Monday December 2nd 2013 | freeword | Issue 1017 gair rhydd Christian Union page 2 Carol Concert page 19 Iran agrees nuclear deal page 12 University Challenge team selected page 5 Government privatises £900m of student debt Scientists closer to male-free reproduction to generate a lump sum for by the government is seen to is incredibly problematic. page 15 Ashley Bebbington the government, which many be unfair on the taxpayer; ad- “The impact of this sale News Editor commentators have labeled as ditionally it could result in won’t only affect borrow- a shortsighted approach. greater debt for graduates, and ers, but will affect everybody. Last week the government The government’s plan to force harsher penalties upon The simple fact is that hav- made a move towards the privatise student loan debt is those who can’t pay. ing these loans on the public privatization of student loans a move that has been widely Toni Pearce, President of books would be better off for by selling £900 million of stu- criticised by student bodies the National Union of Stu- the Government in the long dent debt to debt management and organisations across the dents (NUS) said: “This an- run. Selling off the loan book consortium Erudio Student country, and is part of a wider nouncement is extremely at a discount to secure a cash Loans for £160m. The sale of plan to sell off £15bn of pub- concerning and is one that lump sum now doesn’t make 250,000 loans, taken out by lic assets to the private sector. will see the public subsidising economic sense.” Iran nuclear talks commence students who began courses The sale has proven unpopular a private company making a between 1990-98, is intended because the low sum accepted profi t from public debt, which Continued on page 3 >> page 14 2 A note from the editor EDITOR Tom Eden hat a hectic nations opened on Friday, so if diffunion.tv) if you missed it. CO-ORDINATOR couple of you fancy my job, or any of the Anyway, the superb cover- Elaine Morgan weeks. other six roles, then please get in age is only part of the reason I The na- touch. I couldn’t recommend it bring it up. Motion Six and the SUB EDITOR tional me- highly enough. subsequent amendment would Jacob Dirnhuber dia, from I couldn’t be prouder of the have had a massive impact upon WThe Telegraph to The Mirror, all Student Media team. Forgive the Student Media in years to come. NEWS picked up the front page story we self indulgence, but you had a It was passionately debated, Ashley Bebbington ran about the Football Club’s in- week off last week, when there solely because there are so Max Eshraghi famous presentation. Since I last was no editor’s note, largely due many people who care so Georgia Hamer wrote one of these, I’ve had the to the exhaustion from AMM & much about it. However, Rowan Whittington privilege of going to the MIND then an all night edit-a-thon (like in the short term, discuss- Media Awards, with Mike – the a marathon, but with fewer blis- ing the future direction in OPINION editor of Quench – where he was ters.) such a public forum could TOM EDEN Jacob Dirnhuber nominated for Student Journal- Ideally I would have sung their have had been divisive and Gareth Evans ist of the year. I popped along to praises last week, but now that damaging, but, thankfully, Beth Lyons a few of the Christian Union’s the dust has settled following this hasn’t happened. EDITOR Convinced? talks, have begun AMM I have had the chance to Anyway, I hope you enjoy COLUMNISTS planning Drink The Bar Dry (I watch, listen and read what the this week’s paper and if you Jess McFarlane can’t wait), and most excitingly, various platforms did. CUTV and have any feedback, please tweet Charlotte Wace had lots of talks with people Xpress were exceptional in their me @MediaCSU, or pop up to the who might be running to become coverage of the event –videos are Media Offi ce on the third fl oor of POLITICS elected offi cers next year. Nomi- up on CUTV’s website (www.car- the Union. Matt Harding Greg Landon SCIENCE Scott Davies David Mason POLITICS PARK LIFE SPORT George Osborne targets short Vidya Brainerd Cardiff defeated by Hartpury at term loan interest rates the Arms Park. TAF-OD Anna George Cerith Rhys Jones SPORT Rory Benson David Hooson PAGE 13 Ross Martinovic PAGE 29 Arthur Russell CONTRIBUTORS Katie Evans SPORT SOCIETIES Kieran Davey An in depth look at the issue of A look ahead at Act One’s panto Sum Sze Tam mental health in both profes- - Snow White and the Seven Helena Branch sional and university sport. Dwarves Rhiannan Tapp Lauren Cocking Charley Griffi ths Olivier van den Bent-Kelly Hannah Taylor Ben Cole Isaac Spencer Katie Sands Joe Paley Rebecca Smith PAGE 31 PAGE 17 Harry Thompson Kirsty Frankilin Michael Arnott Thomas Bamford Sophie Howells SPORT OPINION SCIENCE Scott Davies Jack Di Franceso Taliesin Coombes In this week’s Team Talk, Vox Pop as people (mostly Cardiff ’s CCI Leads catalysis Rhys Johns Sport Editor David Hooson those in the Taf) about their doctoral training Hayley Robson talks to JOMEC FC Captain housing horros. Stacey Baldwin Eliza Nicholas Liam McNeilly Tom Johnson Dave Riley Ellie van Klaveren Abigail Smyth Steffan Thomas Sophie Banks James Wilcox PAGE 30 PAGE 11 PAGE 15 Joe Atkinson Paul Davies Dom Booth Lillith Hickling Bryony Humphries Sally Stockman GAIR RHYDD AND QUENCH MAGAZINE ARE PUBLISHED BY UNIVERSITY UNION CARDIFF, PARK PLACE, Anna Athanasiodis CARDIFF CF10 3QN • REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER AT THE POST OFFICE • GAIR RHYDD RESERVES THE Virginia Bonet RIGHT TO EDIT ALL CONTRIBUTIONS • THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE Charli Babb PUBLISHERS • GAIR RHYDD IS WRITTEN, DESIGNED, TYPESET AND OUTPUT BY STUDENTS OF CARDIFF A PROUD PART OF UNIVERSITY AND THEY ARE HELPED THROUGH DEADLINE NIGHT BY DOMINO’S, WHO KINDLY CARDIFF STUDENT MEDIA PROVIDE THE TEAM WITH PIZZA SO THAT THEY DON’T GO HUNGRY WHILE MAKING THIS PAPER. Monday December 2nd 2013 | @mediacsu NEWS 3 UK Government privatises student debt << Continued from page 1 to £10 billion of student debts could makes economic sense. student loan debt stands at £46bn tiny on student loan repayments. be sold to private companies by “NUS sought and received as- and is expected to rise to £200bn in The current rules of repayment 2020 – 25% of all outstanding stu- surances from David Willetts that the next 30 years. mean that 50% of current borrow- Universities Minister, David Wil- dent loan debt. the terms and conditions on the The National Audit Offi ce, a gov- ers are not expected to be able to lets, said that the sale “represents The current system is designed student loans will not be changed, ernment-spending watchdog, says repay their debts. good value for money” and has al- to help graduates in unfortunate but we want to see all students pro- that there needs to be tighter scru- lowed the reduction of the public fi nancial circumstances; currently tected on this by law.” sector’s debt by £160m. He went on payment can be deferred if their The Student Assembly Against to say the sale would help the Stu- income is below 85 per cent of the Austerity, an activist group that op- dent Loans Company to focus on national average earnings, which poses cuts to higher education and providing loans to current borrow- currently stand at £28,775. It is vehemently opposes the sale of the ers, as well as collecting the debts feared that private loan companies loan book, has organised a nation- from more recent loans. will be much tougher on borrow- wide ‘week of action’ in February The handing over of student ers, and force them to pay up in next year to persuade the govern- debt to private debt collection com- spite of their circumstances. ment against further action. The panies could potentially leave stu- An online petition warning that SAAA’s suggestions for the week of dents who graduated before David the plans could “saddle many UK action include targeting local MPs’ Cameron’s government tripled tu- graduates with loans they would surgeries as locations for protest, ition fees with more debt than they be unable to pay during their work- and utilising creative methods of would have otherwise. If the cap ing lives” has attracted more than raising awareness. on student debt interest were left 15,000 signatures in opposition Erudio Student Loans won the as it is, private companies would of the scheme. However, Mr Wil- bid to buy the remaining 17% fi nd it diffi cult to profi t from the lets was keen to stress that “bor- of outstanding debt from 1990- venture, making retroactive price rowers will remain protected and 98 – valued by the government at hikes in student debt a troubling there will be no change to their £160m. Erudio’s bid was fi nancially possibility. terms and conditions, including backed by CarVal Investors, Arrow Danny Alexander, Chief Se- the calculation of interest rates for Global, and others, who subsidised crettary to the Treasury, said in loans.” This has been reiterated by the cost of the bid. a statement to Parliament this Business Secretary Vince Cable. The sale of the student debt has June that the government plans to Stephanie Lloyd, President of sparked a wider debate amongst sell £15bn of public assets by 2020, NUS Wales said “The simple fact is MPs, who are concerned that the £10bn of which coming from “cor- that having these loans on the pub- government is not doing enough porate and fi nancial assets like the lic books would be better off for the to recuperate money loaned out to student loan book.” Therefore up Government in the long-run and students.