News

Badger and the pilot of the future

Published

10 years ago

February 26, 2015

MANY years ago, the older among you will remember there was a comic called The Eagle, the main star of which was chiseljawed English spaceman Dan Dare. Along with his faithful companion Digby, Dan Dare fl ew the good ship Anastasia around our solar system and beyond righting interplanetary wrongs with the aid of his trusty left hook.

Of course, readers, Frank Hampson’s optimistic take on the future of space exploration, and in particular the United Kingdom’s leading role in providing crack pilots to Space Fleet, has become hackneyed and kitsch in a way The Eagle’s young readers would not have believed. Badger is not inclined to nostalgia, readers: the here and now is just fi ne by him. Whenever people bang on about how much better the past was, he always reaches for a large pinch of salt. Whenever politicians bang on about the past or appeal to some sort of inchoate and misty common memory, Badger reaches for a shotgun.

Badger has written before about UKIP: The provisional wing of the Monster Raving Looney Party. Last week UKIP gained its first elected MP. A curious looking cove called Douglas Carswell, who for the previous nine years of his political life had brayed along with the best of them behind David Cameron, last month jumped ship to Nigel Farage’s Barmy Army and immediately sought a fresh mandate from his electors. The wonderfully-named Mark Reckless, the MP for Rochester and Strooooood (BBC pronunciation) who rather sounds like the type of character from Dan Dare who ends up trapped by the Mekon in the third story panel, decided subsequently that he would also joint a party whose appeal is not so much retro as a re-tread of all those fi lms in which upper lips were stiff and good old Blighty showed the way to world, or at least the fi endish foreigners who threatened Blighty’s right to rule it. Now, readers, apart from a passing resemblance to the Mekon, which is what started Badger off down this particular route, Douglas Carswell has not much to do with Dan Dare.

Well, not unless we look upon him as someone who demonstrates what someone should do if they change sides and join another party. Not so much a ‘pilot’ in the usual sense we understand then, but as someone who shows the way a politician should act if they ‘cross the fl oor’. Or in the case of members of Pembrokeshire County Council, surrender to the dark side. Of course, Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless say they have not acted out of anything other than principle in leaving one party and joining another. Badger can be – and is – cynical about many things, not least politicians who leave one party to join another, but having done so they both stepped down as MP’s and sought a fresh mandate. It is a tragic waste of their fine example that it was wasted on a group of saloon bar bores and dingbats like UKIP.

Imagine if Messrs Carswell’s and Reckless’ example applied to Pembrokeshire, readers. Sue Perkins defected, but did not put herself to a fresh electoral test. Perhaps 2012 was a close enough call for her and she did not trust her electorate’s good judgement to return her when she betrayed them after the election. The Pope of Neyland, Simon Hancock, did not have to put himself through an election in 2012. He simply played a word game after it. You have to wonder, however, how many of his constituents would vote for him in a contested election after he has presided over cuts in social care and local services and introduced charges for day centre use for the elderly on practically no empirical evidence. Stephen Joseph would have been back and forward to the polls a couple of times. Or perhaps just once.

Bob Kilmister, Jonathan Nutting and Peter Stock would have sought reelection, as would David Bryan. And now Alison Lee would be facing the voters seeking their endorsement for joining a group under the leadership of a person in whom she had no confi dence as recently as a few weeks ago. It is not a question of wrong and right. It is a question of the electorate not being swindled if a councillor changes their mind once through the doors of the gravy train. Badger does not criticise all the decisions councillors make. No. Badger wants to make it clear, readers, that the root of many of Pembrokeshire’s longer term problems stem from further afi eld in Cardiff Bay and Westminster. But the way in which the majority of county councillors have demonstrated the judgement of stunned cuttlefishes, the combined intelligence of a tin of tomato soup, and the spinelessness of a small rubber chickens on springs has caused him to despair. Readers: What confidence can we have in the majority of our elected members if they keep on behaving in such self-evidently self-serving ways?

And the worst thing is that, apart from Jamie’s spymaster, Rob Summons, none of the governing group stood as anything other than a pretended independent. Too gutless to stand on principle – or bereft of them – they collectively perpetrated the type of dishonesty one should only expect from merchant bankers. Which is how Badger thinks of many (not all) of them: A great big set of merchant bankers. Pembrokeshire now faces grave challenges, readers. Some want to do away with our political autonomy and destroy our local democracy. Leighton Andrews, who has refused to be interviewed by this newspaper about his moronic plan to gut Welsh local government like a fi sh, represents one challenge. The looming budget problems, represent another. So Badger would like to propose a radical solution to our county councillors.

Not just to the IPPG, but to all our councillors, even the ones Badger likes. Stand down. All of you. Then, present yourselves at the ballot box clearly setting out your programme to address Pembrokeshire’s problems and your constituent’s concerns. No generic partisan bollocks. Make your pledges personal and direct. Be prepared to be judged by how you perform against them. None of this hiding behind the label ‘independent’, no crappy, clever-clever word games: Tell people what you believe in, what you want to do, and how you intend to go about achieving it. Badger’s friend Old Grumpy is often fond of saying that turkeys don’t vote for Christmas. Well, Pembrokeshire’s electorate did not vote for the type of crass posturing we have seen from County Hall in the last couple of years. County Hall’s politics needs a proper realignment. So come on, councillors. Set a direction. Get a mandate. Follow it through. Or, instead of being turkeys voting for Christmas, are you just chicken?

Crime

Whitland farmers face 16 animal welfare and identification charges

Published

2 hours ago

May 19, 2025

Court Reporter

A 79-YEAR-OLD farmer from Whitland is facing a string of serious animal welfare and regulatory charges following an investigation at Penycraig Farm in Carmarthenshire.

Thomas Raymond Jones, of The Flats, St John Street, Whitland, appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Friday (May 16), where he pleaded guilty to two offences and not guilty to a further fourteen.

Martha Christine Randell of Tawelan, Bronwydd Road, Carmarthen was also charged with the same set of offences and leaded the same way.

The charges, brought by Carmarthenshire County Council, stem from alleged breaches of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, the Cattle Identification Regulations 2007, and the Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (Wales) Regulations 2014.

Among the most serious allegations, Mr Jones and Mrs Randell are accused of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by failing to provide a suitable environment, proper diet, or medical treatment. He has pleaded not guilty to this offence.

They aer also charged with causing unnecessary suffering to nine lame cattle by failing to obtain veterinary treatment – a second offence under the Animal Welfare Act, to which he also pleaded not guilty.

However, the pair admitted two offences:

Failing to meet the welfare needs of bovine animals by not providing dry lying areas and allowing access to a cow carcass.
Failing to comply with animal by-product regulations by not ensuring the timely removal and secure storage of dead livestock, thus posing a risk to public and animal health.

Additional not guilty pleas were entered in relation to:

Failing to provide feed and water to a cow and a calf.
Obstructing a veterinary inspector during an official visit.
Failing to keep proper veterinary medicine records.
Failing to report the deaths and movements of animals and loss of cattle passports.
Keeping untagged bison, and
Failing to register two bulls within the required timeframe.

In total, the defendants are facing 16 separate charges. The offences span multiple dates between February and March 2024 and relate to alleged mismanagement of both companion animals and livestock.

Magistrates adjourned the case to June 13 for case management. The defendants, who are represented by Richard Griffiths Solicitors, were excused from attending the next hearing.

(Image: File photo of bison)

Charity

Shelter Cymru responds to draft Homelessness and Social Housing Allocations Bill

Published

2 hours ago

May 19, 2025

Tom Sinclair

SHELTER CYMRU has today responded to the Welsh Government’s publication of the draft Homelessness and Social Housing Allocations Bill.

The draft legislation is the culmination of several years of work, shaped by the recommendations of the Expert Review Panel on Ending Homelessness — a panel on which Shelter Cymru was proud to sit. Drawing on its experience supporting over 12,000 households each year affected by the housing emergency, the charity has long called for many of the changes proposed.

The Bill is expected to include key measures that:

Strengthen the focus on preventing homelessness, moving away from a crisis-driven response;
Introduce new duties on public bodies to take action against homelessness;
Remove barriers to support for individuals and families at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness;
Reform the way social housing is allocated, ensuring those in greatest need are prioritised.

Ruth Power, Chief Executive of Shelter Cymru, said: “The publication of the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocations Bill is a landmark moment with the potential to deliver real, transformative change in how we address homelessness in Wales.

“Shelter Cymru has long championed many of the proposals expected in the Bill — including a stronger emphasis on prevention and widening access to support. As Wales’ national housing and homelessness advice charity, we see first-hand the limitations of the current system. Too often, people are forced to reach crisis point before they can access the help they need. Opportunities to prevent homelessness are frequently missed.

“We look forward to scrutinising the full details of the legislation and working collaboratively with the Welsh Government and partners to ensure the final Bill includes all the changes desperately needed. It is essential that the ambitions in the Bill are matched by the resources required to make them a reality — including ensuring everyone can access the advice and support they need to realise their housing rights.

“With more than 11,000 people in Wales currently homeless and living in temporary accommodation, we must seize the opportunity this Bill presents to deliver meaningful and lasting change.”

Farming

FUW and MP call for fairer treatment of farmers in supply chains

Published

2 hours ago

May 19, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Cross-party support grows for reforms to Groceries Code Adjudicator and better food labelling

THE FARMERS’ UNION OF WALES has met with Brecon, Radnor & Cwm Tawe MP David Chadwick to discuss a series of pressing issues affecting Welsh farmers—chief among them, the urgent need to secure fairer prices and treatment for primary producers within the UK’s food supply chains.

The meeting follows a campaign led by the Welsh Liberal Democrat MP to strengthen the powers of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), which regulates the relationship between major supermarkets and their suppliers, including farmers. Mr Chadwick has raised repeated concerns in Parliament about the treatment of farmers by large retailers, arguing that the current system lacks the enforcement power and scope needed to protect producers’ interests.

Established in 2013, the GCA has faced growing criticism over its limited resources and inability to effectively tackle structural imbalances in the supply chain. In a Westminster Hall debate earlier this year, Mr Chadwick called for major reforms and drew attention to what he described as systemic unfairness in the sector.

The Brecon, Radnor & Cwm Tawe MP is now backing the cross-party Food Supply Chain Fairness Bill, introduced in March by Alistair Carmichael MP, Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. The Bill seeks to bolster the role of the GCA and includes further measures such as increased public procurement of locally sourced food and stricter origin labelling requirements.

FUW Deputy President Dai Miles welcomed the discussion, saying:

“The FUW has long argued that the Westminster Government must take meaningful action to redress the imbalance of power between primary producers, processors and retailers.

“The GCA was a step in the right direction, but it’s become clear that it lacks the teeth to effectively protect farmers and producers. We were pleased to meet with David Chadwick MP and discuss how we can ensure farmers are given a stronger, fairer voice within the supply chain.”

The meeting also addressed wider challenges facing Welsh agriculture, including the implications of the UK-US trade agreement and ongoing concerns about proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR), which could have significant tax implications for farming families.

David Chadwick MP said: “Unfairness in the supply chain is one of the most common concerns raised with me by farmers and producers in my constituency. I’m pleased to be working alongside the FUW and cross-party MPs to address the imbalance we see across the sector.

“Farming communities are under immense pressure. I will continue to ensure their voices are heard in Westminster as we fight for a better deal for rural Wales.”