Category: Colonialism

Wind Power: New Players, Same Old Scam

On By JacIn Climate, Colonialism, Renewables, Wind Turbines7 Comments

Yes, I know, I talk a lot of wind. But it’s difficult to escape it. We’re expected to believe the world is going to burn to a frazzle, El Niño is going to turn us all to ashes (or drown us? Both?) – if we don’t cover every square yard of Wales in wind turbines and solar panels.

That’s what politicians tell us. And the people who ‘advise’ them. And those wanting to give us these planet-saving necessities. They wouldn’t all be lying to us, would they?

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MAFIA IN THE MOUNTAINS?

The first part of this posting concerns a communication that dropped into my inbox. I’m unsure of the source. It reads:

We have been made aware that Mynydd Tryfan wind farm proposal will now be pushed back some time, possibly 1 to 2 years and that it will not met the criteria of a SIP but instead go to parish and then Conwy Council. 

What has come to light, is that the head of Alerion, Josef Gostner, was allegedly involved in a few misdemeanors. The news articles were online up to at least the 30th of August – but I emailed the journalist for an up date and the articles have been taken down.. 

Mr Gostner has in denied all wrongdoings but it is related to planning issues in Italy. I have asked Grasshopper to clarify all this.

I should explain that the ‘Grasshopper’ referred to is not a cute insect out of a children’s book but bright young things collectively known as “a strategic communications agency“. And if that don’t impress you, then how about:

Climate change is the biggest challenge we face, so it’s really important that we do our bit and help the push towards net zero.

Yes, brainwashed kids wanting to destroy the economies of the West. But of course, there’ll be beneficiaries. And you’ll find them among Grasshopper’s clients.

In addition to the self-styled ‘Welsh Government’ we see: Taylor Wimpey. Pennant Walters. Island Green Power. Statkraft. Landsec.

But I don’t want to get bogged down with Grasshopper. Let’s focus on the company mentioned in the first quoted passage above, Alerion. Here’s the Companies House entry, and here’s the website.

This Italian outfit seems to have two projects in Wales. Obviously, there’s Mynydd Tryfan, mentioned above, which is between Denbigh and Llansannan, and is being vigorously opposed. Then there’s Foel Trawsnant, west of Maesteg.

A director of the company, and of the UK arm, is Josef Gostner, who you just read about. A German-looking name but an Italian citizen. Explained by the fact that he’s from the Alto Adige/Südtirol, a largely German-speaking area of Italy up on the Austrian border.

In recent years, Gostner has been making waves back in northern Italy with a few deals he’s been involved with.

He appears in this piece from Kronen Zeitung in which the public prosecutor uses the phrase, ” . . . a mafia-like criminal organization“. He’s also mentioned in this article from the same publication, which mentions “billion dollar bankruptcy“. Wow!

There are other pieces available in German and Italian. Also, articles I can’t access in Aviation.Direct. (These may be the ones referred to as having been “taken down” in the original quoted section.)

In fairness, it’s “mafia-like“, rather than the real thing; so we’re probably not dealing with men of honour from Sicily and other areas down south.

The main man seems to have been René Benko, an Austrian entrepreneur and founder of the Signa group. With allegations of donations made to the South Tyrolean People’s Party, the ruling party in the autonomous region, and representing the interests of German speakers.

According to the investigators, the entrepreneurs involved allegedly obtained public contracts by granting favors, gifts and cash payments to civil servants and administrative staff.

Thankfully, such things don’t happen in Wales!

Back to Gostner’s company, Alerion. Which is a part of the bigger FRI-EL Group, formed by Josef Gostner and his brothers, Ernst and Thomas.

As mentioned, Foel Trawsnant is west of Maesteg. Which explains why we find Gostner in Pennant Walters (FoelT) Ltd. Where he’s listed with another Italian, and a Spaniard, as the three current directors. They’re also the three directors of Alerion UK Ltd.

You’ll recall that Pennant Walters is a client of Grasshopper.

Now I want to turn to the charge shown against Pennant Walters (FoelT) Ltd. It refers to 145 Commercial Street, Maesteg. The corner building shown below.

I’m told it’s been bought to be demolished (if it doesn’t collapse or catch a-fire), so that turbine parts can make that corner, and go up Neath Road (B4282), to the windfarm site. To finally reach the site they’ll have to use forestry roads.

As you may have noticed, the loan to buy this obstacle to making lots of loot saving the planet was made by EGMP Ltd. A real estate company based in Mold.

At which point we move onto the next part of this article.

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CONNECTIONS, CONNECTIONS

There’s no website for EGMP, but here’s the Companies House entry. When we look at the directors we find Geraint Keith Jewson and his wife Paula. Search Geraint’s name on the CH website and you’ll come up with no less than 150 companies.

Though he’s no longer an active director with all of them. And some have folded. I should also add there’s no connection with the Jewson builder’s supplies company.

Many of Jewson’s companies give their address as ‘Linden House, Wrexham Road, Mold Business Park’. Unfortunately, the most recent image available with Google Earth is from 2018, but I don’t think the occupants of the building have changed.

The main Jewsons’ companies based there are Wind 2 Ltd, and Tesni Properties Ltd, with a number of ‘Tesni’ companies listed Dissolved. But there are many, many more companies using that address.

Before moving to Linden House I believe Geraint Jewson could have been found not far away at Mynydd Awel, on the same estate. Where we find Engie, a company controlled by the French government, that “identifies and develops renewable energy projects“.

In fact, Jewson was a director of Engie Renewables Ltd for 18 years (1996 – 2014). Another name associated with Engie – along with the obligatory French director – is Suresh Pullat Bhaskar, an Indian living in the UAE. So is there Gulf oil money involved?

Many, maybe most, of the companies of which Jewson is or has been a director seem to link to Scotland (for wind projects), quite a few in England (often solar), but there are also a few in Wales.

Here are the Welsh projects Jewson’s been involved with.

Parc Ynni Calon y Gwynt Cyf. Launched 12.11.2021, “Parc Ynni Calon y Gwynt is part of a joint venture between Wind2 and companies managed by Octopus Energy Generation“. Here’s the website. There are quite a few Wind2 companies.

Parc Ynni Banc y Celyn Cyf. Launched 22.10.2021. Controlled from the outset by ORI JV Holdings 2 Ltd. An Octopus Energy company.

Bwlch Gwyn Wind Farm Ltd. Launched 24.06.2021. Controlled from the outset by ORI JV Holdings 2 Ltd. Again, Octopus Energy.

Tyn yr Ynn Farm Ltd. Launched 02.04.2015. “Support services to forestry“. Controlled by Geraint and Paula Jewson. Latest accounts show deficit of over one million pounds.

Man Coed Ltd. Launched 05.07.2002. Jewsons as directors. Dissolved (by creditors) 17.05.2020. Amounts owed to unsecured creditors alone totalled almost two million pounds.

Awel Newydd Cyf. Launched 11.05.2005 by Jewsons. Taken over in April 2016 by Petersham Holdco (since dissolved). Then taken over in March 2024 by Elm Wind Holdings Ltd, part of the ELM forestry and renewables group. Ultimately owned by AlphaReal.

Radnorshire Wind Energy Ltd. Launched 13.06.2011 by Jewsons. All shares once held by West Coast Energy Ltd, believed to be the original Jewson company.

WCE launched 23.08.95. Became Engie Renewables 27.01.2016. (The French company mentioned above.) Engie London address is Broadgate Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London. The building where Bute Energy was based before moving to Hodge House, Cardiff. Coincidence, no doubt.

Most recent accounts show Engie UK’s equity increasing from £3,108,684 (31.12.2023) to £24,084,030 (31.12.2024).

Ystalyfera Wind Energy Ltd. Launched 19.01.2007 by the Jewsons. The other director at the start was Robert Paul Tate, who might work for Engie Renewables, which owned this company. Another Tate-Engie company was Rhos-Gwawr Wind Energy Ltd. The Ystalyfera project was wound up 26.02.2019, Rhos-Gwawr 26.03.2019.

Ynys Mon Wind Energy Ltd. Another company launched by the Jewsons and Tate, 13.06.2011. The 100 shares originally held by West Coast Energy. Engie Renewables Ltd took over 06.04.2016. Ynys Mon (sic) Wind Energy never seemed to be active and was Dissolved 26.03.2019.

I think the pattern has been established, so I won’t go through the other Welsh companies; but here they are if you’re interested: Ynni Gwynt Maldwyn Cyf. Nant y Ffrith Wind Energy Ltd. Flintshire Wind Energy Ltd. Wrexham Wind Energy Ltd.

Though perhaps Cambrian Wind Energy Ltd is worth a mention, if only because it’s still in business. It was launched 02.04.1997 by Geraint Jewson and Eugene Buuck of Nevada, USA. The current ownership is explained here.

Buuck and compatriot Michael Haas were also involved in RDC Developments Ltd with the Jewsons. This folded a year ago with the Americans in control at the death.

And now, through his company Wind2, we see that Geraint Jewson has new partners.

“We have collaborative partnerships with EDP Renewables and Octopus Energy Generation“. That’s EDP Renewables, of Oviedo, Spain. With the wherewithal (or security) coming from Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale of Hanover.

∼

The other company on the sign out front of Jewson’s Linden House base in Mold is Atmos Consulting Ltd, a company that appears to have its head office in Edinburgh. (How often has this city been mentioned on this blog!) But it’s not that simple.

The ownership trail is long and tortuous. Eventually it takes us to Cheshire Holdco Ltd, of Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Incorporated as recently as April 2024. And when we flick down through this company’s accounts we read:

Yes, it’s that old family firm in Ystradgynlais – Goldman Sachs!

The address in Harrogate, which is linked to many of the companies in this report, is where we find Adler & Allan. Run by Dane Henrik Vorgod Pedersen, who has an impressive portfolio of directorships himself.

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CONCLUSION

“Mafia-like criminal organisation” (alleged) . . . Cayman Islands . . . Arizona . . . Milan . . . Oviedo . . . Hanover . . . Goldman Sachs . . . my old head is spinning with all these Welsh success stories in ‘renewables’.

I won’t say too much about the alleged Mafia-like behaviour – don’t wanna get whacked! – but you’ll recall the mention of Grasshopper, a PR/lobbying group, in connection with that story.

Working for Grasshopper at the relevant time was Iwan Irranca-Davies. Who lived in Maesteg before taking himself off for a year of travel.

He’s a son of Huw Irranca-Davies who, in the previous Labour administration, was Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs. There was a bit of a kerfuffle over this.

As for Geraint Jewson, to me, he seems to be a facilitator, a man who can open doors for foreign investors. But of course, to fulfil that role he’d need political contacts. So does a man based in Mold, who owns an island in the Menai Straits, have these contacts down Corruption Bay? Well, it seems he has.

Google AI says he has, “historically provided written and oral evidence regarding public attitudes toward wind farms and the operational dynamics of the planning system in Wales to bodies like the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee“.

And he’s also sat on the ‘Welsh Government’s Energy and Environmental Sector Panel. The same source says:

Jewson has served as an external policy commentator and stakeholder assisting the implementation of the Welsh Government’s publicly owned renewable energy developer (known as DevCo or Ynni Cymru). He has specifically advised and written on how the Welsh Government can structure this entity to ensure the economic and social value of expanded onshore wind remains within local Welsh communities.

A man with his record, his foreign business associates, now wants to “ensure the economic and social value of expanded onshore wind remains within local Welsh communities“.

With his record! Has he had a conversion? Or is it all bullshit?

I can’t help thinking this attempt to keep the benefits in Wales is all a bit late. Partly because the climate scam is running out of legs. Even the Germans are waking up to the fact that net-zero equals deindustrialisation and economic decline.

And they aren’t the only ones.

‘Renewables’, carbon capture, and the rest, is a road Wales should never have started down because our contribution to the ‘climate crisis’ is negligible; and so it follows that any contribution we could make would also be negligible.

But politicians devoid of practical ideas to improve our lives, and with an inferiority complex that makes them desperate to impress others, must resort to ‘Oi, look at us!‘ gestures.

Which might be laughable if the gestures weren’t a form of self-harm.

The truth is net zero is damaging our economy and our communities; while ‘renewables’ require the felling of thousands of trees, the destruction of peat deposits, and the covering and poisoning of vast areas of good farmland.

Can’t they do joined-up thinking? I mean, can’t they even join up the different elements and consequences of their own thinking?

And what hope is there when these same politicians are preyed on daily by pressure groups – to back (and fund) their pet projects; and lobbyists – to favour their clients?

The net zero madness will pass, but Wales might be the last country to admit the mistake. Because climate hysteria’s been used by mediocrities and clowns to explain and justify almost every decision someone else has forced on them.

Without this fig leaf to cover their incompetence they’d be naked and exposed.

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2026

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Crack Open A Bottle For The Environment

On By JacIn Climate, Colonialism, Environmentalism, Greens11 Comments

Whaddya know – another ‘environmentalist’ has moved to Wales. But this one has a novel angle. He sells booze and donates all the profits to planet savers. Or so he says.

Strange how people who oppose colonialism have no issue with colonising Wales.

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MAN OF MYSTERY

I’m indebted to a regular source (as is so often the case) for drawing my attention to a philanthropist whose efforts deserve wider recognition. For this man is not only donating to Greenpeace, but here in Wales to Tir Natur (of whom I have writ), Coetir Anian Cambrian Wildwood (ditto), and North Wales Wildlife Trust (ditto).

His name is James Law. Apart from my source I know about Law because he’s not shy when it comes to promoting himself. Or his company, which seems to be named Evrythng. An odd name, and the first cause of confusion.

But anyway, here’s The Grocer, in September 2024, telling about the company launch.

To believe Law, he’s making various spirits – and then he gives all the profits to worthy Green causes. A veritable mensch.

The company name is confusing because there’s a registered company of that name, but it seems to have nothing to do with Law. Here’s the Companies House entry, and here’s what it says towards the end of the submitted accounts.

Digging deeper you find the corporate investors in Digimarc over in the USA are the usual suspects.

But why would Law use the name of an established company, knowing that he cannot register his company with that name? Or is there a connection? Whatever, we must assume Law’s company (or whatever) is unconnected.

But he has another company; it’s the cutely named Chocolate Milk Industries Ltd, launched 30 November, 2023. With Law as the sole director. The CH entry tells us it’s in the business of “Distilling, rectifying and blending of spirits“. So why the silly name?

The filed accounts are quite depressing, with the most recent entry showing total net assets of minus £10,615. The next accounts are due by the end of the month.

Staying with Companies House filings, a December 2023 change to the Single Alternative Inspection Location address (SAIL) for the inspection of company registers, gives the post code SY23. Which covers Trefeglwys, where Law seems to live.

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BUT WHERE’S THE HOOCH COMING FROM?

Going back to Law’s extensive output on social media, we read of a distillery in ‘Pontyclun’. I wasn’t aware of one, so I checked.

I don’t think there’s a distillery in Pontyclun itself, but there is one just over the M4 at Hensol Castle. It changed hands in May 2021, and is now owned by the Leeke family, famous for their furniture and home fittings stores.

Part of the The Vale of Glamorgan Hotel, also used for functions and weddings. Belonging to the wider Leeke group. Nice to see a family-owned Welsh firm.

The distillery seems to be in the cellar. There’s even a video about it on YouTube, put online in April last year. Narrated by Dai Wakely. More information here.

OK, so that’s where Law gets his booze from. But what’s the arrangement with the distillery? We’ll explore a few possibilities in a mo.

But I’m still wondering why Evrythng isn’t registered as a company. What is its status? Especially as it too has a YouTube video. (Though someone should tell them how to spell Colombian.)

But why the American voice-over? Is it AI, or is there really a connection with the other Evrythng we looked at earlier?

Either way, it’s a mistake for an outfit pushing itself as a Welsh company. Why not get Dai from Hensol Distillery to do the vocals?

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THE MAN BEHIND THE MISSION

At the risk of boring you with YouTube videos here’s James Law himself speaking, from a symposium in Bordeaux maybe three years ago. (The videos are all short anyway, so stop moaning!)

He’s speaking here as ‘Director of brand and development at East London Liquor Company‘. Though seeing as he ceased to be a director in May 2023 we must assume this video was made before then.

James Law has launched many products in the spirits category with a particular focus on the climate emergency. He finds solutions to disrupt current production and distribution methods to effect real change.

Seeing as that company was on the skids when he made the video it might explain why his Linkedin page shows a “career break” between June 2023 and March 2024, before he started Evrythng.

Here’s a clip from the most recent administrator’s report for the East London Liquor Company Ltd. From last month, in fact. You’ll see the company owes creditors at least one million pounds.

The ‘unsecured creditors’ will be lucky to ever see their money.

It was around this point I learnt that our man’s full name is James Douglas Law, a guid Scottish name. But I fear that nation’s reputation for business savvy is absent; for looking at the companies he’s been involved with exposes a sad litany of failures.

But you’ve got to give a man marks for dusting himself down and starting again.

And now he’s in Wales, flogging craft spirits and giving all the profits to the fairies. Sorry! ‘environmentalists’. And he’s already found the Corruption Bay in-crowd. For Evrythng was the official sustainable spirits supplier at the Green Man Festival.

Supplied in “low-waste 10-litre jerry cans instead of single-use bottles“.

Oi, barman – give me a jerry can of not-for-profit gin. Another jerry can of tonic, a crate of lemons, and a fridge-full of ice. Then phone the wife and tell her I won’t be home for a few days.

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BUT WHAT’S THE BUSINESS MODEL?

Google AI told me what you see below, but it could have been gleaned from something put out by Evrythng. Yer pays yer money . . .

Law claims to give all the profits from the sale of his spirits to Globalist-left-green causes. But would that be after he’s taken his cut? Cos a man’s gotta live.

If so, then he’s obviously not giving all the profits. But if he is giving all the profits, then what’s he living on?

Though at the risk of sounding unkind . . . given Law’s record in business he’s obviously familiar with his companies not turning a profit.

The answer might lie with Law’s relationship with Hensol Castle Distillery. There seem to be a few possibilities. Options set out below by Wharf Distillery. Though I must say the first option looks almost dishonest. Can you really buy someone else’s product and market it as your own?

Whatever, Hensol Castle Distilling seems to offer similar options.

Let’s turn to the Evrythng pricing. Starting with gin, which retails for £28.50, with the claim that:

At least £7.50 from this sale goes to organisations fighting the climate crisis.

Vodka is the same price. White rum also £28.50. With barrel-aged rum £32.50.

By way of comparison, a 70 cl bottle of Smirnoff vodka from Tesco is £19.50, or £16.00 with a Clubcard. From the same store, a one litre (not 70 cl) bottle of JJ Whiteley Artisanal “handcrafted” vodka is just £23.25, £18.50 with Clubcard.

Digging on the internet suggests that a 70cl bottle 0f 40 ABV gin can be produced for well under £10 a bottle, even for relatively small runs.

I conclude that, given the likely production costs, and Evrythng’s almost non-existent overheads, there’s a much bigger profit per bottle than the stated £7.50.

But is there another possibility? Read on . . .

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CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Earlier I mentioned a company Law had been involved with, East London Liquor Company, that recently went bust owing at least a million quid. There are others worth looking at.

One is Longflint Drinks Ltd, finally Dissolved in April last year. In his Linkedin profile Law claims to have founded this company, but left in April 2020.

I launched Longflint after working for a craft beer brewery in East London. We watched the explosion of great beer and craft spirits and realised there was a gap for a new range of drinks that used natural ingredients and top quality spirits.

I’m responsible for the recipe development, the design of the packaging and the strategic direction of the business.

Companies House disagrees. For it still has Law as a director at the death. Which means he was still a director of Longflint when he started up Evrythng.

But look down the list of Longflint directors and you’ll find this.

For those unfamiliar with the name, Diageo is a multinational drinks conglomerate. And at one time it was the major shareholder in Longflint Drinks. Maybe Diageo put up the money, then the company folded soon after Diageo pulled out.

So was Longflint simply re-labelling and upping the prices for Diageo products?

(Incidentally, Diageo owns the Smirnoff vodka, Captain Morgan rum, and Gordon’s gin brands.)

Before the end, control of Longflint passed to the East London Liquor Company which, as you’ve read, has also gone to the great distillery in the sky.

Diageo’s involvement is perhaps explained by its arm called Distill Ventures. Which funds “drinks founders from under-represented communities“. Does Wales qualify as ‘under-represented’?

Is Law still working with Diageo? So many questions.

Remember Chocolate Milk Industries Ltd, Law’s secret little company? Where does it fit into the picture? Why is it not mentioned on his Linkedin page? Why is he ‘James Law’ with Companies House for Chocolate Milk Industries, but ‘James Douglas Law’ for all the other companies?

And another thing, Chocolate Milk Industries was launched November 2023, when his Linkedin profile says he was taking a “career break“. It’s almost as if nobody’s supposed to know about this company.

Which wouldn’t surprise me, for in the alternative universe of ‘environmentalism’ nothing is as it seems. And there’s always someone coining it from activities we’re told are driven by the noblest and most altruistic of motives.

That’s because ‘environmentalism’ of the kind we know in Wales is a colonialist scam.

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2026

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‘Environmentalism’ In Wales, A New Colonialism

On By JacIn Climate, Colonialism, Environmentalism, Globalism, Renewables, World Economic Forum, WWF31 Comments

This starts with a very local story that’s been bubbling away for some time. But sometimes a local story can serve to illustrate a much wider issue. And that, I believe, is the case here.

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BACKGROUND

In essence, a local family wants a hydroelectric scheme on their land. The plan submitted to Eryri planners July 17, 2024, and approved (with conditions) July 15, 2026.

Warning: there may have been some modifications since the original plan shown here

It’s fairly close to the B4391. The road that runs off the (Bala – Trawsfynydd) A4212 to Llan Ffestiniog. The OS map below will give a better idea of the area, and shows clearly ‘Rhaeadr y Cwm’, where Afon Cynfal runs down the gorge.

The picture below, from Google Maps – but 8 years old, I’m afraid – shows the gorge and the waterfall from the B4391.

The reason I’m writing about it now is because it’s still in the news, and protesters are still protesting. As I was reminded by an article in last week’s issue of the Cambrian News. Reproduced for you below.

The article reports that those who’ve been given planning permission are three brothers from a local farming family: Dafydd Elis, Elis Dafydd and Moi Dafydd. With roots in the area. The objectors? Well . . .

The first objector mentioned is ‘Pat Thynne’, who I assume is Patricia Thynne. And I’m guessing she hasn’t lived long at Cwm farm, which was on the market 13 years ago for £650,000.

I believe that until about 10 years ago she was living in Cumbria, in a property sold for £475,000. As might be expected, Ms Thynne is involved with Cymdeithas Eryri (the Snowdonia Society); a well intentioned outfit that unfortunately attracts too many who’ve moved to the area and want to dictate to those who’ve always lived there.

I’ll return to Cymdeithas Eryri later.

Another protester mentioned is “Joe Hope, farmer and ecologist from Machynlleth“. Which means that Joe is certainly not local. And when I think, ‘Welsh farmers’, I’m more likely to think of the three brothers than I am to think of Joe Hope.

But Joe’s objection takes it all to a new level, invoking the Mabinogion, no less.

I came to understand how it was part of a mythic landscape; the Cynfal and Llyn Morwynion are settings for the Mabinogion, where magical hero Llew Llaw Gyffes is married to and betrayed by Blodeuwedd, a bride conjured up from flowers.

Go for it, Joe!

Truth is, most objections were from outside the area through an e-action webpage set up by the Snowdonia Society, Save Our Rivers, the North Wales Wildlife Trust and Buglife.

Ffestiniog Town Council also objected – after previously supporting the project. The council chair is Rory Francis who, until March this year, was Director of Cymdeithas Eryri. It’s all here on his Linkedin profile.

Curiously, perhaps, on a council that should have 16 members, there are 7 vacancies.

What locals everywhere do object to is 800ft-tall wind turbines, and mile after mile of big, ugly pylons. And yet, this is where so many ‘environmentalists’ seem to fall silent. Or are openly supportive.

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GLOBALISM AND ‘ENVIRONMENTALISM’

We’ve been living with the climate scam for a long time now. It’s used to influence our behaviour; to deindustrialise the West through net zero, carbon capture and other nonsense; increase our bills; and make lots of money for big corporations.

Those driving this agenda need plausible allies, people and organisations that might get away with pretending they have altruistic motives. And this is where ‘environmentalists’ enter the picture.

Calls to make sacrifices to ‘save the planet’ will be more persuasive when they come from a sincere but brainwashed youngster like the Swedish doom goblin than if they came direct from Larry Fink of BlackRock and the World Economic Forum.

Though I’m not sure how many are still listening to Greta Thunberg since she finally went off the rails. Here’s a recent photo taken, it’s claimed, at a performance by rappers Kneecap in West Belfast. There she is with balaclava and keffiyeh.

She’s beginning to look as unwell as many have always thought she was. But not so long ago she was addressing the United Nations, and dictating to heads of state. Everybody wanted to be photographed with her.

Now she’s  a raging anti-Semite, supporting a corrupted form of Irish Republicanism that still wants the Brits out – but the rest of the world allowed in.

A carnival of grotesques. Just look at those eyes!

I don’t want you to think I’m picking on Greta, but no one better exemplifies the deception I’m describing. Converted or compromised politicians can pretend they’ve been moved by a sweet little Swedish girl rather than admit to having been browbeaten by the aforementioned Mr Fink and his cadre.

Here in Wales, ‘environmental concerns’ too often work against the interests of the native Welsh. For example, to listen to many environmentalists, all the pollution in our waterways is the fault of farmers, and cow farts will be the end of us all.

These lies of course tie in with the Globalists’ war on farming. Not because they want to improve our diet, or have better water quality, but because they want to control the food supply, and through that, control us.

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LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS AND INITIATIVES

Having realised that Welsh people aren’t happy with wind farms and solar arrays proliferating, and knowing where the profits go, the Welsh political class is finally talking about ‘local benefits’.

In October 2023 the self-styled ‘Welsh Government’ launched Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru (Green Electricity Wales).

Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru’s remit from Welsh Government, is to develop and deliver renewable energy projects, starting on the Welsh public estate, with the best possible long-term economic and social benefits for the people of Wales.

In addition, we have Ynni Cymunedol Cymru (Community Energy Wales), where we find that doyenne of all things loony and left, former leader of Plaid Cymru Leanne Wood, acting as secretary. Possibly commissar.

Wolfie Smith would be so proud –“Power to the people!”

There seem to be plenty of similarly-minded individuals among the directors, but I’m not sure what they actually do. I think they just offer advice. (There’s a lot of that goes on in Wales.)

But the real benefit from employing this lot is their political influence in Corruption Bay. Which in turn means funding . . . for the favoured ones. And all too often these seem to be new to Wales. When we turn to ‘local partnerships’, and ‘community involvement’ we find them.

Imagine calling a badly-publicised public meeting, at an awkward time for most people, but making sure your people are there and dominate the meeting. Then you go away and pretend that your people represent the views and wishes of the whole community.

(Just like Communist Party takeovers of union branches I recall from my youth.)

Or maybe you don’t even bother with the charade of a meeting. Groups just emerge.

An example might be Awel Aman Tawe. Which was quick off the mark in 2000, just a year after the first sitting of our then Assembly. Started by people with tenuous links to the valleys north and west of Swansea, but who’d seen an opening.

After 26 years is Awel Aman Tawe commercially viable? Perhaps not. The company has seven outstanding charges shown on its Companies House entry, going back to 2006.

These loans, etc came from: Neath Port Talbot council (3). The Wales Council for Voluntary Action, a conduit for ‘Welsh Government’ funding (2). The National Lottery, which only seems to fund projects approved of by the lanyard-wearing classes (1). With one from the Co-operative Bank.

But Awel Aman Tawe certainly has political connections.

For example, a Member of the linked Awel Coop is Jenny Rathbone, Labour MS for Cardiff Central until May. But more importantly, she sat on the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee.

And I shouldn’t have to remind you that her husband John Uden sits on Bute Energy’s Welsh Advisory Board.

Most ‘community projects’ rely on public funding. Justified by high energy costs. The consequence of the climate scam demanding highly subsidised but unreliable ‘renewables’. Supported by the politicians doling out the public funding.

What a system! With an obvious solution.

◊

WATER

Earlier I promised a return to the Snowdonia Society, and here it is.

Last week I was sent a curious document – an invitation, I suppose – to an event planned for Cardiff in October: ‘How Designated Landscapes Can Help Solve the Water Crisis’. Here it is.

There are a few things I’m struggling to make sense of.

First, the invite was sent out by Graeme Cotterill, Vice Chair, Alliance for Welsh Designated Landscapes. (Heard of it?) Second, it was relayed by the Snowdonia Society. Third, it specifically mentions the “Cambrian Mountains“, or Yr Elenydd.

I can answer the first two questions by telling you Cotterill’s day job is Director of the Snowdonia Society – he took over from Rory Francis! Before that, for over 13 years, he was at North Wales Wildlife Trust – which also objected to the hydro project!

Such coincidences!

As for why Yr Elenydd got a mention, that remains a mystery. For Designated Landscapes are National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. As you can see from the map below, Yr Elenydd, marked with a cross, is neither.

But as I’ve explained many times, this beautiful wilderness is now under attack; coveted by wind farm bandits and ‘environmentalists’ of the rewilder genus.

But how do we explain the alleged “water crisis” which seems to be the justification for this gathering? Certainly, Yr Elenydd is the source of the Teifi, which runs to the sea at Cardigan. And the Tywi, which meets the sea south of Carmarthen. Also, Llyn Brianne reservoir supplying Swansea; and the Elan reservoirs serving Birmingham.

But why would these interest the Alliance for Welsh Designated Landscapes and the Snowdonia Society? Maybe looking at the speakers might give a clue.

Gail Davies-Walsh is described by the ‘Welsh Government’ as “a transformative leader in Welsh environmental protection“. She’s CEO of Afonydd Cymru (Wales’ Rivers).

She worked for some years for Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. Some believe that since leaving DCWW her role has been to deflect criticism from its woeful performance and pollution record.

Next up is Tom Johnstone founder of We Are Nature Based CIC. I’d never heard of this lot. But then, it’s almost impossible to keep up with ‘environmental’ groups. How many are there?

This outfit was formed just over two years ago and is based in Rhos-on-Sea. Which is a long way from Yr Elenydd, and from the Wye, which is mentioned on the website, and even in the accounts.

Another director of We Are Nature Based is Thomas Rickard, who lives in Devon. The third director is Bethany Ward. A director of Drosi Bikes CIC of Llangollen.

The third billed speaker is Adam Taylor. “Protected Areas Committee chair, Flood Risk Management Committee member, NRW / board member, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority.” A busy boy!

He began his career with the Essex Wildlife Trust. Then it was the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. Before crossing the border in November 2019 to become CEO of the Gwent Wildlife Trust. All listed here.

None of them know anything about Yr Elenydd.

But they belong to an ever-expanding network of overlapping and interlinked ‘environmental’ groups. There might soon be 500 of these groups – but perhaps no more than 200 people actually involved.

But with more influence over the political system and economic priorities of Wales than its three million people. Democracy, innit!

◊

HERE’S HOW IT OPERATES

Here I’ll address the ‘circular’ relationship the ‘environmental’ lobby has with the ‘Welsh Government and various bodies. A lobby publicly funded to find that Wales is “nature depleted“, etc, which then allows Corruption Bay to claim it has been “advised“, or “after consultations“, to double down on the anti-farming and other agendas.

From the WWF website

Commissioning reports was an essential part of how Labour ran Wales for 27 years. But it was never confined to the environment, or to farming. And it caused chaos.

A report into a fire service found “toxic masculinity“, “misogyny“, “racism“, even “banter” – to the horror of the pearl-clutchers who made the finding. This was used to impose a diversity agenda.

The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service was even condemned for not taking the knee for George Floyd! The clip below is in the report produced by Judge Fenella Morris.

The current shambles at the Welsh Rugby Union can be traced back to the WRU deciding that ‘trans women’ (i.e. biological males) should not play in women’s rugby. This outraged certain Labour politicians.

And so, in January 2023, the ‘Welsh Government’ announced that Sport Wales – which it sponsors and funds – had stepped in to “advise” the WRU. Then political appointees – who know little about Wales or rugby – were put in charge of the WRU to push a ‘diversity’ agenda.

And that’s why Welsh rugby is going down the tubes. With Jiffy calling on them all to go. He’s not the only one.

◊

AND FINALLY

In Wales, there’s a colonialist aspect to renewables and ‘saving the planet’. Foreign investors and corporations own all the projects. Most of the activists, lobbyists, and spokespersons in the supporting ‘environmental’ movement come from outside of Wales. Some don’t even live in Wales.

They all want to dictate to us. Ride roughshod over us. And exploit our homeland.

And some of the attitudes are quite horrifying. After ‘moving to the country’ Tarquin and Helena are appalled that some hairy-arsed hill farmer, who might struggle with the English language – owns hundreds of acres!

Land that they could be ‘saving’. (With someone else’s money, of course.) Land that’ll give them a platform from which to gesture away to their heart’s content.

The hydro scheme we began with should be supported. And while we obviously don’t have the hydro resources of Norway or Switzerland, even Scotland, there’s nowhere in Wales that’s far from a fast-flowing stream. And we get the rain to keep them flowing.

As for the October event in Cardiff, I’m still not sure what it’s about. But given who’s involved, I predict with certainty that something is being hatched that will see our country exploited for the benefit and profit of others.

Because the bottom line is that ‘environmentalism’ is just a smaller scam serving the bigger climate scam. ‘Environmentalism’ exists to advance the interests of banks, asset managers, and corporations.

Which is why we find ‘environmentalists’ opposing a genuinely local renewable energy project like Nant Cynfal. That this initiative comes from farmers sitting on land that could be making money for somebody else is perhaps another factor.

‘Environmentalists’ are hypocrites. Damaging Wales and Welsh interests to serve some spiv on Wall Street, others in the City of London, or shy buggers hiding behind addresses on distant, sun-blest isles.

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2026

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A Property Empire II

On By JacIn Colonialism, Globalism, Housing, Housing Associations17 Comments

The title is explained by the fact that in December 2022 I put out a piece titled A Property Empire. (I bet you’d guessed that!) Which makes this is, unashamedly, a follow-up.

◊

BACKGROUND

That first piece was about a Rhyl property developer named Christopher Paul Walsh, and his company Walsh Investment Properties Ltd. I only took an interest after reading that someone had bought the hamlet of Aberllefenni, just up Afon Dulas from Corris Isaf.

When I first wrote about the company, it had taken out some 30 loans with various lenders, few of which you’d recognise. That figure is now up to a hundred. But there are other Walsh companies, and we’re starting with one of them.

It’s EMW Developments Ltd, and a project in Gronant, Flintshire, east of Prestatyn. To be specific, the Institute building and land in front of it, donated many years ago by Liverpool shipowner and local boy made good, Richard Hughes.

This report from February 2024 says the site is to be converted into “apartments and townhouses“, though it doesn’t make clear whether this involves using, or perhaps demolishing, the Institute itself.

The land in front of the building had been used by locals for parking. As shown in this Google Earth shot from April 2025. It may originally have been a bowling green.

Here’s the plan I found on the Flintshire planning website. You’ll see that the Institute building (green) is to be apartments, with much of the locals’ car park turned into town houses and parking spaces.

Before getting deeper into the Walsh saga, I’d like to tarry awhile in Gronant because, not far away, is another derelict building, the old youth club, on Pentre Lane. Which was also sold recently.

The article I’ve linked to can’t tell us the buyers, so I consulted the Land Registry. Where I learnt that it’s now owned by Golden Acre Developments Ltd, of Leeds. A company formed just a year ago, probably to buy Gronant Youth Club.

So let’s see who’s involved.

One is a Latvian living in Cambuslang, Glasgow, named Arturs Aleksejevs; the other a UK citizen named Robert(s) Opincans, who seems to have been educated in the UK, but whose surname is Latvian.

Last October Opincans started a company called Opincans Retrofit Ltd, using as its address the same Leeds flat as Golden Acre Developments. Opincans Linkedin file suggests he knows something about buildings and building work, but it’s not clear what Aleksejevs brings to the table.

For example, his Linkedin profile (probably lapsed) says he’s managing director at a company called Capsule Systems Ltd – but this outfit was put out of its misery in January 2022. And yet, despite never showing any money passing through the books this company still issued over 1.7 million shares.

How do we explain this? Misplaced optimism might be a generous interpretation. Anyway, I did a quick check on the listed shareholders.

The only Vitalii Druzhinin I found outside the Baltic states lives in New Zealand. Though I did find a few Russians with that surname mentioned on the Offshore Leaks Database. Also, an Alexander Druzhinin with a London address.

Vjaceslavs Knazevs might be in the no-questions-asked mortgage business.

Kevin Parker is too common a name to trace.

And with Vitalijs Kuznerovs I drew a blank.

Now back to Gronant Institute.

◊

WHO’S PUTTING UP THE MOOLAH?

Turning first to the Land Registry title document. Where we see that the owner of Gronant Institute is Walsh Investment Properties Ltd, with EMW Developments Ltd probably doing the work.

Scrolling to the bottom tells us the money to buy the Institute was put up by Livestock (UK) Ltd in December 2022. Companies House says the accounts for this outfit are long overdue, and there’s an active proposal to strike off this company. A fate it’s escaped a few times in recent years.

Yet the most recent (unaudited) accounts filed by Livestock (UK) Ltd report assets of over nine million pounds . . . but this is wiped out by (unnamed) creditors owed slightly more.

Livestock (UK) Ltd is run by the Duffell family of Cheshire. Walsh has been dealing with this family for a number of years.

We can safely assume that Livestock (UK) Ltd put up the money to buy the Stiwt. And the amount loaned was £1.2m over 24 months at the rate of 14% per annum. I know that from this document filed with Companies House.

Further loans have been taken out for the project – now named Richard Hughes Close – by Walsh Investment Properties Ltd. (Scroll down.) These loans are for the individual plots. And they’re all Buy-to-Let mortgages, from Quantum Mortgages Ltd.

So, as things stand . . . Walsh owes £2.4m, plus interest, to Livestock (UK) Ltd, and a few million more to Quantum Mortgages. He will then, presumably, own the rental properties at Richard Hughes Close.

◊

THE QUANTUM CONNECTION

As you might have guessed, I looked into Quantum Mortgages, tracing back the ownership to source. Quantum itself was founded as recently as September 2021 by Jason Christopher Neale.

AI tells us Quantum manages funds from AB CarVal, “an established global alternative investment manager and part of AllianceBernstein’s Private Alternatives business“.

“AllianceBernstein is primarily owned by Equitable Holdings, which holds a majority ownership stake of roughly 68% in the firm“.

Equitable Holdings entered a merger earlier this year with Corebridge Financial, with Corebridge holding 51%. The major shareholders in Corebridge are given as Nippon Life Insurance Company, Blackstone (Argon Holdco LLC), and American International Group (AIG). Other big shareholders are Vanguard and BlackRock.

(Worth remembering that BlackRock split from Blackstone in 1994 under the leadership of a man with his own key to No 10 – Larry Fink!)

So we’re dealing with foreign investment houses and asset managers funding Welsh developers with Buy-to-Let mortgages.

The first I can find was in November 2020, when Walsh took out a loan with Cynwyd Enterprises Ltd, another Duffell company, to buy the Grosvenor Social Club in Shotton. (£300,000 over 24 months.)

It was demolished for housing. Reported here in August 2022. The Cynwyd loan was cleared in December 2023, then Walsh took out a series of Buy-to-Let loans with Quantum for the individual properties.

The Shotton project circled

Cynwyd Enterprises is another company with substantial assets . . . outweighed by unidentified ‘creditors’.

Another early involvement was for Bron Gwalia 7 Mountain Road, Conwy. This Google Maps capture from October 2022 suggests a substantial property containing individual flats. And EMW clearly at work.

The money to buy the building, late in 2021, came from one of the Duffells. With a loan of £205,000 over 24 months. Next, in February 2023, a Buy-to-Let mortgage was taken out with Quantum. Then, the loan was repaid in November 2024. Finally, the flats were, presumably, rented.

Just before the Gronant loans Quantum made over a dozen loans for Aberllefenni.

So we have three instances where the initial funding, to buy the property, came from the Duffell family – Shotton, Conwy, and Gronant – with Christopher Walsh then taking out Buy-to-Let mortgages with Quantum. And plenty of other recent loans from Quantum, such as the dozen or more at Aberllefenni.

But let’s focus on Gronant again, for things have taken a disturbing turn.

◊

LATEST NEWS

Latest news is that a deal has been done for the Gronant properties with Clearsprings, which provides accommodation for migrants; often unvetted, illegal migrants.

The Clearsprings Ready Homes website tells us:

As a provider of accommodation services to the Home Office since 2000, our contracts cover London, the South of England and Wales.

But housing ‘migrants’ is not devolved, so does Clearsprings have an  arrangement, or an understanding, with the so-called ‘Welsh Government’?

And where does Flintshire County Council fit into the picture? For this press release(?) mentions February 2024, the month the Council approved planning permission for Gronant Institute.

This information was released that month, or very soon after, according to Wayback. Does it suggest the Council has known about the plan to house ‘refugees’ at the Institute for over two years?

Whatever the answer, this is a depressing story on a number of levels.

First, it reminds us the housing market is screwed. Young people, who should be setting up home and starting families, find it difficult to buy a place of their own. And renting becomes more difficult as leftist politicians legislate private landlords out of the equation, with social housing providers giving priority to just about everyone ahead of locals.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, asset managers like BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street are moving into the UK private housing market. Here’s a company called Apollo Global Management. Who do you think is a major investor in Apollo? Go on, have a guess . . . Clue – it rhymes with CockSock!)

One reason for US investors switching their attention to the UK is President Trump’s desire to stop them buying up single-family homes in the USA. (But of course leftists suffering from TDS will fight this.) We need this legislation in the UK.

And it’s no better in the ‘social housing’ sector. Yes, housing associations have stocks of rented accommodation – virtually all of it inherited from local authorities. But they’re not building many for rent anymore.

Instead they’re concentrating on ‘affordable’ housing for sale, or leasing to people who’d prefer to buy. But it’s sadly beyond the vocabulary of anyone working for a housing association, or indeed a civil servant or politician, to explain what ‘affordable’ means.

And who’s funding housing associations now? (Apart from the ‘Welsh Government’.)

Flicking through the documentation on the FCA website one name that turns up regularly linked to Welsh housing associations is M&G Investments. Here are the major shareholders:

Daiichi is of course Japanese. Kingdom Holding is owned by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. And there again we see BlackRock and Vanguard. (Don’t be fooled by the Union flag alongside BlackRock.)

UPDATE 12.08.2026: It seems the ‘migrants’ have arrived!

◊

CONCLUSION

Remember the days when an established family firm built houses in your area, and you went along to the building society where you’d been saving, to discuss a mortgage to buy one of those houses?

Now you don’t have a clue who you’re dealing with. And you’re not supposed to ask.

Because it’s not about you. It’s not about providing decent homes for people like you. The housing market in the modern era is all about profits for big corporations you’ve never heard of. With their enablers also getting their cut.

That’s what’s happening in Gronant. And everywhere else.

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2026

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Is Plaid Cymru Deaf To The Drone Of War?

On By JacIn Colonialism, Plaid Cymru, Welsh Government28 Comments

This piece is about what can only be described as the militarisation of the west coast of Wales. It takes us from within sight of Harlech Castle to where you can hear the bells of St. David’s Cathedral.

◊

BACKGROUND, LLANBEDR

I’ve written a few times about Llanbedr over the years after receiving information from locals wondering what the hell is going on there. Naturally, I did some digging. So it’s worth looking at what’s happened over the past six years or so, what was promised, and how it all might impact on the wider area.

Let’s start by telling you the airfield is owned by the self-styled ‘Welsh Government’. That’s what I learnt when I downloaded the Land Registry title document in February 2022. I went back to the LR a few days ago and there’s been no change.

The transfer or purchase was done in August 2006. Here’s the LR title doc.

Next, it was leased to Llanbedr Airfield Estates LLP, with the help of two loans delivered in June 2012. One from The Secretary of State for Defence, the other from ‘The Welsh Ministers’.

This company was renamed Snowdonia Aerospace LLP in August 2015. Among the directors we find Lee John Paul and his wife Gillian.

Then a second lease was taken out on April 1 2020, with a different title number, and this time the lease was in the name of Snowdonia Aerospace Estates LLP. Here again we find Mr and Mrs Paul.

UPDATE: I should have remembered that this second lease is in fact a 30-year sub-lease. Granted by the leaseholder to himself. I explained it back in December 2023 in Come Fly With Me . . . But Not From Llanbedr.

This company was formed in October 2019, which suggests it was set up specifically for the new lease. But why two leases? Were there material changes?

The money for this second lease seems to have come from Compass Point Estates LLP (the Pauls again), and the two loans involved were cleared in June this year. So let’s look a little more closely at Compass Points Estates LLP.

The first thing I noticed was the name. Because Compass Accountants is the firm that works for most if not all of Lee Paul’s companies.

Something else worth noting is that in addition to Mr and Mrs Paul the only designated member of Compass Point Estates is Ocean Park Investments Ltd. The directors here are Lee John Paul and Inspired By Ltd. With the latter also acting as company secretary and controlling interest.

The only directors of Inspired By Ltd are Lee and Gillian Paul. Though in these times of economic uncertainty it’s nice to report a company on the up. For in the three years between 2022 and 2025 fixed assets increased by over six million pounds.

What can account for this? I might have an explanation later. But we can safely assume that, while others have come and gone in the Llanbedr saga, and no matter what company and LLP names pop up, the one constant is Lee John Paul.

◊

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AT LLANBEDR AND ELSEWHERE

Let’s start in November last year with an announcement from European Security & Defence that reads: “Anduril UK launches new test site in northwest Wales“. The unnamed site is of course Llanbedr.

Anduril UK announced on 11 November 2025 the launch of a new test site in Wales.

The site is being used to test “a suite of AI-powered products for UK military use, including reconnaissance, command-and-control, and targeting capabilities”, the company stated, adding that “several of these sovereign capabilities are actively flying in the Welsh countryside while they are evaluated by Anduril engineers”.

So who or what is Anduril? Well, here’s the Anduril website. It’s an arms company closely associated with the US military establishment. Formed as recently as 2017, and specialising in drones.

And to judge by the quote above, these drones were already “flying in the Welsh countryside” in November 2025. Who knew? Because I don’t recall any media coverage, nor hearing anything from politicians.

A report from July 24 tells that Anduril is expanding fast.

Though I’m reliably informed that: “Anduril Industries is not directly ‘approved’ as an entity by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), but the company actively navigates UK airspace regulations through partnerships with certified specialists“.

So we have a site owned by the ‘Welsh Government’, leased to Lee John Paul, that would appear to be a base for a US company testing drones for the UK military.

And yet, the lease agreement expressly forbids Llanbedr airfield being used “to develop drones for military purposes“. But this is exactly what’s happening there now.

The lease agreement also stipulates the airfield must be open to commercial and general aviation. Which I take to mean private planes. Is this still the case? I doubt it.

And Llanbedr airfield must benefit the local economy. How many locals does it employ?

An AI response I was sent.

In fact, it’s all being done with little regard for the locals. Here’s a letter dated July 1 from Lee John Paul to Cyngor Cymuned Llanbedr (Community Council) addressing complaints about the activities currently being carried out. Presumably for Anduril.

In this open letter he promises that in future there’ll be no “engine start-ups and departures” before 7 am Monday to Friday. Which means locals must have been subjected to noise from the airfield very early in the morning. (Or at night?) And you don’t need to be a sluggabed to think 7 am is still a bit early.

Paul also promises the drones will fly over the sea a little more in future. Which must mean that heavy military drones have been flying across land. Are they armed? Even if they’re not armed, a crashing drone is very, very dangerous. And Llanbedr’s record is not inspiring.

There was a drone crash there about a year ago. The Windracers Ultra Mk II involved can – depending on payload – weigh up to 670 kg. That ploughing into the bar of the Queen Vic would have been the ultimate last orders for many members of the drinking classes!

And there was an earlier mishap in September 2024.

One final thought on Llanbedr. Those familiar with the area will know that the main coast road hits a bottleneck here, partly due to a narrow stone bridge. A bypass was promised, but then cancelled late in 2021 by the ‘Welsh Government to meet “net-zero carbon targets“.

A substitute arrangement has since been mooted, but it might be worth remembering that the original bypass planned would have gone to the west of the village – towards the airfield.

Just a thought.

Let me return now to the uptick in fortunes for Inspired By Ltd, which I alluded to earlier. If we go to the two charges held against this company by Lloyds Bank we see reference to Brawdy, the former Fleet Air Arm base in Pembrokeshire.

You won’t be surprised to learn there have also been developments at Brawdy. Some of you may already be aware of them. Maybe you’ve been protesting.

The latest news is that the plan to install 20 metre high ‘deep space’ radar dishes has now been called in by the ‘Welsh Government’.

Lee John Paul was originally involved with Brawdy through a company called Brawdy Business Park Ltd, which was Dissolved in April 2013. Leaving behind a number of unpaid loans, including one from the Welsh Development Agency.

More recently – as you’ve read above – a loan naming Brawdy has been taken out by Paul’s company Inspired By Ltd. There may be other companies involved, Paul has quite a number.

It could well be that the increase in assets filed by Inspired By Ltd can be explained by a deal Paul struck with those who clearly have big plans for Brawdy. Or maybe Llanbedr.

Moving up the coast we find, just north of Aberteifi, the airfield at Aberporth, which has for some time been used for drone testing, with quite a few mishaps there as well. Such as the one that crashed too near a school for comfort.

Aberporth was taken over about a year ago by Portuguese outfit Tekever. (Here’s the company website.) And as with Llanbedr, “It’s not clear at the moment whether General Aviation access will continue“. Suggesting it’ll be restricted to military use.

UPDATE: 06.08.2026: Here’s what the latest Tekever accounts tell us:

So there’ll be jobs in England, while we have to put up with the noise and the danger. Nothing changes.

◊

CONCLUSIONS AND THOUGHTS

It would appear that these three facilities on our west coast are being turned over entirely to the testing of military drones and associated technology. This will almost certainly mean no access for other users, and no jobs for locals.

All on the west coast, eh – are we being threatened from Ireland? My wife and I had visitors from County Galway on Sunday and they showed no sign of hostile intent. But then, those Irish smiles can beguile.

The reasonable conclusion to draw is that this increase in drone testing is being done to drag out the war in Ukraine, and to keep the Kokehead Klown of Kiev afloat for a bit longer – with more deaths – before he makes the territorial concessions he and everyone else knows he’ll have to make.

From another angle, and a more domestic viewpoint, there’s an interesting timeline involved. For the developments at Llanbedr, Brawdy and Aberporth, while external in origin, seem to have been announced, or took place, when the Labour administration in Corruption Bay was in its final tailspin.

With everybody knowing Labour was going to lose this May’s Senedd elections.

Were these developments some kind of poisoned chalice for Plaid Cymru? They certainly pose a big, big problem for that party.

Not least because Plaid Cymru is, fundamentally and historically, a pacifist party. To explain what I mean, and seeing as we’re dealing with military installations on the west side of the country, let’s remember what happened at Penyberth, on Llŷn, in 1936.

When three Plaid Cymru luminaries, including party president (and World War One veteran) Saunders Lewis, made a symbolic attack on an RAF bombing school.

Plaid Cymru remains a pacifist party. So how it responds to the developments at Llanbedr, Brawdy and Aberporth, will be interesting. We see that the new Plaid government has called in the plans for Brawdy, but of course it doesn’t own that site.

But it does own Llanbedr.

My fear is that these three sites will become some kind of ‘sovereign territory’, beyond the control of any level of government within Wales. Employing no locals, closed to private aviation, contributing little or nothing to the economies of the areas around them, and even putting local lives at risk.

Which is why the Plaid Cymru ‘Welsh Government’ needs to make its position clear, as a matter of urgency. And I’m not sure it can wait until they they get back from their summer hols in mid September.

To not do so – especially if that inaction is on the orders of the UK government – will be another reminder that devolution is a sham.

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2026

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The Destruction Of The Elenydd

On By JacIn Bute Energy, Climate, Colonialism, Environmentalism, Globalism69 Comments

I suppose I’d better begin by explaining where we are when I talk of ‘the Elenydd’. It’s the wild, and largely unpopulated uplands shown on this Google Earth capture.

The last true wilderness in Wales. Now it’s being industrialised and destroyed by the ‘renewables’ industry, all foreign-owned companies.

With other parcels of land being bought by ‘environmental’ groups and other sheep in wolf’s clothing. (That is not an allusion to the Fabian Society.) One of these groups gives the appearance of being Welsh, the others are the usual suspects; National Trust (NT), Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) . . .

Here’s how Google AI describes the Elenydd:

The least populated and wildest area in southern Britain . . .

The largest continuous tract of blanket mire in the Welsh uplands, designated as a Special Area of Conservation supporting rare birds like red kites, merlins, and diverse upland flora.

Clearly, we are dealing with a very special area – one that should be left to those who have cared for it for generations. But that would mean farmers and others, now viewed as the enemy by those who have elected themselves our saviours from evils as diverse as the climate crisis and the threat from the far-right.

For the two are invariably linked. Those dictating how we behave, even what we eat, in response to the ‘climate crisis’, are often the same people telling us what’s acceptable thinking in the political sphere.

Because it’s all about control. Controlling us.

◊

FURTHER BACKGROUND

I’m going to start with a document produced by the self-styled ‘Welsh Government’ back in 2019, called Future Wales The National Plan 2040. There, in amongst this melange of hopes, dreams, incoherent ramblings and utter bullshit, on page 94, we find a map showing the areas set aside for wind farms.

They’re numbered and bounded in black. Roughly speaking, the Elenydd is north east of the area 8 panhandle and east of area 6.

Whatever the original purpose of this map showing ‘pre-assessed’ areas, it soon proved worthless and misleading.

A fact illustrated by the map below, produced by Caru Teifi, a group protesting against the pylon runs needed to take the electricity intermittently generated by wind farms to the grid connection point south of Carmarthen.

In the south it appears that most of the turbines built (light blue), and planned (dark blue) are outside the ‘pre-assessed’ areas.

And as you’ll see in a minute. it’s the same – or worse – in the area we’re looking at.

So what was the point of the ‘pre-assessed’ areas in the 2019 National Plan if the ‘Welsh Government was simply going to allow a “near enough” approach that borders on a free-for-all?

Time now to look at the wind turbine projects on the Elenydd. The known knowns, the known unknowns, the unknown unknowns, and the unknown knowns.

◊

WHAT’S PLANNED

We can safely identify four projects. Three we’ve known about for a few years, with another announced this year.

The first involves Scottish company Bute Energy Ltd. Their project is Lan Fawr. There was another project nearby labelled Bryn Brawd, but it seems they’ve merged. Now it’s one sooper-dooper project with 55 turbines up to 800ft in height. Labelled 1 in the image below, and in two parts.

Next is Belltown Power’s Waun Maenllwyd project. Just 4 to 6 turbines. Labelled 2 in the map above. It’s suggested the Belltown project might be taken over by Bute. Alternatively – and I find this interesting – that the Foresight Group, which is behind Belltown, might take over Bute!

Number 3 is Galileo Empower UK’s Bryn Cadwgan project. Galileo has it’s UK office in Edinburgh (and an outpost in Cardiff), but is owned by investors and pension funds from just about everywhere, as far away as New Zealand.

Lastly, we take a brief look at the newest of them, EDF’s Nant y Maen. This straddles the Tregaron to Abergwesyn road. It’s definitely in the pipeline; confirmed by this ‘WG’ document. EDF is wholly owned the French Government.

Local sources insist there are other projects yet to be unveiled. Two, it’s believed.

Access to these projects is planned from the A482 at Pumsaint. Something I covered in The Road To Hell back in November 2023. Then it’s over the old Dolaucothi Estate, now owned, like far too much of Wales, by the National Trust.

After Pumsaint, it’s anyone’s guess, but I guarantee it will involve new roads, hundreds or thousands of trees felled, and massive disruption to the environment over an extended period of time.

But before reaching Pumsaint the turbine columns and blades will be transported on huge diesel smoke-belching trucks along country roads from Swansea docks.

Disruption and destruction all the way so that foreign investors can make money.

Unless, of course, you’re stupid enough to believe that this is all being done to save the planet, and Wales will somehow benefit. Are you that stupid?

◊

‘WILL SOMEONE THINK OF THE NEWTS!’

In the intro I referred to a couple of recent purchases in the Elenydd by rewilders and others. So let’s look at them.

First, is one I covered in Land Of Our Fathers, But Not Our Children, in February. This concerned the purchase of 1195 acres by an outfit called Tir Natur.

The area bought is shown in this map by Caru Cymru I linked to earlier. It’s the dull green area below EDF’s Nant y Maen project. (I urge you to consult the Caru Teifi website maps and use the layers available to see what’s what in the area.)

Quite a purchase, and achieved with, according to Farmers Weekly and other sources, a “philanthropic bridging loan“. Wasn’t that nice!

Earlier this month, we learnt that the RSPB had bought 96 hectares at ‘Galltybere’ or ‘Gallt-y-Bere’, which is shown on OS maps (see above) as Craig Alltyberau. This adjoins the planned Galileo Empower Bryn Cadwgan wind farm.

And whaddya know – this purchase also received a “philanthropic loan“.

I wonder where these ‘loans’ come from? Can I have one?

Now for a detour, but not really a digression. We’re going to Scotland, sticking with the RSPB – and there’s more magic money!

Down the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh, not far from North Berwick, rising from the North Sea is the volcanic plug of Bass Rock. A home to many birds, and the largest colony of Northern Gannets.

These are magnificent birds, with a wingspan of six feet or more. While searching for prey they soar or glide until folding back their wings to dive into the sea.

Not far away is the Isle of May. This is home to 50,000 puffins, plus guillemots, razorbills, and other birds.

Hanging over this avian idyll is the threat of 307 wind turbines, in a project approved last year. As might be expected, RSPB Scotland objected. Stating:

Berwick Bank is a gigantic windfarm. To put it in perspective, it would take up an area four times the size of Edinburgh with more than 300 turbines – each the height of six Scott Monuments. 

But then something strange happened. Operating through the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the UK government made a grant of £586,000 to RSPB Scotland – to buy Bass Rock!

I can’t help thinking that what was really being bought was the RSPB’s silence.

◊

CONCLUSION

You don’t need to be cynical to believe that when there’s billions of pounds, dollars, euros or whatever in profits to be made, certain measures will be taken to guarantee those profits. Among those ‘measures’ will be neutralising the opposition.

Unless they’re powerful and well organised, local groups can be largely disregarded, developers can even play one off against another. The same principle applies to landowners and farmers. But when it comes to groups that are well-established, with a national or even international structure, and have the ear of politicians, then a different approach is needed.

And this might explain the magic money that appears regularly in the accounts of wildlife and environmental groups. Sometimes it’s out in the open.

Aviva, the institutional investor owned by Vanguard and others, has given just shy of £40m to the Wildlife Trusts to restore Celtic Rainforests along the western edge of Britain. Much of this money will be coming to Wales. Some already has, and it’s gone to the Elenydd.

I dealt with this February, in The Latest Enviro-scam – ‘Celtic Rainforests’.

In fact, it seems most 0f Wales is a rainforest. Who knew?

Though the Elenydd seems to be in the ‘Oceanic Climate’ zone rather than that described as ‘Hyper Oceanic Climate’.

At the risk of coming across as a cynical old bastard I’ll spell out what I think might be happening in the Elenydd. Shyster ‘developers’ want to destroy an almost pristine wilderness for profit, and have, by one route or another, given money to environmental groups to buy adjoining land.

The developers will then argue that wind turbines, and the work associated with them, pose no threat to wildlife or the environment. If they did – then surely their neighbours like Tir Natur and RSPB would be complaining. “Stands to reason, squire“.

For their part, the recipients of this largesse will tell themselves that sacrifices must be made for the greater good and the bigger picture.

For you must remember that those I’m describing have bought into the climate scam, making their position ambivalent. And rarely have I seen it more evident than in the RSPB Scotland statement I linked earlier.

We can unlock a future where Scotland’s already struggling seabirds are helped to recover, while producing the renewable energy needed to help fight climate change.  

So, for the greater good, sacrifices must be made. But that’s OK, as long as it’s the dicky birds making the sacrifice.

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2026

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Bute Energy, Connections & Partners

On By JacIn Bute Energy, Climate, Colonialism, Ireland, Renewables, Wind Turbines59 Comments

This piece is in two parts. The first takes us to Ireland, the second . . . well, I’m not quite sure, maybe into a war zone.

For anyone new to the blog, or this topic, Bute Energy is a Scottish company with a Cardiff address planning a dozen or more windfarms in Wales, plus the pylon runs needed to connect them with the main grid. Also solar arrays and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).

The head man is Oliver James Millican who, along with the other Bute principals, Stuart Allan George and Lawson Douglas Steele, left Millican’s father’s Parabola property company towards the end of 2017. They may still be working for Parabola.

◊

‘IF YOU EVER GO ACROSS THE SEA TO IRELAND, THEN MAYBE . . . ‘

To begin with, I recently learnt that Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), Bute’s main funder up to this point, is now operating in Ireland. Taking advantage of Ireland’s Strategic Investment Fund.

The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) has committed €200m to specialist greenfield renewable energy infrastructure investor, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (“CIP”) latest flagship strategy, Copenhagen Infrastructure V (the “CI V”)

When I saw ‘CI V’ it rang a bell, because this is (or was?) the CIP fund behind Bute Energy. Mentioned more than once on this blog. Specifically, CI V Dragon Lender Ltd (launched 23.12.2021). Other companies with the CI V Dragon name are; CI V Dragon Topco Ltd (16.03.2023), and CI C Dragon Holdco 2 Ltd (07.12.2023).

All three are still in business, with directors I believe to be working for CIP.

There was a fourth company, CI V Dragon Holdco Ltd, formed 23.12.2021, with CIP directors. Two of whom left in November 2023, but two hung on until June 2025, when they were replaced by Oliver Millican. A liquidator was appointed in January this year. This outfit was clearly replaced by Holdco 2.

A lot of money went into the now-departed company, over £60,000,000. Which seems to have been used in payouts to Bute directors. This has been widely covered in the media; including Nation.Cymru. There are suggestions of, dare I say it – can I even spell it! – jiggery-pokery.

Here’s what Google AI says. Nation.Cymru is quoted, but the info came from this site.

Though a reporter for a London newspaper, who’s been in contact recently over Bute’s activities, tells me his ‘paper’s bean counters are not convinced Bute’s done anything illegal. Devious, maybe, but not, strictly speaking, illegal.

Whatever the answer, it seems that the money was doled out thus: Millican £47.56m, with George and Steele each getting £4.64m, and a few million going to minor players, one said to be Millican’s brother-in-law.

Much of Millican’s money was used to buy real estate in Scotland, often warehouses, and dealt with in this blog in March. Here’s a quote I used then from a Bute insider:

The real estate arm of the Windward portfolio . . . is working with multiple overseas businesses and at least one national government to house interests and commodity items relating to renewables infrastructure. There are warehouses in Wales and Scotland filled to the rafters with BESS and pylon materials – rented and landed for resale exclusively to the UK market to artificially appear to restrict overseas procurement and brand it as available when supply chains pinch in the late 2027 to early 2029 drive.

Windward is another name used by Bute companies, Windward Enterprises Ltd being the ultimate holding company for the Bute empire. Sole director and shareholder Oliver Millican.

A new director of Windward Enterprises, since June 1, is given as ‘Thomas Anthony Watson’. (Companies House was notified June 25.) A name common enough to be ignored. He is in fact, Labour peer, Baron Watson of Wyre Forest.

Last month Windward Enterprises took out a loan with private bank Brown Shipley & Co Ltd, ultimately owned by the Al Thani family, which owns and runs Qatar. This family also owns some £40bn of real estate in London, including Selfridges, Harrods, The Savoy, Claridge’s, Heathrow Airport . . .

◊

BUT WHY THE INTEREST IN IRELAND?

With Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners investing in ‘renewables’ in Ireland I naturally got to wondering if Bute Energy is similarly involved.

In an idle moment I typed ‘Bute Energy Ireland’ into Google, and it suggested a “corporate address” down by Anna Liffey. Here to be exact: 2nd Floor, Riverview House, 21-23 City Quay, Dublin, D02 AY91.

Which turns out to be the Dublin address of SYSTRA Ireland, part of a big French company, with projects around the world.

Next, I searched for ‘Bute Energy Systra’, and turned this up:

Bute Energy is a Welsh developer spearheading over £3 billion of onshore wind projects. They collaborate with global infrastructure and consulting firm SYSTRA. SYSTRA provides lifecycle services, electrical grid/infrastructure planning, and engineering for Bute’s energy parks to speed up the transition to a low-carbon grid.

“Welsh developer“! So there is a link. But why had I never heard of SYSTRA before? Next, my trembling digits tapped in ‘Welsh Government Systra’, and this came up:

SYSTRA is a prominent transport and engineering consultancy that frequently partners with the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales (TfW) to modernize public transport, boost regional connectivity, and achieve net-zero climate targets.

Then I found this on the SYSTRA website. Nice to see another Welsh company getting contracts from the transition to the wonderful Green economy.

On the Systra website I also unearthed these specific projects. A franchised bus service for Wales and an energy from waste facility on Deeside. Are there others?

Despite these contracts in Wales SYSTRA doesn’t even bother with the Bute ploy of having an office here. It seems Wales is handled from Bristol or Birmingham. Though there is of course an office in Edinburgh, which will be handy for the Bute boys. (In fact, SYSTRA’s Edinburgh address looks somehow familiar.)

AI coming up with SYSTRA’s Dublin address for Bute Energy is no real surprise. It’s pretty obvious this French company has its feet under the table with the so-called ‘Welsh Government’.

So, Bute is already linked with SYSTRA and CIP, both are now operating in Ireland, with Systra also well in with the ‘Welsh Government’. It’s therefore reasonable to assume that Bute may also be active in Ireland.

Which brings me to another reason for looking at Irish connections. I’m referring to the pylon runs from windfarms planned in central Wales (many by Bute) to Llandyfaelog, south of Carmarthen, where they connect with the main grid running from RWE’s Pembroke power station to England.

This has been covered extensively, both my blog and on the CPRW website.

While England was always the presumed destination for the electricity generated, it could just as easily go west to Ireland, thanks to the new Greenlink Interconnector at Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire.

This short (2:12 mins) news clip from RTÉ explains it.

The demand for electricity in Ireland is soaring, with some 80 AI data centers already, and more in the pipeline. Understandably, the state electricity board, EirGrid, is getting nervous.

No surprise then, that in addition to the connection from Pembrokeshire there’s another from Bodelwyddan to somewhere near Dublin, with MaresConnect. This is owned jointly by Etchea Energy, with offices in London and Dublin, and our old friends in the Foresight Group.

UPDATE: Bodelwyddan is mentioned in this announcement of an offshore development “entirely in Welsh waters“, between BP and Japanese company Jera, with a “proposed connection to the Bodelwyddan National Grid substation“.

As for Foresight, you may remember this lot attracting bad publicity in recent years for buying up Welsh farms on which to make money from planting trees to offset ’emissions’, or some such corporate bollocks.

And then there are the governmental contacts. Here’s a joint statement issued a year ago after first minister Eluned Morgan visited Dublin to meet Tánaiste Simon Harris.

Forums have enabled us to hear directly from Irish companies including ESB, Simply Blue and DP Energy, who are investing in energy projects in Wales. During the 2023 forum, ministers also visited the Morlais tidal stream energy project on Anglesey in North Wales

Last month, the new Plaid first minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth, was in Dublin.

And the links don’t end with politicos doing photo-ops. Here’s one between French giant EDF and Irish state-owned ESB. This offshore wind project’s called Gwynt Glas. The only thing Welsh about it is the name. (But that’ll be enough to please some.)

So Irish companies, with others from Scotland, England, and further afield, invest in renewable energy projects in Wales. A country that already produces more electricity than it could consume if we all drove electric Humvees and left our lights on 24/7.

But it doesn’t end there, because there’s also electricity being shipped down from Scotland. This was supposed to be taken by a lengthy pylon run from Pentir near Bangor to Swansea North, on the line from Pembroke to England.

Then again, it might not run down to Swansea at all; perhaps it – or some of it – could be sent to Ireland via the Bodelwyddan link. However you look at it, Wales is being covered in windfarms and other installations we don’t need, and criss-crossed with transmission routes going elsewhere.

Something noted by CPRW, which last month put out a press release warning that ‘Wales Must Not Become England’s Energy Corridor‘. Agreed. But I repeat, the way things are shaping up Wales is just as likely to become an energy corridor serving Ireland as well.

All the while those treacherous clowns in Corruption Bay mince around looking smug, and preparing their spare rooms for ‘refugees’ (or maybe not) – cos we is saving the planet, innit.

And anybody who objects is a climate-denying fascist. Well, I guess that’s me.

◊

JUDGED BY THE COMPANY YOU KEEP

Another development concerning Bute worth reporting is the funding from Dutch outfit Rabobank. Here’s the Rabobank website.

There are maybe two points to make about Rabobank. First, it’s big in agriculture and food . . . and buying farmland. Second, it has a rather worrying record.

When it comes to buying farms and land Rabobank operates through the subsidiary Rabo Farm and local intermediaries. These are often corrupt local officials. Worth asking if these officials were always corrupt, or was it the prospect of Rabobank money that corrupted them?

Come to that, how did Rabobank make contact with local officials in remote parts of Poland and Roumania? Did they have intermediaries with good contacts? I mention that Latin outpost because of a scandal just over a decade ago that saw local farmers learning they no longer owned their land. Read about it by clicking on the image below.

Rabobank has strong links with top-tier Globalists the Rothschilds. Maybe the latter rely on Rabobank’s expertise in food supply and pricing to help them towards the Globalists’ wet-dream goal of controlling the food supply. And with it, us.

Rabobank is also believed to be active in that most corrupt of eastern European countries, Ukraine. But the law there states that only Ukrainian citizens and entities can own land. Up to 10,000 hectares.

What this means in practice is that those close to the Cokehead Clown of Kiev often act as intermediaries for foreign investors. This goes some way to explaining the Bugattis, Lamborghinis and Bentleys with Ukrainian plates in Monte Carlo.

Rather cruelly they’re known as the “Monaco Battalion“. Which must be a great consolation to Ukrainians dying at the front to defend their corruption.

But then, dying on the front line nowadays is reserved for little people.

But the question is, why is Bute Energy involved with Rabobank at all? The new funder may now be branching out into ‘renewables’, but the primary interest remains land, farming, and foodstuffs. Are the two connected?

By which I mean, is Rabobank’s link-up with Bute connected to Bute owning ‘Welsh’ Labour, also now buying influence in Plaid Cymru; and Rabobank realising that both these parties want to end livestock farming. Which will bring many farms onto the market.

A Powys farmer confided recently, regarding Rabobank:

From my perspective, the concern is that this extremely powerful financial institution with deep expertise in agricultural land are now also financing infrastructure that competes for that land.

Whatever the answer, Bute Energy linking up with a company with Rabobank’s record should set alarm bells ringing.

◊

CONCLUSION

As I’ve said a few times in recent posts on the subject, I (and others) may have focused too much on Bute’s activities in Wales at the expense of the bigger picture. Which now seems to be emerging.

A picture that, first, confirms the electricity generated in Wales is for consumption somewhere else. I’d assumed that ‘somewhere else’ to be England. But that’s only part of the picture.

Electricity generated in Wales, and off our coasts, is also likely to be going to Ireland. This accounts for the interconnectors from Bodelwyddan and Freshwater West, and it might also explain the Irish companies investing here.

Will electricity generated by Irish companies in Wales be reserved for Irish consumers? I ask because while I appreciate there are interconnectors everywhere, and electricity can flow both ways, consumption in Ireland seems to be outpacing generating capacity.

Then there’s the power coming down from Scotland. It’s not for Welsh consumption. So why can’t it go directly to England and / or Ireland?

Do you remember Alexander Cordell’s book, Rape of the Fair Country, about the 19th century exploitation of Wales by Victorian industrialists? What we see today is the Globalist-Green rape of Wales . . . but without the jobs or any other tangible benefits.

It’s clear beyond doubt that Mam Cymru is being used, and abused. How much longer do we just stand by and let it happen?

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2026

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Any, Any, Any Old Iron?

On By JacIn Business and Commerce, Bute Energy, Colonialism, Renewables, Wind Turbines163 Comments

A bit of a departure, this one. And certainly not what I advertised last Saturday. Though that element does figure in this bigger picture.

Rather than focus exclusively on Bute’s windfarm plans in Wales, the infiltration of the Welsh political class (especially, but not exclusively, the Labour party), or alleged links to those who sent the tanks into Tianmen Square, I’m going to look into a possibility suggested to me by someone with a keen interest in Bute and associated companies.

In this piece, after the first section, I’m going to look into the companies named as being involved with a new venture at Port Talbot in this press release from Catapult Offshore Renewable Energy. Which seems to tie in with the ‘Celtic Freeport‘, split between Port Talbot and the Haven Waterway.

From one angle, the plan we’re going to look at seems to be, make wind turbine body parts in the electric arc furnaces promised for Port Talbot, from scrap metal, then put them together in Pembrokeshire before mooring them offshore.

That might be the assumption to make, but the press release from Catapult Offshore Renewable Energy clearly states “onshore wind turbines“.

Which might suggest confusion.

Whatever, the companies named in the Catapult press release are Tata Steel UK, RWE, Bute Energy, Hutchinson Engineering, and Ledwood. So I’ll deal with them in the order they’re mentioned.

But let’s start with Catapult itself.

◊

OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY (ORE) CATAPULT

This outfit, the one apparently pulling it all together, looks to be an extension of Innovate UK, a government-funded body. Google AI says this:

Innovate UK provides substantial funding to ORE Catapult to drive offshore renewable energy innovation, including a recent £85.6 million capital investment for testing facilities.

Note, again: “offshore renewable energy“, yet as we’ve seen, the statement from Catapult clearly says “onshore wind turbines“.

That said, Catapult claims a presence in Pembroke Dock. In a building otherwise known as the Bridge Innovation Centre.

There’s not much more to tell about ORE Catapult, so we’ll move on.

◊

TATA STEEL UK

Indian company Tata Steel is the owner of Port Talbot steelworks. The coal-based blast furnaces have closed and it’s promised they’ll be replaced with a £1.25 billion electric arc furnace. Due to be fully operational by the end of next year.

The project has already received £500 million in UK government funding.

Which means that Tata’s role seems fairly clear. It will produce the steel needed for the onshore and offshore wind turbines, from scrap, much of which will be sourced abroad, as will be explained in the section about Ledwood.

UPDATE 20.04.2026: This article on the feasibility of scrap metal electric arc furnaces appeared in the Western Mail, taken from The Conversation. The authors seems to argue that the supply chain for scrap steel doesn’t exist, and UK electricity prices might make the whole project unviable.

◊

RWE

As many of you will know, RWE is a huge German company involved in ‘renewable’ energy. Let’s also remember that RWE is a big player in Wales.

RWE is the largest power producer and renewable energy generator in Wales, with more than 3GW of energy across 12 sites. Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm comprises of 28 turbines – enough to power 40,000 homes. The site has produced over 1.05TWh of energy since it was commissioned in 2018.

RWE’s Head of Onshore Development: Wales & England is Eleri Davies. She also sits on the UK government’s Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce. As we are reminded in this press release from her company:

As a member of the Government’s newly created Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce, it was incredibly valuable to show the Prime Minister and First Minister how RWE works with and for local communities, harnessing homegrown talent and supporting local communities.

UK Operational Manager for RWE is Nia Griffiths. So there’s a definite Welsh flavour to RWE. At least in senior staff. Of course the money goes back to Germany.

And it seems RWE already has a presence in Port Talbot at the Baglan Innovation Centre. While in 2022 it struck a deal with Associated British Ports, owners of Port Talbot docks, an agreement that also covers Milford Haven.

◊

BUTE ENERGY

Bute Energy appears for obvious reasons. First, wanting to plaster rural Wales with wind turbines and pylons. Second, because this company has bought up ‘Welsh’ Labour and is not without influence within the party at UK level.

But for the purposes of this piece, I think we should concentrate on warehouses.

I touched on this subject briefly with a post back in August 2024 after receiving information from Scotland. It’s here in Parabola Bute Energy, Scottish Echoes. The Bute Boys, using the company Windward Titan Ltd, bought a huge warehouse (below) near Glasgow, then sold it three years later, for double the price paid, to the Lothian Pension Fund; essentially, Labour-run Edinburgh City Council.

Does Bute getting money from Labour-controlled pension funds sound familiar?

Further information received last month, from a different source, suggested Bute companies – often under the ‘Windward’ label – have quite a few warehouses ” . . . in Wales and Scotland filled to the rafters with BESS and pylon materials“.

These have been bought with the help of private bank Brown Shipley & Co Ltd, ultimately owned by the Al Thani family, which also owns Qatar.

I dealt with this a few weeks back in The Windward-Bute Empire, Fresh Insights.

So the question is, why would Bute need all this space, and why are some of these warehouses chock full of pylon components and other equipment for onshore wind turbine installations?

Also note, the insider who contacted me last month made no mention of the actual turbines. Neither towers nor blades. For which I might have an explanation.

◊

HUTCHINSON ENGINEERING

This company has also appeared on this blog quite recently. In a piece I put out in January. (Skip the first section.)

I started out back then by wondering, in a post on X, why a company in Cornwall called Inyanga Marine Energy Group had received £2,000,000 from our wonderful, and now thankfully departed, ‘Welsh Government’.

The man behind Inyanga, Richard James Parkinson, has other companies named HydroWing and Sangoma. All hoping to generate power from wave energy. Explained in the earlier blog piece I’ve linked to. But there seems to be no money, apart from public funding, and little sign of activity.

Though I did find this piece in the Falmouth Packet, which introduces Hutchinson.

Inyanga Marine Energy Group, based in Penryn, has tasked Hutchinson Engineering with constructing its HydroWing tidal energy device.

The 20 MW HydroWing tidal energy array will be deployed at Morlais, off Anglesey in Wales.

Naturally, my attention then turned to Hutchinson Engineering of Cheshire. Here’s the Companies House entry. You’ll see that ownership rests with Modernuser Ltd. In turn owned by Dean Clark Drinkwater.

And here’s Dean, a fan of both Starmer and Miliband!

What’s more, Drinkwater has also been appointed to the UK Government’s Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce, chaired by ‘Mad Ed’ Miliband.

It would appear that Dean is another who’s well in with the Labour party.

◊

LEDWOOD

Ledwood Mechanical Engineering Ltd, based in Pembroke Dock, is owned by Ledwood Protective Coatings Ltd, which is in turn owned by Nicholas David Revell, and may rely to a great extent on a loan from the ‘Welsh Government’-controlled Development Bank of Wales.

Another Revell company is Ledwood Holdings Ltd. Revell has a further company, LSM Holdings Ltd. (‘Ledwood Scrap Metals’?)

I suggest that name due to this reference in the LSM accounts, and where it leads.

Nick Revell, also gets a mention in this press release from January 2025 from the Wales Office, not ‘Welsh Government’. Again, the “Celtic Freeport” is mentioned.

Bluecap Resources Ltd, highlighted in the clip above, is based in Newport. But with its R&D in Penryn, Cornwall where, you’ve just read, we also find Inyanga, builder of wave energy machines, and beneficiary of ‘Welsh Government’ largesse.

The company is owned by:

 . . . a consortium of European shareholders from the natural resources industry, both corporate and individual, including two publicly-quoted companies . . .

(Here are the Bluecap Resources shareholders.)

Yet the website tells us very little. But if we turn to the filings with Companies House we see big share issues in recent years – all in US dollars.

Bluecap is in the business of “extraction and recovery“. That it uses US dollars suggests to me it conducts much of its business outside of the UK. A belief reinforced by the company Bluecap Poland Ltd, formerly known as Bluecap Turkey Ltd.

◊

THE THEORY

Someone who’s given the consortium some thought has suggested to me a theory. Which, after doing some research of my own, I find both elegant and plausible.

It all hinges on the electric arc furnace at Port Talbot. On it being built, and then on that furnace using scrap material. This explains Tata Steel’s presence in the consortium.

The scrap will be provided by Ledwood-Bluecap. And will almost certainly come from outside of the UK. That’s why they’re involved.

That scrap material will be smelted at Port Talbot, a magical process to transform it into the “UK Steel” promised in the headline of the Energy-pedia article.

Next, it will be knocked into the shapes and sections desired for 250 metre tall wind turbines by Hutchinson Engineering of Cheshire, who might set up an operation in Wales, or co-operate with a locally-based company.

If my Bute source is correct about the warehouses being “filled to the rafters with BESS and pylon materials”, then Windward-Bute can supply pylons and the Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). This is one reason why Bute is involved.

RWE might provide the motors and other mechanisms required by the wind turbines. Then again, as a major player, RWE may be thinking ahead to replacing its clapped-out turbines, even erecting new ones.

Alternatively, the blades might come from somewhere else.

For the largest manufacturer of turbine blades in Europe is Danish company Vestas. A director of Vestas is former Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt. Her alter ego is Mrs Kinnock, for she’s married to Stephen Kinnock MP, in whose Aberafan Maesteg constituency we find Port Talbot steelworks.

Furthermore, Vestas has a 25% stake in Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), which seems to be Bute Energy’s main financial backer.

◊

CONCLUSION

Let’s start by remembering that in the Ore Catapult press release we read that the consortium involved is “largely based in Wales“.

Yet Tata Steel is an Indian company. RWE German. Bute Energy is Scottish. Hutchinson Engineering is an English company. Ledwood and Bluecap have addresses in Newport, but source their scrap metal from God knows where.

Pushing this lot as Welsh is like describing the German army in September 1939 as Polish because it was “largely based in Poland“.

And as if that idiocy wasn’t enough, remember that almost all the electricity that’ll be generated will go to England!

If the theory is correct, or only partly correct, we can clearly see who’s going to benefit from turning scrap metal into wind turbine parts, and who’ll make money from supplying whatever else is needed.

It’ll be the same faces that have been ripping Wales off for too long.

There might be a few hundred jobs at Port Talbot, small compensation for the thousands lost. A few hauliers might get contracts. The turbines and pylons will be erected by specialist crews brought in from outside.

But let’s not forget – it might keep Kinnock Jnr in a job.

Yet we’ll have to put up with the ugly bloody turbines and pylons, and you can bet your sweet life that whatever the colour of the ‘Welsh Government’ after May 7 – we’ll be paying out plenty in public money.

All done so that demented individuals in Plaid Cymru, for whom politics is all gestures, who prefer ‘positions’ over policies that would benefit the long-suffering Welsh people, can claim that Wales is a “world leader” – in being exploited.

For God’s sake, don’t vote for these clowns!

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2026

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The Latest Enviro-scam – ‘Celtic Rainforests’

On By JacIn Climate, Colonialism, Environmentalism, Farming, Public Funding30 Comments

I ended last week’s piece on the purchase by Tir Natur of land in the Elenydd, the beautiful ‘wilderness’ between Lampeter and Llanwrtyd, by saying that I was waiting for further information on what was planned to have been the second part of that offering.

Well, I’ve since had a response from the self-styled ‘Welsh Government’, but it’s not entirely satisfactory. More on that in part two. But first . . .

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TIR NATUR AND ‘CELTIC RAINFORESTS’

I pointed out last week that the land bought by Tir Natur, is in the Cwm Doethïe-Mynydd Mallaen Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Which means it is already protected, and in the care of Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

That being so, why does it need ‘rewilding’? Well, I have since learnt that this SSSI is one of four sites in Wales already appearing on the Celtic Rainforests (Wales) website. (Maybe someone should tell them that ‘Snowdonia’ is now Eryri.)

So why isn’t the rainforest aspect mentioned on the Tir Natur website?

Of the others, Eryri is of course a National Park; Elan Valley is owned or managed by Dŵr Cymru; and Cwm Einion (aka ‘Artists Valley’) is another SSSI that runs up behind Ffwrnais in north Ceredigion.

Which means that all four sites so far chosen for restoration to their imagined pristine state of ‘Celtic Rainforest’ are under some form of public agency control. So why can’t the bodies involved do the work themselves?

Perhaps I’ve given the game away in the title to this week’s piece. The Celtic Rainforest baloney is just another way for ‘environmentalists’ to grab land, and for big business to make money.

Checking the background of Celtic Rainforests I ran across this advertisement put up by Wildlife Trusts Wales (WTW). This is the name of a body that abolished itself on 31 March 2021. So it has no official registered or regulated standing

Before that date the individual Welsh Trusts had been represented by WTW in dealings with the Englandandwales Wildlife Trusts (WT). Now they belong directly to WT, just like English county Trusts.

Attributable to the almost complete absence of Welsh involvement in ‘Welsh’ wildlife trusts.

Getting back to the Celtic Rainforests, The manager vacancy was filled by Gethin Davies, who also works for Parc Eryri. Which, if nothing else, explains why the project is based at the Park’s HQ in Penrhyndeudraeth.

Anyway, seeing as this land bought by Tir Natur is already a SSSI, and is to be planted with native trees, how much rewilding will actually happen? Or does planting trees count as rewilding?

To finish this section let me introduce one of Celtic Rainforests volunteers, who believes, ” . . . systemic racism is built into the way we view and use land; how it’s parcelled up and managed.”

For someone I can confidently locate on the political left she’s strangely blind to the class dimension to land ownership. Instead, she prefers a more simplistic, black and white interpretation. Literally! White people bad, everybody else good.

This Rainforests volunteer condemns colonialism but seems blind to a ruling group’s middle class, aligned with corporate capital and serving Globalist aims, working against an indigenous ethno-cultural minority.

Are there any depths of idiocy this anti-white bullshit can’t plumb? Perhaps not; for to believe a US academic this week, drinking cows milk makes you a Nazi.

Arthur Caplan, a bioethics professor at NYU, criticized The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law on January 14. In a blog post, Caplan claimed that whole milk has been used as a symbol by white supremacists.

As you can guess, I’ve had a gutsful of this nonsense. Despite being difficult to take it seriously at times it’s still racism. It must be called out and defeated.

But of course, in this context, it’s another weapon in the anti-farming arsenal.

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RHOS-FARCH, PENNAL

If the name sounds familiar it’s because I wrote about this farm in July last year, in the piece, ‘Farming’ – The Globalist Way!’. So this is by way of an update.

Last July I told you it was suspected that Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust had bought Rhos-farch, a farm of 625 acres overlooking the historic village of Pennal. Here’s how Savills describes the holding.

And here’s a map to help you further. Rhos-farch is coloured in pink.

I can now confirm that Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust (MWT) received £3,000,000 to buy Rhos-farch. Certainly, that’s what’s suggested in the accounts. The clip below says the money came from Aviva via the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts.

Note “restore it to Celtic Rainforest“. This is the reason for the funding.

But that clip above also says that Rhos-farch will be “open to visitors as a MWT nature reserve“. We can almost guarantee that some visitors will get lost, or think the nature reserve extends over neighbouring farms.

Seeing as Savills had priced the property at £3,500,000 I wondered if MWT had received money from anywhere else. So I wrote to the self-styled ‘Welsh Government’, asking if any money had come from that quarter.

The answer was no. But I was sent copies of email correspondence, from last summer, between interested parties. Despite redactions we can assume the ‘Welsh Government’ was a participant, if only because it was holding the copies.

Other participants that can be clearly identified from the emails are Wildlife Trusts Wales (conduit for the Aviva money), and the Celtic Rainforest Creation Manager (Wales). Confirming that even though Rhos-farch is not mentioned on the Rainforests website it is obviously lined up.

The wildlife trust’s purchase is not welcomed by locals. Certainly not by local farmers.

One reason for that is the farms in the area, including Rhos-farch, benefit from a local shoot, a useful addition to their income. Of course, Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust will not allow shooting, and this will impact negatively on other farms.

The issue even got an airing in Nation.Cymru last year, which reported retirees and good-lifers trying to impose their views on locals. The giveaway was the paragraph beginning, “I was upset when moving here that there seemed to be an us and them atmosphere in the village.”

(Of course it never occurs to these buggers to ask how this division arose.)

Thankfully, the answer came later in the piece:

I and all my family are Pennal born and bred, and it winds me up terribly that incomers want to change our way of life and also tell us what we can and can’t do. If all the anti shooting brigades in the village don’t like what we do in the countryside, maybe they should move back to where they came from.

I find it interesting that Nation.Cymru should run this article around the same time as the emails I’ve mentioned were being exchanged. And perhaps as the Rhos-farch sale was being finalised. But N.C is extremely well connected in Corruption Bay.

Though seeing as Rhos-farch is not mentioned on the Celtic Rainforests website, how many other farms, other sites, are being lined up?

One final thought. Rhos-farch was never in Montgomeryshire, or Powys. It was in the old county of Merioneth, now in Gwynedd. So why was it bought by the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust?

Is it because the vendors, one of them a senior ‘Welsh Government’ civil servant, live in the old county of Montgomeryshire?

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CONCLUSION

If it was simply about preserving and perhaps enhancing rainforests, then I’d be fine with that. We could ban felling, clear the rhododendrons and other invasive species, plant more trees – and then leave it to Nature.

Given that the rainforests I know locally are typically dark, dank places, steep slopes and narrow valleys, no good land would be lost and no one would be inconvenienced.

And the website agrees with me.

You are never far from the sound of cascading water, and with the huge boulders and ravines galore, these forests are an ideal place for adventures.

“Adventures“?

That description also tells us these sites are unsuitable for the grazing that is constantly advocated! Though bear in mind that what these areas might have known in the past was not the right kind of grazing.

For that’s how it works when ‘environmental’ arguments are used against Welsh farming. It starts with dreaming up ways to make money, grab land – and then comes the excuse.

Step 1: Think of imaginative ways to achieve the objective.

Step 2: Dream up a ‘problem’ to justify what you’ve decided on.

Deception is the essence of the ‘climate crisis’; responsible for Net Zero impoverishing the West through ruinous electricity bills that drive industry away and make life more difficult for ordinary people.

Feeding off this prime lunacy are associated disorders such as the ‘threat’ from CO2! All too predictably, this is one of the justifications used for the Celtic Rainforests scheme.

It should go without saying that the World Economic Forum (WEF) is to the fore in connecting trees with corporate money-making.

Pushing the same message on the UK level is the Climate Change Committee. Here’s an extract from a CCC report on Wales published less than a year ago.

“Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere“! Life on Earth depends on carbon dioxide. Remove it, and everything – including we humans – dies.

Seeing as we’re talking of rainforests it’s worth remembering that this all started decades ago, in attempts to save the Amazon rainforest, and the rainforests of south east Asia. But more recently, someone realised it could be brought nearer home and used in the Globalist-environmentalist war on farming.

And remember! “Just 4.3% of the entire rainforest landscape is ancient woodland“, says the State of Wales Rainforest Report (page 8). So plenty of room to expand. Plenty more farms to buy.

And who’ll decide what must be ‘restored’? A fair question – because most of Wales qualifies as “Rainforest Zone”.

The map comes from an article in Nation.Cymru in October 2022. It seems to be attributed to Guy Shrubsole, whose name crops up a lot in such discussions. The article even names the Elenydd.

Shrubsole is said to have founded Right to Roam, a gang of self-entitled narcissists who feel they have the right to traipse wherever they damn well please. Among their number we find the ‘racist countryside’ woman we encountered earlier.

In conclusion . . . I often watch Neil Oliver’s monologues on YouTube. Neil’s persona non grata with the Beeb for challenging Covid, climate change, and all the other lies. He rambles a bit, and he’s not always right, but he’s a sincere guy.

Anyway, and as Neil Oliver always says: “It’s never about what they say it’s about“.

How true that is. Bear it in mind.

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2026

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Land Of Our Fathers, But Not Our Children

On By JacIn Colonialism, Environmentalism, Farming, Wind Turbines46 Comments

This post is about what’s described as “Wales’ largest rewilding site“. I suspect it’s about more than ‘rewilding’. Because there’s usually big money involved with ‘environmental’ schemes nowadays.

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TIR NATUR: WHO’S WHO?

I’ve written about this outfit a few times in recent years. But to get you started, here’s the Tir Natur website, and here’s the Charity Commission entry.

When I first encountered Tir Natur it seemed to be a very amateurish outfit, but now it appears more professional. (That’s not always a compliment.) And there also seems to have been an almost complete change of personnel.

The name I recall from the beginning was Stephen Jenkins. And he gets a mention on the website, telling us he’d left:

The capture above confirms that Tir Natur was formed in 2021. But not actually registered with the Charity Commission until June of 2022.

The only founding member still with Tir Natur might be Gwenan Jenkins-Jones. She’s had training in how to spot money laundering. Which might come in useful at a ‘rewilding’ charity.

These changes are also reflected in the address given.

For the address now shown with the Charity Commission is Moat Farm, Trimsaran, to the west of Llanelli. Though the old address, Y Beudy, Lanlwyd, Pennant, Ceredigion SY23 5JH, also appears on the website.

The Pontyberem address is perhaps where we’ll find the chair of the trustees, Tatatia ‘Tash(a)’ Reilly; for one of the farm owners is a Lindsey Reilly.

Tatatia was the director of a company called Dashtan Ltd. In the business of ‘Residents property management’, which was formed and folded in less than a year. A phenomenon which, as you know, always gets my antennae twitching.

Her co-director was Bogdan Edward Staniaszek. The company address was given as this property not far from Swansea city centre.

Did this in any way link with Tir Natur’s activities?

I suspect those living at Moat Farm are relative newcomers to Wales. ‘Nice little place in the country’ and all that. Same applies to a number of other Tir Natur trustees. I see two smallholders among them.

Definitely getting a whiff of good-lifers here. Though these are the ‘farmers’ Tir Cymru claims to be working with. None are real farmers.

Then there’s a couple of eco loonies who also come from outside of Wales. James Hitchcock, formerly of Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, and now Rewilding Britain. And Tim Birch, still looking over his shoulder for the Derbyshire gamekeepers he smeared, and now involved in just about every enviroscam.

Next, Bronwyn Jamie Bunt-Brown, who may be American. And was living in Surrey when she ran this short-lived company. And there was another company that never filed accounts, or seemed to do anything, before being struck off.

Bronwyn became a trustee 25 March, 2025. Someone who joined on the same day was Pamela Louise Noakes. While Bronwyn seems to have moved to Wales Pamela still lives in London, where she works for M&C Saatchi Group.

This company has worked with Rewilding Britain. Fancy! And is keen to offset its carbon emissions. Noakes’ role is Global Director of Sustainability. Curiously, this day job is not mentioned in her Tir Natur bio. Why would that be, I wonder?

Turning to the ‘Executive Team’, those who run Tir Natur day to day, presents very much the same picture, with the obvious exception of Gwenan Jenkins-Jones. I hope she’s getting well paid, because her mere presence is invaluable to this scam.

To help her provide a Welsh gloss there’s Dr Elen Robert, whose full-time job is as a translator for Natural Resources Wales. Is NRW – that is, us – paying her to do translation work for Tir Natur?

Kilner’s the one on the left, I think

Dan Ward’s day job is with North Star Transition, another interloper organisation.

I could go on, but I’ll just mention David Kilner who, as Development and Programme Lead, might be the top man. Dai is also involved with Climate Cymru, where ‘diversity’ seems to be more important than the climate or the environment.

I say that because you may recall it was the BAME department of Climate Cymru, back in 2024, that called for dogs to be banned from the countryside because they offended a certain group that really should start adapting and integrating.

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MONEY, MONEY, MONEY?

With money from somewhere, Tir Nature has bought (or “secured“) 1195 acres of Ceredigion. Here’s a report on the purchase from the County Times.

And here’s a video put out by Tir Natur.

According to an article last week in Nation.Cymru half of the £2.2m has been raised. Farmers Weekly talks of “a philanthropic bridging loan”

The Charity Commission website shows that over £900,000 appeared from somewhere before the end of June last year. But where?

Less than two years ago Tir Natur was skint. Though there is now at least one active Crowdfunder page. And there seems to have been an earlier Crowdfunding attempt that closed about a year ago after raising £60,000.

With a sizeable donation in match funding coming from Aviva which, as we know, works with BlackRock. Here’s more information on the Aviva Communities Fund, which has donated £28,264, that we know of.

One of the reasons I’m focussing on the money is because there are many examples of ‘rewilding’ projects and the like that have gone financially awry, perhaps taken on burdens that became too heavy.

One example of overreach would be Highlands Rewilding, which may be the model being followed by Tir Natur. This outfit struggled to pay off the bank loan.

If it’s not overreach then ‘rewilding’ is often a front for milking government schemes.

An example of this would be another case from the Highlands. With Aberdeen Investments being honest about the motives behind the company’s interest in ‘rewilding’.

The estate was acquired by abrdn three years ago for £7.5m as a way to offset carbon emissions from its property portfolio.

The Highlands now are over-run with investment funds and asset managers looking for ‘environmentalists’ to front for them so they can rake in the money from carbon capture and other wheezes.

And there are plenty willing to play the acceptable public face of corporate greed. New groups sprout quicker and better than any fungi they claim to grow.

Just yesterday a good contact drew my attention to Wild Cymru, which is rewilding 210 acres of Ceredigion, at Cefn Garthenor, near Tregaron. The farm is owned by Neil Alistair Hughes of Savoir Beds.

The Chair of Wild Cymru is Daniel Gruffydd Jenkins-Jones. Might he be related to Gwenan Jenkins-Jones of Tir Natur?

A few days earlier a different source told me about another outfit also operating in Ceredigion. This is Oxygen Conservation, which now owns the 300 acres of Esgair Arth.

The guy who seems to own the company, Roy Barry Bedlow, has a string of similar companies. And it’s all about investment, not the environment.

A number of his companies carry the ‘L C’ handle, which stands for ‘low carbon’. One of those companies is L C Energy, which supplies woodchip. But don’t worry, this isn’t shipped across the Atlantic, it’s all “sustainably sourced within the UK“.

Biomass is a scam within a scam. Get big grants to plant native hardwood trees, instead plant quick-growing foreign species, grab the grants and subsidies, chop ’em down, flog off the wood as ‘renewable energy’, sell the land, move on to the next scam.

It should go without saying that Roy Barry Bedlow is based in Jersey.

Finally, a worrying possibility raised by someone who knows about these things, is that this Tir Natur project might qualify for payments under the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), which would not have been the case under the old Basic Payments Scheme.

This would be wrong, and can be avoided if the self-styled ‘Welsh Government’ insists that food must be produced for any land or landowner to qualify for SFS payouts. Otherwise, it’s not farming, is it?

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NEIGHBOURS

Let’s take a closer look at the land in question, and its surroundings. Such as the planned windfarms. Didn’t I mention the windfarms! How remiss of me.

The map shows four planned windfarms and the land Tir Natur is claiming. As you can see, they are very, very close. (I am indebted to the group that provided the map.)

The orange access road running south from Bryn Cadwgan goes over National Trust land to the village of Pumsaint. This is the only viable access for the turbine parts and the vast amounts of concrete needed for each turbine base. I covered this issue in November 2023 in The Road To Hell.

Now you might think that the peace and tranquility promised by an area returned to nature doesn’t sit well with an industrial site next door. With work going on for years.

But it doesn’t end there. Word I’m getting from locals says Bute is scouting more land over towards Teifi pools and Pontrhydfendigaid, north east of Tregaron.

And then there are the three farms in the area reportedly bought by the Foresight Group, which has been been busy in recent years buying Welsh farms and planting trees for investors.

But now it gets rather curious. Because I’m told the farms sold to Foresight had not long before been bought by a stranger to the area who’d made his pile in pet cremations! Yes, honestly.

This man, James Uys, is originally from Stroud in Gloucestershire. He played rugby and cricket for the local teams, and is big in sheepdog sales.

His business was almost certainly Limekiln Pet Crematorium, sold to Pet Cremation Services. Pet Cremation Services Ltd is the trading name for Time Right Ltd.

I don’t know how much Uys got for the pet cremation business, but he seems to have sold it in November 2017. And subsequently sold Limekiln Farm in September 2023 for a stated £3,000,000.

Some locals think Uys is a stalking-horse for Foresight, maybe others. Which would be odd, given what he’s on record as saying.

The value of agricultural land is hitting record highs as rich people seek loopholes to avoid inheritance tax, it is being reported.

Wealthy investors who have discovered the legal technicality are snapping up fields – and as a consequence prices are soaring to around £11,000 an acre, making life difficult for farmers. One newspaper reported on the case of a 50-year-old farmer from Gloucestershire who is in the process of selling his hundred-acre estate so he can buy a larger plot elsewhere. James Uys says he hopes to make £3m from the sale.

Did Uys move west, where land is cheaper, to find that “larger plot“. For in addition to what’s discussed here, I’m also told he’s bought a farm near Rhandirmwyn.

Bizarrely, the most recent report I have of Mr Uys is that he is the new tenant of Penlan Farm, Upper Chapel, near Brecon. There were 22 other candidates, including many young locals.

The farm is owned by the Penllergaer Estates in Swansea. Which has an interest in solar farms, as I reported in November 2021. (Scroll to the section ‘Follow the Money’.)

UPDATE: As this section is headed ‘Neighbours’, here’s two of Tir Natur’s supporters talking about the project. One is Jon Moses of Right to Roam. The other is Alasdair Campbell, Executive Director of Somerset Wildlands.

Campbell talks dismissively of “these guys“, who are of course the local farmers. Believing, it would seem, that people like him should have more say about what happens in Wales than local people.

Two arrogant outsiders. Which about sums up ‘rewilding’ in Wales.

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CONCLUSION

Whatever Tir Natur may say, I believe they’re fronting for somebody else. Somebody hoping to make lots of money. I say that for a number of reasons.

First, the land Tir Cymru claims to have acquired is, as the video I linked to tells us, already a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is already protected. For Tir Cymru to want to take it over can only mean they want to make changes.

Perhaps ‘reintroduce’ species like the Eurasian lynx.

‘I’m going to live in Wales’

Second, and in addition to be being an SSSI, the Elenydd is perhaps the last true wilderness in Wales. Consequently, to suggest it needs ‘rewilding’ is absolute bullshit. Like suggesting the Mona Lisa would be improved with a moustache and sunglasses.

Only those with a hidden agenda would insult our intelligence in this way.

But let’s take the claim at face value. If ‘developers’ have their way this ‘rewilded’ area will be surrounded by wind turbines. How will the constant hum and vibration, the flicker, affect wildlife? The lynx and other species will move out.

And the large, slow-moving birds that Tir Natur hopes to attract won’t stand a chance against the blades of the wind turbines.

Going back to the video again, the commentary claims to be “celebrating Welsh history and culture” – while snidely condemning that heritage for the bad farming practices Tir Natur wants to remedy.

Tir Natur promoting themselves as knights in shining green armour coming to save the Welsh environment – from those who have cared for it for over two millennia.

The video talks of bringing in Carneddau ponies. But a contact who knows the farmers that look after these animals says they’ve had no approach from Tir Natur. Which makes me remember a ‘rewilding’ scheme, near Machynlleth, that talked of “reintroducing” Welsh  horses – then they brought in a Polish breed!

Put it all together and you might understand why I’m a wee bit cynical. Why I don’t buy the story that the land Tir Natur has acquired in the Elenydd is just a ‘rewilding’ project, and nothing more.

I believe there’s much more to it.

FOOTNOTE: This week’s piece was to have been in two parts. The second part about a 625 acre farm on the Gwynedd side of Machynlleth bought by Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust with Aviva-Blackrock money. I’m waiting for further information.

But that’s the state of rural Wales today. Those with roots in this land are being elbowed out by recent arrivals and groups serving the Globalists’ anti-human agenda. With many of them funded and supported by the ‘Welsh Government’ to do the elbowing.

It’s a form of Clearance.

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2026

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Wales Ruled By The Wampis?

On By JacIn Climate, Colonialism, Environmentalism26 Comments

I am indebted to a good source for introducing me to an outfit I’d never heard of, called Local Partnerships LLP. Here’s the website, and here’s the Companies House entry.

Sticking with the CH filings, we see three names under ‘Officers’. The Designated Members are H M Treasury and the Local Government Association, but the self-styled ‘Welsh Government’ is just a ‘Member’.

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INTRODUCING THE WAMPIS

Let’s start with the Local Partnerships website, which tells us . . .

Our purpose is to help public sector organisations face the ever-increasing challenge of meeting rising demands for services, with shrinking budgets.

Last week Local Partnerships brought out their Wales Annual Impact Report 2025. So let’s go through it, see what joys it offers up.

In Chair Keith Fraser’s Foreword, in the very first paragraph, we read a reference to the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. Insane legislation, the authorship of which is claimed by privately-educated, globe-trotting climate fanatic, former Assembly Member for Pontypridd, and now good-life smallholder, Jane Davidson.

Though I’m persuaded there was much input from others.

This Act now dictates everything done by the ‘Welsh Government’, public bodies, local authorities, and just about everybody else. Forcing Wales to commit economic suicide on the false premiss that we are threatened by an anthropogenic climate crisis.

But now it gets rather strange. For as the Introduction to the Act itself says:

No disrespect to the Wampis . . . but are we seriously expected to run a complex, post-industrial society by following the example of a Stone Age Amazonian tribe?

And if you’re wondering about “the Seventh Generation Principle“, it also comes from Native Americans, this time the Iroquois, whose territory I believe straddled the eastern border between the USA and Canada.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting the strong whiff of bollocks here with all this “indigenous wisdom“. It echoes all the other ‘wisdom’ and advice attributed to sage old Indians . . . that was made up by LSD-dropping hippies in the 1960s.

Despite the patronising ‘noble savage’ trope being widely debunked it inspires and infuses the 2015 Act; and even though it’s hailed as an “example to the world” . . . the Act remains, eleven years on, an example nobody has been daft enough to follow.

Who’s gonna tell the Wampis!

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GEMS FROM THE REPORT

As I pointed out earlier, on the surface, Local Partnerships describes itself as a body helping public sector organisations. But I don’t think that’s strictly true. Let’s delve into the Report again.

And let’s go to page 11, where we encounter a rather curious juxtaposition:

Sustainable Farming Scheme business case approved for a national, multi-year programme

new National Park in Wales progressed toward designation.

What public sector bodies or small local projects are being aided here?

The Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) is designed to reduce farming in the name of saving the planet. (On the advice of the Wampis?) And it’s being pushed by the ‘Welsh Government’ in its war against the Welsh family farm.

The truth is that it’s a policy to free up land for investors and the wildlife trusts and other bodies said investors control or influence through funding and other means. But this ambition doesn’t confine itself to land. For those behind it want to put a value on everything, including the air we breathe – and then make us pay for it.

The new national park proposed for the north east, provisionally named Glyndŵr National Park, is rejected by local authorities and most people living in the area.

Proven by the fact that in a survey conducted by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) most of the support for the idea came from outside the area affected, even from outside of Wales. And it still only managed 53% backing.

The groups that want the new park are the usual suspects, like the Open Spaces Society, urging its largely English membership to show their support. But this is supposed to be a decision made within Wales.

Despite local objections, and external interference, it seems to be a done deal.

Whatever happened to ‘local democracy’? Well, that concept is only invoked when it supports a pre-determined outcome. Which, in this case, means it’s disregarded.

The SFS crops up again, on page 23. In fact, it gets the whole page. And it’s mentioned again on page 24.

Is Local Partnerships helping with local projects or dictating ‘Welsh Government’ policy?

On page 17 we find a reference to “Re:fit“. Does this refer to what I think it refers to? I suspect it does because later in that same sentence we see ” . . . fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes including Warm Homes, NEST and ECO“.

Was Local Partnerships involved in the ECO4 fiasco that led to the collapse of Consumer Energy Solutions, which I wrote about last month in, ‘Grab The Money And Run!‘?

Climate bullshit in a domestic setting

Next, a remarkable map of where Local Partnerships operates. Now I’m not very good with figures, but I don’t need to do any counting to see that the bulk of the projects being helped and funded are in Cardiff, or within 15 or 20 miles of Corruption Bay.

So many dots that some have to be located out to sea!

Pembrokeshire has a single project! Conwy two. Gwynedd three. Yet this is how devolution works. This is how devolution was always supposed to work. Cardiff gets the lion’s share of everything.

Preferential treatment that even extends to rugby.

Page 17 mentions the UK government’s Climate Change Committee (CCC). I know it describes itself as an “independent advisor“, but that’s a smokescreen.

Here’s a letter from the CCC, in July last year, to Huw Irranca-Davies SM, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs. It says:

We recommended that the Fourth Carbon Budget should be set to require average annual emissions over the five-year period from 2031 to 2035 to be at least 73% lower than the 1990 baseline, including Wales’ contribution to international aviation and shipping.*

I suppose 73% lower than the 1993 baseline is achievable, if you close the odd steelworks, stop people driving cars, etc. But why do we need to make this reduction?

And what the hell is Wales’ contribution to “international aviation and shipping“? Are they suggesting Powys closes Llanfair Caereinion International Airport?

Later in the letter we read:

Carbon units, also known as international carbon credits, represent a reduction or removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 (‘the Act’), the Welsh Government has the option to purchase international credits to help meet Wales’ emissions targets.

So not only are we expected to pursue the self-destructive idiocy of Net Zero, and swallow the scientific illiteracy that says CO2 is destroying the planet, but if Wales falls short ‘we’ can buy ‘International carbon credits’ to make up the shortfall.

Where would the ‘Welsh Government’ get these ‘credits’? Has it bought any?

Throughout the Local Partnerships document there’s hardly any reference to jobs, or the economy; just the fabled ‘green economy’, and the equally mythical ‘green jobs’.

Why am I not surprised!

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CONCLUSIONS

It seems to me that the “close cooperation” Local Partnerships claims with the ‘Welsh Government’ means ensuring that Wales follows the Westminster line. It may even mean that Wales is used to test certain ‘initiatives’ before they’re rolled out in England.

So much for devolution, you might say. But again, this was always a purpose for which devolution was intended.

Here’s another thought. One of the two full partners in Local Partnerships LLP is the Local Government Association (LGA) which represents local authorities. Local Partnerships bangs on relentlessly about green energy, and how we must invest in it.

So did the LGA have a role in Welsh local authorities investing £68m of their pension pot in Bute Energy? Will there be further investment?

Finally – and I make no apologies – I’m returning to the Future Generations legislation, and the reference in the Act’s preamble to taking direction from “indigenous wisdom“.

The Act to which all other legislation, initiatives, polices, must submit or conform, and predicated on the claimed ‘wisdom’ of Indian tribes in the Americas.

Or look at it this way . . . What about the genuine wisdom of Welsh farmers, whose families have been on the land for generations? Wisdom that’s more relevant to Wales than that of Wampis and Iroquois.

So why are our farmers ignored, even vilified?

Only a fool, or an enemy of Wales, would ignore our farmers and claim to be guided by those who’ve never heard of Wales. Unfortunately, there are too many fools and enemies dictating what we must do in our country.

Which makes Local Partnerships suspect in my book. So watch out for it in future.

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2026

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Gilestone: It’s All About Water

On By JacIn Colonialism, Englandandwales47 Comments

Over three years ago, with ‘Gilestone: Thinking Outside The Box‘, I suggested that the ‘Welsh Government’s controversial £4.25m purchase of Gilestone farm is about the transfer of water.

Much of what follows may look, superficially, like a rehash of that earlier piece; if so, it’s because that’s unavoidable in bringing the story up to date.

But there is more evidence. Which convinces me I was right.

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THE BACKGROUND

We’ll start by looking at what I think are the major milestones in this saga, in the order they happened.

1/ The Thomas family, who owned Gilestone pre-2010, had problems with the (then) Brecon Beacons National Park. They felt hounded. It cost them a lot of money to fight officialdom, and resulted in them selling up in October 2010.

(A curious feature of the business was that the solicitor acting for the Park was a Julie James. Who, in May 2011, became the Labour Assembly Member for Swansea West.)

2/ Next, seemingly out of the blue, a buyer in the form of Charles Weston turned up. He bought Gilestone for £900,000 through his company Sharpness and Severn Transport Ltd, re-named CWW Farming Ltd in November 2019. (Though the title document I’ve linked to does not cover all the Gilestone land.)

(Sharpness, Bristol, Newport, and Cardiff, are the major ports on the upper Severn estuary.)

3/ In March 2018 Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW) organised a trip to Wales for representatives of the Watershed Agricultural Council based in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. This is the body responsible for keeping the Big Apple’s water supply up to standard. This visit was reciprocated in October 2019, when a party from the Beacons visited the Catskills.

(Which meant DCWW was studying a model under which a rural catchment area supplied water to a metropolis some 100 miles away.)

4/ This link resulted in DCWW setting up the Brecon Beacons Mega Catchment (BBMC). Though apart from the change of name to Bannau Brycheiniog I can’t see much recent activity on the website. There’s been nothing on the Facebook page since July 2022 and the Twitter/X account has been closed.

Next, in May 2020, the Beacons Water Group CIC (BWG) was launched.

The Beacons Water Group was established under Welsh Water’s Bannau Brycheiniog Mega Catchment initiative (BBMC), our landscape-scale approach to safeguarding our drinking water sources now and for the future.

Among the founders we find Weston of Gilestone and his next-door neighbour across the River Usk. (Weston left BWG in October 2022.)

BWG definitely enjoys political support. As does DCWW, which seems to get a free pass from the ‘Welsh Government’ and ‘environmental’ groups when it comes to river pollution, with farmers copping all the blame. One director, Hugh Martineau, was an ‘advisor’ with Coleg Soros in Talgarth.

5/ In March 2022 the ‘Welsh Government’ bought Gilestone farm for £4.25m. The reason given was to allow the Green Man Festival to expand from its Glanusk Estate site.

OK, that’s enough background. Let’s try to put meat on the bones and get up to date with other developments and findings.

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FILLING IT OUT, RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

What I suggested back in October 2022 was that the key to understanding the purchase of Gilestone might lie in the proximity of, on the one side, the River Usk, and the other side, The Monmouthshire and Breconshire canal.

Even so, this in itself tells you little. For it to make sense we need to link this abundance of H2O in Wales to southern England running dry of the stuff.

And let’s remember that, in addition to the river and the canal, Gilestone is just a couple of kilometres from Llangorse Lake to the north east and the same distance from Talybont reservoir to the south west.

The reservoir already connects with the Usk very near to Gilestone. It would be relatively simple to connect the lake.

I explain this because taking water from Wales has long been a favoured option to meet the increasing shortages in southern England. Boris Johnson talked about it in 2011. Johnson’s name was invoked in August 2022 in renewed calls for a national water grid.

As Nation.Cymru put it, quoting the Daily Mail:

Senior Conservatives are floating the idea of a ‘Great Boris Canal’ named after the outgoing Prime Minister to transfer water from the north of Wales to the south of England.

Though this plan has water from Llyn Efyrnwy diverted into the river and then into the Severn just over the border. As this Guardian article from March 2023 explains.

The “Cotswold canals” mentioned must be the Thames and Severn Canal, currently being restored.

Alternatively, the water will be piped straight into the Severn. Then it will be abstracted lower down, either at Deerhurst, north east of Cheltenham, or near to Sharpness.

Which serves to remind us that Charles Weston bought Gilestone farm in the name of Sharpness and Severn Transport Ltd, based in Sharpness docks. Where the Gloucester and Sharpness canal begins, connecting with the Thames and Severn canal in Gloucester.

It seems like every which way we turn in the Gilestone saga we hit water.

Taking us further and further away from farming and music festivals.

While the plan to transfer water from Wales to southern England has been mooted for decades, one reason for increased urgency in recent years is the planned growth in the numbers of AI data centres.

But it’s not just London and the south of England affected, there are other areas that will need much more water. Such as Cambridge, where there are (somewhat vague) plans for a ‘Forest City‘ of one million people.

One of those behind the plan, while admitting that water from Wales is a serious option, fears we Welsh are a bit touchy about the subject. Us!

Maybe that’s why the talk is of using rivers and canals. Perhaps some people think we’ll be too stupid to notice.

Having mentioned AI data centres, it’s worth remembering we have them in Wales, too. Especially around Newport and Cardiff. With more planned. Let’s get back to Gilestone.

We’ve seen that the River Usk and the Monmouthshire and Breconshire canal flow over or close by the property. Both waterways then run in a southeasterly direction towards Newport and the Bristol Channel.

My original thinking was that water could be transferred in either direction, whichever best suited the purpose of the exercise at any given time. But the canal only runs to Cwmbran, and is now effectively banned from taking water from the river.

As this piece from the Brecon & Radnor Express last month explains:

Earlier this year, Natural Resources Wales imposed new restrictions on the canal’s long-standing abstraction licence from the River Usk. It means that during periods of low water, the canal is no longer permitted to draw water from the river – a supply it has relied on for more than a century.

This has affected those who rely on the canal for their livelihoods, largely in the tourism businesses. Which seems to have resulted in intervention by the ‘Welsh Government’ with what looks like compensation.

With £5m announced in July. And what appears to be further funding announced earlier this month.

It seems clear that the flow of water in the Usk is a priority, and must be safeguarded.

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CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Earlier I said that Charles Weston of Sharpness & Severn Transport had turned up at Gilestone out of blue. Perhaps I made him sound like a wraith appearing from nowhere. Which would be misleading.

Because before buying Gilestone Weston had, in 2004, bought 182 acres at Tan-y-fedw, south of Sennybridge. This sits on Afon Crai, which runs into the reservoir a few kilometres south.

And as AI Overview says of the reservoir: ” . . . much of its water is diverted to the Swansea Valley, while the remainder flows down to meet the Usk”.

Four years later he bought 76 acres at Allt-fechan, a couple of kilometres north west of Brecon. This holding stands on Ysgir Fechan, which runs into Afon Ysgir, which runs a few more kilometres into . . . the Usk.

Having received its orders from London the ‘Welsh Government’ plays its loyal part in this scheme. We see politicos, DCWW, and Natural Resources Wales, all working towards the objective . . . without being able to say what they’re really up to.

With the ‘environmental’ lobby chipping in. Remember Gail Davies-Walsh, former employee of DCWW, now of front organisation Afonydd Cymru, which shields the water company from criticism by blaming farmers for all river pollution?

Re-acquaint yourself with Gail by scrolling down in this piece from three years ago. Read her contribution to this article from March this year.

In the very same building in Talgarth where Afonydd Cymru is based we find the cross-border Wye and Usk Foundation, with its staff of 34 and its considerable income. Roughly half the grant money comes from that generous old soul, “Other“.

Ah! sweet Talgarth. Home of that noted and venerable seat of learning – Coleg Soros.

∼

Finally . . . We know there’s a plan to take water from Llyn Efyrnwy, into the Severn, and then, via pipe and canal, to the Thames. I believe there’s a wider plan that includes the Usk, Wye, and other sources. And this may be where Gilestone fits.

It would be relatively simple to connect Usk and Wye to the plan shown above. It would then be a multi-source option less likely to draw attention and criticism. For as Severn Trent is keen to stress (my emphasis):

This will be using water that is currently taken from Vyrnwy and occasionally redistributed elsewhere.  No additional water will be taken from Wales.

This, “some from here, some from there” approach, with no valleys drowned, will avoid another Tryweryn.

And seeing as Usk and Wye are within Dŵr Cymru’s territory, it explains the Catskills connection, Mega Catchment and Beacons Water Group. Why else would DCWW study how a hilly rural area supplies water to a metropolis 100 miles away?

Another factor worth considering is flooding. The existing wind farms on hills above the Severn and its tributaries cause greater run-off of rainwater, increasing the risk of flooding. With more windfarms planned, this risk will only increase.

So taking water from the Severn could also serve a flood prevention purpose. Though this is unlikely to be admitted, and never linked to wind turbines.

The wider plan I’m suggesting would also explain the quasi-sacred status given to the Wye by writers like George Monbiot, and bodies such as the Wye & Usk Foundation and Afonydd Cymru. For no other river in Wales gets this attention.

Whatever the details, it’s clear that Wales is to supply water to southern England. Much of it from resources in Wales owned by Severn Trent of Coventry.

But Wales won’t get paid a penny.

Ain’t devolution wonderful!

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2025