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EDITOR Emma Jones DEPUTY EDITOR Simon Lucey CO-ORDINATOR Elaine Morgan SUB EDITOR Sarah Powell NEWS Ceri Isfryn Gareth Ludkin Emma McFarnon Jamie Thunder FEATURES Daniella Graham Robin Morgan OPINION Alex Evans POLITICS Damian Fantato ELECTIONS SPECIAL Paul Stollery Damian Fantato COLUMNISTS Tim Hart Oli Franklin LISTINGS Ed Bovingdon TAF-OD Nia Gwawr Williams Branwen Mathias Cadi Mai SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT Amy Hall Priya Raj JOBS & MONEY Katie Greenway SPORT Jon Evans James Hinks Adam Horne Lucy Morgan Robbie Wells CONTRIBUTORS Jonathan Bird Aleksandra Berditchevskaia Alex Bywater Mark Carless Tomos Clarke Joel Clendinning Alex Evans Adam Johannes Yas Langley Cynan Llwyd Elliw Iwan Sean Neagle Natalia Popova Ben Price Greg Rees Owain Rhys Lewis Rebecca Saunders Lucy Trevallion Aimee W Jake Yorath
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gairrhydd | NEWS@GAIRRHYDD.COM MONDAY APRIL 26 2010
Cardiff PPCs debate higher education Tomos Clarke Reporter A hustings debate for Cardiff central candidates was held in the Julian Hodge building last week. The debate, which was hosted by Cardiff University Debating Society was on the topic of Higher and Further Education, a key manifesto area of all three main political parties. The panel consisted of Jenny Willot for the Liberal Democrats, Jenny Rathbone for the Labour Party, Karen Robson for the Conservatives, Sue Davies for UKIP, Sam Coates for the Green Party, Ross Saunders of the Trades Union and Socialist Coalition; “The Good Knight Sir Nosda”, aka Mark Beech, for the Monster Raving Loony Party and finally Nerys Willams AM, the Plaid Cymru education spokesperson who sat in for Chris Willams who was absent. Edmund Schluessel, who organised the debate, opened proceedings. He was keen to stress that the debate was not, despite its brief, about education alone and he called for the audience to: “Make the candidates sweat”. Ed Carey, Students’ Union President, chaired the debate. He urged the audience to ignore tactical voting and
come to their own voting decisions based on the arguments put forward in the debates. First on the agenda was to give the candidates the opportunity to give an opening statement. Mark Beech opened, and shocked the floor by giving a performance free of the Loonies trademark madcap policies. There were no such surprises from the other candidate’s statements, and they followed - for the most part - the central party lines. Jenny Willott appealed to the audience in these opening stages by calling for reform of the bursary system. Sam Coates launched a scathing attack on the NUS. He also accused the student body of showing a lack of leadership on the matter of fees and going to the government with “a begging bowl” rather than fighting for students’ rights. The debate then moved onto questions from the floor. These covered a wide range of issues from the NUS's ‘Vote for Students’ campaign to the issue of young carers at university. All candidates remarked on the need to help young carers and other disadvantaged students. On the issue of vote for students, all candidates had signed the petition, bar one. Karen Robson from the Con-
Police urge students to be vigilant against crime
servatives did not sign the petition stating that she did not want to commit to supporting a spending pledge that could not be paid for in real terms. This was responded to with hostility from the audience and members of the panel who said it was a question of where spending priorities lay. The three main parties struggled on the whole to engage with the audience, but overall it was Willott, reflecting her party leader's performance in the national debates who appeared to be the most articulate of the three. The best reception of the evening
HUSTINGS: Local PPCs debate higher education
UWIC first year freed from jail Jamie Thunder News Editor
BEWARE: Thieves remain prevalent in Cathays
Gareth Ludkin News Editor Local police have urged students to remain vigilant against burglars after a criminal was recently charged at Cardiff Crown Court for four burglaries. The 26-year-old from Grangetown, Cardiff, was recently convicted for four burglaries and also for stealing from four other locations connected to local universities. South Wales Police have stated that burglaries are continuing to occur, and they have urged students to make it difficult for thieves by keeping their homes more secure. Last month almost half of breakins at student homes were the result of doors or windows being left open. PC Tim Davies, student liaison officer, said: “Police in Cardiff work
extremely hard to reduce the number of burglaries, keep students safe, and arrest offenders. “For every break-in, we at South Wales Police will carry house to house enquiries, check for CCTV, and complete a forensic examination if appropriate. “Despite on-going efforts, burglaries continue to be an issue simply because student homes are rich pickings for criminals. “Burglars know that all students now have laptops, iPods, and mobile phones.” Despite criminals being attracted to the local student areas, Cardiff remains a safe place for students. PC Davies advised students to keep doors and windows locked, remove expensive electrical equipment and remove items from back gardens that could be used by burglars to gain entry to properties.
was for Ross Saunders, the candidate for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition. wThe former education assistant struck a chord with the audience, his message of investment in public services before cuts resonated well and he by far got the biggest ovation. This was in stark contrast to Sue Davies. The UKIP candidate's message of EU phobia was swiftly disregarded by the audience, and sections of the crowd became restless and vocal towards the end as Europe was mentioned time after time.
A UWIC student jailed for a drunken attack on a pizza delivery man while dressed up as a Mexican bandit has been freed on appeal. Sports Conditioning student Jordan Trace, 19, was ‘hideously drunk’ when he encountered 46-year-old Farman Ali on Senghennydd Road last October. Lord Justice Stanley Burnton said Trace had asked to see Ali’s driving licence before saying: “You’re an illegal, aren’t you?” Trace then smashed Mr. Ali’s car window and attacked him, then stole £40 with the words “give me that money”. Trace, from Lochaber Street in Roath, admitted robbery and causing damage to personal property at Cardiff Crown Court in January, and was jailed for 12 months. His sentence has now been cut to 32 weeks, suspended for 18 months, meaning he is now free. He will also be required to complete a ‘thinking skills’ course and carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.
Lord Justice Burnton, sitting with Lord Justice Tugendhat at the London Court of Appeal, said the attack had occurred after a sports club celebration, and criticised the University for its lack of awareness. “It is a startling aspect of the case that, it would appear, the young people at the university regard it as a badge of honour to drink to excess,” he said. “It is remarkable that, so far as one can see, drinking at this level was common at this university. “There is nothing to indicate the authorities were even aware of it, or did anything about it.” He added that despite this, the ultimate responsibility lay with Trace. “He was in fancy dress as a Mexican bandit and perhaps thought that this dress justified him acting as a bandit,” the judge observed. He accepted Trace’s crime was out of character, and said dismissing his appeal could have a devastating impact on his university career. But he warned Trace: “You have been fortunate today — keep away from drink.”
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