So Gridlock And Anti English Sentiment Around Newport Might Begin On 17 December

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have chatted about this a few times in this blog but as things appear to have come to head I feel I need to go back to the issue of the abolition of the tolls on the Geraint Thomas bridge and the potential social unrest that may result.

Well Alun Cairns has announced that the tolls will be lifted on 17th December, earlier than expected.

Of course it will help him with his partitioning of Wales to support his "Western Powerhouse" idea. And it also needs to be remembered that the charging of the tolls was resented in Wales.

And now is an argument that it would gridlock on the bridge. And it will. After all who dislikes anything that you don't have to pay directly for?

But what is already happening, and what will undoubtedly increase come the 17th of December, is that families from Bristol where property is expensive will buy cheaper property in Wales and use the bridge as a commuter route.

For the local communities up to Newport it will mean they will become priced out of the market. That, plus the stunning small proportion of social housing built by the Welsh Labour administration will mean resentment against these English families will rise.

To what extent this resentment will grow I do not know. And let my stress that whilst I do not approve of violent action of any kind I'd argue that it's equally a crime not to see the possibility of social unrest and not apparently doing anything to stop it. Whether through ideology (Cairns) or just couldn't seemingly be bothered (Carwyn Jones and [insert next Labour leader here].

So you see if I am right (and I hope I'm not) the Unionist parties may have just let in not just English commuters but social unrest in Wales.

Until the next time