The Job I'd Suggest Leanne Wood Should Do And The Job Carwyn Jones Should Have Done

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I'm not going to use this post to repeat my views of yesterday on the Plaid Cymru  leadership election. But I noticed on Twitter yesterday speculation on what she should do next. Focusing on being part of new leader's Adam Price's cabinet in the National assembly.

I do not speak for Ms Wood but I'd guess she's hurting right now. People should understand completely if she doesn't feel about getting involved in Plaid Asssembly matters as spokesperson for a particular subject.

So here's a suggestion. She attempts to unseat Labour MP Chris Bryant from the Rhondda constituency at the next general election.

This will not be easy. Currently Mr Bryant has a majority of over thirteen thousand. But if anybody from Plaid currently has a chance of unseating him it would be Ms Wood who is from the area. After all she won the Assembly vote for the constituency with a 24% swing. Unseating the then Labour education spokesperson Leighton Andrews in the process.

Mr Bryant is on the television often. Complaining about Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn for example but it occurred to me that I don't hear him talking about anything specific in his constituency.

So I went on Google search. Put his name down and pressed the news section. I was looking for the first item which was not either UK or Wales as a whole related but specifically to the Rhondda. With Mr Bryant (a backbencher) I lost the will after page 16. With Ms Wood, who remember was Plaid leader until Friday I found one in Page 11.

Now obviously for either person this does not include casework and it's the most unscientific of surveys. Still Mr Bryant gives the impression of taking his constituency for granted and seems to go off on subjects unrelated to voters' specific local concerns for his own agenda. If there is one thing we know about Ms Wood, she will care.

Unlike Carwyn Jones. Still (just) First Minister of Wales and still sporting that beard which makes him look like a shifty Santa. Recently he made a speech to the employer's organisation the CBI where he said that Wales needed to emulate the German system of Mittelstand where instead of smaller/medium companies selling up to larger firms when they come knocking on the door they instead continue to thrive and grow. Thus becoming successful and substantial not just to the entrepreneurs who set them up but to the local area as a whole.

All very good. Throw that demob happy guy a fish. Except that not once as First Minister has he given any impression of helping such companies in a pivotal moment in their existence. If anything he has done the exact opposite. Attracting large companies to Wales with various grants and promises.

I'm not saying that attracting these large companies is wrong in itself. But bringing up the Mittelstand system where as First Minister you haven't really assisted these companies that could have shown more loyalty to Wales than bigger conglomerates would have done really is the sort of demob happy pronouncement of barefaced cheek that he's making now his time is almost done.

Until the next time.

The Price Is Right For Plaid Cymru? Let's Hope So

Hello there. hope you're feeling well today.

So my gut instinct was completely wrong. There was I thinking Adam Price had no chance of winning the contest for Plaid Cymru's leadership and he does it.

I'll chat about those issues I had with him in a moment. But I do feel that Leanne Wood lost mainly because of the chipping away at her leadership which has lasted over a year mainly by people who felt impatient by the lack of power Plaid had but ignoring the position she inherited from the disastrous tenure of her successor Ieuan Wynne Jones.

I voted for her. I believe that she would have been the best candidate to lead the party forward. Ultimately though I believe she has been the victim of a deliberately slow building coup.

But Mr Price won. And he has said he will bring "New ideas and New Energy" to the post. Well he will need the new energy as he would need to bring himself to the attention of the wider Welsh public. If history has shown anything time is relatively short for leaders who take over from an incumbent through such a process. Especially as criticism of Ms Wood focused on a perceived lack of electoral success. If he cannot show improvement then his time as leader may be shorter than Ms Wood's. Even more so given that there is a clear alternative in Rhun Ap Iorweth

As for "New Ideas" well he's apparently known as "the ideas machine", but he will need a group of people to funnel the more questionable ones to the rubbish tip. After all Mr Price is the man who is leading a party that a few months back he felt should be led by joint leaders. Also his idea (which I've written about in this blog) that Plaid Cymru should change it's name should also be forgotten.

But he is highly intelligent and he has a forensic skill in dismantling Welsh Labour government proposals which will be publicised more now he is leader. If perception is any guide Adam Price would appear to be able to wipe the floor with any of the Welsh Labour wannabees for Carwyn Jones' job.He has also said that independence will be at the heart of Plaid Cymru. As it should be.

I have read criticism of his approach as "populist" well in that regard I've no problems with that. There is nothing wrong in galvanising people into politics. You can argue that an apathetic public is in fact more dangerous to democracy as they will accept anything thrown at them.

I would suspect that I am not the only person who did not vote for Adam Price but who will have my loyalty given that a split would damage not just Plaid but the cause of Welsh independence. He will though also have to face the worries and upset of people like me as well.

I hope Adam Price succeeds. For if he fails we will all regret the treatment of Leanne Woods even more than we do now.

Until the next time.

The Price Is Wrong : Why Plaid Cymru Should Not Change It's Name

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Regular readers will know that I have made my position on the forthcoming leadership election in Plaid Cymru clear in that I support current leader Leanne Wood. I won't bore you by going over the reasons why again here.

However I am now going to make one prediction, purely on gut instinct, about the election now.

Leadership contender Adam Price is not going to win it.

Why do I say that? Well it's following a series of proposals he's put forward with regard to Plaid Cymru that makes no sense whatsoever.

First (as I've discussed in a previous post) that Plaid Cymru should have a joint leadership. This has apparently died a death and seems to be quietly forgotten.

And now that Plaid Cymru would gain more voters by calling itself the New Wales Party.

It is, as an idea, mad. And here are some of the reasons why.

As a name Plaid Cymru is a brand that everyone understands, even those who do not speak Welsh know that it is the Party of Wales. As a name it's distinctive and it's that distinction that makes it an asset and not a liability.

The name that's being proposed to replace it, New Wales Party, has the connotations with Blair and New Labour. That makes it damaging. Voters do not like one party blatantly copying another. It smacks of desperation which whilst I'm not going to say Plaid does not have it's problems would not be a fair reflection of it's position with the Welsh voter.

It is also a very lazy political name. Bet that took under a minute for Mr Price or a person on his team to think of it before going off to have a coffee.

Finally the whole notion that somehow Plaid's problems in reaching power can be partly resolved by running away from it's Welsh name is actually quite stunning especially coming from Mr Price. After all Sinn Fein don't do badly in either parts of Ireland thankyou very much.

So the idea is bonkers. Indeed I'd argue damaging to Plaid, and I suspect to Mr Price's leadership ambitions as well.

Until the next time.

Plaid Cymru's Unexpected Problem

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Let me say first, before I say anything else, that this post is about the Simon Thomas situation as it relates to Plaid Cymru and that alone. No way am I seeking to undermine or belittle the allegations put against Mr Thomas. But as there is an ongoing police investigation I don't feel comfortable about discussing those at this particular time.

When the news first broke regarding Mr Thomas' resignation from the National Assembly and Plaid Cymru yesterday morning, there was in the beginning no background as to why. My and other Twitter reaction was one of shock. But if there was one thing I knew immediately it was that there was no political motive to the resignation. Because if that had been the case he would have waited until after the Plaid Cymru leadership election had completed.

Not in a million years though would I have assumed the background to his resignations was what it's turned out to be.

With regard to Plaid Cymru the Twitter reaction from supporters was one of shock (that included me). From non supporters there seemed to be something approaching tempered glee. I saw a tweet that suggested Plaid were "in disarray" at the moment.

Plaid Cymru is not in disarray. But like all parties with a forthcoming leadership election it is in a state of flux. Whilst I've made it clear in this blog that I feel the leadership election is unnecessary and that I'm a supporter of Leanne Wood nobody could have foreseen this turn of events (except possibly Mr Thomas himself). In terms of timing this probably could not have come at a more difficult moment for Plaid. Though of course that's unimportant given the seriousness of the issue.

So Plaid Cymru might receive a short term hit on this given the obvious bad publicity. But in politics the party is eventually always more powerful than the individual. What the membership will need to do though is once the result of the leadership election is known is to show immediate and genuine loyalty towards the person elected as leader. It will be that unity that will see Plaid through a difficult patch which the Simon Thomas situation has added to.

And it will be that unity which will make us face the main enemies of Conservative and Corbyn colonialism with confidence.

Until the next time.

When Welsh Labour Blames Welsh Labour For Cuts In Public Spending Then Welsh Labour Is To Blame. Welcome to Bridgend (Plus The Latest Trip Around The Town)

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have in this blog chatted about Bridgend Council's public service cuts. Well on Friday came a report in Wales Online that if they have to face further financial demands from the Welsh Government then they will "think the unthinkable" in terms of cuts in order to balance the books.

Now whoever is to blame for this situation is a matter for debate. And as I've said in the past Welsh Labour have managed Bridgend with arrogant incompetence. What is clear though is this. If one part of Welsh Labour (the council) blames another part of Welsh Labour (the national government) then Welsh Labour is responsible for the situation in Bridgend.

I suspect that Bridgend Labour Council are using the old trick of ramping up the worst possible situation so that if cuts still occur they will be less than what was originally proposed but still worse than previously. Still let's assume that they completely Brigxit from reality.

The proposals include:

Closure Of The Bridgend Town Bus Station: I must admit to not having mentioned the bus station in the past and that was remiss of me. Because it's quite exceptional. It's modern, effiencient and impressive. If the town matched the bus station then Bridgend town would be an urban legend instead of an urban tragedy...….and the council would consider closing it down?.....insanity on the proportions of locking it up in a straight jacket in a padded cell.

Closing it down would also be a false economy. After all potential for people to come to Bridgend town and spend money would be reduced. And as we've chatted about time and time again Bridgend Town needs the money.

An impressive place

Closing Libraries:/Community Centres Which I would suspect be in relatively isolated areas. Thus depriving communtinites of knowledge, entertainment and help. Depriving children of more books to read, of the unemployed access to the internet. But hey. Labour is "for the many"

Closing nursery education for Three Year Olds/ Closing Daycare Centres For Adults With Learning Disabilities/Older People: You may remember previously in this blog I remarked that this year's cuts from the council were designed to protect vuncerable people? Well that's gone for the future apparently

Reduced Road Sweeping In The Town : Another false economy. Nothing attracts visitors to a town like litter.

And so it continues.

What it means is that Bridgend thanks to Welsh Labour could be reduced from madness to despair to desolation....for the many.

Now for reasons I won't bore you with I spent most of Saturday morning in Bridgend Town. I thought my next proper visit wouldn't be till September. But I'd forgotten about something so today I was there. Let's begin with the four things I regularly visit.

The old Mcdonalds site: Machinery still there. No apparent change from my last visit. Nothing seems to have been built.

The Nolton Street Arcade: No change here either. Every shop in the arcade other than the two by Nolton street itself is empty.

Bridgend Indoor Market: No change re Christmas decorations. Still up there. Person I tried to get to help me on this said there was nothing he could do that I've not already done to try and get them taken down (in let's face it July) but suggested to see what would happen when the new plan to revitalise the market comes into place. This I will do. Will wait to January and try again. (more about decorations in a moment).

Now the market had more occupancy than normal. But that was because there was a craft fair for the day so that there were temprorary stalls. Seemingly no change for the moment in the permanent state of the place.

With regard to the plan I've promised not to discuss this until September as I won't step on the work of another blogger. What I will say is that it actually seems like a good plan to my unqualified eye. But with one major flaw. No plan, however good enough, will work if people are not attracted to come to the town. Hence the idea of closing the bus station down is not just a false economy, but simply mad.

Phones4U: Whilst yet to surpass the McDonalds record of seventeen years left to rot in the town centre after having closed down come September it will reach four years. Interestingly was able to take a picture of what it's like inside.

Eerie

You can imagine on Halloween the ghosts of Phones4U salespeople trying to flog the latest oyster mobile at you or explaining the glories of 3G.

In terms of shops there doesn't appear to be much of a change since the last time I was in the town. The vast swathes of empty shops are still there.

(As a quick aside in the public meeting with Leanne Wood I posted about a few weeks back there were people lamenting about the state of Pontypridd Town. I told them that compared to Bridgend Town Ponty was like the West End of London).

On the plus side I noticed that there was a branch of The Works there. This was significant because I cannot remember the last time (other than a seller of second hand tablets etc) a high street chain came to Bridgend since ASDA about five to seven years ago.

However there seems to be a rule in Bridgend Town that when one shop opens another closes.

An unpleasant surprise

This Café has been there since at least 2000 when we moved into the area. There were signs basically saying bailiffs came in to repossess the place.

And to show how sudden this was here's a picture of it from the inside.

Sad

I was going to have breakfast there. As it happened I went to the Dragon Café in Nolton Street. Did a little reading.

Wish I Could Say I Liked The Book

So far Mr Williams has revealed himself as a fan of Empire and tolerant (though not approving of) a colour bar in drinking establishments. This is not going well.

Unlike the breakfast.

All this for £4.60

Best fry-up breakfast I've had in a while.

Now there was a classic car show in Bridgend Town. When I say " Car Show " I mean people parked old cars in some streets, made jokes about gaskets and were still cleaning their cars in case the odd speck of dust hit their vehicles. Still I get a passion is a passion and so prepare for car porn. Though looking at the cars that interested me I suspect I'm softcore.

Austin Wolseley

Morris Minor ….ahh

Bet this frightened criminals

I have this theory that Fords become interesting when they're no longer in production

It is difficult to make a proper comment on the number of people who came yesterday to the town given the craft fair and the car show but perhaps two pictures might illustrate the problems it has. Around 11:30 at (I think) Wyndham Street . This is the picture of people on one side looking at the cars.

Popular

And this is the picture a few seconds later on the other side.

Says It All

One final thing you might have noticed that in the last two pictures there is bunting that's actually across the town. It was put up for a World War Two VE party celebration they did in May. And it's not been put down. Is this another Bridgend Labour Council cut? Put decorations up but don't bother to take them down again? We'll see in September.

Bridgend....thanks to Welsh Labour....misery for the many...not the few.

Until the next time.

In The Light Of The Recent Vote Could The Green Party Agree To Another Tryweryn? Let's Talk Hypotheticals

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Now for those who don't know the story Tryweryn was a village in North Wales that was flooded in order to create a reservoir and provide water for Liverpool and the Wirral. It became a catalyst for the Welsh nationalist movement and a symbol of Wales being used and abused to accommodate England.

I chatted yesterday about the recent vote of the Green Party members in Wales so that it would stay as the Green Party of England and Wales unlike the Scottish and Northern Irish versions. I mentioned that if it wasn't for the fact that most of their members were probably vegetarians it would appear to be a case of turkeys voting for Christmas.

So we come to the question why did they do it? Why did they forgo the chance of being independent from England? And will it bite them in their ecologically enhanced backside?

Time then to go all hypothetical.

Let's ask ourselves the question then what would happen if another village in Wales "would need" to be destroyed in order to satisfy the needs of [insert English town/city] here. How would the Green party act? After all we have already discussed in this blog the British trade union movement appears happy to supply London with water from Wales without any apparent consideration of the Welsh position.

So how would the Green party react if a Welsh village was to be destroyed to create a reservoir for an English town/city? Well probably taken as a whole they'd agree. They probably wouldn't like it. They would probably cry tears into their vegetable lasagne. But they would probably accept it. Why? Because of the consequences to the English town/city of doing nothing.

The Green party in Wales would be against it. But it wouldn't matter. Because it's the Green Party of England and Wales and so they would be outvoted. And therefore the Green party members in Wales would be the second group of people to realise too late the consequences of a mistaken vote in a referendum.

With this vote only Plaid Cymru therefore is the party truly independent of England. Even the Green party has surrendered it's independence. If I was Leanne Wood I'd probably try to cannibalise as much of the Green Party's manifesto as possible and then try to appeal to their voters rather than the wet lettuce surrender of the current green option.

For remember Tryweryn could happen here again if there is no opposition.

Until the next time.

Listening To Leanne Wood

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Although I've been a member of Plaid Cymru for about two years I cannot say other than paying my subs I've been active. Various reasons combine for this. Moving house. looking for a permanent house, work  and for the first few months of this year being in Essex exile as I was looking after my unwell mother were the main ones..

But I know I have to do more on this. And when I heard that Plaid Cymru leader was holding a public meeting in Church Village in the South Wales Valleys on an evening when both the wife and daughter were out and I wasn't working well it seemed a good enough start.

It was held in Centre For Lifelong learning. I couldn't take a picture of this relatively modern building as car regs were always in view. So let's instead look at the view on the other side.

And you wonder why I like the Valleys

The meeting was held in a small room in the complex and I guesstimate there was around thirty people there. Given that we're talking about a warm Thursday in July that was impressive. Ms Wood travels the length of the country for Plaid. She is a leader who clearly knows her responsibilities.

She didn't give a speech as such. What she did was to answer questions from the floor. She revealed her plan is to follow the Alex Salmond model with regard to independence. and given that nearly succeeded you cannot really question that.

She also implored members to get more fully involved with their local community (for which I intend to do more) as her key target is the next National Assembly and local government elections in 2021. Explaining that it was one of the reasons for their success in the Rhondda.

Regular readers know that I'm a supporter of Ms Wood and will vote for her in the forthcoming . Nothing that happened yesterday evening changed that.

She Speaks and you listen

Ms Wood also mentioned about the Welsh Labour Government's Plans for a hard Brexit...….there aren't any. More about that on my next post.

At the end a group picture was taken and yes I'm there in it. Sorry about that folks.

It was an interesting evening and something I plan to do more in the weeks and months ahead.

Until the next time.

The Insomnia Ramblings Post: Welsh Heatwave Edition Part Two....Yes You Read That Right!!!

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well at time of writing it's 3:37am on a Saturday morning. The Welsh heatwave (yes I know) is still continuing. Seemingly making my insomnia worse. The situation is so bad that in certain places there is (whisper it slowly) talk of water shortages. In Wales....Yes I know. Climate change deniers....take note.

In other news regular readers will I suspect guess that I'm disappointed that there will be a leadership contest for Plaid Cymru. Won't write about it for the moment (as I've nothing really to say) other than I suspect you won't be surprised that Leanne Wood has my vote.

The silence out there seems specially eerie this morning. Interrupted only by my sneezing. Hot, bothered, unable to sleep and have a cold. A Connect 4 of irritations.

It is 4:17am now. And slowly dawn is inching forward. The day will be busy. Not only am I working bur will be going to a book sale in the nearby village of Sully. Haven't been to one of these in ages and must admit to being a little childishly excited. More of that though tomorrow.

4:56am. Definitely daylight now.

Of course today will be England Sweden in the quarter finals of the World Cup and I'll be missing it due to work. Not particularly bothered. Missed England Columbia for the same reason and England won. No you don't have to thank me for England's victory....really you don't.....oh alright then.

5:13am And I hear a sound that makes me remember the one exception to my opinion that no animal should be hunted for sport....seagulls. I mean they are the bullies of the avian world pushing ducks in lakes just to get at bread. I mean what do they do which isn't intrinsically putting them as the baddies of the bird world?

You may remember the Bridgend Indoor Market where the Christmas decorations are up despite the fact that it's well, June. Well it's been put to me that blog villain and local authority donkey Bridgend Labour council leave them up there because it costs more to take them down. Well if true (and I've asked the council....again) then it's a false economy because the image it presents to customers is not good and they might not return again. I mean....come on....Christmas decorations in June.

Ah well sun's bright out there. Got to get moving...have a book sale to get to.

Until the next time.

Plaid Cymru: Co Leadership Or Coup?

I really didn't want to write about Politics today. Really I didn't. In fact if I was going to write anything today it would have been about how my voice has suddenly gone all croaky overnight. So deep it could touch gravel. I reckon it's the weather. After all I've lived in Wales since 1997 and I cannot recall a time when it has been so hot for such a long time.

But there we go. The first item on the Welsh news today was an article written by leading Plaid Cymru AM Adam Price suggesting that Plaid Cymru should have a joint leadership. This, on top of the gradual criticism of current leader Leanne Wood, seems to building to a possible challenge to her for the position which has to be done by Wednesday.

The article in the Nation website is worth reading but whether his reading of the situation is correct. (And I've dealt with some of these issues in this blog previously) what I want to focus on here on his proposed solution and  it's timing. After all you have to ask the question why is he doing this now? Why not months if not years before?

So let's deal with Mr Price's "joint leadership" idea. Well to me it's a non starter. After all if the SNP and Sein Fein don't need a joint leadership then why should Plaid? Also to the electorate it just gives a muddled picture of the party. After all the Greens have a joint leadership and until Caroline Lucas leaves she's one of the leaders. Now name me the other one. Unless you're a Green Party member I bet you can't without going online.

A leader is the focus of the party to the electorate and in that Ms Wood has succeeded. We all know that even in a scenario of joint leadership that Mr Price has proposed she will be damaged. And that is assuming she'd accept such a humiliation of her position. She'd every right to walk away.

So the Price is wrong.

I have no idea of Mr Price's motives, let me stress that, but let me tell you the impression that it and all the recent attacks on Leanne Wood gives. It gives the impression of middle aged men trying to put the upstart woman in her place. That's the impression it gives me and I suspect I'm not the only member of Plaid who thinks that.

(And as I've said in my recent post on Ms Wood's leadership a lot of the people attacking Leanne Wood now could have help shorten the disaster that was the leadership of Iuean Wynne Jones but failed to do so)

The best position for Plaid Cymru is that there is no leadership contest. As she has acknowledged the time to truly judge her is after the next Assembly elections. But for what it's worth she'll have my vote if a contest is called this week.

Until the next time.

Why Plaid Cymru Should Not Panic Part 3: Leanne Wood's Leadership

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

If you placed a bet about ten months ago on which Welsh political party would be having a leadership contest then Plaid Cymru would have been the bookies favourite. All of this starting it should be noted when Welsh Plaid Cymru AM said that he would like to stand for the leadership of the party should Leanne Wood resign ( As I noted at the time a nuance that was tucked well into the BBC Wales online article).

But no. Labour, UKIP (though less of a party more a comedy combo) and now the Welsh Conservatives will be holding elections for party leader now that Andrew RT Davies has announced his intention to quit to spend more time with his food.

Leanne Wood though is still standing.

And yet through these months there have been chip, chip, chipping away at her leadership by I suspect people who should know better. The latest being former Plaid Cymru MP Elfyn Llwyd. It's time then to step back a little and examine Leanne Wood's leadership.

As I think I've mentioned in this blog before. There is I suspect a parallel universe where Dafydd Wigley did not resign because of ill health and became the Welsh Alex Salmond figure leading the party in the National Assembly and planning for a Welsh referendum. However we live in this universe. Mr Wigley did resign. And was replaced by the disastrous Iuean Wynne Jones. A man who went into coalition with Labour which did not help Plaid at all (the tenplate for Nick Clegg) and crucially muddied the waters about Plaid's attitude to independence. As I've also said in this blog before if Plaid Cymru is not the party of independence for Wales then it is nothing.

Since she took over as leader the party has stabilised, it is not in freefall. It's critics may want a speedier turnaround but let's face it slow progress is better than no progress at all. Also a lot of it's critics did not try to turn the party around between the leadership of Wigley and Wood fast enough and yet it is they who are criticising the steady progress she has made.

And the real, key question is would any other leader have made any difference to Plaid's popularity at that time. I suspect not. Leanne Wood's success has been to push the party back into a place where it is no longer ignored by Welsh Labour. It is feared by Welsh Labour. Because only Plaid can produce a realistic alternative for voters in Wales that most of the people could relate to.

Name recognition by the Welsh public of Assembly Members is of course disturbingly low but I would suspect she would come second to Carwyn Jones.

I know I'm repeating myself here yet again. But if the next general election is held before the elections for the National Assembly for Wales then Plaid may have problems because many Welsh people might vote for Labour to get the Tories out. If this happens it's not Ms Wood's or indeed the party's fault. That would be just circumstance. The real test for her (as she has acknowledged) is the next Welsh Assembly and local elections. Here is where Plaid must use it's resources to show Wales that it is the party of alternative to the arrogant incompetence to Welsh Labour.

But in the meantime, with Welsh Labour having surrendered itself to Westminster. The Welsh Conservatives being run as a glorified glove puppets to London  and UKIP producing stand up comedy in the Assembly it is not the time for the attacks on a leader who has being doing a good job. Especially by people who did not help the party's position when it was at it's lowest ebb before she took over.

Until the next time.

The Severn Bridge Rename Revisited : Why Symbols Are Important. As Is Welsh Nationalism

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have spoken about the proposed renaming of the Second Severn Bridge Crossing before in this blog but am brought to chat about again following an article in the Wales Art Review by editor and journalist Fedor Tot. In it he criticises what he sees as the arguments against the renaming on the basis of the symbolism of what the proposed change means.

So let's stop there for a moment. Symbols are important. Firstly the decision to call it the Prince Of Wales Bridge is a not the symbol of a thrusting nation. It's a symbol of a nation tied to a monarchical past. Also the manner of the decision, done in Roman pro consul style by blog villain and all round political slimeball Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns without any consultation with the Welsh people symbolises a contempt for legitimate opinion about the proposal.

In other words....who cares what the Welsh think?

His view is that this argument plays into the hands of "the worst elements of Nationalism" of thinking that "my country is better than your country". I would argue that Welsh nationalism is different because it never has said "my country is better than your country" it says, just like the equivalent Irish and Scots versions that "my country is different from your country and should be independent from it"

Unlike Mr Tot I do consider Plaid Cymru to be a Nationalist (ie my description of Nationalism mentioned above) party and as an Englishman and a member I've no problems with that. There may be issues as to the timescale but if Plaid Cymru is not the party for ultimate independence for Wales then it is nothing. It's a position that Leanne Wood holds and I would argue when it's previous leader Ieuan Wyn Jones seemingly muddied the waters on it then the party was damaged.

And with his comments with regard to Yugoslavia and it's turmoil when it spilt up well who is arguing for war? Independence without the vote of the people for it will mean failure. As Scotland showed you can have a referendum on a nation's future without bloodshed.

So there is nothing wrong with Welsh Nationalism, nor indeed with disagreeing with the symbolic effects of decisions made without consultation with the Welsh people. For people who believe in Welsh Nationalism know that whether "my country is better than you country" is unimportant. What's important is that independence means that every decision is made without having to look over a bridge (which will of course be renamed).

Until the next time.

Another Episode In The "I've Woken Up Early And Am Wandering The Internet" Insomnia Series

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well as I'm writing it's six am on a Sunday morning. It doesn't seem to be a cause to claim insomnia but given I did the afternoon/evening shift  at work yeserdday and went to bed at one am I'd argue it is.

Wife/daughter are asleep. Being Sunday I don't know when they'll wake up. Might be five minutes, might be five hours (will definitely wake up daughter beforehand if it's the latter actually). Can't do anything else without disturbing them.

So am on the internet. Being that digital hobo I like to be when no other options are available.

For the moment am listening to the radio station Classical King FM from Seattle. Always interesting listening to something across the world and in a different timezone. It's an opera on at the moment. Though as regular readers will tell have no idea what opera. Though Wagner it ain't. Ah now I've found out. It's The Barber of Seville. Or how it would be described as now The Hair Stylist Of Seville.

I'm on my third cup of tea in half hour and my throat feels dry. Have I caught this bug that all around me appears to have had or is this but a sniffle?

I note on Twitter that Plaid Cymru has made it's position on Catalonia clear and unequviocal. Spain all of sudden has entered into a race with the Conservative administration in Britain as to who in Western Europe is going to be the most facist first. All people have the right to bare a ballot. Spain has lost Catalonia by what it's done and will continue to do to repress free will. And as for the King of Spain. By being as neutral as a train track Catalonia will be independent and a republic.

Oh by the way...in La Liga...definitely want Barcelona to win now.

Meanwhile Britain still seems to be run by polictical scentologists who still seem to feel that a race over a cliff edge that is a good thing. This I tell you will be the thing that will lead to the break up of the UK. The Welsh Conservatives have tweeted that Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood is fighting against the people of Wales by advocating staying in the single market. As I've said before. People voted for the destination not the route to get there. Since she's trying to avoid that cliff edge all power to her.

Yesterday came the arrival of Storm Brian. That's the storm so named to reek havoc whilst wearing its slippers on. Caused the weather to be bleak yesterday. The following is a picture I took on the way to work on the A48. There were better pictures I could have taken but on that road there was no easy place to park.

Still even when looking bleak Wales is capable of producing stunning views

The sun is out. It's 8:45am. Still reading about Catalonia. The way things are going the phrase "Spanish inquisition" is going to take a whole new meaning.

Interestingly the National Trust will still allow trail hunts across it's land. However the vote in favour in their annual general meeting was very close. The phrase "same time next year" comes to mind. Trail hunts really is like a gateway drug. If you allow this then you know people will be tempted to go further.

Just seen a report from Sky News that thieves in Hawaii are selling tins of Spam to fund their drug habit. So I presume if drugs are sold through a dealer, stolen Spam will be sold through a filter.

Ah well wife is awake

Until the next time.

Last Chance To See....Probably....Maesteg Indoor Market

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well I had planned to do this last week, but events sort of took over. This time however I was ready. Dropped daughter off school and then drove to Maesteg to properly say goodbye to the indoor market in the town.

To recap for those who have not previously read my posts on the issue (which started about twelve months ago). Bridgend Labour council announced that they had intended to apply for EU money(!) to pay for repairs to the old Maesteg Town Hall (of which the market is at the basement) and to transform it into a "cultural hub" (whatever that actually means beyond the mind of a marketing consultant).

Part of that transformation was that two libraries in Maesteg were going to close and were to be moved to where the indoor market is at present (which I should remind people is exactly the opposite of what they used EU money for regarding Bridgend Town centre - There the town centre library was moved away from the town centre).

Essentially then they were going to close a 135 year old market. Using partially a library as a weapon against it.

Despite opposition from the traders and customers the villains won. Mainly because as I understand it people in the town assumed that the decision could not be reversed. Consequently business suffered. Most stalls have either closed or have moved to other premises. So in effect. subject to an event of such biblical proportions it might make me reconsider my atheism, Maesteg Indoor Market is going to die relatively soon.

So today I entered the market for the last time.

If markets could cry this would be weeping buckets right now

This stall sold food and as I remember it clothes from one time and another.

The other thing that struck you as you walk in is how in these scenes of utter desolation stall after stall empty but for it's memories, stood in contrast to the happy go lucky sounds of Ken Bruce and BBC Radio 2 from the tannoy. I kid you not.

To the left of the entrance was a café (which has apparently moved to new premises)

You could just wander through

Apologies for the blurring

I've had an all day breakfast in this café, I've met Leanne Wood in this café when she was campaigning for the Welsh Assembly elections for Plaid Cymru. All just things to reminisce about now.

And of course the MAWS bookstall. They too have moved to new premises. Meaning what was once full of books is now......

....empty

There was one stall that I could see open. Not the one I was expecting though.

The stall at the centre left selling meats etc

But even this stall had a sign saying that it was going to move sometime around September.

And one other thing to note here. I read an column about the market in the local paper from Conservative Assembly Member Suzy Davies (and yes I'm about to give a Tory credit here). For whilst there were points in the article I would argue with (it's really too late and too academic to bore you with here) she made one point that I've mentioned on this blog before.

It's this. Everything that the Welsh Labour Council is planning assumes that they will get the EU money. But what if they don't? She (as have I) notes the lack of a Plan B. Is there a Plan B? If not why not? And if there is a Plan B, would it have required the closure of the market?

Ms Davies has said she will confront Bridgend Labour Council on this. I hope she does. I'm assuming that Plaid Cymru will support her specifically regarding this.

But as I've said. The chances of Maesteg Indoor Market surviving are slim. So thankyou Maesteg Indoor Market for the memories. I'm sorry that it's apparently ending this way.

Until the next time.

In Which Insomnia Leads Me To That Fight,Hilary Clinton,Alistair Cooke and Leanne Wood....but Not West Ham

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It's 3:45am on a Sunday morning....and I still have insomnia.

Wife's asleep. She'll be asleep for hours yet. Lucky her. I'm awake....and I don't know what to do.

You might ask why don't I watch that Flemish show Professor T that I mentioned last week when I had the same problem. Trouble is, I watched it yesterday (for the record though I am officially a fan) when I woke up at 4:15am.

Perhaps I should watch Match Of The Day which I recorded as was on the afternoon/evening shift at work yesterday? All depends what the West Ham result was. Check my tablet for the score...

Not watching Match Of The Day.

So armed with a cup of tea...so want that cup of tea......find myself on Twitter. In the beginning it seems to be dominated by that fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor Mcgregor. Had no intention of watching it even if it wasn't being shown on Rupert Murdoch's SKY (which I don't have). I've never understood pay per view for boxing anyway. Doesn't matter that they'll show all the fights on the card if the main bout ends very early you feel cheated.

The fight ended with the professional boxer winning the boxing match against the non professional boxer. Big deal.

So after that scrolled down my Twitter timeline until I stopped at an article where Shirley Williams was explaining how Hilary Clinton helped her out during a edition of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. In my zombie like state I make two actions.

1) Note to see whether I can get a copy of her autobiography Hard Choices from the library.

2) Have a listen to this Woman's Hour programme (broadcast in 2014 when she was promoting said book).

Because it occurred to me that nothing has boosted the likelihood of a female president of the United States in my lifetime more than the consequences of not voting her in last year. Perhaps as the US,North Korea and possibly the UK if Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister shows, the gender that should be discriminated against in politics are fat men with dodgy hairstyles.

But I don't get to Woman's Hour. Having typed her name in the BBC Iplayer Radio app. I'm distracted by a Letter From America programme about her and listen to that instead.

Now for those too young to be aware of it Letter From America was a 15 minute radio programme where Alistair Cooke amiably chats about the issues of the day, whether personal to him or relevant to the entire world from, surprise, surprise, America. It ran from 1936 to 2004.

In this particular programme, broadcast in 1996, when Bill Clinton was about to seek reelection as President, was about the attacks on her not fulfilling the position of First Lady by opposition Republicans who considered the role to be that of dutiful female behind the President rather than a person with opinions that should be spoken of Interestingly Cooke explains how the first Lady sought a loan to keep the United States afloat with a foreign power without her husband's knowledge.

That lady, Cooke then points out with a knowledge of American history greater it appears than right wing Republicans, was Abigail Adams, wife of the second president of the United States (and who incidentally was against slavery). He also discussed Eleanor Roosevelt as well with passing references to Rosalyn Carter and Nancy Reagan. All ladies with opinions and husbands who were man enough to listen to them.

(Two points as an aside. Firstly listening to your wife doesn't mean you're a weak man. Secondly my wife always says I don't listen, though to be fair to me it's either when I've returned from the afternoon/evening shift at work....or when I'm watching sports)

The point is that it reminded me that throughout her career Hilary Clinton has been subjected to one attack or another throughout her career. Whether it was Whitewater or Benghazi or whatever the only thing that ever stuck was her use of emails and that was it. Yet the relentless attacks meant that the qualified candidate was beaten by a tangerine nightmare.

It also made me wonder whether in a smaller way Leanne Wood the leader of Plaid Cymru, the party I support is experiencing something similar. Whether it's a party colleague saying he would like to be leader should she step down (the caveat not being mentioned in the headlines) or a manic reaction from right wingers over a tweet. This all seems to be a similar reaction to when a woman threatens the establishment "status quo".

Amazing where passing the time because of insomnia leads you to.

I'd rather have a full night's sleep though.

Until the next time.

Why Plaid Cymru Should Not Panic Part Two: Leanne Wood's Tweet

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

You may remember a few week's ago I chatted about the hyping up of leading Plaid Cymru member Rhun Ap Iorweth's comment that he would like to be leader of the party should Leanne Wood step down. That proviso, crucially, was not part of the BBC News website headline.

The article then interlinked it with an unnamed Plaid Cymru AM expressing dissatisfaction with Ms Wood's leadership. I'd wondered whether there was an attempt to put two and two together and hype it up to five.

Well it appears that another storm in an espresso cup has surfaced in an attempt to undermine her. It was to do with her tweet commenting about the terrible attack in Barcelona and speculating whether "far right terrorism" was responsible.

The amazing thing about that tweet was the reaction of the UKIP and Conservatives. They objected to the words "far right".

So let's pause here. UKIP stated that the tweet was "an outrageous smear". The fact though is it wasn't outrageous because it wasn't a smear at all. Does anyone in UKIP seriously believe that people looked at those horrible scenes in Catalonia and thought "Well that's obviously the work of a UKIP member"?

It's also important to remember that the UKIP leader in Wales Neil Hamilton (and I knew UKIP in Wales would decline the moment they elected him as leader) is no stranger to controversial comments, for example suggesting that Leanne Wood was part of a political concubine to Welsh Labour leader's Carwyn Jones' harem.....yes I know.

The reaction that was even more astonishing though was of the Welsh Conservatives whose leader, Andrew RT Davies raised himself from whatever he was eating to condemn it as well as other Tory AMs.

But why? Why would the Conservatives be bothered by the use of the words "far right"? Are they not of the mainstream right? Why get bothered over something that does not refer to them at all?

I'll speculate on that later.

So would BBC Wales report this whole issue as that of UKIP/Tory manic overreaction at best/ deliberate ploy to smear Leanne Wood at worse? Of course not. Instead they treated these hysterical responses with a seriousness it did not deserve and again in passing linking it to these rumoured criticism of her leadership.

Time for speculation: I've said before that Leanne Wood is an asset to Plaid Cymru and is popular. I would argue that the reaction of UKIP/Conservatives is an acknowledgement of that. Plaid should not succumb to the hyping up of nothing and panic.

There is a reason why the political establishment want Leanne Wood to resign as leader....they're afraid of her.

Until the next time.

Why Plaid Cymru Should Not Panic

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

This is another of those occasional posts which I'd not intended to write but Twitter and it's 140 characters brought to my attention. It was a link to a BBC News website whose headline was Rhun ap Iorweth " would consider running for Plaid leader". Rhun Ap Iorweth being a leading figure in Plaid Cymru.

It caught my attention as an English Plaid member. Has Leanne Wood resigned I thought? Is there going to be one of those summer party leadership election battles that pass the media's time until September?

No.

It turned out that the headline was Sun/Mail like in it's distortion. If you read it what was said it was that he would consider running for the party leadership if Leanne Wood steps down. So let's pause here. A politician is asked a direct question and he answers it directly. He would consider being leader of the party but will not threaten his leader to get the position. If he was a football player, let's say for West Ham United, and was asked if wanted to be captain one day, he'd say of course, but that doesn't mean he'd stab Mark Noble on the way to the post.And yet the headline by itself implies something much more dramatic than what was actually said.

Rhun Ap Iorwerth also "admitted" that he wanted to be First Minister one day. Admitted? Was there torture involved? Again a politician is answers a direct question directly and it's as if a whole squadron of cats have been let out of the bag. Personally someone with ambitions for himself and his party should be applauded for therein lies motivation to succeed.

What worries me about this article is the way it was mischievously interlinked with a call by an unnamed Plaid Cymru AM for a fresh leadership contest with Leanne Wood to step down. Now let's say for the sake of argument this unnamed AM exists. The argument that is used is concerning the "disappointing" Assembly, local and general election results and that Plaid needs a fresh approach to go on. It also says she has lost the confidence of the other AMs. Personally I do not know but would doubt the last point. Political schisms in any party are rarely contained for very long and this would have surfaced a long time.

Am I reading an attempt to put two and two together and hype it up to five?

With regard to the various election results. Plaid under Leanne Wood have improved it's position from the dire state she inherited under Iuean Wynne Jones. It might have been slower than some people would have liked, but it's still an improvement. Leanne Wood is a popular asset to the party in a way that Carwyn Jones is not. I wish her to stay as leader but should she leave with any hint that she was pushed out then not only would the party be damaged in the eyes of the electorate but the next leader will face very high and possibly in the short term unrealistic expectations.

And if we focus on the results of the last general election as I've written before Welsh Labour were lucky. They were able to profit from "the Corbyn effect" even though they are the party not of Corbyn but of Blair. By the logic of the unnamed AM the disappointing regional and general election results should mean that she immediately resigns......the person I'm referring to being Nichola Sturgeon.

But politics is cyclical. The consequences of Brexit will mean that the Labour position will be just as disastrous as the Tory one. Welsh people and people like me who live in Wales will seek an alternative. Welsh Labour fears Plaid Cymru because it reminds them of what they once were, not the incompetent mess they have become. Plaid Cymru, if the ultimate vision of an independent Wales making decisions for the benefit of all the people who live there not a Cardiff Bay elite will become more attractive in such a future.

So Plaid Cymru should not expect an easy few years....but should not panic.

Until the next time.

A Tory Victory In Wales? If It Happens It Wont Last

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Today the big political news is an opinion poll that suggests that the Conservatives could gain the biggest electoral share of the votes in Wales and gain the most seats. Now, this is the first poll and things could (and hopefully will) change. But let's be hypothetical here and say to ourselves "what if this poll proves to be accurate.....and why in Wales of all places?"

Let's discuss why are the Tories in a strong position. Well they are still benefiting from being the party dealing with Brexit and Wales voted for Brexit. I've said before that good people were mislead during the EU referendum, particularly on the issue of immigration. Nothing powers the right and the far right more than the perception (which is not be the reality but it doesn't matter image is king) of unfettered immigration.

And then there is Labour. It faces various issues. It's disunited on a UK level, in a Welsh level its record in the National Assembly and particularly in local government is that of incompetent arrogance, The days where Labour got votes simply for not being Conservatives have long since gone. As an example I have in this blog constantly gone to explain the urban tragedy that is Bridgend Town brought on I would argue by Labour neglect. Consequently a lot of people don't feel they owe them a debt. Their subliminal election slogan "We're Labour isn't that enough?" doesn't work anymore.

As for Plaid Cymru? The party I support? Perhaps I should explain something here. In a parallel universe Plaid Cymru are just as powerful in Wales as the SNP in Scotland. Leanne Wood has taken over from Dafydd Wigley and is contemplating Indyref 2. In this parallel Ieuan Wyn Jones did not become leader in between the two. Unfortunatly in the universe we're actually in he did. His tenure as leader was disasterous. He entered a National Assembly govt as a jumior partner and brought the party to such a low ebb that Ms Wood's strong achievement is to reverse that decline. His proposed return in this election would be a mistake.

And let us say one thing about Theresa May. I would argue that she is incompetent in every respect except the gaining and holding onto power. The analogy given to me on Twitter (@AlanHinnrichs all rights reseved etc) was of Mao. And it makes sense.

So if the unthinkable happens what then? Are we all going to a wide blue Tory tax heaven? Will Wales always have "and" before it aside from sporting events? No. For the factors that might lead to a Conservative victory could ultimately lead to its destruction and independence for Wales.

Let's start with the fallout from Brexit. If control is shown not to be in the EU but to various corparations abroad and they either pull the plug completely or reduce investment then it would have a knock on effect on communities. With Bridgend control has now moved to Detroit. The fate of the Ford plant there (and the knock on effects on the surrounding area) depends not on Europeans, or Britons but Americans.

Deprived communities will not take this lying down. There will be anger and resentment at Pro Leave Campaigners because the people will feel cheated. Living standards will decline and social cohesion will suffer. Conservatives will be venerable.

If we assume Labour is still in its civil war then people will look for an alternative. I've said before that I would rather have a gun pointed to my head than vote Tory. Others will feel the same way. Since Labour would be discredited Plaid will be there to pick up the pieces that a Brexit nightmare will inflict on Wales.

I've mentioned in the last post but one of an independence domino effect that Wales will not be immune from. A Brexit disaster will push the nation to run its own affairs....to "take back control".

Now I don't actually want this scenario to happen because it will mean an immense amount of pain to Welsh families across the country. We need to fight for a Plaid Cymru victory now. But should the Tories win Wales in 2017 it will not mean that independence is a lost cause.

Until the next time.

During Breaks At Work There's Always Alex Salmond

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well being as I am an Englishman living in Wales who's a member of Plaid Cymru really couldn't resist " Alex Salmond The Dream That Will Never Die" when I saw it in the library. It's his account in diary form of the Scottish Independence Referendum two years ago. During breaks at work it was finished and was worth it.

Now to quickly recap why I became a member of Plaid Cymru as I would not vote Conservative if there was a gun pointed to my head I became disillusioned with Labour partly because of its sleep apnoea approach to the closure announcement in May re Tata Steel (happily about to be withdrawn according to the news) as well as the negligence and incompetence it has run Bridgend in both the assembly and the council. As I've explained in previous posts if a town could cry in despair like a widow in a funeral it would be Bridgend. Also I came to the view that Wales could live without England, it wouldn't be easy and mistakes would be made but it could be done.

I won't bore you (at least not today) with why Plaid Cymru has fallen behind in the race for independence from the SNP (though I'd say a large portion of the blame could fall on its previous leader Ieuan Wyn Jones) it has brought itself back from its lows thanks in no small regard by its current head Leanne Wood.

So we look with admiration and, let's face it envy at what the SNP have achieved.

Alex Salmond has many skills as a leader. Personable,witty, clever but not condescending. Able to adapt himself to an audience but not being patronising to it. But largely of course he is a man of principle, that of independence.

These qualities show themselves in the book. As well as the forces of "the establishment" targeted against them headed it would appear by the Labour Party in an action which has turned out to be the political suicide note for them in Scotland.

This book was published last year just before the May general election where the SNP won almost all of the Scottish seats so that they became the third biggest party in the UK. What the book also shows with hindsight was how unlucky Alex Salmond was given that one of the arguments used against independence was that Scotland would no longer be in the EU (bet there are many EU officials who regret that now).

History will look kindly on Alex Salmond (the loser) and not on those who won the referendum. Perhaps he can take a little comfort from that.

Until the next time.

Maesteg: Probably the Only Town Where A Library Could Kill A Market

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Being the only Saturday this month that I'm not working, I had intended to spend the day going up to the Valleys and watch Ton Pentre FC play and see if  I could pay £10 entitling me to part (a very small part) ownership of the club for a year.

But events changed my plans. And it involves this building which I visited today.

Maesteg Town Hall

You may remember I visited this place in April where I saw Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood whilst she was electioneering for the National Assembly of Wales vote. It is used as a performance venue with an indoor market at the bottom, Little did I realise then that it's future was in jeopardy.

Market Entrance

Apparently the building is in a dangerous state and is in danger of closing unless a substantial sum of money is spent on repairs. Something the Bridgend Labour council say they cannot afford to do. Although presumably it's fine for the next few months in view of the posters advertising shows by TV comedians, tribute bands and the local pantomime.

I am no expert. But presumably the building has been like this for a while. You would have thought that the EU money used to move the Bridgend Town Centre library outside of the town centre would have been better spent on keeping the library (radical thought) in the town centre and making building repairs to Maesteg Town Hall. But Bridgend Council appear to either like grand ideas or leave things to rot. If this place actually does close down then Maesteg might begin to experience the slow decline of Bridgend Town that I've posted about from time to time. And that would be a tragedy.

So what are the council going to do? Well they are applying for, wait for it, access to an EU fund which is administered by the Welsh government. Now apparently they can still apply for money, which will take a proportion of the costs of dealing with the building's structural problems but you can't helping feeling that they've put all of their eggs in one basket.This is because there's no guarantee that even if they are eligible they will get the money and the council suggests that if the place is not regenerated it will face what the local paper called "an incremental closure". In plain English a slow and probably agonising death.

Now no one is opposing the regeneration of the Town Hall.  Where the anger has surfaced is regarding the council's actual regeneration plans. The idea is to turn the town hall into a "Cultural Hub", which will include merging Maesteg's two libraries into one super library. This library (which apparently according to a council official in the local paper) will be not "traditional" but should be thought of as a "vibrant space". And of course the first thing you think of in a library is vibrancy.

It's where this library is proposed to be put that has caused the controversy. For it's proposed to be placed where the indoor market is now, and where it has been for the past 135 years. Thus small businesses are threatened with closure and people with redundancies.

And this is typical Bridgend Council. Going through with a grand gesture without thinking it through. It will be added to the list which includes the aforementioned Bridgend Town Centre but not really in the Town Centre library, the pedestrianisation of Bridgend Town and now it's proposed depedestrianisation .

Now those of you who have read my blog recently may think that I would approve of this being a fan of all libraries bar one (which I'll refer to later) but you would be mistaken. Firstly regular library users are decent people. They are not the sort that would demand a mega library and to hell with the consequences to small businesses, people's jobs and possibly even their lives. We are not like that. We read regularly and therefore we care.

Even if we ignore the issues surrounding the market there are other issues as well.Let me stress that I have never been to the two libraries in the Maesteg area. But I wonder whether the combined floor space is equal to what is a relatively small indoor market. We need to know this. Is there a possibility that the Maesteg library reader is being short changed?

Finally the experience of the Bridgend Town Centre not in the Town Centre library does not bode well for the proposed merged Maesteg library. It is the library that I hate with a passion best described as psychotic.Impersonal, badly referenced and quite frankly about as homely as a fire in a firework factory I avoid it like the plague and haven't entered the place for about two,possibly three years.

I went in the market today.

There's the book stall on the left

I brought forward my £1 a week Penguin/Pelican paperback budget to spend on the bookstall for the Maesteg Animal Welfare Society (MAWS) who were selling books (whether hardback or paperback) at 50p each.

I bought two Penguin paperbacks.

Daphne du Maurier - The King's General

John Briley - Cry Freedom

I like Maesteg's indoor market. It's closure would not be a good omen to the town for the future. Incidentally speaking of omens this was what was on a window of the town hall as I was walking away from the place. Which struck me as ironic given that the market is under threat from a library.

Irony writ large

There is a protest meeting in the Masonic Hall at 7pm on Tuesday. If I wasn't working would've gone.

You might ask what would I do with regard to the town hall. Honestly I don't know. Sometimes though in life you don't know the solution to a problem but you know what aspects are wrong. The closure of the indoor market is just plain wrong, and even worse coming from a Labour council, cruel.

Until the next time

Of Pelicans, Penguins,Panini and the leader of Plaid Cymru. With an added sprinkle of even more books and Maesteg

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

A couple of years ago I was having my hair cut and having a conversation with the hairdresser. For some reason the town of Maesteg, about half an hour away, was mentioned. She said that she'd never been there. I said I had.

"Why?" She asked

"Because I'm a world traveller" came my response. (Which on reflection was rather brave given that if there is one rule a man should always obey when it comes to gender politics it's never to annoy a lady with a sharp object around your face)

And one final point about the lady who cuts my hair. Her partner is possibly a woman's ideal man. A cook who doesn't like sport.

On Saturday I needed to go to the town and as it happened I'd learnt that the leader of Plaid Cymru was going to be at the market there around midday. Even though it is a well known killer of cats I was curious to see the leader of the political party I'd joined first hand.

So I hung around a bit.

What I like about Maesteg town centre is the way it can integrate the old and the new almost seamlessly. Obviously there are problems here as well but as I suggested yesterday it is far better than its equivalent in Bridgend.

I'm assuming this building is the local Tabernacle. Very impressive anyway.

The Building on the left is a Post Office

Now come now. Wouldn't you want your Council Offices to look like this?

The Town Hall and Market Entrance

I'd a few minutes to spare before she was due to come so looked at the book stall in the market. Just as Porthcawl has the Porthcawl Animal Welfare Service (PAWS) Maesteg has the Maesteg Animal Welfare Service (MAWS) which sells books at 50p each whether paper or hardback, I eventually picked four books as follows:

Fatima Beer - Higher Than Hope

This orange spined Penguin paperback was the authorised biography of Nelson Mandela. The important point to remember here is that it was written in 1990. The year he was released from jail.

I think I forgot to mention that not only do I collect Penguin paperbacks but I also collect their stablemate Pelican paperbacks (again it has to be in their classic coloured spine - in this case blue). What pleased was that I was able to buy two "vintage" ie pre ISBN numbered books.

A465 - Boris Ford (Editor) - The Pelican Guide to English Literature 7 - The Modern Age

A702 - Hugh Lloyd-Jones (Editor) - The Greek World

These vintage Pelican and Penguin Paperbacks are checked against the list written in a Paris Saint Germain notebook. Possibly the only time they can be put together in one sentence.

Believe me this is needed

And finally:

Michael Palin - Hemingway's Chair

Before you say "that's not a Penguin/Pelican paperback or anything to do with sports" well yes. But only the day before I'd downloaded a radio adaptation of this book and now it was there confronting me to buy it. So I did.

It was about twenty past twelve before she actually came. The life of a political leader in election time is obviously a busy one. I was in the market cafe with a cup of tea to warm me in what was a surprisingly cold day and had been ready to leave because there were other things I needed to do that day.

Leanne Williams is an impressive leader and worked the scene well.  She shook my hand and I told her that Plaid had my vote even though I'm English.. Wasn't going to go into full blown detail as to what lead me to this process or that I was now a member of the party as this was neither the time nor the place to gush like a girl to (insert boy band here).

Did though ask for a selfie...well it would've been a selfie if I'd known how to have used the phone. #OldMansProblems

Should've been a selfie

When I showed my wife later she was impressed. She too is going to vote Plaid Cymru,

Her visit to Maesteg probably means that Plaid they have a good chance of doing well here in the National Assembly elections. I think they're right. Based purely on the unscientific approach by the number of placards on the road from Bridgend when I was closer to the town.

I've finished A Point Of View by Clive James. Nothing has really changed from what I posted before. The only good thing about it really is that it has led me back to the podcasts.

What it means is that I need a new "Car book" and it's this.

Hunter Davies - The Fan

This is a collection of left field articles on football in the New Statesman by Hunter Davies. I've always liked him. He writes on a wide field of subjects interestingly and with enthusiasm

I'm a man in his fifties. But football and only football has the power of turning me instantly into a ten year old boy.And it occurred to me late last week that with the Euro 2016 coming soon it might be a good idea to collect a Panini Football stickers for my daughter as a souvenir when she gets older. I'm not going to deny that the schoolboy in me is part of the reason for this. But there is also the fact that this is first time Wales are in a major football tournament in my lifetime let alone hers.

My wife thinks this is silly. But I'm going to ignore her (for once). Until the end of Euro 2016 I'm going to buy 1 pack of stickers a day. How I will proceed after it finishes depends on how well I've done.

Of course I won't deny that this hasn't been completely worked out. The biggest problem being the question of what I do with doubles (as for obvious reasons I'm not going to deal with kids. I've no wish for anybody to put two and two together and make five). Hopefully though I'll muddle through.

Brings back memories

Until the next time...