Welsh Voters Might Have Thought They Voted For Corbyn's Labour....but in Wales In Truth It's Blair's

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

The British general election was an odd thing we'd all agree. The winner lost, the second place guy won a sort of victory and the Tories as I've explained yesterday have proved that austerity can be beaten if we all suddenly become Northern Irish.

And what of Wales? Well Plaid Cymru did gain an extra seat but it was Labour that made the most gains despite early predictions of a Tory advance .

But the thing is this. Those in Wales who voted Labour probably had Corbyn in mind when they put their cross on the ballot sheet. However those issues which he was advocating against Tory rule such as health and education are English issues. In Wales they have been devolved to the Senedd. And who controls the Senedd? Labour. Not Corbyn Labour with its 100% full content beer brimming full with Socialism that is deepest red. But the "new Labour" (how dated that phrase is now) of Tony Blair which is rather like the the non alcoholic lagers that used to be around years ago ( As a non drinker I tried one and it tasted like washing up liquid).

Let us not forget that Welsh Labour have made cuts to the NHS, or have made such a hash of education that a Libdem is currently education minister. We need to reflect on that. The "socialists"  have to call on a member of a centurist party for help in what appears to be it's biggest national failure.

Welsh Labour were in the forefront of the attempts to unseat Corbyn last year. Who can forget the attempts of genetic baldy Stephen Kinnock to imply that their demorcratically elected leader was electoral cyanide. Or Owen Smith, the man who stood against Corbyn last year now this year grovingly worming himself into the cabinet as shadow Northern Ireland secretary.....good luck with that.

And what of the elction? Occasionally Corbyn made an appearance, but Welsh Labour's general election campaign was mainly that of a "Where's Waldo?" as it was notable by the general absence of the their leader

As I've tried to explain in the past Welsh Labour either through assembly or local government level have ruled Wales with an incompetence mixed with arrogance. But it has survived this time would appear to be because it's considered to be the best chance of getting rid of Theresa May.

So they just got lucky.

Labour have made gains in Wales through smoke and mirrors than for true Socialism. It's Plaid Cymru who are now the representtitves of true Welsh socialism that Labour happily threw away in the past. What the party of Wales need to do is to bang that message ever harder. Because Plaid know that if there is a chance to get rid of the Conservatives next time voters may be swayed. It will be a danger for Plaid in the short term. Though looking further ahead Labour's natural Welsh patronising ineptitude will reassert itself  and so Plaid can still appeal to the disaffected Labour voter.

We just need to be patient.

Until the next time.

It's Been A While

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well it's been a while. Have found it difficult to blog for a few weeks now. But now things have returned.

So let's start with the bad news. The house we were going to buy has fallen through. Various reasons that I can't really go into. But the hunt begins for a new place. In the meantime we're renting an apartment just outside Penarth. A bit isolated, but for our needs fine for now.

And whilst this upheaval occurred my reading time declined. Indeed I electronically have put Stranded by Cheryl Strayed to one side during this process. Will return to this, honest. It's worth all the praise it got.

For the moment though have turned my reading eyes to The Safe Man by Michael Connelly. Will chat about that when finished.

And of course there's been an election. Do you remember I remarked that Theresa May was incompetent in everything except the gaining and holding on to power? As well as when I said she was going to have an increased majority? Well I was wrong on the second and almost wrong on the first. So desperate has she been for power that she's sewn up a deal with the Ulster Unionist DUP. Causing the amazing situation that the cure to austerity is that we all should become Northern Irish. And as for Plaid Cymru? I'll chat about that tomorrow.

So I'm back, properly, and for a while at least there shouldn't be any upheavals. But then again the right place might suddenly appear.

Until the next time.

More News Of Bridgend Town From A Distance and How For The Future I Saved The Man In The Football Shirt

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Although no longer living in the Bridgend area I still work there. And it doesn't mean I no longer care about the decline of the town. Yesterday heard news that suggests the downward spiral continues. I've mentioned before of the decline of the indoor market. Well news has come in that three further stalls have been, or about to be closed down. It includes the stall that sold pre owned books though it had branched out to other items.

Now let me be clear. I didn't shop there. The charity shops were cheaper. But all three stalls gave the reason as the decling footfall in the market and the reason for that is the way that Bridgend Town has declined under the Labour council. Shop closures and other issues /I've posted about in the past year have meant that you only go to the town centre when you have to It is a spiral of urban destruction that has now seemed to have had a momentum all of its own. What's worse there's no obvious plan the council are using to try and stop it.

I might need to visit Bridgend Town on Monday to visit the solicitors re the house purchase. If I do I'll take some pictures of how the market has further emptied out.

And now for something more humourous.

Yesterday saw a man I knew dressed in a football tracksuit top. Given that the man was Welsh and that we're not talking about a major Premiership team it was an unusual club to see being worn in South Wales.

"How is it." I asked him "that you're wearing a Sunderland top? Do you support them?"

He explained that he had a friend who had no need of it and offered it to him.

I felt compelled to point out that Sunderland were relegated last season (to which he laughed) and, more pointedly they would be playing Cardiff City next season.

The man responded by saying that he didn't realise it was a Sunderland top. He thought it was for the Welsh national team. Despite the shirt saying Invest In Africa on its chest and badge mentioning  well, Sunderland.

So now he knows better. And when next season Cardiff play Sunderland at home. They'll be at least one man who'll leave the red top on the hanger. Thus saving himself bluebird abuse.

Until the next time.

When You're Late For The Party And More Books Read

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

You might have noticed that despite it being staged in Cardiff this weekend I haven't mentioned anything about the Champions League final. Well the reason was simple. I was at work.

Now would admit that could easily have taken the day off, but to be honest wanted to save my time for the moment when we do, eventually, move house permanently. So it all passed me by.

Sunday however had the day off. And I decided to go to the Champions League Festival being held in Cardiff Bay. Wasn't sure whether it was a good idea at the time but ultimately thought that as it was going to be the closest time I'd be anywhere near a Champions League final again it was best I should go.

Trouble is of course that the match was on the Saturday. What this meant was that all the glamorous people had long since gone. All that was left was, well people like me.

"The Champions!"

However there were things to do. You could kick a ball in the goal with virtual Gareth Bale. Play on a PlayStation 4, pretend you're a commentator. All very good.....if you're ten. Being Fifty three however I went to the exhibition of the Uefa Champions League at the Millennium Centre.

Where you could see photos....

Photos

Or Shirts...

Football Shirts

Which regular readers know I like collecting but in all honesty in an exhibition setting was dull. And there wasn't all that space either.

So went outside and saw the floating pitch. A match was playing. Wasn't to be honest close enough to recognise any of the, shall we say, older players. Or as they're branded now "Legends".

Floating

Noticed that Juventus had their own stall in the festival. Would have been interested to have gone in. Unfortunately it wasn't open on the Sunday, which was rather unsporting of them, even if they were defeated.

Apparently #ITSTIME doesn't apply to the day after the final

They had a concert stand where bands gamely performed to small crowds as if it was the Millennium / Principality Stadium. When I was there Captain Accident was singing his heart out. Never heard of him. That though is an old man (ie me) issue.

The day was bright it has to be said

And to  top it all on a particularly depressing day I give you this picture.

The Picture

The statue to the right of this picture is of the songwriter Ivor Novello. I have this theory that before the Champions League weekend it was facing the sea. However in a Night in the Museum style the statue turned towards the Champions League shop to the left in disbelief as to the prices it charged. £10 for a less than thumb sized replica of the trophy,£15 for a baseball hat, £25 for a T-Shirt and to
top it all £65 for a football shirt!!!

Needless to say I bought something.

A Mug...Impressed Eh?

It cost me £10. I have the slight comfort that I know I'll use it. Still it probably showed that the biggest mug was me.

One thing I know is that until I make the move this blog will continue but the posts will be more sporadic. Since my last post I've read SEVEN books. So here's a quick review of all seven.

The House Of The Dead : Fyodor Doestoevsky: As previously posted I am a fan of Team Fyodor. The book ended as brilliantly as it begun. Highly recommended.

By The Ionian. Sea Notes of a Ramble in Southern Italy: George Gissing: This book,published in 1905 really was rubbish. He seemed to like Italy and its history but not Italians unless they were "cultured". Snobbish pretentious racism.

Earthwork Out Of Tuscany Being Impressions and Translations Of Maurice Hewlett: Maurice Hewlett: Though not racist this book about Tuscan art was equally snobbish and pretentious.

Adventures Among Books: Andrew Lang: The most disappointing book of the seven. What started as a man telling a story of his love of books turned into a series of rather dull essays.

And speaking of essays....

Selected Essays: Karl Marx: Am I a Marxist after reading this? No. Whilst some of it was interesting most required a knowledge of German history / figures of that time which I don't possess. Hence it's not Marx's problem but mine. I'll give him a pass.

The Third Reich A Chronicle : Richard Overy: As I remember it I bought this to clear an Amazon giftcard. It had nothing really new to say.

Paris Under The Occupation: Jean Paul Sartre: Other than the Doestoevsky this was the most interesting book of the seven. This essay explains that life under Nazi occupation was for the most part not how TV/films now portray it. The only real criticism is his denigration of those people in the resistance who lost their lives fighting for a free France. Otherwise it is certainly worth a read.

So the book I'm currently reading is Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Will see how I do with that soon.

Until the next time.

More Chopin, Arguing With Len And I'm With Team Fyodor

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So it appears that yet again I begin this blog the day after a terrorist atrocity. Yet again the world turns digitally medieval. Yet again for what it's worth my sympathies goes out to the injured and dead in these London attacks (bar three). But yet again I say this. No one should change their lives for fear. For fear would mean that the terrorists will win. I intend to go out to Cardiff Bay today. Am not going to alter my plans. Not at all.

So I will continue in this blog to chat on the books I've read yesterday. Terrorists remember don't like people who read avidly. They don't like books outside of their own sphere. And when we're talking about Islamic terrorists they wouldn't like Kate Chopin. She is first a woman, then a woman with a voice of her own and a woman who would not have believed that her place is in the home serving a man.

The Awakenings and other stories have now been finished. As I explained yesterday this has come as an unexpected surprise. The stories were a fascinating read. They were all best described as a slow burn. You wonder what's going on in the beginning and then you find yourself being drawn into the tale she's telling. Will look forward to reading her again.

Kindle do a series called Kindle Singles. Short fiction/non fiction on various subjects. When I first bought it one of these ebooks I bought was James Bond : My Long And Eventful Search For His Father. Essentially this was focusing on the battle which eventually involved in the (for want of a better word) "rebel" James Bond film Never Say Never Again.

Before this book I've read three Len Deighton novels. The Ipcress File, SS-GB and XPD. In all cases I had the same view. If Len and Deighton were an ice dance couple then they would score largely on the technical but not as well on artistic impression. His characters leave me cold. As I remember reading James Bond as a teenager Ian Fleming was much better in engaging your emotions. And of course nobody does the crime novel better than John Le Carre.

This book doesn't change my view of him one iota. It was rubbish. It's biggest problem was that it was just too short. It needed a lot more detail. Also his conclusion at the very end is just useless. I won't tell you what it is but let's just say that it doesn't matter what TV/Film does to change an iconic character (eg Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Inspector Morse) it's parent is the author who created it in the first place.

The novel I'm currently reading is House Of The Dead by Fyodor Dostoevsky published in 1860. It reminded me of why I'm with Team Fyodor and not Team Chekov. You find yourself interested in the people and their lives in the Siberian prison camp they're living in. With Dostoevsky I find myself wanting to go on rather than swiping the page at a sense of reader duty.

Until the next time.

On Enjoying Italian Crime with Camilleri, Shruggable Neutrality on Chekhov and A Little Bit Of Chopin

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Have finished The Montalbano Mysteries by Andrea Camilleri . An omnibus of the first three novels of the eponymous Sicilian detective. Well I loved it. Everything you'd want from a crime genre is here. A hero you'd root for, a sense of place, characters well drawn, a good plot. I finished the book wishing that I was a brilliant Italian detective with a love of food living near the coast who could take a swim everyday should he wish it.

And the thing about this omnibus was....I didn't get to feel it was an omnibus. There was no sense of a hard slog. I just moved from one novel to the next with ease and was only disappointed when they were all finished. Don't know when I'll next get round to reading a Camilleri novel but I do know I'll be looking forward to it.

Which is more than I can say for Anton Chekhov.

You may remember sometime back I suggested that for some writers a reader can be in literary Switzerland. In that he (or she) didn't dislike a writer but at the same time could not understand the mantle of greatness that is thrust upon them. The main author I used for this was F Scott Fitzgerald but I included Chekhov in this as well.

Having now read The Duel And Other Stories I now realise that my views on Chekhov are slightly different. I'm still neutral but I finished each story thinking "Is that all there is"?

NOTHING MUCH HAPPENS. And even when it does it seems to resolve itself quickly and for the most part quietly enough. Leaving aside the duel of the main story the only real action seems to involve people flouncing off or acting in a turn of the century huff at something or another....and that's just the men.

So clearly I just don't understand why he gets the high literary reputation that he has. There are two conclusions to this. The first is that I'm the bookish equivalent of the little boy pointing out that king has no clothes. Suddenly I'm viewed as the most perceptive reader ever. Fame at last.

The second is more simple. That I'm an idiot who has not grasped the nuances of the Russian master. Either is possible.

Which leads me to the third book I'm reading now The Awakening and other stories by Kate Chopin. When I started to read the title story was thinking "This is like Chekhov. Nothing much is happening". But what Chopin does is to lead you slowly through the issues faced by the main character. This is interesting stuff. I think the phrase is "a slow burn". Must admit am impressed.

Until the next time.

On A Short Trip Through A Town Called Barry And The E Book Buying Game (June Edition)

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well yesterday I visited Barry Town properly. It wasn't one of the great treks of the world. A ten minute walk from where I'm currently living. And I couldn't do a proper wander either, basically because I had my daughter with me who'd done the walk with my wife on Tuesday when I was at work (that's right the sisters beat me to it) and didn't want to go around again when there was the internet to entertain her. Still at least I did go and will do a proper lookaround when there isn't a teenager by my side.

Barry Town for the uninitiated is not to be linked with the nearby funfair/amusements that is Barry Island in terms of how you should view it. This is a town for the inhabitants and judged on first viewing it seemed to make it clear that's what it wanted to be. There was nothing that suggested seaside jollity's. To me that was a good thing.

(Barry Island is to come. Weather permitting I'm planning to go with wife/daughter on my next day off Sunday).

And if there is one place I'm definitely going to investigate further in the future.

Always judge a place by its library

Now this is not just where the central library is. It has an art gallery as well. But the key point is that the Barry Town library is in in the Town Centre. Bridgend Council please note.

In terms of shops the town centre appeared to be a line of outlets. On an admittedly cursory look it didn't appear to suffer the considerable closures suffered by Bridgend town centre. Wife/daughter did say to me that they thought that Barry Town was better than Bridgend Town and that is what it appeared to me as well. In fact I cannot think of any town centre worse that I've been to in Wales than Bridgend Town and here is just another example to compare it by.

All in all this was a good first trip. More in depth (ie teenage daughterless) wanderings to follow.

A Town Called Barry

And so to the temporary series (until we move in to a new house) ebook buying game. The rules are these. Armed with £5 and whatever loose change I try to buy as many ebooks on my Kindle (other ereaders are available) starting with the Daily Deals and from those purchases see what type of books it tries to offer me from then on. The key thing to remember is that it has to appeal and that it's as cheap as possible.

This month's monthly total (with the carry over change from last month) is £5.22.

Nothing from the Daily Deals interested me. ("Social Media Marketing Tips?" It's title alone would induce me to sleep). So I move on to the Monthly Deals. There I see Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon a book which is subtitled "a happy life with mental illness". I seem to vaguely remember a radio interview she did on this. It seems interesting. 99p. Bought.

Nothing on the books recommended from buying Mad Girl interested me. So I went to the next row. Books recommended for me based on "Literature and Fiction". The first one on the row is "Single and Single" by John Le Carre. 99p. Bought.

Again nothing recommended from buying the John Le Carre interested me. So back to those recommendations based on what I bought in Litrature and Fiction. There's a complete collection of books by the American writer Theodore Dreiser. 92p. Absolute bargain. Bought.

Looking at the list then there is another collected works of Willa Cather for just 49p. 49p!! Needless to say bought.

It leads me to another collected works. This time by Edith Wharton. Another author I've wanted to read but life never got me round to doing it. This time though chance comes my way. 91p. Bought.

The next compilation is of Nicholas Gogol. 49p again. Yes of course I bought it.

Finally the main author bought when I played this game last month was Michael Connelly. Book 3 in the Harry Bosch series The Concrete Blonde is available for 99p. As I already got books 1 and 2 this was a must. Bought.

So 35p is carried forward to next month. Not only that but I've bought some female writers which I didn't last time. So pleased with that.

Until the next time.