‘Welsh’ Labour – The “Joke” Party

Woe! Woe! and thrice woe! Tales come from all quarters telling, variously, of Labourites turning on each other like ferrets in a sack; of Il Duce chewing the carpet in impotent rage at the behaviour of a Californian councillor; of a callow yoof in Jamesonia accumulating more ‘jobs’ than a retired government minister; and a prince of Denmark willing to exchange the bracing Baltic air of Copenhagen for the, um, intriguing aromas of Port Talbot-sur-Mer. To begin, with the aforementioned ‘ferrets’ . . .

News broke today of one bruvver in Caerffili referring to other bruvvers as ‘a joke’. The accuser was Councillor Nigel Dix, of Welsh-hating True Wales, who, in one of those hilarious cc e-mail episodes, described local AM Gwyn Price as a joke. Not content with that, he then Nigel Dixextended the description to Comrade Councillor Gez Kirby, who has himself featured on this blog.

Dix is clearly a bit of a preener, who likes to be photographed in what he probably imagines are flat caps and mufflers suitable for twenty-first century socialists. He also plays in a blues band (Rhymni delta blues) and owns a Fender Stratocaster. But the real humour here is that all this name-calling is taking place in Caerffili, one of the most dysfunctional councils in Wales which, by happy chance, also made the news today.

One question must be, will Dix’ indiscretion result in him doing something drastic. Well, if blues man Dix wants to end it all with a midnight tryst at a crossroads, then I’m sure I can borrow a car and play Satan . . . though I ain’t interested in his soul.

UPDATE 27.08.2015: Yes, I know, it’s a bit late . . . but anyway, I am indebted to GE for sending me a copy of the e-mails referred in the above report. Read them here. One thing that struck me was that the guy with whom Dix is having such fun slagging off other bruvvers is Andrew R. Whitcombe, who clearly works at Bridgend College. I trust someone had a word with Comrade Whitcombe about using his Coleg Penybont e-mail account to discuss Labour Party business. But then, this is Wales . . .

Moving west, we come to the City of my Dreams. I have oft-times dealt with the local Labour Party (sometimes I’ve even managed to do so without frightening the cat by laughing out loud). Anyone wanting to read these previous observations should just type ‘Swansea Labour Party’, ‘John Bayliss’, ‘Mitchell Theaker’, ‘DPearleen Sanghaavid Phillips’ (Il Duce), or ‘Pearleen Sangha’ into the Search box at the top of the sidebar.

Now I learn that Pearleen, a councillor for the Santa Cruz Uplands ward, has moved to Cardiff to work full-time for the party machine. I am further led to believe that this will involve working with Mick Antoniw, AM for Pontypridd and self-confessed trustee of The Bevan Foundation, in targeting a couple of Lib Dem seats ahead of the next Assembly elections in 2016. Council leader David Phillips is livid that one of his gang has left without, apparently, telling him. There are a number of issues here.

The fragrant Ms Sangha is from California and was elected to the council – after three recounts – in 2012 straight from Swansea university. She has been home at least twice this year, and regularly swans off to various Labour yoof gatherings. So she knows sod all about Swansea and cares less, yet now she has been recruited to work for the party Mick Antoniwnationally – in a country she doesn’t understand!. Small wonder fellow Uplands councillor John Boy Bayliss – now, at last, gainfully employed – is complaining bitterly about having to do more work; tedious stuff like listening to constituents talking about drains, litter, and next-door’s dog. (This is serious, for Bayliss, Sangha, Theaker and many others belong to Labour’s hedonist wing. They only joined because they heard Labour was a ‘party’.)

By an amazing coincidence, Anglo-Ukrainian Antoniw also washed up in Wales as a student. After studying law he became, ahem, a ‘personal injuries’ lawyer. Antoniw, Sangha and all the other carpetbaggers illustrate the massive problem facing ‘Welsh’ Labour – it’s becoming less and less Welsh! With few Welsh people other than self-haters joining the party nowadays it desperately embraces and promotes anyone who’s under the age of 50, free of halitosis and flatulence and able to read joined-up writing. Of course, this also means that the party is exploited by political adventurers, entryists and dilettantes, who see ‘Welsh’ Labour, with its ‘donkey’ vote, as an easy route to an undemanding political career.

Now we move further west, into Jamesonia (formerly known as Carmarthenshire), and the cautionary tale of young Calum Higgins. Said to be a clever boy, our Calum, meeting the criteria given abovCalum Higginse, which has resulted in him being deluged with work. Though the more I think about it, the more I suspect Calum’s intelligence may be over-rated. I say that because Carmarthenshire council is a house of cards that will very soon topple. Anyone too close to the ruling Labour-Independent coalition will cop some rubble. Consequently, any aspiring politician with an ounce of political nous would not be hitching his wagon to the falling stars on Jail Hill. Of course, there is the possibility that Calum is sincere, and believes in the Labour Party . . . which would only confirm my assessment.

Finally, we reach out – unworthy though we may be – to the ‘Welsh’ Labour pantheon, wherein dwell Ma and Pa Kinnock, reclining on their EU millions. Their daughter-in-law, Helle Thorning-Schimdt, is the Prime Minister of Denmark . . . yes, she of the infamous ‘selfie’ with Obama and Cameron at the Mandela funeral. It may be of significance that even though she has a double-barrelled name Kinnock is not one of those ‘barrels’.

Anyway, the son / husband is Stephen Kinnock, and he has expressed an interest in standing for the Aberavon Westminster seat, when Hywel Francis, son of miners’ leader, Dai, steps down in 2015. Though his wife thinks the ambition “unusual”. Kinnock Junior seems currently to be the Managing Director of GLTE, which forms part of xynteo, but now rather fancies a change of direction. But why? Well, the news I’m getting from my sources in the Danish parliament is that Stephen Kinnock wakes up regularly from a nightmare, the narrative of which runs thus: Him and the missus are at a Buck House garden party. Beti comes over, they are introduced, and – as she does – says, ‘And what do you do, Mr Thorning-Schmidt?’ At which point he runs off, screaming, into the shrubbery, pursued by corgies and SAS ‘waiters’. Stephen Kinnock

I jest, of course. But if the Labour Party picks for Aberavon a man who works in Switzerland, has a family in Denmark, who’s had trouble with tax authorities, and who may be untruthful about his own sexuality, then it will be further confirmation of the contempt with which it regards its ‘donkey’ voters. It will also reaffirm that ‘Welsh’ Labour is as unfussed about the hereditary principle as the Hapsburgs or the rulers of North Korea.

To conclude. Some people think I’m cruel towards the bruvvers and the sissters. But think about it . . . yes, I put my own spin on things, but no one can accuse me of making anything up. It all comes on a platter, gift-wrapped. The issue isn’t that there are ‘jokes’ in Welsh Labour, more that the whole stinking structure is a joke.

P.S. I’ve just heard that at tonight’s City Carol Service in the Collegiate and Parish Church of St. Mary’s there were bishops present, and peers, AMs and MPs, mayors from neighbouring towns, and many other worthies – but not a single member of the ruling Labour group on Swansea city council. Just rows of empty seats.

Maybe this reluctance to be seen in public accounts for Labour spending some £2,000 on a two-page Christmas spread in the Evening Post, showing photographs of all 49 Labour councillors. Giving those who voted Labour the chance to see what their out-of-town councillors look like. I just hope it’s the Labour Party and not the council paying for this extravagance.

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Anonymous

Jac North a none entity full of self importance and speaks for no one

Anonymous

utter crap

Laurence Williams

I’m loving it on this blog! You people should be in Parliament, not those other tossers! Nadolig Llawen. Laurence Williams

Anonymous

you mean sweeping it

iestyn

In fairness to Nigel Dix, when questioned by the Western Mail, he didn’t try to cover up, or weasle out. He basically said “I’m sorry that this came out the way it did, but it is what I think. The AM’s useless, and so’s the chief whip”. Whatever we think of the party, and of the individuals making up the party, it was lovely to see a councillor speaking his mind with no spin or media management.

That being said, I can go back to my usual state of total disrespect to the Labour Party in all it’s disguises…

Anonymous

lots but opted for the truth you dickhead

treforus

I love the Kinnock speculation. It’s another proof of my theory that, outside of North Korea, no party is more firmly wedded to the hereditary principle than Labour. I would have said Welsh Labour especially but I’m not so sure now because the party is essentially hollow and dependent on middle-class incomers and not its old industrial base. The old families seem to have given up. Kinnock is eyeing Aberafan. Remember the Heycocks?

One day I suspect that Welsh Labour will simply implode but I’ve no idea what will replace it.

Not-A-Donkey-Voter!

I think voting will become (vastly!) more a middle class trend/thing than a working class one. I have asked many working class youngsters/co-workers if they intended to vote or ever intended to vote and I’m seriously gobsmacked by the apathy and lack of intent for them to ever do so.

Another thing that I’ve noticed also is growing older generation working class contempt and apathy for politicians and their parties. If only I was paid a Pound for every time I’ve heard “They’re all the f*****g same, and only in it for what they can get.”!

In the short term? All this should seriously worry Labour especially when it comes to constituencies like Gower for example. Apathy/contempt from the working class on two fronts could be absolutely devastating to Labour! A plus maybe? Potential Labour voters will not be treated with contempt and have to be seriously listened to.

Anonymous

jaco you look like a 3rd rate B movie detective

Anonymous

sorry wrong again it was Plaid who appointed these guys into their jobs of chief and deputy executives , it was poor old Cllr Mann again >plaid are a disaster first we had the £15 million Icelandic fiasco then the car loan and holiday buy all under the Nats , they are incapable of running a bring and buy stall

Not-A-Donkey-Voter!

The Kinnocks? Aberavon? Oh boy! That family has done so awfully well for itself riding that ‘Labour movement’ gravy train express? I wonder what Labour cannon-fodder ‘rewarded’ *cough, cough, cough* nomination/selection for places and constituencies like Henley-on-Thames etc must all be thinking?

Not-A-Donkey-Voter!

The Labour Party just cannot help spinning? I have just read on BBC Wales News quote: “Mr Kinnock has already spent time in the Aberavon constituency to canvas people’s views on a range of issues and he has also sought advice from his parents – former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and the former Labour MEP Glenys Kinnock”.

Yep! The party is obviously fully aware that Kinnocks locality connection(s)/credentials (zero?) to represent Aberavon are almost certainly going to be questioned. I’d guess I’ve spent vastly more time in Port Talbot than him i.e. working as a lanyard and harness free steel erector on a Otto Simon Carves Ltd contract. Maybe he should have done a bit of that himself? Something like that would make him a lot more ‘down to earth’ (excuse the pun!) and deserving of Aberavon M.P status? Kinnock jr? A true Working class representative and defender of?

Anonymous

Jac this site is utter crap

shambo

Does this mean that Ms Sangha has given up her part-time role as constituency officer for Swansea West Labour MP Geraint Davies?

Glyn Morris

Mick Antoniw, is AM for Pontypridd Jac

Anonymous

that’s not the only thing , you are confused full stop

Glen

John Morris was the MP for Aberafan before Hywel Francis, Dai Francis was a former leader of South Wales NUM.

Alwyn ap Huw

Dai Francis was a trades union leader and was never elected to Westminster, his son Francis succeeded John Morris as MP for Aberafan

save penrhos

I’m more than a little bit convinced that Pearleen Sangha was up here on Ynys Mon (Anglesey to the geographically challenged) during the Assembly by-election in August gone. I have a recollection of speaking to a young lady who bore more than a striking resemblance to here, who not only had no idea of any of the major issues on the island (including Wylfa), but had to look at a leaflet when asked what the name of her Labour candidate was.

Surprisingly they were annihalated in a massive swing from Labour to Plaid.