News

Badger and the hundred days

Published

11 years ago

March 4, 2015

badger84image BADGER was startled to notice last weekend that it is now under three months until our Caledonian chums and chumettes vote on whether they want to remain a member of the United Kingdom or strike out on their own. Even having followed the story fur a little while, Badger was taken by surprise that the moment of destiny was approaching so soon. Badger has noticed that the arguments have become polarised around two central themes: Those FOR independence respond to questions they don’t like the answers to by accusing their questioner of scare-mongering. For example: “First Minister: what did you have for breakfast?”

Alex SaImond: “People in Scotland are sick and tired of the Westminster establishment talking Scotland down. The issue is not what I had for breakfast but whether it was a Scottish breakfast.” Looking at Alex Salmond we can, however, guess that the origin of food is less a concern of his than its destination. On the other hand the NO campaign have cunningly deployed Chancellor Gideon “George” Osborne, with his persuasive Scottish brogue, ready charm and “man of the people” persona to tell Scottish voters that if they are uncouth enough to vote “YES” to devolution, the four horseman of the apocalypse stand ready at Carlisle to cross the border on September 19 and bring doom, death and calamity to the Highlands and Islands. But not to Glasgow, on the basis that nobody would notice. In the Scottish Devolution campaign, the intellectual quality of debate is only fatally undermined by the intellectual quality of the participants. It’s a bit like the Iran/Iraq War.

In Kissinger’s words, “it’s a pity they can’t both lose.” But this thought of 100 days (now less) to the big vote made Badger think. If small states are really the answer, how small could you go? As it turns out there are a good number of states smaller than Pembrokeshire’s 614 square miles in area. They include financial powerhouses, like Bahrain, Hong Kong and Liechtenstein. Just think of the tax a diligent public servant could save on his pension in a land where money comes with no questions asked and no scrutiny allowed. With the proposed reorganization of the Welsh local government, which will involve the disappearance of such little as there is of local accountability and democracy in Pembrokeshire, is the time now right for Pembrokeshire to make a unilateral declaration of independence from the rest of the UK?

Badger pondered the question. Much buoyed by watching The Mouse that Roared and a few snifters of Olde Hedgehogge (puts hairs inside your chest!), Badger concluded that there were more unlikely things that could happen to Pembrokeshire. Such as IPPG chump-in-chief Jamie Adams exercising humility and apologising for the years of maladministration by his benighted group of saps and frauds. Looking at small nation states, at the bottom of the list – in terms of area – is the Vatican City. Ruled over by a single, infallible head of state, immovable from his post, surrounded by cardinals and lackeys jockeying for favour and position: is perhaps how someone from the Vatican might describe Pembrokeshire. But Badger digresses: picture it readers.

Not Passport to Pimlico, but Passport to Puncheston! As Badger’s eyes panned down the list, he was struck by just how
small some independent countries are. He is just amazed that John Allen-Mirehouse hasn’t looked at the same list and struck out to form the Grand Duchy of Angle, complete with feudal overlord. Although perhaps he has already. To the north and east, Badger can envisage see the border crossing near Llantood and MTBs patrolling the territorial waters between Cemaes Head St Dogmael’s. To the south and east, Badger anticipates a razor wire stretching from Cilgerran to Amroth to exclude desperate refugees from the People’s Democratic Republic of Carmarthenshire and the cruel rule of Comrade Maggs.

Look at it this way, readers, could that be any worse than what the Welsh government is threatening to do to our County? Driven by a be thatcentral isation brings benefits — a dubious economic theory, strongly undermined by the example of the Soviet Union and other command economies based around a large central bureaucracy — the Welsh Government has embarked on a process of stripping away layers of local services and replacing them with remote and unaccountable quangos. The Health Service, education, local government, policing: Badger has heard Carwyn Jones and his drones say —over and over again—words to the effect that “everyone knows that we cannot go on the way we are”, “everyone knows we have to reform the health service”, “everyone knows the current structure is unsustainable.”

To those people Badger has this to say: “The voices in your head are not everyone.” In the 21st century is the Welsh Government really proposing that the 122,500 people living in Pembrokeshire are incapable of running their own affairs and making their own decisions close to where the effects of those decisions will be most felt? With few exceptions the Welsh Cabinet is a combination of single-issue quangocrats, machine politicians, union hacks and erstwhile academics determined to experiment in social policy upon the Welsh people. The Welsh Government lack the imagination, ability, and will to make the current system work.

It would rather look for fault in the tools with which policy is locally delivered than look at the flaws in itself. Everyone is to blame apart from the Government that has been in place for the last FIFTEEN years. The costs of centralisation will be high and the benefits, if any, dubious. Efficiencies, if any, will be eaten up by bureaucratic wrangling and years of untangling complex local arrangements. Getting primary legislation through the Senedd and Parliament before some alphabet soup agency whizz kid comes up with an even brighter wheeze will be impossible. There will not be a democratic deficit. There will be a democratic abyss.

Badger is not suggesting everything is rosy in Pembrokeshire: it ain’t. lb quote Henry Kissinger (again): “It is the corrupt politicians who make the other ten percent look bad.” But Badger would rather have his own rat running the ship than a rat from another county. There is the talent and ability in Pembrokeshire to prove Carwyn wrong. It needs some councillors to take a good look at what they am on the Council to achieve and form working partnerships to force through real improvements and deliver real benefit in return for the public’s investment and faith. And if they can’t or won’t, then they need to make way for those that will try.

Education

Pembrokeshire school named second in Sunday Times guide

Published

26 minutes ago

December 5, 2025

Luke Sinclair

A Pembrokeshire secondary school has been recognised among the very best in Wales, securing a leading position in a major national education guide.

Ysgol Bro Preseli in Crymych has been ranked the second-best state secondary school in Wales in the 2026 Sunday Times Parent Power Guide, a long-established benchmark for academic performance across the UK. Only Cowbridge School placed higher.

The annual guide, regarded as one of the country’s most authoritative assessments of school standards, compiles data from more than 2,000 state and independent schools. It also offers a range of practical advice for families, including guidance on scholarships, the 11-plus, and choosing the right school.

Helen Davies, editor of the Parent Power Guide, acknowledged the pressures facing the education sector but praised the commitment shown by schools nationwide. She said: “The educational landscape is testing – budget challenges, rising student mental health issues, special educational needs and an increasingly uncertain future.

“But there is also so much to celebrate from the dedication of teachers who are finding ever more innovative and impactful ways to enrich their students and give them the very best start in life.

“As well as celebrating the academic excellence of the top schools, it is uplifting to see how they are shaping their students to be ready for the 21st century, and instilling a lifelong love of learning.”

In addition to its strong showing within Wales, Ysgol Bro Preseli secured 263rd place in the UK-wide rankings. Elsewhere in the state secondary table, Ysgol Gyfun Penweddig was placed third in Wales, with Ysgol Eirias in Colwyn Bay following closely behind.

Now in its 33rd year, the Parent Power Guide was published online on Friday, 5 December, with the print edition set to appear on Sunday, 7 December. Final positions are determined by year-on-year performance, supported by editorial judgement.

The full rankings and analysis are available via The Sunday Times digital edition, and the guide remains a trusted resource for families seeking a clear picture of school performance across the UK.

Crime

Swansea man dies weeks after release from troubled HMP Parc: Investigation launched

Published

12 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man has died just weeks after being released from HMP Parc, the Bridgend prison now at the centre of a national crisis over inmate deaths and post-release failures.

Darren Thomas, aged 52, died on 13 November 2025 — less than a month after leaving custody. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has confirmed an independent investigation into his death, which is currently listed as “in progress”.

Born on 9 April 1973, Mr Thomas had been under post-release supervision following a period at HMP/YOI Parc, the G4S-run prison that recorded seventeen deaths in custody in 2024 — the highest in the UK.

His last known legal appearance was at Swansea Crown Court in October 2024, where he stood trial accused of making a threatening phone call and two counts of criminal damage. During the hearing, reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald at the time, the court heard he made threats during a heated call on 5 October 2023.

Mr Thomas denied the allegations but was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to a custodial term, which led to his imprisonment at HMP Parc.

Parc: A prison in breakdown

HMP Parc has faced sustained criticism throughout 2024 and 2025. A damning unannounced inspection in January found:

Severe self-harm incidents up 190%
Violence against staff up 109%
Synthetic drugs “easily accessible” across wings
Overcrowding at 108% capacity

In the first three months of 2024 alone, ten men died at Parc — part of a wider cluster of twenty PPO-investigated deaths since 2022. Six occurred within three weeks, all linked to synthetic drug use.

Leaked staff messages in 2025 exposed a culture of indifference, including one officer writing: “Let’s push him to go tomorrow so we can drop him.”

Six G4S employees have been arrested since 2023 in connection with alleged assaults and misconduct.

The danger after release

Deaths shortly after release from custody are a growing national concern. Ministry of Justice data shows 620 people died while under community supervision in 2024–2025, with 62 deaths occurring within 14 days of release.

Short sentences — common at Parc — leave little time for effective rehabilitation or release planning. Homelessness, loss of drug tolerance and untreated mental-health conditions create a high-risk environment for those newly released.

The PPO investigates all such deaths to determine whether prisons or probation failed in their duties. Reports often take 6–12 months and can lead to recommendations.

A system at breaking point

The crisis at Parc reflects wider failures across UK prisons and probation. A July 2025 House of Lords report described the service as “not fit for purpose”. More than 500 people die in custody annually, with campaigners warning that private prisons such as Parc prioritise cost-cutting over care.

The PPO investigation into the death of Darren Thomas continues.

Crime

Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in

Published

12 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Court Reporter

A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.

Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.

The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.

Police find victim with four wounds

Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.

He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.

The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.

He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.

Defendant has long history of violence

Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.

Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.

Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.