Issue 1158 - Monday 2 November

Check out Gair Rhydd online

rhifyn 1158 issue 1158

2 Tachwedd 2020 2 November 2020

gair rhydd Cardiff University’s student paper | Established 1972

Inside: The worrying mental health crisis amongst young people at university (page 6)

Cardiff University lecturer demands justice inquiry in Wales Sam Portillo News Editor

C

ardiff University researcher Dr Robert Jones has written a letter, urging the Senedd to hold an inquiry into the fairness of the Welsh criminal justice system after finding evidence of racial discrimination at every stage of the process Dr Jones, who works at Cardiff University’s School of Law and Politics, found that BAME individuals are more than twice as likely to be “stopped and searched” in Wales than white people.

The Senedd's equality committee will consider Dr Jones' letter this week.

The main problem is that currently, the field of criminal justice is not a devolved issue in Wales, which Jones argues is a reason as to why the issue has yet to receive scrutiny.

Black, Asian and minority ethnicity individuals are also more likely to serve a custodial sentence, with a shocking 91 per 10,000 black people in Wales currently in prison compared to only 20 per 10,000 white people.

BAME individuals are also likely to serve longer custodial sentences, with an average of 35 months for mixed race convicts compared to just 20 months for white convicts.

Black and Asian individuals are also likely to serve disproportionately long sentences, with an average of 30 and 34 months respectively, the report finds.

The new research supports the conclusion of the 2017 Lammy Review, led by the Labour MP for Tottenham David Lammy, which found that criminal justice systems across England and Wales prosecute BAME individuals at a disproportionate and unfair rate.

The researchers suggest that Welsh lawmakers give insufficient attention to the issue because decisions about criminal justice are still made in Westminster.

“There’s an absolute danger that we resolve ourselves of responsibility,” Rocio Cifuentes from the Ethnic

Minorities and Youth Support Team says.

“If this pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that we can and should try to tackle longstanding and entrenched inequalities in a more robust and urgent way.”

The Welsh Government have been following a four-year Race Equality Action Plan which involves recruiting more BAME individuals into decision-making processes and positions of influence, such as teachers, with the aim of creating institutions that better reflect the diversity of the country.

The issue of race has further been forced to the centre of discussion in relation to the coronavirus epidemic, where inequalities can be quantified in jobs lost, hospitalisations, and tragically, in some cases: deaths.

As part of the wider challenge to tackle racial bias and discrimination, Plaid Cymru has called for the incorporation of black and ethnic minority history, including topics such as British slavery and colonialism, to be incorporated into the national education curriculum.

In response to the new findings, a Welsh Government spokesperson said: “keeping young black or ethnic minority people from entering the criminal justice system is a clear priority, and we are working hard in our devolved areas of influence within crime and justice.”

A taskforce set up in the UK music industry has suggested that the term BAME itself is outdated and encourages discriminatory thinking by categorising a variety of ethnicities under one catch-all term.

The work undertaken by police forces and legal authorities can protect civilians, while at the same time having the potential to ruin lives with criminal sentences and unfair punishments.

The Welsh Government should work to eliminate any and all obstacles to fairness in the system – including racial discrimination. Judging people on the basis of ethnicity undermines the very concept of justice: prejudice and fairness cannot exist in the same instance.

Race to the White House: Either Donald Trump or Joe Biden will win the November 3 Presidential Election, leading the United States of America for the next four years. Source: ID 12019 (via Pixabay)

The 2020 US Presidential Election race Hallum Cowell Head of Politics

T

he election for the next President of the United States is upon us.

Both incumbent Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden are looking to claim highest office in the United States on November 3 after a long and close battle between the pair.

Though the polls show Biden is

New prostate cancer grading system Jess Dickenson Contributor

A

new staging system, called STAR-CAP, for non-metastatic prostate cancer has been produced by a team of researchers at University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Centre, showing great promise in determining the treatment outcomes for patients with prostate cancer.

This study is said to be a promising way of finding more accurate results, and determining the treatment outcomes for patients in a differing way to previous methods.

To read more about University of Michigan's STAR-CAP system, turn to page 23.

23

ahead, it will be interesting to see how accurate the popular vote is, especially following the election of President Trump in 2016, despite Clinton's popular vote win.

Gair Rhydd takes a deep dive into the world of US elections, including a rundown of how American elections work , including a look at the Electoral College and voting.

Gair Rhydd Politics also explains the

BAFTA Cymru ar-lein eleni Nel Richards

Golygydd Taf-od

O

ganlyniad i'r ail cyfnod clo i Gymru a coronafeirws, bydd rhaid i seremoni flynyddol BAFTA Cymru 2020 troi i fod yn seremoni ar-lein eleni, er y cyffro bu ymysg y seremoni.

Yn debyg i'r hyn y wnaeth BAFTA Prydain yn gynharach yn y gyfnod clo, mae BAFTA Cymru wedi penderfynnu bod rhaid i'r seremoni parhau ar-lein eleni er mwyn sichrau ddiogel y cynulleidfa a diogelwch yr enwogion.

I ddarllen am seremoni BAFTA Cymru eleni, pwy bydd yna, a sut i'w wylio o adref, trowch i dudalen 11 adran Taf-od.

11

myriad of offices Americans will also voting for this November.

Additionally, we take a look at the Presidential campaign so far for both Trump and Biden, what the main themes have been and what the polls say about who looks likely to come out on top this election.

Turn to page 14 to read more about what the national lockdown in Wales will mean.

14

Ban on nonessential goods Dominic Williams News Editor

F

ollowing the announcement made by Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford that Wales would go into a 'firebreak' lockdown period of 17 days, supermarkets and shopped were told they could only sell essential items.

The changes in policy and the discussion over what is considered 'non-essential' has sparked debate amongst the public, as baby clothes and period products fall under the non-essential ban in some stores across the UK. To read more about the ongoing debate over the selling of non-essentials, turn to page 4.

4

2

EDITORIAL

At Gair Rhydd we take seriously our responsibility to maintain the highest possible standards.

We may occasionally make mistakes, however if you believe we have fallen below the standards we seek to uphold, please email editor@gairrhydd.com.

Opinions expressed in editorials and opinion pieces are not reflective of Cardiff Student Media, who act as the publisher of Gair Rhydd in legal terms, and should not be considered official communications or the organisation’s stance.

Gair Rhydd is a Post Office registered newspaper.

THE TEAM Coordinator

Elaine Morgan

Editor-in-Chief Tirion Davies

Deputy Editors

Hallum Cowell Holly Giles Molly Govus

Head of Digital Media Tom Leaman

Head of Design

Lottie Draycott

Video Editors

Sophia Grace Scarlett Griffith Ellis Lloyd-Jones Daniel O’Callaghan

Graphics Editor

Ellie Hutchings

Copy Editors

Megan Newberry Amy Saunders Elle Speer

IN THIS ISSUE

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Is Halloween in 2020 the scariest Halloween yet?

T

his year has been anything but normal, I think we all agree on that.

As we round the corner into Halloween, it seems hard to comprehend what could be scarier this Halloween than the year we’ve already faced.

From a year which started with devastating forest fires in Australia, and awful floods here in South Wales, to one where it was likely just a few months in that many of us would be fighting in a third World War, and now a global pandemic; what a year this has been.

As Wales enters another lockdown – albeit a shorter one this time, we hope – celebrating Halloween seems so far from anyone’s minds. Many have joked they’ll still dress up and celebrate in their living room over a bottle of wine, but the reality of the situation is that celebrations this year have had to change drastically.

Although Halloween isn’t the biggest tradition in the UK, it will still be odd for many students who are used to celebrating well into November 1.

The Celtic traditions of Halloween (Nos Calan Gaeaf in Welsh) emphasise dressing as ghouls or ghosts to ward off evil, and being home by midnight for fear of the Hwch Ddu Gwta (a tradition which includes a slaughtered sow supposedly rising from the flames to chase children home, and take the

last child remaining).

As with general Celtic and Pagan Halloween traditions, Halloween is allegedly the period when the world and the afterlife intertwine, and in Wales, Calan Gaeaf has always been a period of bidding farewell to the departed, both living and dead, and paying homage to those we have lost.

During the 9th century, when the first traditions of Calan Gaeaf emerged, few people would survive through the year, and so each year Calan Gaeaf in Wales was a time to celebrate the lives people get to continue to live, and to celebrate the lives of loved ones lost. In a way, this tradition is one we should follow this year.

It’s been a hard year, with countless losses, but though it’s hard, we should celebrate them and all they’ve done – they lived incredible lives, and we should remember that.

2020 has been nightmarish, to say the least. It can often feel as though it’s spiralled downhill, and it can feel incredibly easy to feel downhearted by the experiences we’ve had.

Yet, despite how terrifying the rest of the year may seem as we wait in anticipation to see what else may emerge, we should feel lucky that we’re here now, and that our families are safe.

This Halloween, we need to take care of one another, especially in this scary new world.

Ai Calan Gaeaf 2020 yw’r un fwyaf brawychus erioed?

NEWS

The Pope speaks out about homosexuality in the church (p.3)

M

TAF-OD

Cofiwch Dryweryn yn sefyll yn gryf eto (t.8)

POLITICS

Kirsty Williams to step down as MS candidate (p.12)

COMMENT

Why is it hard for society to accept sexuality? (p.16)

ADVICE

Learning to be okay with being on your own (p.20)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Cardiff University study wins research paper of the year (p.22)

@CAERDYDD

The woman who fought against slavery (p.26)

SPORT

Has women’s sport been left behind in the pandemic? (p.28)

Calan Gaeaf 2020: Yn dilyn blwyddyn hollol annisgwyl, llawn hunllefau, mae’n rhaid gofyn os mai Calan Gaeaf 2020 yw’r flwyddyn fwyaf brawychus. Tarddiad: Engin_Akyurt (drwy Pixabay)

Check out Gair Rhydd online

Halloween 2020: Following a year filled with disasters, and now with a global pandemic, is 2020 the scariest Halloween yet?

Source: Engin_Akyurt (via. Pixabay)

ae’r flwyddyn hon wedi bod yn hollol wahanol i’r hyn yr oeddem yn disgwyl am

2020.

Wrth ein bod yn cyrraedd adeg Calan Gaeaf, mae’n anodd meddwl eleni am yr hyn sy’n fwy brawychus na’r flwyddyn yr ydym yn barod wedi’i wynebu.

Dechreuodd y flwyddyn gyda thân yn goedwig Awstralia a’r llifogydd yn Ne Cymru; o fewn misoedd o ddechrau’r flwyddyn, yr oedd yna peryg y bydd nifer ohonom yn gorfod bod yn rhan o Ryfel Byd arall, ac erbyn hyn yr ydym yn byw yng nghanol cyfnod o pandemig rhyngwladol. Am flwyddyn!

Wrth fod Cymru’n dychwelyd i gyfnod clo cenedlaethol arall – gawn ni obeithio bydd yr un hon yn llai o amser na’r tro diwethaf – mae dathlu Calan Gaeaf yn teimlo mor bell o feddyliau unrhyw un. Ceir sôn gan rhai eu bod am wisgo ac eistedd yn y gegin gyda photel o win, ond mae’r traddodiadau mae nifer o fyfyrwyr fel arfer yn dilyn wedi newid o bell ffordd.

Er nad yw Calan Gaeaf yn wyliau sy’n cael ei ddathlu’n fawr yn y Deyrnas Unedig, mae’n siŵr bydd hi’n anarferol o ddathliad i fyfyrwyr sydd fel arfer yn mwynhau i oriau mân Dachwedd 1.

Mae’r hen draddodiadau Celtaidd Calan Gaeaf yn cynnwys gwisgo fel ysbrydion i waredu ar ddrygioni, a

bod adref erbyn canol nos rhag ofn bod yr Hwch Ddu Gwta yn eich dal.

Er bod y traddodiadau yn wahanol i’r Calan Gaeaf Americanaidd mae nifer yn dathlu erbyn hyn, mae’r traddodiadau Cymraeg Calan Gaeaf gwastad wedi pwysleisio’r elfen o gymuned, a chyfuno i ddathlu bywyd.

Yn ystod y nawfed ganrif, pan welwyd y traddodiad Calan Gaeaf yn gyntaf, nid oedd nifer yn goroesi trwy’r gaeaf a trwy’r flwyddyn, ac felly oedd Nos Calan Gaeaf yn ddathliad enfawr o fywydau’r meirw, a bywydau’r rhai oedd dal yn fyw.

Mewn ffordd, efallai dylen ni fod yn dilyn yr un fath o ddathliadau eleni?

Mae’r flwyddyn hon wedi bod hynod o anodd, gyda chymaint o farwolaethau. Ond, er bod hi’n anodd gwneud, dylen ni fod yn dathlu bywydau’r rhai sydd wedi’n gadael ni eleni; roeddynt wedi byw bywydau anhygoel, ac mae’n rhaid atgoffa ein hunain o hynny.

Mae 2020 wedi bod yn hunllefus, mae’n rhaid sôn. Yn aml, mae’n teimlo’n hawdd fod yn dorgalonus o’r hyn yr ydym wedi wynebu eleni.

Ond, er ein bod yn poeni am ddyfodol gweddill 2020, mae’n rhaid i ni deimlo’n lwcus ein bod yma nawr, a bod ein teuluoedd yn ddiogel.

Calan Gaeaf yma, mae’n rhaid edrych ar ôl ein gilydd – mae 2020 yn fyd brawychus.

NODYN GAN Y GOLYGYDD

Another firebreak on the horizon

Projections show that Wales may need a second lockdown next year

National lockdown: Wales could face another lockdown in early 2021. Source: Jeremy Segrott (via Wikimedia Commons) cluding Cardiff, were already sub- alongside the suggestion that elecject to local restrictions, forbid- tion rival Joe Biden would pursue a ding people meeting others from similar strategy. outside their household indoors.

Scientists anticipate the colder The Welsh Government’s willing- months to coincide with a susness to impose lockdowns had re- tained rise in coronavirus cases as ceived international attention from people increasingly meet indoors. none other than President Donald Conversely, infection rates fell Trump, who retweeted criticism of over summer, with social contact the “rolling lockdowns” approach largely taking part in gardens and

parks, where the sunlight and natural ventilation helped to mitigate the risk.

Government ministers have explained how the data reveals that case numbers first rise among young people, many of whom had recently moved into university accommodation, before spilling into older age groups. An ONS report from October 23 estimated that 1 in 180 people in Wales had coronavirus in the week before the “fire-breaker” lockdown, with 73 reported COVID deaths in the same time.

The perennial British impracticality of the weather combined with an onslaught of young people returning to work and university after Christmas might provide ideal conditions for the virus to spread. Being utilised across much of the world, lockdowns have proven an effective means to suppressing the R rate and subsequently reducing the number of deaths. When contemplating future lockdowns, the Welsh Government, like any other, will have to continue a delicate balancing act between protecting lives and protecting livelihoods – the tightrope looks considerably narrower over winter.

highlighting ‘’ In those circumstances where those welfare reasons are at stake, we will make sure that our supermarkets understand they have the discretion to apply the rules differently.’’

Undoubtedly the ban has left customers frustrated and angry, which in some cases has led to the abuse of staff members. Staff members have felt ‘’Anxious,’’ going into work, due to intimidation from customers. Supermarket staff has been vital not only in the recent lockdown but in the previous lockdown in feeding the public while working with the risk of COVID-19.

The ban on Supermarkets was brought in after Conservative member Russell George said it was unfair to force independent clothing and hardware retailers to shut while similar goods were to be sold in supermarkets during the lock-

To clear the clarity and confusion Ministers issued a list that “we consider that the regulations allow” to be sold in supermarkets: Food and drink, Products linked to the sale of food and drink - mainly disposable items used for the preparation and storage of food like kitchen foil, food bags and cling film but also basic products necessary to prepare and eat food and drink. Products for washing clothes and for cleaning and maintaining the home, including batteries, light bulbs, and fuel. Toiletries and cosmetic products, including toilet rolls and sanitary products.

Pharmaceutical products, baby products including equipment, clothes, and nappies are all included. Also, newspapers, Magazines, Stationery, and greetings cards are all available.

The Fire breaker is set to finish on November 9th.

Sam Portillo News Editor

P

rojections show that Wales may need another coronavirus firebreak in the early months of 2021, the deputy minister for economy and transport says.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Lee Waters said “we can’t stop the curve, we can’t stop the virus spreading”, reiterating that the Welsh Government’s aim is not to eradicate the disease completely but stop it from overwhelming the NHS’s critical care capacity.

With the R rate between 1.1 and 1.4, meaning the incidence of the virus was rising exponentially, Wales entered a national “firebreaker” lockdown on October 23.

For just over two weeks, businesses such as non-essential shops and restaurants must close, and people will be asked to stay at home except for very limited purposes.

The admission on future lockdowns comes after Wales’s chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton warned the country should “prepare for quite a difficult winter”.

Prior to the national lockdown, some 17 local authority areas, in-

Ban on non essential goods sparks debate Dominic Williams News Editor

O

n October 23, Wales entered a two week ‘’firebreaker.’’ Since then there has been an uproar on the government’s decision to ban the selling of non-essential items. Pictures and videos have been taken off supermarket aisles being cordoned off and plastic sheeting placed over items including women’s sanitary products, children’s clothing, and kitchenware.

Over 60,000 people have signed a petition for the Welsh government to reverse the ban immediately. Although it is incredibly hard to deem what is essential and nonessential due to people’s circumstances. This was touched upon

by First Minister, Mark Drakeford who did make light of this point,

down.

The Welsh government has come under more scrutiny due to one customer on Twitter saying she was ‘’raging and in tears,’’ after not being able to buy period products.

Tesco replied to the tweet saying it had been not to sell the items during the lockdown. However, since then Health Minister Vaughan Gething has said Tesco was ‘’simply wrong’’ to tell the woman she could not buy period products during the lockdown.

On Monday, October 26, a meeting took place between ministers and supermarket representatives to discuss the ban. The Welsh Government said it had “positive discussions” and that it had “clarified that a sensible system should be introduced whereby customers can ask to buy non-essential items by an exception under the regulations”.

The Pope speaks out on homosexuality

may have been taken out of context, as after he made the comment about civil unions, he then went on to add ‘that does not mean approving of homosexual acts, not in the least,’ a comment which was edited out for the film. When put into context, it is unclear where Pope Francis’ intentions lie, regarding

Lottie Ennis Contributor

I

n a documentary by Evgeny Afineevsky, Pope Francis has said of homosexual people that “They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or made miserable over it.” He also said that “what we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.” While these statements may indicate support, some have questioned whether they indicate actual change within the Catholic community.

James Martin, a Jesuit priest with an active ministry with LGBTQ+ people, described the Pope’s comments as ‘historic’ and that the Pope can now be seen as supporting civil unions instead of just tolerating them.

Pope Francis: The Pope, pictured here before COVID-19, has recently made comments regarding homosexuality. Source: Annette_Klinger (via Pixabay) Whereas, Bishop Thomas Tobin jectively immoral relationships.‘ of Providence, Rhode Island says This is demonstrative of the fact that the Pope’s statement clearly that although change may come contradicts what the long-standing from the top, many Catholic leadteaching and message has been ers will adhere to older teachings from the Church concerning same- and will not necessarily change ansex marriages. ything due to Pope Francis’ stateFor Tobin, the Pope’s statement ments. does not change anything, and Furthermore, some question Tobin states that ‘the Church can- whether the comments that Pope not support the acceptance of ob- Francis made in Afineevsky’s film

They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or made miserable over it...

What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.

Pope Francis

NEWS

3

YOUR NEWS DESK

Zoe Kramer

Luthien Evans

Sam Portillo

Dominic Williams news@gairrhydd.com the distinction between civil unions and sexual relations within those unions. Despite stating the belief that homosexual people should be accepted into a family, he does not articulate in what capacity.

Although some have interpeted his comments as vague and not necessarily indicative of change happening within the Catholic community in the near future, many agree that these statements have challenged the status quo.

Many maintain that his desire to show those in his community that homosexual people should be treated with love instead of a cold shoulder may pave the way for homosexual Catholics to feel more accepted by their peers.

Moreover, it brings the difficult discussion of the intersection between the LGBTQ+ community and religion to the forefront.

4

NEWS

One of the deadliest weeks of the pandemic Zoe Kramer

Head of News

L

ast week, Wales saw one of its deadliest weeks since the beginning of the pandemic.

Over 60 deaths were reported last week, with daily deaths following a consistent upward trend.

Wednesday the 28th of October represented a spike in the number of deaths, with 37 being reported in a single day.

Counsel general Jeremy Miles indicated that the deaths reflects the patterns of the pandemic in a delayed way, saying “There’s a lag between the point at which people are infected, the point at which people are admitted to hospital, and the point of the mortality we have seen.

“We anticipate it’s a product of that.”

While Public Health Wales publishes new figures every day regarding the number of new deaths, the deaths have not necessarily occurred within the 24 hour period preceding the report.

As of October 29th, the total COVID death toll in Wales stands at 1,848.

Wales as a whole now averages approximately 233 cases per 100,000 with a cumulative total of 47,834. 726,693 individuals have been tested with 678,859 receiving negative results.

An average of about 10,000 tests are being carried out each day.

In light of these figures, the latest guidance from Public Health Wales states: “As Halloween approaches, Public Health Wales is publishing guidance on joining in the Halloween spirit safely while we all stay at home to protect those we care about.

“This will include guidance for planning activities at home and ways to connect with others remotely.

“Keep an eye out on our social media channels for more information over the coming days.

“We urge the public to stick to the new rules, which are vital to help us regain control of the virus, to protect the NHS, and save lives.

“Although national and local measures have made a difference, further action is now needed.

Cases continue to rise in Wales, hospital admissions are increasing, including those into critical care, and sadly so are the numbers of people dying from the virus.

“Under the rules, people must stay at home, except for very limited purposes. They must not visit other households or meet other people they do not live with.

“Certain businesses and venues, including bars, restaurants and most shops must close.

“Secondary schools will provide learning online only for the week after half-term, other than for children in years seven and eight.

Primary schools and childcare settings will remain open.

“Face coverings continue to be mandatory in the indoor public spaces that remain open, subject to certain exemptions and exceptions, including on public transport and in taxis.

Housing for the homeless to be built in Grangetown Zoe Kramer

Head of News

F

orty eight temporary housing units for the homeless are set to be built in Grangetown.

The site covers 29 acres of former gasworks, which was acquired earlier this year by Cardiff Council as part of an initiative to build a total of 2000 temporary homes, with 1000 set to be finished by 2022. The Welsh Government has pledged £50m to the phase 2 homeless programme, in hopes of ending rough sleeping.

The modular units are built offsite, with eco-friendly materials, and are meant to last for 60 years.

The builds follow the Haus4 model.

According to cabinet member for housing and communities, councillor Lynda Thorne,”The council is extremely pleased to be working with Beattie Passive to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to help tackle housing need in the city.

“We’ve made excellent progress in supporting people who’ve been homeless over the last few months and our vision for services for the future is now taking shape very

quickly. Beattie Passive’s modular solutions provide a fast and effective response for our plans, including provision for a potential increase in family homelessness.

“The flexibility of this fully demountable system means they can be moved elsewhere in the future if required, enabling us to respond to changing housing need over time.”

Cardiff Council has taken many steps to address the homelessness issue within the past few months, some of which have been criticised. A development in the Adamsdown neighborhood of the city centre came under fire for putting “more and more vulnerable people in one spot,” according to a local councillor.

The Adams Court development raised complaints from the nearby Baileys court, with several residents stating they felt unsafe.

Others complained of trash piling up, including needles and empty methadone bottles.

Some argue that the focus should be on dispersing these developments throughout the community, rather than concentrating them in certain areas, where individuals are more likely to be vulnerable to gang activity.

The Grangetown gasworks: The 29 acre site will be developed to provide 48 temporary housing units. Source: Seth Whales (via Wikimedia Commons) The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on the homeless, with hostels being at risk in particular. Over the summer, the Welsh Government made a concerted effort to provide temporary housing to asylum seekers, with two hotels being used to house the homeless.

Others were able to move to more permanent housing.

Many hope that the Grangetown development is a step in the right direction. Welsh Government minister for housing and local government, Julie James, said,”Welsh Government is a great

supporter of factory-built houses and these new 50 family homes are a prime example of a high quality, innovative and sustainable housing solutions for families experiencing homelessness.

“The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of a warm, safe, secure and affordable home like never before. We are committed to working with partners like Cardiff Council to ensure nobody is forced into homelessness and to ensure we have a supply of homes and support services to end homelessness for good.”

Castle Street set for re-opening in November Luthien Evans News Editor

C

astle Street, which was first closed in July, is now set to partially re-open in November. Cardiff Council have revealed that the plan’s moving forward would include a temporary reopening for emergency vehicles, buses and taxis.

Temporary measures may include an enhanced walkway for pedestrians which would allow social distancing measures to take place effectively. The temporary measures may also include two bus lanes and the remaining lanes being made available for taxi travel.

With plans of reopening, a debate over a cycle path has been raised. The street previously had three lanes and an additional bus lane, no cycle path had been dedicated for that purpose.

Proposals show that there is intention to keep the pop-up cycle lane that was created after the closure for road vehicles was introduced.

During the summer period, Castle Street has been used as an expansion of the restaurants and cafes in the area. This allowed for COVID safety measures to be implemented effectively. Since its closure of road vehicles, the area has seen a drop in air pollution.

The announcement for the finalized plans for Castle Street is still to be released as debates con-

Castle Street: The street, which has been closed during the summer period, may be reopened. Source: Armonjones (via WikimediaCommons) tinue, weighing the impact of air pollution against cycle safety and city travel time increases for commuters.

The final plan for the street is still ongoing, with help reportedly being asked of local businesses and citizens.

Cardiff Central Station undergoes £5.8m redesign Zoe Kramer

Head of News

C

ardiff Central Train Station has been awarded £5.8m to redesign its platforms in order to accommodate more passengers.

Cardiff Central is the busiest station in Wales, according to the BBC, having recorded 14.2 million entries and exits between April 2018 and March 2019. The redevelopment project is expected to increase the capacity of waiting areas, reducing queues at peak transit times, as well as modernising its appearance from its original 1930s look.

This investment is one of several efforts by the UK government to improve transit in Wales, including faster journeys from Cardiff to Swansea, Chester and Llandudno Junction. The project also includes improved digital signaling on the Cambrian line. The investment amounts to £343m in total.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said, “The host of im-

Cardiff Central Station: The train station will undergo developments to accomodate more passengers. Source: Jeremy Segrott (via Wikimedia Commons) provements we are delivering will ensure our investment helps across Wales, from huge infra- to level up all parts of the UK. structure upgrades to creating “By upgrading, improving and new and modern stations, are vi- – crucially - modernising our railtal to deliver better, quicker and ways, we will make good on our more convenient journeys for promise to deliver the reliable passengers within, into and out of journeys passengers deserve.”

Wales.

Other developments in the rail“We want to transform travel way system include improved acfor passengers and, as we build cessibility at Cadoxton, general back better from Covid-19, we improvements to Bow Street Sta-

tion in Ceredigion, and plans to electrify the Severn Tunnel, which will allow electric trains to run between Cardiff and London.

Minister of State for Wales David TC Davies said, “Communities across Wales will benefit from this multi-million package of rail investment, aimed at delivering rail services that are fit for the future.

“From proposals to speed up services, improving access for those who need it most and boosting connectivity, these improvements form part of our broader plans to level up the nations and regions of the UK as we rebuild our economy following the coronavirus.

“It was confirmed in June that the Great Western Main Line is now fully electric, revolutionising train travel between Cardiff and London through quicker, more environmentally-friendly journeys. The final remaining section through the Severn Tunnel was completed following a £76 million investment from the UK government.”

ONLY

23% OF STUDENTS AT CARDIFF UNIVERSITY VOTE

If you’re not one of them, they are making decisions about your education, welfare and social opportunities on your behalf.

IT’S TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE

cardiffstudents.com/elections MONDAY 2ND – THURSDAY 5TH NOVEMBER

6

FEATURES

FEATURE BY

Dominic Williams features@gairrhydd.com

Mental Health Awareness: In light of COVID-19 pandemic, there are greater concerns about mental health issues and these need to be addressed. Source: Scott97006 (via Flickr)

Universities’ response to tackling mental health issues

I

n this month’s feature, Gair Rhydd looks at the impact of mental health on students’ during COVID-19 and how universities are tackling this issue.

Since universities have commenced for the new academic year, there have been numerous cases regarding suicides in the UK. That is nine lives too many in this fight against mental health. In a time where COVID-19 has taken over the news, mental health has taken a backseat. This should not be the case, since awareness of mental health should be at the forefront, especially with the increased chance of loneliness, isolation, and new surroundings for university students complying with social distancing measures.

34% of students report having psychological difficulties for which they needed professional help. In 2016 alone, 95 higher education students died by suicide.

Moving out of home for university, meeting new friends, and getting to grip with the learning is a lot to ask.

This is even before you take into context that amidst a global pandemic,

including how social distancing can leave students feeling vulnerable and isolated.

Poor mental health is the secondlargest cause of the burden of diseases in England, therefore some may ask why it takes more than six months to receive care for around 20% of young people to see a specialist. Again, almost one in every five adults were experiencing some form of depression during the pandemic, almost doubling from around one in ten before the pandemic.

Again, young adults who were unable to afford an unexpected expense due to COVID-19 were most likely to experience some form of depression during the pandemic. More than ever, it is important that young people, students, are given the support they need in the fight against mental health.

Cardiff University aims to offer a wide range of support as listed on their website. These include selfhelp resources and support from fellow students who are trained to provide practical help for those in need.

Well-being drop-ins, counselling appointments, and referrals for further

specialist support are offered.

To gain a better understanding of the mental health services offered to students, Gair Rhydd spoke to a student who has used these services first hand. Although these experiences may not be the same for every student, it provides a deeper understanding of support being given to students.

The student claimed that his waiting time was ‘’very short’’, due to a serious case in the first year that led to an instant referral: “I had an initial talk with a guy who was genuinely very lovely and he told me I’d be in contact with a therapist soon.

About two weeks later I had a zoom chat with a therapist. I would have preferred an in-person meeting but they said if I wanted that I’d have to travel to Heath, and I’ll be honest, I was just not in the mental state to travel anywhere.’’ ‘’After this, no support was provided, and it was weird because I felt like I was on a waiting list for something but I wasn’t. A further incident happened, and they had no idea I’d been there before. More funding is needed.’’

The Cardiff University Students’ Union has recently welcomed a £10m investment from the Welsh government to support students and for the first time in history, with £50k going directly to the SU. Huge demand has been placed on the Students’ Union Advice Centers, however, in the last academic year it has supported 6,500 students which is up from 1,500 in 2015. The extra funding is much needed, with the pandemic adding extra pressure to peoples’ lives. The SU is set to allocate 50k to student mental health and wellbeing. ‘’We are over the moon to have been granted the £50k to allow for the continuation of activities that otherwise may have been compromised.’’ Furthermore, Gair Rhydd also spoke to Joe Kidd, the wellbeing officer from Cardiff University’s Conservative society, on the allocation of the £10million.

Kidd told Gair Rhydd “It’s absolutely vital that every penny of this funding is spent on front line services. Now more than ever, students need to have easily accessible, quality mental health provision.”

“We now need Cardiff Students’ Union to publish their long-term mental health and well-being strategy, so we can ensure that students are getting the services they need.”

Gair Rhydd further spoke to SU President, Tomos Evans on the situation and what it meant for the SU going forward, and how they looked to use the £10K. “We are incredibly happy to be receiving a portion of the 10M and in particular I think it’s a special occasion because this is the first time that a student union has received money from Welsh government directly!’’ ‘’These few months have not been easy, especially for students in lockdown and so this money will go a long way to improving the wellbeing of our students.’’ ‘’We are currently setting up a Taskforce to decide where best to invest this money.

This task force will be starting on Monday and we will be actively seeking students to be part of the group to shape the direction of travel. We are also working in partnership with Student Support to ensure the most beneficial allocation of the money.”

Students raise money for Movember

I

COVID-19 and depression: A figure from the June 2020 report produced on COVID-19 and depression in adults, in the UK Source: Office of National Statistics.

n November, an annual event involving the growing of moustaches named ‘Movember’ takes place to raise awareness around mental health.

Men start the month with a clean-shaven face, and use the month to raise awareness and money for mental health charities.

Eight housemates and students of Cardiff University have set on doing 1440 laps of their garden for ten days in support of mental health.

On this note, Gair Rhydd made contact, to find out what mental health meant to them, the inspiration behind the idea, and how important it is to raise awareness around mental health.

One of the students told Gair Rhydd on how the challenge came about: ‘’The boys were planning to grow moustaches for Movember but we wanted to set ourselves a house challenge to get us through lockdown due to a positive corona test.

“When researching men’s mental health, we discovered that 1440 men die each day and we wanted to do something that represented this

number and landed on the idea of laps of our so-called garden!

“We know what a big issue mental health is especially around men and therefore we wanted to do something to make even the smallest difference.

“We understand university can be a very testing time for anyone with so many different factors including moving away from home, making new friends, and dealing with the workload.

“As a house, we have all been affected by some sort of mental health whether it be personally or through people we know, and therefore know how prevalent mental health is for people are age. ‘’We understand that there are many services available to students who suffer from mental health issues.

“However, we feel that these services can be difficult to find and we feel more promotion of these services would be the next step in universities to improve their support.

Students’ mental health should take more of a priority in universities’ interest than currently does, with some universities failing to be

accountable to their students.’’

Gair Rhydd also asked the eight students on how far they felt COVID-19 had affected mental health for students at Cardiff University.

The students felt COVID-19 had affected mental health “A ridiculous amount!’’

“Especially for the first year as they are unable to have the full experience of this huge step in their lives and many are feeling very isolated as they’re unable to socialise with others.

“The way the news portrays students also has not helped with this issue as it often seems we are being blamed for the second wave which places guilt and extra anxiety on the student population.’’

For anybody struggling, there are a number of mental health helplines and charities. Here is just a handful; CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), Papyrus, and Samaritans.

The wellbeing and counseling service for Cardiff University can be accessed by either the email, wellbeingandcounselling@Cardiff.ac.uk, or +44 (0)29 2251 8888.

WE DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY Students elected by students made this happen. Whether you agree or disagree, if you don’t use your vote, you don’t have a say

IT’S TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE

cardiffstudents.com/elections MONDAY 2ND – THURSDAY 5TH NOVEMBER

8

TAF-OD

taf od

Barn y Bobol

O ganlyniad i’r pandemig coronafeirws, nid oes gan hawl i wylwyr pêl-droed Uwch Gynghrair Lloegr mynd i wylio gemau. Mae gemau’r gynghrair yn cael eu darlledu ar deledu, ac mae nifer o bobl ledled Prydain yn eu gwylio. Ond mae cyflwyniad Pay per view (PPV) yn codi tâl £14.95 i wylio un gêm, ar ben y gost gychwynol o brynu Sky Sports a BT Sports. Mae nifer wedi rhoi eu barn ar y pwnc dadleuol yma.

Dyma farn Owain, Bethan a Sion.

Owain McKee

Myfyriwr y flwyddyn gyntaf, Cymraeg a Busnes Rwy’n un o’r cefnogwyr sydd yn anghytuno gyda’r prosiect yma gan obeithio y byddant yn ystyried dileu’r cynllun. Gan fod pobl yn talu cannoedd yn barod am Sky a BT Sports, credaf ei bod hi’n warthus gofyn i gefnogwyr dalu mwy eto i wylio pêl droed. Yn hytrach na thalu i wylio Lerpwl yn chwarae Sheffield United, cododd cefnogwyr Lerpwl dros £120,000 i gefnogi Banciau Bwyd yn y ddinas. Credaf fod codi arian at achosion da yn ddewis llawer gwell na thalu £14.95 arall i Sky neu BT, er mwyn cefnogi cymunedau, yn enwedig yn y cyfnod ansicr hwn.

Bethan Goldsmith

Myfyrwraig ail flwyddyn, Y Gymraeg Gyda chefnogwyr timau’r Premier League yn barod yn talu am gael gwylio’u tîm drwy danysgrifio i amryw o sianeli, mae gofyn iddynt dalu am y fraint unwaith eto yn hollol annheg. Mae gofyn am £14.95 ar gyfer un gêm unigol, yn enwedig yn ystod cyfnod mor heriol, yn warthus ac yn golygu y bydd elw mawr i’r Premier League ei hun.

Gobeithio yn wir y caiff y cynllun ei ail ystyried yn fuan, gydag unai gostyngiad sylweddol yn y pris neu’r cynllun yn cael ei ddileu yn gyfan gwbl.

Sion Tiplady

Pêl-droed: Dylai’r Cymru Premier gael saib rhyngwladol? (tudalen 9)

NEWYDDION

‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’ yn sefyll yn gryf eto Cymerwyd camau ymhellach er mwyn adfer y murlun hanesyddol Alaw Fflur Jones Golygydd Taf-od

A

hithau union 55 mlynedd i’r wythnos ers i faer Lerpwl agor Llyn Celyn, atgyweiriwyd wal eiconig Cofiwch Dryweryn. Er bod bellach dros 50 o sloganau Cofiwch Dryweryn ar hyd a lled Cymru, ar nos Iau, 22 Hydref ail-beintiwyd y darlun coch a gwyn eiconig sydd ar ochr ffordd A487 i’r de o Aberystwyth.

Cafodd y wal ei hatgyweirio dros yr wythnosau diwethaf ac yna ei chwblhau gyda brwsh a phaent gan yr artist enwog o Geredigion, Ruth Jên.

Dros y blynyddoedd ceir llawer o densiwn ynglŷn â’r wal wrth iddi gael ei Difrodi a’i fandaleiddio amryw waith.

“Dros y degawdau mae ‘na gymaint o fersiynau wedi bod…ac wrth gwrs ma pobl wedi ychwanegu, a’r hyn a’r llall.”

Meddai Ruth Jên.

Er mai Meic Stephens oedd y cyntaf i greu’r slogan ar y garreg gydag ysgrifen wen yn unig. Aeth Ruth Jên ati i ail-baentio’r gofeb gan gydymffurfio â’r fersiwn mwyaf diweddar gyda’r ysgrifen wen ar gefndir coch.

Pwysleisia Ruth Jên iddi ‘neidio ar y cyfle’ pan holodd Elin Jones, AS Ceredigion iddi ymuno â’r prosiect o adfer y gofeb. Ond pwysleisiodd, “Goffes i feddwl am y peth, rhyw eiliad fach, achos mae graffiti oedd e’n y bôn. Felly ma cael comisiwn i wneud

rh’wbeth sydd mor enwog fel darn o graffiti - a dwi’n ffan mawr o graffiti a gwaith celf cyhoeddus ‘ta beth - nes i feddwl ‘os na wna i fe neith rhywun arall e.” Felly mae e’n fraint ca’l neud e.’

Eglura Elin Jones, AS Ceredigion fod Ruth Jên wedi ymfalchïo yn ysbryd gwreiddiol Meic Stepthens flynyddoedd yn ôl, “Fe wnaeth hi gymryd yr ysbryd hynny o wneud y graffiti dros nos, ac erbyn bore…fe fyddai unrhyw un oedd yn gyrru drwy Lanrhystud yn gweld ‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’ ar y wal unwaith eto.

“Ac mae’r gwaith atgyweirio wedi plesio’r cyhoedd. Esboniodd Donald Morgan, Cynghorydd Lleol Cymuned Llanrhystud, “Mae’n hyfryd gweld y wal nôl! Mae’r gofeb yn bwysig iawn i ni fel Cymry a’n Hanes Cenedlaethol. Ac felly dwi’n falch iawn o’i gweld wedi ei hail beintio mor agos i’r gwreiddiol â phosib. “Â’r gofeb wedi ei chwblhau, gobeithir na fydd angen ei hatgyweirio eto.

Er mwyn sicrhau diogelwch y gofeb prynwyd y safle gan Dilys Davies sydd wedi ariannu’r holl waith atgyweirio.

Esboniodd Dilys Davies, drwy brynu’r safle mae’r bwriad oedd trosglwyddo’r murlun i ofal elusen er mwyn sicrhau ei bod ‘yn hollol saff am byth”. Fel cynghorydd lleol, eglura Donald Morgan: “Mae’n drist iawn gweld y wal yn cael ei difrodi o hyd, ond dwi’n falch fod y gofeb wedi ei hail greu. Ac mae’r

diolch hynny i garedigrwydd Mrs Dilys Davies sydd wedi prynu’r wal a diogelu i’r dyfodol.”

“Ry’n ni eisiau gwarchod y wal, a gwarchod y neges” meddai Elin Jones.

Ac felly, anogir y Cymry i beidio â pheintio dros y wal na’i chyffwrdd, ond yn hytrach i barchu ac ymfalchïo yn y gofeb fel y mae.

Er mwyn diogelu’r gofeb a’i slogan yn y dyfodol, maent wedi gosod camerâu diogelwch ar y safle. I ategu at ddiogelwch y gofeb, apelia Donald Mor-

gan am blac er mwyn egluro hanes a phwrpas y gofeb i’r cyhoedd er mwyn rhwystro unrhyw gyfrwy o fandaliaeth yn y dyfodol.

Esboniodd Donald Morgan: “Ni fyddem yn hoffi gweld gorchudd plastig dros y wal gan mai graffiti byw yw’r wal, ac fel yna fyddwn i yn hoffi ei weld. Ond hoffwn weld rhyw fath o blac yn dweud yr hanes yno i esbonio i bobol yr ystyr tu ôl i’r wal er mwyn i bobol ddeall pa mor bwysig yw dyfodol y wal!”

Y ddadl dros nwyddau dianghenraid yng Nghymru Catrin Lewis

Golygydd Taf-od

F

el rhan o ganllawiau coronafeirws diweddaraf Llywodraeth Cymru, mae gwaharddiad wedi cael ei osod ar werthu nwyddau dianghenraid mewn archfarchnadoedd.

Mae hyn er mwyn cyfyngu’r amser y bydd cwsmeriaid yn ei dreulio yn y siopau ac er mwyn sicrhau na fydd pobl yn mynd i’r archfarchnadoedd oni bai ei fod yn angenrheidiol.

Mae hyn wedi arwain at adlach gan y cyhoedd ac mae dros 58,000 o bobl bellach wedi arwyddo deiseb i’r Senedd yn gwrthwynebu’r penderfyniad a wnaed gan y Prif Weinidog, Mark

Drakeford. Dyma’r bedwaredd ddeiseb i gyrraedd mwy na 25,000 o lofnodion.

Mae’r gwaharddiadau yn cynnwys nwyddau fel dillad, offer trydanol, teganau, llyfrau a dodrefn tŷ. Yn wreiddiol nid oedd caniatâd i archfarchnadoedd werthu’r nwyddau hyn hyd at ddiwedd y cyfnod clo tan ar y 9fed o Dachwedd.

Fodd bynnag, mae rhai eithriadau wedi eu gwneud erbyn hyn.

Yn dilyn yr adlach a’r ymateb ar gyfryngau cymdeithasol, mae rhestr newydd wedi cael ei chyhoeddi o nwyddau sy’n cael eu hystyried fel angenrheidiol sy’n cynnwys dillad babi a chardiau cyfarch.

Yn ogystal, cyhoeddodd Mr Drakeford ddydd Sul y bydd hawl i gwsmeriaid ofyn i gael prynu nwyddau sydd ddim yn ymddangos ar y rhestr

Myfyriwr y drydydd flwyddyn, Mathemateg Pris gwarthus, byddai £3 bob gêm yn hen ddigon. Byddai pobl yn fwy parod i dalu felly mwy o wylwyr, a’r arian i fynd yn syth at y timau yn y cynghreiriau is, ‘league’ 1, 2, neu’r gynghrair genedlaethol. Wrth i drafodaethau ddechrau am gynghrair Ewropeaidd newydd, fe wyddwn fod digonedd o arian ym mhêl-droed ar gyfer y timau mawr, felly mae’n hen bryd edrych ar ôl y timau llai, yn enwedig yn ystod amseroedd ansicr Cofid-19. Gêm i’r dosbarth gweithiol a fu pêl-droed erioed.

Adferiad: Y murlun enwog yn sefyll yn gryf. Credyd: Donald Morgan

Cyfyngiad siopa: Nid oes hawl prynu eitemau dianghenraid. Tarddiad: Lars Frantzen (drwy Wikipedia Commons)

o dan amgylchiadau eithriadol a chyn belled ei fod yn synhwyrol.

Dywedodd y Prif Weinidog ei fod yn gobeithio bydd y canllawiau newydd “yn rhoi datrysiad ymarferol i fasnachwyr a chwsmeriaid. Fodd bynnag, ni allwn symud o’r egwyddor ganolog y dylai masnachwyr gyfyngu gwerthiant nwyddau dianghenraid yn ystod y clo byr.”

Gwnaed y penderfyniad yn wreiddiol oherwydd y pryderon oedd gan rai am y gwerthiant o nwyddau dianghenraid mewn archfarchnadoedd yn ystod y cyfnod clo cyntaf. Dadleuodd rhai fod hyn yn rhoi mantais annheg i archfarchnadoedd tra roedd yn rhaid i fusnesau bach gau’n gyfan gwbl.

Er gwaethaf yr ymateb negyddol, dywedodd Mr Drakeford ei fod yn credu bod y penderfyniad cywir wedi cael ei wneud ac felly bydd y gwaharddiadau’n aros mewn lle am weddill y cyfnod clo byr.

“Ein penderfyniad gwreiddiol yw’r un iawn. Os oes angen ailedrych ar sut mae’r rheolau yn cael eu gweithredu a’u dehongli - yna mi wnawn ni hynny.”

Un o’r prif resymau tu ôl addasu’r gwaharddiad yw’r ffaith bod esiamplau wedi codi dros y penwythnos o nwyddau dianghenraid yn dod yn angenrheidiol i bobl mewn sefyllfaoedd eithriadol.

Er enghraifft, soniodd Mr Drakeford am un achos sef, “dros y penwythnos am blentyn yn

cyrraedd ei deulu maeth heb ddim - y mae hynny yn fater eithriadol ac yn sefyllfa sydd angen delio â hi”.

Yn ogystal, rhannodd Chelsea Jones o’r Rhondda ei phrofiad hi ar Facebook.

Dywedodd ei bod wedi gorfod mynd a’i merch i’r ysbyty yng Nghaerdydd ac wedi ceisio mynd i archfarchnad gyfagos i brynu pyjamas iddi gan fod gwaed ar ei dillad hi. Fodd bynnag, ni chafodd brynu rhai oherwydd y cyfyngiadau ar werthu dillad.

O ganlyniad roedd yn rhaid i Chelsea yrru adref mewn panig i nôl dillad. Dywedodd y canlynol am y cyfyngiadau: “Chi byth yn gwybod pryd mae nwyddau dianghenraid yn gwbl angenrheidiol,” ac aeth yn ei blaen i ychwanegu “Dwi ddim yn un i danseilio difrifoldeb Covid ac rwyf wastad wedi ceisio ufuddhau i’r rheolau ond mae’n rhaid i’r rheolau yma newid”.

Felly, mae’r Prif Weinidog yn galw ar bobl i ddefnyddio eu synnwyr cyffredin unwaith eto ac i beidio mynd i archfarchnadoedd os nad yw’n gwbl angenrheidiol gwneud hynny.

Y gobaith yw y bydd y cyfnod clo byr yn lleihau’r straen ar y GIG dros yr wythnosau nesaf ac mewn tro’n achub bywydau. Mae effeithiolrwydd y cyfyngiadau yn debyg o ddod i’r amlwg wrth edrych ar yr ystadegau dros yr wythnosau nesaf.

Ewch i wefan Llywodraeth Cymru i weld y cyfyngiadau sydd mewn lle yn ein gwlad ni.

TAF-OD

Pryd o Daf-od: Megan Evans Myfyriwr yn ei thrydedd flwyddyn, Megan Evnas, sy’n trafod Clwb Mynydd Bychan a bod yn aelod o’r clwb fel myfyriwr.

Mae Megan yn llywydd ar Glwb y Mynydd Bychan eleni, cymdeithas ar gyfer myfyrwyr Cymraeg sydd yn astudio Meddygaeth o fewn y brifysgol.

Mae Megan yn trafod beth sydd gan y gymdeithas i’w gynnig, y digwyddiadau a’i phrofiadau hi gyda’r gymdeithas dros y dair blynedd ddiwethaf.

adau cymdeithasol ac ambell sesiwn adolygu o fewn y flwyddyn. Fel arfer, rydym yn cynnal digwyddiadau a fydd yn apelio at bawb sydd yn gallu amrywio o noson allan yn y dafarn i ginio Nadolig mewn bwytai.

Mae’r sesiynau adolygu yn cael eu rhannu dros y flwyddyn ac yn dueddol o gyd-fynd gyda’r amser o orffen modiwl neu amser arholiadau.

Mae’n gallu bod yn anodd delio gyda’r trawsnewid o ddysgu’r termau i gyd yn y Gymraeg yn yr ysgol ac wedyn yn dod i mewn i’r brifysgol lle mae pob dim yn y Saesneg.

Mae’r sesiynau adolygu yma yn fuddiol iawn oherwydd mae cael esboniad yn y Gymraeg yn gwneud i rywun ddeall yn well.

Rydym yn gweld hi’n wahanol iawn y flwyddyn hon gyda’r firws yn parhau, ond rydym yn addasu yn dda ac yn cynnal nifer fawr o sesiynau dros ‘Zoom’.

Hyd yn hyn, rydym wedi cynnal sesiwn croesawu ac mewn pythefnos fydd yna sesiwn adolygu yn bennaf at flynyddoedd 2, 3 a 4 er mwyn rhoi help a chymorth tuag at yr arholiadau clinigol.

Y flwyddyn hon, rydym ni wedi penderfynu sefydlu system o fewn y clwb sydd yn creu teuluoedd bach.

O ganlyniad i hyn, gall rhywun o’r flwyddyn gyntaf gael ei bartneru gyda rhywun o’r ail flwyddyn.

Gall hyn helpu’r unigolion yn y fl-

C

lwb y Mynydd Bychan yw cymdeithas ar gyfer myfyrwyr Cymraeg sydd yn astudio Meddygaeth o fewn Prifysgol Caerdydd. Prif nod Clwb y Mynydd Bychan yw gadael i feddygon Cymraeg gymdeithasu ymysg ei gilydd.

Eleni, fi yw’r llywydd a rydw i, gydag aelodau eraill o’r pwyllgor yn gweithio’n galed i barhau gyda’r gymdeithas er cyfyngiadau COVID-19.

Yn gymdeithasol, mi ddechreuodd y clwb yn 2010 gyda nifer fach o aelodau ynddo, ond ers hynny mae aelodau’r clwb yn mynd o nerth i nerth gyda dros 100 o aelodau.

Roedd hi’n brofiad gwych cael siarad am y clwb ar raglen Prynhawn Da ar S4C yr wythnos ddiwethaf sydd yn dangos ei bod hi’n cryfhau ac yn denu mwy o sylw.

Yn syml, yr hyn rydym ni’n ei wneud fel clwb yw trefnu digwyddi-

wyddyn gyntaf ofyn unrhyw gwestiynau yr hoffent ei ofyn gan ein bod yn deall yn iawn fod dysgu o adre yn gyfnod anodd i bawb.

Heb os nac oni bai, roedd y clwb yma yn help mawr imi fel myfyriwr yn y flwyddyn gyntaf, yn enwedig y misoedd cyntaf yn y brifysgol.

Roedd y clwb yn gadael imi ddod i adnabod pobl sydd yn dod o’r un math o gefndir. Heb amheuaeth, roedd bod ar gwrs gyda dros 300 o bobl yn frawychus iawn, ond roedd y clwb yma yn gadael imi gymdeithasu a dod i adnabod mwy o bobl mewn cymuned glos drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.

Os ydych chi’n fyfyriwr meddygol ac sydd ddim yn rhan o’r clwb eto

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

Gwneud ‘rolly pollys’ar hyd Stryd y Frenhines ar ddiwedd noson freshers.

3. Beth oedd dy air cyntaf?

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

Clywed bod nhw’n agor tafarndai wedi’r lockdown.

Pobl sy’n cnoi bwyd yn uchel.

Vodka. Dawnsio. Dwyn traffic cone.

McDonalds. K-oio.

Unrhyw beth Mamma Mia.

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

13. Disgrifia dy hun mewn 3 gair.

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

7. Pwy yw dy hoff fand/artist?

Anni Davies

taf od Nel Richards

Jiraff- rili ffansi profi sut ma’n teimlo i fod yn dalach na 5”2,

Spiderman a Troy Bolton o High School Musical.

Bwncath.

Catrin Lewis

10. Beth yw dy gas beth?

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

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

taf-od

Alaw Fflur Jones

Champagne pan ma’r student loan mewn ond prosecco rhad fel arall.

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

Dwm yn berson spice felly Chinese neu Kebab pob tro.

Trafod gyda’r

8. Prosecco neu champagne?

Tisho panad?.

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

Aled Biston

Cymdeithasu Cymraeg: Clwb Mynydd Bychan yw cyfle i fyfyrwyr cymdeithasu trwy’r Gymraeg Tarddiad: Clker-Free-Vector-Images (drwy Pixabay )

Lowri Green

Lowri Green dwi a dwi’n byw yn Abergele ac yn astudio’r Gymraeg a’r Gyfraith.

EICH TÎM TAF-OD

Annell Dyfri

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

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

sbïwch ar ein tudalen Facebook, Twitter ac Instagram er mwyn darganfod mwy am y clwb ac yr hyn rydyn ni’n ei gynnig.

Mae Clwb y Mynydd Bychan ymysg nifer o gymdeithasau sydd ar gael i fyfyrwyr cyfrwng Cymraeg yng Nghaerdydd. Dyma rai eraill: - Y Gymdeithas Gymraeg (GymGym) - Aelwyd y Waun Ddyfal - Xpress Radio Cymraeg - Taf-od (Gair Rhydd) - Quench - Coleg Cymraeg Cangen Caerdydd - Cyfryngau Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd (CMCC)

9

O Gymru i Batagonia: Lowri yn mwynhau gatre ac ochr arall y byd. Tarddiad: Lowri Green tafod@gairrhydd.com www.gairrhydd.com/tafod

10

TAF-OD

Y Blaid Werdd NEWYDDION yn datgan cef- Dim Smic nac Alaw yng Nghanolfan y Mileniwm nogaeth i an- Oni ddylen ni fod yn aadysgu a dathlu drwy’r flwyddyn gyfan? nibyniaeth Annell Dyfri eleni, nododd Mat Milsom, Rheolwr Ellie Fitzgerald

Cyfranwr Taf-od

Y

n ystod cynhadledd y Blaid Werdd ar y pedwerydd ar hugain o Hydref 2020, ymrwymodd y blaid i gefnogi annibyniaeth i Gymru.

Pleidleisiodd aelodau’r blaid i gefnogi gwelliant i ymgyrchu dros ymwahanu Cymru o’r Deyrnas Unedig pe bai refferendwm ar annibyniaeth.

Mae’r blaid, sydd erioed wedi ennill sedd yn y Senedd, yn ymgeisio i gael cynrychiolaeth o’r blaid yn y Senedd yn yr etholiad flwyddyn nesaf.

Mae gan y blaid gynlluniau uchelgeisiol ar gyfer Cymru i greu cytundeb ‘Green New Deal’.

Bwriad y cytundeb yw cyrraedd targedau lleihau carbon ar y cyflymder sydd angen er mwyn taclo’r argyfwng hinsawdd.

Mae gwaith Emily Durrant, fel cynghorydd i Langors ym Mhowys, wedi dangos gwerth y Blaid Werdd ac mae’r blaid yn gobeithio ennill seddi yn y Senedd er mwyn parhau i wneud gwahaniaeth o fewn cymunedau ac o gwmpas y wlad.

Ar ôl y bleidlais i gefnogi annibyniaeth, dywedodd Emily Durrant; “mae hi’n ddiwrnod mawr i’r blaid ac i fi yn bersonol”.

Dywedodd arweinydd y blaid, Anthony Slaughter; “mae’r etholiad y flwyddyn nesaf hefyd yn foment hollbwysig i ddemocratiaeth yng Nghymru”.

Mae’r blaid o’r safbwynt fod annibyniaeth i Gymru yn ddyhead hir-dymor sydd yn fwy tebygol o ddigwydd yn gynharach achos gweithredoedd presennol llywodraeth y DU. Os medrai’r blaid ennill sedd yn yr etholiad, bydd ei chefnogaeth o annibyniaeth yn hanfodol i ymgeision Plaid Cymru.

Mae annibyniaeth wedi dod yn bwnc eithaf blaengar yn y Senedd ar ôl y ddadl gyntaf ynghylch y pwnc ar y pymthegfed o Orffennaf y flwyddyn hon.

Pe bai pleidlais arall ar annibyniaeth, fel y cafwyd ar ôl y ddadl gyntaf, gall cefnogaeth aelodau Seneddol y Blaid Werdd helpu cryfhau safbwynt Aelodau Seneddol Plaid Cymru.

Mae aelodaeth YesCymru wedi cynyddu yn sylweddol yn ystod y pandemig o 2,000 o aelodau i dros 8,000 o aelodau.

Mae cefnogaeth y Blaid Werdd at annibyniaeth yn cyfiawnhau’r diddordeb newydd dros y syniad, a thrwy hynny’r aelodaethau newydd y mae mudiad YesCymru wedi’u gweld.

Gweler y cynnydd hwn oherwydd lefelau uchel o ymddiriedaeth yn Llywodraeth Cymru o gymharu â Llywodraeth San Steffan.

All cefnogaeth y Blaid Werdd fod yn arwydd o bethau i ddod ac efallai mwy o bleidiau yn cefnogi annibyniaeth?

Golygydd Taf-od

G

ydag effaith andwyol y coronafeirws yn dwysáu o ddydd i ddydd, un elfen o fywyd sydd wedi’i heffeithio’n fawr yn sgil esblygiad y feirws yw byd y celfyddydau.

Er ein bod oll wedi dibynnu’n fawr ar elfennau o’r byd celfyddydol yn ystod y cyfnodau clo, boed yn gwrando ar gerddoriaeth, yn gwylio ffilmiau a rhaglenni teledu neu’n gwerthfawrogi celfyddyd gain yn rhithiol, mae’r adran honno o fywyd yn dioddef yn fawr erbyn hyn. Yn amlwg, does dim modd i berfformwyr, corau na chastiau gynnal cyngherddau na gweithdai byw wyneb yn wyneb ac felly mae sgil effeithiau hyn, yn ariannol, ac yn feddyliol, yn enfawr i’r rheini sy’n gweithio o fewn y diwydiannau celfyddydol.

Yn amlwg, nid ar unigolion yn unig ym myd y celfyddydau y mae’r feirws wedi effeithio. Mae canolfannau mawr a bach a chwmnïau proffesiynol hefyd wedi’u taro gan effaith y feirws.

Mae nifer o’r rhain wrth gwrs, megis Canolfan Pontio ym Mangor, Canolfan y Celfyddydau yn Aberystwyth a Chanolfan Chapter yng Nghaerdydd, wedi gorfod cau eu drysau yn ystod y cyfnodau clo gan gael effaith negyddol ar y cymunedau y maent yn perthyn iddynt.

Canolfan arall sydd wedi profi cyfnod heriol dors ben yw Canolfan y Mileniwm ym Mae Caerdydd. Mewn datganiad i’r wasg ar Fehefin y 12fed

Gyfarwyddwr y Ganolfan, iddo orfod gwneud y penderfyniad ofnadwy o anodd i gau’r Ganolfan tan fis Ionawr 2021 yn sgil effaith ddinistriol y pandemig ar y diwydiant theatr.

Wrth gyhoeddi hyn, ychwangeodd Milsom mai’r wythnos honno oedd ‘un o wythnosau anodda fy ngyrfa’.

Dim sioeau byw nes Ebrill 2021 Erbyn hyn, cafwyd datblygiad pellach yn hanes y Ganolfan. Mewn datganiad ar ei gwefan swyddogol ar 21ain o Hydref, nodwyd ‘bod yr adeilad bellach ar gau tan fis Ebrill 2021 ar y cynharaf ’. Yn amlwg, mae effaith y coronafeirws ar y byd theatr a’r celfyddydau yn bellgyrhaeddol gan effeithio ar drawsdoriad o bobl sy’n gweithio o fewn y diwydiant.

Er bod y ganolfan yn cynllunio sesiynau ar lein, yn amlwg, nid oes modd i ffrindiau, teuluoedd nac unigolion fynychu’r ganolfan i fwynhau gwylio sioeau neu gymryd rhan ymarferol mewn digwyddiadau celfyddydol.

Un a fu’n gweithio yn y Ganolfan tan yn ddiweddar oedd Gwen Shenton.

Nododd ei bod ‘wedi ei thristáu’n arw o glywed fod sawl un o’m ffrindiau yn y Ganolfan wedi colli eu swyddi o ganlyniad i bandemig y Coronafeirws’.

Fel un sydd wrth ei bodd ym myd y celfyddydau, ychwanegodd, ‘rwy’n siŵr fy mod i’n siarad ar ran nifer fawr o bobl drwy ddweud fy mod i wir yn gweld eisiau’r theatr a phob peth y mae’r Ganolfan yn ei gynrychioli’.

Er hyn, nododd Gwen ei bod yn

Canolfan Millennium Cymru: Dim sioeau nes bod brechlyn yn cael ei ddarganfod.Tarddiad: Robin Drayton (drwy Geograph) obeithiol ‘y bydd cefnogaeth ariannol a Dyfodol ansicr pharodrwydd y Ganolfan i gydweithio Byddai’r rheini sy’n ymwelwyr cyag eraill yn arwain at ailagor drysau’r son â’r Ganolfan yn ymwybodol ei bod adeilad hynod eiconig yma cyn gynted yn cynnig llawer mwy na pherfformiaâ phosibl’. dau ar lwyfan.

Ac er nad oes modd i’r Ganolfan Mae’n aelwyd i ddwsinau o bobl groesawu cynulleidfaoedd trwy’r ifanc sy’n ymarfer eu doniau creadigol drysau hynny ar hyn o bryd, mae’r yn rheolaidd; mae’n gymuned lle daw Ganolfan yn gweithio’n ddiwyd er pobl o gefndiroedd amrywiol ynghyd mwyn sicrhau bod gweithgarwch yn am glonc a chyfle i fwynhau arddandigwydd ar-lein. gosfeydd; mae’n ganolbwynt ar gyfer Ychwanegodd Gwen ‘Diolch hefyd dathlu celfyddyd Gymreig a rhyngwi staff y Ganolfan sy’n parhau i ‘danio ladol a hynny o fewn adnodd safonol dychymyg y genedl yn rhithiol bob ac uchel ei barch. Edrychwn ymlaen at dydd!’ ddychwelyd i’r ganolfan cyn hir.

Diwedd i ddihyryn enwocaf Cwmderi: Garry Monk Rhodri Davies

Cyfrannwr Taf-od

M

ae digwyddiadau mawr mewn hanes yn aros yn y cof. Gall y rheini oedd yn fyw gofio’n union ble’r oedden nhw pan gafodd JFK ei ladd, pan gwympodd wal Berlin a phan bleidleisiodd Cymru o blaid Datganoli. Bellach, mae modd ychwanegu digwyddiad arall i’r rhestr. Nos Fawrth y 20fed o Hydref 2020, fe laddwyd Garry Monk. Y dihiryn mwyaf welodd Cwmderi yn cael eu haeddiant wedi blynyddoedd maith o greu trafferth yn y Cwm. Roedd y bennod yn benllanw i fisoedd o anghydweld rhwng cymeriadau Garry a Dylan Elis ac ar ôl clywed

sŵn dryll yn atseinio drwy’r coed, fe welwyd Dylan yn gollwng corff wedi’i rwymo mewn plastig du i mewn i’r afon. Diwedd cyfnod.

Mae rysáit arbennig i unrhyw opera sebon sydd am lwyddo. Mae angen twpsyn y pentre’ (Colin), y Cassanova (Hywel Llywelyn – wrth gwrs!) ond yn bwysicach na dim mae angen dihiryn.

Fyddai EastEnders ddim yr un fath heb Phil Mitchell na chwaith Coronation Street heb David Platt. Heb y chwedlonwyr yma, byddai’r rhaglenni’n wahanol iawn. Dyma’r rheswm bod y dihirod yn goresgyn unrhyw bicl. Dyna sy’n ein cadw ni i wylio. Dydyn ni byth yn meddwl y gwelwn ein hoff gymeriadau yn ein gadael. Hynny yw tan i Garry Monk gael ei ladd. Bydd pethau

Y Deri Arms:. Bydd Dani yn cadw’r Deri Arms nawr bod Garry wedi mynd?

Tarddiad: Judy Brett (drwy flickr)

byth ‘run fath eto!

‘Nôl yn 2002, fe laniodd merch feichiog a’i dau frawd yng Nghwmderi a throi bywyd yn y Cwm ben i waered.

Ers hynny, mae Garry Monk wedi hoelio ei le fel un o gymeriadau mwyaf pwysig y gyfres. Fe welodd y gynulleidfa’r dyn drwg hwn yn ymwneud â sawl gweithgaredd amheus ac yn aml iawn anghyfreithlon yn ystod ei gyfnod yno. Roedd ei gymeriad yn y dechrau yn bendant yn fachgen drwg. Gwelwyd ochr dywyll i Garry yn gynnar iawn pan wnaeth Pobol y Cwm daclo’r stori o drais yn y cartref gyda Sheryl Hughes yn darged i’w ddyrnau. Roedd hi’n anodd maddau i Garry wedi hyn ond dros y blynyddoedd datblygodd ei ochr dyner yn enwedig wedi dod yn dad i Gwern a Seren. Cyfnod pwysig i’w gymeriad oedd pan aeth y Monks i Newcastle yn ôl i ble gawson nhw’u magu.

Yno, datgelwyd mai hanner brawd i Britt a Brandon oedd Garry. Ar ôl plentyndod mor ddifreintiedig, datgelwyd hefyd i Garry ei hun gael ei gamdrin. Efallai bod hyn yn esbonio’i agwedd anifeilaidd tuag at Sheryl. Erbyn diwedd ei gyfnod yn y Cwm, roedd Garry yn un o hoelion wyth y Cwm yn berchennog ar y garej ond yn bwysicach fyth, Y Deri Arms. Er i’w berthynas â Dani ddirywio dros amser, dyma oedd un o’r cyfnodau mwyaf sefydlog.

Ond wedi cyfnod byr fel brenin y Cwm fe’i ddadgoronwyd.

Fe gafodd y bennod yma grin effaith ar rai o ffans mwya’r gyfres. Ar Trydar, roedd sawl ffan mewn anghrediniaeth ei fod wedi ei ladd. “Pam wnaeth Dylan ei ladd?” gofynnodd un ffan selog. Er hyn, roedd y ffaith bod Garry Monk yn gadael y Cwm yn ormod o ddigwyddiad i rai gydag un yn cwestiynu os oedd wedi marw o gwbl?

“Reit ok ma dros wthnos di bod nawr a fi dal ddim di derbyn bo Gary Monk

wedi actually marw. Na. It is not real.

Deiff e nôl, à la Dirty Den off Eastenders, believe you me...”

Gwelir syndod enfawr ym mhennawd noson Hydref 29, wrth i Dani ddatgelu cyfinach Jaclyn i Gerwyn o flaen y Deri Arms. Nid oedd Gerwyn yn gallu credu yr hyn ddywedodd Dani, roedd yn sioc efawr iddo. Mewn penodau lle mae gan y gyfres wylwyr wedi’u gludo at y teledu, beth fydd yn digwydd nesaf? Fydd Gerwyn yn gadael? Fydd ef yn maddau i Jaclyn?

Yn sicr, mae’r gyfres wedi gwella ei chynnwys ers dechrau’r cyfnod clo.

Roedd y penodau cyntaf yn llac, yn ddiflas i’w gwylio a diffyg unrhyw fath o gyffro. Ond mae’n hawdd maddau i Pobol y Cwm erbyn hyn, gyda’r penodau diwethaf yn cadw gwylwyr ar flaenau eu traed. Felly beth yw’r dyfodol i gwm enwocaf Cymru? Hyd yn hyn, mae Dylan wedi llwyddo i argyhoeddi pawb bod Garry wedi gadael am byth.

Pa mor hir bydd ei weithred yn aros yn gyfrinach? Mae’n rhaid cofio hefyd bod Britt wedi profi amser caled iawn llynedd gyda’i chyflwr bi-polar yn rhoi’i pherthynas hi a Colin ar brawf.

Byddai’r newyddion trychinebus bod Garry wedi marw efallai’n ddigon iddi fynd yn sâl eto. Hi yw’r Monk olaf; teulu sydd wedi bod wrth wraidd hynt a helynt y cwm ers bron i ddau ddegawd. Mae’n drist gweld uned deuluol mor gryf bellach yn pylu’n araf. Wedi dweud hynny, mae gwerthoedd teuluol Dylan cyn gryfed â rhai Garry. Ai’r Parris ar Ellisiaid fydd y Monks newydd?

Ai Dylan fydd brenin newydd y Cwm? Beth bynnag ddigwyddith, gallwn sicrhau na fydd bywyd byth yn ddiflas yng Nghwmderi!

Mae penodau Pobol y Cwm yn cael eu darlledu ar nosweithiau Mawrth a Mercher, am 8. Mae’r bennod lle lladdwyd Garry Monk ar gael ar BBC iPlayer a S4C Clic.

TAF-OD CHWARAEON

Oes angen saib rhynwgladol i’r Cymru Premier?

Mae Bruno Lopes o’r Derwyddon Cefn yn gofyn am saib er lles y chwaraewyr Aled Biston

Pennaeth Taf-od

W

edi i Bruno Lopes, chwaraewr y Derwyddon Cefn, ddweud mewn cyfweliad â Sgorio bod angen saib rhyngwladol ar dimau’r gynghrair, roedd nifer o bobl yn anghytuno gyda’i safbwynt, ni roddir unrhyw ystyriaeth i’r ddadl. Ond gyda’r byd pêl-droed yn dioddef o ganlyniad i COVID-19, mae’r cwestiwn o saib rhyngwladol i’r Cymru Premier, yn bwysicach oll.

Mae timau’r gynghrair yn chwarae 26 gêm yn y tymor, llai na beth fyddai timoedd mewn cynghreiriau eraill o’r un lefel yn ei chwarae. Felly o ran nifer y gemau, mae gan dimau’r gynghrair llai na chynghreiriau eraill. Ond, yn wahanol i gynghreiriau eraill, mae angen i dimoedd y Cymru Premier deithio ledled Cymru i chwarae gemau, a gall gemau nosweithiau Mawrth o un ochr y wlad i’r llall, fod yn hir iawn i nifer o glybiau.

I ategu at y teithiau hir, rhaid cofio bod llawer o dimau’r gynghrair ddim yn broffesiynol. Wedi cyhoeddiad y clo byr gan Lywodraeth Cymru, mae gan

Er lles y chwaraewyrl: Mae Lopes yn ymgyrchu dros saib rhyngwladol i’r chwaraewyr. Tarddiad: Colin Ewart (drwy flickr) dimau proffesiynol yr hawl i barhau i ymarfer a chwarae. Ond Hwlffordd, Bala a’r Seintiau Newydd sydd yn parhau i chwarae yn y clo byr, gyda 9 tîm ddim yn chwarae oherwydd nad oes ganddynt y staff na chwaraewyr proffesiynol (ac eithrio Cei Connah a’r Barri). Wrth gymryd hyn i ystyriaeth, mae gan lawer o chwaraewyr clybiau, swyddi arferol maent yn gwneud yn ys-

tod yr wythnos. Bydd gorfod gweithio ar ôl teithio un ochr y wlad i’r llall a chyrraedd nôl oriau man y bore, yn anghyfleus i nifer o chwaraewyr dwi’n siŵr.

Ond wrth ystyried lefel y gynghrair yn nhermau Prydain, mae’r lefel chwarae yn gyfatebol i’r National League North/South yn Lloegr, a dydyn nhw ddim yn cael saib rhyn-

gwladol. Yn Lloegr, ond y Premier League a’r Championship sydd yn cael seibiau rhyngwladol. Nid yw llawer o chwaraewyr y cynghreiriau isaf yn cael eu galw i’w timoedd rhyngwladol, Felly gyda phrif bwrpas saib rhyngwladol, yw bod nifer o chwaraewyr allweddol clybiau yn chwarae i’w gwledydd, pam fod angen saib i’r Cymru Premier?

Efallai byddai ei galw hi’n saib rhyngwladol yn enw camarweiniol, pe bai saib yn y Cymru Premier. Bydd saib yn gwneud llesi i chwaraewyr a chlybiau, heb amau. Ond mewn cyfnod ariannol mor ansicr, fydd saib yn gwneud llawer o les?

Yn sicr, er lles y chwaraewyr roedd Lopes wedi codi ei bwynt o gael saib rhyngwladol. Bydd saib i chwaraewyr, ym mhob cynghrair, yn gwneud lles, gwella ffitrwydd a thrwy hynny ansawdd perfformiadau. Yn y cyfnod ansicr yma hefyd, mae gofyn i chwaraewyr nad yw’n broffesiynol, i chwarae i’r safon arferol o flaen dim cefnogwyr, yn anodd. Bydd saib, heb amau yn gwneud byd o les i chwaraewyr. Efallai bod cyflwyno saib er budd y chwaraewyr, ac nid gyda phrif bwrpas rhyngwladol, yn fwy croesawgar i wylwyr pêl-droed a’r Cymru Premier.

DIWYLLIANT

‘Seremoni’ blynyddol BAFTA Cymru ar y wê eleni

Nel Richards

Golygydd Taf-od

E

leni, nid oedd modd cynnal seremoni byw i ddathlu a gwerthfawrogi’r diwydiant teledu a ffilm yng Nghymru yn dilyn cyfyngiadau Coronafeirws. Yn sgil hyn, penderfynodd BAFTA Cymru i redeg gwasanaeth rhithiol dros YouTube, Trydar a Facebook lle cyhoeddodd y cyflwynydd, Alex Jones, ynghyd ag eraill, rhai yn cynnwys, Catherine Zeta-Jones a Katherine Jenkins, yr enwebiadau a gwobrau.

Ar wefan BAFTA Cymru, gellir dod o hyd i lyfryn y gwobrau, lle mae modd darllen am enwebiadau, areithiau a gwobrau. Dywed Angharad Mair, cadeirydd BAFTA Cymru yn y llyfryn; “Nid yw’r cyfnod diweddar wedi bod yn hawdd i’r byd teledu a ffilm, ond mae BAFTA Cymru wedi parhau i fod yn gefnogaeth arbennig i’r rheiny sy’n gweithio yn ein diwydiant. Crëwyd nifer o gysylltiadau rhwng newydd-ddyfodiaid a rhai enwau mawr y diwydiant, yn ogystal â chynnig dosbarthiadau meistr a sgyrsiau amrywiol ar-lein –

Seremoni gwahanol: Roedd y seremoni eleni yn un gwahanol i’r arfer. Tarddiad: Hywel (drwy flickr) digwyddiadau sydd yn tanlinellu ein rôl bwysig fel elusen”.

Ceisiwyd i wneud y seremoni mor real â phosib. Wedi’i lleoli mewn stiwdio, lle’r oedd pawb yn cadw pellter cymdeithasol gan geisio cadw’r naws.

Darlledwyd y gwobrau yn fyw ar YouTube. Dywedodd Amanda Rees, Comisiynydd Cynnwys S4C wrth y BBC, “Ry’n ni wrth ein bodd o ennill pum gwobr BAFTA Cymru heno. Eleni eto mae llwyddiannau S4C yn dyst i ymroddiad a chreadigrwydd y sector”.

Ymhlith llawer o raglenni eraill, enillodd ‘Deian a Loli’ y rhaglen blant orau, ‘Ysgol Ni: Maesincla’ cyfres ffeithiol

orau ac Emma Watford a Trystan Ellis yn y raglen ‘Prosiect Pum Mil’ y cyflwynwyr gorau. Les Dilley, sy’n wreiddiol o’r Rhondda, enillodd gyfraniad eithriadol i fyd teledu am ei waith fel cyfarwyddwr celf a dylunydd cynhyrchu.

Bu eisoes yn gweithio ar brosiectau yn Raiders of the Lost Ark, yn ogystal â Star Wars. Mae BAFTA Cymru yn rhoi’r cyfle i ddod i adnabod a gwerthfawrogi sêr mwyaf y diwydiant hwn, ac wedi gwneud hynny’n effeithiol drwy ei seremoni. Llongyfarchiadau mawr i bob un. Dyma rhai o enillwyr eleni: ENILLWYR GWOBRAU BAFTA CYMRU 2020

Cyfraniad eithriadol i deledu - Les Dilley. Actores gorau: Ruth Wilson fel Mrs Coulter yn ‘His Dark Materials’.

Actor gorau: Jonathan Pryce fel Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio/Pope Francis yn ‘The Two Popes’. Drama deledu: ‘The Left Behind’. Torri trwodd: Lisa Walters ar gyfer ‘On the Edge: Adulting’, Rhaglen blant: ‘Deian a Loli’. Dylunio gwisgoedd: Sian Jenkins ar gyfer ‘Eternal Beauty’. Cyfarwyddwyr: ffeithiol: Sion Aaron a Timothy Lynn ar gyfer ‘Eirlys, Tim a Dementia’. Cyfarwyddwyr: ffuglen: Lucy Forbes ar gyfer ‘In My Skin’. Golygu: Rebecca Trotman ar gyfer ‘Doctor Who’. Rhaglen adloniant: ‘Cyrn ar y Missippi’. Cyfres ffeithiol: ‘Ysgol ni: Maesincla’. Colur a Gwallt: Melanie Lenihan ar gyfer ‘War of the Worlds’. Newyddion a Materion Cyfoes: ‘Flooding Strikes The South Wales Valleys’ Cerddoriaeth wreiddiol: Jonathan Hill ar gyfer ‘The Long Song’.

Ffotograffiaeth a Goleuo: Ffuglen: Suzie Lavelle ar gyfer ‘His Dark Materials’ Cyflwynwyr: Emma Watford a Trystan Ellis-Morris yn ‘Prosiect Pum Mil’ Dylunio cynhyrchu: Joel Collins ar gyfer ‘His Dark Materials’ Ffilm fer: ‘Salam’.

Plismona’r cyfnod clo byr yn her i’r Heddlu

Aled Biston

Pennaeth Taf-od

G

ydag ail gyfnod clo wedi’i hir cyhoeddi erbyn hyn, bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn awyddus i blismona’r cyfnod o bythefnos yn effeithiol, er mwyn osgoi cynnydd yn nifer yr achosion.

Bydd Heddlu Cymru yn ceisio atal teithio diangen trwy fonitro cerbydau, ond bydd hyn yn ddigwydd yn gyson o gwmpas y wlad, a pha heriau bydd yn gwynebu’r heddlu?

Yn sicr, bydd cyfradd y plismona hyd a lled y wlad, yn amrywio, gyda Heddlu a Throsedd Heddlu Dyfed-

Powys yn debygol o fod y prysura, gan wynebu teithwyr o Loegr, gwlad sydd yn gweithredu system wahanol o gymharu â Chymru. Mae Comisiynydd Heddlu a Throsedd Dyfed-Powys yn cydnabod bod y cyfnod clo yma mynd i fod yn fwy heriol i blismona. Dywedodd wrth BBC Cymru Fyw, “Wrth gwrs mae’n mynd i fod yn heriol.

Mae pobl, yn gyffredinol, wedi blino ar gyfyngiadau a hefyd mae drwgweithredwyr yn dal i fodoli ond mae’r heddlu yna i gydweithio gyda’r cyhoedd”. Hyd at hyn, mae 50-60% o’r tocynnau a roddwyd yn Nyfed-Powys, wedi cael eu rhoi i bobl sydd yn byw tu allan i’r ardal, sydd yn dangos y gwaith heriol sydd gan yr heddlu yno.

Ond, beth mae’r cyfnod clo yn ei olygu? Fel yn achos y cyfnod clo cenedlaethol cyntaf ym mis Mawrth, bydd angen i bobl aros gartref er mwyn mynd i’r afael gyda’r cynnydd yn nifer yr achosion COVID-19.

Bydd rhaid cael rheswm dilys i adael eich cartref, sef: prynu bwyd, casglu meddyginiaethau, darparu gofal, ymarfer corff neu fynd i weithio, os nad yw’n bosib gweithio o adref. Bydd yn rhaid parhau i wisgo mygydau mewn mannau dan do cyhoeddus, sy’n parhau ar agor, ac mae siopiau nad ydynt gwerthu hanfodol wedi’u cau ers 18:00 Dydd Gwener Hydref 23.

Mae poblogaeth Cymru wedi hen arfer gyda’r cyfyngiadau yma erbyn

hyn, ond wedi llacio’r cyfyngiadau ym misoedd yr haf, bydd tynhau arnynt yn anodd i’r cyhoedd addasu iddynt eto, er mai ond am 17 diwrnod bydd angen iddynt wneud.

Dywedodd y Prif Weinidog, Mark Drakeford AS, mai cyfnod gosodedig bydd yr 17 diwrnod yma, felly ni ddylwn orfod byw gyda’r cyfyngiadau am hir iawn.

Ond, yn sicr bydd y llywodraeth yn creu cynlluniau pan ddaw’r cyfnod i ddiwedd. Efallai na fydd nifer yr achosion wedi newid llawer, neu fod pethau wedi gwaethygu dros y cyfnod clo byr.

Bydd trigolion Cymru yn syllu’n awchus i weld beth fydd y garfan o gyfyngiadau nesaf arnynt.

11

Menywod Cymru yn obeithiol o gyrraedd yr EWROS Aled Biston

Golygydd Taf-od

W

edi canlyniad campus yn erbyn Ynysoedd Ffaröe, ac un siomedig yn erbyn Norwy, bydd Cymru dal yn obeithiol o gyrraedd yr EWROS yn Lloegr yn 2022.

Mae Jane Ludlow a’r garfan yn ail yng ngrŵp C yn y rowndiau cymhwyso, ond gan nad ydynt ar hyn o bryd yn un o’r tri thîm gorau yn ail safle ar hyd y grwpiau, maen nhw yn y safleoedd gemau ail-gyfle.

Wrth fynd mewn i’r gemau yn erbyn Ynysoedd Ffaröe a Norwy, byddai Jane Ludlow wedi bod yn hyderus bod ei charfan yn gallu edrych nôl ar y saib rhyngwladol gyda chwe phwynt ac mewn sefyllfa gref yn mynd mewn i bedair gêm olaf y gemau grŵp, ond nid hynny yw’r achos, er cychwyniad gwych yn erbyn Ynysoedd Ffaröe.

Er nad oedd Cymru wedi cychwyn y gêm yn dda, roeddent wedi ennill yn gyfforddus gan guro Ynysoedd Ffaröe o bedair gôl i ddim, gyda goliau gan Helen Ward, Natasha Harding a gôl gyntaf i Lily Woodham.

Dominyddwyd Cymru’r gêm, gyda Sophie Ingle yn chwarae rôl wahanol yng nghanol y cae, yn lle yn yr amddiffyn, galluogodd hyn i Ingle gymryd rheolaeth o’r gêm trwy gysylltu’r amddiffyn ag ymosod.

Roedd y prawf anoddach, yn erbyn Norwy, tîm rhyngwladol o safon uwch sydd â gobeithion o wneud yn dda yn y twrnament mewn dwy flynedd. Ar y llaw arall, roedd Cymru yn edrych i gyrraedd twrnament rhynwgladol am y tro cyntaf.

Collodd Cymru 1-0 ar y noson, ond roedd y perfformiad yn fwy nodweddiadol. Er i Gymru ildio gôl wedi 60 munud, roeddent dal i ymosod tan y munudau olaf, ac yn anlwcus ddim i gael cic o’r smotyn ar ddau achlysur. Ond mae’r canlyniad yn golygu bydd Cymru siŵr o fod yn gorfod ymddiried ar ennill safle ar gyfer y gemau ail-gyfle.

Ond mae Ludlow wedi cymryd Menywod Cymru i lefel lawer uwch ers iddi gymryd drosodd fel rheolwr y tîm rhyngwladol yn 2014. Cyn iddi gymryd drosodd, nid oedd Cymru yn agos at gyrraedd unrhyw dwrnament rhyngwladol, ond nawr mae gan y garfan gyfle o wneud am y tro cyntaf, ac o fewn trwch blewyn o wneud.

Chwarae 39, ennill 15, cyfartal 13 a cholli 11. Dyma record Ludlwo fel rheolwr Cymru, ac mae’n un sydd o safon uwch o gymharu gyda blynyddoedd cynt.

Mae Ludlow wedi galluogi Cymru i chwarae mewn ffordd wahanol iawn i’r arfer, gan newid system yn aml er mwyn fod yn annaroganadwy ar y cae. Nid yw gwrthwynebwyr yn gwybod pa fath o system byddent yn wynebu yn erbyn Cymru, ac mae hyn yn destun i arddull rheoli Ludlow.

Mae perfformiadau Cymru o dan Jane Ludlow wedi bod yn gampus, ni ellir amau hynny.

Ni fydd llawer o amser nes bod Cymru yn cyrraedd twrnament rhyngwladol, a bydd y wal goch dwi’n siwr yn teithio gyda nhw i’r twrnament. Tybed os bydd y ddraig goch yn chwifio yn Lloegr yn 2022?

12

POLITICS

YOUR Political debate continues over essential items POLITICS DESK P Morgan Perry Politics Editor

Hallum Cowell

Tom Kingsbury

oliticians in Wales continue to be split over the ban on the sale of essential items in supermarkets during Wales’ “fire break” lockdown.

Mark Drakeford announced the 17-day “fire break” lockdown on October 19. The public health restrictions were put in place on Friday, October 23, and will last until November 9.

Currently, all non-essential retail, including clothing, and book shops are closed. Supermarkets, however, can remain open. Many larger outlets were, until the rules were clarified by the Welsh Government, selling non-essential items.

However, the Welsh Government has since sought to make clear that supermarkets should not be selling non-essential items – including clothing, appliances and electronics – during this period.

The Government’s response, however, has led to calls from those across the political spectrum for the rules to be scrapped.

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Paul Davies called the restrictions “very confusing” and suggested that the measures should be scrapped due to the “anger” shown by people in Wales.

The First Minister, Mark Drakeford appeared to remain determined to keep the ban in place and met

with supermarket leaders earlier this week to clarify what can and cannot be sold in this period.

“Only selling essential items during firebreak is to discourage spending more time than necessary in shops. It should not stop you accessing items that you need,” the Welsh Government tweeted on Monday, October 26.

The tweet came after images of a Tesco store restricting access to feminine hygiene products was shared on Twitter, with the supermarket responding that it was as a result of Welsh Government restrictions.

It later came to light that the products were inaccessible due to a break-in at the store earlier that morning. This was partially confirmed in a tweet from South Wales Police.

However, despite the First Minister’s reassurances, opposition politicians remain unconvinced.

Adam Price, Leader of Plaid Cymru, said that the debacle had “eroded public trust” and was “entirely avoidable”.

Some have highlighted, however, that it appears the Welsh Conservatives had originally appeared to have been supportive of a ban on the sale of non-essential goods, mainly in the name of helping to support local Welsh businesses.

Shadow Cabinet Minister for Business, Russell George suggested in the Senedd that “it felt wrong and disproportionate” for small businesses to shut, whilst larger busi-

Cardiff shops: Under the new lockdown measures, non-essential shops in Wales have been forced to close and non-essential aisles in supermarkets are cordened off: Source, Jaggery (via. geograph) nesses were allowed to remain open.

The Member of the Senedd then asked the First Minister to clarify whether the new guidelines would “incorporate a fairer approach in terms of which businesses are required to close”.

In response, the First Minister said that the Welsh Government would be “making it clear to supermarkets that they are only able to open those parts of their businesses that provide essential goods”.

The Welsh Conservatives do not appear to have yet responded to the claims that they appeared to origi-

nally support a ban on the sale of non-essential items in supermarkets.

So far, there does not appear to be any change in direction from the Welsh Government, despite viral images of half-closed supermarkets shared on social media, and a Senedd petition which has been signed by more than 65,000 people.

The Senedd petitions website states that those with more than 5,000 signatures will be considered for debate in the chamber. So far, however, there does not look to be any sign of this happening during the Senedd recess.

The current lockdown in Wales has not been without controversy, and opinion on the Welsh Government’s actions seems to be split in the UK press.

The Spectator wrote that Drakeford is “starting to turn Wales into a wartime, command economy: East

Germany, except not as efficient, and with more sheep.”

However, another view is that the firebreak is neccessary to restrict a rapid rise in cases. Sion Jobbins, Chair of YesCymru, said: “People have seen that the Senedd in Wales is much more competent at running Wales’s affairs than Westminster, and we can do so with more empathy and compassion as well.”

According to YouGov, a majority of Brits believe the UK Government have performed badly in preparing for a second wave over Christmas, only 24% agreed the UK Government had done well.

Currently there are no polls to indicate opinions on the Welsh Government’s preparations, however, YouGov found that a majority of people in Wales believe that devolved governments should make decisions on coronavirus in their nation.

Should we expect another lockdown in the new year?

Dewi Morris

Politics Editor

Dewi Morris

Morgan Perry politics@gairrhydd.com

M

ark Drakeford has described Wales’ 17-day fire-break lockdown as a “pathway to Christmas.” The First Minister is hopeful action now will mean lesser restrictions over the holidays, however, Drakeford told ITV, on October 25: “In the new year, who knows what position we will face?... If things were to be again as serious as they are in Wales today, nobody can rule out us needing to take further extraordinary measures.”

Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, told the BBC “I’m afraid it’s going to get worse. This is not the last lockdown we’re likely to see.

“I think the projections in the papers we’ve published on our worst-

case scenarios shows it’s likely we’re going to need to have another firebreak in January or February.”

Asked whether he agreed with Waters’ statement, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “None of us can say what is likely…What we are being really upfront with people about is that the fire-break is necessary to deal with the exponential rise in cases and the exponential rise in harm that we are seeing.”

It appears the likelihood of a second fire-break in a few months’ time will be dependent on the results achieved by this first fire-break lockdown, and of course wholly dependent on the likely rise of cases over Christmas.

With no easy way to end the pandemic without a vaccine or eradicating the virus, persistent lockdowns may be what we should perhaps expect.

...turn Wales into a wartime command economy: East Germany, except not as efficient, and with more sheep Matthew Lynn The Spectator

Kirsty Williams to stand down as MS candidate in next election Morgan Perry Politics Editor

E

ducation Minister and Member of the Senedd for Brecon and Radnorshire, Kirsty Williams has announced that she won’t seek re-election at the Senedd elections in May 2021. Williams announced the news by way of a tweet, which included a copy of the letter that was sent to the Chair of Brecon and Radnorshire Liberal Democrats, Jackie Charlton.

The letter opened: “Next May it will have been 22 years since I was first elected to represent the people of Brecon and Radnorshire.

“Being the family of a politician is never easy. I must thank my husband and three wonderful daughters for their patients, and at times resilience,

that they have shown over these years,” she added.

“It is with them in mind that, after a great deal of thought and reflection, I have decided not to stand as a candidate at the next Senedd elections.

“The next candidate, and the Welsh Liberal Democrats, will have my abiding support and I will be out there campaigning as ever”.

The next candidate and the Welsh Liberal Democrats, will have my abiding support Kirsty Williams Welsh Education Minister

Williams was first elected to the Senedd in 1999 and is one of the few members that has been re-elected every election since. She has served in the Senedd for twenty-two years.

Prior to running in the then-Welsh Assembly elections, Williams sought electoral success in the South Wales parliamentary seat of Ogmore. Standing for the Liberal Democrats, she finished third.

That success was not far away, however, and Williams was successfully elected to the new Assembly in May 1999, where she has remained ever since.

By 2008, Williams had been elected the first female leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, a post she held until May 2016, after a more-thandisappointing result in the Assembly elections. By this point, Williams was

the party’s only remaining Member of the Senedd.

Whilst the party hadn’t performed so well, Williams was asked to join the Welsh Government cabinet by outgoing First Minister Carwyn Jones, where she sat alongside Welsh Labour, and provided them with their necessary majority as the Minister for Education.

So far this year alone, Williams has overseen the educational response to the coronavirus, as well as the controversy over the summer GCSE and A-level results. Most recently, she announced a £10 million fund for education institutions in Wales to support students and their mental health during the pandemic.

Members of the Senedd, MPs and others across the political community paid tribute to Williams’ devotion to

the people of Wales, and her Senedd constituency.

Paul Davies, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, tweeted: “Regardless of our political differences, she has been a tireless champion of her constituency and a passionate and formidable politician over the last two decades.”

Meanwhile, Labour MP for Swansea East, Carolyn Harris praised Williams’ “unwavering commitment to public service”.

Williams’ decision not to stand could leave the Liberal Democrats without any representation in the Senedd. Indeed, the latest polling shows that the party was due to return just one MS – likely to be Williams – though her seat could now be all to play for.

Providing the Senedd elections aren’t delayed, all will become clear in just over seven months’ time.

GWLEIDYDDIAETH

Free school meals debate continues in England Holly Mulholland Contributor

O

n October 21, a bill to provide free school meals for children struggling with food poverty was voted down in the House of Commons.

It was believed the Labour motion, if passed, would’ve provided £15 food vouchers per week for over 1.3 million children in England, extending the free school meals scheme over the holiday period until Easter 2021, however, it was found it was an Opposition Day motion.

Food poverty in Britain is a prolific issue, with 10% of adults reporting food insecurity.

With the pandemic wreaking havoc on the economy, many families have been struggling more than usual with food bank emergency parcels forecasted to see a 61% increase between October and December.

Ben Bradley, MP for Mansfield took to Twitter to defend the outcome, “At one school in #Mansfield 75% of the kids have a social worker, 25% of parents are illiterate.

“Their estate is the centre of the area’s crime. One kid lives in a crack den, another in a brothel. These are the kids that most need our help, extending #FSM doesn’t reach these kids”. He has since deleted the tweets.

Danny Kruger, MP for Devizes, commented ‘The problem is that generous, unconditional, universal benefit entitlements trap people in dependency on the state and rightly enrage people who are working hard

for themselves. That’s why I believe in a more flexible, community-led approach to welfare’.

Five Conservative MPs voted against the government. Caroline Ansell, Parlimaentary Private Secretary to the Department of Environment, Food and Rurual Affairs, was amongst them.

She said that vouchers were not a long-term solution but that she “could not in all conscience ignore her belief ’ that the policy would benefit families struggling during the pandemic.

Another of the Conservative rebels, Robert Halfon, said that it may not have been a perfect solution but it could’ve given them the chance to come up with a long-term plan.

The voting down of the bill has drawn a large degree of critique from the public. Twitter was flooded with people up-in-arms, 2,000 paediatricians have signed a letter to implore the government to follow Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’s lead.

Nigel Farage criticised the vote saying that “If the government can subsidise Eat Out to Help Out, not being seen to give poor kids lunch in the school holidays looks mean and is wrong”.

The rejection of the bill by Westminster has both inspiring outrage in the public, but also generosity.

Hundreds of communities have pulled together to try and support their local children, there has been an increase in donations and volunteers to food banks deliver goods.

Many small businesses have also offered free meals to children who

need them.

Marcus Rashford, the outspoken football player who has been a prominent voice in the campaign against food poverty for children, said that he was devastated and that “these children matter... for as long as they don’t have a voice, they will have mine”.

Rashford had previously earned a U-turn from the Government.

Labour have promised that they will push for another vote with La-

bour Leader Sir Keir Starmer saying “It’s not too late to do the right thing”.

Considering the negative response to the vote, it could be that a Government U-turn is on the horizon.

Senior Conservative member Sir Bernard Jenkin seems to support this prediction, saying that the government had “misunderstood” the public mood.

Whether the government overturns its decision is yet to be seen.

School Lunches: The decisions made by the Government regarding free school meals have earned much opposition from members of the public.

Source: Amanda Mills(via. Pixnio)

Corbyn suspended for comments made on anti-Semitism report Dewi Morris

Politics Editor

A

report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn “at best, did not do enough to prevent anti-Semitism and, at worst, could be seen to accept it.”

Jeremy Corbyn, whose leadership was plagued by allegations of antiSemitism within the party, has been suspended from Labour pending investigation into his comments following the report.

The EHRC’s investigation was launched in May 2019 and had two

main aims: to identify whether the Labour Party was guilty of antiSemitism (by breaking the Equality Act 2010 relating to those of Jewish heritage and practicing Jews). And whether Labour handled complaints of anti-Semitism effectively and lawfully, as well as whether the party implemented recommendations from previous reports.

The report findings are mostly damning for the Labour Party and found it guilty of breaching the Equality Act on three grounds. Labour was also found “responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination” The report states: “We found evidence of political interference in

We found evidence of political interference in the handling of anti-Semitism complaints througout the period of the investigation. We have concluded that this practice of political interference was unlawful.

EHRC report into anti-Semitism in the Labour Party

Corbyn and Starmer: The EHRC report found serious failings in the leadership of the party, and indicates a hard future ahead for the Labour Party. Source: Jeremy Corbyn (via. Wikimedia Commons)

the handling of anti-Semitism complaints throughout the period of the investigation. We have concluded that this practice of political interference was unlawful.

“Within the sample of 70 complaint files, we found 23 instances of political interference by LOTO staff and others.” LOTO (Leader of the Opposition) staff had power to influence decisions on complaints and whether individuals were suspended.

The report deems this interference as “a lack of transparency and consistency”, as this was not part of Labour’s formal complaints process. It also concluded the interference was “indirectly discriminatory and unlawful, and that the Labour Party was legally responsible for it.”

It was also found that staff did not receive adequate training to handle anti-Semitism complaints, despite this being a recommendation from previous reports.

Jeremy Corbyn has had the whip

removed after his comments following the report’s publication.

After the report was published on Thursday October 29, Jeremy Corbyn issued a statement claiming, “as Leader of the Labour Party I was always determined to eliminate all forms of racism and root out the cancer of anti-Semitism.”

Corbyn claimed “reform was stalled by an obstructive Party bureaucracy.”

The report states that “some improvements” had been made following previous reports, however, antiSemitism “could have been tackled more effectively if the leadership had chosen to do so.”

Corbyn also claimed that antiSemitism within Labour had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media.”

Corbyn tweeted that he will “strongly contest the political intervention to suspend [him].”

Current Labour Party leader, Sir Keir Starmer was quick to respond to allegations of failed leadership by suspending Jeremy Corbyn. He also issued a statement saying: “The report’s conclusions are clear and stark. They leave no room for equivocation.

“I found this report hard to read and it is a day of shame for the Labour Party. We have failed Jewish people, our members, our supporters, and the British public. And so, on behalf of the Labour Party, I am truly sorry for all the pain and grief that has been caused.”

Soon after Sir Keir Starmer made his statement, former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn made his own statement, in which addressed his suspension, and the report which was particularly damning for the Labour Party and its future.

13

Scotland hints at Christmas lockdown Louise James Contributor

J

ohn Swinney, the Deputy First Minister of Scotland, has said that students in Scotland may be asked to remain at their university residences over the Christmas period if COVID-19 is not under control.

John Swinney believes that there would be certain risks if large groups of people, such as students, moved around the country at the same time.

The Education Minister commented that it will only be off the table if the infection rate has reduced by the Christmas period.

When she spoke at her daily coronavirus briefing, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon ensured that she and her government would “do everything we can” to help get students studying in Scotland home for Christmas, but as with everything going on so far this year there is an impending uncertainty in the situation.

Many people and organisations such as the National Union of Students (NUS) have spoken out at the current situation. Larissa Kennedy, the President of the NUS has previously said that students who have been forced to self-isolate in various universities have been “trapped” in “disgusting conditions”. A number of students in Scotland have commented that they believe that a lot of students will still go home for Christmas regardless of the restrictions or fines put in place.

John Swinney has said that there is an “expectation” that students would be reunited with their families at Christmas, but still has not given clarity as to what will eventually happen.

In Wales there have been many talks regarding the students who have chosen to come and study at Welsh universities and what the Christmas period would look like for them.

Back in September, Mark Drakeford publicly announced on Good Morning Britain that he would not rule out keeping students on campus over the Christmas period in a bid to control the ongoing spread of COVID-19.

As the pandemic continues to develop it is uncertain what action the Welsh removed Government will take.

Welsh coronavirus policy is reviewed every three weeks, so it was not surprising when the Education Minister Kirsty Williams revealed that students may have to potentially self-isolate in order to spend the Christmas period with their families.

She announced at the press conference on October 22 that her and her colleagues “across the United Kingdom” were looking at a range of options to ensure that students would be able to safely return home for the Christmas period.

The coronavirus incubation period that students may be asked to complete in self-isolation, is a maximum of 14 days, however it has not been clarified if all members of the household would need to follow this period of self-isolation or if only one student wanted to go home for the Christmas recess.

Although Kirsty Williams mentions that the “arrangements for

14

POLITICS

What are citizens voting on?

Presidential Election

Donald Trump vs.

Joe Biden Senate Elections 35 Seats to be won (seats are already held by their respective parties) 12 Democratic and 23 Republican

Gubernatorial elections

13 Governorships 5 Democratic and 7 Republican up for election As well as Puerto Rico Special Elections 4 special elections will take place to replace members who resigned or died during the 116th US Congress

New York’s 27th Congressional district

How do elections in the United States work?

The American electoral system seems simply in theory, but in reality, there are number of distinctive rules that make for a complex process Tom Kingsbury Political Editor

T

he US electoral system can seem frustratingly complex.

Voters cast a vote for a president (and vice-president), so why doesn’t the person with the most votes always win, what is the electoral college, and what else do we need to know about US elections?

Let’s start with the president.

Each presidential candidate must be nominated as their party’s candidate.

The Democrat and Republican parties (and other smaller parties) hold primary elections, where they choose who among them will be their candidate for president.

Campaigns from candidates become increasingly more intense as the election draws nearer.

Campaigning is a broad topic, but a key aspect to note is how wellfunded American electoral campaigns are. There are fewer restrictions on spending and methods of campaigning in the US than in the UK. One important area is that of political advertising. Political Action Committees (PACs) raise and spend money to advertise in favour of their preferred candidates.

But PACs have spending limits, forcing political strategists to come up with loopholes if they want to spend over the (by American standards) stringent spending limits.

Thus was formed the Super PAC, which avoids spending limits completely by endorsing ideas, not candidates or parties.

Advertising is still intended to favour or harm candidates, but by not mentioning or being officially endorsed by parties or candidates, Super PACs can spend unlimited amounts on advertising. This is why the amount raised by candidates is a big issue in the US.

The next vote is the big one: the presidental election, where voters are given a choice (among many others on the ballot) of who to vote for as President of the United States. The US, unlike the UK, explicitly chooses its leader. The votes towards who will be president, however, are not counted all together, but state-by-state.

This is where the electoral college comes into play.

The electoral college is a group of individuals who truly have the power to select the president of the United States. There are 538 electors, so the magic number of electoral college votes, 270, is needed to confirm the president.

The electoral college functions as a filter, or an obstacle (depending on interpretation), between the votes of the public and the confirmation of a presidential victory.

In each state, voters decide on a candidate, and in almost all states the winner of that state gains all the electoral votes the state has.

This system is controversial for two main reasons: not all states have proportional electoral college votes to their population, and the system does not necessarily give victory to the candidate who gains the most votes.

This was on stark display in 2016, where even though Hillary Clinton won a little under three million more votes than Trump, he won the electoral college vote by almost 80 votes.

After all the votes have been counted, and the election decided, the winning candidate becomes President-elect, and will be inaugurated as President of the United States in January next year.

The choice of president is not the only vote on a US ballot though.

Voters often have enormous sheets to vote on, selecting positions all the way from president to local offices such as school board members.

California’s 25th Congressional district Maryland’s 7th Congressional district Wisconsin 7th Congressional district

Join Cardiff Student Media LIVE on election night - November 3 Updates on the Gair Rhydd website and Twitter @gairrhyddpol

Xpress Radio will be broadcasting a live show on Xpress Xtra CUTV are collaborating with ‘R3trospect’ to host a watch-along ‘virtual green room’ livestream 4am-7.30am GMT.

The US electoral system: The American electoral system can often seem confusing to many of us in Britain, with the two systems differing greatly.

Source: (via. Pikrepo)

Heading to the polls: When Americans head to the polls this year, they won’t just be voting for their President.

Source: Lars Plougmann (via. Wikimedia Commons) What is the vote like for US law- ception is that the House functions makers? as the voice of the people, more acDuring this election, every voter’s tively pushing for change at a faster ballot paper will have on it a choice pace. On the other hand, the Senof district representative in the ate is seen as a more cautious and House of Representatives. The win- slow paced body, defending against ner of this vote represents their dis- ‘tyranny of the majority’ in a similar, trict in one of the legislative cham- though much more influential, role bers in America, voting on laws to the UK’s House of Lords. with their district’s best interests in The toher role by the Sentate is to mind. prevent unneeded and constant law Each US state has a number of changes, and to ensure laws are bedistricts allocated roughly on popu- ing passed in the best interest of the lation. California, for example, has American people.

53 districts, and so 53 members in This perception is enforced by the the House of Representatives. frequency of each chamber of ConIt is not exactly proportional to gress’ elections. To put it simply, population though – California has the standard to pass a vote is signifia population of 39.5 million people, cantly higher in the Senate, at a two making over 745,000 people per -thirds majority rather than half of electoral college vote, whereas Wy- the House. oming has less than 580,000 people A final area of note that the 2020 living in it, but three electoral col- election will affect states and local lege votes. governments, in addition to finding The entire House of Representa- the United States its next president. tives is elected every two years, This means a number of governors, and therefore highly accountable to a new Senate and House of Repthe people its members represent, resentatives for each state will be though as with the UK, some ‘safe elected. seats’ rarely change hands.

These elections are just as imporThe US Senate, on the other hand, tant as federal and natioanl elections holds elections for each of its seats for each state - state governments every six years (a third of the Sen- can enact laws on taxation, health, ate every two years). The Senate has justice, and many other issues, just two representatives for every state, as long as they do not contradict regardless of population, making federal laws. for 100 Senate seats. This year, the As with any country, the extent to so-called ‘class 2’ senators are being which an election is democratic revoted on. This means the elections lies on amongst many other things will decide on 33 Senate seats from how many people vote. across the US. Though the 2020 US elections is This year, Democrats have an being held in the context of a global advantageous chance to take con- pandemic, which has hit America trol of the US Senate, since only 12 hard, turnout is expected to be the Democrat senators are up for elec- highest in decades. tion, compared to 23 Republican The election will be different senators. from any other, and mail-in voting There are a number of models and more important than ever before, views as to why the US legislature but an expected turnout this high is functions like this. One such con- only good for democracy.

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 15 What have the Presidential campaigns been like? In other news America is in a unique political situation, with ongoing protests and a pandemic, but has this helped or hindered the election campaigns?

Race for the White House: Either Joe Biden or Donald Trump will win the White House on November 3, leading the United States for the next four years at least: Source, ID 12019 (via. pixabay)

Incumbent President Donald Trump has been keen to rally his base, to appeal to his most loyal supporters. In both of the debates, it was the Twitter Trump that we saw; loud and boastful, which many of his supporters will take as a sign that the President is as strong willed and confident as ever. But Trump can’t rely on his base to win him this election and while he may claim that the silent majority is on his side, the current polls just don’t corroborate that. As the election draws nearer Trump is his charecteristic self, and while that will appeal to some voters - it was clearly enough to win the White House four years ago - swing voters may have been looking for a more mature or stately figure.

Biden on the other hand has run a campaign based on a key message: ‘I’m not Donald Trump.’ A good number of American voters dislike the incumbent President immensely and can’t think of anything worse than another term with Trump at the wheel. As such, Biden to many will be the lesser of two evils and at least a welcome change. But many have raised critique over his age; if Biden were to win this election, he would be the oldest man ever to begin his first term as President at the age of 77. Critics will point to his past political career as a point of controversy, and his seemingly confused manor in recent public appearances have been seized upon by opponents as evidence that he is unfit for the highest office.

Due to the advanced age of both candidates, extra scrutiny has been placed on the running mates Mike Pence for Donald Trump, and Kamala Harris for Joe Biden. It is entirely possible that the winner of this presidential election could also offer America its next President in four years time.

D

T

Hallum Cowell Head of Politics

The final sprint in the race for the White House is upon us. After months of one of the most divisive and unique electoral campaigns of this generation either Donald Trump, or Joe Biden will become President of the United States of America.

This election could not have come at a more turbulent time, COVID-19 has spread across the US like wildfire, making it one of the most infected countries in the world, with

almost 9 million cases and 227,000 deaths as of October 28. Like many places in the world, the nation is reeling from the economic and social impact of the pandemic.

At the same time the US is undergoing a period of huge social activism with groups like Black Lives Matter demanding broad systematic change in the country and the population heavily divided along political lines.

Both candidates in this election have seen their fair share of challenges, with each Presidential hopeful employing their own unique strategies.

On the night, swing states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida could end up deciding this election, but we won’t know the outcome of this election for several days.

Current polling overwhelmingly predicts a Biden victory on election night.

However, as we know all too well from the last American election and our own Brexit referendum in 2016, nothing is over until it’s over.

If the Democrats become convinced that they will win this election, that could be just the thing that gives Trump another four more years.

The final polls As of October 30

Joe Biden has a 89% chance to win the Presidency.

Joe Biden has a 97% chance to win the popular vote.

A 30% chance that Joe Biden wins a landslide victory and less than 1% that Donald Trump wins a landslide.

Democrats are favoured to win the House and the Senate.

has steered clear of the issue of COVID-19 and Trump has been keen to use it to draw further ire to China, calling the pandemic “the China-Virus”.

In reference to the massive economic downturn resulting from the pandemic, he has argued that the US economy will undergo a “super V” of rapid recovery.

The incumbent president has also made comments on the fairness of the upcoming election.

He questioned the trustworthiness of postal ballots, which have become key to the election during the pandemic. A refusal to commit to a peaceful transition of power has raised red flags but has potentially galvanised Trump’s supporters to make sure they vote in an effort to do their part to stop a system the President calls rigged.

Donald Trump: Source: Gage Skidmore (via Wikimedia Commons)

he Biden campaign has focused on “the soul of America” and placing Joe Biden as a preferable alternative to Trump.

Biden’s strategy for this election seems to be targeting both white American voters and the Latino communities. Because there are only two major political parties in the US, they often become what are called ‘broad churches’, with a wide spectrum of opinions and values.

Within the Democrats you have the free market capitalists on the right side of the party while also containing the left wing “progressive” bloc.

Biden seems to be banking on winning the support of undecided swing voters and minority communties with his policies and his actions, while trusting that the more progressive branch of the Democrat

The Prime Minister of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa is in self isolation after coming into contact with a dinner guest who later tested positive for coronavirus.

Ramaphosa appears well and is not yet displaying any symptoms. He is the latest in a number of world leaders who have had to isolate as a result of the virus, including, most recently, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

South Africa is battling the worst outbreak on the continent, with 19,000 deaths and 720,000 confirmed cases.

Source: FiveThirtyEight2020

The Trump campaign The Biden campaign onald Trump is running for his second term as President of the United States, and his campaign is following similar themes to that of his 2016 run, despite a number of key members of the campaign team being changed for this election.

And of course, the famous slogan “Promises Made, Promises Kept and Made America Great” is front and centre and remains the cornerstone of the Trump campaign.

The idea that previous Presidents have eroded American values and exported American jobs to other nations and that only President Trump can bring economic prosperity back to the US, is a theme that clearly resonated with voters in 2016. But whether it will work again is yet to be seen.

Where it can, Trump’s campaign

India’s new law in Kashmir allows Indian nationals to buy land in the disputed territory. Locals called the law a ‘land grab’ and allege the Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has introduced the law in an attempt to dilute the Muslim-majority area. In August last year, the semi-autonomy of the region was scrapped meaning Kashmir now comes under direct control from New Delhi. When it maintained autonomy, Kashmir, a disputed region on the India-Pakistan border, had laws in place that prevented the sale of land to those from outside the region.

Party will prefer him to Trump.

That’s not to say that Biden hasn’t adopted more progressive policies, such as a universal healthcare option, and given support to LGBTQ+ issues, but his past actions during his political career and a number of controversial statements in his recent and distant past may make his Presidency a hard pill to swallow for those on the left.

To win on the night, Biden needs to convince swing voters, and those voters that are as yet undecided, to back his presidental bid. Though the polls are in his favour, popular votes don’t always win elections.

To this end, he has been focused on putting himself across as an electoral candidate who is trustworthy, and who might offer a different America to that many have seen under Trump’s presidency.

Joe Biden: Source: Michael Stokes (via Wikimedia Commons)

France have announced that they will undergo a second national lockdown in response to an increase in COVID-19 cases. From October 30, people will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential work or medical reasons.

Currently cases of COVID-19 are at 33,000 as of October 27, with deaths at their highest level since April 2020. These new measures occur as the second wave of COVID-19 begins across Europe, with governments across the world once again bringing in strict measures to contain outbreaks and transmission.

The trial in Argentina for those accused of human rights abuses during the country’s seven year military dictatorship has begun.

Those on trial are accused of interrogating, torturing and killing political disidents at “detention centres”. A military Junta led Argentina between 1976 and 1983 and is thought to have killed around 30,000 during the “dirty war” campaign.

16

COMMENT

YOUR The increase of political polarisation COMMENT What impact could this have on the upcoming electorate?

DESK T Izzy Morgan

Comment Editor

Molly Govus

Sian Hopkins

Cerys Ann Jones

Izzy Morgan comment@gairrhydd.com

he two major party systems we see in western culture obviously causes a huge divide amongst populations on the issues we face in society.

However, as we have seen this year in particular, the divide between the left and right could be said to be increasing as we see an increase in ‘radical’ policies and behaviours from both sides of the political spectrum.

The decisions that are made by our elected representatives on these issues govern our daily lives and how society operates in times of struggle like we have witnessed to this year, and therefore, the need for compromise and understanding could be said to be more important than ever. If this is true, then why are we seeing increased polarisation politically?

One of the key players in the debate on political polarisation is social media. Perhaps most evident in 2016, the use of social media in political campaigning showed us how much we really let our opinions be influenced by what we see online.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal terrified many in how easy it is to manipulate our everyday feed with political advertising when sometimes we are completely unaware of it.

The spread of disinformation and ‘fake news’ dominated conversations around political discourse in recent years and we are living the effects of how unregulated social media use by political entities can potentially threaten democracy.

The term ‘echo bubble’ is becoming more widespread now than ever, and it basically refers to due to many social media’s platforms using specific algorithms, what you appear to like online will be reflected back and advertised to you more in your feed.

Therein, if you are typically leftwing and are seen to be liking a lot of that content online then you are likely to be shown more left-wing content.

The issue here is that it can lull you into a false sense of security as it appears to be a notion of “well everyone thinks what I think” when really, someone sitting right next to you might have completely opposing opinions and be seeing a com-

pletely different feed.

So, why is political polarisation an issue? Obviously, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and political views, however if these divisions between left and right groups continue to grow in the coming years it could lead to several issues.

Some experts in the tech industry have cited that a worst case scenario might result in a civil war and that people must be able to compromise on some issues to have a functioning democracy.

Ahead of the upcoming US presidential election this week, it is hard to know which way it will go as in recent we have seen an increasingly divided electorate with far right and left parties making larger gains. The 2016 presidential saw the close results between President Trump and Hillary Clinton.

This is not a US-specific issue, however, as we did see a similar result in the Brexit referendum in the UK. This is not an issue that we can ignore, there are clear correlations with increased political polarisation and in the increased use of social media.

The use of social media platforms for political gain in this way must be regulated before it impacts democracy more than it has already. Legal restrictions on social media use for these agendas is little to none in the

UK currently.

These issues have been highlighted due to the increased news coverage of topics such as fake news as well as journalistic inquiry into companies like Cambridge Analytica but perhaps the farthest reaching vehicles for discussing these issues have been the documentaries and films that have been produced such as The Uncivil War and The Social Dilemma.

Granted, these films might have a biased outlook on the issues, however, the most jarring part of The Social Dilemma in particular, is that the people who are warning others about the dangers in political polarisation due to the use of social media are those who helped create the social media platforms themselves.

The increase in radicalisation might have catastrophic events in the near future if social media is not regulated for those who have the money, influence and spaces to affect real life action from those who may encourage dissent.

The near future consequences we might see are more likely to be potentially an increase in disaffected party members who may no longer identify with increasingly radicalised party members which could result in political apathy or an encouragement to switch to a different party alignment. It could also

increase the demonising of certain groups in the media due to their political alignments being tied to huge moral issues such as students in particular who are often mocked in the media for their beliefs and party alignements.

The future of this issue is looking increasingly bleak with the solutions to broad, complex issues being presented as ‘black and white’ or rather red and blue. Those who say the use of social media in this way to further political agendas is a danger to democracy are not unfounded.

No doubt the next few weeks will have a lot more to show us in the consequences of the political polarisation in the US especially.

It must be considered whether we are allowing this increased polarisation to stand in the way of positive progress in betterment of society as a whole which must be a result of common understanding and compromise on certain issues.

We also must increase the awareness on how social media can be used to manipulate large portions of the electorate before it is too late as it would be naive that the platforms which we hold in high regard do not bend to a corporate agenda and therefore will be marketing their users to the highest bidders.

What impact could this have?: We must be aware of the consequences of a ‘false sense of security’.

Source: All Nite Images (via. Wikimedia Commons)

Why is it still so hard for society to accept sexuality?

Sian Hopkins

Comment Editor

D

espite us beginning to reach the end of the chaotic year of 2020 and move towards the hopefully brighter future of 2021, there is still persistent discrimination and hate towards the LGBT+ community.

This last week has seen students at Durham University left feeling “threatened” and “unsafe” according to BBC News, after an LGBT+ association zoom call was invaded by 15 anonymous attackers, hurling abuse and homophobic slurs.

Pink News, a news outlet that targets the LGBT+ community and sexuality specific stories, added that the hijack-

ers also continued to play loud music and sexually explicit videos over the students who had actually wished to attend the meeting. The zoom link had been shared amongst St Mary’s College for welcoming new students, who were already restricted by the COVID-19 rules in place. One of the LGBT+ associates stated how this malicious behaviour could not have come at a worse time, because of these restrictions, meaning students are unable to meet in person and support each other.

Whilst Sam Dale, Durham University’s Head of student support and wellbeing commented, “Such behaviour is not acceptable at Durham University and will not be tolerated. Incidents will be reported to the police,” but how far will this matter be taken seriously? This

act of zoom-bombing, by most likely fellow Durham students on a student minority, “is a hate crime. Nothing less.”

BBC news followed up with a further quote by an LGBT+ student associate who commented: “The fact that this was not simply an individual acting alone, but rather a coordinated attack from a number of people, is a reminder of how routinely unsafe and unwelcome our community is made to feel,” warning of how toxic the university culture seemed to be.

This example of hate reflects how little progress has been made in terms of accepting different sexualities, within society, as not even all of ‘Gen-Z’ can be seen as being ‘woke’ and ‘accepting’ to an alternate. Why is accepting others’ sexuality so hard? Most prejudice

and discrimination evolves from fear and ignorance, fearing the unknown.

This can be linked back to the only recent change made to school learning in finally including sexuality and LGBT+ education within its social studies and sexual education.

This apparent lack of sufficient education about discovering and learning about our sexuality was frankly, unacceptable.

Most of the reasons it took so long for them to finally include information about LGBT+ relationships was down to old and tired prejudice, worries that it might push precious young children into being ‘a gay.’ These hateful stigmas, taught to young people through a lack of proper education, are what results in a continued prejudice and discrimina-

tion against anyone who is, or seen to be, ‘queer.’ This suggests there has been less progress from the AIDS tragedies in the 1980s and villainising the gay community than we thought.

Being part of the LGBT+ community is not a disgusting or awful thing, yet these anonymous attackers at Durham University seem to believe so and that they have a right to vocalise this. Correction: they don’t. What they did was not freedom of speech or professing a different opinion, it was hate. Discriminating and being hateful is not acceptable in today’s society and never should have been. Instead of being scared about how someone else is living their life, gain some education, divulge outside of your parents’ knowledge or even just show some empathy.

SYLWADAU

The issue behind the free school meals debate

The British Government voiced their opinion in their vote, but at what cost?

Cerys Jones

Comment Editor

T

he British Government has become subject to scrutiny following the parliamentary vote against supporting Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford’s campaign to extend free school meals over the school break for around 1.3 million children in vulnerable circumstances.

The Labour motion was defeated by a majority of 61 with 322 votes to 261 in the House of Commons chamber on October 24, with five members of the Conservative party rebelling.

Despite the pervasive pressure and increasing criticism encompassing performing a U-turn regarding the issue, there is no current action being implemented by the government to reverse the refusal of continuing the free school meals scheme over the October half-term holiday. The government has spoken in support of the parliamentary decision stating that they will increase funding for the poorest families during the Christmas holidays and that plans are in process to provide additional financial support for eligible pupils outside of term time. Following the Conservative defeat of the Labour motion, a spokesperson for the government stated: “We have provided free school meals when schools were partially closed, increasing welfare support by £9.3bn, and giving councils £63m for families facing financial difficulties”. With which he followed: “We also provided vouchers through the Covid Summer Food Fund, in addition to the Holiday Activities and Food Programme”.

The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has spoken in defence of the democratic refusal to extend free school meals for children living in deprived circumstances, stating that he was “very proud” of the government’s support so far.

In further justification of the majority vote, Johnson said that the British government was supporting disadvantaged families with a Universal Credit increase of £20 a week introduced in April and that £63m was given to Councils in June to help people struggling to afford food and essential items.

In response, the Local Government Association stated that the funding provided was intended to be spent

before the end of September, and had been “outstripped” by demand.

A mother of two children from Leicestershire county, Nicola Palmer, expressed that meal vouchers had been an “absolute lifeline” for her family’s well-being during the Easter and Summer holidays. She states that she and her partner are unable to work consequent to their disabilities, thus increasing their reliance on universal credit.

She reveals that despite receiving universal credit, after paying bills, her family of 4 members “would be lucky” to have £40 leftover to last the month for necessities. She said that she and her partner had no dinner at all last week to ensure that the children received a sufficient and adequate meal and portion size. Families experiencing food insecurity are therefore placing imperative importance on survival as opposed to the quality of life, thus illuminating the unfair and unjust class system within British society. Palmer states that the slight increase in government funding has not generated a noticeable difference in their daily lives: “Yes, we are in receipt of Universal Credit, however, due to our low income and having to pay for bills as well as trying to put a meal on the table, the very slight increase on this has not made any difference for us whatsoever”.

Despite previous governmental attempts to battle child food poverty within the UK, 2.5 million children will continue to experience holiday hunger following the termination of term.

Members of the Conservative party have responded condemning their personal and political actions.

Tobias Ellowood, a Conservative MP and former defence minister who voted against the continued provision of free school meals, revealed that he regrets his decision on Good Morning Britain’s news and talk show programme.

He stated: “Yes I do regret it, the vote was very undignified,” he said. “Labour spelled it out quite late in the day and it was not the way politics should be done”.

Speaking to the political correspondent for Sky News, Sophy Ridge, Sir Bernard Jenkin, a Conservative politician serving as Chairman of the Liaison Committee, claims that the Tory Party misread the perception of the population, stating that the government may need to rethink their strategy: “We have to admit we’ve misunderstood the

Millions left hungry: Some families heavily rely on school meals to keep their children full. Source: Casey Lehman via.

Wikimediacommons mood of the country here…the public want to see the government taking a national lead on this, and I think the government will probably have to think again on that”.

The Conservative chair of the education select committee, Robert Halfon, rebelled against the Tory party regarding its decision to delay the dissemination of free school meals, and voted for a Labour party motion in the House of Commons in support of Rashford’s campaign, he stated: “Rather than patchwork initiatives, the Government should have a national long-term plan to combat child hunger”.

Members of society have reacted in an overwhelmingly positive manner following the disappointing outcome in the House of Commons chamber.

Communities and businesses have actively participated in combatting the issue of child food poverty. Business owner, James Lampert, wrote in a Facebook status: “I have access to a commercial kitchen and will provide tasty, nutritional meals to anybody who needs them. There is no charge, no questions asked”.

The Welsh Government has announced an £11million scheme ahead of October Half-term to ensure that vulnerable children are provided with free school meals for all holidays up to and including Easter 2021. This will reduce child food poverty for more than 75,000 pupils aged between 5 and 15 who are eligible for free school meals across Wales. The Welsh Minister for

Education, Kirsty Williams, says that she hopes it provides families with “some reassurance in these times of uncertainty”. The English footballer MBE and poverty activist, Marcus Rashford, supported the plan for Wales, which he said would have a “significantly positive impact on children”. The MBE stated: “Holiday provision is vital to stabilising households during the school closures, given the devastating effects of COVID-19”.

Children cannot control the socioeconomic environment that they are brought into, therefore no child should be at a disadvantage regarding life opportunities. All children should be provided with the necessary tools to ensure success.

An academic study conducted by Leeds University proved that children who eat breakfast regularly achieve an average of two GCSE grades higher than children who do not. This evidence demonstrates that feeding children properly increases educational attainment and boost life chances, which would decrease government costs in the long run.

The stigma encompassing financial difficulty which generates food poverty must be eliminated within society as a step to combat the issue.

Communities participating in the action to combat child food poverty mirrors the poor democratic decision reached by the government, the body who should be trusted to successfully battle these issues.

Megan Evans

O

resentation of autism?

O

Louise James ver 300 Tory MPs voted against the scheme for free school meals for kids over the holidays on Thursday the 22nd of October, this is one of the biggest mistakes that they have made so far during this pandemic.

Throughout the course of the lockdowns we have seen people in Britain being hit hard with as unemployment companies had to cut many jobs due to the financial crisis that we were entering.

The scheme was originally put in place to help families that had been hit hardest by the pandemic and were already struggling in battle against poverty.

As a university student I have

done about the misrep-

Contributor

‘This is such an important issue at the moment’

Contributor

What more can be

Constance Cua

‘This is one of the biggest mistakes made’

seen the prices of various products slowly begin to rise and I am now having to consider what is more essential and what will contribute to a healthy diet rather than buying whatever I want.

I saw a tweet from Nigel Farage, and this has got to be one of the only times I have agreed with him: “If the government can subsidise Eat Out to Help Out, not being seen to give poor kids lunch in the school holidays looks mean and is wrong.”.

In Wales on the other hand there have been measures put in place so that children who are eligible can still get their free meals so that they will not go hungry over the holidays, including Easter 2021.

Does our government have our best interest at heart?

I will leave that up to you to decide.

17

Contributor

I

would definitely agree that this is such an important issue at the moment, as with the drastic impacts that COVID-19 has had on businesses and mental health, children getting the security that they so desperately need when they are within the realms of education, is vital. Many families do struggle with money, so having access to free school meals should not even be questioned. There is much more heavy emphasis to protect those that are vulnerable, and I think that easing the pressure off families to give out these meals will do so much more good than bad.

The sharing of this on social media is also important, as this really shows that even we are prioritising the seriousness of this situation.

Food poverty across much of the UK is ever-growing, so we need to use the time and money seriously as welfare is always going to be prioritised. These campaigns seem to have been going around for a long time, and yet there are still big names that have to push these problems further into the spotlight, when it should already be known that this is going on.

There is still a lot that needs to be implemented, but I am glad that the governments across England and Wales are at least attempting to help come to a decent resolution.

ne in 160 children have autism - imagine having at least one autistic classmate in your class; autism is much more prevalent than you think. With 71% of them studying in mainstream schools, are the schools providing enough support for this common yet often misunderstood disorder?

The short answer is a definite “no”.

Though it is important to recognise an autistic student has different needs to others, these differences are often exaggerated. The ostracisation of autistic students undoubtedly perpetuates the stigma around autism, making them victims of bullying. A staggering 40% of children have been bullied according to the research by the Autism Education Trust. What is concerning is that whilst bullying can be such a traumatic event, the institution ultimately still fails to provide the aid these children need.

Although parents are supposed to be the ones responsible for the education of their children, this does not neglect the key role schools play in teaching their students to respect one another and creating an inclusive environment to welcome children of all needs.

Sadly, not only are the roles above unfulfilled, but the support given afterwards is also inadequate, rendering schools nothing but merely a place of judgement and misery.

Some may still assume bullying to be an extreme case, surely the education provided for autistic students would be sufficient, would it not? Unfortunately, this is nowhere near the case.

Currently, no regulations are in place to ensure teachers in mainstream schools have qualifications and experience in teaching autistic students. The quality of education that autistic students would receive hence depends almost solely on the proactiveness of the school.

Given the perceived “burdens” teaching autistic students could entail, teachers may be easily discouraged and give up on these students after a few isolated trials to help them. There is no doubt that wellequipped teachers exist in mainstream schools; the real problem here is that these teachers are hard to come by. So, what more can be done?

First and foremost would be re-education: re-education of the teachers, the parents and the students. Let them understand that autism is not an illness that could or needs to be cured, but instead a spectrum that indicates varying levels of differences - in terms of the thinking, sensing and interacting, from other people. Having a comprehensive knowledge of autism is the foundation of providing adequate support.

To create a more encompassing environment, students and teachers alike need to be more aware of their surroundings. Some autistic students find bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, in this case, we should take care to not overstimulate them with flashing images or screeching noises.

It is crucial to abandon the blanket approach when helping autistic students, and instead, listen in to their unique needs.

18

COLUMN

Molly Govus

COLUMN

ROAD

An investigation into language and power structures

I

It’s time to look into the language we use: there is more thought behind the words we choose to utilise than we may initially think. Source: via. Pxfuel

t wasn’t until my A-Level studies that I became aware of the significant correlation between language use and in regard to power imbalances within or social environment.

Heavy opening line, I’m aware, but it wasn’t until it was brought to my attention that I realised how important discourse is in establishing power structures, rightly or wrongly.

What fascinates me is how relevant this is to our society; we really do see examples of it everywhere.

Whether it be through watching episodes of The Apprentice, Dragon’s Den, Bake-Off, or even attending an online seminar, the language utilised by the speakers involved clearly depict who the most ‘powerful’ person in the room is.

Why do you think speeches are so convincing? It all has to do with the constructed language behind what is being said.

Let’s start with the basics. David Crystal, a renowned linguist, asserted that: ‘people vary the type of language they use dependent on the situation they are in…language is embedded with the complex nature of human relationships and the power struggles that we all engage in’.

This just goes to show that there is always something more behind the words we choose to utilise in our language. When using specific language, we adopt influential or in-

strumental power. Influential power relates to the language used to influence another person. An example of this would be in advertising, as the intention is for someone to buy a product, and thus be influenced by the company’s idea.

Think back to how convincing adverts can be; I’m sure we’ve all been drawn into the shopping TV channel far too many times to admit. But, why is this?

Think back to how convincing adverts can be; I’m sure we’ve all been drawn into the shopping TV channel far too many times to admit. But, why is this?

Influential power in adverts is, arguably, the most important aspect.

Charity adverts, for example, utilise the use of second person pronouns such as ‘you’ and rhetorical questions to force the viewer into questioning their morals.

This creates an asymmetrical power balance between the charity and the viewer, therefore reinforcing that a ‘moral’ and ‘good’ person would donate to charity. Add this to

a metaphorical sea of dense polysyllabic adjectives, such as in beauty adverts, and you have yourself a sale.

Linguist Norman Fairclough coined the concept of ‘synthetic personalisation’. This relates to the artificial friendliness that institutions use to reinforce influential power.

In his words, he refers to it as ‘a tendency to give the impression of treating each of the people handled en masse as an individual’.

We have a tendency, as consumers, to feel ‘special’ to the business.

This is one of many ways that companies use specially constructed language to lull consumers into a sense of security to buy their product.

Think about the moisturising cream adverts with added ‘vitamin compound E283 that guarantees no wrinkles until age 89’. As consumers, we have no idea what this means.

We also have no means of finding out whether it is even legit. The scientific, subject-specific jargon also relates to the middle-class, mature mindset.

This is the exact demographic that the product is targeting. Despite this, we unconsciously associate the scientific jargon with a sense of trust, and thus, we place the money in the pockets of the company.

It is shocking, and interesting, to see how one or two words can change the influence of a consumer towards a particular product.

When using specific language, we adopt influential or instrumental power...there is always something more behind the words we choose to utilise

Moreover, we then have instrumental power. This is power expressed by the language of people who already have power due to their role within a social hierarchy. For example, this could be utilised by politicians or teachers.

In light of COVID-19, our society has been hit with an abundance of government adverts and posters regarding the pandemic.

We’ve seen the following words so many times it may as well be ingrained within our minds: ‘Stay at home. Protect our NHS. Save lives’.

The whole poster is only eight singular words, yet there is an abundance of instrumental power behind it.

What differs here from influential power is the clear utilisation of imperative verbs and the choice of verbs used. Automatically, the use of

imperative verbs asserts a hierarchal power as this is coming from our government.

‘Stay’, ‘Protect’ and ‘Save’ as the most important verbs create a minimalistic order for the British society; a huge, global pandemic and how to tackle it has been condensed into three simple imperative verbs.

Not only does this mean the ‘fix’ is accessible and easy to the general public, but the minimalistic nature of the poster juxtaposes with the issue at hand, arguably giving a false, yet efficient, sense of security.

Additionally, the use of the inclusive first-person pronoun of ‘our’ adds a sense of obligation and duty to the reader of the poster.

It also includes the general public into the power structure of higher societal realms, such as the government. The instrumental power present here allows for the public to feel as though they have as much power as the people running our country, which is arguably correct.

It is our society and our nation to protect, thus adding an emotional response from the reader which would encourage them to follow the imperative: stay, protect and save.

As much as this may be a whistlestop tour through my A-level English language syllabus, I hope that it goes to show just how important the language we use is in forming power relationships in our discourse.

SHOP ONLINE NOW

SHOP.CARDIFFSTUDENTS.COM *OFFER AVAILABLE FOR LIMITED TIME ONLY

20

ADVICE

YOUR Learning to be okay with being on your own How to find the beauty of being in your own company during a national lockdown ADVICE DESK U Megan Evans Advice Editor

Vicky Witts

Megan Evans advice@gairrhydd.com

Ways to celebrate at home Megan Evans Advice Editor

B

eing stuck at home during this time can be hard, especially with so many holidays happening.

It doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t still celebrate these holidays at home.

Host a movie night There is nothing better than cuddling up with a few blankets, some hot drinks, some homemade delicious sweet treats and a good film.

Cosy up and enjoy in a more lowkey way!

Bake some goods This time of the year is the best to bake some yummy treats whether that be some cinnamon swirls, or some hot mug cake puds, there is such an unlimited amount that you can make whilst staying cosy inside.

Get dressed up with some music Celebrating a birthday in lockdown can be bizarre, but the best way to celebrate can even be dressing up, getting a bottle of wine, and celebrating from the comfort of your own home.

It can be fun to just dress up, do your hair and makeup, and throw on some music to enjoy in your kitchen.

You could even cook separate sections of a meal; one of you could cook the starter, another the main, and another the dessert. It sounds odd to dance in your kitchen, but it can be a safe way of having a houseparty, without the risk of COVID-19!

Whichever way you choose to celebrate holidays with your flatmates, make sure to do so in a sensible and safe way.

niversity is a completely different experience to being at secondary school.

You have to really grow up and become more independent, and find out what sorts of things suit your interests and the people that make you feel content and happy.

However, with the COVID-19 restrictions, it may feel a bit overwhelming as it even more independent than before because you aren’t having the same experience of going into big lectures with a big group of people, seminars are a lot smaller and mostly online so it is bit tricker to engage in smaller conversation.

There is not as much face to face help and supervision so may feel a little bit isolating.

There are a few ways that you can help find the love in being alone and enjoying your own time and company.

Finding a new hobby/interest Without the influence of everyone else, having time to yourself can help to stimulate other interests that might not necessarily relate to your work.

Whether you really like drawing or painting, playing an instrument, or learning a new language, having all this time now can be beneficial to discovering new skills that can heavily boost your CV and also your own personal well-being.

At university, I have found myself

drawn to particular sports or interests because of other people, but now is the chance to do it for yourself only.

Even if you are the only person you know that likes a particular skill, it means you stand out more!

Grow on your mindset and own personal goals Again, without the influence of external factors, being on your own is a good way to try and make your mindset the best it can possibly be.

If you have a staggering to do list, make sure you plough through but at a rate you know you will be fulfilled.

These goals you have at the back of your mind, can easily be achieved when you break down the time to sit down and work through them.

With your own time, this can be done a lot quicker, than if you are around the fast paced nature of normal uni and lots of nights out.

Work on yourself and what makes yourself happy This is the prime time to really look after number one and find what makes you the happiest. Is that watching rom-com movies in the evening with a beloved housemate?

Playing chess?

Watering house plants? The most obscure the better. There are lots of things that I have enjoyed more with lockdown being implemented, such as watching interesting documentaries about the world, engaging with other writers on Facebook, and being outdoors and discovering new places to run.

If you take time to notice what really makes you feel better when there isn’t a lot to do, then you can’t really go wrong.

This will also help boost your mood when you are doing things you don’t necessarily enjoy doing that you need to do, such as reply to email.

Practice something you aren’t good at If you are a messy person like me, or you aren’t the best at cooking, use this time to improve on a skill that is harder as this is extremely fulfilling.

If you aren’t good at telling yourself you are beautiful and amazing,

go to the mirror and tell yourself how great you are.

It is so important that even while you do things you like and continue to do so, you balance this with harder skills.

If this makes you feel anxious about doing something you don’t like, remember that we all struggle, and the chances of overcoming are strong because we all overthink a lot and this mechanism is not what is actually happening.

By the time you accept what you need to do to improve, it can become easier to do those things that require the hard work.

Learning to be okay with being by yourself: Being in isolation and in a lockdown means you need to learn to be okay with being by yourself.

Source: Image Catalog (via Flickr)

Ways to maintain wellbeing during the second lockdown Megan Evans Advice Editor

A

good maintenance of well-being can be quite difficult for some to achieve as we now go into another lockdown in Wales.

There is a lot of frustration across student circles as the curfews, the limitations of group numbers and online learning, making normality feel like it is so far out of reach.

University life is far from the ordinary, and it can be difficult particularly for those who are already isolating.

From first years who aren’t feeling like they are experiencing university in the way that previous years have, and even third years who have dissertations to write, but maybe not as much place to focus and engage with the material.

There are little ways that you can boost your wellbeing and make you enjoy your time as much as possible, even when you aren’t feeling your absolute best.

Long walk outside Believe it or not, getting some well needed fresh air is crucial.

Being in the same environment for long periods of time can be quite stressful and have a harrowing impact on your wellbeing.

Taking some time out to enjoy the fresh air can help stimulate your mind and draw together focus on any intense work that needs completing, especially the courses that require a lot of reading and focus.

I find being outside within nature extremely relaxing, as I can switch off from all the stresses from whatever I am doing and unwind a little.

Routine Having a regular routine such as waking up at a particular time and

Looking after yourself: It’s incredibly important to look after your wellbeing during this second lockdown. Source: photoeverywhere (via FreeImagesLive.com) doing exercise, eating breakfast, and doing university work is such an important way to help you feel good.

If you manage to have a full day of intense work, you can then implement down time within your routine to enjoy relaxing.

If you wake up at different times or you don’t plan out your day properly, it can get on top of you and make you feel out of control, and it also means you can’t be as productive.

A routine will not only make you feel good in the long run and get more work done, it will also mean you can find out where and when are best times to do the most important things, so you can feel less tense.

Listen to good music A good playlist whilst doing work can definitely help with motivation levels, particularly if you are attempting some difficult exercises, or if you are doing some work that requires heavier concentration.

Slow music really helps especially to calm the body, according to researchers from a survey at Stanford University.

The research showed that listening to music is able to change the brain functioning to the same extent as medication.

It also helps with sleep at night.

In one meta-analysis, according to Science of People, researchers tracked 557 participants with chronic sleep disorders, and found that sleep quality improved significantly with music and concluded that music can assist in improving sleep quality of patients with acute and chronic sleep disorders.

Music has been proven to help our bodies to heal and feel less stress.

Making time for eating good food Eating well will most certainly make you feel good instantly.

Make sure you eat fresh ingredients as not only is this good for your

own diet, but a lot of fresh products are a lot healthier than eating processed food.

People like to comfort eat when they are stressed, and this makes you feel worse in the long run as you are eating too much of particular food groups, whether that be too much sugar, or carbohydrates.

Though comfort eating is good for your emotions, it isn’t always good for your body.

Try and maintain as you can, a balanced method of eating.

It helps you feel more energised and you can become less susceptible to feeling overwhelmed by stress, which in turn can help you feel better equipped to cope with what life throws at you.

Stay in contact with close network A great way to make you feel better emotionally and maintain the positive mindset is by talking to close relatives and friends.

If you are having a particularly stressful day, have some less intense conversations that will be certain to put a smile on your face.

Making sure that your close network is safe and healthy is so important to your own wellbeing, as you can engage in conversations that will make you feel better, as you can find out how everyone else is feeling and what they are doing with their time.

The person on the other side of the line may also feel better hearing from you, too.

It’s important to ensure your mental health is a priority, especially during these unprecedented times.

Everyone is going through the same experience, and so it’s important to reach out if you feel like you need help. Your mental health and wellbeing, especially during this period, is vital.

Got questions about housing?

Kate, Alex and Matt

We visited Student Advice

cardiffstudents.com/advice

22

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

YOUR Cardiff University-led study into antibiSCIENCE otic use wins research paper of the year DESK Holly Giles

Head of Science & Technology

C

Holly Giles

Rowenna Hoskin

Mili Jayadeep

Jack Robert Stacey science@gairrhydd.com

hronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an obstructive lung disease that is predicted to affect over 1 million people in the UK. It is an umbrella term for a number of conditions that lead to damage to the air sacs in the lungs and inflammation of the airways making it hard to breathe; this is commonly seen in smokers.

Owing to its chronic nature COPD is a long-term condition and is often associated with flare ups that require medical attention.

These are commonly treated with one of four antibiotics. However two thirds of these flare ups are not caused by bacterial infections, meaning the antibiotics have no effect. As well as not solving the problem, when antibiotics are administered unnecessarily it provides a selection pressure for the infection that contributes to antibiotic resistance. This is a growing problem in medical care as known medications are no longer effective in patients due to resistance.

In partnership with University of Oxford and King’s College Longdon, Cardiff University developed a finger-prick test that is able to check if the infection is bacteria prior to treatment, meaning antibiotics are only prescribed as required.

The test works by measuring levels of C-reactive protein in the blood which is a marker for inflammation that rises during serious bacterial infectious, indicating to clinicians that antibiotics are needed. Overall the study found the blood test resulted in a 20% reduction in antibiotics prescriptions, a figure which could save the NHS thousands, if not millions, annually.

Professor Nick Francis, formerly of Cardiff University’s School of Medicine, said: “Governments, commissioners, clinicians, and patients living with COPD around the world are urgently seeking tools to help them know when it is safe to withhold antibiotics and focus on treating flare-ups with other treatments.

“This is a patient population that are often considered to be at high risk from not receiving antibiotics, but we were able to achieve a reduction in antibiotic use that is about twice the magnitude of that achieved by most other antimicrobial stewardship interventions, and

Preventing a pill pile-up: The new test reduced prescriptions by 20%, a figure which would save the NHS thousands each year. Soure: Marco Verch (via Flickr) demonstrate that this approach was safe.”

Professor Chris Butler, former professor of primary care medicine at Cardiff University, added: “This rigorous clinical trial speaks directly to the pressing issues of preserving the usefulness of our existing antibiotics; the potential of stratified, personalised care; the importance of contextually-appropriate evidence about point-of-care testing in reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and enhancing the quality of care for people with the common condition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”

The study was published in 2019 and last week it was announced that the work had won research paper of the year from the Royal College of General Practitioners. When reflecting on the award Professor Butler told, “We are obviously delighted on behalf of the universities involved (Cardiff, Kings and Oxford), the National Institute of Health Research Health Technology Assessment Program who funded the study, and

the NIHR Clinical Research Network and Health and Care Research Wales.

“We would like to thank the GP practices who implemented the trial, and the some 600 patients who gave their time and data to implement the study and generate the findings, as well as the public contributors who helped with design and dissemination. We are deeply grateful for this wonderful recognition by the RCGP for a superb team effort by UK primary care research.”

The award is associated with a £1000 prize that the team donated to the British Lung Foundation in memory of Margarat Barnard, who was a patient in the study who died of lung cancer before it could be completed.

The researchers hope this donation recognises the contribution made by Margarat and all the other patients who took part in the study.

The prize is well-deserved and the findings are of great magnitude in the scientific field; the study has wide reaching implications for the million people living in the UK with

COPD and for clinicians.

It is not known when these tests will be common practice in our hospitals but these findings open a door to more personalised and effective medicine, that can only be associated with an improvement in care.

We are obviously delighted on behalf of the universities involved (Cardiff, Kings and Oxford), the National Institute of Health Research Health Technology Assessment Program who funded the study, and the NIHR Clinical Research Network and Health and Care Research Wales... We would like to thank the GP practices who implemented the trial, and the some 600 patients who gave their time and data,” Professor Chris Butler

Former Professor of Primary Care Medicine, Cardiff University

Hyperthyroidism during pregnancy increases ADHD in offspring Mili Jayadeep

Science Editor

H

ypothyroidism occurs when there is an underproduction of hormones released from the thyroid gland located in the neck.

The hormones produced by this gland play a crucial role in normal metabolic function. A recent investigation shows that during the starting months of pregnancy, hypothyroidism in the mother can hinder the normal development of the baby’s brain.

A large-scale American study conducted on women during the first trimester of their pregnancy reveals findings showing that hypothyroidism in the mother may cause attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

in their children. The new study was the first of its kind to study this link and was led by a researcher at an NYU Long Island School of Medicine and was published in the American Journal of Perinatology. Morgan Peltier, an associate Professor in the departments of Clinical Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Reproductive Medicine at NYU Winthrop Hospital who led the study says, “Our findings make clear that thyroid health likely has a much larger role in fetal brain development and behavioral disorders like ADHD than we previously understood,” The investigation was conducted on a large sample size of children born from mothers with hypothyroidism during pregnancy. These children were followed up to the age of 17 and it was

noted that once the foetus reached the second trimester, the hormones released by the mother due to hypothyroidism did not play as significant a role in altering foetal development.

It was hypothesised that this was owing to the baby being able to regulate its own hormone production at that stage.

The study was inclusive of children from a diverse range of ethnicities hence being more representative of different races as well as using a large group of study participants unlike similar studies conducted previously.

The authors are optimistic about the strength of the study as the long follow-through period enabled the researchers to study the children during schooling and observe cases of ADHD as they developed. The scientists took

into consideration medical records of the study participants and factors such as age of pregnancy, ethnic background as well as household incomes, which could affect the results of the study.

The results showed that mothers diagnosed during the start of their pregnancy or during this first trimester were at a 24% increased risk of having children who would later develop ADHD compared to mothers without hypothyroidism. Also, the ethnic group at the greatest risk of developing ADHD associated with hypothyroidism in their mothers were Hispanics.

Hispanic children had a 45% greater risk of developing ADHD compared to a lower risk of 22% in white children.

The study highlighted the need to closely observe children born from

women with hypothyroidism during early pregnancy. The study has enough evidence to bring this into clinical practice in order to better manage diagnoses of ADHD as early intervention is beneficial as it would help children succeed in society and school despite their condition.

The future of this research aims to investigate possible association with hypothyroidism and its relation to other neurodevelopmental conditions such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy and speech problems. In addition to this, the environment that the woman is exposed to is crucial to healthy growth and development of the foetus. These researchers also intend to look into factors that increase ADHD risk such as the involvement of environmental toxins.

GWYDDONIAETH A THECHNOLEG

New grading system for prostate cancers Jess Dickenson Contributor

P

rostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with 40,000 new cases annually.

The prostate gland is a walnut-sized gland in men found just below the bladder and in front of the rectum which develops into cancer if the cells grow uncontrollably. The cause of prostate cancer is unclear but its risk factors include age, race, family history and obesity. Prostate cancer usually grows slowly, but some types can be aggressive and also spread quickly, which highlights the importance of early detection. If caught early, it may be confined to the prostate gland, which increases the chances of successfully treating it.

A new staging system, called STARCAP, for non-metastatic prostate cancer, produced by a team of researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, shows great promise in determining the treatment outcomes for patients with prostate cancer than previously used methods. The study was published in JAMA Oncology and uses data from a large sample size of patients.

The most common system used to stage prostate cancer is the Gleason grading system, where tissues are graded from 1 to 5; 1 being normal tissue, and 5 being a highly aggressive, highrisk form of prostate cancer. A ‘score’ is produced from the addition of the two most common numbers of the biopsy sample, this score will then be placed into a risk category of low, intermedi-

ate, or high. This method used to predict treatment decisions is based on a “fairly blunt and imprecise system”, according to the study’s co-senior author Daniel Spratt, M.D.,Research Professor of Radiation Oncology at Michigan Medicine.

When using the new system proposed by the study, it was found that several patients were not as advanced in the stages of cancer as previously categorised. The co-author of the study, Robert Dess, M.D. who is an assistant professor of radiation oncology at Michigan Medicine emphasises that, “This is the kind of information that can give patients and doctors more confidence when discussing treatment options and expected outcomes,” In previous years, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) also used another staging system using models to stage prostate cancer. However, as none of the models met the conditions for this system the researchers decided to introduce a new staging system. Daniel Spratt explains, “None of the previous models evaluated met the criteria, so none of them could be used. So we said, ‘Well, let’s make one.’ We wanted it to be transparent, robust and validated, so that we can start moving closer to communicate using a common staging system, similar to other cancers.”

Clinicians and scientists at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center carried out a 25 year long study to produce a pre-treatment clinical prognostic stage group system for nonmetastatic prostate cancer that has demonstrated consistent interpretation of results and can be used all over the world. Furthermore, the study also

Science Editor

C

ontaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is reportedly set to be released into the Pacific Ocean. The water contains a reactive substance that has the potential to damage human DNA, says a Greenpeace investigation.

The investigation claims that 1.23m tonnes of water, stored in more than 1,000 tanks at the plant, contains “dangerous” levels of the radioactive isotope carbon-14, in addition to quantities of tritium that have already been widely reported.

Green peace published their investigative report, Stemming the Tide 2020: The reality of the Fukushima radioactive water crisis, shortly after the Japanese media reported that the government was close to giving its approval to release the water into the Pacific Ocean – ignoring the objections from local fishermen who say that the move will destroy their livelihoods.

“We cannot postpone the issue forever,” the prime minister, Yoshi-

hide Suga, said this week. “We would like to make a decision responsibly as soon as possible.”

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant had a triple meltdown on the 11 March 2011 after a powerful earthquake and tsunami sent large quantities of radiation into the atmosphere and forced the evacuation of over 150,000 residents.

The water that is set to be released is the water that has been used to cool the plant’s damaged reactors. The Japanese government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) refer to this water as “treated water” and insinuate that it only contains Tritium, according to Greenpeace Japan and Greenpeace East Asia.

Lots of the focus has been on tritium which cannot be removed by the on-site filtration system used

by TEPCO. Little attention has been drawn towards the likelihood of carbon-14 being discharged despite the fact that this radioactive carbon is contained within the same stored water.

Carbon-14 has a half life of 5,370 and becomes “incorporated into all living matter”, the report said.

Bottle-fed babies

swallow millions of microplastics daily Gemma Muller Contributor

A

Prostate Cancer Awareness: The condition affects over 40,00 men in the UK each year. Soure: marijana1 (via Pixabay) showed that it is better than the previously used system by the AJCC. The new proposed system is called STAR-CAP, a points based system produced using the variables analysed in the study, which then assigns patients to a particular stage, from stage 1 to stage 3, with each stage split into substages of A, B and C. The researchers predicted 10-year prostate cancer-specific mortality for the 9 score groups.

Owing to the study, Robert Dess is optimistic for the future treatment for prostate cancer:“We know that some of the newest tools that we have that are just coming online like genomics or

molecular imaging may improve upon this system, but we wanted to create the best, most widely accessible model based on the data we currently have -understanding that new tools may help us develop even better models in the future,” STAR-CAP is a robust, transparent and validated system that has already been made available via a web-based app for clinicians and researchers. The work done by these researchers has tremendously helped improve clinical practice for the treatment of prostate cancer as it is now available worldwide for use in prostate cancer staging.

Radioactive water from Fukushima Daiichi plant to be released into the Pacific Ocean Rowenna Hoskin

23

While Tepco’s advanced liquid processing system removed highly radioactive substances from the water but is unable to filter out tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that nuclear power plants usually dilute and dump along with water into the ocean.

Greenpeace has said that it has confirmed with Tepco that the system was not designed to remove carbon-14, meaning that it will be present within the “treated water”.

“Nearly 10 years after the start of the disaster, Tepco and the Japanese government are still covering up the scale of the crisis at Fukushima Daiichi,” said Shaun Burnie, author of the report and senior nuclear specialist with Greenpeace Germany.

“They have deliberately held back for years detailed information on the radioactive material in the contaminated water. They have failed to explain to the citizens of Fuukushima, wider Japan and to neighboring countries such as South Korea and China that the contaminated water to be dumped into the Pacific ocean contains dangerous levels of carbon-14. These, together with

Word of the week: Carbon-14

other radionuclides in the water will remain hazardous for thousands of years with the potential to cause genetic damage. It’s one more reason why these plans have to be abandoned.”

The decision on the water’s fate is expected to be announced by Japan’s government next week. Media reports have said that the project would begin at the earliest in 2022 and take decades to complete.

The water from Fukushima Daiichi will be diluted within the plant before it is released so that it is 40 times less concentrated, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said.

The release of this contaminated water is pressured by the shrinking storage space available in the nuclear plant, Tepco estimating that all of the available tanks will be full by the middle of 2022.

It appears that this decision to release “treated water” containing harmful, DNA damaging contaminants, is driven by money.

While the water remains in the plant, valuable tanks are being made unusable and by consequence, the plant will be unable to store reactor water.

• A radioactive isotope of Carbon (radioactive isotopes are different forms/species of the same element with different masses and unstable nuclei) • It contains 6 protons and 8 neutrons • It’s presence within organic materials is the result of the carbon dating method created by Willard Libby

new study suggests millions of microplastic particles, defined as plastic pieces smaller than 0.13 mm, are being swallowed by infants per day from milk bottles; the finding is described as a “milestone” in understanding our exposure to microplastic.

Feeding bottles are typically made from polypropylene plastic, with the main alternative being glass. Plastic is sensitive to heat and physical force, thus the high-temperature sterilisation of plastic bottles and formula milk shaking that is recommended to protect infant health, actually causes microplastics and even nanoplastics to be released from bottles. Raising temperatures to 100°C in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, dramatically increases this microplastic release.

Plastic is durable, low-cost, and malleable, with endless varieties of uses that are beneficial to modern day life. But it is well known that plastic contaminates every environment from the deepest oceans to our front door, even human food and drink contains microplastics.

Through drinking bottled water, you swallow an estimated 246 microplastic particles per day, compared to 11 particles per day if you drink tap water.

The study goes further to show that food preparation in plastic containers can multiply microplastic exposure thousands of times. Babies are estimated to consume 14,600 to 4,550,000 microplastic particles per day through feeding bottles, 2,600 times adult consumption from water, food, and air combined, which itself is an underestimate. Even boiling a kettle releases over 10 million microplastic particles per litre.

Infant microplastic exposure is highest in Europe, North America, and Oceania, and lowest in Africa and Asia due to differing bottle preference and breastfeeding rates. Professor John Boland, at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, was “absolutely gobsmacked” at the numbers of microplastic particles fed to babies through bottles. He said this exceeded WHOs estimated adult consumption “on the order of a million or millions” but added: “We have to start doing the health studies to understand the implications.”

Microplastics may carry pathogens or leach chemicals added to the plastic itself. Emerging literature reveals potential endocrine (hormonal) disruption or acute toxicity, including the potential to cause cancer. The same may result from plastic monomers, for example bisphenol A (BPA), leached from polycarbonate plastic which leads to metabolic diseases and impacts development and reproduction. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of BPA in formula bottles for infants under 12 months in 2012, but the European Food Safety Authority still rules the substance safe under current levels, thus the UK remains to use BPA despite the estimated extreme exposure.

Further investigation into the absorption of microplastic particles into the bloodstream and possible health implications is needed. Moreover, this study gives estimates, not measurements of infant exposure levels and thus, changing parents’ behaviours may not be an appropriate next step. However, the study does highlight that microplastics are a bigger problem than we previously realised, leading us to question how they are changing the development of the next generation?

24

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

“Robin-Hood” hackers donate stolen thousands to charity Jack Robert Stacey Technology Editor

F

ollowing a significant increase in online traffic as a result of intensifying lockdown measures, a prominent group of ‘white collar’ hackers have recently made a substantial donation of stolen funds to two charities.

According to reports from the dark web hacktivist group, ‘DarkSide’, hackers at the organisation recently attempted to recirculate approximately USD $22.400 in stolen cryptocurrency back to charities.

The two sizeable bitcoin sums, sent to Children International and The Water Project, are composed of ransomware payments extorted from companies that, at the time of donation, totalled USD $11,200 (0.88 BTC) – Both charities have “no intention” of keeping the donations.

Hackers were able to send the funds easily and securely through ‘The Giving Block’, an online donation platform used by 67 non-profit foundations worldwide. Although the site accepts and converts most common forms of cryptocurrency to the equivalent amount in US Dollars, DarkSide’s donation was sent via a mixer and, as a result, is unable to be returned.

Using the latest strain of ransomware programs, Hackers at DarkSide claim to have amassed millions from explicitly targeting and extorting cryptocurrency from so called ‘big-game’ companies which, in the past few years, has proven to be one of the most lucrative forms of cybercrime.

In contrast to other hacking organisations, DarkSide regularly publicises its exploits on the dark web and claims to never attack hospitals, schools, governments, or charities.

As outlined in a dark web blog post made on October 13th, the hackers at ‘DarkSide’ elaborate on their desire to “make the world a better place”, highlighting that: “We think that it’s fair that some of the money the companies have paid will go to charity.” Although many cyber-security experts are questioning the morality of the do-

nations, hackers attest that: “No matter how bad you think our work is, we are pleased to know that we helped change someone’s life.”

While numerous hacking organisations have been operating in secrecy for several years, this move is considered to be unprecedented in the history of hacktivism and, as a result, has left experts puzzled as to the group’s motivations.

Although authorities are yet to make a formal judgement on the group’s actions, cyber-security experts are voicing their interpretations and, so far, suggest that DarkSide are adopting a ‘Robin Hood-esque’ image to justify their digital theft.

Moreover, the move has also been understood as a means of addressing worldwide financial inequality which, through the reissuing of corporate funds through hacktivism, emphasises the group’s desire to aid the work of charities.

Regardless, the rise in ‘white collar’ hacking operations has also seen a growth in transparency as many organisations have begun to publicise their exploits through online data leaks from their dark web sites.

Specifically, ‘DarkSide’ recently posted their first information update which, amongst other things, claims to have lifted up to 200 gigabytes of private, internal data from the Canada-based real estate firm Brookfield Estate.

Eduardo Cabrera, Chief Cybersecurity Officer at data security solutions company Trend Micro, spoke on the tactics that hackers regularly employ “ransomware attacks are not just encryption exercises but more so exercises in delivering fear”.

Cabrera, a leading cybersecurity expert with 20-years of experience with the US Secret Service, highlighted the impact that these organisations represent: “The more victims believe their attackers are professionals, the more likely they will believe their underlying messages”.

While DarkSide’s true intentions are currently unknown to cyber-security authorities, the group’s donation raises critical questions about the ethical role and future impact of hacktivism in our rapidly digitising, twenty-first century society.

Changing the face of hacking: It is not currently known how the court are going to proceed but the charities have “no intention” of keeping the donations. Source: TheDigitalArtist (via Pixabay)

Artifical intelligence detects Alzheimers 7 years before doctors Umaima Arif Contributor

A

new research study, published in The Lancet eClinical Medicine Journal, suggests that recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) systems may be able to detect the onset of Alzheimer’s disease earlier than doctors.

Alzheimer’s is an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder that forms abnormal deposits of proteins in the brain, leading to the gradual death of several neurons. This eventually results in the presentation of several symptoms generally including but not limited to: the progressive loss of memory, difficulty in speech, impaired reason or judgement, and issues with spatial awareness.

The AI system was developed by Pfizer, an IBM Research and pharmaceutical giant. It utilizes natural language processing to study excerpts of speech collected from the Cookie theft cognitive test.

This is a common exam used for diagnosing cognitive illnesses including dementia and is now being used to predict whether healthy people may be presenting the possibility

of early cognitive decline. The exam entails asking the participants what they see in a dated line drawing of two children stealing cookies behind their mother’s back.

Because characteristic symptoms of Alzheimers are often barely detectable in early stages and can become rapidly severe after the first onset of symptoms, the AI model analyzes signature signs of cognitive decline in comprehension and speech, often by noting subtle changes in language, grammar, and sentence structure.

The samples used to inform research for this AI model originated from The Framingham Heart Study, a US-based research project ongoing since 1948 that includes 5,000 people along with their families.

The long time span and nature of the study enabled the current AI system to analyze the sample excerpts collected while individuals were still cognitively healthy.

This also enabled each prediction to be checked for accuracy as they could check which individuals then went on to develop the condition.

According to Ajay Royyuru, the Vice President of Healthcare Research at IBM, the key finding of the study is that the AI model could

predict which individuals would present Alzheimer’s disease with 70% accuracy at about “seven years in advance” of the actual clinical diagnosis. This seven year gain could be revolutionary for clinical practice.

Fiona Carragher, Director of Research at the UK Alzheimer’s Society, highlights the significance of obtaining an early diagnosis for dementia and considers the research promising, stating that Alzheimer’s disease may even cause physiological and psychological changes in the brain up to fifteen years before the symptoms present, and that tackling this would ensure that patients with it are not delayed the proper “treatment, support and guidance” they need to adapt to life with the disease.

The extra seven years of treatment offered by this new technique would allow patients to receive preventative medications that could try and stop or delay the development of the condition.

This could change the experience of Alzheimer’s everywhere and shows again how technology is transforming clinical practice day by day.

‘Cooling-paint’ could be used on buildings to reduce emissions Lucy Palin

Contributor

R

esearchers have created a new type of white paint that is capable of reflecting 95.5 % of sunlight and reducing ambient air conditions by 1.7C. This would cool buildings and reduce the need for air conditioning, which is an energy consuming process so would make buildings more eco-friendly.

This finding has been achieved by adding different sized particles of calcium carbonate to the paint.

According to the World Green Building Council, the lighting, heating and cooling of buildings is responsible for around 28% of global CO2. This is because the cooling and heating of buildings is mainly powered by coal, oil and gas. Heat-

ing and cooling buildings accounts for half of the EU’s energy consumption yet only 19% of that is generated from renewable sources. 75% is generated from fossil fuels.

The Committee on Climate Change found that: “Direct emissions, resulting from use of fossil fuels (primarily gas) for heating, make up almost half of buildings emissions. The other half is electricityrelated, resulting from lighting and the use of appliances, as well as some electric heating (especially in the commercial sector).”

Researchers have been trying for decades to find a way to make the cooling and heating of buildings more efficient and to rely less on fossil fuels.

Until now no reflective paint developed had been able to deflect enough of the sun’s rays to lower the

temperature of buildings past ambient conditions.

Solutions like this can not come too soon as Carbon Brief reported that global surface temperatures were the second warmest recorded in 2019 since records began in the late 1800’s. As shows like the new David Attenborough documentary are showing, we are now in a state of climate emergency and need every weapon we can in the fight against climate change.

One author on the study, Professor Xiulin Ruan, from Purdue University in Indiana, explained how the adding of different size particles of calcium carbonate aided in reflecting the sun’s rays: “Sunlight is a broad spectrum of wavelengths, we know that each particle size can only scatter one wavelength effectively, so we de-

cided to use different particle sizes to scatter all the wavelengths. This is an important contributor eventually resulting in this very high reflectance.”

The product still has many stages of testing to undergo before it will be commercially available, but when it can be distributed it will be invaluable to industrial buildings like data centres that require large amounts of energy for cooling.

Telecommunications equipment is unlikely to be affected as the paint contains no metallic components to interfere with electromagnetic signals.

Many major manufactures have already shown an interest in the paint suggesting when it is commercially available we can expect to see it implemented on many large buildings worldwide.

Sky High: With companies already showing interest it won’t be long before the paint is on every city skyscraper. Credit: Source: Aleksandar Pasaric (via Pxhere)

Providing a range of certified courses aimed at building your confidence and increasing your employability potential.

26

@CAERDYDD

YOUR The woman who fought against slavery @CAERDYDD Swansea’s Jessie Donaldson has been awareded blue plaque in recognition DESK T Fflur Trevor

@Caerdydd Editor

Natalie Graham

Fflur Trevor caerdydd@gairrhydd.com

he 18th century Welsh abolitionist who fought to end slavery in the United States is to be honoured with a blue plaque in her native Swansea.

During the 1850s Jessie Donaldson risked persecution by offering shelter to slaves as they tried to escape the brutal Jim Crow laws of the southern states and escape to freedom in the northern states.

What is Abolition?

Despite it’s brutality and inhumanity, the slave system stimulated little protest until the birth of the Abolitionist movement in the late 18th and 19th century. Abolitionist aims were simply to end the slave trade within the British Empire and America’s. Abolitionism was chirfly responsible for creating the emotional climate necessary for ending the transatlantic slave trade and chattel slavery. The movement was led predominantly by quakers and non-conformists. Their attempts were eventually successful after Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce’s Slave Trade Act of 1807 abolished Britsish colonies. In the same year the United States prohibited the importation of slaves, though widespread smuggling continued until about 1862.

However, It was not until the Slavery abolition Act 1833 that the institution finally was abolished, but on a gradual basis. Consequently, slaves in the Empire were emancipated and their owners were compensated for loss of

labourers.

Slavery in the United States Slavery in the United States began in 1619 when a ship with 20 captives arrived in Virginia, which initiated almost 250 years of incarcerated slaves in the United States. In 1776 with the declaration of independence, the rights of “all men are created equal” did not extend to slaves as some of the founding fathers were slave owners themselves. Slavery continued comfortably into the 19th century and by 1860 there were 4 million enslaved black people in the United States.

Slavery in the United States was a complex problem. Slavery was seen as a domestic rather than colonial phenomenon, being the social and economic base of the plantations of eleven Southern States. Slavery gained a new enthusiasm at the dawn of an extremely profitable cotton-based agriculture developed in the South in the early 19th Century.

Early Life Born in Bristol, England in 1779, she was the daughter of Samuel Heineken who was an anti-slavery campaigner a trait Jessie inherited and fought for the entirety of her life.

When slavery was abolished in the United Kingdom in 1833, Jessie turned her attention the United States where slaves were still being used on plantations.

Anti-Slavery efforts In 1854, Jessie moved to the state of Ohio to set up a “safe house” for runaway slaves. The “safe house” she set up was part of a larger network, ‘the underground railroad’ which was

used by slaves in the South to escape to freedom in the Northern States and Canada.

Moreover, her house was situated on the bank of the Ohio river where Jessie would help the slaves from one bank to another.

Jessie named one of the safe houses Clermont which was one of three houses set up by the Donaldson family upon the Ohio river.

The Pennmaen house, named after a farm the family owned is still standing today.

Legacy Slavery was abolished after the American Civil War (1861-1865) by President Abraham Lincoln. Subsequently, in 1866, Jessie returned to Swansea with her husband and died there in 1899, aged 91.

Jessie Donaldson is to be honoured

by Swansea native Professor Jen Wilson, a cultural historian.

Professor Jen Wilson said, “Her house on the banks of the Ohio river was the third of the Welsh safe houses for runaway slaves,” Little is known about her life and background. However, it is evident that she led an extraordinary life and played an integral role in abolition.

Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “We’re proud to recognise her achievements as a woman who stood for emancipation, education and freedom for all.”

An extract of Thomas Jefferson’s letter to Jean Nicolas Démeunier (French author and Politician) Source: Boston Public Library (Via Wikimedia Commons)

What is a not-for-profit buisness?

When I started it was important to me to emphasise that this is a community resource, not a profitdriven business. The dream is to make it sustainable, so that I can afford to pay rent, but beyond that I intend to put any money made back into the shop and the community through workshops, our Pay It Forward board and contributions to local good causes. Personally, I’ve never been driven by money - I’m driven by helping people and y’know, sticking it to the man! So this is just the way of running a business that seems most authentic to my own core values.

You stock radical thought provoking books- how do you select which books you sell?

I largely choose what I’d like to or need to read! I spend a lot of time researching stock choices and reading reviews, and of course, customers recommendations are always helpful.

Why is it important to read thought provoking, radical books?

It’s so tempting to find your bubble and stay there. It’s difficult to tackle these topics, to have uncomfortable conversations, face the reality of our unequal societies, but we’ve got to do it. The onus is on all of us living relatively comfortable lives to learn and become allies, to educate ourselves without demanding the free labour of people already working so hard for their own freedoms. It’s difficult to talk about all the topics covered by the ‘radical’ umbrella in one go - there’s so much trauma, generations of abuse, neglect, inequality and torture in so many arenas.

Books allow us into other people’s worlds, we should take the time to

get to know more about their stories and experiences.

Is there a need for radical books in the current climate, and do you think there should be more radical bookshops in Wales/UK? Yes and yes! There’s always a place for less mainstream bookshops and Cardiff ’s got a good history of it, but nowadays it’s a bit thin on the ground for independent bookshops in the city centre. Someone even suggested recently that Shelflife might be the only radical bookshop in Wales. With the recent re-focus on the BLM movement following the death of George Floyd and so many others, we need radical booksellers more than ever out there, using their anti-capitalist nous to give communities a space to meet, learn and organise. Or at least, passionate book fans with a taste for DIY to give it a go!

How can we support marginalised voices?

Support POC writers! Buy books by disabled people! Read queer stories! The intention of the shop is to create a space where people can learn about marginalised communities. Sharing and listening are two key tools for understanding your privilege and seeing the world from other perspectives, and reading is one way of accessing the stories of people’s lives different to your own.

We can help by sharing work by people of colour, by LGBTQ+ people, by disabled and chronically ill people and by anyone who has a story that needs to be heard by a society built by and for the global majorities.

It’s really easy to seek out work by lesser-heard voices. And once you’ve read one, tell your friends, share online and then go find another one!

Are there social causes students

TEDx arrives at Cardiff Shelflife; changing your perspective of the world University Natalie Graham

Head of @Caerdydd

T

EDx was launched by global organisation TED (Technology, Entertainment nad Design) to spread ideas. TEDx allows independent groups to organise their own TED events. Cardiff University partnered with TEDxCardiff for the first time in March 2012, with an aim of delivering an array of inspirational talks. Next Tuesday, TEDx returns to Cardiff University, with the very apt theme being ‘Creativity: An Industry’.

The event will explore creativity in its many forms, from the thriving and innovative creative industries in Cardiff, to the role creativity and the creative sector can play in improving healthcare and our own mental wellbeing. Amongst many other things COVID-19 has highlighted, it has become abundantly clear that we rely heavily on the creative sector, and that it’s continued growth is to be encouraged whole heartedly.

The Speakers include: Alexia Barrett, a Journalism Communications and Politics Graduate.

Georgina Harvey, a Computer Science Student Jocelyn Longdon, a Creative Agency Founder Mathew Roberts, an Occupational Therapy Postgraduate Naikena Mutulili, a Biosciences Undergraduate Professor Damian WalfordDavies, Pro Vice-Chancllor, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Yasmine Najime, a studio manager Performances at TEDxCardiff are available online.

Natalie Graham

Head of @Caerdydd

O

wning a bookshop can lead to a turbulent future, a brave venture in the age of amazon and the decaying British high-street. However after two decades of decline, January marked the third consecutive year of growth for the sector. Independent bookshops are on the rise, and Cardiff has gained a good one.

Shelflife Books and Zines, is different. For one, it’s a ‘notfor-profit’ business. Secondly its chosen focus is making room for marginalised voices in a safe open minded environment. Stocking thought provoking books and Zines from Independent, micro and self-publishers, the bookshop provides the community with a vital tool from seeing the world from a contrasting perspective.

G air Rhydd had the chance to interview owner Rosie Smith, discussing Shelflife, radical books, societal inclusivity and zines.

What prompted you to open Shelflife?

It’s always been a secret dream to start my own bookshop, much like every other book fan, I imagine! The idea for Shelflife was inspired by visits to radical and queer bookshops I’ve worked in bookshops in the past – chains and independents – but the final push was feeling unsatisfied and unwell working 9-5 office jobs.

So, in December, I quit with the aim to do a pop-up bookshop in the corner of my kind friend’s beer and record shop. (Pop’n’Hops on Whitchurch Road, check it out!) Here we are, 8 months later.

can help with?

Glitter Cymru, The Privilege Cafe, Wild Thing/Cathays Community Centre Community fridge and Aubergine Cafe Are paperback books a rare art in an internet age?

People still love beautiful, tangible objects, the audience for physical books is still strong. Digital ereaders have had their day, I don’t think they revolutionised reading in the way Jeff Bezos hoped. Physical books are still well-loved, libraries and community bookshops are essential. Books are a luxury item, and not exactly cheap, which is why I still encourage using local libraries and have a Pay It Forward board to allow those with a bit of extra cash help those who need a little boost. If anything, people have become more discerning and will research more before buying books, or ask for recommendations, which is where your friendly, local bookseller comes in!

What are Zines?

Zines (pronounced ‘zeens’) are brilliant! They’re usually homemade, small format mini-magazines about anything and everything.

Mostly self-published and shortrun, they’re always DIY! Your zine can be filled with anything you want – it can be your own writing about your favourite bands, food, pets etc, or recipes, photos, gig reviews, how to guides, drawings and/or stories.

Your zine can be collaborative, or it can be about your own personal experience (personal zines are often called perzines) of literally anything eg. chronic illness, your holiday, moving house, doing a PhD, making houmous, exploring your gender and/or sexuality – no subject is too big or small! The best thing about zines is that anyone can make them.

FOR CARDIFF STUDENTS NOT FOR PROFIT OWNED AND RUN BY CARDIFF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ UNION cardiffstudentletting.com 029 2078 1525

28

SPORT

YOUR Has women’s sport been left behind the coronavirus pandemic?

SPORT Weduring examine the damaging effects of the coronavirus pandemic on women’s sport DESK Ella Fenwick Sport Editor

I Tom Walker

nequality based on gender within sport has always been an underlying issue, even before lockdown women’s sport was still battling to receive the same respect as men’s sport in many different aspects, but has overcome leaps and bounds over the last year.

Although both were at risk to be largely affected by the coronavirus outbreak, it seems that men’s sport could move on breezily after the lockdown.

On the other hand women’s sport has been left undervalued and underfunded in its return, after a financial plummet from the pandemic.

The pandemic has forced us to take a look at the way in which we value women’s sport and address the deep-rooted issue of inequality and how it should be tackled if faced with another national lockdown.

Effect of lockdown on women’s sport

Freddie Bennett

Ella Fenwick

Ben Lovell-Smith sport@gairrhydd.com

Almost Time: Hale has her sights set on her first RWC in 2021.

Source: Wikicommons

After closing a large gender gap in the general female participation in sport over the last five years, many are scared of the long term impact the pandemic could have on women’s sport.

In a recent report launched by the organization Women in Sport, a survey of 100 women in lockdown across the UK found women’s participation in exercise was disproportionately affected due to the reality of juggling childcare and working from home.

It was found that 32% of women couldn’t prioritise exercise during lockdown because they found they had too much to do for others.

Even though lockdown affected the general participation of women in sport, it was seen that 61% stated that they will be keen to put more effort into engaging in sport post lockdown.

Stephanie Hilborne, CEO of WiS, stated “Whilst this research points to negatives for women in lockdown, the great opportunity is that exercise and sport has now grown into importancewe heard that women are changing their mindsets and wanting to prioritise sport and exercise.”

From this we can take away a positive outlook on how we can move forward with general participation in women’s sport to make the sporting community thrive again, progressing from the negatives of the pandemic.

Effects on women’s leagues

With the relaxation of governmental guidelines in June, men’s sport was seen to return promptly with rescheduled matches in a majority of sport to remain behind closed doors.

Women’s sport however was left on the bench, with it arguably being deemed an “invisible” summer for female athletes, after the abandonment of matches and leagues across the board of sport including football, jeopardizing a healthy and equal return of women’s sport.

The cancellation of the women’s football leagues is just one example of how women’s sport has been neglected post-pandemic, halting the previous momentum made over the last year by the success of women’s sports teams.

Professional men’s football made a swift return in July, with the continuation of all 92 remaining Premier League matches as well as all EFL fixtures. The stalling of women’s football leagues was becoming very apparent.

Left Behind: Whilst the Premier League resumed, the WSL season was abandonned. (Source: Wikicommons) In May 2020, both the FA Women’s Super League and Championship were ended with immediate effect, drawing the season to an abrupt close. WSL winners Chelsea and Women’s Championship winners Aston Villa were crowned on a point per game basis, after casting it aside the FA found it to be a satisfactory finish to the season despite abandoning the leftover games of leagues.

After an increase of interest in women’s football since the Women’s World Cup followed by the cancellation of the women’s 2019/20 football leagues in the space of a year, it can be discouraging that one step forward has been followed by three steps back.

Women’s football wasn’t the only sport that seemed to take a hit from coronavirus, with the Vitality Netball SuperLeague having all their matches voided for the 2019/20 season, finding themselves on the brink of financial collapse, desperately looking for funding to make a strong return, turning to fans for support.

The cancellastion of the women’s football leagues is just one example of how women’s sport has been neglected post-pandemic halting the previous momentum made over the last year by the success of the last by the successes of women’s sport teams.

Was there a prioritization of men’s sport post lockdown?

Where there have been conscious efforts to generate excess funding for male sports, the same cannot be said about the women’s.

Women’s sport has found itself as being part of the financial cut being sacrificed to benefit and fund men’s sport. It seems that short term gains have been put above a long-term shift.

All sports have felt the detrimental effects of broadcast deals on the future of their teams and funding, with the Premier League recently under fire for the Pay Per View services of matches.

This demand and popularity for broadcasting men’s sport has given them the advantage to be granted funds and access to continue training, however many female athletes have been left behind in this process.

Despite many of these professional sports clubs beginning to gain funding,

the neighbouring female teams have been disregarded and have been failed by their male cohorts for not providing a helping hand in their return to competing.

It has been proven now more than ever that media coverage of women’s sports should be increased to help keep it afloat.

With the beginning of the new season, this should be an opportunity for women’s sport organisations to encourage.

Returning as an elite athlete

The majority of elite female athletes have found themselves having to work a job alongside their sporting career and are unable to rely solely on their involvement in professional sport as a yearly income.

Lockdown has not been negative for all athletes, despite the loss of motivation many have battled through and used it as a drive to push themselves towards new goals.

One athlete in particular is Welsh national rugby player Cerys Hale.

Hale, like many athletes found herself building goals to work towards for the return of training post lockdown, but sometimes found herself struggling with motivation; “I think for me personally it really has given me something to focus on, over lockdown I enjoyed working from home and enjoyed having more freedom to train and recover properly, but towards the end of that period I was getting quite fed up and it is hard really to stay motivated when you don’t know when you are going back or what date you will be returning to training.”

The only goal Hale has found herself focused on is the Rugby World Cup next year hosted by New Zealand, helping her strive for new fitness goals and getting into the best shape possible.

“During lockdown I really focused on getting myself into a good physical shape ready for the World Cup next year. Hopefully with this pandemic and a bit of downtime it has given me a clear motivation and an opportunity to get me into a better shape” As a female elite athlete, Hale was grateful for being able to return to play in the Six Nations game on November 1, especially with the Welsh national lockdown rules in place.

Hale discussed the return of women’s sport, in particular rugby and the difference of return for the male athletes giving an equal insight to the current argument.

“Yes there has been a lot of talk in the

media about the difference between men and women’s sport and I can understand both sides of it.

“Obviously, women have probably been impacted by it a bit more because we are so reliant on a thriving community at the moment because we don’t get as much income from sponsors and all of that.”

“I can understand as well because we have professions alongside rugby we are naturally at a higher risk. With men you can say this is their job and you are going home you need to be safe, where as I for example go into school and teach and I just think that it does bring a greater risk.

“Although I do believe women’s sport in general needs a bit of extra support now transitioning back into this new norm, I can also see the extra risks associated with the women’s sport.”

Hale believes that we should use this time wisely to help encourage the viewership of women’s sport and to get the sporting community working together to bring a positive start to the new season of women’s leagues across the board.

“We can probably really capitalize on people being at home more, so if we got more television broadcasting because people are naturally sat more in front of their TVs at the moment. I think that is quite a good window for us to try and get a better following, on top of that as well it is more of an opportunity for us to be more active on social media just to keep something to focus on and to look at.”

Where do we go from here?

The outbreak of the pandemic has been a hurdle for the sporting world and with the return of a new season the encouragement to evaluate how we prioritize gender in sports should be on the horizon.

How we chose to move on from this point, will have a large effect on the future of women’s sport, especially in these unprecedented times where another national lockdown could be sprung upon us.

Now that women’s sport is beginning to make a comeback after months of silence, it looks like there has been positive to the start of the 2020/21 season.

With fixtures being held weekly for the women’s football leagues and also the rescheduling of the Women’s Six Nations matches that took place on November 1, it will be exciting to see if this approach will continue and if women’s sport will come back stronger in the new season.

CHWARAEON

Khabib Nurmagomedov: An Eagle soars

Following his retirement, we examine the legacy Khabib leaves behind and his cultural impact Dominic Williams News Editor

O

n Saturday, October 24 on Yas Island Abu Dhabi, Khabib Nurmagomedov successfully defended his Lightweight Title against Justin Gaethje taking his overall record to an unbelievable 29-0.

Although, this was not the biggest surprise of the night as Nurmagomedov has shown over 12 years of fighting his talent is almost untouched in the octagon. Instead, it was his decision to retire and the legacy he leaves behind for the sport.

A big factor in his retirement was the loss of his father and head coach Abdumlmanap Nurmagomedov who sadly died due to complications caused by coronavirus. Telling Jon Anik inside the octagon that he made a promise to his mother he would never fight again without his father by his side and would honor this by retiring on the night.

Khabib leaves a lasting legacy on the sport in numerous ways both culturally and the development of the sport.

His Black belt in Judo and his training of Sambo made him one of the most dominant fighters of all time.

Furthermore, in UFC it is the big knockouts that make the highlight reels and draw an audience, but Khabib’s utter dominance on the ground showed the true beauty of MMA and exposed this style to a much larger audience.

From fighting bears from a young age to beating one of the most valuable athletes in Conor Mcgregor, showed that Nurmagomedov truly had a love for MMA, and it was the

Like father like son: Khabib (left) and his father Abdumlmanap (right) in 2016. Source: Время спорта (via Wikimedia Commons)

legacy that mattered the most.

Khabib could have easily walked away set for life after the Mcgregor fight with him earning £1.5million, but it was his true passion and the promise he’d made to his Father to become pound for pound best fighter in the world.

Nurmagomedov’s influence was huge in a cultural capacity. When Khabib Nurmagomedov claimed the lightweight title at UFC 223, he cemented his status as the first Russian fighter to hold a UFC title. He also became the first Muslim UFC champion.

Nurmagomedov is ethnically from the Russian republic of Dagestan and chose the nickname ‘’The Eagle’’ to pay homage to his region. This won

him great support among Muslim youth not only in his region but in Chechnya and other ex-soviet Muslim majority countries.

His appeal is not limited to these, he managed to transcend ethnic complexities and became one of Russia’s most popular sportsmen.

Since Khabib’s dominance in the UFC, there has been a rise in Russian and Eastern European fighters entering the UFC. For example, UFC has since crowned another Russian champion in Petr Yan who holds the Bantamweight title. The recent rise of Khamzat Chimaev who is a Russianborn Swedish fighter born in Chechnya has drawn similar comparisons to Khabib due to his dominance inside of the cage.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s longevity at the top and the calibre of fighters he has beaten undoubtedly puts him in the Mount Rushmore of MMA fighters. In his last 3 fights, he has beaten arguably some of the most dangerous Lightweight fighters in history, these being Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje in convincing fashions. Not many fighters get the chance to truly leave the game on their terms and ride off into the sunset.

Who knows what the future holds for Khabib Nurmagomedov, although it is hard to argue Khabib’s longlasting legacy to go out on top as undefeated, lightweight champion of the world and fulfilling the promises made to his father.

This defeat sees Wales remain in second place on eleven points in a tight Group C. However, after a 1-0 win in Belarus, third placed Northern Ireland are pushing Wales for that second place on eight points.

After their win in Belarus, Northern Ireland are now threatening to take second and get themselves into the play-offs in place of Wales. In the qualifying stage, the winners of the nine groups automatically get through to the competition meaning that there are seven spots remaining to fill the 16 required for the tournament.

This means that along with the nine group winners, the three second placed teams with the best records in the qualifying stage will follow them and automatically qualify for the tournament. The remaining second placed teams will then be entered into a play -off to fill the remaining four slots.

However, if Wales finish the qualification stage on the same number of points as Northern Ireland then they will not be able to make the playoffs. Northern Ireland have a better record against Wales at this stage with two away goals in a 2-2 draw in Newport while Wales failed to score away against Northern Ireland in a 0-0 draw.

This means Wales will be hoping they can secure a victory at home to Belarus in their final game in December, and that results around the other

groups go their way in the remaining group games to cement their place in the competition.

Currently, sides such as Denmark, Germany and Russia are second placed with more points than Wales which means that the play-offs could be the only chance Wales get to find their way into the competition in 2022.

In the coming months, it is going to be interesting what fate beholds this Welsh side. In the first half against Norway they proved they were able to compete against these big sides and put in a good performance.

Many supporters will feel that they should have come away with a draw after a Jess Fishlock shot was fired just wide in the final moments, an opportunity that would have found the bottom corner on a different night.

Looking to the future, Wales should take some confidence from that first half against Norway and bring that tactical skill and defensive strength back in their game against Belarus.

One would hope they do not linger on that defeat for too long as there is no disgrace in losing to a good side, they come back even stronger in their final game and finish on a high.

If they come away with the maximum three points, then they have done all they can, and it may be down to other results to determine their future in the competition.

Wales women’s European Championship qualification still hangs in the balance

Looking forward: Jess Fishlock driving through midfield against Norway.

Source: Football Association of Wales

Freddie Bennett Sport Editor

A

fter a difficult defeat against Norway at Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday, October 27, Wales Women’s European Championship hopes hang in the balance.

The loss means they will have to wait a little bit longer to see if they will qualify for the tournament now set to take place in England in 2022.In their seventh game of the campaign,

Wales faced Norway in a top of the table clash. This game was an important test for the Welsh as the away side had won every game to that point and had already secured automatic qualification for the tournament. A point for Wales would go a long way in cementing some confidence in their qualification hopes.

However, it was not to be as a defensive mishap just outside the box allowed a Frida Maanum strike to find the bottom corner early in the second half.

29

TEAM TALK

B

arry Town United is a club enriched in football history dating back to the late 1800s. The days of yesteryear consisted of domination within the Welsh domestic scene, deep FA Cup runs and European travels.

In the 1980s, Barry left the then titled Southern League to focus on the Welsh League competition. This proved to be a fruitful decision as Barry won six Welsh League titles before the decade’s end.

The formation of the Welsh Premier League was where Barry were eventually able to cement their dominance in an era of success for the club. The club started in division one but earned immediate promotion and between the years 1994 to 2004 won seven league titles.

Their domestic success was rewarded with several European ventures in the preliminary Champions League stages.

The late 1990s saw battles against football legend Andriy Shevchenko and his Dynamo Kiev side, before eventually becoming the first League of Wales side to win a Champions League tie, beating Azerbaijan champions Shamkir to set up a tie with Portuguese giants Porto. The tie unsurprisingly went in the favour of the European giants, but the 3-1 home victory over the Portuguese side remains a historic occasion in the Barry Town United archive.

Unfortunately for Barry, this period of fondness for the club was met by turmoil and financial crisis in the following years.

The continual challenge of securing enough prize money through domestic and European competitions would eventually catch up with the club. The lack of funds left them in a position of huge financial strain resulting in them entering administration in the summer of 2003. The future of the club was in complete turmoil.

Stuart Lovering bought the club in 2003 but continued to heap misery onto the side: slashing budgets, increasing ticket prices and not paying stadium rental charges; whilst the club were relegated to Welsh Division One. After several more years of internal battling, Lovering’s attempt to withdraw Barry from the Welsh football league, which was backed by the FAW council, was the final straw. A High Court judge ruled that the FAW Council had acted unlawfully in denying them their licence to play Welsh league football and they were reinstated into the Welsh league pyramid.

In the years since, with Lovering out of the picture, Barry would go on to win two consecutive Welsh League titles and in April 2017, secured its return to the Welsh Premier League as Welsh League Division One champions under the management of long time servant Gavin Chesterfield.

The 2020-21 campaign Barry faced NSÍ Runavík in the Europa League preliminary rounds to make it consecutive years in Europe. The tie did not go the Welsh side’s way, but it was still a remarkable achievement given their recent struggles. The current league campaign has been promising for Barry. They are currently fourth in the league, only losing two of their nine games so far. The league is currently on hold due to the Welsh lockdown.

The Barry Town United story is a rollercoaster. From facing some of Europe’s best to near liquidation, and now back to domestic success, it has been an incredible journey for the club and one hopefully now set on the right path.

Reporting by Tom Walker

Women’s Sport Update:

Has women’s sport been left behind? page 28

SPORT CHWARAEON Wales Women’s Euro hopes hang in the balance FOOTBALL

Freddie Bennett Sport Editor

T

he hopes of qualification for the Euro competition in 2022 hangs in the balance for the Wales Women’s football team. After a difficult defeat at home against Norway on October 27, the Welsh side remained second in Group C with Norway leading the table by seven points. However, with Northern Ireland breathing down their necks, Wales will need a strong end to the campaign against Belarus and hope results go their way to get through to the competition automatically. With performances like that opening half against Norway, it is clear that this side have the capability to escape the group.

Continued on page 29

Khabib Nurmagomedov: An eagle soars MMA

Dominic Williams Features Editor Welsh Warrior: Natalie Powell (left) tustles with England’s Gemma Gibbons. Source: Natalie Powell

Powell: ‘In the shape of my life’ for K Europeans as Tokyo comes closer Ben Lovell-Smith speaks to Olympian and Cardiff Uni Alumni Natalie Powell about her judo career and the futue as she heads into Olympic year

Ben Lovell-Smith Sport Editor

W

elsh Judoka, Natalie Powell is a humble character.

Competing within the women’s 78kg category she won Commonwealth Gold at Glasgow in 2014 and finished 7th at the Rio Olympics 2 years later. In 2018 she won the Grand Slam in Düsseldorf and Grand Prix Antalya and has racked up a total of more than 30 World Cup medals over an outstanding judo career. It is therefore no surprise that Powell has been selected to represent Great Britain at the upcoming European Championships. Asked what selection meant to her, her response revealed more relief than excitement. “I’m just really happy to be selected. Within the current climate, and after Britain decided not to send a team to the first competition on the judo tour, to be selected for the Europeans is a really massive step forward”. A Cardiff University alumni, her success can be an inspiration for anyone at Cardiff. Alongside her athletic honours is a biomedical science degree, but there is a knowing giggle

when this is brought to light. “I enjoyed the first year, maybe two years but I then realised I had no interest in biomedical science!” Despite losing interest, after six years of studying alongside her training, she managed to complete her degree. Such commitment to get the job done is a theme that runs through her career. Indeed, this year Powell has been forced to invoke the same fighting spirit, as the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the tour calendar. The Europeans will be Powell’s first competition since the Grand Prix event in Tel Aviv at the end of January. Despite the obstacles that the pandemic has posed for athletes, Powell feels she is in the best shape possible to take on the challenge. “I feel I’ve made the most of my situation, I’ve made massive gains in strength and conditioning and technical improvements.” The pandemic really came at the worst time for Powell, she won in Tel Aviv beating two girls she hadn’t beaten before, and admits she felt in the best shape of her life at that point. Thanks to the work of Welsh Judo and Powell’s coach Darran Warner, Powell has trained all the way through the lockdown, ensuring that

she is able to continue that form with the Tokyo Olympics around the corner. “From a British perspective I have been really lucky, Wesh Judo and my coach have been ahead of the game all the time, always looking at how we are going to do training.” Though the story is not as romantic as it may sound.

To ensure she could continue to spar throughout the lockdown, Powell isolated with her partner in an AirBnB close to the Dragons Judo Academy in Cardiff. She represents a determination and dedication that is required to compete at the highest level. Her dedication should pay off when it comes to the Europeans, “In terms of the rest of the world, we’ll definitely be ahead of some of them”. However, the reality is that the circumstances will have benefitted the bigger countries. Such as France and Russia who have more sparring partners as well as more high level judokas. This gives them a huge advantage as judo requires people to train with. “If you’re French, you’ve already got maybe 20 girls in your weight to train with, it puts you at an advantage”. The pandemic has created a backlog of competitions. For the first time, the World Champion-

ships will take place in the same year as the Olympics, meaning that the upcoming year could be a defining one for Powell, who intimated that 2021 could be her last in Judo. “I will be prioritising the Olympics for sure, there’s a chance I will finish my career afterwards so to have a World Championship as well when I’m in the best shape of my life is exciting”. The journey begins with the European Championships which start on the weekend of the 19th November. The Europeans hold a higher standing than masters and Grand Slam in terms of qualification for the Olympics, so this tournament is vital for those who hold the Olympic dream. Though for the moment she is just concentrating on enjoying the opportunity to compete.

“We really did not think we’d be competing before the end of the year, so I’m just happy to be able to compete again”. Powell seems to be in a great place right now, her optimistic and humble personality combines with a steely determination and grit. Now hitting the twilight of her career, Olympic glory is the dream for Powell and the stars seem to be aligning in front of her.

For more breaking sports news, visit www.gairhydd.com/sport

habib Nurmagomadov’s victory over Justin Gaethje reinforced what many came to believe about the Russian’s standing in UFC history; One of the best ever. Following his second round victory, Khabib somewhat shocked the sporting world by announcing his retirement from the sport. The most pressing reason for laying down the gloves was the loss of his father and head coach.

Khabib had a very close relationship with his father, who was instrumental to his fighting career. We explore the significance of his retirement and the cultural impact of his career.

Continued on page 29

Team Talk: Barry Town United FOOTBALL

Tom Walker

Head of Sport

B

arry Town United are currently sitting in fourth place in the Welsh Premier, a feat that is extremely remarkable given their recent struggles off the pitch. From facing the likes of Andriy Shevchenko in the Champions League in the late 90s, to administration in 2003 due to a dire financial situation, it has been a real roller coaster for long term fans of the Linnets. In this episode of Team Talk, We explore their remarkable journey over the last decade and how the have recovered to become one of Wales’ top club sides

Continued on page 29