The Battle For Wales : How Mark Drakeford, David Cameron And The Queen Furthered The Cause Of Welsh Independence

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

This past week may seemingly have been quiet in the cause for Welsh independence but actually has been quite important and needs to be noted down.
Let's start with Welsh First Minister Mark "Jeremy's Disciple" Drakeford who in the Senedd earlier this week basically stated that the majority of Welsh people did not want independence. and basically tying himself and Welsh Labour to the Westminster Unionist fold that makes it part of the problem and not th solution.

Welsh Labour have been in recent weeks seemingly have pursued a twin track approach on the issue of independence. On the one hand there has been the fervent Unionists like Stephen Kinnock, the Labour MP we have chatted about previously on this blog talking up the "precious union" and talking down on Wales. As I've mentioned before about  Mr Kinnock (who in terms of Wales really is the London Planetarium of politics - Bald and pointless) he really needs to speak to his wife about small countries who are happily independent such as Iceland.I

But, including Drakeford, there have been another faction that has dipped it's tiny toe on the issue basically stating that under certain circumstances it cannot be ruled out. Thus the tactic seemingly is to muddy the waters and not lose further votes in local government elections to Plaid Cymru.

Now however by acting as he has done Drakeford has clearly fallen into line with what Jeremy and the Westminster head office want. There is no ambiguity anymore. Welsh Labour is part of the Unionist fold. It has, not for the first time, surrendered independence of thought.

Drakeford is right. At the moment the majority of Welsh people wish to stay in the union. But the polls show that support for independence is rising rapidly. Labour have been losing local by-elections to Plaid Cymru partly because it's clearly the party that seeks independence. It offers an alternative vision.What has happened in Scotland is happening in Wales. Many Labour voters are turning to Plaid. The loyalty to Welsh Labour is diminishing rapidly. Labour's nightmare is coming true.

Of course the twin track approach was always a stupid/opportunist strategy anyway but sticking to the Union come what may has/will damaged Labour and will continue to do so. Furthering the cause of independence in Wales.

So let's come to David Cameron and the Queen. I've not read Cameron's autobiography and have no wish to do so but this is the first political autobiography I can recall where the subject comes out of it even worse than before publication.

Of course Cameron came into this on a particular low ebb anyway. Not only did he call the Brexit referendum but then clearly as Prime Minister ran it so badly. Allowing the  Leave campaign to  make the running . Furthermore after having lost  the referendum he immediately resigns from the mess he created. Running away I'd argue to spend more time with his money.

Whatever you think of Theresa May, at least she tried.

Initially the focus of the coverage has been on Brexit, and specifically his views on Boris Johnson  and Michael Gove. But later it turned on events surrounding the  Scottish  independence referendum of 2014. where he revealed  he asked the Queen to act in support of the union during the campaign. Obliquely she did. Stating that people should "think very carefully" before  casting their vote.

As we all know the Unionist side won the referendum though subsequent events suggest that for the SNP it was  a defeat but of  a battle not the war.

Whether the Queen's remarks influenced voters who knows?  But it  might have done.

Now the  Disunited Kingdom media are focusing on the Queen's displeasure and the breach of royal protocol. Something I'm sure discussed in foodbanks everywhere. But there  is no denial that the story is true.

However the important point  in terms of  a Welsh  independence referendum is this. No Prime Minister will be able to  use a member of  the Royal family as a weapon  for Unionism again  If they try they will be attacked as a tool of Unionists, a puppet. Indeed the position of the monarchy itself  within Wales  would  be under threat.

A Unionist weapon has been neutralised by a Unionist. Oh the irony.

All in all then. A good week for Welsh independence.

Until the next time.

Argh My Laptop's Dead

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Sudden death is always the worse for those around the deceased. If only because of it being so unexpected. There is shock mixed with helplessness. The inability to help. The inability to say goodbye because the swiftness of the departure As you get older you feel that pain towards inanimate objects as well. Though the pain is short lived ( as you can get a replacement) it is there.

Monday night then. I'm trying on the laptop to get a stream to watch the Aston Villa West Ham game (Nil-Nil so the hunt wasn't even worth doing it in itself) I'm on Google so not even on a website itself when suddenly the machine went ping, the screen went dead and just died.

I do everything I can to revive it. Switching leads, pressing the on switch very  hard that it hurts my finger but to no avail.

There is a very remote chance that it's alive however the only way to find out is to go to a repair shop. However I genuinely don't have the time given that we are actually going to be physically moving to our new home next Thursday.

And I am grieving. If only because in the past two and a quarter years it and the tablet has pulled me through as going on the internet it's been a portal to knowledge, communication and entertainment. So it's helped me not go quietly mad.

So it's likely to be dead. And I'm saddened by it's loss. Saddened as well that I have to go and get another laptop when this last one worked so well (and if you ask how I'm writing this mourning of a Microsoft powered ACER whatever it's through the Kindle)
At time of writing (3:19am - I can't sleep) there's a fly hovering around me. I will try and kill it.

It's  death won't bother me.

Until the next time.

In Which An Englishman Criticises Potential Public Irish Policy. No It Isn't Brexit But The Case Of Lyric FM

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Only a foolhardy Englishman would criticise potential Irish public policy without the risk of having Brexit thrown back at him.

Only a stupid Englishman living in Wales would criticise the possible closure of a radio station when he's not even part of it's catchment audience.

Only a ….well you get the idea that man is going to be me.

I learnt yesterday that the Irish public broadcaster RTE is considering closing it's classical music station Lyric FM. We'll chat about why later. But to be fair to me I have mentioned it occasionally in the blog before just saying that it's the best classical music station I know.

What makes it different? After all it plays classical tunes just like any other classical radio station. It broadcasts live concerts just like other classical radio stations. It seemingly is a clone of any classical commercial radio station you can think of  (RTE though a public broadcaster does commercials) with regular news, weather, traffic reports, competitions etc.

The difference is it's tone.

Bare in mind I'm talking generally now but let's compare Lyric FM with the two major classical music stations in the Disunited Kingdom BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. Radio 3 constantly has difficulty in hiding the impression that it's tolerating you but considers itself superior. The commercial Classic FM seems to suggest that it considers it's core audience are listening to it in between reading the Daily Mail and watching omnibus episodes of Murder She Wrote.

Lyric FM on the other hand treats you as a friend. It does not patronise. What it understands is that it may know more about the subject matter than most of it's audience but that does not mean the listeners are thick. Neither is it fundamentalist in it's music choices. It can play Chopin and Ray Charles in the same programme.

So having worked out the formula for the ideal classical music station RTE is now considering throwing it away. Madness.

And why? Well to be honest living on this side of the Irish sea I'm not completely sure. The article I saw online suggested that RTE had a general "financial shortfall" (how come? It is paid by a licence fee and commercials). The article suggested that regional services, sports and drama were also likely to be cut. It seems to me that if these reports are accurate the idea of RTE being a public service broadcaster at all would be called into question.

But back to Lyric FM. Some people would say well then what's the issue when there's the example of Classic FM? The private sector will provide. Stop moaning. However that tone I mentioned will go. You will find that (taken as a whole) commercial classical radio will just get blander and blander.

I have,no knowledge as to why RTE has got itself into this situation. What I do know is that it's created a special public service gem with Lyric FM and losing it will not help it's future at all.

Until the next time.

The Battle For Wales : Why Wales Should Not Enter England's Possible Civil War

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have a link on my mobile to Microsoft's News service (it's a Nokia. Connected to Windows 10. And if that sounds impressive it isn't. They've stopped the model now). It alerts me to the news headlines. In truth I'm not sure how I arranged it. But from time to time the handset pings to reveal an article from a news organisation.

For the most part it's not that impressive. Telling me stuff I already know or stuff that I really didn't need to know. But a couple of days back it brought up an article that made me want to read it instantly.

By Alan Crawford on Bloomberg financial news agency dated September 12 entitled "Will Brexit Trigger The Nation's Next Civil War?"

(The link is here https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-12/will-brexit-trigger-england-s-second-civil-war)

Now I've raised the possibilities of right wing dictatorship in this blog many times. Also as this strand of posts obviously says I've mentioned a political battle in Wales between people who believe in independence and whatever the right wing turns out to be. But this English Centric article (though worth reading - Wales isn't mentioned once - Scotland and Northern Ireland mentioned once in passing) puts forward the possibility of a civil war within England as a consequence not just of Brexit but it also needs to be said the subsequent mess of British government negotiations afterwards.

The chances of such a scenario are slim. But it says enough about the Disunited Kingdom now that no one in 2019 could honestly say that it's not impossible. And that fact alone should make people step back and gaze at the mess in front of them.

After all we have a scenario now of a Prime Minister suspending Parliament and purging dissidents from his own policy. One of the greatest ironies of the media manipulation is where the right wing press will accuse Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of wanting to bring in a Stalinist administration and yet it's Baboon Boris Johnson who has acted in this way.

Secondly Brexit is an issue that has caused division like no other in my lifetime. The issue arises passion on either side. Some people, whether previous friends or family members no longer talk to each other because of the arguments it has brought. That as history tells is as good an ingredient as you can get for that civil war stew.

Add to that shortages of food and medicines and increased political violence should Britain crash out with a no deal Brexit.

So then what if England is at war? What then? And given the title of this post. What should Wales do?

Wales is not in an easy position. It doesn't have the reunification option of Northern Ireland, nor did it vote to Remain in the EU referendum. The Brexit Party won most of the European Parliament elections in May but that doesn't really count as the Remain vote was split.

That all having been said though it does have the option of independence. Brexit might be the cause of an English civil war but let's be clear it will just be different facets of Unionism fighting with each other. If the Welsh Parliament declared independence from England and neutrality in such a conflict I would suspect that in such a scenario that  majority of people living in Wales would accept it. Firstly because they would not be involved in a war and secondly because what is the point in being in a  union disintegrating before your very eyes?

I have never said in this blog that independence will instantly make life better. And this scenario probably more than any other will be the most challenging. Still I would argue that messy independence would be far better than tying yourself to a country at civil war.

Until the next time.

A Short Post On Why You Shouldn't Blame Fireman Sam For Gender Stereotyping. Blame His English Translators Instead

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So it appears that the media preschool superhero of the Welsh rural village of Pontypandy is in trouble because he's not considered by one English Fire authority as "not inclusive" and outdated and have stopped using him as a mascot for this particular service.  Focusing on the title "Fireman Sam" the argument is basically that this discourages women from joining the service.

Now this an argument that splits people into ways that you would expect, the sort of "this is political correctness gone mad" response. However those who feel that the title "Fireman Sam" should be replaced to something gender neutral are correct for various reasons. Starting with it would follow the original Welsh text.

Fireman Sam was originally a pre school programme on the Welsh language channel S4C. It's (original) Welsh title was "Sam Tan". Literally "Sam Fire".

So the point being is that in terms of his occupation the original Welsh title was gender neutral.

Sam is innocent of the charges brought against him. As the title of this short post suggests the real guilty party here are those who decided that his English title should be gender specific. Sam however could hardly be blamed for the decisions of others

Now personally I don't see anything wrong with changing the title of the show to "Firefighter Sam". However I am bothered that one brave guy is cast as an outdated sexist symbol when in fact he has been anything but.

Change the title by all means. But don't kill off the guy.

Until the next time.

No More VE Day Clelebrations In Bridgend Town? Another Potential Welsh Labour Nail In It's Coffin

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Yes it's been a while since my last post. 1001 different things have been happening. But essentially I haven't unfortunately had the time. Anyway not as if anything has happened in Britain in the meantime.

But it seems somehow fitting that my first post in a while concerns a regular blog villain, Bridgend Welsh Labour council.

Now since the blog began I've focused on the urban tragedy that is Bridgend Town which I've argued is due to the arrogant incompetence of the Welsh Labour council. I intend to visit again (I work nearby) later this month but if you're interested tap Bridgend Town on this blog's search engine and it will explain more fully.

So we have a town on it's knees without (unlike say other towns in the borough like Porthcawl) a clear strategy for it's future and this remember is before the closure of the Bridgend Ford engine plant next year.

Let's move to another strand. Bridgend Welsh Labour council have made swinging cuts to public services and they are proposing to make even more. They blame this on the cut in subsidy from the Welsh Labour government in Cardiff Bay. As I've said before if Welsh Labour blames Welsh Labour then it's Welsh Labour that's responsible.

The local paper, the Glamorgan Gazzette, has made a list of where the proposed cuts are going to be. If I discussed each and every one in detail then I would be still writing this post next week. But one caught my eye immediately as it seemed to show how incompetent the council is.

The council subsidies events in the town centre such as World war two V E day celebrations reenactments (hence the bunting in the town which has not been taken off for a year) Caribbean concerts, markets and the one which I've chatted about from time to time (as I happened to be there on those days) classic car shows.

Well the proposal is to cut this subsidy.

Now this subsidy is for other parts of the borough as well but let's focus on Bridgend Town. What it means is that one of two things have happened.

1) That these events have been unsuccessful in bringing people into the town.

2) These events have been successful in bringing people into the town and the Welsh Labour council are now proposing to cut them thus people won't visit and spend money in the town which desperately needs it.

Either way it only highlights how incompetent the Welsh Labour council have been in managing the town. How it's a town brought on it's knees by arrogant Welsh Labour incompetence and it needs all the help it can get. Instead it appears Welsh Labour just want to bang another nail into it's coffin.

Until the next time.

In A Disunited Kingdom On The Verge Of The Death Of Democracy Let's Chat About Gender Stereotyping As Light Relief....Through The Medium Of Two Dead Birds In An Attic

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Yes that's right. Gender stereotyping as light relief. That's how insane this Disunited Kingdom has become folks'

So yesterday the wife and I visit the house we're about to move into. Mainly because she has some issues with the shower (which I won't bore you with). However as I'm there she asks me to go up to the attic. Last time she went up there the wife saw two dead birds (presumably during the day the workmen forgot to close the window) and wondered whether they were still there or had been removed.

So gender stereotype number one. The wife is the sort of small woman who takes no messing from anybody. She will go all in to do things that are supposed to be "men's work" (even if I'm there and offering to do it). And yet when it comes to rodents or in this case dead birds she becomes the most girly girl in the history of girls. She just can't do deal with the situation. She is almost immobile. She'd rather walk out of the house and leave them there.

I've no issues with any small animal really that isn't a domesticated wolf (aka a dog) so I go up and yes they're still there. Like germs in a Domestos ad. Dead.

So gender stereotype number two: When the wife first saw the birds (I was at work) she asked the workmen to remove them. According to her they didn't want to do it because they were scared. That's right big strong tradesmen with tattoos over their tattoos were scared to deal with two dead birds.

Gender stereotype number three: Me. A man who you could deal with in a fight by just taking my spectacles off felt a rushing surge of testosterone in my veins as I proclaimed "I am Lord of this domain and I shall resolve this!!"

Or I just shrugged my shoulders and "I'll deal with it" (I'll leave you to decide).

But not at that moment though. I needed gloves and a couple of black bags as the birds were not the only things left in the attic. There was a sixties style suitcase (unopened), a tennis racket and various songbooks including one I noticed for Boyzone (which surprised me as I only thought they did cover versions).

I'll sort out the birds, open the suitcase and look at the other stuff properly on Tuesday. Obviously in the most manly of manly ways possible.

Until the next time.