Well, having scanned some of the utter drivel being trotted out by so called “progressives” I can only say that if I am to be labelled Fascist for holding certain views and stances then so be it. However I must say that I am a strange kind of Fascist because I’m a damn sight more tolerant of open debate and diversity than those who purport to be the advance guard on such matters. Maybe we occupy different universes but for some odd reason there has been an “intersectionality event” which has brought us into each others’ spaces. My space is full of tolerance, there are things I dislike but I let them get on with it. Their space appears decidedly monocolour although that colour changes as the flavour of the month shifts. Is it too much to hope that it all goes away sometime soon ?

But remember that thanks to our massive third sector many of the children in care have come from outside of Wales. It’s a business. Torfaen (local authority) is next to Newport and therefore close to the border.

Very very illuminating article on Page 15 of the Sunday Times about the failings of child care in Wales. There are towns in Wales – such as Torfaen, where 1 in 44 children are in local authority care, one of the worst rates in Europe.

Can’t reproduce it because Sunday Times is firewalled, but if you can get hold of a copy it’s well worth the read

Somewhere north of £30 million has been expended on the “Felindre Strategic Business Park.” Since it was acquired by Lliw Valley Council in 1996, and transferred into the ownership of the City & County of Swansea Council later that year. Arising from the ill fated LG project at Newport, and also to protect the marketability of sites on the Swansea Enterprise Zone, Swansea Council (on the recommendation of it’s planners) decreed that only one large developement should be located on the site. Artist’s impressions illustrated the development of a 1 million+ sq ft building for one occupying company. This was in direct opposition to the Welsh Development Agency’s view that the site should be split into individual plots of 10-20 acres, to cater for the then known demand. Swansea Council has contributed minimal funding to infra structuring the site (most of the funding coming from the WDA, Welsh Assembly and the EU). From the outset, the Council’s role was to “market” the site, and it was insisted that the “Business Park” should only accept “emerging undertakings, hi-tech companies, leading edge industries” etc., definitely no warehouses (sheds) etc. So where are we now. After TWENTYFIVE YEARS of little discernible effort and activity, ONE company has built on the site. That company occupies a large distribution warehouse which relocated it’s business from nearby, creating very few NEW jobs. If driving past the site, you would be hard put to see this large shed, as so embarrassed are the Council at renaging on it’s long held objectives to secure quality, high-tech, leading edge companies, it insisted that the development be tucked away almost out of public gaze. The only other activity on the site is a temporary car park, originally to enable a Park & Ride facility for DVLA, but now available for all comers. Swansea Council should hang it’s head in shame at the debacle of a major site, with direct access from the M4 (also upgraded for the site in 2000 at the cost of several million). People like Mr Richards are perfectly entitled to enquire as to WTF the Council have been doing to generate employment on this Strategic Site, for the last TWENTYFIVE YEARS!

was this ever in any party’s manifesto?

http://lle.gov.wales/apps/woodlandopportunities/#lat=52.8094&lon=-2.6147&zoom=7

The one with the red scarf is of course Elin Jones, Plaid Cymru MS for Ceredigion and Senedd Llywydd. The other woman is Caroline Hutt, professional ‘Valley Girl’ who writes for Llais y Sais. Whether they are a couple is unknown, and no business of anybody else.

Judging by the smile on their faces, looks like Gary the Goat’s banged all three.

I can’t work Leslie Griffiths out. Who in Wales did she think would benefit from her sanctioning of this eyesore of questionable productive value?

Lab: 35/33%,
Plaid: 24/23%,
Con: 24/22%,
LDem: 3/4%,
RP: 4/2%,
AWAP: 3/7%,
Grn: 3/5%,
Oth: 4/4%
Senedd Seat Pred: Lab 26, Con 14, PC 17, LDem 1, AWAP 2

Averaged across the last 4 weeks would suggest a seat outcome to be around :-
Lab 26, Con 17, PC 14, LD 1, AWAP 1, Oth 1.

That is the crux of it. These goods will be made somewhere else, but living in a ‘Green Wales’ will help some people feel good about themselves. We hear a great deal of talk about ‘Green jobs’, but where are they? Certainly not in Wales.

But perhaps worse than that, I believe the Labour Party has latched on to environmentalism and saving the planet as a fig leaf for Wales doing so badly in economic terms. Can’t have an economy and save the planet! ‘You may be poor, Taff, but yours is a virtuous poverty’.

Then we have environmentalists, some in the form of rewilders, claiming that cow farts and sheep are destroying the planet. Far better to remove the farmers and hand the land over to them, and for us all to go vegan. Perhaps eating goo concocted in factories owned by Bill Gates and that weird-looking bugger from Facebook. Why not! What could possibly go wrong?

It doesn’t matter from which angle we consider it, doing the best for the environment always works against the best interests of the Welsh.

It’s a good system. Whether it’s a broomstick at Carbon Black (yourself), or a coalface prop at CwmCoedEly (myself). It’s important that anyone who aspires to a career elsewhere, or even to political office, that they have grounding of the real world. There are too may politicians who’s life experience is school, uni, office admin for an MP/MS, and then expect to be elected to rule our country.