tournament thanks to a late run of form put together by the CSKA Moscow boss Leonid Slutsky,

who replaced former England manager Fabio Capello last summer. Next up is the potentially hazardous match against Wales in Lens on June 16th. Guided by Chris Coleman and inspired by the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, the Welsh have been moulded into a solid, well-drilled outfit with a close-knit team spirit to boot that has seen them qualify for their first major tournament since 1958. The final group game for England sees them face Slovakia on 20th June in Saint-Etienne. Liverpool’s declining defender Martin Skrtel and Napoli stalwart Marek Hamsik represent their most high-profile players, yet anything other than victory over the team currently ranked 32nd in the world would surely be deemed an abject failure. In fact, anything other than victory in the group overall would surely be deemed a failure. Assuming they do make it through in any way, there are now four, rather than three stages to get through in order to win the tournament. UEFA’s decision to expand the tournament from 16 to 24 teams means the insertion of a round of 16; winners of which advance to the quarters-finals, then semi-finals and then the final itself. So, who needs to perform to give England the best chance of going the distance? Goalkeeper Joe Hart and the likely centre-back pairing of Gary Cahill and Chris Smalling will be the bedrock of any success England taste, but it is up front where Roy Hodgson’s selection headache lies. Captain and all-time leading scorer Wayne Rooney is no longer in vogue; instead the less-experienced but in-form duo of Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane are tipped to lead the line. Elsewhere, Eric Dier and Dele Alli are expected to contribute heavily hav-

Northern Ireland N Mark Wyatt

Likely squad

M. McGovern R. Carroll A. Mannus A. Hughes G. McAuley J. Evans C. Cathcart C. McLaughlin L. Hodson D. Lafferty P. McNair L. Hodson S. Davis N. McGinn O. Norwood S. Ferguson S. Dallas C. Evans W. Grigg K. Lafferty J. Ward B. Mckay L. Boyce

Tournament odds

250/1 (William Hill)

orthern Ireland’s qualification to Euro 2016 came as a surprise to many, with Michael O’Neil’s men eventually strolling through to France by topping Group F. They battled the odds to reach their first major tournament since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and they now await their first ever European Championships. The team who were once 129th in FIFA’s world rankings and are now at a record high, 26th, finished their group with a record of six wins, three draws and just the one defeat- that coming way back in 2014 at the hands of Romania in Bucharest. Group F, which also included Hungary, Finland, the Faroe Islands and Greece, could have easily proved very difficult to navigate for Northern Ireland yet they dealt well with the pressures and consequently, got the right rewards. 2004 champions Greece, managed by Premier League sweetheart, Claudio Ranieri, for a short period, finished rock bottom of the group with Finland and the Faroe Islands the others to miss out on qualification. Without doubt Northern Ireland’s progress was aided hugely by the goals of frontman, Kyle Lafferty, who struck seven times to top the scoring charts for Group F. Among his goals included the dramatic 93rd minute equaliser against Hungary, which proved decisive as Northern Ireland finished top by a point, having an inferior goal difference to 2nd-placed Romania too. His pres-

ence in France will be vital for the squad, who can also call upon a number of players with varying degrees of top flight football experience. Amongst them will be defenders Jonny Evans, Chris Baird and Gareth McCauley; utility player, Paddy McNair, will have a big part to play with captain, Steven Davis, also a key component of Michael O’Neill’s plans. One man who might be sorely missed, however, is West Brom’s Chris Brunt, who misses the tournament following knee-surgery. The 54 time capped wide man was injured in a 3-2 win against Crystal Palace in the Premier League in February and is expected to be out of action for at least another six months. As far as other squad members go there will be places for 31-year-old Hamilton goalkeeper Michael McGovern, Blackburn’s Corry Evans, Reading’s Oliver Norwood and Kilmarnock’s Josh Magennis, who incidentally was not even alive the last time Northern Ireland reached a major tournament. Equally valuable to the squad will be League One defender, Conor McLaughlin, who has featured multiple times in qualification. When Northern Ireland find themselves in their training camp in SaintGeorges-de-Reneins, there will be little expectation on the side who face a tough group – just getting to the tournament is credit to the squad. Being the lowest ranked team of the entire tournament,

Hart Clyne

Smalling

Cahill

Rose

Dier Henderson

Alli Rooney (c)

Vardy ing made late bids to enter the England squad following consistently excellent performances for Spurs in the Premier League. Hodgson favourites Jordan Henderson, James Milner and the aforementioned Wilshere may have to fight for a place in midfield alongside the Tottenham youngsters. The likes of Ross Barkley, Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling will compete for the creative berths, but it is difficult to formulate exactly how the team will line up- Hodgson prefers the 4-2-3-1 but the form of Vardy and Kane alongside Rooney’s importance to the team could lead him to switch to a more offensive and compact 4-4-2 diamond. In terms of the squad itself, recent injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck have all but ruled the Arsenal pair out of the tournament, while Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland also misses out. The loss of Welbeck in particular will be a big blow to Hodgson, who values the forward’s work rate and versatility. Fellow Gunner Jack Wilshere

Kane has returned just in time to stake his claim for a place, but it may be too late for Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw, who has missed the majority of the season with a broken leg. England will be based in the small northern city of Chantilly, 25 miles away from the French capital of Paris, and will warm up for the competition with matches against fellow Euro 2016 competitors Turkey and Portugal on May 22nd and June 2nd respectively, as well as a match with Australia in Sunderland wedged in between on May 27th. Those warm-up matches may offer an indication of how England will fare in France, but for now it’s anybody’s guess. Fans should be warned to approach the tournament with cautious optimism; too often English media and fans have been ridiculed for building up their team only for them to come crashing out of tournaments with ignominy. While that could well happen again, the right team selection could see England advance to at least the quarter-finals, if not further.

“

Captain and all-time leading scorer Wayne Rooney is no longer in vogue; instead the lessexperienced but in-form duo of Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane are tipped to lead the line.

”

McGovern McLaughlin

McAuley

Cathcart

J. Evans

McNair Norwood

Davis (c)

Ward

Dallas Lafferty

Northern Ireland found themselves in Pot 4 alongside Wales and the Republic of Ireland. The opponents they will face in Group C will be Poland, Ukraine and current World Champions, Germany. Michael O’Neill will surely relish the chance to fare his team against some of the top nations in Europe and without doubt, tests don’t come much bigger than the world champions. The big question is whether Northern Ireland can really upset the apple cart and mastermind a shock in France. With little pressure on their shoulders, the players will undoubtedly go out with a positive attitude in the hope that they can emulate their impressive qualification campaign form. O’Neill has overseen some shocks before with Northern Ireland though; a 1-0 home win against Russia and a spirited 1-1 draw away at Portugal in 2013 shows

that there is a chance of progressing through this group stage. Ukraine only qualified for the tournament through a play-off victory over Slovenia whereas Poland endured mixed results in their group, including one unconvincing lastminute point against Scotland. What we can expect from the Northern Ireland squad is a spirited performance from a group of players who will fully understand that this could potentially be their only appearance at a major tournament. What lies in front of them is a chance to become even bigger heroes in their country and to test themselves against Europe’s best players. As preparations continue, friendlies are lined up at home against Belarus and away to Slovakia at the end of May before they take on Poland in their opening game of the tournament in Nice on Sunday 12th June.

“

The big question is whether Northern Ireland can really upset the apple cart and mastermind a shock in France.

”

38 SPORT CARDIFF BLUES REVIEW

The negatives: Blues in need of revamp after season of underperformance

Rhys Thomas & Harry Elliott Cardiff Blues Columnists

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The most negative parts of the 2015/16 campaign, however, can be pinpointed to two matches alone, both in Italy.

”

hilst the season ended well enough with a solid seventh place finish in the Guinness PRO12, there were parts of the 2015/16 campaign where Cardiff Blues were significantly below par. The Blues bowed out of the European Challenge Cup at the group stage, coming third in a group containing Harlequins, Montpellier (both of this year’s finalists) and Italian part-timers Calvisano. Whilst the two finalists came from the same group, the Blues could easily have progressed themselves. Danny Wilson’s side lost both home and away to Harlequins (3220 and 34-26 respectively) with the Blues in a position to claim a losing bonus point in both games until late Harlequins scores. And they lost 23-22 at Montpellier where a late-injury time converted try for the French side snatched the result away. With Montpellier going through in the runner-up position, only three points clear, it wouldn’t have taken much for the Blues to have progressed to the knock-out stages - better game management perhaps (as seems always the case for Welsh teams in a pressure cooker situation). They surely would have made a strong charge for the Final given their form improved markedly as the season wore on. Another disappointment was unquestionably the performances of wing, Alex Cuthbert: he has been

The positives: Improving performances point to bright future

“

There is much to look forward to next year in terms of transfer activity for the capital’s premier rugby side.

”

woeful in Blue and also in the red of Wales. Three years ago he was a British Lion and one of the most lethal finishers in world rugby- now, he’s a shadow of the player he was. Lacking in pace and with too many handling errors, his weak defence has been exposed even more because his positive attributes don’t make up for them. His confidence looks shot, he doesn’t look happy on the field and doesn’t seem to have the right temperament for any game, let alone a big one. Injury means he will not tour New Zealand this Summer with Wales, so having a few months off should be good for him, and hopefully he can rekindle some of that long-lost form come the PRO12 return in September. The most negative parts of the 2015/16 campaign, however, can be pinpointed to two matches alone, both in Italy. The first, at the end of October last year, was a 26-15 loss to Zebre, and the second in Februrary saw a 13-7 loss to Treviso. Both matches should’ve been guaranteed victories, and practically were for most other teams in the league. If it were not for those two abject losses, the Blues would be able to look forward to playing in the European Champions Cup next season instead of the consolation Challenge Cup. To play as well as they did in parts of the season and then go to Italy and take their eye off the ball was frankly embarrassing and unforgivable.

t’s not all doom and gloom though, and thankfully these negatives can be fixed relatively simply (apart from Mr. Cuthbert). With the performances having improved and the news of exciting new signings coming in for next season, the Blues should realistically be looking at challenging for play-off place in PRO12’s top four. As has been mentioned, towards the end of the campaign the Blues put on a scintillating run of form which ranks among their best in years. Out of the last 13 PRO12 matches played, the Blues won nine and this hot streak was enough to ensure the Blues were, unlike last season, not the bottom ranked Welsh region. In fact, the run was sufficient to keep top flight European dreams alive until the defeat to Ospreys on penultimate weekend of the season. In the aforementioned rich vein of form, the Blues recorded successes over Edinburgh Rugby, and Irish provinces Ulster and Munster, thus proving that they can mix it with some of the bigger fish of the PRO12 – whom are exactly the sort of sides that Head Coach Danny Wilson will hope to be rubbing shoulders with next year. There is much to look forward to next year in terms of transfer activity for the capital’s premier rugby side.

The exciting and explosive Welsh full back Matthew Morgan is joining from Bristol Rugby, and the 24 year old, with five caps to his name, will add another dimension to an already more than respectable Blues back three. Steven Shingler and George Earle will head east from Llanelli to Cardiff, and, front row forward Rhys Gill has been snared from English side Saracens to add even more Welsh caps to a front row that already includes Gethin Jenkins. It is not just new faces that give Blues fans reasons to be cheerful going forward, but also the form of some of their stalwarts. In recent weeks Gareth Anscombe reminded us why the departing Rhys Patchell struggled to hold down a first XV spot, and winger, Tom James, also proved why he is one of the nation’s top wide men. I would be doing a disservice to the performances of Lloyd Williams if I were to not mention the scrum half in this review. The 26year old Cardiff-born player showed what he can do on the world’s biggest stage in the World Cup, but that was of little surprise to Blues’ regulars who see his sniping runs and clever box kicks week in week out. Equally, Dan Fish and Aled Summerhill deserve mentions for consistent displays. They may not gain interna-

tional recognition, but as club players go, those are two of the best. If these players can continue playing at their optimum level of rugby, the Blues can be quietly confident of usurping the west-Welsh regions. Speaking of catching the Ospreys and Scarlets, The Blues defeated the European-qualified Scarlets on New Year’s Day in a fantastic Welsh derby at the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park. A victory over the Ospreys still eludes The Blues though, following a winless streak which now stretches to

ten consecutive encounters against the Swansea-based side. Let’s end on some positives however: The Blues have cemented their position as best in the east- above the hapless Newport Gwent Dragons- and this was only Danny Wilson’s first season in charge. It seems he is only at the beginnings of a long-term project. His first season has seen small gains, but gains nonetheless and so there is certainly cause for cautious optimism around the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park heading in to 2016/17.

Pictured: Left: Blues take on Ospreys at Judgement Day 2016. Below: Dan Fish dodges a number of Treviso tackles. (Photographer: via Flickr)

CARDIFF CITY REVIEW SPORT 39

Davey: Consistency costs Cardiff in play-off race but there are reasons to be cheerful

Shaun Davey & Dan Heard Cardiff City Columnists

“

Young player of the season has to go to Joe Ralls, the young midfielder established himself into a very competitive starter for Slade’s side.

”

lthough Cardiff City missed out narrowly on those playoff spots, they ended up in a respectable Eighth placed position considering the teams above them all had more consistent seasons. ‘Consistency’ was the word that undoubtedly plagued the Bluebirds campaign but that’s not to say there wasn’t a few highs along the way (there was not many) but Gair Rhydd has picked a few facts and key players which we hope will mean Cardiff can build on this season and look for Premier League promotion next year. In Fairness, Cardiff had a pretty solid home record, they only lost two Sky Bet Championship games all season, winning 12, and they will hope that the Cardiff City Stadium can remain a fortress into the next campaign. Their defensive record is also looking promising, they managed to keep nine home clean sheets; most notably down to one hero of the season; David Marshall between the sticks. The Scot had yet another remarkable campaign, and few would bet against him being the best keeper in the division, The Bluebirds will hope to wade off any circling interest from Premier League poachers for his signature this summer. The best game of the season had to be when Chris Houghton’s promotion chasing Brighton came too

What began with the socalled football experts predicting a midtable finish for the Bluebirds proved to be exactly that.

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Matthew Connolly; who was a rock at the back all campaign. He consistently showed what qualities possesses, when he seized his chance when Bruno Manga was out injured. His leadership qualities shone through and he was a charismatic and encouraging professional to the young players ahead of him. Young player of the season has to go to Joe Ralls, the young midfielder established himself into a very competitive starter for Slade’s side. More is hoped for the young talent; and fans will hope that he can add some

goals to his game in the forthcoming campaign. Other highlights of note, were the club being lifted from their ongoing transfer embargo; which came as excellent news for a club hoping to push forward. The news of Slade being moved upstairs also means a vacant managerial position becoming available and fans will hope that the right man is chosen over the coming months; so that he can come in with fresh ideas and some much needed fresh faces. Onwards and upwards Bluebirds!

Pictured: Above: Cardiff City players face a free kick. Below: Thumbs up if you got the sack. (Photographer: Jon Candy)

Heard: Stability secured but Slade moved upstairs after inconsistent season on the pitch

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town, Cardiff eventually won the game 4-1 and in all honesty the display could have merited more goals. A rampant and vibrant display from the Bluebirds that day; put in form Brighton to the sword. The visitors were made to look average and the Cardiff fans found their voice and to get four goals against a well-fancied side was an excellent result for Russell Slade and his men. It was the inability to follow this result up which was disappointing considering this performance showed what the Cardiff side were capable off. There were also more promising results after the Christmas period; Cardiff agonisingly lost to Boro and after a couple of hard-thought victories and a valiant display against table toppers Burnley at Turf Moor; when they quite easily could have won that night. Fans started to believe again and Sheffield Wednesdays last play –off spot was not fair from sight. Another highlight was Craig Noone’s brace away at Molineux, the midfielder expertly dispatching two clinical finishes and showing what the tricky winger did indeed have in his locker. It showed a glimpse of his quality and at the time; it felt like he could have pushed on to become one of the players of the season. However, that award, should probably go down to solid centre back

he 2015/16 season certainly won’t go down as one of the finest in Cardiff City’s history. I can’t really see it being recalled with anything other than disdain by fans in years to come. Next season doesn’t really have to do much more to eclipse it in all honesty. What began with the so-called football experts predicting a midtable finish for the Bluebirds proved to be exactly that, with eighth place (that’s right, two places and six points below the final play-off place) secured in the dramatic fashion of a home draw against fellow comfortable mid-table side Birmingham. If anything, the campaign was summed up best in the words of Chief Executive Ken Choo, who effectively rubbished the results and pinned the blame at the door of now former boss Russell Slade. “This squad cost £28 million to assemble. Mr Tan’s position is clear, any lower than the playoffs is a failure.” Mr Choo was quoted as saying during the club’s end of season awards dinner. Following the final nail in the promotion-chasing campaign that was the three-nil drubbing by Sheffield Wednesday, Slade found out that the final game of the season would be his last as manager. Instead, he will now move upstairs and take up the role of ‘Head of Foot-

ball’, which will, according to the club, see him take responsibility for overseeing transfers and scouting, amongst other duties. Effectively, he will be the man tasked with spending much of the £30 million Mr Tan will be putting into City once again for the next campaign - but just where will it be spent, and is Slade even the right man for THIS job? Now that he has vacated the hotseat, his time in charge will be scrutinised further. In reality, he did nearly everything that was asked of him- trim both the wage bill and the playing squad, while maintaining the push for promotion. He did this even after selling his two best strikers in January, with the inspired loan signings of Lex Immers (now tied to a permeant deal) and Tom Lawrence providing perfect supply to wingerturned-forward Anthony Pilkington. But he was just never going to win over the Cardiff fans. He wasn’t Tony Pulis. He wasn’t Martin O’Neill, or David Moyes, or any other ambitious, big-name candidate the supporters would have wanted to see in charge. And now the search for another new manager heats up. Recently, Port Vale’s Rob Page, a former Bluebird and Wales Under-21 coach has been touted (in a move which would surely be seen as ap-

“

pointing “another Slade”), while current First Team Coach Paul Trollope, credited with the upturn in playing style, is highly regarded within the club. Another shock candidate is that of former Academy Coach James Row-

berry holding talks over taking the top job. And of course, there’s the old favourite Craig Bellamy, keen to make his mark in management, and where better than his hometown club? What do I think will happen? God only knows!

But Slade was just never going to win over the Cardiff fans. He wasn’t Tony Pulis. He wasn’t Martin O’Neill, or David Moyes, or any other ambitious, big-name candidate.

”

sport

Editors: Jim Harris James Lloyd Jamie Smith @GairRhyddSport sport@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/sport

Also this week

Cardiff City: We review the Bluebirds’ season P39>>

European Championships 2016: Can the home nations spring any surprises at this summer’s event?

Cardiff Blues: Squad shake-up expected after poor year P38>>

Gair Rhydd Sport previews the hopes of Wales, England, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland at this summer’s tournament in France Jamie Smith

ith the domestic seasons now over, football supporters may be forgiven for suffering major withdrawal symptoms. However, in less than a month’s time, the eagerly anticipated European Championships kick off in France. For Wales, it is their first major tournament in 58 years after conjuring up a remarkable 2014-15 qualifying campaign. And the reality of their achievements started to sink in further last week when manager Chris Coleman named a 29-man squad to participate in a training camp later this month. One man excluded from the group is figurehead Gareth Bale, who has a slightly more important commitment whilst his fellow countrymen are out in Portugal. Indeed, many Welsh fans will watch Real Madrid’s Champions

League Final with trepidation as they pray for Bale to come out of the tie unscathed. How likely that will be against an Atletico Madrid team renowned for their physicality is debatable to say the least. England, meanwhile, fly to France following a flawless qualifying campaign - maintaining a 100 per cent record by winning all ten fixtures. If history tells us anything, though, it is best to avoid too much optimism despite such an impressive record. Not that history has been anything to go by this season. Leicester City’s astonishing Premier League title success gives England fans some hope, especially considering the inevitable presence of The Foxes’ Jamie Vardy in the squad. It took the Republic of Ireland slightly longer to book their plane seats to France. Martin O’Neill’s men finished third in Group D, meaning they had to partake in a two-legged play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Two goals from

Jonathan Walters in the second leg secured a 3-1 aggregate victory. With both Belgium and Italy in their group, Ireland’s chances of reaching the knockout stages are slim. Nonetheless, they will thoroughly enjoy being underdogs - especially having defeated Germany in qualifying. Joining Martin O’Neill and co. are their neighbours Northern Ireland. Losing just one game, the Green and White Army excelled to finish top of Group F. Ironically, Michael O’Neill’s side face two of the Republic’s qualifying opponents in Germany and Poland. The odds are very much against them but few anticipated that the Northern Irish would reach this stage in the first place. Thus, there is no reason as to why they cannot exceed expectations again. One guarantee is that the competition will serve up countless thrills and spectacles, attracting immense interest throughout the home nations and the Republic of Ireland.

Pictured: Wales will aim to defy all odds at this summer’s competition (Photographer: via Flickr)

And on that bombshell, it’s thank you and goodbye!

We’ve had a very enjoyable time working on the Sport section. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed throughout the year.

Previews on pages 36-37

Jim, James and Jamie.