It's George Borrow Time

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

The story so far. 

In 2017 I read The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane which was without question the best non-fiction book I'd read that year. I chatted about it at the time on this blog.  Now he lauded about the 19th century writer and linguist George Borrow Now as it happened there were loads of his books available for free on my Kindle. So I thought "Great. I'll download them",  Which I did.

And so far I've hated every one I've read. 

I've just finished reading three of them which trust me as I will explain as we go along is not the great achievement that it appears to be.

The Songs Of Ranild is presumably the lyrics without a tune. I read it quickly. I wasn't impressed. Did not last long.

Letters To His Wife - The worst of the three. If only because there were just twelve yes twelve letters. And they were just mundane. Nothing important. Him asking for money I can recall. Really just not worth the paper this ebook wasn't printed on.

The Zincali:an account of the gypsies of Spain is the most substantial of the three but not great. Basically he was trying to flog the bible to this "tribe". And yes tribe is the right word because throughout the book the impression he gives is of a man looking down at a group of people he probably considers a few notches above savages.

The only bit that made me smile was when he was describing the Zincali women as basically lascivious. You know full well that the rich male readers were bellowing their disapproval whilst planning to visit the area in the summer.

In short then nothing has changed. George Borrow is a blog villain.

Until the next time.

When You Know You're Going To Hate A Book...But Read It Anyway

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well.

For every reader there comes a moment when you come into possession of a book that you know you're going to hate but feel honour bound by a sort of "reader code" (or is it an addiction?) to eventually come round and read it.

Things We Never Said was an ebook novel by Nick Alexander which in another post I chatted about. I won't repeat what I said here except that as you can guess from the title of this post I hated it. Indeed I've also chatted about another book by Mr Alexander, a "Brits in a villa" novel which, surprise, surprise, I hated as well.

Well to come back to Things We Never Said when I bought the book online it actually came with an added bonus (oh lucky me). Three Christmases : A Things We Never Said short story (thankfully). 

And of course when I read the main story I knew I was going to hate the short story. So I decided to bite the bullet and read the thing. And I'll read it in August as well. Suitable for Christmas.

Well.....of course I hated it. The things I hated in the main novel just carried over here. And let's face it any change of mind by me would have required something superhuman to achieve. In any event a boil has been lanced.

So I didn't ask for the book, but I read it. Sometimes you get delivered a book as a gift and you know you're not going to like it but there it is, taunting you, teasing that you might be pleasantly surprised and then laughing at you when you were right all along.

This is the addiction that we readers have. To read everything in our possession. To avoid the feeling we've missed something. To try everything on the menu just to say "I've been there" even though you would have rather had something dull but pleasant with chips on the side. All for that moment when you could honestly recommend the unexpected to others.

Until the next time.

 

Louisa May Alcott - The Quiet Feminist Goes Dark

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

We've chatted before about Louisa May Alcott. I've suggested that she is The Quiet Feminist. The sort of person who may not (in her case) have been the person who was the driving force for women's rights in the nineteenth century but chipped away at the edges against female inequality.

I also find myself wondering whether I'm the only person who liked everything he's read by Ms Allcott except for Little Women her most famous work.

Which leads us to Behind A Mask a 1866 novella which introduces us to Jean Muir, a governess of the Coventry family in Victorian Britain. She appears quiet and demure.

But things are not is as it seems.(and you just have to add to this) ...da da daaaah!

Of course we have all seen variations on this theme before but the fact that it's Louisa May Alcott doing it makes you want to know what is happening. What she's doing, why she's doing it and will there be dead bodies at the end as Ms Muir is revealed to be a homicidal maniac (spoiler - that doesn't happen).

In this novella there are issues of class attitudes though I suspect the greater issue is that of female rights. After all the fact that the book is subtitled A Woman's Power hints at Ms Alcott's attitudes here. But even viewed simply as an entertainment this novella works. There is a gradual but increasing tension as Jean Muir's intentions are revealed to the reader and whether or not she will obtain them. In fact I'll go as far as to say that judged solely as an entertainment this is the best book I've read this year.

It is more than that though. There is no messing with Miss Muir and it's surprising to me that such a strong female character is not mentioned often enough. Little Women it seems to me colours everything with regard to Louisa Alcott and for the general (and male) reader like me that runs the risk of ignoring her other books as the impression is given that they would be similar. 

I had a look at what I wrote for Little Women and whilst I won't go into absolute detail here I felt that it wasn't written for a fifty something male with an occasional back problem. I just obviously wasn't it's audience and with a title like Little Women fair enough.

Luckily for me as they were free on the Kindle I took the gamble and downloaded some of her other works. And I'm glad I did. Behind The Mask is the sort of book where a woman is the central character but a male reader can read and enjoy it as well. 

Thinking about it perhaps men should read a few other books by Ms Alcott before reading Little Women. Perhaps then she would gain a whole new audience. 

 

Populism And Plaid Cymru - Another Chat As To Why They Should Use It For Welsh Independence

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I've spoken about this before. But I'm going to bore you by chatting about it again. For Welsh independence whilst not the majority opinion is still growing however Plaid Cymru's position remains relatively unchanged. 

I have stated before that Adam Price the Plaid Cymru leader needs to be more populist in his approach. There is nothing wrong with populism in itself. Being a nationalist is not being nationalistic. After all it was the Unionist Jacob Rees Mogg who stated that fish were happier in British waters (perhaps someone should have explained to him that unless caught fish have more freedom of movement than the citizens of this Disunited Kingdom). Similarly being populist does not mean supporting a border wall between America and Mexico.

With Senedd (Welsh government) elections coming in May (for the moment anyway) and perhaps depending on the Corona situation this will be the first where the battle between the Unionists and Nationalists will be the one which will be on the agenda.

Now of course Unionists will be in the advantage they will have the current Welsh Labour and the Westminster UK government on their side. This will be a battle and not a war. But it's important that Plaid makes inroads into the Welsh electorate. It needs to engage with those who take little interest in politics unless events cause them to stop and think where they are in the scheme of things.

What Brexit and the Corona virus appears to have done is to take the issue of independence into the mainstream for various reasons. It cannot be ignored by those who wish it anymore. Of course Unionism will make attempts to stop this revolution in thoughts for independence to continue. But it's I would argue too late. "When" could be a long time coming but "if" is no longer a debate.

So Plaid needs to up it's game on the populism front. Independence is after all the only alternative to the failure of everything else that has blighted the lives of the people of Wales for centuries.

And what Adam Price and Plaid Cymru needs to realise is that the Welsh Conservatives will use populism against it. It's new leader Nikita Krushchev, sorry Andrew R T Davies, is not afraid to pronounce loudly to everybody on everything between meals no matter how questionable.

So the energetic populist engagement with the voters in the next election must be a priority for Plaid. Wales depends on it.

Until the next time

Is Louisa M Alcot Still The Quiet Feminist?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well.

Normally I don't make claims about myself as a reader but I wonder whether outside of North America what other man in the 21st century has read two books by Ms Alcot other than Little Women?

Could it be because I've a particular interest in nineteenth century women writers? Or could it be because I just downloaded a load of free books onto my Kindle? That I'll leave you to decide.

Anyway after reading An Old Fashioned Girl I put forward the view that Louisa Alcot was the quiet feminist. A person who would not so much rock the boat as gently sway it. Such a person is actually quite important as if you consider any malign orthodoxy there is a need for people to weaken it before somebody/ some group comes along and destroys it. Louisa Alcot falls into that catagory.

So we come to Eight Cousins the story of Rose,a recently orphaned young girl who is looked after by her aunts whilst her actual guardian, her uncle, is out to sea and her adventures particularly dealing with her cousins (aka boys).

I did think even when I was reading the novel that I'd made a mistake reading it given that it was a novel for young girls. Being a fifty six year old man with an occasional back problem I'm obviously not Ms Alcot's target audience. Until this morning I was of the view that had I realised that before hoovering up all those free books on the Kindle I would have read it. However I've subsequently learnt that there was a sequel with Rose as an adult. I'm glad I read it now though to chat about Eight Cousins properly I reckon I'd need to read that subsequent book first.

But for the moment we come back to the question of the title. Is Louisa May Alcot the quiet feminist? I would say yes. Without spoiling the end at first glance you would think that Rose has been subsumed into patriarchal society, she @knows her place@ as it were.

But throughout the book she is the one who confronts the problems dealing with herself and her male relatives. She is the one who for example, nurses, confronts someone smoking tobacco (yes even then) and is even an educator.

There is an interesting line that strong women are tomboys, implying that they need a bit of male chracter. At first glance it would seem that she's saying females need to act like men, but of course tomboys are actually a mixture of male characteristics but they're still women.

However at the end the message is clear. Men (who incidentally are not evil - In the three books of Ms Alcot I've read I don't get the impression that she doesn't like them) my seemingly rule but without women they're helpless. And if you forget the "rule" bit it's something the wife says to me all too often.

Until the next time.

One Step Towards Welsh Independence Is One Step Away From Serfdom

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

On Saturday there was the March for Welsh Independence in Cardiff. Thousands turned out according to media outlets aside from BBC who said six (actually they said that "hundreds" marched but the disparity between them and other organisations is an issue in itself). I wished I could have joined them but work and personal issues kept me away.

But what this march first showed is that no longer is the cliché that an aspiration for Welsh Independence can be considered a concept for freaks. It has supporters of all ages and classes. It has momentum.

Let us be clear here. Wales is probably the last serf nation in Europe because of the way it has been exploited through the centuries by Unionist parties. Only recently projects that could help Wales, like the Swansea Bay Lagoon or the electrification of the South Walian railway line west of Cardiff have been knobbled by Westminster. With let's no forget the full support of the Welsh Secretary of State Alun "Chucky" Cairns.

What does Wales gets in return? Village flooded so English towns can have water, nuclear dumping in Cardiff Bay. Prisons to house criminals who were born and living in England. A lower standard of life  A bridge renamed after a privileged man by other privileged men just to kiss regal backside.

You might quote to me the proposed  South Wales Metro link or the M4 Relief Road. But feeding Cardiff is not going to help Wales as a whole. You could argue as to why have a metro link when the entire country does not have a linking rail network? Ask yourself why that is? It's because Westminster does not want Wales to have something that would be physically independent from the Disunited Kingdom.

No one is saying that the majority of Welsh people want independence from this Disunited Kingdom...yet. But no longer can Welsh Unionist polictios brush it off like dandruff from their expensive suits. More and more people have seen the Unionist parties car crash response to the Brexit vote plus the state of the nation, looked at the concept of independence and thought "why not?".

Wales has much to offer when no longer a serf nation. Energy and agricultural resources, tourism and (mainly) a friendly and welcoming people. Like Ireland independence could allow Wales to properly educate the children for the world of tomorrow. Equip them with the skills instead of the current Welsh Labour administration being so bad the current minister is a LibDem. I know what you'll say. Education is a devolved issue. But Unionist parties currently run Wales on a Unionist mentality. Labour, as I've explained before, has a First Minister for Wales in Mark Drakeford who is not a leader but a disciple...of Jeremy.

Like Ireland there will be mistakes along the way. No nationalist is a Brexiteer in the sense of stating that it will be instant nirvana. But it can build itself up to be a vibrant, multi-faceted economy. Not today though. Not whilst it's Serf Nation.

But the chains of Unionism that have enslaved the Welsh for centuries are slowly beginning to buckle.

Mark my words.

Until the next time.

Danny Baker And The Reader's Dilemma

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Firstly I know yesterday I said I wasn't going to post anything today. But it turned out I didn't have to do what I thought I was going to have to do (if you catch my drift) so normal twaddle continues.

In Britain one of the major news stories yesterday, as I mentioned previously, was the sacking of Danny Baker from BBC Radio 5 Live for tweeting a picture of a couple walking out with a monkey with the words "Royal Baby Leaves Hospital". Given that it was on the same day as Prince Harold and Meghan Markle left the hospital with their first child, and given her African American background you could see that this caused an understandable fury in and out of the social media.

Mr Baker apologised. Saying that he wasn't even aware of the royal birth and that it was a stupid gag gone wrong. I've no idea whether he's telling the truth or not. But even if you believe him you can't argue that reasoning is stunning in itself.

I saw the reports on the news on my return from work. Watching him being doorstepped by the media Baker gave the impression that really he was the victim. But let's be clear. Even if what he says is correct, he and no one else provided the ammunition for people to attack him.

So we have a situation where Danny Baker either through a cataclysmic error or something even more disgusting has potentially put his career in tatters.

Which is a pity.

Because before the last couple of days I would have said that when Mr Baker is dead and buried and the years have passed his radio shows whether on music or football or his TV stuff or his journalism will fade away from memory. But the work that I'd predict would have survived is the first volume of his autobiography Going to Sea in a Sieve. One of the best autobiographies I've ever read.

Why? Well there is a bit on his music journalism. But mainly it's a book about growing up in the  London Docklands in the seventies. It has a sense of place, a sense of a happy working class family life and a world that no longer exists. It's truly worth a read even if you've never heard of Danny Baker.....until now.

For we come back to the tweet. Would a reader want to pick up a truly great book because of what's happened? I suspect not. If you don't believe Danny Baker you won't read it anyway. Even if you do the events of the past few days will be like an irritating fly hovering around and distracting. There would be no way you could properly give it your full attention knowing what's happened.

So Danny Baker needs to atone and atone quickly. For he wrote a truly great book. But a book that is destined to be forgotten because of his stupidity.

Until the next time.

Why Are Unionist Welsh Politicians Afraid Of Upsetting England? Example One: Smacking

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have in this blog chatted about how Unionist Welsh politicians appear to tug their forlock over the nearest neighbour so I decided when any further examples crossed my path I'm going to put it into a series.

So the first example is of a proposed ban on smacking children in Wales. This would abolish in Wales the current defence of "reasonable chastisement".

However Conservative AM Janet Finch-Saunders (who I'm guessing is English by birth - nothing wrong with that says I but there was nothing I could see which advised on this online) is worried that English parents could be prosecuted whilst on holiday because of being unaware of the new law.

Her view is that once aware English parents would not visit Wales (particularly seaside towns) because of this.

Now for this conversation put to one side your view on the subject of "reasonable chastisement" of children one way or the other. The issue I want to focus here is the idea of it's effect on England. 

Firstly with regard to the issue of awareness it would surely be up to the Disunited Kingdom mainstream media to publicise this. How many times have I seen policies affecting England only being broadcast on the early evening and evening news programmes and yet don't apply to Wales? So it would be nice if effort was made the other way.

It is a proposed Welsh law. Consequently why should Wales consider England's interests in whether or not it's implemented? Indeed Scotland as well is proposing a similar ban. So it's England who is the odd one out.

Furthermore let's invert Ms Finch-Saunders' stupid argument. Does a ban on smacking in Wales mean that should Welsh parents seek to punish their children they will go to English seaside towns? Thus as a group making Welsh kids the only ones in history afraid of going out to the beach with mum and dad?

This idea of "What will England think?" is a pervasive slave mentality that is shows itself a lot in Welsh Unionist political thinking. Whatever the rights or wrongs of the issue Wales will never be respected if it looks over it's shoulder for every decision it makes.

Until the next time.

So Will Welsh Labour Give Bridgend Town Ghost Town Status?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have in this blog only as recently as last week chatted about the urban tragedy that is Bridgend Town caused I would argue by the arrogant incompetence of the Welsh Labour council.

Well something in the local paper has resuscitated my interest. And interestingly it's something outside of the town.

Work is being started in Leonitd , an open cast mine between Bridgend and Llantrisant (which was a quaint village in the beginning of the Rhonndda Cynon Taff borough). Now of course all of what I'm going to say is Property Developer speak but the proposal is for 5,000 houses with health and leisure facilities plus a railway station.

So let's go hypothetical. Let's assume that everything the Property Developer says is true. And remember that this development is between Bridgend and Llantrisant. For this is a good example of how if you live outside it, Bridgend Town has, with very few exceptions, has become a ghost town for your thoughts (and remember I'm talking about the town and not the overall area).

Where would they go for shopping? Nearby there is a retail park including a massive Tesco as well as an Aldi. Along the nearby M4 there is the Macarthur Glen outlet store.

No reason to visit Bridgend Town.

As I've advised previously how can Bridgend Town compete with the lack of public toilets, the market with it's Christmas decorations in April and empty stalls, the many empty shops, the look of sheer despair?

If you want to go to the beach there's Porthcawl.

No reason to make a detour to go to Bridgend Town.

As far as I see it the only reasons to visit the town are seeing family/friends, watching Bridgend Rugby club and if you have to go to a bank.

Otherwise where is the incentive to visit unless you have to? 

Bridgend Town is the urban equivalent of the effect of Brexit on Britain's image abroad. A place with a proud history now observed as a place for mockery and pity. And that's if people give it any thought at all.

It has become a ghost town because of Labour.

Until the next time.

Why Science Is A Tool For Welsh Enslavement

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

We have chatted before about the arrogant incompetence of Welsh Labour government in this blog and how an important example is education. Labour, it cannot be stressed enough, having been so disastrous in this subject the current minister is now a Liberal Democrat.

Incompetent management of the available opportunities will damage not just Welsh children but also Wales as a whole possibly for generations unless this failure is addressed.For the moment let's focus on science.

Now I'm not a scientist. I can look like one easily. I wear glasses and talk about anything as if I know what I'm talking about. All I really need is that white coat they all wear. Presumably white so that whoever does their laundry doesn't have them to split them up.

But I do know that if there are less people that will take up science because of the incompetent way Welsh Labour has managed education then Wales will be damaged. Furthermore assuming it does happen if it turns out to be a long dark Brexit of the soul then many jobs will be lost in the few laboratories Wales has as the facilities are moved within the EU.

Thus the possibility Wales will become a science wasteland cannot be overlooked.

But let's take it further. Do you think Westminster will allow scientific investment in Wales? Of course not. For science means knowledge and the lack of knowledge will mean a people venerable to exploitation.

Teachers in science subjects will have difficulty teaching because kids will ask what is the point of learning a subject that there will be few opportunities of moving forward. Investment in science will need to be a fundamental tenet of  Plaid Cymru policy.

So let's be clear. Not everyone is a scientist. I'm certainly not one. But everyone should have the chance to be should they wish it. Investment in science will need her to be.

Until the next time.

Why Football Support Is Not A Welsh Nationalist Issue

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

At a club level Welsh football occupies a particularly freakish position. After all there is a local pyramid structure and we've chatted about these games in the past. But we have a small number of clubs who play in the English league structure primarily Cardiff City, Newport County, Swansea City and Wrexham.

But on Twitter recently I've seen a relatively common complaint. That people could slag off England at country level and yet support at club level a team playing in the English leagues. In other words if you support an English team you're not truly Welsh.

To me football support is not a Welsh Nationalist issue and it needs to be addressed.

Now I can see this argument if you were born say in Cardiff or Swansea for example. I've always felt that you should support the closest team from where you were born wherever life takes you otherwise. That's why my first love will always be West Ham United.

But despite being born in the East End I've known members of my family who pick, excuse me whilst I hold my nose, the North London Arsenal as their team. So this "glory seeking" is not necessarily a Welsh issue.

Furthermore you could argue why should you support Cardiff if Aston Villa say is the closest team from where you were born?

There is actually a simple solution. As regular readers of this blog will know whilst West Ham is first amongst equals I've always believed that watching other leagues are more interesting when you support a particular team. Thus I follow in no particular order Barcelona, Celtic, Fiorentina, Paris St Germain, Ton Pentre and Werder Bremen.

There is no reason therefore that the Welsh football fan could not pick the closest team from the Welsh football pyramid from where he/she was born as well as a team from the English league and support them both. By doing that if you don't live near Cardiff, Newport Swansea or Wrexham you will have the chance of actually going to watch a game (which will of course be cheaper). You are not betraying either team as they play in different leagues.

And by supporting a Welsh team Welsh league club football will improve. I'm not saying you'll be watching Barcelona. But different leagues are not unlike food. I like bacon, eggs and chips. But I also like Spaghetti. There is a different taste to different leagues. It's still football though.

Of course at an international level the Welsh football fan should always support Wales.

Whilst I of course (for reasons I've explained last year) will always root for England first.

Until the next time.

So In This Holy Weekend Here's A Question. Does Atheism Fuel My Welsh Nationalism?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So it's Good Friday and instead of going to Damascus I'm instead driving along the sunny A48 road to Bridgend for work. I'm listening to a BBC Radio 4 documentary I've downloaded on the writer Christopher Hitchens. An essayist and journalist who I chatted about almost at the very beginning of this blog oh those many years (three) ago.

In it Hitchens defends the rights of homosexuals to live their lives without any pressure from the Catholic church. That part alone was worth a listen to in an enthralling programme about a man who you might disagree with but would always feel stimulated by.

However just before that attack against church anti-gay behaviour there was a speaker who said that atheists (that Hitchens became) live their lives fuelled with a purpose that drives them. Or else family and loved ones asides life becomes pointless if you believe (as I do) that when you die nothing is going to happen other than you're going to be dumped into a glorified biological scrapheap that is a cemetery.

And that got me thinking to the title of this post. Does Atheism fuel my Welsh nationalism?

So let's say straight away that I'm not saying that those who believe in a particular religion cannot be nationalists. That would be stupid. It is just whether in the relatively short time I have on this planet (and as I'm fifty five even shorter) there is something subconscious in me to try and make the area around me better than it is now. Better indeed than it will probably be in the near future because of Brexit.

After all Welsh nationalism believes that a country should be free to make it's own decisions and yes make it's own mistakes as well, But since Brexit has shown the supposed mother of all parliaments and it's government at Westminster have been so inept they've made Laurel and Hardy seem like skilled operators in comparison then why not?

Now that this question has been lodged in my brain since yesterday I think that being an atheist has fuelled my Welsh nationalism. Outside of family it has given me a purpose. A goal. Whether people will remember me when I've gone who knows? But I will know that in my tiny, tiny way I have tried to make Wales a better place.

And I realise now that atheism has given me the push to do that.

Bridgend Town. The Urban Tragedy Is Getting Worse

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It has been a while since I've been able to wander round Bridgend Town, a subject that I've chatted about since this blog began. Explaining how a proud place is being brought to it's knees by the arrogant incompetence of the Welsh Labour council.

Well on as always an admittedly unscientific wander round on Wednesday I can only say that things are actually getting worse.

Even the good news isn't really that good. What was the Co-op bank has now been replaced by a Vape shop. Now I've nothing against the Vape shop personally, though I don't smoke. but you know when something is wrong with a town when the opening of such a shop is good news.

Similarly the Phones 4 U shop which has been untouched since the chain when into administration in 2014? Well the hoardings were being taken down. However the TO LET signs were still there. Which suggests that it's the latest in the line of unoccupied stores still seeking a retailer. Plenty of those in the town. But as I've said before it's literally glossing over the cracks. It's like giving a homeless guy a smart suit.

So again it makes this decision odd.

The Old McDonald's Store

Build flats for social housing. Great. But over shops when there are plenty of already empty ones in the town? Makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

(Though on the issue of homeless people it's the first time I've seen them in Bridgend aside from selling The Big Issue - Only a couple. But the fact they were there in a small place like Bridgend Town should give you an idea of how bad British society has become)

So as I've said the urban tragedy is getting worse. Let's start with this.

Empty Again

This store was closed down. Opened again last year and has now closed again. To be honest I thought it was in trouble when I last did a similar post in January but didn't mention it as I didn't want to be seen wishing it's decline. I'd noticed that whilst it was the Sales season they seemed to be discounting everything. Not a good sign. Unfortunately some times my instinct is right.

You may remember that one of the few rays of hope was the Bridgend Indoor Market (run by the council) where investment had resulted in a slight increase in stalls. Well nothing seemed to have changed from my last visit. Which is not good.

There still vast swathes of empty stalls and it still has this to deal with.

Christmas....in April

Christmas decorations in April does not help the image of the market or the town. I've contacted the council to see if anything can be done (after all they've been up there for a year and a quarter now). But in all honesty I don't see much hope.

And speaking of things left up for about a year.

That bunting's been up for about a year

I mean there's really no excuse for the council just to get someone to just go and get it down now is there? Ah no perhaps there is. Just like last year the council have organised a World War II event for June. Why? Who knows? Perhaps it's to show everyone Britain after Brexit?

The organisers will say people will come into the town for the event. And perhaps they will. But as last year's events show they will not return if there's nothing different to return to. They really are a waste of money.

Let's talk about a couple of stores together:

A Store My Mother Liked

and

This really was unexpected

Now I know what some of you and the Welsh Labour council will say. Evans and Oxfam have been closing stores throughout Britain. This is not a Bridgend problem.

But you see it is. For if you create a situation, which Labour have done and which I've discussed many times previously, where less people want to come to the town unless necessary, then retail profits will go down. If you're a national chain in difficulties and need to close down stores therefore Bridgend makes itself venerable. Their closure means less people will go to the town which will make ( ouside of Aldi, Asda and Tesco) the situation of remaining shops even more perilous.

It's a vicious circle. Created by Welsh Labour.

In the Rhiw Shopping Centre (which I wonder whether it would have a future without W H Smith) there has been this closure since my last visit.

They were Insurance brokers

They were insurance brokers and have moved to Swansea.

Finally I'll leave you with this.

And this time I'm not going to talk about the statue

Behind the statue are the public toilets, or rather were the public toilets. They were closed down in January. I've written before if you are desperate now you have to go to the nearby ASDA go up an escalator and cross the first floor before reaching the loos there.

Difficult enough if you're able bodied. But to my shame it hadn't occurred to me until Wednesday that Disabled toilets have also been closed (the door on the left of the picture). That trip would obviously be even more difficult. Hence another reason for people to avoid Bridgend Town.

As it's Good Friday I was toying about whether or not to end the post this way but I will.

Truly the Welsh Labour Council have crucified the town.

Until the next time.

Plaid Cymru's Foothold With Ex Labour Voters

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

The byelection last week notwithstanding you are getting a sense of momentum towards Plaid Cymru at the moment in Wales. Local government by elections have resulted in the party gaining seats where they have never gotten them before.

Yesterday (Thursday) it was the turn of the Court Ward in Barry. Plaid won the seat (for the first time) with 47% of the vote. Easily beating Labour with just 34%.

Now no one, least of all me will say that there wouldn't be obstacles and setbacks along the way. But what these by election results show is that Labour's biggest fear in Wales, that Plaid will eat into it's core vote, is beginning to happen.

What is happening, I would argue is a combination of things, but primarily no longer do Welsh voters accept the Labour core argument of looking at their past performance and not their current one of the arrogant incompetence of the establishment. They are looking for an acceptable alternative and that is what Plaid represents.

It is why Labour attack Plaid Cymru often. They know this.

Labour in Wales have lived off the mindset of the past for years. The fact that, albeit slowly, it's being chipped away is good for Wales let alone Plaid Cymru.

And if you add Plaid Cymru's local council by election successes across Wales with the attack on their Caenarfon office yesterday what you're getting is a sense that no longer are people looking at them as an irrelevance. They are taken seriously.

This might be the moment where people will look back and mark the date as when the march towards independence truly gathered momentum.

Until the next time.

In Praise Of Being Welshie

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

There is a trick amongst the conquered that divide and rule is one of the best ways to handle the colonised. If an attitude sticks then it would take people a lot to wrench it away and realise that it's just a subtle mind game by the establishment.

Recently on Twitter but I've heard it also around as well there has been the word to describe some Welsh people by other Welsh people of being "Welshie".

Now I've always taken the word to mean that the person being described to is being loudly proudly Welsh. Also the accent is loud lively and broad. and not the quiet lyrical one of Welsh cliché.

When the word is spoken by someone from England describing someone Welsh it's as if to say "Well there's no mistaking where he/she comes from" which nobody can really complain about.

However when the word is used by a one Welsh person to describe another it really has a different meaning. Being too loud, too lively, too broad an accent. The undertone also is that person being described about is at best unrefined. At worse thick as the proverbial pair of planks.

So let's be clear. There is nothing wrong in being Welshie. Being loud and proud about where you come from is a right and not to be let out only during rugby/football internationals. What other nation is so pejorative of itself? Is there a similar insult on Scots or the Irish by their fellow citizens? I don't think so. And there's certainly no similar word for the English.

Then why is it so? Well at a guess I suspect that could be linked to being Bolshie. That is a word used too also describing someone who's not quiet. Perhaps as well subconsciously it's a wish not to cause trouble. I've spoken before of my view that the trouble with the vast majority of Welsh people is that they're just too nice and accepting situations/attitudes that the Scots or the Irish would fight against. Perhaps they should let out their inner Welshie a bit more. For then perhaps divide and rule will be replaced by a more unifying force for independence.

Until the next time.

Until the next time.

On Food, Drink And The Welsh Language. More Signs Of The Slow Move Of Britain Into A State Of Denmark

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I saw yesterday an article online from the Daily Telegraph which stated that the EU was going to ban British tourists from taking food with them such as cheddar cheese (Cheese!) on trips within the Union after Brexit.

Now leaving aside the fact that no one should be surprised that if membership has it's privileges then non membership means they're taken away the article also confirms a rise in a distrust of things "foreign" that whilst probably always been there in some people seems to have been permeating itself into daily life.

There is an ad going on at the moment which I will admit I can vaguely recall (who needs to watch ads if you can fast forward?) but goes something like this. It shows farmers working the land. The voiceover says that the supermarket chain involved markets British produce. Emphasising constantly the word British as he goes along.

Cut to a scene of this family having dinner. A man suddenly pipes up and asks for French mustard.

Silence. Then laughter.

And the real irony of this ad is that it's from Aldi. Which if you don't know is German.

Now I'm not saying for a moment that there's anything wrong with British food. I am a fan. But what worries me is the mindset that this ad follows that British is always best and anything foreign is both odd, unpatriotic and why are you eating that muck anyway?.

And of course it's not just food. It's drink as well. J D Wetherspoons are taking EU drinks literally off the table in their pubs and replacing them with British ones. The private sector was supposed to provide the consumer with choice. Some choice now.

The ideal is a nation of one size fits all. That size being England. The attitude of grossed out right wing patriotism.

And as I've said before the Welsh language is not immune from this. There have been constant attempts by the likes of UKIP to undermine it's usage. The reason is simple. Speaking Welsh marks you out as being different, being an individual.

Sleepwalking into an extreme right wing state of Denmark is where Britain is headed. It needs to be woken up quickly.

Until the next time.

If You Want Classic Fast Food Literature Ask The Erle

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It's funny how it's just over a year since I was in Essex exile looking after my mother, visiting her in hospital and then nursing her back to health. People ask me how I managed it and in truth you just do. What I did and experienced was just a fraction of what carers have to do for family members 24/7.

But if you discover things that relax you through this process then it's a help. I've already chatted about becoming unexpectedly a fan of the TV series Bones and the latest book I've read reminded me of someone else who helped as well.

Perry Mason Is Back

It is literary fast food. More enjoyable than Lee Child but still fast food. Easy to digest. A formula you already know (someone's in trouble for murder - Only Perry can deal with it) which you like and indeed trust.

It's not like fast food immune to criticism under examination. Perry Mason is too calm and perfect. How he worked the solution to the crime here is not really something the reader could have even guessed. The court scenes are also annoyingly short in relation to the rest of the book. However like fast food you don't look at the detail you allow everything to overwhelm you. And again as entertainment this really works.

Gardner's treatment of women is interesting. Whilst some including Perry Mason's assistant/secretary Della Street are described as having a good figure there is no one who could be called a bimbo. Neither is a female (or in this day and age male) character there so seduced by his charms she's ready to jump into bed with Mason either.

Also in these times of  #Metoo there was a moment when a secretary was asked by Perry whether her boss tried to make a pass at her. The answer was yes but he respected the "no trespass signs". Perhaps that's the tenplate for office rules in the future.

Ultimately like fast food you will forget this book months in the future. But you will also remember the experience. And like all good fast food, you'll remember it was fun.

Until the next time.

My Most Embarrassing Work Moment Ever

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Yesterday I saw a man with a metal leg from where the knee area to the foot. I knew he had a metal leg because he was wearing shorts (now that was the style choice to be laughed at, given that the weather was chucking down not so funsize variety packs of rain, hail and I was told in nearby Maesteg, snow).

But seeing him reminded me of my most embarrassing moment at work ever. So if I get even older and forgetful than I am at the moment I'll be reminded of it now I've informed the entire internet world.

Many decades ago and seemingly now in a different universe I used to work in an office block in London's Docklands. I remember that I had to speak to a particular colleague and on going to his particular desk (now called "work stations" - but let's be clear - it's a desk) noticed other people around it. Concerned looking men, some women in tears.

I'd assumed, being a glass half empty kind of guy, that my colleague had died. As it turned out the story was only a little bit better than that. For he was a cyclist. And on commuting London's streets his bike was knocked over and one of  his legs was run over by an oncoming truck.

He spent months in hospital but was eventually discharged. He was able to use the artificial leg we chatted about earlier and whilst obviously things would never quite be the same again he was able to return to some semblance of his life before the accident including returning to work.

So then it's months later from his return. I needed some documents to photocopy and went to where the machine was. He was there already photocopying.

I asked him how he was.

"Nervous" came the response. Apparently he'd a meeting to go to and was worried about it.

"Don't worry...." I said in my most seemingly confident voice ever ".....you'll walk it"

It's one of those moments that you wished the ground would cover you over forever. I knew what I meant. If I said the same words to most people it would've been at worse patronising.

But to him....

Either he didn't hear or just didn't want to be near me. For he collected the photocopies and went away.

It was a foot in mouth moment. And whether the foot was artificial or not the mouth was definitely mine.

Until the next time.

Carwyn Jones' Alleged Ultimate Insult To Bridgend.

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

In the life of everybody, but especially a politician, perception is everything. Whatever the actual truth of an issue events might lead people to think in one direction. And it's up to the politician to make sure that it's a perception to his/her advantage.

Carwyn Jones may no longer be First Minister of Wales but he's still an Assembly Member for Bridgend and a prominent Welsh Labour politician. Yesterday (Tuesday) was not a good day for him.

The High Court announced that it was illegal for Carwyn Jones to have made decisions on the inquiry on Carl Sargeant. The Assembly Member committed suicide in November 1987 following his sacking by Mr Jones which in itself followed allegations of sexual harassment. The inquiry was to judge the former First Minister's handling of the incident.

Now I stress as I've done in the past on this that I have absolutely no idea who is even partly responsible for the circumstances surrounding Mr Sargeant's death. But given that the High Court has advised that Mr Jones' actions in the inquiry process were illegal clearly it doesn't put him in a good light.

But other than mentioning it in passing I won't chat about the Carl Sargeant inquiry now. That will be for another day. Instead I'll focus on something else.....for Carwyn Jones has another job.

It was announced that he was to join Business News Wales to boost it's "senior advisory team" (there's a junior one?). I presume (as there's no indication otherwise) that there's a fee involved.

Imagine then that you're an employee of Ford Bridgend Engine plant. A plant that will already have half the current workforce vanish and following reports in the media that it might be threatened further if there is a Hard Brexit. Imagine how you would feel reading that. Your local Assembly Member supposedly fighting (and failing) to protect your interests as First Minister and now Assembly Member apparently feathering his nest whilst your job and indeed your future is breaking down.

As I said Perception is everything. He might be doing it for free. Or giving his money to charity. But until we know otherwise this is the perception we're getting. And if it's wrong it's up to him to put the record straight.

Potentially though it could actually get worse. The allegation, and it's no more than that at this stage, is that he's seeking a seat in the House of Lords. Imagine again that you're that employee of the Ford Bridgend Engine plant. Just think what you'd think of him then. Especially if (assuming the rumour is correct) he decides to call himself Lord Jones of Bridgend. After all as I've posted many times in this blog he does bare some responsibility for the area's decline. Particularly when it comes to Bridgend Town.

As I've also said before the one certain thing about Carwyn Jones since the Carl Sargeant incident is that he lost his skill as a politician. If I was him my next steps would be very careful indeed.

Until the next time.

Is the Vale Of Glamorgan Council Being Snobby? Let's Talk About Barry Island and Penarth Esplanade Car Parking Charges

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So in the midst of nobody knowing what to do and as it looks as if the disunited kingdom is hurtling into a long dark Brexit of the soul I'm going to be talking about car parking charges am I? I certainly know how to keep  my finger on the pulse of a very sick group of nations.

But hey let's crack on because it's in a way a metaphor for Brexit.

I've spoken about the proposals by the Vale of Glamorgan council to impose car parking charges in the area before. Focusing specifically on it's effects on Barry Town. Arguing that it would be the first step turning it into the urban tragedy that is Bridgend Town. Well this week the council are going to discuss the proposals.

Now nothing changes in what I said about it's effects on Barry Town. So let's focus instead on Barry Island and Penarth Esplanade. For those who've never been in either place Barry Island is the classic place of your imagination full of golden beaches (depending on the weather) and a funfair and all things seaside. Penarth Esplanade on the other hand is far more upmarket. With upmarket shops and restaurants nearby dominated by the pier (also containing amenities) which I always hesitate to go on for fear of looking down and my glasses falling off my face.

There is a beach. But compared to Barry Island it's really a strip of craggy nothing.

And I think you could work out which of the two is more popular.

So the issue of car parking charges is being discussed this week. And for the traders of Barry Island the focus is on the effect on their winter trade. With people who like the idea of walking along beaches on a cold January night looking at the bracing sea with the sort of mournful bittersweet way seen in movies. Either by themselves, a loved one or a dog (not me I'd have to stress - hypothermia on the beach is not the way I'd like to die and as regular readers will know never with a domesticated wolf by my side).

The argument of the traders is that it will put people off visiting the Island. And they have a point given that there is a reduction in out of season charges for Penarth Esplanade but not for Barry Island.

People who'd prefer to go to Penarth Esplanade would probably be able to afford the car parking charges all season long at the same level anyway. But as I've said Barry Island is more popular as it offers more. Yet it would appear to be this popularity that has made it a cash cow in the eyes of the council. Let ordinary people suffer whilst the privileged take advantage? Who knows? But that is certainly the perception.

I've said before that car parking charges will damage many parts of the borough. Not unlike Brexit what it appears to do as well though is to give some protection to those who can afford it.

Until the next time.

Belatedly Remembering Mrs Mac (Pobol Y Cwm)

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I've mentioned in the past in this blog (though not recently) that when the wife and I started courting in the nineteen nineties we had a long distance relationship. I would go up to Cardiff one weekend and she would come down to where I used to live in Essex the next.

If it was my turn to visit then our Sundays would slowly end by watching the omnibus edition of the Welsh language soap opera Pobol Y Cwm.

Regular readers will know I'm a fan. But I have to admit that work and other commitments meant that whilst the omnibus editions have been recorded there is a backlog, and when I say a backlog, I mean that the one I'd just got round to watching today was originally broadcast just before Christmas.

The episode I want to chat about is the first. Where a group of characters walk up to a mountain so that the ashes of a former landlady of the local pub the Deri Arms (Jean McGurk aka Mrs Mac) could be scattered near Cwmderi. It reminded me and was a tribute to the untimely death of the actress who played her Iola Gregory.

Now Iola Gregory had a long and distinguished acting career in English and Welsh. But because I only first knew her in the nineteen nineties I can't really do her justice without sounding false so I'll just focus on the lady as Mrs Mac.

I have before also mentioned in this blog that my favourite saying about Wales is that it's Italy with rain. I presume that whoever made that saying (which I keep forgetting to go online and find out) was also referring to it's people. For like in Italy I've rarely met a shy Welsh woman. Taken as whole they've never been afraid to express an opinion on anything....and loudly. Mrs Mac armed with cigarettes ( this was before the smoking ban on pubs ) and gin and tonics is a good example of this. However unless hurt there is an underlying heart of gold through the cig smoke and the drink. Pobol Y Cwm does show this side of Welsh women well indeed other examples were the other female characters which walked up the mountain for that episode Cassie (Sue Roderick) Diane (Victoria Plucknett) and Kath (Siw Hughes).

Mrs Mac may have been the dominant personality in her marriage but she loved her husband and as he was dying of an incurable disease looked after him. Iola Gregory was able to show these differing emotions battling within the character and made it appear not like soap opera land but all too real. That ladies and gentlemen is what real acting is like.

I only knew Iola Gregory for a relatively brief period and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But whatever she was in she was quality. When I showed the wife this episode she was saddened as well. For we liked her. And it made us remember our early courting years as well.

Until the next time.

Pen(arth) State Rugby 2

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Two years ago round September was the last time I watched a rugby game featuring Penarth RFC. It was the start of the season and they got beaten in the Welsh Division 2 East Central League by Aberdare. Two seasons later I'm back given that a combination of not working on this particular Saturday and this being the best sporting fixture on offer for me (on an equation of distance divided by cost - £3 by the way including the programme).

This time though this game is in the butt end of the season. Also Penarth are now in Division 3A East Central (a league that suddenly sounds like a class at school) so had been relegated since I'd last seen them. Penarth are ninth in a twelve team league. I don't to be honest know how the promotion/relegation is worked out here, but I overheard someone say as long as they won they'd b safe. They were playing Old Illtydians which at the start of the game were symbolic of mid table respectability given that they were sixth. On paper then they were the favourites.

It was a bright day and the sun shone. Being Wales in March though what to wear is not an easy choice. Braver spectator souls than me plumped for the t-shirt/blouse look. Me I put a jacket on.

As I entered the ground a blonde in sunglasses was by a stool drinking something purple, Further along another blonde was sitting on the ground drinking beer. Me I just went to the bar and manfully ordered a can of coke. Before the game a couple crossed the pitch to the other side, the man holding a glass of beer as well. Yes it was that relaxed.

Unlike last time I wanted to watch the game from the stand instead of being up close as previously. My fifty five year old bones couldn't take the strain anymore. However I couldn't find out how to get up there. Why? Well I'd overheard a conversation saying that the insurance was revoked for fear that the stand would collapse to the floor below. Obviously my bones were not the only things unable to take the strain. Needless to say was happy to stand then.

The team seemed to have have a problem of retrieving rugby balls when they went over the roof. Thankfully they did have a ball retrieving facility present.

State Of The Art

A quick note about the main sponsor for the Old Illtydians. It was something called The Philarmonic. I'd like to think it was a Classical orchestra if only because it make a change from a gambling website but I've no idea. Not even their website gives any clues. Another of their shirt sponsors is The Trojan Group, celebrating a side who let's face it, lost.

Along from where I was standing there were two young women observing the warm-up.

"Lush" I heard one of the Penarth players say as a pair of them approached the ladies.

Now I've never heard a man use the word lush before unless he was talking about grass or carpet. In this case he was talking about the dog the women had with them. I've no idea whether there was already a relationship there, the players were being players or there was a true love of the domestic wolf  but whatever the reason the men started to chat with the women and stroke the dog until in true sitcom fashion were called to join the rest of the team before they could continue further.

And before the game began I needed to do this.

Evidence

I hereby claim to be the first man to read an Alan Coren book during the intervals of a Welsh rugby match.

And so the game began. It was the visitors who instantly started the most brightly. Pressing Penarth nearly at their own line.

"Already!" I heard a boy's voice cry out. Which seemed to suggest that an early attack on the Penarth line was not an unusual thing. This seemed to continue for most of the early stages of the game. Until one Penarth player was upended by his opponent in a style best described as WWE. As it was the wrong move in the wrong sport however the Old Illtydian player involved was sinbinned. Penarth was a player up.



The advantage told. Penarth scored a try as a gap was spotted in Old Illtydians defence.

"Simple Rhys Simple" bellowed an instruction from the Penarthian bench to the team captain. I am assuming that was a tactical instruction than a comment on the man's intelligence.

The next score was a penalty by the away team.

In the previous game I've seen here a guy got injured and had to be taken from the game. This happened here. For five minutes he lay on the ground whilst paramedics dealt with what it turned out to be his left arm. Whatever the reasons why people play rugby never forget that it's a tough game with no American football style padding. He walked off the pitch with that arm heavily strapped.

And you remember that couple who walked along the pitch during the pre match warm-up? Whilst the guy was being treated they walked across the pitch back to the other side.



A brunette was trying to control a dog on a lead. So many dogs in this place. Not easy for a domestic wolf a phobic like me.

"He's a very good boy" she tells her friends....yeah right.

Another yellow card for Old Illtydians another gap in numbers another try for Penarth. It was how the second half ended. Full strength the away side were the better team. But Penarth took advantage of the extra man, as they should.

The Brunette with the dog came back carrying the domestic wolf.

"He can smell the food" she said. A consequence of which presumably was that the wolf was so bloated it couldn't be bothered to walk and needed the help of his owner. Though under the circumstances who owned who was debatable.

A group of teenage children pass by. One girl shouts

"Hi dad"

Dad, a few feet away from me shouts "Stay away from the boys" and it turns out one boy in particular. That moment I suspect I'll be saying the same thing to daughter is coming soon for me too.

The opponents score. But from the kickoff Penarth immediately score a try. Missed exactly how but it appears the Old Illitydian player misjudged the ball and the Penarth player was able to swoop and score. The Old Illitydian player is distraught. Sitting on the ground, staring at the grass as if to say "What have I done". A Penarth player rubs the guys hair in that sort of mixture between commiseration and mockery.

Now a Penarth player gets sinned binned. No idea why. No problem either as they score two quick tries thanks to Richard Bowen, aka "Ritchie. Comparatively small he was nonetheless able to go through gaps in the defence against him and make that killer pass enabling space for the try to be made,

There's another woman with a dog. A small thing ready it appears to bite my ankles in a second.

Another set of tries for both sides. Unlike Old Illtydians I forgot Penarth had been a man short for a portion of the game. That's how good they were second half.



I hear dogs growling at each other. Rather that than they growl at me. If it wasn't for the leads their owners are using to restrain them my money would have been on the pocket beast vs the lazy one (yes him. The one I mentioned earlier).

The whistle is blown Penarth win. Given their dominance in the second half the win was deserved.

Thankyou Penarth RFC and Old Illtydians RFC.

Dogs aside. It was fun.

Until the next time.

Still Going

I asked a man how he was

"Still Going. Still Going

Worked so hard for many hours today

All to be bossed around on minimum pay

But still going, Still going.

Divorced and unloved no woman will look and care

for the Fifty Shades of Grey in my hair

But I'm Still Going, Still Going.

All of my hopes and dreams are gone

Just grey clouds where the sun once shone

But still going, still going.

And then I'm Gone"

Yes that's an admittedly short poem from me who hardly reads any poetry. How come? Well at work I asked a man how he was and that was the answer he gave. It struck me rather like the "mustn't grumble" answer. Why not grumble if it's called for?

So the title is as they "based on real events". The rest is poetic licence.

Until the next time

If Dominic Grieve Is Deselected For Having Principles Chucky Cairns Should Be Deselected For Having None

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It's been a long while since I've chatted about Secretary of State for Wales, and walking microdot Alun "Chucky" Cairns but yesterday something happened to a Tory MP in England which made me think about the blog villain again.

Dominic Grieve staunch Remain campaigner has lost a vote of confidence by his local constituency party, thus paving the way for his deselection as an MP. Now he's a Conservative so I'm not going to say he's a wonderful human being. But he stuck by his principles and noticeably did not leave the party to join "The Independent Group" as other Remain supporting MPs did. This is however how the Tories thank him for having independence of thought.

Which leads me to Chucky....

Do you know how he's voted in Theresa May's maddening "meaningful votes"? Did he vote for? Did he vote against? No he abstained.

Now what does say about Chucky? Some might say that he abstained so that he keeps his options open for the day the current sub Prime Minister leaves office screaming into a darkened room somewhere. Not me of course.

Who knows then ? What his local constituency in the Vale of Glamorgan (who incidentally voted to Remain in the EU referendum) should expect - especially as a member of the cabinet and it's only Welsh voice is a decision. Instead what you get is nothing but waffling piffle that leads to no action at all.

At least Nero fiddled when Rome burned. Chucky it appears is not even doing that.

Well actually that's not quite fair. In TV interviews he blamed the current situation on the Labour Party, Now let's pause here.

Labour have not shrouded themselves with glory either. But they are not, even in name only, the government of the disunited Kingdom. Also it's not Labour that have made him abstain unless there are some incriminating photos that we don't know about.

So Vale of Glamorgan Conservatives you know your duty for Wales.

Chuck Chucky.

Until the next time.

The Insomniac Meanderings Post : The Pre Mother's Day Wow It's Foggy Out There Edition

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So of course it's Saturday, I do actually have the day off, so what could more natural than without the safety net of an alarm I wake up at four thirty am? Insomnia always rules with me folks.

And it's foggy out there. I can even see it at four thirty in the morning. Perhaps that I can't see it at four thirty in the morning, and when I mean it I mean almost everything else other than the fog.

Had to drive through it last night. Not pleasant I can tell you. Visually it's as if you're attacked by cotton wool.

Of course tomorrow is Mother's Day. Presents have been bought for wife/mother by daughter/me. They have basically been Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing On Ice based with some added extras. We're going out for a meal tomorrow. Hope it's Ok.

I must admit that this week my posts have been somewhat sporadic. That's because things have actually moved with regard to us buying a house and I've had to do some work on the process. Haven't got into details before and won't do so here for now but it has all seemed to be like an obstacle course. Thing is whilst we still haven't got to completion stage this seems to be the last obstacle now. But then again.....

Have finished Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury and thankfully it's exposure of Donald Trump and his presidential office is just as good as when I chatted about it a few weeks back. Won't tell what book I've taken out of the library in it's stead but regular readers will think it's the most stupidest choice I've ever made....and they'd be probably right.

Actually have some plans for today. When I say plans I mean going to my Leave voting and adamant with it barber (scrubbing up well for the Mother's Day Meal tomorrow you see) so that will be fun. Have no intention of chatting politics with him. After all he will have a sharp object round my face at the time.

Hopefully I'll be able to watch a local rugby match this afternoon as well. But we'll see.

You know I've learnt that one of the best things about the afternoon/evening shift is that you're cut off temporarily from the madness that is the long dark Brexit of the soul that seems to be on the horizon if the supposed "Mother of all parliaments" doesn't get it's act together. But people in Wales can see that the Members of Parliament are deadlocked and it's certainly true that independence as a movement is growing because when all other alternatives seem hopeless you look for the only sane option left.

Going to stop now. Have an idea on a separate post about Chucky Cairns.

Until the next time.

Porthcawl "Too Rich" Or Bridgend Labour Council Too Poor?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I've read in the local Bridgend paper the Glamorgan Gazette a report about an alleged remark a  county councillor made describing Porthcawl as being basically too rich.

Now as insults go "hold my beer" as they say. Or in my case "Hold my cup of tea". Still it's an interesting idea of (if true) a certain type of attitude.

So let's start off with one simple fact. Porthcawl is not a "rich" town. There are of course "rich" parts in the town, especially near the sea, but nothing I've ever seen that would make it into one of those shows flaunting lifestyles of the rich and famous. Of course all of that depends on your definition of "rich" which I'll come back to in a moment.

No Porthcawl as a town is neither super rich or dirt poor. It's basically a normal friendly seaside town with the normal mixture within it.

Indeed perhaps one thing that the councillor might not have noticed (and if not why not?) is that a lot of the houses close to the sea are guesthouses. The rich are not living there. We're talking about small businesses making ends meet.

Now again assuming that the remark was correct what is perhaps interesting is to work out why it was said. I'd guessed when I started reading the story that the councillor was from the ruling Labour council and represented Bridgend Town. Perhaps subconsciously for him Porthcawl is too rich when compared to the urban tragedy that I've discussed often in this blog that is Bridgend Town.

In the very same edition the Glamorgan Gazette also ran a story that the Welsh government body had given the council to smarten up the town and do up the many empty shops there. Thing is though whilst not a bad thing in itself it's literally and metaphorically putting gloss over the cracks. Literal window dressing will not hide the consequences of arrogant incompetence that Bridgend Labour council have wrought on Bridgend Town for decades.

So perhaps (using the definitions he set) the councillor should ask himself not why Porthcawl is so rich but why Bridgend town is so poor? Perhaps then he will realise that it's a consequence of the policies of the party he represents. Perhaps then he will take the brave decision to move to Plaid Cymru. A party that will take the issue of the state of Bridgend Town seriously.

Perhaps. For if he did. Perhaps the council will sit up and take notice.

Until the next time.

So Welsh UKIP, Welsh Labour Or Plaid Cymru Which One Do You Think Has A Vision?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

UKIP in Wales has a policy out regarding the Welsh Assembly. It's leader Mr Creepy and his cohorts know it's a simple policy with one simple message.

Abolish it.

Their argument is simple. It's a waste of money and has done nothing for all the twenty years since it was set up.

Of course when Mr Creepy and his cohorts are asked what has the House of Commons done for Wales during the same period then they are unusually silent.

But here's the thing. If you take the last of the Carwyn Jones years and the first months of Mark "Jeremy Disciple" Drakeford's tenure as First Minister then it's easy to see how that impression can get a footing in the thinking of the Welsh voter.

Government is a combination of good management a clear vision for the future. The Welsh Labour administration provides bad management whose only purpose is to stay in power. It is short sighted. The Welsh Labour party is the Mr Magoo of world politics.

Last Saturday there was the People's Vote in London. Over a million turned up. And amongst the speakers, introduced to loud cheers was Nicola Sturgeon. That's right an audience of mainly (I presume) English people cheered the leader of the Scottish Nationalists. Afterwards Mark Drakeford was introduced to equally thunderous applause....of course not he wasn't there....Jeremy would not approve (and probably most people even if they were Welsh would not recognise him anyway).

So only Plaid Cymru has the true vision thing. It is not a back to the future UKIP policy but a forward thinking idea of an independent Wales which, why there will still be problems it will Wales who will deal with it not begging for an answer from a large city far away.

Until the next time.

The Return Of My Throbbing Right Knee

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Regular readers may remember that in December 2017 I fell down at work on my right knee. At the time there was throbbing and a noticeable swelling. However it didn't stop me walking or continue working. Nor did it stop me driving although changing gears did hurt.

There was as it happened no opportunity for me to go and have it checked or indeed ring up a solicitor to demand compensation as per those ads. For my mother was then severely unwell, (she would be going later to hospital) and so from late 2017 to about March the following year I was in Essex exile looking after her.

In the meantime my knee continued to bother me. But amazingly when I returned to Wales it slowly got better, That was it. Problem seemed to resolve itself. Life goes on.

But now whilst there is no swelling the throbbing has returned. I came from work last Friday. Sat down to change clothes and all of a sudden the throbbing returned. No swelling yet. Again it doesn't stop me from doing things. But like a bad smell it makes it's presence felt.

So what shall I do? Obvious solution is to go the hospital but what will that do? I feel a fraud given that nothing is stopping me from walking or driving or mountaineering (as if I ever did that before). Other people with more urgent and obvious ailments should be in the queue before me.

Unless the swelling returns, or the throbbing continues by next week I'll try to shake it off. But otherwise I will have to take medical advice. And if it turns out to be too late well if you see a man walking around in a cane around the Vale of Glamorgan then it might turn out to be me.

Until the next time.

Why Plaid Cymru Should Not Change It's Name

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Last year, during the Plaid Cymru leadership elections I wrote a post saying that it was my gut instinct that Adam Price wouldn't win and citing his suggestion that Plaid should change it's name as an example as to why.

So much for my gut instinct.

But I come back to the issue as recently talk has reemerged in the Welsh media about this. Indeed Twitter led me to an article in a design website where designers suggested ideas on what it should be changed to (presumably pitching for that commission). So I, with all the expertise that being a fifty five year old Eastender (albeit a member of the party) will now argue that Plaid should keep it's name.

I will in some respects be rehashing the arguments I gave in that previous post with regard to this name change idea but as this issue has returned I don't feel it's unreasonable. Also to those who will say "Well he won the leadership election didn't he?" Well yes. But it doesn't mean that every idea Mr Price has uttered is a good one. Don't forget that before the election he advocated joint leadership of Plaid Cymru. An idea which quite rightly has died a death.

One of the reasons trotted out for a change is that the name is in Welsh. Well let's stop there. How can a single Plaid Cymru member advocate changes supporting the Welsh language when it's name is changed to an English one. How can opponents to bilingual road signs be argued with? With one change ammunition would have been given to the leader of Welsh UKIP Mr Creepy.

Furthermore in my twenty one years of living in Wales I've never heard a conversation which went like this:

Voter One : "I'm not voting for Plaid Cymru"

Voter Two: "Why?"

Voter One: "Cause it's name is in Welsh"

And as we apparently need to a lot these days let's look at Ireland, specifically Northern Ireland. Of the major political parties there Sein Fein is the only one with a non English name. Yet it hasn't stopped it becoming a major political force there. Indeed it's name helps establishes it's political philosophy whether you speak Gaelic or not.

A change of name (especially to the proposed example which I'll come to in a moment) will be a perceived as a waste of time and a betrayal of it's underlying values for voters in Wales even if they don't speak Welsh. It smacks of political tackiness.

And let's come to the proposed new name. "New Wales". I mean how lame is that? It either will be seen as a throwback to "New Labour" or sounding like an extreme right wing group. As a name it's a lazy choice, a choice that lacks inspiration. Oh before you ask what's my suggestion I don't have one. I don't need one. I'm happy with Plaid Cymru thankyou very much.

As an issue it's a waste of time, money and resources. Debating it alone will distract Plaid from the far more important issues facing Wales today. Needless to say voters will not thank Plaid for it.

But I will suggest a name change for when you see Plaid Cymru banner you will also "Party of Wales" next to it. Ditch that. No one will care. Just leave it as "Plaid Cymru" and then fight for all of the people living in Wales against the arrogantly incompetent unionist parties who just don't care about the voters.

Ultimately actions speak louder than words.

Until the next time.

The Worst Welsh Politician Of The Week

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

The worst Welsh politician of the week is not something I'd normally chat about as if I started to do this the winner would almost be either Secretary of State for Wales Alun "Chucky" Cairns, First Minister Mark "Jeremy's Disciple" Corbyn or the leader for UKIP in Wales Mr Creepy. So there would be no point doing it.

However this week is different. There would be three choices.

1) Labour minister in the Welsh government Lee Waters. We have spoken about Mr Waters before when he spoke on Twitter that their surprisingly socialist policy regarding free hospital car parking should be examined.

Here it's to do with his discovery revealed on Twitter that there is such a thing as a four holed punch and his childish wonderment of same. Leaving aside the question "How cut off from reality are you?" (I knew about this decades ago) it also showed a lack of sensitivity given that as a Llanelli Assembly Member the nearby Office Outlet store in Swansea is threatened with closure due to it's parent company being put under administration.

2) Carwyn Jones.....yes him. Lambasting Theresa May on Twitter over what's happening re Brexit. He's quite right of course. She's a subprime Minister in a subprime government. And yet what does that make him given as First Minister he surrendered Welsh powers to her for seven years?

However he doesn't win today. No the title of Worst Welsh Politician Of The Week goes to the equally titled Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas.

I've chatted about him before. He's a politician whose trajectory has moved from Plaid Cymru to it's leader to being in the House Of Lords to becoming an Independent Assembly Member and Minister for Culture in the current Welsh administration.to advocating (and this is where I have chatted about him previously) that for tourist purposes Wales should promote itself as a principality!!!

And on the last point let's not forget this from the man who used to be leader of Plaid Cymru!!!

You don't think he couldn't move further away from his Plaid Cymru roots? Think again. Now it has been revealed that when the position of Chief executive of the National Welsh Library in Aberystwyth was advertised he tried to stop one of the conditions of the post being that he/she had to be a Welsh speaker saying that it needed to attract the broadest field possible. The Welsh library, to it's credit, ignored him (and let's pause here - librarians were revolting - throwing the book at him - it takes a certain type of politician to do that).

There were many arguments that were put against the minister's position. I think though the most important one is this. There are some organisations though bilingual should have it's head a Welsh speaker simply because of it's responsibility to safeguard the Welsh language. The Welsh National library with it's vast collection of Welsh literature is one of these organisations. How can you be Chief executive of the Welsh National Library when you don't have an appreciation of a large proportion of what is stored there because you don't understand Welsh?

The fact that Elis-Thomas, a Welsh speaker, did not seem to care about this seems just to illustrate how far from Plaid Cymru he's moved from. Perhaps Plaid should organise a competition to see what his next step moving away from his roots will be. My entry will probably be him changing his name to David Ellis....sorry Lord David Ellis.

Until the next time.