News

Badger and the little Red Book

Published

10 years ago

March 5, 2015

badger84image BEFORE Badger begins, he would like to correct an impression that could have been given by his column last week that Cllr Keith Lewis had not repented of any sins. Keith repenteth plenty. Or at least he will soon. It was a case of too many Lewises spoiling the joke. Saint Simon of Neyland will forgive Badger. Saint Simon knows that one word, “Plus” (or minus), can make or ruin a joke however bad. It is Rob Lewis who repenteth not, Saint Simon. Pray for his immortal soul, pray. And after that, on with the motley and back to the fray. A long time ago, when the world was green, adherents to extremist ideology clustered around one or two publications like moths drawn to a flame.

Badger remembers the strident cries of “Socialist Worker!” delivered in a mockney dahn serf accent by Repton old boys whose daddies were something big in the FO; Badger remembers Militant, a newspaper printed and circulated by those who thought everyone had sold out Marxist-Leninism, including —rather surprisingly — the pre-Glasnost Soviet Union. Badger remembers when jokes like this were rather more common: Q: How many Marxists does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: None: The light bulb contains the seeds of its own revolution! But the touchstone of many a member of the lunatic fringe of British left wing politics was a selection of extracts from speeches and aphorisms delivered by the biggest dingbat in the Comtnunist belfry.

Badger refers of course to “Quotations of Chairman Mao Tse-Tung”; otherwise, universally known in the West as “The Little Red Book”. Now, the glorious dawn of a new Cultural Revolution is upon us with the ascent to the giddy heights, Chair of Pembrokeshire County Council, of Chairman Tom Richards. Tom, often to be seen sashaying around Quay Street in a quite fetching scarf, hat and coat combination of a style befitting a gentleman farmer, has ascended to this seat of power not because of his keen insight, still less in recognition of his administrative skill or prowess with a well-timed gavel. No: readers Chairman Tom has been promoted to glory because of the old rule of “Buggin’s ibm”. This is not so much a job for the boys, as a job for one of the “good old boys”. But here is his chance to make a mark. To exchange notoriety for fame. Perhaps, readers, Chairman Tom’s thoughts might give us an insight into the future.

His investigative instincts piqued, Badger tunnelled to the Chairman Welsh Hook fastness to try and get a peep at what makes Tom tick and to discover how the Chairman’s thought processes work. After taking a wrong turn in Cockshoot Wood, Badger espied the tower of St Lawrence’s Church and regained his bearings: guided by the clink of glass on glass to the window of Chairman Torn’s parlour. There, wearing naught but his hat, chain of office, and an enigmatic smile was Chairman Tom. Perched on a stool and illuminated by a flickering oil lamp, Tom sat ploughing through Das Kapital and nodding eagerly.

Strewn around him on the floor were copies of “The Communist Manifesto” and Lenin’s “What is to be Done?” Through his spyglass, Badger spotted one phrase of Lenin’s, heavily underlined “The fear of criticism displayed by the advocates of freedom of criticism cannot be attributed solely to craftiness. No, the majority look with sincere resentment upon all theoretical controversies, factional disagreements, broad political questions.” Chuckling softly to himself, Chairman Tom continued to peruse selections of the literature of the left, scribbling the occasional note in its margins with a quill charged with green ink. Badger had not expected this: the complete works of Jancis Robinson, possibly; The Farmer’s Guardian, probably; The Beano, certainly. But not Chairman Tom showing every researching his own Little Red Book.

Badger had formerly always subscribed to the cock up theory of history and discounted conspiracy theorists as crackpots, like Oliver Stone or Gordon Brown. Now, however, recent events in Pembrokeshire suddenly became clear. Badger’s head swam in a way usually attributable only to over-imbibing on fermented fox. The collapse of the Communist Party after the 1996 Russian election: the re-establishment of Pembrokeshire County Council, the same year. Frustrated in their eastern European homeland, the pinkos had found a new crucible in which to carry out their unholy social experiments: County Hall, Haverfordwest.

The revolution having failed in the former Soviet Union, did the reds go from Moscow to Martletwy? Is it really so far-fetched to suspect that they might have? And if they did that would make the lPPG a Communist front. Not so much a sleeper cell, but a sleep-walking one. Let’s look at the facts, readers. Cadres formed; covert recruitment practices; literature produced secretively; slavish devotion to the party line: a bureaucracy that is only too eager to help rewrite history; the systematic harassment and bullying of refuseniks. CCCP = County Council Communist Party! Badger’s beguiling theory explains so much about the Kremlin on the Cleddau!

The mind-set is the same. The methods are identical. And Chairman Tom’s disdain for democracy and determination to stamp it out at all costs remarkably familiar. The glorious day has finally arrived for the !PPG fellow-travellers. The hammer and sickle replaced with the proud banner of the golden trough triumphant. Readers! Never mind the age old question of whether Bryn is a shape-shifting lizard who needs to travel by private lift twice a day to regenerate into (approximately) human form. The evidence suggests that the commies are already running Pembrokeshire. Altogether, comrades, before the secret police arrive! `Parry Jones’ flag’s a golden trough. Gouge the poor, enrich the toffs”.

News

Man claims £500m Bitcoin fortune is somewhere in Newport landfill

Published

10 mins ago

November 19, 2024

Dave Glover

A NEWPORT man who accidentally discarded a hard drive containing Bitcoin now valued at over £500m is suing Newport City Council after years of denied access to the landfill where he believes it was buried.

James Howells, 39, says the drive, which reportedly holds 8,000 Bitcoins, was worth about £4m when it was thrown away in 2013. However, the cryptocurrency’s recent surge in value has propelled its worth to more than £569m, and Mr. Howells speculates it could reach £1bn next year.

James Howells’ hard drive, containing the private key needed to access the cryptocurrency, was stored in a desk drawer until it was mistakenly discarded while upgrading his computer. He has been lobbying the council for a decade to allow an excavation of Docksway Landfill, claiming he has identified its location within a 100,000-tonne section of the site.

However, Newport City Council has repeatedly refused his requests, citing environmental concerns and licensing restrictions. A spokesperson for the council said: “Mr. Howells has brought a civil claim against the council for a sum in the region of £0.5bn. The claim has no merit, and the council is vigorously resisting it.”

Meanwhile, Tom Sinclair, editor of The Pembrokeshire Herald, is in a similar situation, though on a smaller scale. He lost access to 175 Bitcoins now worth approximately £12.7m.

In 2009, Sinclair spent £50 buying 175 Bitcoins, initially to fund a transaction that was never completed. The Bitcoin remained unspent, and after the cryptocurrency’s meteoric rise in value, Mr. Sinclair began searching for the missing hard drive.

“The computer I used to buy the Bitcoin years ago developed a fault with the graphics card, and I stopped using it,” said Mr. Sinclair. “I suspect the parts were cannibalised to keep other computers going at our offices. I never throw anything away, so the hard drive is bound to be somewhere—we are currently conducting a hunt to find it.”

He added: “To be honest, I had completely forgotten about the Bitcoins. It was only recently when going through my bank statements that I saw the purchase back in 2009 and remembered that I had not spent the £50. After asking colleagues in the office to check the value of the 175 coins I purchased, I nearly fell off my chair when I realised they are now worth so much—it’s simply unbelievable!”

The value of Bitcoin recently hit an all-time high, exceeding $80,000 (£62,000) per unit following Donald Trump’s recent election victory. The cryptocurrency’s turbulent history continues to captivate public interest, with the stories of James Howells and Tom Sinclair adding local twists to its legend

News

CCRC invites public to observe 5th Annual Open Board Meeting

Published

2 hours ago

November 19, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is inviting members of the public to its fifth annual Open Board meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, 26 November 2024. The meeting will be held via Zoom, running from 10:30am to 12:30pm, and is open to everyone interested in attending.

How to join the meeting

To participate, you will need a device such as a desktop computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet with access to the Zoom platform. The Zoom application can be downloaded for free online by searching for “Zoom app.” A stable internet connection is recommended.

To join the meeting, use the following link shortly before 10:30am on the day:

Join the zoom meeting
Passcode: 034573

For any technical difficulties, please email: [email protected]

Meeting agenda

The agenda for the meeting is available here. Minutes from the session will be published on the CCRC’s website after the event.

Submitting questions

While questions cannot be addressed during the meeting, the CCRC will respond to inquiries related to the agenda items discussed. Questions should be submitted via email to [email protected] by 12:00pm on Tuesday, 3 December. Responses will be provided by email and may also be published on the CCRC website.

Please note that questions about individual cases will not be addressed.

For further details, visit the CCRC website.

Community

Find out more about what’s coming next in Haverfordwest’s regeneration journey

Published

3 hours ago

November 19, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A COMMUNITY evening will be held this week with the contractor taking on construction of the new modern Public Transport Interchange (PTI) for Haverfordwest.

Kier Construction Ltd will be at HaverHub on Thursday, 21^st November for people to meet the team and find out more about the development which is due to start its rebuild phase imminently.

The event will be open 3pm to 7pm and is a fantastic opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the plans.

The scheme forms part of the South West Wales Metro project and will provide a modern and innovative transport hub, integrating all transport modes.

Designs include improvements to pedestrian and cycle facilities through the site, a more efficient and integrated bus station, and construction of a new modern multi-storey.

Cabinet Member for Place, the Region and Climate Change and Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Miller said: “This is another exciting step in the extensive regeneration of Haverfordwest and we are looking forward to seeing construction starting on this latest project.”

The bus station will be integrated within the PTI with seven bus bays and upgraded passenger facilities and a new multi-storey will have around 280 spaces, and be much easier to use for drivers.

Green credentials are also important with electric vehicle charging points included – with further vehicle charging expansion built-in and future-proofed – and solar panels installed on the new car park roof.

An upgraded public realm will further improve the environment around the Interchange and promoting Active Travel such as walking and cycling.

The project also involves improving car parking provision and local bus access at Haverfordwest railway station.

Local Member, Cllr Thomas Tudor said: “I welcome this public engagement event which is an opportunity for all to come together to share and learn about the various projects that are ongoing, which can only improve our county town for both residents and visitors alike.”

No booking is required for the event, just drop in at a time that suits you.

Jason Taylor, regional director at Kier Construction Western & Wales, said: “We look forward to meeting with the residents of Haverfordwest at this community evening and sharing the exciting plans we have for this project.

“Kier is incredibly proud of its Welsh roots and can trace them back over 40 years and are thrilled to be extending this experience in Haverfordwest.”

Kier also plans to have a presence on the Riverside Shopping Centre, where people will be able to drop in to find out more once work begins this month.

The temporary Riverside car park has closed to allow for the development to start.

More information on car parking in Haverfordwest is available at: Haverfordwest car parks