Three Gems From The Mule

1/ Today the WM managed to run a front page story (continued inside) on what the rest of the media knows as the Swansea measles epidemic (even making an international disaster alert site!) . . . but the Mule managed to cover the story without  mentioning Swansea! Instead, the writer, Julia measlesMcWatt, wrote the report in terms of health board areas, which would have meant nothing to most people. Suggesting the story may have been written up from press releases by someone not familiar with the area involved. Though I’ve noticed over the years that the Mule is rather good at not mentioning Swansea, even in stories that obviously concern the city. Either that, or it gives a clunky reference that betrays the source of the story as being outside of Wales, as with the next example.

2/ For also in today’s issue (‘Business in Wales’ section) was a piece about house prices in UK cities – what is it with the Mule and property values? (Click to enlarge.) There was absolutely nothing of Welsh interest in the story, no Welsh references whatsoever, until the final paragraph, which said, Swansea in South Wales came in 11th place on the “most affordable list”, with prices at 4.43 times average local earnings. Though House pricesas it wasn’t in quotation marks, I assumed that the last paragraph was written by the claimed author, Siôn Barry. Almost certainly this piece was lifted from some external source, but Siôn Barry is Welsh so why would he think it necessary to tell his readers that Swansea is in “South Wales”!

And while most of us would regard Swansea’s relatively low house prices as a good thing, knowing how the Mule sees these matters – forever eulogising over property prices soaring beyond the dreams of locals in places like Solfa and Abersoch – this piece may have been an attempt to portray Swansea unfavourably. Moving on, and saving the best for last . . .

3/ Yesterday ‘The National Newspaper of Wales’, in a desperate attempt to fill pages, used up nearly two of them trying to identify who might be surprise Eli Walkerselections for the British & Irish Lions on their tour of Australia in June. According to Simon Thomas the “ultimate wild-card for selection” could be exciting young Ospreys wing, Eli Walker. We were even given a pic of the boy in full flight, with a would-be tackler sprawling in his wake. (Click to enlarge.)

Unfortunately, this piece turned out to be one of the worst timed articles in journalistic history, for on the very day it was published, young Eli Walker was undergoing scheduled surgery, which means he won’t be playing for anyone for around three months. Now if there’s one thing I thought we could depend on it was the Wasting Mule’s rugby Eli Walkercoverage. You know, more spies inside the Welsh game than the KGB used to have at Oxbridge. But if the Wasting Mule no longer has its finger on the pulse of Welsh rugby then what is there left to believe in? Oh! the anomie!

28.03.2013: They just keep coming!: Today’s issue gave us another gem, this time in the Letters pages. Mynydd y GwairA writer warns of the damage done to peat bogs by wind turbines and makes a reference to Mynydd y Gwair, on the northern outskirts of Swansea. (Dealt with here, here and here.) Yet it was reproduced by the Mule as “Mynyddy Gwais”! How the hell can a rag calling itself ‘the National Newspaper of Wales’ allow such an obvious mistake to appear?

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David

Seen the article today on Patagonia. Basically, the Welsh are colonizers.

Jac

Written by some Californian academic who probably sees racism and colonialism everywhere. Note that she’s at Swansea University, that production line for English Labour activists. How the hell did our Welsh universities degenerate to this? And Swansea is building another bloody campus for a few thousand more of the buggers . . . while the Welsh Government pays Welsh students to go to England and never return. Devolution!

Big Gee

A report like that should suit the WM down to the ground! It’s all part of a pattern to make the English/ Welsh border more fuzzy – it’s so blatantly obvious it’s sickening.

David

O/T
Have you seen a report commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government and undertaken by Ms Haywood otherwise known as Mrs Hain? I’ve only seen mention of it in Golwg this week. She’s still pushing for the Cheshire city Region and claims there is no border between Cheshire and north east Wales. The report claims that locals, visitors and businesses don’t see a border. Apparently, it’s and “independent” report. 🙂

Jac

I commented on this about six months ago (in one of the posts I have yet to salvage from Blogger via RSSOwl).

The worry here is that this woman is helping shape policy that will have far reaching implications for Wales. The same as with English civil servants in the Planning Inspectorate deciding how many new houses are to be built. Or placemen in health authorities closing hospitals and increasing our dependence on England. Then there’s officers taking over the running of our councils. What do they all have in common? For a start, most of these people are English; second, they don’t have a democratically cast vote between them. So much for devolution, and letting Wales solve her own problems. Devolution is the biggest political con trick ever perpetrated. And too many Welsh are still falling for it.

As for the West Cheshire Plan, I feel this should be of national, rather than just local, concern. To show unity against these LDPs and other plots we should of course fight in our own areas, but I would also like to see the opposition focus on the north east and Carmarthenshire. Because unless we start thinking nationally the trend of the past half century will continue – losing a little bit every year, unnoticed, to the point where most of Wales is, to all intents and purposes, English.

I shall be posting a major article soon on this subject. It will offend some, annoy many, but I will say what I think needs to be said.

Big Gee

Whilst being an ex rugby player with full college colours, and a trial for Glamorgan Wanderers under my belt from way back in 1973, I’m obviously a lifelong rugby fanatic. There ends my confession.

But I HATE the Western Mail (including it’s amateurish rugby coverage – usually a regurgitation of what’s said each weekend by pundits on the Scrum V show on Sunday evening). The WM portrays a deep knowledge and great inside contacts, in reality the average 15 year old who follows rugby could do better. Especially when it comes to Simon Thomas. Little wonder he wasn’t aware that Eli Walker underwent an operation on his back this week. Say no more.

However the REAL reason I hate the paper is because it was founded by the 3rd Marquis of Bute (that’s a Cardiffcentric sickener to start with – do you wonder why it gives Abertawe short change?). Secondly it’s owned now by the Trinity Mirror Publishing Group, whose flagship paper is the Daily Mirror. British, colonial & shit filled with royalist propaganda. I wouldn’t put it down on the floor for my dog for him to shit ON it.

Don’t waste your dosh on it Jac!