Most of you reading this will by now be aware that Tesco is closing its call centre in Cardiff and concentrating its operations in Dundee. Inevitably, this has caused Labour politicos to weep and wail but equally predictably the buggers are also lying, because they will never admit to the political realities at work here.
Don’t get me wrong, this is, fundamentally, an economic decision by a major company, but I guarantee that political influence has been exerted in favour of Dundee, not because those exerting the influence give a toss about Dundee or its people, but Tesco having its major call centre in Dundee, creating more jobs in the city, can be exploited for political advantage. What do I mean by that?
If Scottish nationalism has a heartland, then obviously it’s not in the south, nor is it in the Highlands and the islands, or even the three biggest cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. No, if the SNP and Scottish nationalism have a stronghold, then it’s in Scotland’s fourth largest city, Dundee.
In the September 2014 independence referendum, Scotland voted 55% No 45% Yes, but in Dundee the result was overwhelmingly Yes.
This was followed up by the elections for the Scottish Parliament in 2016, that saw the SNP gain close to 60% of the vote in both of the city’s constituencies.
The Scottish Parliamentary elections were of course followed in June by the EU referendum. Although Dundee voted to remain it was by less than the national figure due to Dundee being – in Scottish terms – something of a depressed area.
The Gross Weekly Pay for Dundee City for full-time workers (2016) was £484.20 against a Scottish average of £536.60. By comparison, the averaged out Gross Weekly Pay for Rhondda Cynon Taf, where many of the staff at the Cardiff call centre live, was £495.40. The figure for Cardiff itself was £532.80, and the Welsh average £492.40.
(Surprisingly, the figure for Swansea was just £470.80, for Merthyr £447.80, Blaenau Gwent £433.90, which suggests that many residents of RCT benefit from Cardiff pay rates, but the benefits of the never-ending investment in Cardiff don’t stretch much further afield.)
After that wee diversion let us return to Dundee and consider the most recent election result, those for the UK general election earlier this month.
As we know, the SNP lost votes and seats across the country, but we can see that Nicola Sturgeon’s party still managed to hold the two Dundee seats with comfortable majorities.
Just as in medieval warfare so in contemporary politics, if your enemy has a citadel, then weakening or capturing it provides a great psychological boost for your troops and damages the morale of your enemy. Equally effective can be winning over the inhabitants, or sowing doubt in their minds. There will be others living far from it who will also be affected by the loss of a citadel.
Which explains why Tesco is concentrating its call centre resources in the SNP stronghold of Dundee and why the move will be subtly presented thus, ‘This is the call centre for the whole of the UK, but of course, if Scotland goes independent it will move south of the border’. The hope being that this will weaken support for the SNP and independence.
The message here is quite clear: the strength of the SNP and the threat of a second independence referendum guarantees that Scotland will be treated well. Not only by direct government intervention, but also by political pressure being exerted on private companies like Tesco to favour Scotland.
But political and economic leverage attaching to considerations of the Union are not confined to Scotland; for we also have to witness the political representatives of murderers, drug-dealers and terrorists demanding £2bn from the UK government for lending their support.
‘Welsh’ Labour’s alleged leader Carwyn Jones splutters and whines but knows there’s nothing he can do about it – nobody’s listening to him because he hasn’t got a single card to play. (Though I wonder how him and the boys would look in balaclavas . . . and I’m sure they could find baseball bats in Cardiff?)
In fact, in a situation like this, Carwyn Jones’s instinctive response is to expose a bit more of his ample belly for tickling, as with his offer to accept nuclear submarines in Milford Haven. Go find something useful to do, Jones, like being clerk to Cwmscwt council, because you’re doing nothing for Wales.
So here’s where I’m going with this. To all of you who voted Labour on June 8th – weren’t you clever!
For the benefit of Labour’s donkey voters, let me try to explain it as simply as I can. ‘Ew votes Labour, right. Now, if there’s a Labour gov’ment up in Lundun, they ignores ew and takes ew for granted. But if there’s a Tory gov’ment up in Lundun, well, they just ignores ew’.
And here’s a special message for Blaenau Gwent, which is a perfect example of the system I’ve just described operating at a more local level. You voted Labour again on the 8th, and now that Carwyn and his gang know you’re no threat, they’re going to shit on you over the Circuit of Wales. And you’ll have no one to blame but yourselves!
♦
But the real culprits in all of this are Plaid Cymru. Because if Plaid Cymru had a message that resonated with the Welsh people then we wouldn’t be in this mess, and people in the poorest part of the country wouldn’t still be voting for the party responsible for their poverty. And Cardiff wouldn’t be losing jobs to Dundee.
Which is why from now on this blog will encourage the creation of a new movement, that might or might not contest elections, but will certainly promote Welsh patriotism and the defence of the Welsh national interest. It will be Wales and Welsh people first and foremost; and will regard all political parties, all Englandandwales organisations, all media outlets, etc., as inimical to the Welsh national interest unless they prove otherwise.
A fresh start is the only way Wales can make progress.
♦ end ♦
I’m surprised Labour Wales haven’t managed to find some way to blame this on Brexit.
I like what you write, even though I’m entirely hard-left and therefore don’t often agree with you on specifics.
Here though, I’m absolutely on side.
Welsh Labour has betrayed us, but that’s just what they do.
The Tories are fucking us but, again, that’s in their nature.
Plaid Cymru has let us down, and this is unforgivable.
I agree. Plaid needs a kick up the arse not the gravy train they’re riding.
Yes it’s very clear Jac, voting for Labour in Wales, keeps the establishment in place and continues the decline of Wales. So that caped crusader,”Charismatic Carwen” couldn’t save the day, not surprising really! Tragically, as you say, without a viable National Party, many continue, self destructively,to vote for Labour, to try to keep the Tories out. Inevitably, the ‘first past the post’ voting system, keeps the same charlatans in power and they have no real respect for Wales.
… ‘It will be Wales and Welsh people first and foremost …’.
But just who is Welsh in Wales? And who determines? And what happens if he/they don’t think I/we are Welsh enough.
It’s all so complicated. And it’s why efforts like yours come to nothing. Why not just talk about Wales and the people currently living in Wales, it’s so much more encompassing.
Karen – “why not just talk about Wales and the people currently living in Wales…. it’s so much more encompassing” and it’s that last bit that’s also the damning bit. I’ve been an intermittent scribbler ( now hailed as “Guest” under this new image )on this blog for a good while and that’s what we do – we talk ( write ) about Wales and its people.
Sadly many of us have concluded a long time ago that there is a significant slice of inhabitants who don’t give a toss about Wales,despite living here. They merely see it as an adjunct to England destined to exist in utter dependency with full dress servility to match ! Some of us don’t like that stance, or the indifference that passes for deeply held beliefs and values among our heavily conditioned populace.
We have the temerity to grasp a different vision, where we can embrace our own identity and culture without persistent attempts to stifle, inhibit or belittle those things we value. Had we come here from the other side of the world no doubt we would be treasured, possibly just fleetingly, by those trendy on-message pseudo socialist types that flit from cause to cause as each season’s fashions change. But hell no, we’ve been here all along and therefore represent an obstacle to something called “progress”.
Fear not dafis – all of us ‘old hands’ know you’re a treasured ‘scribbler’ of long standing on this blog.
As you can see Jac got an urge to tart things up (a change is as good as a rest they say). However, he clean forgot to put a ‘REGISTER’ link in his right hand pane (the general consensus of opinion is that it’s an age related something apparently).
Now that his unpaid admin hireling has drawn his attention to it – the ol’ codger has actually got around to it! It’s a bit hidden mind, but I’m sure he’ll sort that out as well in due course (as long as he’s reminded often enough).
The problem is that all his old mates on here now appear as ‘Guest’. One of those little annoyances in life. Just click on register and go through the process again, then we’ll all see the old DAFIS name reappear as a registered member.
Everyone who identifies as Welsh is Welsh. Regardless of the language they speak or their political alignment. Plaid is crippled by its label as the Welsh language party first and foremost and then cuts its own wrists by trying to make Welsh nationalism a solely Socialist thing.
So in answer to your question who determines who is Welsh – the answer is simple: You. There’s no such thing as Welsh enough or not Welsh enough. Its simply putting being Welsh before your political alignment – putting those divisions aside and embracing what we have in common.
Well said CambroUiDunlainge!
Lloyds Bank announce the closure of their call centre in Dundee with the loss of 250 jobs. BBC News, Scotland 21 June 2017.
Less than 24 hours later, Tesco announce the closure of its Cardiff call centre and seek an additional 250 employees at its Dundee call centre.
Political or just seeing an opportunity and taking it?
The idea that May & and her stooges have time to influence private companies in a plan that suits their needs, whilst the Tory Party is in Scheisse Strasse over terrorism, Grenfell Tower, Brexshit, DUP alliance etc., is far fetched.
Daley! Where’ve you been? We’ve missed you! To think, you’ve been trawling the internet looking for something to use against me and now, after all these months away – you’ve found it! But come, come, Young Daley, surely you aren’t suggesting that politics plays no part in such decisions, ever?
Anyway, Tesco was handy, so I used it to put the boot into Labour and Plaid Cymru.
I searched in the hope that you were right.
Whilst I’m here, do you know if there’s a political blog in Wales that’s as good as Wee Ginger Dug?
Oh, Daley, you beast! You know how to twist the knife.
Here’s something that you could try: –
You know about the Swansea Bay City Region project and how private companies pledged to invest and how the Tory Government had to pledge public money? Of course you do. Well, talk to senior executives in the companies that backed the project and ask them, strictly off-record mind you, about the phone calls they received from the Welsh Office in London before T May signed off the deal.
Note also the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.
Peruse the NAO warning about Hinckley C.
Ask yourself: Given the way that the system operates, would a new political party in Wales make a positive difference or would it be the Welsh equivalent of The Wight Honowable Woy Jenkins’ Social Democratic Party?
You are showing off now, Daley. I don’t know the senior executives in the companies involved.
And I am appalled to read you mock the late Roy Jenkins’ inability to pronounce the letter ‘r’. For shame.
Not a lot of people know this . . . but I was thrown out of a meeting in the Brangwyn being addressed by Roy Jenkins when he was still in the Labour Party, must have been late 60s or early 70s.
He said something along the lines of, ‘I’m a Welshman too’, so I shouted out, ‘You’re no bloody Welshman!’, and before the bouncers could reach me, and drag me away for the customary kicking, an old biddy sitting behind laid into me with her umbrella. Ah, happy days! The cut and thrust of vigorous political debate.
Finally, let me set you straight. I am not necessarily arguing for a new political party. What I wrote was, “a new movement, that might or might not contest elections”.
The issue I foresee is that any perspective fledgling nationalist groups will struggle against Plaid in much the same way Plaid struggles against Labour. There’ll be those who will vote Plaid no matter what like the Labour donkeys you speak of. Best thing to do would be to try convincing some of its public faces its time to change. I’m sure some of them read your blog – so force the conversation. Be ruthless about their electoral “successes” they seem to be patting themselves on the back for.
Bring it on, if enough breath can be found to blow into it.
Jac & I have both been down that route a few times in the past. Both of us were originally members of Plaid, and both of us left at different times for the same reasons, Jac as far back as the sixties. In 2001 I was a vice president of Plaid. I was also one of the founder members of Cymuned. Then got involved with Jac – he was one of the founder members of the Independent Wales Party. I also was a founder member of the regional party Llais Ceredigion.
The same problem was faced by all the parties and NGOs we set up, they were set upon in Herod-like fashion by Plaid – killing us off in our infancy. CYIG was no better (most of them are Plaid members anyway and don’t think too laterally). Instead of teaming up with Cymuned to work as an united front, they also took the Plaid ‘dog in the manger’ route.
On the back of that you have the historic Welsh tendency of not being too reliable when it comes to loyalty to the cause. They start off full of gusto and then fade like the morning mist.
However, if you think it can be achieved – then go for it!
I’m in where do I sign up? Can it get any worse in Wales? Wales is turning into one big playground for the English.
Stay tuned to this channel, Rhod.
I saw you tweet that linked to the blog entry about Cardigan and it’s problems regarding people having been dumped there.
http://www.ilivehere.co.uk/cardigan-creeping-insidiously-from-the-murky-depths-of-the-polluted-teifi-river.html
Now there’s a lot of people who are aware that certain things are happening which are changing their neighbourhoods. There’s this bloke who I speak to often who’s a Welsh-man but a real Brit nat. I asked him how his kids were. He told me his daughter who was a teacher shall we say not too far from Cardigan had thrown in the towel and decided to leave teaching because her village had been deluged with people from over Offa’s Dyke taking up the social housing and bringing with them their problems which naturally over-flowed into the school. He knows my stance and I’ve annoyed him quite a few times. All I said to him once he told me the story about his daughter was “Ah yes…..one of the benefits of being a part of Britain. Makes you proud doesn’t it?” He looked at me and said nothing. He knew he had put his foot in it. But the thing that bothers me is…..there are a lot like him who know that our communities are changing for the worse….but they cannot or will not link in with our relationship with our neighbours. How do we get over this hurdle? Of course, I have directed quite a few to this blog.
The problem isn’t really your BritNat acquaintance, because, as you say, he will not make the connection. The real problem lies with the smug and self-satisfied hypocrites who claim to love Wales, and want greater devolution or even independence, but are either too cowardly to speak out or else think it’s a good thing that Wales is so ‘welcoming’! And it’s these people who control Plaid Cymru.
You’re dead right as ever Jac’. I think you know this already Jac but you are the only media-savvy guy who tells the truth in this Country so you are the one who I’m looking to , to form this new and desperately-needed new political party. Who else is there?
Rhod:
https://jacothenorth.net/blog/wp-login.php?action=register
Jac needs to put a ‘Register’ link in his right hand pane!
Good thinking, Gwilym. I shall work on it.
It’s been staring us in the face since the 60’s, Both parties have kept us at the bottom and we are living in their playground. We are little more than a colony fought over by incomers keen to exploit the weak and stupid.