News

Badger and the political animal

Published

9 years ago

March 4, 2015

bearbadger1 WHAT A tumultuous week it has been since Badger put paw to keyboard for his last article. That nice Mr Bryn Parry Jones has been packed off to his Llangwarren stronghold, there to lend his garden and plot hideous revenge. I am sure that you will be shocked to learn, readers, that there is little doubt that Beloved Chief Bryn’s period of absence was not the result of any sudden moral impulse on the part of the Council’s IPPG leader Jamie Adams. No, leaders: Jamie is not a man given to sudden sentiment or hi-falutin’ principle when it comes to matters political and administrative. Jamie will have made his judgement on political grounds. And that, readers, as far as Badger is concerned, is nothing for which Jamie needs to be ashamed. Badger has written before about politics being the art of the possible. And it is the persistent and disturbing series of public revelations about the CEO’s conduct that has made his “period of absence” not only possible but — to Jamie — positively desirable. “Politics” has become a dirty word. It has fallen almost as low in people’s estimation as politicians themselves. How often do you hear David Cameron or Ed Milliband deride each other for “playing politics” about one or another big issue of the day? It is as though even the leaders of political parties want to deny their own political natures and the manoeuvring and complex interrelationships that brought them to positions of power. Politics, readers, is not a game. Still less does it deserve to have any pejorative unpleasantness attached to it. Politics is, at heart, the way of behaving as a member of a group or a member of society. It is related to concepts such as politeness and the way in which we all interact with each other, whether in groups or as individuals. That

readers, is all “politics” of one sort or another. When Badger sees people complaining about there being “too much politics” or sees buffoons like Nigel Farage bounce up and decry politics as being inherently and fundamentally at odds with the interests of the people (whoever he thinks they are!), Badger cringes. The problem is not that there is too much politics but that there is not enough, readers. So when Badger sees Jamie Adams being criticised for making a political decision, it rather strikes Badger that the IPPG leader is being criticised for being a fish and swimming in the sea. That is not to say Badger in any way endorses the [PPG leader, still less the !PPG members. However, within the constraints of the County Council’s political and administrative system, it was necessary for Jamie to reach a decision that would accrue political advantage to him and to his group and he did. And advantage has flowed. Those members of the MPG prone to bitching and grumbling have been shown to be paper tigers. “Prepared to wound but not to strike”, as the saying goes. Over the last week there have been rumours of wars and unrest within the IPPO. People were said to be ringing round, expressing misgivings at the group’s closeness to Bryn and the choppiness of the waters in which they were sailing. All sorts of names were swirling around as being “concerned”. Having gazed into the future the MPG membership has, however, blinked. Recent events have concentrated their minds on the end of their journey on the gravy train. Let’s say you were an IPPO member, readers. Don’t worry, it’s only pretend. Let’s say you were getting not only your allowance but also remuneration for a committee post and a nice cosy appointment to an outside body that provided prestige, payment or both.

You have it pretty cosy where you are. Not exactly money for nothing, but an income that is not dependent on skills, training or even intelligence. Imagine being an MPG Councillor like Daphne Bush, for example. Now, imagine throwing all of that to the winds on a gamble. You do not need a penetrating intellect of the type Daphne possesses to think that you are better staying inside where it is warm and cosy, instead of venturing forth into uncertainty. And that, readers, is also a political decision. Not a very laudable one, certainly; but understandable and human. Because if the ranks of the opposition had been able to present a united and credible front and some sort of hope to potential IPPG defectors that they would not be cast out into the outer darkness or mocked for being Johnny-come-latelys to the cause of virtue, then the political decision to be made by IPPG members would have been and would continue to be that much harder. Badger has quite a lot of time for Councillor Bob Kilmister, leader of the Pembrokeshire Alliance. He at least has some vision for the future. But Bob’s difficulty is that since its launch the Alliance has not attracted a single new member on the Council. Even Stephen Joseph did not join them. The sentiment is good, the message sound, the ability to deliver remains in doubt. Labour leader Paul Miller is a polarising figure, even within his own party. He shows little sign or ability of being able to form the type of coalition necessary to oust the !PPG. Distracted, perhaps, by the prospect of fighting for Parliament within the next few months, he is possibly too tightly focused on the Paul Miller Project than leading an effective opposition. The Conservatives are a negligible force, demonstrably too close to the IPPG — which is, in reality, carrying out an agenda of semi-privatisation of services

and cost cutting which would be heartily endorsed by their own national party. The fact that the group managed to vote three separate ways on one vital issue is evidence that they are less of a party than a loose gathering. There are notable individual voices on the Council, who cling to the principle that it is the duty of an opposition to hold the executive to effective account. It is tragic for Pembrokeshire that the most able of those voices are unable to cohere around a uniting set of principles and offer a real alternative for Pembrokeshire’s electors. To some of those, but by no means all, Badger suggests that high personal principle is all very well, but some low political calculation would serve Pembrokeshire better. It is into the gap the opposition have left to him that Jamie Adams and the WPC have stepped. Jamie Adams, the man whose party ostensibly was formed as a reaction to party politics, has shown that in the jungle at PCC, and in the present circumstances, he is the most political animal of all.

Community

Castle tearoom serves up new sensory-friendly sessions

Published

5 mins ago

April 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

NEW sensory-friendly sessions at a popular castle tearoom will enable visitors with additional needs to enjoy a welcoming and accommodating environment tailored to their specific requirements.

As part of an initiative to boost engagement with a more diverse audience, Carew Castle, which is run by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, will be running a new Quiet Hour and Power Hour at Nest Tearoom on the second Monday of each month.

The Quiet Hour, designed to provide a safe space for anyone who feels anxious or overwhelmed when out in public, will take place between 9am and 10am, before the Castle opens. Bright lighting and noise will be kept to a minimum and visitors will be able to enjoy quieter activities in a relaxing environment.

The Power Hour is scheduled for 4.30pm to 5.30pm and offers an energetic and engaging session, tailored to promote physical movement and social engagement. The aim is to create an opportunity for individuals who thrive in more active settings to connect with others, without concern for excessive noise or social interaction.

Manager of Carew Castle, Daisy Hughes, said: “We are thrilled to introduce these new sensory-friendly sessions at Carew Castle, as part of our ongoing commitment to accessibility and inclusivity.

“The Quiet Hour and Power Hour sessions aim to cater to the specific needs of our visitors, providing them with an environment where they can truly be themselves. As well as being able to use the café facilities, visitors will be able to explore the Castle garden. For those who wish to explore the Castle, entry is free with a Carers Card. Otherwise, normal entry fees apply.”

The Castle, which was named Pembrokeshire Visitor Attraction of the Year in last year’s Croeso Awards isn’t the only Park Authority-run site to adapt the visitor experience to accommodate more diverse audiences. A Sunday morning Quiet Hour was introduced at Castell Henllys Iron Age Village in 2019 to encourage people who would not otherwise have visited the site to come along and discover more about the lives of their ancient ancestors.

To learn more about the sensory-friendly sessions and to plan your visit, please contact Carew Castle directly on 01646 651782 or visit www.carewcastle.com. Further information about Castell Henllys’ Quiet Hour can be found at www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/castell-henllys/about-castell-henllys/accessibility-2/.

Community

Four-day community engagement at Haverfordwest Castle Square

Published

19 mins ago

April 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THOMAS Baden Tudor, Chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council and local councillor for Castle Ward, says he was delighted to participate in the opening of the “Sharing The Square” event. The four-day programme, running from April 24 to 27 at Haverfordwest Castle Square, invites the community to exchange memories and ideas for the future development of this historic area.

The initiative, in collaboration with local artists and Pembrokeshire County Council, aims to collect community input on potential improvements and address existing challenges in the square. The event also seeks to enhance the connectivity with the adjacent Haverfordwest Castle, focusing on pedestrian routes from the square to the castle.

A variety of public activities are scheduled to take place during the event. These include gardening, creative workshops, games, and musical performances, ensuring an engaging experience for all attendees. Among the highlights is an art workshop led by renowned artist Janetka Platun. Her session titled “What is Lost and What is Found?” offers participants of all ages and abilities the chance to develop model-making skills. Each attendee will create a small model housed in an acrylic box, using diverse and intriguing materials.

Local community groups have been invited to reserve a slot for this free workshop, which is available on the afternoons of 24th, 25th, and the morning and afternoon of 27th April. The project aims to provide a platform for residents to reflect on their personal connections to the square and envision its future.

Further details on the ongoing and future activities can be found on the project’s official website at www.sharingthesquare.org, and updates are regularly posted on their Instagram account @sharingthesquare.

The event has already attracted attention with various stakeholders, including Randell Izaiah Thomas-Turner, Danielle Thomas-Turner, and Guy Norman from Spacetocreate, contributing to the discussions and activities.

Photos from today’s activities can be viewed at The Edge Youth Centre’s social media, highlighting the community’s enthusiastic participation in shaping the future of Haverfordwest Castle Square.

Business

Steelworkers’ Union presses Tata to adopt expert plan ahead of talks

Published

8 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE Steelworkers’ union, Community, is pressing Tata Steel UK to scrap its bad deal for steel and commit to the alternative Multi-Union Plan ahead of crucial talks with the company this week.

The call follows a meeting between steel unions and Tata officials last week, and the publication of a new report from industry experts Syndex which slams Tata’s approach for pursuing ‘what’s cheap’ over ‘what’s best’. The report highlights that the company’s current proposal – which would cut around 2,800 jobs in South Wales by moving production at Port Talbot to a single 3mt Electric Arc Furnace – comes with significant risks, and would make Tata Steel UK an outlier in Europe.

In contrast, Syndex describes the Multi-Union Plan as “the only solution offering to maintain all the volume currently produced by Tata Steel UK” providing “a future for all the company’s assets and a roadmap for a just transition under the constraint of the financial hurdles and the reality of market dynamics for the UK steel industry.”

Community General Secretary Roy Rickhuss said: “During our meeting with Tata last week, members of the National Trade Union Steel Coordinating Committee provided our final conclusions on the company’s restructuring proposals: namely that the company’s plan is reckless; that it weakens national security by removing Britain’s primary steelmaking capacity; and that it would have devastating consequences for steel communities in South Wales and beyond.

“Our Multi-Union Plan is a credible alternative to Tata’s destructive scheme. It would safeguard the future of Port Talbot steelmaking, protect all the downstream plants, save thousands of jobs and can be delivered with no compulsory redundancies.

“It is not too late for Tata to do the right thing and adopt the Multi-Union Plan – and we hope that they will take this step. However, should the company choose to reject it, we will fight them every step of the way. To enable us to do this, we will need the strongest possible mandate from our ongoing industrial action ballot. For that reason, I am urging all our members to vote ‘YES’ and ‘YES’ and return their ballot papers at the earliest opportunity.”

Community’s Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid said: “Syndex’s new report demonstrates clearly that our Multi-Union Plan is viable and sustainable, whilst Tata’s proposals are reckless and harmful. The company must change course, and the UK Government need to step up too. Our alternative plan would require additional investment from the government – taking total public support for the decarbonisation of Port Talbot to £950m overall – but this is still significantly less than the support packages other governments are providing to green their steel industries. It’s also in line with the £3bn Green Steel Fund the Labour Party has guaranteed to deliver in the next parliament.

“We are at a critical moment, and the choices that Tata and the government make now will reverberate for generations to come. The fundamental question here is whether we want to be a country that makes its own steel, or a country that imports it – as would be inevitable under Tata’s damaging proposal. With the spectre of a CBAM exemption for India hanging over free trade talks, we risk under current plans becoming little more than a simple processor for imported Indian Steel. We can’t allow our industry to be sacrificed on the altar of Rishi Sunak’s search for a legacy.

“With so much at stake, we are urging our members to vote ‘YES and ‘YES’ in our industrial action ballot to enable us to fight to maintain blast furnace steelmaking into the 2030s and to prevent compulsory redundancies.”

Leading South Wales steel MPs have also thrown their support behind Community and the GMB’s Multi-Union Plan.

Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberavon, said: “As industry experts at Syndex have laid out this week, the Multi-Union Plan is a detailed, serious, robust and compelling proposal for the future of the Port Talbot steelworks and it has my full and unequivocal support. It’s the only realistic route to retaining our customer base, and it’s also the only credible pathway to a strong, competitive and profitable future for steel-making in Port Talbot and throughout the downstream plants across Wales and the UK. By contrast Tata’s shortsighted and counter-productive plan will mean exporting jobs from Port Talbot to India, a country where steel plants have a far higher carbon footprint.

“It’s vital that steel is at the heart of a forward-looking industrial strategy, which is why Labour has pledged £3billion to support the industry over the next decade.”

Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East which includes Llanwern Steelworks, said: “Tata and Rishi Sunak’s bad deal for steel would represent a huge blow to our steel industry and steel communities like our own in Newport. The deal would also leave the UK country dependent on imported steel from heavy-polluting countries at a time of global uncertainty.

“It doesn’t have to be this way, and the Multi-Union Plan for steel which Community and GMB have put forward represents a viable alternative to protect jobs and preserve steelmaking capacity here in South Wales. I urge Tata to think again and change course from their damaging proposals.”